There's Something Wrong with You, Logistics Uma Musume - Chapter 25

Kagura thought the race she went to see in Niigata last time was already outrageous enough, but now it seems she underestimated the scale of the fanbase. After all, this is Tokyo, so there are bound to be even more people.

"Maybe when you start running on the track, you'll have even more fans than this, little sister?"

"Well... I'm not a dazzling genius like the President..."

Kagura took Maruzensky's words as a joke. She didn't feel like she was someone like Rudolph Symbol who could shine so brightly on the track and on stage.

Kagura did have plans to participate in races. After all, she heard that even if a Uma Musume doesn't come in first, they can still get a lot of prize money for finishing in the top five. Although she wasn't confident that she could definitely take first place, after watching Rudolph Symbol's opponents, she felt that with a little effort and training, finishing in the top five shouldn't be a problem.

After finally making it to Fuchu Station, Kagura quickly jumped off the crowded train. She saw the crowd behind her also pouring out. After searching for a long time, she finally found Toujou Hana, who was submerged in the sea of people.

Tokyo Racecourse was now completely packed. Kagura and her group were a little late, and they couldn't even find the entrance. Fortunately, the racecourse always reserved a special passage and seats for Tracen Academy students. Kagura squeezed through the crowd outside and quickly entered at the entrance.

Rudolph Symbol was still waiting in the entrance tunnel. She quickly saw Kagura, who was the first to sneak in. Rudolph Symbol seemed to be in very good condition today, so it seemed she had a pretty good night's sleep.

"Morning, Kagura. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it again last night, right? Thanks again for taking care of me afterwards."

"No, no, it's nothing if I'm a little bit of trouble, as long as the President is in good condition today."

"Want to go out for dinner after this race?"

Rudolph Symbol habitually suggested.

"I have no objections, but didn't the President say before that she wanted to eat a meal cooked by me?"

"Uh... that's right, the restaurants nearby aren't as good as Kagura's cooking."

After being reminded by Kagura, Rudolph Symbol realized that she didn't really need to look for a restaurant. She could just trouble Kagura a little to get the same level of food.

"Is there anything special you want for yourself?"

Rudolph Symbol always wanted to do something to repay Kagura and Toujou Hana for their careful care of her over the past few months, but after thinking about it, she realized that they had always seemed to be somewhat without desires. Especially Kagura, she didn't know Kagura's hobbies, didn't know Kagura's birthday, and didn't know what Kagura liked to eat, because Kagura almost never revealed these things.

"I don't want anything. The thing I want the most is for the President to finish your race well."

Kagura shook her head and gave Rudolph Symbol a thumbs up with a smile to encourage her.

"I also agree with Kagura's words, Rudolph. I'm also looking forward to your triumphant return. If you can bring back victory, that's the best news for me and Kagura, who are responsible for taking care of you."

Toujou Hana finally arrived late in the entrance tunnel. She had also heard Kagura and Rudolph Symbol's conversation just now. As a Trainer, she naturally agreed with Kagura's statement just now.

"Kagura, and Trainer..."

Rudolph Symbol was speechless for a moment. She squatted down and gently hugged Kagura, then stood up and hugged Toujou Hana.

Looking at the encouraging smiles on their faces, Rudolph Symbol also straightened her expression, put her hand on her chest, and solemnly responded:

"I will bring back a splendid victory for you, and I will never fail your expectations. Please watch me closely."

"Good luck, President." "Go, run to your heart's content."

"Miss Maruzensky, where were you hiding just now? Aren't you going to come and see the President?"

Watching Rudolph Symbol enter the racecourse, Kagura walked back a little to the front of the tunnel and saw Maruzensky waiting there, looking at the place of appearance from afar.

"I'll just stand here, your kind of atmosphere... I'm not good at interrupting~"

"I don't understand..."

"It's nothing~ Little sister, you don't need to think too much."

Maruzensky smiled and touched Kagura's head. A hint of envy and regret could be vaguely seen in her eyes as she looked at the place of appearance.

Toujou Hana raised her hand and patted Maruzensky's shoulder. Maruzensky didn't say anything, just smiled helplessly.

'Go, Rudolph, take my dream... and run.'

The racecourse announcer was announcing today's track conditions and race details. Kagura, Maruzensky, and the others also returned to the stands.

Maruzensky's emotions returned to a high level, hugging Kagura and gently rubbing her cheeks non-stop, looking like she was enjoying it.

'Miss Maruzensky seemed a little off just now?'

Kagura wasn't the kind of newbie who couldn't see anything. She could see Maruzensky's envy of Rudolph Symbol, and Toujou Hana's helplessness, but she didn't know what the inside story was. Why would Maruzensky envy Rudolph Symbol, who was about to enter the race? Why would Toujou Hana look helpless?

"Miss Maruzensky is already running races, right?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Does Miss Maruzensky have any dreams? For your career."

After thinking for a while, Kagura decided to try to understand.

Maruzensky was stunned for a moment when she heard Kagura's question. After a moment of silence, she said:

"Dreams... wanting to win the Classic Triple Crown, and competing against powerful opponents on the Triple Crown stage, I guess that's a dream."

"Classic Triple Crown..."

Kagura remembered the three races of the Triple Crown. A Uma Musume who can win all three of these races in a year can get the title of Triple Crown Uma Musume, but it's not so easy to win these three heavyweight races. Luck, strength, and effort are all indispensable.

Maruzensky paused when she mentioned the Triple Crown races, and it seemed her brief emotional dip was related to that, but Kagura still couldn't figure out the reason.

'Miss Eclipse, do you know why Miss Maruzensky seems envious of the young lady when the Triple Crown races are mentioned?'

--She looks perfectly healthy to me, and doesn't seem like a child who can't run. You won't get an answer asking an ancient foreigner like me! How would I know what people living in this era in this place are thinking?

Eclipse replied quickly, her words flashing across Kagura's phone screen. It seemed Eclipse didn't know the reason either.

"Click!!"

As Kagura was pondering in confusion, the crisp sound of the starting gate opening pulled her and the still-lost-in-thought Maruzensky back to reality.

The race had begun.

43. The Meaning of Logistics

"Alright, all the racers have made a smooth start. In the lead is..."

Rudolph Symbol was still using her usual front-running strategy. After the start, she steadily stayed right behind the leader, not rushing to catch up, but observing from behind.

The other competitors in this race seemed much more motivated than those in her debut race. Even though Rudolph Symbol's performance was even better and more despair-inducing than in her debut, the other Uma Musume were gritting their teeth and running desperately.

This was a 1600-meter race, which for Uma Musume running at full speed, was at most a two-minute journey. There wasn't much time for the racers to create distance between each other.

Rudolph Symbol maintained her front-running position, looking for an opportunity to break through in the front group. She could see that, as her Trainer and Kagura had analyzed, there was no one in this race who could truly challenge her.

The Tokyo Racecourse track did have its ups and downs, but these were all within the countermeasures Kagura had suggested, so she wasn't expending much effort running on this course.

'What a pity...'

Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the special seating area for Tracen Academy students in the stands. She knew her friends were watching her from there, and Kagura and Maruzensky would naturally be there as well.

'If only you guys were on this track too.'

Winning was naturally joyful, but the process was too easy and rather boring. Rudolph Symbol hoped to encounter opponents like Maruzensky and Kagura who could pose a threat to her, but as it stood, Maruzensky was unlikely to be able to compete with her in subsequent major races due to some special circumstances, and Kagura was far from old enough to stand on the track.

"Damn it...! Rudolph Symbol... don't think you can... pass me so easily!!"

The sound of an opponent gritting her teeth beside her brought Rudolph Symbol back to reality. She saw that other Uma Musume had unknowingly caught up to her on both sides. Although the Uma Musume on both sides looked like they were barely holding on, the determination in their eyes hadn't wavered.

"You have time to daydream while running... you really have some leeway!"

Another Uma Musume also tried her best to catch up from behind, gathering around Rudolph Symbol.

Rudolph Symbol realized that her brief lapse in thought had been somewhat disrespectful to her opponents. Seeing them burning with all their might, she felt a different kind of touch.

"My apologies, that was indeed disrespectful. Everyone is burning so brightly, I should return your respect in equal measure."

Although the Uma Musume who had caught up from behind tried their best to create an encirclement, their condition was ultimately too strained. As they entered the final straight from the last turn, a huge gap finally appeared in their formation, which could no longer maintain high speed and synchronize with Rudolph Symbol. Rudolph Symbol naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity—

"—I will use all my strength to crush you!"

In an instant, Rudolph Symbol burst out from the gap in the front group. The front-runners, who hadn't managed to create much distance, were overtaken almost in the blink of an eye. Rudolph Symbol, stepping onto the final straight, began an amazing acceleration sprint with unstoppable momentum.

"Rudolph Symbol breaks through!! So fast! So fast!! Rudolph Symbol shows no signs of fatigue!! The slopes of the Tokyo Racecourse haven't hindered her at all!!"

The commentator's excited voice and the cheers of the audience also came with Rudolph Symbol's breakthrough. The Uma Musume who had been overtaken were unable to catch up and could only try their best to minimize the gap.

--This group of Uma Musume will definitely not be able to hold their formation and will reveal a weakness at the last turn. That child's breakthrough will definitely be at that time. If the leader hasn't created a distance by then, it's over.

Eclipse had made an early assessment of the race's situation. As Eclipse had predicted, Rudolph Symbol chose to break through at the last turn and then sprinted towards the finish line with all her might.

Rudolph Symbol, who had been accelerating all the way, showed no signs of fatigue. Kagura, far away in the stands, could only hear the deafening cheers around her. It seemed that most of those in attendance were Rudolph Symbol's fans.

"So strong, so strong! Too strong!! The finish line is close!! No one can close the distance with Rudolph Symbol!! She's in perfect condition today!!"

"Crossing the line!! Rudolph Symbol demonstrates overwhelming strength!! Winning the race by a huge margin!!"

The final straight sprint was undoubtedly without suspense. Rudolph Symbol, in perfect condition, crossed the finish line straight. Kagura also saw the scoreboard above.

"Nine lengths... even more despair-inducing than in her debut."

Kagura saw the glaring red "9" between the first and second place on the scoreboard and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"That's right, Rudolph's condition is frighteningly good today. You've been taking such good care of her lately, little sister. No staying up late, nutritious food, regular meals. Damn it, I want a Logistics Uma Musume like that too!"

Maruzensky enviously pinched Kagura's small face. She had heard from Toujou Hana about how comfortable Rudolph Symbol had been lately. Not only was her diet taken care of by Kagura, a great cook, but Kagura also helped clean and tidy up her room. When she was tired, Kagura would give her a massage, and Kagura even made targeted countermeasures for her to deal with race conditions.

It could be said that Kagura had solved all her worries except for training. All she had to do was focus on executing the Trainer's training plan and completing the race. It was as if Kagura was personally running the race for her.

"You're... too strong..."

After crossing the finish line, as Rudolph Symbol waved to the audience, the opponents she had just overtaken came over. Although they had lost the race, they didn't seem particularly disappointed. Their faces showed some helplessness, but more so, relief.

"Ah... thinking about it, losing to you, there's no helping it."

"You too, this was truly a wonderful race. The track shone because of your burning."

Saying that, Rudolph Symbol reached out and shook hands with the Uma Musume who had chased her so hard:

"Hey, wonderful or not, losing is losing. You won convincingly."

"You, don't lose the next ones after leaving me so far behind! Otherwise, I'll look so embarrassed!"

The usually proud Rudolph Symbol was trying to listen to her opponents' voices for the first time. This was also a small suggestion Kagura had given her not long ago. It wasn't a bad thing to have a good relationship with her opponents. Rudolph Symbol also found that even weak opponents could be so dazzling when they were burning themselves with all their might.

'Listening to your rivals might help the young lady understand how to interact with people her own age,' Kagura had said. Rudolph Symbol now thought about it, and Kagura's suggestion made a lot of sense.

After bidding farewell to the audience, Rudolph Symbol, needing to prepare for the winner's stage, entered the backstage passage and saw Kagura already waiting inside with a towel and water.

"How do you feel, young lady?"

"Very good. The running strategy you gave me was also very effective. I'm grateful for all the care you and the Trainer have given me during this time."

She took the water from Kagura and took a few sips. The water was still lukewarm, not too hot and not cold enough to upset her stomach. It was clear that Kagura had intentionally controlled the water temperature.

"Speaking of which, where's the Trainer?"

"I'm here. I was walking a little slower... Kagura's a Uma Musume after all, she runs much faster than I do."

Toujou Hana emerged from behind a moment later. Kagura was still wiping sweat from the crouching Rudolph Symbol.

"Congratulations, Rudolph. You won beautifully. Your observation of the situation was excellent."

"I was able to win so easily thanks to the Trainer's training and care during this time."

"I only created the training plan and fitness standards for you. You should thank Kagura. She's practically been living in the cafeteria to make sure you eat well every day without compromising your nutrition. She's been taking care of your daily life."

Actually, much of this was originally the Trainer's job, but with Kagura, the Logistics Uma Musume, around, Toujou Hana's workload had been greatly reduced. She was also very grateful to Kagura.

Honestly, Toujou Hana found Kagura's professional skills a bit unbelievable. Even with the Symbol family's professional training, Kagura was only an eleven-year-old child, and to be able to do this well was truly incredible.

"I agree. Kagura, is there really nothing you want?"

"There's nothing I'm particularly desperate for..."

Kagura did have some ideas, but none of them could be resolved in the short term, like buying wine to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, or renovating the shrine where she was summoned and enshrining Eclipse there. None of these were goals that could be achieved quickly, so Kagura didn't plan to trouble Rudolph Symbol with them.

"...After the winner's stage, I'll go back and prepare for the young lady..."

"Stop, Kagura, you're resting tonight! We're eating out!"