Although the club had not been disbanded because of her, the fact that no new members had joined for a long time was a real problem. This time, Kagura happened to be interested in it, and Rudolph Symbol felt the joy of finally meeting someone who understood her.
"So, I'll be bothering you a lot from now on?"
"I'd be more than happy to have you bother me like this! Come on, let's practice a little more!"
46. Nice Nature Doesn't Want to Come Third (In Every Sense)
"Hm? Nice Nature, what are you doing wandering around here?"
It happened to be a day off, and Maruzensky was just about to head to Tracen Academy's cafeteria to freeload a meal from Kagura when she spotted Nice Nature wandering around the path by the athletic field, as if she were looking for something.
"Ah, Senior Maruzensky! Have you seen where Kagura went?"
"It's almost lunchtime. Isn't she in the cafeteria?"
"Kagura said she had today off, so she didn't go to the cafeteria... I didn't see her in there either."
"I see... Then Rudolph probably called her away. By the way, what are you looking for the little one for?"
Hearing that Kagura had the day off, Maruzensky suddenly remembered the matter and felt a little disappointed.
"I heard Kagura was finally free, so I wanted to ask her to go out with me..."
Kagura always seemed to have endless work to do, and even when she was free, she still came to tutor Nice Nature. Not wanting to disturb her, Nice Nature rarely took the initiative to invite Kagura anywhere. Since she had heard that Kagura was free today, she had wanted to take her good friend out for a walk, but now she could not find her.
"Why don't we try the Archery Club? Rudolph likes going there to shoot when she has free time. She might have dragged Kagura along today."
Maruzensky thought it over. Rudolph Symbol happened to have the day off too, and if Kagura had not gone out somewhere on her own, she had probably been taken away by Rudolph Symbol. Her friend did not have many hobbies beyond that. Other than the Archery Club and the dormitory, Maruzensky could not think of anywhere Rudolph Symbol would be on her day off.
"Um... Senior Maruzensky, could you take me there? I... I'm not familiar with the way."
Nice Nature was still unfamiliar with the school and had no idea where the various clubs were, so she could only ask Maruzensky to lead her.
"Of course. I'm curious what the little one is doing with her free time too. Just follow me."
"Senior... Could I ask you something?"
As they walked through the school building, searching for the Archery Club, the small Nice Nature tilted her head up to look at Maruzensky.
"What is it? Does little Nature have a question?"
"How can I talk to people as naturally as you do? I always want to ask Kagura to go out with me, and there are things I want to say to her... but I don't know how to start..."
Nice Nature lowered her head and asked in a soft, bashful voice, her face flushed.
"Well... That's a very youthful question! But there's no trick to it. It depends on your natural talent. Maybe you'll be able to do it once you grow a little older~ But if it's with that girl Kagura, you should actually take the initiative a little more. She has a very passive personality. If you're timid too, neither of you will make a move."
"Take the initiative a little...?"
"That's right. For example, if you want to hug her, just act spoiled and ask if you can hug her. She'll agree right away."
That was more or less how Maruzensky felt about Kagura lately. Although Kagura looked young and innocent, she understood everything she needed to, always giving Maruzensky an unfathomable, mysterious feeling. Still, her personality was wonderful, and she was very tolerant toward people she knew.
"Take this time, for example. You wanted to invite her out, right? You should have found her a day in advance and asked if she could go out with you the next day. You have to take the initiative! Act spoiled a little, too. She definitely wouldn't refuse you."
"I understand! I... I'll try to be more proactive!"
Nice Nature nodded seriously, though she did not know whether she could really be as proactive as Maruzensky had suggested.
She had always harbored a small wish. She wanted Kagura to pay more attention to her. She knew that Kagura was a Logistics Uma Musume, and that supporting professional Uma Musumes was her duty. So Nice Nature had kept working hard, trying to become someone who could be supported, just like Rudolph Symbol.
If I become good enough... could I make Kagura my personal Logistics Uma Musume? Would Kagura look at me more often then?
Nice Nature did not know where such thoughts had come from, but she truly hoped to grow closer to Kagura, like real friends. At present, she always felt that Kagura treated her like a parent raising a child.
"Youth is wonderful~"
Seeing Nice Nature walking along with a thoughtful look on her face, Maruzensky could not help smiling.
The Archery Club was not in any particularly remote location. After walking for five or six minutes, Maruzensky and Nice Nature arrived at its entrance.
The entrance door was not closed, and Maruzensky could hear movement inside. Rudolph Symbol was probably there. The young, childlike voice inside should have belonged to Kagura.
Nice Nature and Maruzensky quietly slipped inside and peeked in. In front of the targets, Rudolph Symbol had an arm around Kagura, helping her adjust her bow-drawing posture. Kagura's movements still looked clumsy, so she had probably only recently started learning.
"Rudolph~ Playing with your bow here again?"
Maruzensky walked out and greeted her as naturally as ever. Nice Nature hurried after her.
"Oh? Maruzensky? What brings you here? You've never been interested in archery."
"I'm not here to shoot. I ran into little Nature on my way to get lunch. She said she was looking for Kagura, and I guessed you had dragged her here. She didn't know how to get around, so I brought her."
"Nature? What's wrong? Do you have some homework you want to ask me about?"
Still wearing her protective gear, Kagura hung her bow back on her shoulder and looked curiously at the nervous Nice Nature.
"It's... it's just... that! I... I wanted to go out for a walk with Kagura this afternoon. Is... is that okay?"
"Hm? You looked so nervous that I thought you had some serious trouble you wanted me to help with. Of course that's fine, Miss. Do you need me to accompany you anywhere this afternoon?"
Since Nice Nature had taken the initiative to invite her out, Kagura naturally had no intention of refusing. To be safe, she decided to ask Rudolph Symbol whether she had any plans afterward.
"No. I'm off for the next few days. It's rare to have a chance to relax, so you should go out with your friend more often. It's not every day that Nature takes the initiative and asks you to go play."
"That's true... Then, Miss, I'll be going now, okay? Remember to follow your meal plan for lunch!"
"I'll be careful. Go on, go have fun!"
Watching Kagura remove her protective gear and put it neatly aside before leaving with the nervous little Nature, who was stumbling over her words, Rudolph Symbol suddenly felt emotional.
"These two are really interesting, especially that girl Kagura. You think so too, don't you?"
Maruzensky sidled over and patted Rudolph Symbol on the shoulder.
"Hehe... Isn't it a good thing? Kagura has taken care of me for several months without a break. She deserves to relax too. I'll have to find excuses to give her some spending money and let her take time off."
"Definitely. She's practically become your mother. Didn't she just tell you to follow your meal plan?"
Maruzensky had also seen the meal plan Kagura had made for Rudolph Symbol. In fact, it was not a detailed menu, but a list filled with nutritional information. Kagura cooked every day according to that list.
But that was not even the most impressive part. What amazed Maruzensky most was that, despite preparing every meal according to the same plan, Kagura's dishes were completely different every time. She had managed to cook for so long without repeating a dish, and Rudolph Symbol's physique had remained as perfect as Kagura had calculated.
"That's right. I have to control my weight, after all. If I become overweight, it'll affect my training. That wouldn't be good."
"I'm so jealous of you... Could you consider giving Kagura to me? How much would it cost to ransom that girl from your family? I'll pay double!"
"Hey, hey! What do you mean, ransom? Don't make the Symbol family sound like human traffickers. I don't even dare imagine what I'd do without her now."
"Me too! At least you get to eat her cooking every day! Do you know how I've been surviving on the days I couldn't eat it?!"
"Who told you to be so lazy and refuse to learn how to cook..."
"You can't cook either! Instead, think about what we're going to do for lunch with Kagura gone today."
"There's still the cafeteria. The food at Tracen Academy's cafeteria isn't as good as Kagura's, but it's not bad. Or would you like me to go into the kitchen and show you a thing or two?"
"Please, don't ever have such a dangerous thought! I'm going to the cafeteria!"
47. There's a Fellow Countrywoman Here Too?
"Mm... mm... Kagura..."
"What's wrong? Have you decided where you want to go?"
Although Nice Nature had managed to invite Kagura out, she had never thought about what to do afterward. Compared with the terribly nervous Nice Nature, Kagura seemed much calmer. She could even open her social media account and scroll through it a few times.
Kagura could tell that Nice Nature had probably never invited a friend out before. Seeing her so flustered, Kagura almost felt too sorry to tease the adorable girl.
"If you haven't decided, would you like to hear my suggestion?"
Kagura finally decided to speak up and help ease Nice Nature's awkwardness.
"Yes! Ah... Do you have any good ideas, Kagura?"
"It's almost lunchtime. Let's eat first, then go to a nearby park. I've seen a lot of students go there for walks when they're free. What do you think?"
"I... I'm fine with that! I think it sounds great!"
Nervous, Nice Nature quickly nodded, then let out a long sigh.
"Nature, if you want to go out and play in the future, you can make plans in advance. Otherwise, everything will become a mess when it's time to leave. That wouldn't be good."
"I know... Ugh..."
Nice Nature's ears drooped dejectedly. Seeing this, Kagura stepped forward, rose slightly onto her toes, and patted her head.
"All right, you're already out having fun, so cheer up. Just prepare next time."
"Mm-mm... It ended up like this again..."
Although Nice Nature had always wanted to act more like an older sister, since she was older, she somehow always felt like a child in front of Kagura.
Kagura opened her phone and searched for restaurants nearby. After considering Nice Nature's usual tastes and the price range they could both accept, she quickly made her choice.
"You probably like ramen, right, Nature? How about we go eat ramen?"
"Mm... Huh? How did you know I liked..."
"Hehe~ I've been cooking for you for several months. What flavors you like are already written all over your stomach!"
Kagura had never made ramen for Nice Nature, but based on Nice Nature's taste preferences and her own cooking experience, she could roughly guess what kinds of food she liked.
Nice Nature could not help blushing, suddenly unsure of what to do. Only then did she realize something: Kagura seemed to understand her like a member of her own family, while she still knew very little about Kagura.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Kagura had deliberately chosen a Jiro-style ramen shop because Uma Musumes tended to have large appetites. She remembered her best friend recommending this kind of restaurant. The prices were reasonable, and the portions were large and filling, making it ideal for students.
"Come to think of it, I'm curious. Is there anything Kagura likes to eat?"
After entering the restaurant, ordering, and sitting down, Nice Nature finally could not help asking Kagura. She felt that she still knew far too little about her good friend.
"There are lots of things. Other than Houttuynia and anything too bizarre, I like any ingredient as long as it's prepared well. If I listed them one by one, I wouldn't finish by tomorrow."
"I see... By the way, what is Houttuynia?"
Although Nice Nature's household-skills stat was quite high, she had genuinely never heard of that ingredient.
"It's an ingredient with a very unusual flavor. Though it looks like they don't have it around here."
"Oh? A customer who knows about Houttuynia?"
A brown-haired Uma Musume waitress came over carrying their two bowls of ramen. She had happened to hear Kagura and looked rather surprised.
"Ah, thank you. I've only heard of it, more or less. Miss, are you...?"
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's just rare to hear someone mention something from my hometown here, especially such a young girl, so I was curious."
Kagura carefully observed the waitress. She was very young, only a few years older than Kagura's current body. Although it was difficult to determine an Uma Musume's nationality from her face, the waitress's clothes were distinctly Chinese-style—though it was the kind of Chinese-style clothing based on Japanese stereotypes. Kagura was certain that nobody back home would normally dress like that.
"Are you a Chinese Uma Musume?"
"Yes. I came here with a senior not long ago and will be staying for a while, so I found a job here. I'll be going back after some time."
"I see..."
Kagura glanced at the name tag on the waitress's chest. It read Invincible, written in Chinese characters—a very Uma Musume-like name that did not look like a person's name at all.
"All right, your noodles are here. Another customer is calling for me, so I'll be going!"
"Oh, okay..."
As she watched the energetic waitress leave, Kagura had originally wanted to ask whether she spoke Chinese. But after thinking about how busy the restaurant was, she decided it was probably not the right time.
"So she's a Chinese Uma Musume... Chinese Uma Musumes seem really rare. It's hard to see one normally."
This was Nice Nature's first time seeing a foreign Uma Musume too. Although she had not spoken just now, she had been watching the waitress called Invincible with curiosity the whole time.
"Maybe Uma Musumes from over there just don't come here often... Hurry and eat. If ramen sits too long, the noodles will get soggy."
"Mm-mm!"
Nice Nature, who had considerable knowledge when it came to food, naturally knew that too. She immediately lowered her head and began wolfing down her meal. Kagura also picked up her chopsticks and ate unhurriedly, analyzing the possible cooking methods and ingredients as she went, already planning how she could recreate the dish for Nice Nature after returning to Tracen Academy.
"You don't have to eat that quickly. You've got food all around your mouth."
Even while eating, Kagura spared some attention to look at Nature. Seeing her eat so fiercely, Kagura reminded her to be careful not to choke.
Still chewing, Nice Nature looked up in a daze. Kagura took out a tissue she carried with her and wiped the mouth of the slightly careless girl.
Before you continue