There's Something Wrong With You, Logistics Uma Musume

Rudolph Symbol watched Speed Symbol chatting amiably with Kagura, asking about her life and school routine, seemingly able to talk about anything. This gave her a strange feeling, as she saw a side of Speed Symbol she'd never seen before. In her memory, Speed Symbol had always been strict and intimidating; she had never seen Speed Symbol so gentle and kind.

"Indeed, it's rare to see Speed Symbol-sama with such an expression. It seems Kagura-san is quite well-liked by her."

Mejiro Takamine quietly echoed Rudolph Symbol's sentiment. Speed Symbol was completely engrossed in interacting with Kagura, not even sparing a moment to talk to them, the younger generation.

"If it weren't for that incident when you were little, I'm sure the old woman would be much kinder to you."

Sirius Symbol chuckled, patting the bewildered Rudolph Symbol on the shoulder. She knew why Speed Symbol had always been so strict with Rudolph Symbol; after all, Rudolph Symbol's fiery temper had caused quite a few problems when she was younger. It was only natural that Speed Symbol would be concerned.

"Ah, well..."

Rudolph Symbol scratched her head awkwardly, unable to retort. She had indeed caused a lot of trouble when she was younger and more hot-headed, and Speed Symbol had always been the one to clean up after her. She couldn't blame Speed Symbol for constantly scolding her back then. But without Speed Symbol's discipline, Rudolph Symbol felt she wouldn't have become the person she was today.

"It's not good to just stand here. Head of the Family, let's go inside the banquet hall and sit down. If you have any more questions, you can ask them inside."

It wasn't ideal to keep chatting in the hallway, so Kagura decided to lead everyone into the banquet hall first.

"Yes... yes, whatever you say. Young people, let's go inside and sit down."

53. Urgent: I made the young lady cry, what do I do? Online now.

After the Symbol family entered and took their seats, Old Mejiro also entered the banquet hall with the Mejiro family members, occupying the other half of the table with Mejiro Ardan and the others.

Kagura also received some news from the two Heads of the Family: after the meal, Old Mejiro wanted Kagura to run a race with Mejiro McQueen, who had just arrived in Tokyo the day before yesterday. The venue would be Mejiro family's own athletic field.

"Run? Me and McQueen?"

"Am I going to run with Kagura-oneesan?"

Unlike the puzzled Kagura, Mejiro McQueen lost her foodie demeanor when she heard about the race, looking full of fighting spirit.

What's with the Uma Musume race... why do children like McQueen look so eager to run!

Kagura had been wondering about this for a long time. Even during regular training runs, Kagura remembered that Rudolph Symbol and Maruzensky were always in this battle-ready state, and even Nice Nature would become serious when it was time to run.

"Oh? Are we going to see a race today?"

Mejiro Ardan also looked curious when she heard the news. When she heard that the race was between Mejiro McQueen and Kagura, the curiosity on her face became even more pronounced. Invincible and the Symbol family members next to her also looked like they were rushing to the scene to watch the drama.

As the young lady of the Mejiro family, Ardan knew why Mejiro McQueen was at the Mejiro main house in Tokyo at this time. After receiving Kagura's rejection, Old Mejiro had indeed given up on the plan to adopt Kagura as a substitute runner, and she had accepted that the Mejiro family would not be able to win the Tenno Sho title again for the time being.

Mejiro McQueen was the backup plan Old Mejiro had found. McQueen was the most talented child among the branch family members, and Old Mejiro was preparing to cultivate Mejiro McQueen as an important prospect. Ardan guessed that today's race was a test arranged by Old Mejiro to see the specific talents of McQueen and Kagura.

Of course, Kagura didn't know any of this. Although she didn't understand where the Uma Musumes' fighting spirit came from, she didn't plan to object to Old Mejiro's plan. Besides, Speed Symbol seemed to want her to agree, so she nodded and accepted the proposal to run a race with McQueen.

Since the two families were old acquaintances, they quickly mingled and chatted after taking their seats. Except for Sirius Symbol and Mejiro Takamine, who kept staring at her for some reason, making Kagura feel a little uneasy, the lunch was relatively normal.

"Is Kagura-oneesan a Logistics Uma Musume?"

While walking to the Mejiro family's athletic field with Mejiro McQueen after lunch, Mejiro McQueen asked about some of the things she had heard during the meal.

"Yes, I'm a Logistics Uma Musume responsible for supporting Rudolph-sama. Why?"

"I heard that Logistics Uma Musumes aren't very good at running. Is that true?"

"You could say that. It's largely true. I've noticed that other Logistics Uma Musumes at the school aren't very fast."

Kagura didn't deny it. She had seen other Logistics Uma Musumes, and they weren't very good at running. Or rather, with the Uma Musume's love of running, if they were fast, they would have already gone to run races.

"Then... is it not appropriate for Grandma to ask me to run with Kagura-oneesan?"

McQueen looked a little worried; she seemed to think it was unfair.

"Oh? Little McQueen is confident of winning? You're quite confident, aren't you?"

"I... I'm very fast! No other child at home can run faster than me! Kagura-oneesan is only a year older than me, right?"

"That's true~ Your grandma probably wants you to experience what it's really like to be in a race, right?"

Kagura didn't know McQueen's level, nor could she guess Old Mejiro's purpose. She only knew that she just needed to run her best. Even if she couldn't win, she couldn't lose face for Speed Symbol.

The two walked onto the track and started warming up. During their warm-up, Old Symbol and Old Mejiro each brought their family's young people to the side of the track.

"Kagura, and McQueen, don't hold back later. Just run with all your strength."

Old Mejiro reminded them. Mejiro McQueen, who was still stretching, suddenly felt a chill. She suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Mejiro family's trainer stood on the inside of the field, watching the two Uma Musumes finish their warm-up and get ready to start, poised to go. Only then did he begin to announce the track conditions:

"Weather, sunny. Track condition, poor. Grass, 2000 meters, counterclockwise..."

"2000 meters? McQueen is so young, does she have enough stamina?"

Kagura raised her hand and asked. She didn't want this friendly match to cause any physical problems for the child.

For a Uma Musume with a little bit of stamina talent, running 1600 meters was indeed not a problem, but Kagura hadn't heard much about 2000 meters. Could McQueen be the type with particularly good stamina?

"It's okay, Kagura. McQueen's stamina is very strong. It's not a problem for her."

Old Mejiro nodded. After all, the Mejiro family had dominated the Tenno Sho for many years, relying on that strong stamina. Mejiro McQueen's talent was precisely in this area, so Old Mejiro chose to set the distance at a longer distance that McQueen was good at and relatively suitable for children.

Since Old Mejiro had spoken, Kagura didn't plan to ask any more questions. She bent over slightly, assuming a ready stance, concentrating and staring ahead like drawing a bow and arrow, waiting for the starting signal to be fired.

"Bang!!"

Having confirmed that both were ready to start, the Mejiro family's Trainer fired the starting gun. Kagura still got off to a slightly slow start, but it was much better than she had been at the beginning.

"A slow start... Kagura just can't shake that old habit."

The Rudolph Symbol sighed. Having run alongside Kagura before, she was familiar with Kagura's strength. She wasn't worried about Kagura losing; she was more concerned about whether Kagura could correct her bad habit of starting slow, and how she was going to comfort McQueen later.

Although she started a little slow, Kagura immediately made up the difference with her super high speed and caught up with Mejiro McQueen. She paid attention to Mejiro McQueen's speed and quickly determined that she was an Uma Musume who ran a lead-up style.

"Is it a good choice for Kagura to catch up so quickly after a slow start? That's very draining, isn't it? Or is it a tactic I haven't seen before?"

Mejiro Ardan didn't quite understand Kagura's tactical decision. With her limited practical experience, she knew that it was exhausting to desperately regain the lead after falling behind at the start.

"I don't know. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't rush back so quickly. There are plenty of opportunities on the corners. If you're really fast enough, there's no need to rush for that little bit of time."

Invincible, who had already run a few races, also didn't quite understand Kagura's decision, but she saw one thing: Kagura's speed was very high, not the average level for a young Uma Musume of her age. She had a vague, strange premonition that if Mejiro McQueen didn't speed up now, she wouldn't have another chance to get back in front later.

Kagura knew that 2000m was not her physical limit, so she increased her speed quickly as usual. Mejiro McQueen, who was running a lead-up and still conserving stamina for planning, was quickly left behind by a full body length.

"That speed... is that child really planning a full-on escape?"

Old Mejiro had long heard from the Speed Symbol that Kagura was an escape-type Uma Musume, but she had always been a little incredulous about a child of this age being able to run a full-on escape.

Today, after seeing Kagura's unusual speed at the start and the fact that she didn't slow down at all after passing McQueen, but continued to run forward at a very high speed, she had to believe the Speed Symbol's words.

"When have I ever lied to you? I told you that child's favorite thing to do is run a full-on escape."

"But at this rate, will her stamina hold out... wait, she seems to have run this distance at school before..."

Although Old Mejiro knew that Kagura looked a lot like a certain legendary professional athlete, she knew that was all it was – just a resemblance.

On the track, Kagura overtook Mejiro McQueen, and she had no intention of holding back or slowing down, continuing to maintain a high speed and further widening the distance between Mejiro McQueen and herself.

Mejiro McQueen wasn't in a hurry to accelerate at first, but seeing that Kagura in front showed no signs of slowing down, and the gap between her and the other girl had widened to a somewhat dangerous five body lengths, she knew that although it would disrupt her stamina plan, this distance was quite dangerous, and she had to increase her speed.

"How can it be... the distance... can't I catch up?"

McQueen increased her speed a little, based on her past experience of running with her peers in the family, but she found that this very effective means of catching up seemed to have no effect on Kagura at all. The distance between her and Kagura was not only not shortening at all, but was even constantly increasing, which meant that she had to increase her speed again in order to shorten the gap with Kagura.

'If I increase my speed again... will my stamina be enough?'

Mejiro McQueen, who hadn't faced a complex race environment much, was immediately at a loss. While she hesitated about whether she should continue to accelerate, Kagura had already run past the first corner.

Kagura, running in front, didn't care about any of that. She never looked back when she ran. Having competed against a group of professional athletes at various distances several times, she knew her stamina situation clearly. Her acceleration was decisive and without any hesitation.

"That maid... is really exciting. Her stride is like those professional athletes I've seen abroad, crisp and clean, a stride born for victory."

Sirius Symbol felt a little eager to try. Like Rudolph Symbol, she also enjoyed competing against strong opponents, and Kagura had fully aroused her interest.

"Hey, Rudolph, do you usually train with that maid often?"

"Yes, why? Do you want to come too? Haven't you always disliked training with me?"

Rudolph Symbol saw what her childhood friend was thinking. She knew that their personalities were similar in some ways, and now Sirius Symbol was obviously aroused by Kagura's competitive desire.

"Tsk, can I borrow that maid for two days? If that doesn't work, I'll train with you for two days."

"That won't work. I'm afraid that if I lend her to you, I won't be able to get her back. If you want to run, come to Tracen Academy. Come to think of it, it's been more than half a year since I last saw you come back."

Of course, Rudolph Symbol certainly didn't want to lend Kagura to anyone else. She couldn't imagine how chaotic things would be without Kagura in her current state. Sirius Symbol wasn't so concerned about training together, so she agreed to stay at Tracen Academy for a few days.

On the track, the race was now halfway over, and Mejiro McQueen, following behind, had already discovered something was wrong. Kagura, as a Logistics Uma Musume, her speed was definitely not that of someone who couldn't run. She was even far more threatening than all the children her age!

'So fast... so fast!? Kagura-oneesan's speed is too terrifying!! Doesn't she get tired!?'

McQueen, chasing behind, already felt despair. She had actually disrupted her plan and was accelerating with all her might to catch up, but she was only able to ensure that the distance between herself and Kagura was no longer widening.

If Mejiro McQueen usually ran very fast during a straight sprint, then Kagura could be said to be sprinting almost the entire time, which was completely incomprehensible to the still young Mejiro McQueen.

'So Kagura-oneesan was saying earlier... "The idea that Logistics Uma Musume can't run is largely true," because there are exceptions like her!?'

McQueen could no longer estimate how many body lengths she was behind Kagura. All she knew was that the gap between them could already be considered a large difference by the Trainer, and the race was only halfway over!

'Does becoming that Rudolph Symbol's Logistics Uma Musume... require that kind of unreasonable strength?'

Despite the large gap, McQueen still didn't want to give up like this. She was still trying her best to catch up.

"McQueen's talent is really good, and her will to not give up is also excellent, but..."

Old Mejiro was already very satisfied with McQueen's performance. Although she knew from the beginning that McQueen couldn't win, she didn't expect the gap to be so large. At this rate, it would be good if McQueen was only 15 body lengths behind Kagura at the finish line.

"...that child is really a monster... just like that legendary Uma Musume from a long time ago."

"Oh? It seems I'm not the only one who thinks that child looks like that legendary Uma Musume. But, if I remember correctly, she didn't have any descendants, did she?"

"No, she died young, succumbing to lung disease early on, before she reached the age to have descendants."

The Speed Symbol shook her head. Although she had also wondered if Kagura might be a descendant of that legendary Uma Musume, that legendary Uma Musume had passed away too early, and it had been hundreds of years since then, making such a possibility extremely slim. As for her appearance, it should just be a simple coincidence, perhaps just a small joke played by the Three Goddesses.

"Haa... haa... there's no way... I can catch up!"

Following behind Kagura, McQueen's breathing was completely messed up. Looking at the increasingly blurred figure in front of her, she had never experienced despair so deeply.

This was clearly a distance that she could easily handle on weekdays, but today she was running with incredible pain. Kagura in front had no intention of holding back at all. McQueen had just entered the final corner, and Kagura had already started her final sprint on the final straight. That terrifying burst of acceleration made the already decelerating McQueen's eyes widen. She knew that she had no hope of catching up.

"Takamine, go back and tell the kitchen staff to prepare honey and cake, quickly."

At this point, there was no doubt about the outcome of this sparring match. Old Mejiro was already thinking about how to comfort her little Uma Musume. Mejiro Takamine couldn't bear to watch any longer. Hearing Old Mejiro's words, she immediately understood what she meant and rushed out.

The Mejiro family's Trainer stood at the finish line with an incredulous expression. He wanted to turn his head away. He couldn't bear to see the pitiful sight of McQueen running with tears in her eyes, but Old Mejiro wanted him to record the results, so he couldn't shift his gaze and could only watch as that black shadow flashed past the finish line.

'McQueen-ojou-sama lost her speed on the bend already… Kagura-san completely disrupted her rhythm…'

This was also what the Trainer couldn't understand. Kagura was only a little older than McQueen, but her physical performance was not something a normal child of that age should have.

The Trainer waited a little while before Mejiro McQueen desperately chased over the finish line, propping herself up on her knees behind the finish line, panting heavily.

'Nearly 17 lengths… how terrifying…'

Although Mejiro McQueen hadn't undergone systematic training yet, the gap was so large that the Trainer was extremely shocked. Perhaps if Rudolph Symbol in the audience stand came down herself, she could create an even bigger gap, but Rudolph Symbol was already a top professional who had debuted in races, while Kagura was just a Logistics Uma Musume.

"Haa... Kagura-nee-san... ugh... too strong..."

"It's good that you persevered and finished the race."

Kagura hadn't forgotten what Nice Nature was like after running with her last time, so she immediately turned around to find McQueen.

She took out a handkerchief to wipe McQueen's sweat, and wiped away her tears. Kagura patted McQueen's little head. McQueen's ears drooped down, looking particularly dejected.

"Kagura-nee-san... is too unreasonable..."

"Sorry, sorry... but, that's how races are. Everyone will do their best, and no one will show you mercy."

"Ugh..."

Mejiro McQueen wasn't unaware of this, she just felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness about her own strength.

"However, although I can't show you mercy in the race, I can still give you some snacks afterward."

"Eh...?"

McQueen, who had been feeling down, raised her head and looked at Kagura with teary eyes.

"Can I borrow your family's kitchen? I can go now and make you something you want to eat."

54. Old Mejiro's Request