Kagura felt somewhat relieved after hearing that. Although she had never seen how capable that genius was, nor heard any relevant rumors at school, if the other girl was a Tracen Academy student and would be participating in next year's trials, then Nice Nature would definitely have trouble if she ran into her. It would have a considerable impact on her performance.
"Come to think of it, how did everyone find out that I was entering the trials?"
"The Head Maid of the Symbol family mentioned it while buying groceries. She said Old Symbol was worried that Kagura would wear herself out helping you prepare for the trials. Ah... Little Nature, you're really lucky to have a friend like Kagura by your side. Someone who treats you as well as she does is hard to find a second time outside of your parents. You have to treasure this friend properly."
The neighbors had all seen how well Kagura treated Nice Nature on a daily basis. Inari Kagura was truly an ideal friend—the kind many people could never hope to have even after spending their entire lives searching.
"Yeah... Kagura... really is a very important person to me."
Nice Nature nodded in agreement. Kagura always said that what she did was nothing special, but Nice Nature knew better than anyone how important all those things Kagura did every day truly were.
Watching Kagura chatting and laughing with that large group of children, Nice Nature occasionally heard one or two calls of "Kagura-neechan" from their direction. Kagura responded to the children with the patience and gentleness of a kindergarten teacher. Nice Nature realized that feeling she had experienced before had not been an illusion. Kagura really was more suited to being called "big sister" than she was.
"Ah, right. Uncle Morichika, do you know of any tasty snacks on this street? Could you recommend some for me?"
"Oh! Are you hungry, Little Nature?"
"N-no, it's not for me. I want to get some for Kagura. You... you all heard me say it just now, didn't you? Kagura has been training me all this time so I can pass the trials. I want to do something for her in return. She likes eating, especially delicious food... Oh, right, I... I'll pay! Uncle, just pick out food for Kagura!"
"Sure! Don't worry, we weren't planning to charge either you or Kagura. You've both helped everyone so much; talking about money would be completely inappropriate! Leave it to me! I'll gather all the recommended snacks from this street right away!"
The butcher's owner bellowed grandly like a general about to lead his troops into battle, then turned around and dashed away.
Nice Nature edged forward as well, squeezing through the large group of children until she reached Kagura's side. When Kagura saw her squeeze in, she said goodbye to the children beside her and told them to go play for a while. Only then did she have time to look at Nice Nature.
"Kagura, are you having fun?"
"Mm-hm... Of course I am. By the way, Nature, weren't you chatting with everyone from the Shopping District? How did it go?"
"Everyone was discussing coming to school to cheer for me. Seeing how excited they all are, I don't want to keep crashing into third place like before... Really."
"Of course not. Haven't you already proved your abilities, Nature? You're not third anymore, are you?"
As she spoke, Kagura raised her hand and rubbed Nice Nature's head. Nice Nature gave a foolish little grin.
"It was all thanks to you, Kagura... You've been giving me special training all this time. That's how I managed to get these results."
"It wasn't that impressive... The reason you improved so quickly is that you already had that potential. I merely happened to bring it out. Even without me, other trainers would surely have methods like this. You could become an excellent Uma Musume too, just like your name suggests."
"Honestly, Kagura, you're always so modest. Don't say things like that anymore!"
Nice Nature puffed out her cheeks angrily, then leaned over and proactively wrapped her arms around Kagura, pulling her against her chest. Kagura made a flustered sound when she was suddenly hugged, but quickly recovered and hugged Nice Nature back.
"Even if anyone could have done it, Kagura was the only one willing to look at ordinary me... To me, you're one of a kind, the most important person in the world!"
"Nature..."
Kagura had just begun to say something when her stomach suddenly let out a fairly loud protest. Only then did she remember that she had not eaten anything to replenish herself after such intense exertion that day.
"Hehe, you're hungry, aren't you, Kagura? Come on, let this expert from the Shopping District show you some delicious snacks that only a true local would know!"
"Hehe... Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way, Miss Expert~"
60. Meeting the Parents? (Not Really)
By the time Kagura and Nice Nature left the Shopping District, the sky had already darkened.
Kagura was still carrying several bags of snacks. She had originally planned to give them to Nice Nature, but since Nature had a race tomorrow, she couldn't let her gain too much weight today. Kagura couldn't eat them herself either, so she planned to carry them back and see if she could find someone suitable to feed them to.
"Everyone in the Shopping District is so warm-hearted... I'm stuffed!"
Nice Nature stretched and yawned. She had originally wanted to eat to her heart's content that day, but Kagura had stopped her in time to prevent her from becoming overweight the next day. She could eat all she wanted after winning the trials tomorrow.
"Nature, you're such a lucky girl. You have so many people supporting you."
"Well... I always thought I was pretty ordinary... Looks like I do have something special about me after all."
"Exactly, so have a little confidence in yourself."
As she spoke, Kagura moved up behind Nice Nature, grabbed her shoulders, and patted them twice. She had to raise her hand slightly to do it now. Nice Nature's body had truly developed at an astonishing rate recently, making Kagura marvel once again at the unscientific nature of an Uma Musume's body.
"Kagura, you've worked hard too. You've been getting up early and staying up late every day."
Nice Nature was walking ahead. She caught the hand Kagura had used to pat her, bent forward, and pulled it over her shoulder, making Kagura lean against her back. Then, before Kagura could react, she grabbed Kagura's thighs and smoothly hoisted her onto her back.
"Waaah! What are you doing all of a sudden?!"
Kagura was small and light, so Nice Nature carried her effortlessly.
"I just wanted to see what it felt like to carry you. You really are light... Kagura's been training me all this time, so I guess that makes you my trainer too, right?"
Nice Nature caught Kagura's arms and pulled them around her neck from behind. She rubbed her face against Kagura's arms, and Kagura could feel her warm breath brushing against her skin.
"I wouldn't go that far. I'm only a Logistics Uma Musume. I'm still far from being a real trainer."
After adjusting to Nice Nature's walking rhythm, Kagura did not hurry to get down. She simply hugged Nice Nature lightly and rested against her back.
"Either way, you're training me, right? Hehe... Can I be a little spoiled with Kagura, like those Uma Musume we saw in the park that day?"
"Don't you do that kind of thing all the time already..."
Kagura laughed helplessly, raising one arm from around Nice Nature to stroke her head.
"Not like that! I mean... if I get first place tomorrow, can I ask for a... reward?"
"Mm-hm? A reward? What do you want?"
"I-I... I want to hear you call me 'Sister Nature.' Is that okay?"
You're really easy to satisfy...
Kagura couldn't help wanting to laugh. She had expected Nice Nature to ask for a meal or something, but what she wanted was even simpler than she had imagined. By an adult's flexible standards, this hardly counted as a difficult request.
"Sure~"
"Yay!"
Nice Nature happily raised a hand and cheered as she carried Kagura forward. Kagura had no idea what was going through the girl's head. She seemed to attach extraordinary importance to this perfectly ordinary title.
After letting Nice Nature carry her for a while, Kagura quickly climbed down after five or six minutes. Nice Nature said she wanted to carry her for fun, but she had already exercised quite thoroughly that day, and Kagura was worried she might overdo it.
The Shopping District was not very far from Tracen Academy. At an Uma Musume's pace, the two had already returned to the school gates after those five or six minutes. However, the gates were unusually lively that evening. There should normally have been no one around at that hour, yet two adults were chatting with Hayakawa Tazuna.
Is Miss Jun River chatting with acquaintances? Maybe we shouldn't disturb her.
Kagura felt that the red-haired passerby Uma Musume looked somewhat familiar, so she took a couple more glances.
Kagura rarely saw Hayakawa Tazuna chatting with anyone, and she did not know much about her social circle. She therefore intended to ignore the situation, but Nice Nature suddenly stopped with a look of utter shock, as though she had seen something unbelievable. Her eyes were fixed on Hayakawa Tazuna, and even when Kagura tugged at her, she did not react.
"Oh my, Nice Nature, Kagura, you're back. How convenient—we were just talking about you."
Hayakawa Tazuna soon spotted the two little Uma Musume standing nearby from the corner of her eye and greeted them with a smile.
"Us? These two are..."
"Dad... and Mom?! W-w-w-what are you doing here?!"
Nice Nature's voice was filled with disbelief.
Kagura, who had still been wondering whether those two were acquaintances of Hayakawa Tazuna, froze completely.
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie!"
After realizing that these two were Nice Nature's parents, Kagura hurriedly added her greeting.
"Oh, what a lovely child! Nature, this is Kagura, the classmate you mention all the time, isn't it?"
When Nice Nature nodded, the tall red-haired Uma Musume bent down and shook Kagura's hand.
"Thank you, thank you! Nature came here from our hometown, and I was worried she wouldn't adapt to Central Tracen Academy. It's wonderful that you've been by her side and taking care of her!"
"Auntie, you don't have to be so formal... We're friends, so looking after each other is only natural."
"Oh, I'm really sorry. Nature is clearly older than you, yet you're always the one looking after her. I heard she's entering the trials soon, and you're helping train her too, right? We really have caused you trouble!"
As she spoke, Nice Nature's mother took a heavy bag from the man beside her. After checking it, she picked it up and tried to hand it to Kagura.
"These are specialties from our hometown. It's just a token of our appreciation. I hope you'll accept them, Kagura."
"No, no, please don't! Helping you with these things isn't difficult for me at all! I..."
Kagura hurriedly waved her hands to refuse, but then saw Nice Nature standing beside her father with her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks at Kagura with an expression that clearly said, You are not allowed to refuse!
The tall red-haired Uma Musume also noticed Kagura looking behind her. Guessing that her daughter was signaling Kagura, she took advantage of the moment and stuffed the gift into Kagura's hands. With no way to refuse anymore, Kagura could only thank both parents first.
This girl...
Seeing how cautious Kagura was and how attentive she was to etiquette, Nice Nature's mother nodded in satisfaction. Her gaze drifted slightly upward toward Kagura's head, where she noticed the white earring on Kagura's left ear. Her nod became a little more pronounced.
"By the way, Nature, why are you still outside so late? Did you take Kagura out?"
"Y-yes! When I first arrived, everyone in the Shopping District took such good care of me, so I wanted to go back and thank them. Kagura knows everyone there well, so I invited her to come with me..."
"Did you also grow up in the Shopping District, Kagura?"
"No, I just help out there from time to time. Everyone in the Shopping District treats me very well, like their own daughter. They were incredibly enthusiastic when I went back yesterday. Haha~ I was a little overwhelmed."
"Oh..."
Nice Nature's parents both nodded, looking even happier.
When Nice Nature noticed that her mother seemed to have another question, she sensed something ominous and quickly tugged at her mother's clothes, asking her to lean closer.
"Mom, don't ask Kagura about her family."
"Hm? Nature, how did you know what I was thinking? Why shouldn't I?"
Nice Nature briefly explained Kagura's situation in a single sentence. Her mother immediately realized that the question would be inappropriate and hurriedly abandoned the idea.
Why do they have to whisper about something right in front of me?
Kagura naturally noticed Nice Nature's behavior as well. After the two finished whispering, she felt that Nice Nature's mother was looking at her with a little more tenderness.
Nature didn't say anything strange, did she...?
Kagura was somewhat curious about what Nice Nature had said, but it did not seem to have been anything bad, so she decided not to ask.
"By the way, Auntie, Uncle, what brought you to Tracen Academy today?"
"Why, to cheer on our wonderful daughter, of course! We heard she was entering the race, so we came especially for her!"
The man beside Nice Nature spoke as he raised one hand and gave a vigorous thumbs-up. This sunny, energetic uncle looked inexplicably funny making the gesture, rather like Might Guy.
"Everyone from our street came too. But we arrived late today, so they're all resting at a nearby hotel. We wanted to come see Nature first, so here we are."
"What? Everyone from back home came?!"
Nice Nature's eyes widened in shock, and she asked again in disbelief.
"Of course! Everyone missed you. They all said they wanted to come cheer for you!"
"Oh..."
Nice Nature had not yet managed to load a nervous expression onto her face, but Kagura could already sense the enormous turmoil churning inside her. That dazed look made Kagura want to laugh.
"You two, Nature still has a race tomorrow, and it's getting late. Please let her and Kagura return and rest as soon as possible. You can continue chatting after the trials begin tomorrow."
Seeing that it was already getting late, Hayakawa Tazuna did not want to interrupt this family reunion, but the curfew was approaching, so she had no choice but to remind the parents.
"Oh, right! We were so excited to see Nature that we almost forgot. Then we'll be off! Nature, Kagura, hurry back and get some rest~ Good luck tomorrow!"
"Okay~"
Kagura waved goodbye to the two parents on behalf of Nice Nature, who was still too shocked to recover. After they had walked some distance away, Kagura lowered her hand and looked at Nice Nature.
"W-w-w-what do we do, Kagura?! Everyone from the Shopping District back home actually came too!"
"Ahaha..."
It seemed that after they returned that night, Kagura would have to set aside some time to help this silly girl relieve her stress.
61. She Shouted Something About Bonds and the Future, Then Charged Right Over!
The campus trials had always been one of Tracen Academy's most important traditional events. Through the trials, Tracen could identify talented students within the school, allowing trainers to begin teaching those gifted children at an earlier stage.
In other words, if someone wanted to find a good trainer, the campus trials were undoubtedly an excellent opportunity. Kagura took them particularly seriously, which was why she had proactively offered to help Nice Nature with her special training for the trials.
On the day the trials began, Tracen Academy also opened its doors to the public. Visitors from outside the school only needed to register briefly to enter the campus, so the school was much livelier than usual. Of course, Kagura felt the main reason it had become so lively was the two groups from the Shopping District: one was the Tokyo Shopping District cheering squad, while the other was the cheering squad from Nice Nature's hometown Shopping District. Their voices stood out clearly among the crowd. They were chatting and laughing together, and judging by how naturally they interacted, they seemed to be getting along extremely well.
Nice Nature had entered the 2,000-meter campus trial, which was scheduled for the morning. The weather that morning was quite pleasant as well: cloudy and dry, with no sunlight. The track conditions were excellent.
Before you continue