There's Something Wrong With You, Logistics Uma Musume

66. Ghost in the Park

"Huff... huff..."

Mejiro McQueen, panting, leaned against a tree, bending over to regulate her breathing.

Her determination to lose weight led Mejiro McQueen to stay here after eating the snacks Kagura brought, engaging in intense exercise with her for a while. Initially, Mejiro McQueen thought her stamina was good and that exercising with Kagura for a while wouldn't be a problem. However, the gymnastics Kagura had learned from somewhere were unexpectedly exhausting. After two hours of exercise, even McQueen was starting to feel the strain.

"Drink some water to replenish yourself. Be careful not to drink too fast, or you might choke."

"Kagura-neechan... is your stamina that good? Why are you only sweating a little after doing this whole routine?"

"It's just because I do it occasionally. This is McQueen's first time, and you're not used to the movements yet, so it's normal to waste more energy."

Gently patting Mejiro McQueen's back to help her regulate her breathing, Kagura handed her a bottle of mineral water, reminding her not to drink too much at once to avoid stomach discomfort.

Actually, she didn't think McQueen, a ten-year-old, would be able to persist through the entire routine. However, McQueen's endurance and willpower exceeded Kagura's expectations. Although she was panting heavily at the end, McQueen did indeed persevere.

"...It feels... it feels like after doing this whole routine with Kagura-neechan, I've wasted all the food I ate today... I'm so hungry!"

"Hehehe~ Although I'd like to say, 'Why don't you come back to the Symbol family's place and I'll cook for you?'... but, if my senses aren't mistaken, Trainer-san over there, why don't you come out from behind the tree? Aren't you tired of hiding there for so long?"

Mejiro McQueen followed Kagura's gaze towards the tree some distance away from them. Shortly after Kagura's voice fell, a young man in standard work attire walked out from behind the tree.

"Ah! I remember you, you're Takamine-neechan's Trainer..."

Mejiro McQueen had some impression of the familiar faces who often appeared at her house.

"To be precise, he is the Mejiro family's exclusive Trainer. Little McQueen, you've only just arrived and haven't seen him many times, right?"

"Indeed. I should say good evening now, Kagura-san... McQueen-ojousama only arrived in Tokyo recently, so she's not very familiar. Kagura-san and I have already met several times."

This Trainer was also a familiar face to Kagura. Although the Trainer's impression on Kagura wasn't very good the first time they met, after more interactions with the Mejiro family, Kagura realized that this guy was just an ordinary office worker, so she didn't pay much attention to what happened during their first meeting.

"Trainer-san is here, is it to pick McQueen up to go home?"

"Yes, it's already evening. The Head of the Family is worried about McQueen-ojousama wandering around outside, so they asked me to come and find her. Thank you, Kagura-san, for taking the time to play with McQueen-ojousama during your vacation."

"No need, no need. Anyway, if McQueen hadn't come, I was planning to take a nap and waste time. It's good to have something to do. McQueen, what are your plans? Do you want to go home?"

"I want to go back to the Symbol family's place with Kagura-neechan..."

McQueen grabbed Kagura's sleeve and tugged at it, looking at Kagura with her big, watery eyes full of anticipation, then looked at the Trainer beside her.

Kagura smiled helplessly, raised her hand, and touched McQueen's head, then looked in the Trainer's direction:

"Trainer-san, your ojousama says she wants to go back with me, you know?"

"McQueen-ojousama, that... isn't very appropriate. After all, Kagura-san lives at the Symbol family's place. It wouldn't be good to visit and disturb them so suddenly. Moreover, the Head of the Family is very worried about you, and they still hope that ojousama can go back with me."

"Ugh..."

Mejiro McQueen's expression looked conflicted, her gaze constantly jumping back and forth between Kagura and her own Trainer.

'Kagura-san's affability is really scary... I've never seen McQueen-ojousama so close to anyone at home. How exactly did Kagura-san manage to make ojousama let go of etiquette and such things?'

The Trainer, who had been watching from the side all afternoon, felt very curious about Kagura, this child. Mejiro McQueen would usually maintain good etiquette with unfamiliar people, so there was no need to worry about McQueen embarrassing the Mejiro family. But for some reason, in front of Kagura, she had no intention of paying attention to etiquette at all, and would even act like a child and act spoiled towards Kagura, even though she hadn't known Kagura for very long.

Kagura, this child, always gave him a sense of mystery that he couldn't see through. She was clearly a child, and looked quite simple, but he always felt that Kagura knew a lot, not the kind of simplicity that truly belonged to a child. Moreover, her counter-reconnaissance awareness was quite excellent. He seemed to have never successfully tracked her. Thinking back to their first meeting, Kagura's sudden stop in front of the bulletin board definitely wasn't to look at any notices, but to use the reflection of the bulletin board to see him, who was tracking her. He had hidden so well just now, but she still discovered him early on.

"Okay... I'll go back with Trainer-ojisan. Kagura-neechan, are you still on vacation in a few days? I want to go to the Symbol family's place to find Kagura-neechan, is that okay?"

"Hehe~ It's okay, as long as your family doesn't mind. But my vacation isn't long, I have to go back to school the day after tomorrow."

"Eh! That early! But I won't be free that soon..."

"There's no way around it, I still have to go back to school after all."

"Okay..."

McQueen could only nod helplessly, taking a deep look at Kagura, looking like she had made some kind of decision, "Trainer-ojisan, let's go back."

"Okay, ojousama, the butler has already brought the car over, you can go that way... Kagura-san, would you like to come and sit at the Mejiro family's place?"

"No, if I go back late, the Head of the Family will nag me again."

Kagura waved goodbye to the two members of the Mejiro family, watching Mejiro McQueen and the Trainer leave together and get into the car.

Looking at the sky, the sun had already set, and it wasn't early anymore. If she went back any later, Speed Symbol would nag her. Kagura gave up the idea of ​​going to see if she should buy some groceries on the way, packed up the lunch box she brought, and prepared to return to the Symbol family's place.

——Kagura, be careful, the same aura as that day has appeared! It's the aura of a spirit!

Just as she walked from the center to the edge of the park, Kagura, who felt a chill in her body on this hot summer night, saw a line of text flashing on her phone screen. Eclipse seemed quite urgent, and Kagura immediately heightened her vigilance, pricking up her ears to listen to the surrounding movements.

'Eclipse-san, are you referring to the ghost Uma Musume mentioned in that urban legend when I came to the park before?'

——If there are no other paranormal legends here, then it should be the ghost that the children at your school mentioned. Be careful, I sense that aura approaching. She has been following you.

'Ah? Following me? What do I have that's worth following?'

Kagura couldn't help but feel a headache. Being targeted by someone wasn't a good thing in itself, and it would be even worse if the one targeting her was a ghost.

——You are too suitable as a host body. If a spirit wants to find an object to possess, then you would definitely be a high-priority choice.

'I thought you were joking when you said I attract ghosts, Eclipse… I haven't really seen any other spirits, have I?'

—That's obvious, isn't it? Am I chopped liver?

'Then why don't you shoo this one away…?'

—A spirit's emotional state is very clear. I don't sense any hostility. She's just curious about you, so I didn't bother chasing her off.

Kagura, who knew nothing about spirits, could only trust Eclipse's words. If the other spirit truly had no ill intentions, as Eclipse said, then perhaps she didn't need to be so nervous.

Kagura stopped and listened for any sounds behind her. Although she didn't expect to hear anything from a ghost, she actually heard a fairly clear footstep. She knew there was no one around her; she hadn't seen a single person on her walk. Could that footstep be coming from the 'ghost'?

"...You're over there, right? Why don't you show yourself and chat?"

Thinking that she had Eclipse to protect her anyway, Kagura steeled her resolve, stopped, and turned to face the direction of the footsteps. In a patch of shadow, a faint yellow light flickered. Soon, a dark figure emerged from the darkness.

Only then did Kagura see that it wasn't a ghost at all, but a Uma Musume wearing a tracksuit, covered in sweat, and seemingly still exercising. Her hair was so black it seemed to shine, and in the darkness, it didn't reflect any light at all. The footsteps she had heard were from her sneakers.

"You are…"

"...Can you see her?"

As she spoke, the black-haired Uma Musume pointed behind her. Kagura saw a young Uma Musume standing behind her, almost identical to the older girl, her glowing eyes fixed on her.

"I can feel it. You have the same aura as me, the presence of another person. But I can't see the person behind you."

"Really? But I can see the person behind you, you know?"

"You mean, you can see my… 'friend'? You… are interesting."

Clearly, the 'friend' the girl was referring to was the young girl behind her who looked so much like her. It seemed this girl was also prone to attracting ghosts, but the spirit behind her felt like her own Eclipse, always quiet and still. And judging by the way she spoke, this girl had also formed a friendship with the spirit attached to her.

The black-haired little Uma Musume approached Kagura, observing her closely. The young Uma Musume behind her seemed like she wanted to come closer too, but after taking a couple of steps, she seemed frightened and kept her distance.

"I knew it… you and I are the same."

After observing her, the little Uma Musume muttered thoughtfully to herself, then took a few steps back, putting some distance between them.

"Hello?"

"We'll meet again."

Throughout the entire encounter, the little Uma Musume didn't give Kagura a chance to interject. Kagura had many questions she didn't get a chance to ask before the little Uma Musume quietly left, walking out from under the streetlights and disappearing into the darkness.

Having been startled, Kagura finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the other girl leave. At least she didn't intend to do anything to her. Even with Eclipse protecting her, Kagura didn't want to take any chances.

'That kid… feels a bit strange? I can't figure out what she wants…'

67. Running is Definitely Fun ()

'What did that little Uma Musume want from me? Why did she follow me, then leave without doing anything?'

Kagura returned to the Symbol family, washed up, and lay in her bed, thinking about the little Uma Musume she had met in the park that day. She still couldn't figure out why the girl had followed her, then left without doing anything.

Clearly, that Uma Musume was a real, living person, and ghosts definitely existed, and looked exactly like that Uma Musume, just like her and Eclipse. Could the one beside her also be a parent?

—She wanted to hug you. I felt that the spirit behind her was curious about you, so she wanted to use her to sense you. Although there was no malice, I couldn't guarantee what would happen if I let her spirit rashly attack you, so I used a little force to scare her away.

Eclipse's explanation quickly appeared on Kagura's phone screen, then disappeared. Kagura finally understood why the other girl had suddenly stopped as if she had been frightened.

'No wonder… next time I see her and her ghost friend, please don't scare her, Eclipse. I want to talk to her.'

—If you want to, I have no objections. As long as she doesn't endanger your personal safety, I can pretend I didn't see her.

Eclipse was always supportive of Kagura's decisions. She generally didn't interfere too much, as long as it didn't threaten Kagura's personal safety.

—Speaking of which, your young lady's next race shouldn't be far off, right? Still following her Trainer and your advice, either November or December. Do you have any plans?

'Same as always… check the track conditions, then collect information on the opponents. Just the usual routine. Wait, Eclipse, can you help me with some on-site training this month?'

Just as she was about to ask Eclipse to run a few trials for her as usual, Kagura suddenly remembered that Eclipse's skill seemed to share a cooldown with possession. She remembered that Eclipse had last used it when she was practicing archery, so it should be almost off cooldown now.

—Of course not. Who do you think pulled you out of the bathtub that night when you fell asleep, you silly girl? You don't really think that shy young lady carried you out, do you? If you push yourself like that again, I won't be able to pull you out of the water.

'I'm… I'm sorry…'

Reminded by Eclipse, Kagura remembered what had happened that night, and realized that she had been foolish. Although she hadn't intended to get so exhausted, it had happened.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The sudden knocking startled Kagura, who was focused on chatting with Eclipse. No one usually came to find her at this hour. If someone did, it was either the Head Maid or Speed Symbol, so Kagura quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the door to open it.

"Coming, coming… huh?"

The person outside the door wasn't the Head Maid or Speed Symbol, but Sirius Symbol, whom Kagura had only met once recently.

"Oh? So Inari Kagura-san lives here?"

Sirius Symbol, who hadn't had much of an expression on her face, suddenly showed an interested expression. Kagura felt like she had suddenly become excited.

"Hello, Sirius-sama. Is there something you need from me so late?"

"It's nothing. I just saw the lights on in a room that's usually empty, and I was curious who lived here, so I knocked."

Kagura saw that the door to the room opposite hers was open. It seemed that Sirius Symbol was staying in that room.

'Sirius Symbol is back too… so the room opposite mine that's usually empty is hers?'

"By the way, are you free tomorrow? I went to Tracen Academy to look for you the other day, but you were busy training your friend. Congratulations to you and your friend, you had a beautiful victory in the preliminary race."

"Thank you for the congratulations, Miss Sirius Symbol. I am free tomorrow, but what do you need me for?"

For some reason, looking at Sirius Symbol's face, now full of fighting spirit, Kagura suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Come run with me! Inari Kagura!"

"Eh? Σ(?д?lll)"

The next morning, Kagura woke up as usual at six thirty and wandered around the yard. Since she had no work to do, she was truly just wandering around today.

Sirius Symbol didn't seem to have the habit of getting up so early. When Kagura got up, she could only see a few scattered maids moving around the Symbol family's residence. She went over and asked these maids if they needed her help, but they all refused with a smile, and each of them picked her up and gave her a good petting.

'Ahhh!! Why does everyone want to pet me when they see me! Damn it! When I grow up…'

Just from walking out of the house to the courtyard, Kagura had already been petted by several maids who were working early in the morning, giving her a sense of "Crap, I'm surrounded by maidens!" After petting Kagura, those maids seemed to be in a great mood to go to work. Kagura felt that she had never seen them work so efficiently when she was still in the Symbol family.

--What, even if you grow up, your height will be one meter fifty-eight at most, and you still want to pet them back? Any maid in the house is taller than you, okay?

'Tsk, why can't Eclipse be taller…'

--Blame me? I can't control this kind of thing. Do you think I want to be a shorty?

Between the lines, Kagura could almost see Eclipse rolling her eyes at her.

Since she was idle here anyway, and they wouldn't let her do breakfast or daily cleaning, Kagura looked around, figuring that since she was going to run anyway, she might as well go to the Symbol family's track and run a couple of laps while waiting.

'Eclipse, do you think running is really fun?'

--For me, it's quite fun, but I also have a bit of regret. I haven't really felt the kind of joy that your Miss Sirius Symbol talks about. Like a hunter without prey, nothing at all.

'I don't understand…'