66. The Ghost in the Park
"Phew... phew..."
Mejiro McQueen leaned against a tree, bent over as she adjusted her breathing.
Determined to lose weight, Mejiro McQueen had stayed behind after eating the snacks Kagura brought and exercised intensely with her for a while. At first, McQueen had thought her stamina was pretty good and that exercising with Kagura for a while wouldn't be a problem. But this gymnastics routine Kagura had apparently learned from somewhere was unexpectedly exhausting. After two hours of it, even McQueen was starting to feel worn out.
"Drink some water to replenish yourself. Be careful not to drink too quickly, or you might choke."
"Big Sister Kagura... Is your stamina really that good? Why are you only a little sweaty after doing all that?"
"It's probably because I do it occasionally. It's your first time, McQueen, so you're not used to the movements yet. It's normal for that to make you waste more energy."
As she gently patted her target McQueen's back to help regulate her breathing, Kagura handed the mineral water to the girl, who looked utterly exhausted, and reminded her not to drink too much at once, or her stomach might feel uncomfortable.
Actually, Kagura had thought that a ten-year-old child like McQueen wouldn't be able to finish the entire routine. But McQueen's stamina and determination had exceeded her expectations. Although she was panting heavily by the end, McQueen had truly held on until the finish.
"...I feel... I feel like after doing all that with you, Big Sister Kagura, I've burned off everything I ate today... I'm so hungry!"
"Hehehe~ I was wondering whether to ask you to come home with me to the Symbol family so I could cook for you... But if I'm not mistaken, Trainer over there, why don't you come out from behind the tree? You've been hiding there for so long. Aren't you tired?"
Mejiro McQueen also looked toward the tree some distance away. Not long after Kagura's voice fell, a young man in standard work clothes stepped out from behind it.
"Ah! I remember you're Miss Takamine's trainer..."
McQueen had at least some impression of familiar people who often appeared at her home.
"More precisely, he's the Mejiro family's exclusive trainer. Little McQueen has only just arrived and hasn't met him many times yet, right?"
"That's right. Though I suppose I should say good evening now, Miss Kagura... Lady McQueen only arrived in Tokyo recently, so she isn't very familiar with me. Miss Kagura and I, however, have already met several times."
This trainer could also be considered an acquaintance of Kagura's. Although he hadn't left a very good impression on her the first time they met, after interacting more with the Mejiro family, Kagura realized that he was just an ordinary wage earner. She therefore stopped caring about what had happened during their first meeting.
"Is Trainer here to take McQueen home?"
"Yes. It's already evening, and the Head of the Family was worried that Lady McQueen might be wandering around outside, so she sent me to find her. I also have to thank you, Miss Kagura, for taking time out of your holiday to keep Lady McQueen company."
"No need, no need. If McQueen hadn't come, I was planning to waste time taking a nap anyway. It's good to have something to do. McQueen, what do you want to do? Do you want to go home?"
"I want to go home with Big Sister Kagura to the Symbol family..."
McQueen tugged at Kagura's sleeve and blinked her bright, watery eyes as she looked at Kagura expectantly, then at the trainer beside her.
Kagura smiled helplessly, raised a hand, and stroked McQueen's head before turning toward the trainer.
"Trainer, your young lady says she wants to come home with me."
"Lady McQueen, that... wouldn't be very appropriate. Miss Kagura lives with the Symbol family, after all. It wouldn't be good to visit them so abruptly and cause trouble. Besides, the Head of the Family and the others are all very worried about you. They still hope you'll come home with me."
"Mm..."
Mejiro McQueen looked deeply conflicted, her gaze darting back and forth between Kagura and her family's trainer.
Kagura's ability to win people over is truly frightening... I've never seen Lady McQueen get this close to anyone at home. How exactly did Miss Kagura make her set aside all those formalities?
The trainer, who had watched them all afternoon, was extremely curious about this child Kagura. Mejiro McQueen normally maintained excellent etiquette with unfamiliar people, so there was never any need to worry about her disgracing the Mejiro family. Yet for some reason, she had no intention of being polite in front of Kagura at all. She even acted like a child and wheedled with Kagura, despite not having known her for very long.
Kagura also gave him an inscrutable, mysterious feeling. She was clearly a child and appeared quite innocent, yet he always felt that she knew far more than she should. It wasn't the genuine innocence of a child. Moreover, her counter-surveillance awareness was remarkably good. He had apparently never managed to successfully follow her. Thinking back to their first meeting, when Kagura had suddenly stopped in front of the bulletin board, she clearly hadn't been reading any notices. She had been using the board's reflection to see him following her. Even though he had hidden so carefully just now, she had still noticed him long ago.
"Okay... I'll go home with Uncle Trainer after all. Big Sister Kagura, will you still be free in a few days? I want to visit you at the Symbol family's house. Is that okay?"
"Hehe~ That's fine, as long as your family doesn't mind. But my holiday isn't very long. I have to return to school the day after tomorrow."
"What?! That soon? But I won't be free again that quickly..."
"There's nothing I can do about that. I have to return to school, after all."
"Okay..."
McQueen could only nod helplessly. She looked deeply at Kagura, as though she had made some sort of decision.
"Uncle Trainer, let's go home."
"Of course, Lady McQueen. The butler has already brought the car around. Just head that way... Miss Kagura, would you like to come sit at the Mejiro family's house?"
"No, thank you. If I get home late, the Head of the Family will nag me again."
Kagura waved to the two members of the Mejiro family and watched as Mejiro McQueen and the trainer left together and got into the car.
Looking up at the sky, Kagura saw that the sun had already set. It was getting late, and if she returned any later, Speed Symbol would nag her. She abandoned the idea of buying some vegetables on the way, tidied up the lunch box she had brought, and prepared to return to the Symbol family's house.
—Kagura, be careful. The same aura as that day has appeared! It's the aura of a spirit!
Kagura had just walked from the center of the park toward its outskirts. Feeling a chill in her body despite the hot summer night, she saw those words flash across her phone screen. Miss Eclipse seemed extremely urgent, so Kagura immediately became alert and pricked up her ears to listen to the nearby sounds.
Miss Eclipse, are you talking about the ghost Uma Musume mentioned in that ghost story when I came to the park before?
—If there aren't any other supernatural legends here, then it should be the ghost that child from your school mentioned. Be careful. I sense that aura approaching. She's been following you.
Huh? Following me? What could I possibly be worth following?
Kagura couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. Being targeted by someone was bad enough, but being targeted by a ghost was even worse.
—You're an exceptionally suitable host. If a spirit wanted to find someone to possess, you would definitely be one of its top choices.
I thought you were joking when you said I had a constitution that attracted ghosts... But I haven't really seen any other ghosts, have I?
—What a ridiculous thing to say. Are you treating me like air?
Then why don't you chase this ghost away?
—Spirits display their emotions very clearly. I don't sense any hostility. She's merely curious about you, so I didn't drive her away.
Kagura knew absolutely nothing about spirits and could only trust Miss Eclipse. If the other party truly had no hostile intentions toward her, as Miss Eclipse said, then there seemed to be no need for her to be so nervous.
Kagura stopped and listened to the sounds behind her. She hadn't expected to hear anything from a ghost, but when she listened carefully, she actually heard a fairly clear set of footsteps. She knew there was no one around her. She hadn't seen a single person along the way. Could those footsteps have been made by that "ghost"?
"...You're over there, right? Why don't you show yourself and talk?"
Since Miss Eclipse was protecting her anyway, Kagura steeled herself, stopped, and turned toward the place where she had heard the footsteps. A faint yellow light flickered in the shadows. Soon, a black figure stepped out from them.
Only then did Kagura see that it wasn't a ghost at all, but an Uma Musume in sportswear, drenched in sweat and apparently still exercising. Her hair was so black it gleamed, yet not a trace of light could be seen in the darkness. The footsteps Kagura had just heard had come from her sneakers.
"You are..."
"...You can see her, can't you?"
As she spoke, the black-haired Uma Musume pointed behind Kagura. Kagura saw a girl who looked almost exactly like the other girl grown up standing behind her. The girl's faintly glowing eyes were fixed on Kagura.
"I sensed it. You also have the aura of another person like me, but I can't see the person behind you."
"Really? But I can see the person behind you."
"You mean you can see my... 'friend'? You're... interesting."
Clearly, the "friend" this girl mentioned was the girl who looked exactly like her standing behind her. It seemed that this girl also had a constitution that attracted ghosts. The spirit behind her felt just like Miss Eclipse, always quietly staying put without making a fuss. From the way she addressed her, Kagura could also tell that this girl had already formed a friendship with the spirit inside her.
The black-haired little Uma Musume came up to Kagura and examined her carefully. The girl behind her initially seemed to want to come over as well, but after taking two steps, she appeared to be frightened and stopped, keeping her distance.
"As I thought... You and I are the same kind of person."
After finishing her inspection, the little Uma Musume muttered thoughtfully to herself before taking several more steps back to increase the distance between them.
"Hello?"
"We'll meet again."
Throughout the entire exchange, the little Uma Musume hadn't given Kagura much chance to speak. Kagura had plenty of questions she hadn't had time to ask when the girl silently left again, walking out from beneath the streetlamp and disappearing into the darkness.
Kagura, who had been badly startled, finally let out a long breath once the other girl had left. At least she hadn't intended to do anything to her. Although Miss Eclipse was protecting her, Kagura didn't want to take that risk.
That girl... She seems kind of strange. I can't figure out what she's trying to do at all...
67. Running Naturally Makes People Happy, Right? ()
What exactly was that little Uma Musume trying to approach me for? Why did she follow me all the way here, then leave without doing anything?
Kagura returned to the Symbol family's house, washed up, and lay in bed thinking about the little Uma Musume she had encountered in the park. She still couldn't understand why the girl had followed her, only to leave without doing anything after catching up.
The Uma Musume was clearly a living person, and the ghost undeniably existed too. It looked exactly like the Uma Musume herself, just like Kagura and Eclipse. Could that thing beside her be a guardian spirit?
—She wanted to reach out and hug you at the time. I think the spirit behind her was curious about you and wanted to use her to sense you. Although it had no ill will, I couldn't guarantee what would happen if I let the spirit attack you so recklessly, so I used a little force to scare her away.
Miss Eclipse's explanation soon appeared on Kagura's phone screen before disappearing again. Kagura finally understood why the girl had suddenly stopped as if frightened when she approached.
No wonder... If I meet her and her ghost friend again, Miss Eclipse, don't scare her away right off the bat. I want to try talking to her.
—If that's what you want, I have no objections. As long as she doesn't endanger your personal safety, I can pretend I didn't see anything.
Miss Eclipse had always supported Kagura's decisions. As long as something didn't threaten Kagura's personal safety, she generally didn't interfere too much.
—Speaking of which, your young lady's next race should be coming up soon, right? Based on her trainer's and your suggestions, it will be in either November or December. What are your plans?
Same as usual. I'll check the track conditions and gather information on her opponents. It's all routine work. Wait, Miss Eclipse, will you be able to help me with on-site training this month?
Kagura had just been about to ask Miss Eclipse to run a practice course for her as usual when she suddenly remembered that Miss Eclipse's skill shared a cooldown with possession. The last time she had used it was when Kagura was practicing archery, so the cooldown should almost be over by now.
—Of course not. Who do you think fished you out after you fell asleep in the bathtub that night? You don't seriously think that shy young lady carried you out, do you? If you push yourself that hard again, I won't be able to pull you out of the water.
S-Sorry...
Miss Eclipse's reminder brought Kagura's memories of that night back. She knew she had been foolish then, even though she hadn't intended to become that exhausted.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
The sudden knocking startled Kagura, who had been focused on chatting with Miss Eclipse. No one usually came looking for her at this hour. If someone did, it would either be the Head Maid or Speed Symbol, so Kagura quickly jumped out of bed and ran to open the door.
"Coming, coming... Huh?"
The person outside wasn't the Head Maid or Speed Symbol, but Sirius Symbol, whom Kagura had met only once not long ago.
"Oh? So this is where Inari Kagura lives?"
Sirius Symbol, whose face had initially been expressionless, suddenly looked interested. Kagura felt as if she had suddenly become excited.
"Good evening, Lady Sirius. May I ask why you're looking for me so late?"
"Nothing in particular. I just saw a light on in a room that was usually empty and became curious about who lived here, so I knocked."
Kagura noticed that the door across from her room was still open. It seemed Sirius Symbol had been in that room.
Sirius Symbol is back too... So the room opposite mine, which is usually empty, belongs to her?
"By the way, are you free tomorrow? I went to Tracen Academy to look for you a while ago, but you were busy training your friend the whole time. Congratulations to both of you as well. You won the selection race beautifully."
"Thank you for your congratulations, Lady Sirius. I am free tomorrow, but what did you want me for?"
For some reason, looking at Sirius Symbol's current expression, brimming with fighting spirit, gave Kagura a bad feeling.
"Come run with me, Inari Kagura!"
"Huh? Σ(?д?lll)"
The next morning, Kagura woke up at six-thirty as usual and wandered around the courtyard. Since there was no work for her to do, she was genuinely just wandering around today.
Sirius Symbol didn't seem to have a habit of waking up so early. When Kagura got up, she could only see a few scattered maids moving around the Symbol family's house. She went over to ask whether they needed help, but each of them laughingly refused and then picked her up and fussed over her.
Argh!! Why does everyone have to fuss over me whenever they see me?! Damn it! Just wait until I grow up...
She had only walked from the mansion to the courtyard, yet several maids who had gotten up early to work had already fussed over her one after another. She felt as if she were trapped in the middle of a crowd of older maid sisters. After petting Kagura, the maids all went off to work in high spirits. Kagura felt that they had never worked so efficiently back when she still lived at the Symbol family's house.
—What, with your maximum height of one hundred fifty-eight centimeters, you want to fuss over them in return? Any random maid in this house is taller than you.
Tsk. Miss Eclipse, why can't you grow taller?
—Why blame me? It's not something I can control. Do you think I want to be short?
Between the lines, Kagura could almost see Miss Eclipse rolling her eyes at her.
With nothing to do here, and with the maids refusing to let her handle breakfast or the daily cleaning, Kagura looked around and thought that since she had to run today anyway, she might as well do a few laps around the Symbol family's track while she waited.
Miss Eclipse, do you think running really makes people happy?
—For me, it's fairly enjoyable. I do regret that I never really experienced the kind of happiness your Lady Sirius mentioned. It's like being a hunter without any prey—you're nothing.
I don't understand...
Before you continue