There's Something Wrong With You, Logistics Uma Musume

"No, we won't interfere with each other. What a shame—Rudolph's already trained for a while and is exhausted. Otherwise, I would've asked whether Mr. C.B. would be willing to run alongside Rudolph."

Although Toujou Hana couldn't watch Rudolph Symbol have an early clash with Mr. C.B., she knew that no matter how talented Kagura was, there was no hope of going head-to-head with a legendary Triple Crown Uma Musume right now. Still, simply seeing Mr. C.B. run was already incredibly valuable.

"Trainer over there, do you have time to come over and help call the start?"

Mr. C.B., who had already stepped onto the track and was warming up, called toward Toujou Hana. Toujou Hana lowered her head to look at Kagura, who nodded back.

"I'll go, Miss Toujou. Watch carefully and take good notes. This will definitely help the young lady in the future."

"Thanks for your effort, Kagura. I won't waste this opportunity you fought to secure."

Toujou Hana knew how difficult it normally was to find a Triple Crown Uma Musume willing to come run a trial. Gratefully, she patted Kagura's shoulder. After their brief exchange ended, Kagura also stepped onto the track to warm up, while Toujou Hana walked onto the grass and prepared to announce the start.

This time, the distance was no longer the 2,000-meter training race Kagura had run before, but 2,400 meters, the standard for the Triple Crown Race. That was one of the reasons Kagura had agreed to Mr. C.B.'s request. Receiving personal guidance from Mr. C.B.—even if she only watched from below—would definitely benefit Rudolph Symbol's future.

"Weather: clear. Distance: 2,400 meters..."

74. Oh no, I've become a front-runner!

Most people who had watched Mr. C.B.'s races had the impression that she especially liked running from behind, because she charged all the way up from the rear in every race.

"Haha, people make it sound so complicated and analyze it like they know everything, but there aren't that many reasons. I just always get bad starts, so I have no choice but to run the way I like—coming from behind."

While warming up at the starting line, the naturally outgoing Mr. C.B. casually began chatting with Kagura about running styles. In Kagura's memory, Mr. C.B. did indeed mainly run from behind, but she hadn't expected that the reason she chose that style was so simple.

Kagura deeply understood the situation Mr. C.B. described. She still hadn't completely overcome her own problem with slow starts. Falling behind at the beginning and then accelerating desperately to force her way back into the lead wasted an enormous amount of stamina and simply wasn't worthwhile. Kagura dared to run that way only because of her excellent endurance. If another Uma Musume tried it, she would probably lose speed on the straight before the final turn.

However, Kagura wasn't completely confident in her stamina today. She had never run 2,400 meters and had never truly tested the limits of her endurance. Although she felt she probably wouldn't slow down on the track, she had never experienced it in an actual race and couldn't rule out an accident.

"...Are you two ready?"

While Kagura was thinking, Toujou Hana finished announcing the track conditions and raised her hand, ready to give the signal. She confirmed one last time that both Uma Musume had nodded, then turned back. A few seconds later, she suddenly swung her hand down.

"Go!"

Toujou Hana had been looking forward to seeing what surprises the two Uma Musume would bring her, but she was stunned right there at the starting line—both of them had gotten terrible starts at exactly the same time!!!

Naturally, Toujou Hana wasn't the only one confused. The most bewildered was Mr. C.B. on the track. She vaguely remembered that Kagura was a runner who used an extreme front-running style, but could such a suffocating start really come from a front-runner?

"Aren't you an extreme front-runner?"

Kagura heard the puzzled voice of Mr. C.B. as they ran. She merely shook her head slightly while running, her expression helpless, indicating that this was an old problem of hers too. Her concentration had improved quite a bit recently thanks to occasionally sneaking off to practice archery, and her slow starts had improved somewhat, but she couldn't get rid of the old habit all at once.

"Oh dear... Kagura and Senior C.B. both made the same mistake... But if they both got bad starts, does that mean neither of them did?"

Rudolph Symbol, who had finished training and was taking a short break beside Toujou Hana, watched the bizarre sight of the two Uma Musume both making terrible starts.

However, contrary to Rudolph Symbol's usual impression, after this terrible start Kagura didn't use her former reckless and aggressive style of forcibly reclaiming first place. Since the distance was unfamiliar, she abandoned the idea of immediately using her extreme front-running style. Since she had started poorly, she simply followed behind Mr. C.B. Mr. C.B. had originally thought she was coming to chase a front-runner, but unexpectedly, the front-runner turned out to be her.

Although things had differed somewhat from what she expected, Mr. C.B. still seriously followed her racing style and charged ahead. She could feel Kagura's breathing very close behind her. Kagura had stayed only three or four lengths back, clinging tightly to her. That showed how fast Kagura was—especially since the girl hadn't even reached full development yet.

Of course, no amount of talent could make up for the enormous gap between Kagura and a legendary Uma Musume who had already completed a Triple Crown. Since Kagura was unfamiliar with the distance and didn't dare accelerate recklessly, she had indeed stayed very close at first. But after the second turn in the middle section, on the following straight, Kagura realized that Mr. C.B. had unknowingly pulled more than three lengths ahead.

As expected, catching up to Senior C.B. is still a bit too much for me...

Kagura raised her speed slightly, trying to catch up with Mr. C.B., who had begun accelerating. But this was where the difference in strength became apparent. She could only give her all to maintain the distance between them and stop herself from being left farther and farther behind.

As for Mr. C.B., she finally got to experience the feeling of being a front-runner. Honestly, it felt strange. She remembered that she was supposed to be chasing a junior who ran at the front, and running in front wasn't as comfortable as she had imagined. The uncertainty of not being able to see her opponent made her feel unnatural.

Still, despite that discomfort, Mr. C.B.'s rich racing experience allowed her to make the correct decision about when to sprint. By the latter half, Kagura was already chasing her with the speed she used for extreme front-running. Unfortunately, Mr. C.B. really was stronger. The two of them began surging on the straight before the final turn. Having confirmed that her stamina was sufficient and that she wasn't under any pressure, Kagura naturally ran without holding anything back, reaching the highest speed she could manage. But all she could do was keep herself from being thrown too far behind.

They cleared the final turn and entered the home straight. Mr. C.B. accelerated sharply again, trying to completely shake off Kagura. But Kagura also unleashed her final burst at that moment. The distance between them remained extremely tight. Mr. C.B. couldn't feel herself pulling away at all. Objectively, Kagura had indeed fallen a little farther behind, but the increase was tiny—so tiny that it at least proved Kagura's maximum speed on the home straight was already nearly equal to her own.

"Though I didn't get to see Junior Kagura run with her extreme front-running style... she really is capable of surprising people, just like that Rudolph girl said!"

As she ran, the corners of Mr. C.B.'s mouth curved upward. It had been a long time since she had felt that she would be overtaken the instant she relaxed, even briefly. She genuinely hadn't encountered an opponent who could threaten her lately, and Kagura was the first in all that time.

"Finish line!! Mr. C.B. crosses first with a two-length lead!"

Toujou Hana quickly announced their results. Rudolph Symbol, who had watched from the side the entire time, looked calm, as though she had already expected this result.

"Junior Kagura~ Run another lap with me! Then Senior will teach you how to run a Triple Crown Race!"

"Please let me go... Senior, have you gotten addicted to bullying beginners?!"

"I just want to give my genius junior a little guidance. Junior, you have to believe me!"

Kagura really is a monster of a genius... Even against Senior C.B., the Triple Crown champion, she only fell two lengths behind despite not having reached full development?

Watching Mr. C.B. hug Kagura at the finish line and pester her to run another extreme front-running lap, Rudolph Symbol and Toujou Hana couldn't help thinking the same thing.

75. She's too devoted to the team! ()

After being pestered for a long while, Kagura ended up running another full lap with Mr. C.B. This time, she didn't get a terrible start, and Mr. C.B. finally got to experience what it felt like to chase an extreme front-runner.

After satisfying herself, Mr. C.B., in an excellent mood, kept her promise. On the track, she explained various essentials of the Triple Crown Race to Kagura and the watching Rudolph Symbol, personally demonstrating running styles and discussing track strategies.

Toujou Hana felt that today's gains had already been excellent. Much of the information and data was something she normally had no way to obtain. But she couldn't feel happy at all. She was extremely worried about Kagura's physical condition. After all, Kagura hadn't even reached full development, yet she had run two races in such a short time—and the second had used the physically punishing extreme front-running style.

"Kagura, come here for a moment. Rudolph, listen over there first."

"Okay!"

Rudolph Symbol nodded. She naturally knew why Toujou Hana had called Kagura over. Kagura had expended a frightening amount of energy, so Toujou Hana was certainly worried and wanted to check on her.

"Miss Toujou, did you need something?"

"Kagura, you were being far too reckless just now. You haven't even completed full development, yet you ran two races back-to-back. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine... Just a little tired. It isn't often that we get the chance to find Senior C.B., and isn't our team badly in need of opportunities to gather this kind of data?"

Kagura really didn't feel particularly exhausted. Although she had been drenched in sweat after running, she recovered quickly. In contrast, Mr. C.B. still looked slightly flushed and seemed extremely excited.

"That still doesn't mean you should work yourself that hard... Honestly, you..."

"Supporting the young lady is part of my job. It's nothing. At worst, I'll sleep in tomorrow."

Seeing Toujou Hana's guilty expression, Kagura hurriedly waved her hands and hopped a few times to show that she was fine. As far as she was concerned, she had merely done what she was supposed to do within the scope of her work.

"No. Kagura, don't make dinner tonight. I'll have Rudolph follow your recipe and eat in the cafeteria. You're going back to the dorm to rest."

Although she knew Kagura had excellent stamina, Toujou Hana firmly refused to let her continue working and sent her back to the dorm without accepting any argument.

"So this is where Junior lives. Nice."

After training ended, as the sun slanted westward into evening, Kagura left the grounds. Mr. C.B. knew how much energy such a young girl had spent by running two races against her, so to prevent any accidents, she suggested accompanying Kagura back to her dorm.

"Mm. Senior C.B., do you usually live alone off campus?"

"Yeah. Isn't that normal? Maruzensky from your young lady's team lives outside too."

"That's true... But Tracen Academy's dorms are pretty good, aren't they? Why live outside by yourself?"

"Maybe I just like living alone~ I don't live very far away either. If you have time, Junior, you're welcome to visit my place."

After spending so much time with Kagura, Mr. C.B. discovered that this adorable girl was genuinely interesting. They unexpectedly got along very well, and Kagura's gentle, delicate appearance always gave her the urge to tease her a little.

"Visit Senior's place... We'll see if I have time. The young lady is going to the November open race next, so I'll be busy again."

"You really care about your young lady..."

"It's my duty. I'm the young lady's logistics Uma Musume, after all. Isn't helping her focus on winning championships the meaning of support?"

Mr. C.B. froze slightly. Kagura's expression didn't look like she was lying. Under Kagura's puzzled gaze, Mr. C.B. sighed, raised a hand, and pinched Kagura's soft cheek, pulling it to both sides.

"...All right. I won't disturb your rest any longer. If you want to find me in the future, just contact me. I'll definitely reply when I have time!"

"Okay~"

After seeing Mr. C.B. off, Kagura had just turned around when she saw a large group of Uma Musume crowded around the dorm entrance and the stairs leading upstairs, each peeking out with half her head to spy on them.

"Uh..."

Kagura suddenly felt that she might not be able to return to her dorm for a while.

The girls' obsession with celebrities far exceeded Kagura's expectations. They surrounded her and asked a mountain of questions about Mr. C.B., but Kagura herself didn't know much about her and couldn't answer much. Most of the time, she could only shake her head and say she didn't know.

"How did you and Senior C.B. meet? Why does Senior seem to like you so much?"

"Me? I didn't know Senior before that incident in the cafeteria. Senior suddenly came over and said she was bringing food for the student council president, so that's how we met. Besides, Senior C.B. is naturally outgoing and easy to talk to. She gets familiar with everyone very easily."

"I see..."

The other Uma Musume around her nodded as if they understood. Kagura felt that their gazes were trying to find out what Mr. C.B. liked through her. She could only smile helplessly. She didn't even know why Mr. C.B. was so naturally friendly, much less anyone else.

After answering the final question, Kagura spent some effort squeezing out of the crowd and finally returned to her dorm. When she opened the door, she saw Ardan wearing sportswear and doing high-knee exercises in the room. Her forehead was covered in sweat, so she seemed to have been exercising there for a while.

"Ah, Kagura, you're back. It was so lively downstairs just now. What happened?"

When she saw Kagura enter, Ardan stopped and wiped away her sweat with a towel from the side.

"Senior C.B. escorted me back to the dorm. Then her fans realized she had come, so they all ran to the entrance to watch... That's basically it?"

"Senior C.B.? You mean... Mr. C.B.? This year's Triple Crown champion?"

When Kagura nodded, Ardan raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew Kagura had met Mr. C.B. in the cafeteria a few days earlier, but only a few days had passed, and Mr. C.B. was already personally escorting Kagura back to the dorm?

After asking why Mr. C.B. had brought Kagura back today, Ardan listened as Kagura explained everything that had happened that afternoon. Her mouth nearly fell open.

Kagura only lost two lengths when running against that legendary Triple Crown champion?! And she was only two lengths behind even after running two races back-to-back?!

For Ardan, who was frail, running two consecutive 2,400-meter races sounded like something from a science-fiction novel. But she also knew that even McQueen couldn't possibly run two consecutive 2,400-meter races. Yet Kagura, only a year older than McQueen, seemed to have done it effortlessly!

Kagura hasn't reached full development yet, has she?!

With that thought, Ardan's gaze toward Kagura became strange.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like you've seen a ghost?"

Kagura tilted her head, unable to understand Ardan's expression. Realizing she had lost control of herself, Ardan hurriedly shook her head, indicating that Kagura shouldn't worry about it.

"It's nothing... Um, Kagura, you should probably take a bath too, right? You go first. I'll do a few more exercises out here."

"Then thank you, Miss Ardan~"

Kagura didn't refuse. The intense exercise had left her clothes completely soaked, and she desperately needed a comfortable bath.

Watching Kagura take a uniform from her side of the wardrobe and enter the bathroom, Ardan remained where she was, deep in thought. She seemed to understand why her sister and grandmother had tried to adopt Kagura some time ago.

No wonder Grandma and my sister took a liking to Kagura. She's only a logistics Uma Musume, yet she possesses such terrifying talent...

76. There was no suspense

After the period surrounding Tracen Academy's open day passed, Kagura finally returned to her usual work and daily life. Every day, she cooked for Nice Nature and Rudolph Symbol at set times, occasionally dealt with Akikawa Yayoi and Maruzensky dropping by for food, and, on very rare occasions, Gold Ship.

During this period, another person occasionally began appearing in the cafeteria: Mr. C.B. She didn't come often, but every time she did, she inevitably ordered taro-and-daikon cake, then pickled daikon, followed by an ordinary stir-fry of shredded carrots and lean pork. Kagura felt that Senior C.B. had daikon for brains. As long as there was daikon, she liked it.

Rudolph Symbol's training was also going extremely well. The participant list for her open race had been released. Kagura had previously imagined that many Uma Musume would avoid the race, but she hadn't expected that only five Uma Musume, including Rudolph Symbol, would participate this time.

She didn't know whether to call those Uma Musume warriors or something else. Rudolph Symbol's reputation had already spread throughout the professional circuit. While everyone else avoided her, those few had still chosen to challenge Rudolph Symbol without backing down.

An Uma Musume named Daitaku Helios also came to find Kagura after Kagura returned to her regular work in the cafeteria. She hoped Kagura would support her. She also told Kagura her goal: to challenge Rudolph Symbol and win the Triple Crown Race.

But Kagura didn't agree to support Daitaku Helios. Whether objectively or subjectively, Kagura had no intention of changing teams. When Daitaku Helios heard that Kagura had signed an exclusive contract directly, she immediately gave up on recruiting her and expressed both understanding and regret.

During this period, Kagura, who often followed online discussions, noticed the direction public opinion was taking. As she learned more, she discovered that besides Mr. C.B. and Rudolph Symbol, another person was frequently mentioned: Daitaku Helios, who had remained undefeated since her debut.

Daitaku Helios had never lost since her debut and had now become one of the Uma Musume that netizens believed were most likely to challenge Rudolph Symbol. Supposedly, she had won her first few races with ease. Her current goal was next year's New Year Stakes, and if nothing went wrong, she would achieve four or even five consecutive wins before the Classic Triple Crown began. Many people were eagerly anticipating it.

"She won't do it. Forget your young lady—even beating you would take some effort."

However, after Kagura recently gathered information and watched Daitaku Helios's races, Miss Eclipse gave an evaluation completely different from the one online.

"Her distance adaptability is a serious problem. Those fans pushing her toward longer distances are truly irresponsible. With that girl's adaptability, if she insists on charging farther ahead, she'll pay the price on the track before long. A pulled muscle would be a minor matter. If she injured herself and fell during a sprint, that wouldn't be a small injury that could heal after lying down for two days. I've seen Uma Musume die on the track before, you know."

Uh... Miss Eclipse, Daitaku Helios has only competed within the mile range at most so far... How do you know her distance adaptability is poor?

"Some things can be seen from the way she runs. She simply isn't suited for what you call middle and long distances here. Once you've watched enough races, you'll be able to tell too."

Miss Eclipse's words had no actual evidence behind them and sounded rather mystical. They were basically deductions based on her own experience. But Kagura found Miss Eclipse extremely credible, and she agreed with Miss Eclipse's assessment of Daitaku Helios's fans. After all, the online community in Japan really was especially enthusiastic about creating idols.

Amid the busy preparations, Rudolph Symbol unknowingly reached the open race in late November.