The Logistics Uma Musume Has a Problem, Huh?

This was also the strangest race Rudolph Symbol had competed in since her debut, because there were simply too few participants. In the past, many Uma Musume entered races thinking that finishing in the top five would be good enough, but this time, even counting Rudolph Symbol, there were only five runners on the track.

With Kagura and Toujou Hana providing meticulous support during this period, Rudolph Symbol was in peak condition and thoroughly trained. She displayed overwhelming strength, quickly pulling ahead of the sparse field and beginning her sprint. Without the slightest suspense, she crossed the finish line with a massive nine-length lead.

"Miss really is something... She even held back before the finish line, didn't she?"

From the stands, Kagura quickly noticed that something was off about Rudolph Symbol's performance this time.

People unfamiliar with Rudolph Symbol might not have noticed, but Kagura, who was bullied by Rudolph Symbol every day, saw it at a glance. On the final straight before the finish line, Rudolph Symbol had deliberately slowed down, creating a lead of exactly nine lengths—neither more nor less.

Kagura could understand it. Rudolph Symbol really was far too strong for the other Uma Musume in this race. If she had gone all out and charged ahead under these circumstances, then according to the rules, some unfortunate girl would have been suspended for a while afterward. Every Uma Musume who had come to race could be said to have shown admirable courage. Being suspended because of this would truly have been an undeserved calamity.

—Your miss really is kind. When I raced back then, I never once thought about showing mercy to anyone.

The words of Eclipse appeared on Kagura's phone screen, then quickly scattered and vanished.

"Did Miss Eclipse often leave others far behind back then?"

—Far behind? Things weren't as friendly back then as they are here. If you finished more than ten lengths ahead, they wouldn't even record your time—they'd just write 'far behind' there. Some people would even slow down a little so you wouldn't be suspended. Back then, I could run so far ahead of those behind me that they couldn't even see my back. Ten or twenty lengths was nothing special.

"Miss Eclipse... aren't you exaggerating?"

Kagura found it unbelievable. Of all the Uma Musume she had seen so far, both in Japan and abroad, she had never encountered a single one who could leave her opponents far behind in every race.

—I have no interest in boasting to others about things that never happened. These are all things I personally experienced. They are both my pride and the regret of my life.

This was not the first time Kagura had seen Eclipse mention such things. She always felt that Eclipse's victories carried a hint of regret, despite every one of them being overwhelming wins. Kagura thought that perhaps this was what people meant by the loneliness of a master.

Below, Rudolph Symbol chatted with her opponents while waving to the audience. Kagura even saw the Uma Musume who had finally caught up gathering around Rudolph Symbol, shaking her hand and bowing repeatedly as if thanking her.

"By the way, Miss Toujou, does Miss have any more races planned for this year?"

Kagura calculated how much time remained in the year. In her opinion, she strongly opposed entering races back-to-back. It was already the end of November, and if possible, she didn't want Rudolph Symbol to compete in any more races.

"No. Pushing Rudolph too hard would do nothing for her career. Oh, Kagura, did you see today's news? The one about the Japan Cup?"

"What happened at the Japan Cup?"

Today was also the day another G1 race, the Japan Cup, was being held. It seemed to be the only race in Japan that currently had any connection with overseas competition. Kagura had been planning to watch the Japan Cup after Rudolph Symbol's business was finished today.

"Our Uma Musume, Kyoei Promise, finally proved to the world that our Uma Musume can run fast too. She took second place by a margin so small that she almost crossed the finish line at the same time as the winner. The internet is already in an uproar."

"Oh, wait. The way you put that, Miss Toujou, I thought Kyoei Promise had won... But isn't second place a good thing? Why do you look so serious?"

Kagura often heard Eclipse sharply criticize Japan's Uma Musume for running sluggishly. Although that was somewhat true objectively, Japan's Uma Musume really were inferior to overseas Uma Musume in terms of speed. It was rare for one of them to prove herself in such an international event.

"Kyoei Promise... collapsed right after finishing. The medical staff entered the track and carried her away. Just now, her trainer released an announcement. Kyoei Promise has announced her retirement because she suffered severe, irreversible injuries to her legs. She may even have trouble standing again in the future."

"What? They... carried her away directly?!"

"Yes. That's why Uma Musume also need proper rest. Running until they burn themselves out may be dazzling, but once the flames have burned away, all that remains is silent ash."

As she spoke, Toujou Hana turned her gaze toward Rudolph Symbol on the track.

"Rudolph is an important student of mine. More victories are certainly important, but I don't want her to end up like that."

Huh? Why me?

Although there were not many participants in this public race, Kagura was surprised to find that an especially large number of reporters and people from the industry had come afterward—far more than at the previous races.

Many of those who came praised Rudolph Symbol's performance. Kagura even saw several foreigners clicking their tongues in amazement.

After listening from the side for a long while, Kagura roughly understood what the reporters were concerned about. The most important issue was naturally Rudolph Symbol's race schedule. Rumors were running rampant online about a showdown between Rudolph Symbol, Daitaku Helios, and Mr. C.B., and the fans of the three sides were arguing fiercely.

"Daitaku Helios has never lost since her debut, while senior Mr. C.B. is a legendary champion who has won the Triple Crown. They are both powerful opponents, and I look forward to competing against them. However, my race schedule will also depend on my supporters, so I cannot give you a definite answer for now."

Rudolph Symbol did not give a definite answer about her schedule, instead leaving the question to Toujou Hana.

"I still need to discuss and finalize Rudolph's race schedule with the Logistics Uma Musume who has always supported her. So I can't give everyone a specific answer at present. However, I can say with certainty that she has no plans to compete again before the end of this year."

Toujou Hana promptly shifted the responsibility onto Kagura, who was hiding behind her. Still, Kagura truly had not made any plans for the next race yet. She had long since become an indispensable part of Toujou Hana's work, and Toujou Hana needed to coordinate the relevant matters with her before making a decision.

"We've heard Miss Rudolph mention her supporter before. May we ask who that supporter is? Is she another student from Central Tracen Academy?"

Seeing that they could not get the most important information about the race schedule, the reporters quickly changed topics.

Kagura had never specifically told either of them not to reveal her existence. In fact, she did not mind reporters knowing about her. However, Rudolph Symbol and Toujou Hana had both been consciously concealing her existence. Neither wanted young Kagura to have to face those tangled affairs so soon.

"Sorry, but I'm not at liberty to disclose that. It's also to protect the person's privacy. Please understand."

Rudolph Symbol rejected the question without much thought. Until she received Kagura's genuine permission, she would not reveal Kagura's identity.

Meanwhile, watching from the edge of the backstage area, Kagura noticed a small Uma Musume hopping around outside the tightly packed crowd. She seemed desperate to squeeze inside, but there were simply too many people surrounding the area. The little Uma Musume could not find even the slightest gap to get through and could only fret outside.

—Wow! That child looks so much like your miss! She even has the family's signature dyed streak!

Eclipse exclaimed through Kagura's phone. Kagura took a careful look. The child had the family's chestnut hair, the family's dyed streak, and even a face shape somewhat similar to Rudolph Symbol's. If Kagura hadn't known that Rudolph Symbol had a mind occupied solely by work and races, she might have thought Rudolph Symbol secretly had a child.

Kagura was considering whether she should go down and ask the strange child what she wanted when two adults who seemed to be the child's parents approached. They crouched down and coaxed the child with smiles, and only then did the little girl leave with a disappointed look.

"Ah, her family took her away..."

Kagura had wanted to go down and get a closer look at the child, but it seemed she had missed her chance. She guessed the girl was probably a fan of Rudolph Symbol. Kagura had seen many children in the stands cheering for Rudolph Symbol with shining eyes. This girl was probably one of them.

"Come to think of it, this child looks a little like the running genius Nice Nature said she saw in the park... There shouldn't be another Uma Musume who looks so much like Miss, right?"

Remembering that Nice Nature had mentioned meeting someone like that before her selection race, Kagura realized that the description she had heard from Nice Nature resembled this child. If there was no one else who fit the description, then this was probably the same girl. She wondered whether the child was a student at Tracen Academy.

"Let's ask about her after the Winner's Stage and we get back to school..."

"A child who looks a lot like Rudolph?"

When it came to asking about students at school, Kagura felt that going directly to the green-hat lady at the school gate was the most direct choice. Hayakawa Tazuna really did possess the bizarre memory needed to remember that many things.

So after returning from the racecourse, Kagura went straight to Hayakawa Tazuna at the entrance and asked about the student.

"Let me think... No, I have no impression of ever seeing this child. Rudolph is so famous that if I saw a child who resembled her, I should remember it."

After thinking for a while, Hayakawa Tazuna shook her head. She had no memory of ever seeing such an Uma Musume.

"I knew there wasn't one..."

The result was not particularly surprising. If there were such a child at the school, and her talent was as outstanding as Nice Nature had said, Kagura should have known about her long ago. Since there was not even the slightest news, the only possibility was that the girl had not enrolled yet.

"With such obvious features, I shouldn't have mistaken her. Come to think of it, winter break is coming soon, isn't it? How do you plan to spend it, Kagura?"

"Hm? Me? I'll probably... stay at school."

"You're not going back to the Symbol family?"

"I'm not actually a member of the Symbol family. The last time I went back, I made everyone rush around doing this and that for me. I feel bad constantly troubling everyone in the Symbol family to take care of me..."

Remembering the days she had spent at the Symbol family estate, Kagura had nearly died of boredom. The maids and Speed Symbol had practically treated her like their own young miss. Although Kagura was happy that everyone cared about her so much, she still felt that she was merely a maid and was not suited to receiving such treatment.

"Hmm... You really are just as Speed Symbol said. Oh, right. If you don't plan to return to the Symbol family, Chairwoman Akikawa said she would like to invite you to her home during winter break. What do you think?"

"What?! Chairwoman Akikawa wants me to go to her house?!"

Kagura froze. This was completely outside anything she had expected, and she could not figure out what Akikawa Yayoi was planning by making this decision.

"Yes. There's also something I need to give you. It was originally supposed to be presented to you by the chairwoman at the student assembly, but you were busy with work, so she didn't want to call you away to attend."

As she spoke, Hayakawa Tazuna picked up a small bag from beside the school gate and handed it to Kagura. Kagura opened it and looked inside. There was a small golden trophy, somewhat like the competition trophies she usually saw in Rudolph Symbol's office, except that this one had a carrot on it.

"What is this...?"

"Every year, the chairwoman and the logistics department honor the most outstanding Logistics Uma Musume. Congratulations, Kagura. You were nominated for the grand prize with the highest number of votes, and you're this year's winner."

"What?! I... Is that so? Hehe... This is suddenly a little embarrassing..."

Well, it seemed she could finally put something on the shelf in her dormitory. Kagura, who had always buried herself in work, had never paid attention to the selection process. She had not expected to win without even realizing it.

"And the message that received the most votes was... 'Thank you, Lady Kagura's notes helped me get through my midterm exams! Please continue to look after me next year!' Hahaha, Kagura, you're quite willing to help others, aren't you?"

"It was just a coincidence..."

It seemed her notes had spread quite widely among the students. Kagura had never expected that casually giving a set of notes to that pink-haired Uma Musume would lead to this.

"So, Kagura, will you accept the chairwoman's invitation and visit her home?"

"...I don't think there should be a problem. Training won't be so intense for a while anyway."

"Good. Then I'll let the chairwoman know. She's been waiting a long time for your answer."

"Er... What about me is there to look forward to so much...?"

Kagura tilted her head in confusion. She could not figure out what the chairwoman was looking forward to.

But she was in a hurry to return and cook for Nice Nature and the others, so she did not think about it any further. After agreeing, she hurriedly said goodbye to Hayakawa Tazuna and rushed toward the cafeteria.

"My, Kagura is quite adorably serious..."

Hayakawa Tazuna watched Kagura run inside and smiled fondly. Only then did she pick up her phone and type out a reply to the chairwoman.

Old Mejiro's Little Worry

When Kagura returned to the dormitory, she had planned to take a shower first and then crawl straight into bed. Instead, she saw something resembling a large, square table in the room, covered tightly with a pile of blankets. Ardan was lying on the floor, searching for something beneath the cabinet beside the window in the middle of the room. Only her tail was visible, swaying back and forth, and Kagura inexplicably felt the urge to go over and pat Ardan's butt.

"Miss Ardan, what is this? And what are you...?"

Suppressing that impolite thought, Kagura decided to ask Ardan what she was doing first.

"Ah! Kagura, you're ba—Ugh!"

Hearing Kagura's voice, Ardan instinctively tried to raise her head and turn around to greet her, only to smack the top of her head hard against the cabinet. She let out a wail, clutching her head as she ducked back underneath.

"Are you all right?"

Kagura hurried over and crouched down to check on Ardan, but Ardan stopped her.

"I'm fine... I just hit my head... It's not a big deal..."

Rubbing her head, Ardan crawled out from beneath the cabinet. Only then did Kagura see that she had been looking for an outlet. The outlet was directly connected to the new little table-like object in the middle of the room.

It needs to be plugged in? This thing... Could it be the legendary British Empire-destroying heater?

Kagura immediately understood why the object in the middle looked familiar. Having watched so many anime, she had some impression of this thing.

"Be careful next time you crawl under a cabinet. I'm worried you might hurt yourself. It would be bad if your mother-in-law came after me."

"It's fine! Mother-in-law even praised you recently, saying you've fattened me up!"

When Ardan had first arrived, she had been somewhat thin from her long-term treatment and hospitalization. Under Kagura's care, she had visibly filled out these past few days, and her skin had improved considerably as well. According to Ardan, when Old Mejiro saw her at home that morning, her entire brow relaxed. She had looked Ardan up and down with obvious delight, and Kagura had inexplicably received another sum of money that afternoon.

So that's where that money came from... I thought the Mejiro family's accounting department had made a mistake and paid me too much.

"The weather's getting colder too. Since we'll be staying at school for quite a while, I thought I might as well buy a kotatsu and bring it here. When I was still in northern China, I saw that families there also had all kinds of heating devices."

"I see... So Miss Ardan lived in northern China?"

"Yes. I lived in the outskirts of the capital, and Invincible happened to live nearby. She often took care of me... Hehe, when I think about it, I really was lucky. Wherever I went, I always met classmates like Invincible and Kagura who took care of me."

Ardan nodded, then suddenly slapped her palms together.

"Right! I was just about to try the kotatsu. Would you like to lie down in it with me, Kagura?"

"Huh... Me?"

"Yeah! Come try it! It's really comfortable!"

Thinking about it, crawling under a warm kotatsu in this weather really did sound comfortable. As long as Ardan did not mind squeezing in with someone else, Kagura certainly had no objection.

However, Kagura decided to take a shower first and come back to enjoy it. She did not like lying down while still filthy, and Ardan would probably mind too, so she grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom.

"Kagura~ Over here, over here!"

By the time Kagura had dried her hair and returned to the room, Ardan was already lying beneath the kotatsu. As soon as she saw Kagura come out, she lifted one corner and called Kagura over to lie down with her.

Normally, one person on each side would have been more suitable, but thanks to Ardan's petite figure, even two K aguras could have squeezed in beside her without much trouble.

Kagura walked over and sat beside the kotatsu, slipping her small feet inside. Whether Ardan had already warmed it up or it had simply been running long enough, the temperature immediately warmed Kagura, who had just been freezing.

There's a reason so many anime characters love this thing...

Kagura curled up beneath the kotatsu and could not help narrowing her eyes comfortably like a raccoon. The warm kotatsu made her feel as if she were soaking in a hot spring.