There's Something Wrong With Your Logistics Uma Musume

Ardan, sitting next to her, didn't seem quite as relaxed. It was her first time inviting someone other than family to share a kotatsu with her, and she felt a little nervous.

She edged closer to Kagura, and just like the last time she carried the exhausted Kagura back to bed, that comforting and relaxing feeling washed over her, easing her nervousness. She felt an almost irresistible urge to hug Kagura lying next to her, and she didn't know why, as if Kagura possessed some kind of magic.

"Kagura-san…"

"...If you want to hug me, feel free."

Before she could finish her sentence, Kagura, who had been dozing with her eyes half-closed, suddenly spoke.

"Eh? How did you know, Kagura-san…"

"I heard you moving… Besides, you're not the first person who's wanted to do that to me, Ardan-san. I'm used to it."

Come to think of it, whether it was the serious and mature Rudolph Symbol, the spoiled Nice Nature, or the big-sisterly Maruzensky, even Speed Symbol and Old Mejiro, those old folks, all seemed to like pinching and hugging her when they were being affectionate. Over time, Kagura had grown accustomed to these inexplicable but harmless gestures.

"Really? Is it okay? I… I'm going to hug you, okay?"

"Mhm~ Go ahead."

Having received Kagura's permission, Mejiro Ardan carefully reached out and wrapped her arms around Kagura's petite body, then gently pulled her into her embrace. Maybe it was because she had just taken a bath, but Kagura had a pleasant scent, not the milky smell of a child, but something Ardan couldn't quite describe.

"This is the first time I've ever made such a request… If you mind, Kagura-san, please tell me."

"Mhm~ I think you're very cautious, Ardan-san."

"Of course! Once, I was half-asleep… and I sleepwalked and hugged Invincible-san in the next bed… Invincible-san said that in my dream, I kept rubbing her head, while saying 'Good girl, good girl'… and woke her up. Invincible-san never dared to sleep next to me again."

"Pfft… Did you treat Invincible-san like a child? Were you in China before? Why were you there?"

Kagura, nestled in Ardan's arms, couldn't help but laugh. In a way, Ardan was one of Kagura's few connections to China. She was quite curious about this Uma Musume who had been to China.

"It's a good place to recuperate… I went there for treatment and stayed for a long time. My health has improved recently, so I decided to come back."

"Ardan-san's health… is indeed quite worrying."

"Yes… I really want to be like Takamine-neechan. Takamine-neechan is already preparing for next year's Triple Crown Race. Even if I don't have her talent, at least… at least… I want to have the chance to debut. I can't even participate in training now, and my sister and grandma can only watch me anxiously…"

Ardan's voice was filled with heavy helplessness. Kagura sensed her unwillingness. Perhaps it was because she trusted Kagura, but she was talking about the topic she cared about the most for the first time.

"In two or three years, I should be able to debut. I was supposed to take over from my sister and win honors for the Mejiro family, but my physical condition… two or three years, it's probably not enough…"

Kagura felt Ardan's body trembling against her back, and the strength of her embrace increased.

She couldn't speak. She hadn't expected the conversation to become so heavy. She couldn't turn around while being hugged, and she didn't know how to comfort Ardan behind her.

"I'm always hoping… hoping that I can be like Takamine-neechan, that I can encounter a miracle like she did. Takamine-neechan was born with fragile legs, but she miraculously recovered…"

"But I feel… I'm too naive. The reason a miracle is called a miracle is because it won't happen a second time… right?"

"My parents have always been against me running. A few days ago, they called me, crying and begging me… hoping I could give up… They can't bear the fear of losing me…"

"Before I was born, I was supposed to be a twin… but my sister… didn't make it to birth. Her flame of life quietly went out… My parents… don't want to endure such a tragedy again."

For Kagura, who spent years in the hospital, she had encountered such topics quite often. They were very heavy. When she or her colleagues in related departments informed families of such things, everyone's faces were terrible. The reason she agreed with Toujou Hana's philosophy was also related to these past experiences.

"But… even so, even compared to the history of the Mejiro family, I might not be anything. I might be submerged in it soon… I also hope… even if it's just once, I want to burn my existence, so that I can shine like a star once…"

"Ardan-san…"

Kagura realized that she should advise Ardan to give up such thoughts. The duty of a doctor told her that she should always prioritize a person's safety, but the words reached her lips, and she found that she couldn't say them.

"Sorry… I just wanted to relax with you, Kagura-san, but I unconsciously talked about such heavy topics…"

Ardan came back to her senses and realized that she had accidentally spilled too much that she shouldn't have said. Although it was an accident, the fact that it happened might mean that she had unknowingly developed a considerable amount of trust in Kagura?

"No, it's not bad at all. I also want to thank you for trusting me enough to tell me these things. Your dream… is fiery and dazzling. Even if your body is weak… it can't cool your heart. I can tell you're a very strong person."

"Ahaha…"

Mejiro Ardan was a little embarrassed by Kagura's praise. She moved her hand, and then she suddenly realized that she had unknowingly stuck her whole body to Kagura. Not only was she hugging her, but she had even wrapped her legs around Kagura, like a koala hugging a tree.

After a brief mental lag, Ardan, realizing what she had done, quickly let go of Kagura and rolled to the side, almost hitting the corner of the kotatsu. Turning back, she saw Kagura smiling helplessly, not knowing if she was used to it or had given up struggling.

"Uh… uh… Kagura-san!! I-I-I didn't mean to do anything so rude!! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay, it's okay. Compared to the serious ones, you're quite civilized…"

Ever since she was bitten on the neck by Nice Nature while sleepwalking, Kagura felt that nothing could surprise her anymore.

Uma Musume seemed to unconsciously make some actions they didn't intend to do in certain states. Nice Nature, Rudolph Symbol, and Mejiro Ardan had already shown such behavior. Kagura was a little worried that she might also unconsciously do such strange things in some extreme situation in the future.

"S-Speaking of which, do you have any plans for the winter vacation, Kagura-san? Where do you want to go?"

Ardan didn't want to dwell on this awkward topic and quickly changed the subject.

"Not yet. The chairwoman said she wanted me to visit her house. Besides that, I'll probably choose to walk around Tokyo?"

"Why don't you… come to the Mejiro family, Kagura-san? Grandma and my sister have been saying they want to see you again. McQueen misses you so much, she sends me messages every day asking when Kagura-neechan can visit again."

Ardan remembered that her grandma and McQueen at home were always thinking about Kagura, although it seemed like their purposes were different. McQueen was probably thinking about delicious food. Ardan couldn't see through Old Mejiro's intentions. Although Old Mejiro said she wanted to thank Kagura, Ardan didn't think it was that simple.

"I can… If McQueen wants me to come so much, and if it won't bother you, I can come and see you when I have free time."

Kagura liked McQueen quite a bit. If McQueen wanted her to come so much, she could make a special trip to the Mejiro family. If it was just Old Mejiro or Mejiro Takamine inviting her, she would actually want to find an excuse to decline.

"Okay, when you have time, Kagura-san, contact me. Remember to let me know a day in advance, so I can have the servants at home prepare."

"No, no, it's too extravagant to prepare such things…"

"Kagura is my great benefactor, there's no exaggeration about it! If you come, I'll definitely treat you well, I mean it!"

Ardan's eyes were firm, not giving Kagura any room for discussion.

"Okay then~ Thank you in advance, Miss Ardan."

"That's the spirit... By the way, Kagura..."

Seeing Ardan suddenly become hesitant again, several question marks popped up over Kagura's head as she tilted it in confusion.

"Um... Could you, maybe, hug me again?"

"Is it that comfortable...? If Miss Ardan wants to, I don't mind, but please don't wrap your legs around me like before. Forgive me for being young, I can't handle Miss Ardan's strength..."

"That... That was an accident! I definitely won't lose my composure this time! Just forget about it!"

Having obtained Kagura's permission, Ardan, her cheeks flushed with shyness, carefully leaned in and wrapped her arms around Kagura.

Kagura... Such an angelic child... Always distributing her kindness equally to everyone around her...

For some reason, Ardan felt a warmth in her heart, and she suddenly had the urge to hug Kagura tightly like before.

What would it be like if someone could receive a little more of Kagura's kindness?

79. Why are you all asking the same question?

"Morning~ Kagura!"

"Morning, Quality. You're up surprisingly early today."

In the morning, as Kagura was busy preparing breakfast in the dining hall, she saw Nice Nature, who usually woke up late, had arrived early.

"Because I was looking at my phone last night and fell asleep halfway through, and I forgot to cover myself with a blanket... So I woke up cold this morning..."

As she spoke, Nice Nature scratched her head in embarrassment.

"...Quality, if you do that, Trainer Nanban will be worried."

Kagura sighed and flicked Nice Nature's forehead.

Their Uma Musume not sleeping properly was definitely the last thing any Trainer wanted to see. Not resting properly would seriously affect stamina, making the next day's training difficult, which was undoubtedly a devastating blow to training. And if Quality caught a cold on top of that...

"Thinking about it makes me feel sorry for Trainer Nanban..."

"Hehe... But Trainer Nanban is really nice, he treats me like his own child. I'm really grateful to you, Kagura, for going to so much trouble to find such a good Trainer for me!"

"Good that you know! Don't do things that make people worry next time!"

Kagura replied while bustling around in the kitchen.

"I know! By the way, Kagura, it's almost winter break, right? Do you have any plans for where you're going?"

"I don't have any myself, but the Chairwoman and Miss Ardan have both invited me to visit them, so I might be busy for a day or two? Why?"

"I'm planning to go back to my hometown for winter break to see my family. They told me to ask if you're free during winter break and if I could bring you back with me... Haha... Honestly, they always say such strange things."

"I can't travel that far during winter break. I have things to do here, and I can't go to a place where I can't get back quickly."

Even if Kagura didn't mind going to other people's homes, the objective distance to Nice Nature's hometown was too far. Kagura didn't have the ability to travel that far yet. But thinking about it, this should be the first time in her life that so many people had asked her to go out during winter break.

"I figured..."

Nice Nature scratched her head a little embarrassedly. Although she also hoped that Kagura could go back with her, considering how far her hometown was, it would definitely be inconvenient for Kagura, who had difficulty protecting herself, to travel such a long distance. She didn't expect Kagura to agree.

After preparing Nice Nature's breakfast and handing it to her, Kagura suddenly saw someone suspiciously peeking into the dining hall from the entrance early in the morning.

Why does that person peeking look so familiar?

Feeling that the person was strangely familiar, Kagura stopped and took a closer look at the entrance. The person peeking seemed to have noticed that Kagura was looking at them, so they simply stopped pretending and came out, waving at Kagura:

"Morning! Junior!"

"Morning, Senior Chimei. Speaking of which, aren't you usually still sleeping at this hour? Won't you be sleep-deprived if you wake up so early?"

This was the first time Kagura had seen Representative Chimei in the dining hall during breakfast. In her memory, Representative Chimei was never that diligent.

"Waking up this early will definitely make me sleep-deprived, but I actually haven't slept all night. As long as I don't sleep, there's no such thing as not getting enough sleep!"

"Senior Chimei, I can almost see your Trainer coming over with a knife..."

Seeing that these two ancestors in the dining hall weren't sleeping, Kagura couldn't help but sigh at the Trainers' blood pressure. Fortunately, Rudolph Symbol had stopped working overtime after Kagura dragged her away a few times, otherwise Kagura estimated that Toujou Hana's pressure would be even greater.

"Hey! Whatever about that! It's fine! Junior, you're done with your work now, right? I heard on the news that your team's Trainer said you don't have any race plans this year, so are you free during winter break?"

"Um... Huh? I'm not going back to the Symbol family... So I guess I'm free?"

Kagura felt like something was wrong. She remembered that she had answered this repeated question a lot in a short period of time. She realized that her task queue seemed to be getting longer and longer.

"Even better if you're not going back! Will you be free to hang out with me sometime soon?"

"Ah... It's not that I can't... It's just that a lot of people have asked me if I can visit them..."

"It's okay~! I'm very casual too, there's no need to be so strict about it. Just call me when you're free."

As she spoke, Representative Chimei naturally walked to the window outside Kagura's kitchen and sat down. Nice Nature, who was also sitting there waiting for her meal, was already so shocked that her ears drooped. The legendary Triple Crown Uma Musume was sitting next to her. She had heard of Representative Chimei's reputation for a long time and was practically a fan. She hadn't even debuted yet and didn't know what to say in this situation.

"Sorry, Senior Chimei, if you want radishes, I didn't prepare any for you to eat today. I don't know when the Chairwoman and Maruzensky stole all the pickled radishes."

"It's okay, Junior's cooking is so good, I like to eat whatever you make."

Mr. C.B. clearly came to freeload a meal. Though she's a bit of a blockhead, Kagura's cooking is indeed excellent, and Mr. C.B., who usually eats whatever's convenient, naturally doesn't mind eating something else.

"You're really easygoing, Senpai... Speaking of which, are you the type who just eats instant noodles when you can't think of anything else?"

"Instant noodles are fine too... If the Trainer's around, at least I can eat properly, okay!"

"So you're saying things are a mess when the Trainer's not around... It's a wonder you can eat so haphazardly and still be healthy..."

Kagura could pretty much guess what Mr. C.B.'s eating habits were like. Honestly, she was worried that Mr. C.B. would suddenly collapse on the street one day from all the abuse. After all, being a professional Uma Musume and not paying attention to diet, eating whatever, expending so much energy, and keeping such ungodly hours... it was hard to imagine how much pressure the Trainer was under.

Chimei Senpai's Trainer must have a hard time...

This morning, Kagura had rolled out a bunch of dumpling wrappers in advance, thinking of making wontons for Nice Nature. She didn't expect Mr. C.B. to come too, but luckily Kagura had prepared plenty of ingredients, so making enough for one more Uma Musume wasn't a problem.

Pulling out two large bowls from the cupboard, she put a pinch of dried shrimp, a pinch of seaweed, and a pinch of chopped green onions in the bottom of each bowl, added a few spoonfuls of seasoning. Kagura saw that the soup in the big pot was already boiling. She picked up a large ladle, scooped up a spoonful of hot soup and wontons, and poured them into the large bowls. A fresh, fragrant aroma immediately filled the kitchen, making the two Uma Musume sitting outside couldn't help but swallow.

Filling the two large bowls and placing chopsticks on top, Kagura held the bowls with both hands and passed them out through the window, one for each of them:

"Sorry for the simple meal!"

"How nice... Little sister next door, I'm quite envious that you get to taste your Kouhai's cooking every day."

Just as Nice Nature was about to pick up her chopsticks, Mr. C.B. suddenly spoke to her.

"Huh? Um... Chimei Senpai... you know me?"

"Nice Nature, right? Rudolph mentioned you the other day. You're Kagura Kouhai's good friend, right? I heard Kagura Kouhai has put a lot of effort into you."

"Y-yes! Kagura often helps me and cares about me... She even tutored me with my homework and helped me train..."

"Don't be so nervous, Quality-chan, relax. Do I look that scary?"

Seeing that Nice Nature was stuttering, Mr. C.B. couldn't help but want to laugh. She raised her hand to pat her Kouhai's head, but then thought that Nice Nature wasn't like Kagura, and might mind, so she put her hand down again.

"N-no, no, no...! It's just that I've always... admired Chimei Senpai! I want to be as radiant as you on the racetrack!"

"Hehe... That's a pretty good dream. But, Quality-chan, once you've gone a little further, you'll realize that sometimes, being ordinary is pretty good too. Like when you're chatting with me, I'd rather you treat me as an ordinary Senpai. Don't be so reserved. Okay, hurry up and eat, it won't taste good cold."