There's Something Wrong With You, Logistics Uma Musume

Kagura herself didn't mind running a lap with someone else, but this wasn't her decision to make. She looked back at Tokai Nature to ask for her opinion. Tokai Nature just smiled helplessly and put her hands together in a 'please!' gesture, indicating that she approved of her daughter's request and hoped Kagura would agree to Tokai Teio's wish.

"Okay, little sister, how about we choose this path in the park for the course?"

85. Tokai Teio Still Doesn't Realize the Seriousness of the Situation

"Little sister, what's this about people being afraid to run with you?"

While watching Tokai Teio warm up, Kagura also asked about the question she had heard earlier that she was very curious about.

"I don't know... it seems like whenever I run, nobody wants to compete with me anymore."

"Oh... has little sister ever lost?"

"Never! Teio-sama would never lose!"

Seeing the child's confident and proud appearance, it probably wasn't just bragging. Kagura roughly understood why no one dared to run with her here. Some time ago, Kagura had heard Nice Nature mention the existence of this little genius, and it seemed that Nice Nature's judgment was indeed correct.

--Hey, you, running with a child, be careful and hold back a bit. You always get carried away when you start running. Don't make some rich family's young lady cry like last time. Do you have any snacks on you?

'Nope, who brings food when they go for a run...'

--That's the problem then. There's no kitchen here. If you make the kid cry, you won't be able to coax her. It's not a race anyway, so it's okay to take it easy sometimes.

It seemed that the last incident with Mejiro McQueen had made Eclipse a little strangely cautious. She, who never held back, actually started to proactively tell herself to be careful not to use too much force.

Putting away her phone, Kagura saw that Tokai Teio had finished warming up and was pestering her mother to be the referee. The seemingly young mother nodded in agreement while giving an apologetic smile in Kagura's direction. Kagura returned a smile, indicating that she didn't mind running with someone.

"Oh dear... this child really is... Kagura-chan, are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

"Well... for the distance, running one lap around the park's path should be about 2000 meters? Kagura-chan, is that okay?"

"It's fine, as long as Teio is okay with it."

Kagura nodded. For her, 2000 meters was a fairly easy distance. If she didn't consider holding back, she could directly run a Great Escape here, but once she started escaping, she easily lost control of her speed. She didn't know if that would have any negative impact, especially since she was racing against a child younger than herself. Kagura didn't think she would lose.

So Kagura decided to run from behind this time. According to Gold Ship, chasing from behind was very convenient for slacking off. If you wanted to overtake, you just needed to use a little force. If you didn't want to rush, you could just hang back and slack off. It was the perfect position to advance or retreat.

After confirming the precautions, Tokai Nature stepped onto the path. It seemed that this young mother wanted to run a lap with her child.

"The finish line will be that bench with things on it, okay? The surface... is concrete? Distance is 2000 meters, the weather is clear, and the track condition is good... Clockwise or counterclockwise... it doesn't matter. Teio, and Kagura-chan, are you ready?"

Tokai Nature always gave off a light and slow feeling when she spoke. Her voice was very pleasant and gentle. Kagura felt like listening to this mother speak was like listening to someone sing. Looking at her appearance, she was at most 25-30 years old, still very young.

'She's so young, and her child is already so big...'

Kagura couldn't help but think about irrelevant topics. She didn't know why, but maybe it was because she had been in the hospital for so long and had seen all kinds of people. The first thing that popped into her head wasn't a harmonious picture of a wife and mother, but a bizarre scene of some unknown person ignoring a young girl's wishes, grabbing her and making her dance for several hours until the girl lost consciousness and the person still didn't stop.

'No, no, what am I thinking about... Don't be curious about other people's family affairs. Nature-neechan must just look young! Yes, that's it!'

Kagura threw out the bizarre thoughts that had popped up from somewhere in her head. When she came back to her senses and was about to prepare to start, she happened to hear Tokai Nature give the starting command. It was too late for her to start running now, so she naturally had a slow start again.

'That child had a slow start?'

Tokai Nature, who had already rushed out with Tokai Teio and was in the lead, noticed the delayed start from Kagura behind her. She hadn't completely lost her competitive edge, so she naturally knew what that meant.

Kagura, who had originally planned to run from behind this time, didn't mind at all. She slightly accelerated and caught up with Tokai Teio, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close.

'Tokai Teio... as Nice Nature said, her talent is indeed good. Her legs look very flexible, and she seems very suitable for learning to dance.'

Because she was intentionally suppressing her speed and couldn't focus solely on accelerating and paying attention to the road conditions, Kagura had the energy to carefully observe the running posture of the two people in front of her. Compared to Tokai Teio, who seemed to be running based on feeling, Tokai Nature was clearly running like a professional athlete, with a standard form as if she were running a race.

Kagura noticed that people were gradually starting to gather on the side of the path in the park to watch. She could vaguely hear them discussing Tokai Teio, but everyone seemed to have a helpless smile on their faces, as if this was a common occurrence here.

"Oh dear, Teio-chan is looking for someone to race again... Which child is going to be unlucky this time?"

"Look, it's that Uma Musume behind her, the black-haired maid... Hiss, that child looks pretty cute..."

Not only were there old grandpas, grandmas, and children strolling in the park, but also some Uma Musume who were curious and came to watch as the number of people on the roadside increased.

"That Uma Musume named Tokai Teio is really strong. I'm so much older than her, but I almost couldn't beat her when I ran with her before... I wonder which child is going to become depressed this time?"

"Look! Over there, isn't that Kagura-san from the Logistics Department?"

The park was right next to Tracen Academy, and Inari Kagura wasn't someone hard to see at Tracen Academy. Plus, she had been specifically commended by Akikawa Yayoi at the Academy Assembly some time ago, so naturally some strolling Uma Musume students recognized her.

"Really? That child is a genius that even we debuted Uma Musume have to be careful of... Inari Kagura-san is a Logistics Uma Musume, why would she accept this kind of challenge?"

"I don't know..."

The sound of discussion came from both sides of the road. It seemed that they had noticed the commotion on the road. Several people who were also jogging had moved off the road and were watching the race with great interest.

This path wasn't a very suitable place for a race. Kagura preferred grass to concrete, but concrete had one advantage: it was particularly sturdy. It was easier for Kagura to burst into acceleration on concrete than on grass.

'This child... is deliberately slowing down?? Is she holding back??'

Tokai Nature had been running alongside Tokai Teio. She could tell that Tokai Teio was running seriously according to the rhythm she had taught her, but Kagura behind her was different. Having been in the competition field for so many years, Tokai Nature could tell whether an opponent was giving it their all. Although Kagura was being subtle, she couldn't hide it from the eyes of a professional athlete.

She couldn't help but feel surprised. Tokai Teio hadn't encountered any opponents in this park before. Only some debuted professional Uma Musume could barely win against the current Tokai Teio.

But Kagura's distance from them always remained at three lengths, neither widening nor closing, which meant that Kagura was deliberately controlling it. Tokai Teio was already running at full strength. If this were on the track, when they entered the final sprint section...

'This child... isn't a Logistics Uma Musume at all, is she? How could a Logistics Uma Musume have such power?!'

As a former professional Uma Musume, Tokai Nature was very confident in her daughter's talent. There was no way an ordinary child who hadn't debuted or was even a Logistics Uma Musume could run faster than her. She suspected that Kagura only looked young but had actually already debuted.

But Kagura looked so young that even if she had debuted, it wouldn't have been too long ago. If there was someone like Kagura among the newly debuted Uma Musume, there was no way she would be so unknown. Tokai Nature, who had been paying attention to various major races, couldn't possibly not know.

'I should ask Chairwoman Akikawa about this after the run…'

Tokai Nature had become interested in this little Uma Musume. While she probably wouldn't get any information here, asking Akikawa Yayoi shouldn't be a problem; she was quite familiar with Akikawa Yayoi.

Tokai Teio, running ahead, didn't have so many complex thoughts. She could only focus on her own running, controlling her power and speed. According to her experience, she could usually shake off other Uma Musume with her normal effort, but this time, after running for so long, she could still hear Kagura's footsteps clearly behind her.

'The footsteps haven't changed?! I haven't created any distance between me and Kagura-neechan at all!?'

Tokai Teio realized that this was what her mother meant when she said she was being "bitten" by Inari Kagura. As a lead runner, she needed to find an opportunity to increase the distance, but she had never been chased so closely before and didn't know how to deal with it.

Her intuition told her to accelerate, but she couldn't control the degree of acceleration. Tokai Nature, who had been following alongside, could see that Tokai Teio's acceleration was clearly too much, which would undoubtedly cause her to expend too much energy.

'She still lacks practical experience… Kagura-me is much better. She shouldn't have debuted yet, but she's so calm and collected…'

In contrast, Inari Kagura, who was always maintaining a distance of three lengths behind, seemed very imposing. Tokai Nature felt that she couldn't see through this child more and more. Tokai Teio couldn't tell that Kagura was holding back, but she could. She knew that there was no need to continue the race.

"That little girl suddenly accelerated! Kagura-san still hasn't closed the distance. Is she really okay?"

"No… Kagura-san hasn't closed the distance, but she hasn't been shaken off either. She's controlling the distance…"

Newbie Uma Musume who hadn't debuted and other classmates who had just debuted had also gathered beside the path. Now, Kagura and Tokai Teio's race was coming to an end, and this was the last hundred meters.

"Oh oh! Final sprint!! She can run neck and neck with that Tokai Teio. That child is amazing!"

"It's just a little bit of distance left, so close to that chair. I guess that child won't be able to catch up, but she's still very impressive!"

Kagura heard the voices around her. Now, Tokai Nature and Tokai Teio were still a little bit ahead of her. Thanks to her precise distance control, the gap was still three lengths, even though Tokai Teio had accelerated, she hadn't been able to widen the distance.

Although she planned to hold back, Kagura didn't intend to directly give Tokai Teio a victory. As long as the gap wasn't too big, it would be fine for her. This distance of one hundred meters was just right.

Kagura slightly veered outwards and then suddenly increased her speed. According to her instincts, she should have started sprinting hundreds of meters away. Starting her burst after Tokai Teio had been sprinting for so long wasn't her style.

"Little girl, excuse me!"

"Eh!?"

Tokai Teio let out an unbelievable sound as she watched Kagura suddenly rush to her side. She had just seen Kagura accelerate and thought that Kagura was starting to sprint like her, but Kagura could actually accelerate a second time!

The surrounding crowd burst into an exclamation. Although Tokai Teio wanted to accelerate again to keep up, she was already at her limit speed. She could only run at full speed and try not to let the gap widen too much, but Kagura's speed was so ridiculously fast that she couldn't catch up at all!

"You're kidding me! Kagura-san… wasn't Kagura-san already sprinting just now!? Why can she still accelerate!?"

"That little girl overtook Tokai Teio!!"

"So fast! Such a fast speed!!"

'What terrifying speed… Even if I were in my prime, I would find it difficult to compete with this child's final burst, right? Does becoming that person's Logistics Uma Musume mean being as unreasonably strong as that person?'

Tokai Nature, running behind Tokai Teio, watched Kagura approach the chair at the finish line and couldn't help but exclaim in her heart.

She estimated the distance between Tokai Teio and herself and Kagura. It wasn't a big gap, probably only two or three lengths, but Kagura had only used a short distance of less than one hundred meters to accelerate. If Kagura hadn't been holding back and had accelerated earlier, how terrifying would that gap have been?

'This child is still so young, looks only a year or two older than Teio. If she hasn't debuted yet… if she clashes with Teio… that's really not good news.'

Just thinking about it roughly made Tokai Nature feel a little numb. Watching Kagura reach the chair and stop to rest, she became even more determined to investigate this little Uma Musume.

"Wow! Kagura-neechan ran so fast! She rushed in front of me all of a sudden!"

Tokai Teio ran up to Kagura, looking very excited, jumping up and down. It seemed that this small gap wasn't a huge difference that would make her feel disappointed. Kagura also breathed a sigh of relief, then raised her hand and patted Tokai Teio's little head:

"Hehe… Little girl, I'm older than you, so it's normal for me to run faster than you. Besides, little girl, you were only a little bit behind me, right? You're also very amazing!"

"Hehe…"

Tokai Teio squinted her eyes comfortably, seeming to enjoy Kagura's touch.

Tokai Nature also slowly ran past the finish line, not rushing up, just staring at Kagura interacting with Teio.

'Which big family is this child from? I haven't heard of an Inari family… Could she be a genius from an ordinary family?'

86. It doesn't matter, I'll run with both the mother and the daughter! ()

After running a race, Tokai Teio followed Tokai Nature home to rest, satisfied. Before leaving, she also followed Kagura's Umastagram account.

After Kagura returned to school, she received an Umastagram message at around 9 PM. She picked up her phone and looked at it, and found that it was sent by Tokai Teio. For some reason, Kagura felt that Teio's online chatting style was quite different from her real-life style.

[Are you free to exercise in the park tomorrow morning?]

[Yes, why? Teio-me, do you want to run another lap with me?]

[No, I just want to ask you something in person… If you don't want to go to the park, we can also find a cafe to sit in?]

[That's not necessary, let's just meet in the park. I usually finish making breakfast and go there around seven o'clock, what about you?]

[Okay, then seven o'clock, I'll be there on time.]

Tokai Nature put down her daughter's phone and gently exhaled.

This little Uma Musume really bothered her. She was not only curious, but also considering her daughter's dreams and future. There were some things she had to understand first.

Picking up her own phone, Tokai Nature sent a message to a number she hadn't contacted in a month or two.

[Chairwoman Akikawa, are you there? I would like to ask about a student at your school. When are you free?]

[Surprise! Nature-san actually contacted me! It's been so long since graduation, what student issue at Tracen has you so concerned?]

[Inari Kagura, does the Chairwoman know this student?]

After sending this message, Tokai Nature felt that Akikawa Yayoi took a while to respond, unsure if it was a bad connection, slow typing, or if she was considering something.

[Indeed! She was the top scorer in our freshman class's theory exam, and also this year's winner of the Best Logistics Uma Musume award. What do you want to know about her for, Nature-san?]

[Could you tell me more?]

[Reminder! I can only tell you about Kagura-san's more widely known aspects. I don't know anything about her more private affairs.]

[That's fine, I don't need to know too much. I saw her wearing something that looked like a Symbol family servant's uniform. Is she a child of the Symbol family? Does anyone train her?]

[Negative! Kagura-san has no family. I heard her family died in an accidental fire. Later, the Symbol family took her in as a maid. She is not a member of the Symbol family, nor does she have a trainer.]

"What..."

Tokai Nature couldn't help but be stunned. Kagura-san acted so gentle and mature, and was very polite. This morning, Tokai Nature felt that Kagura-san had a good upbringing, making it impossible to tell that she was an orphan.

Moreover, Kagura-san's calm and collected racing decisions made it hard to believe that she was still a child without professional guidance. Could it be that some Uma Musume are just born knowing how to win?

[I ran a lap with her this morning, and she was obviously holding back, but even so, she still effortlessly defeated me and my daughter. Has she really not debuted yet?]

[Indeed! Kagura-san is 11 years old this year, not yet ready for her breakthrough, nor has she reached the age to debut. Her talent is frightening, even surprising me.]

"Hiss..."

Tokai Nature scratched her hair and couldn't help but gasp. Kagura-san's age was indeed about what she had estimated. If Kagura-san delayed her debut for some reason, or if her breakthrough was a little late, she would run into Tokai Teio.

[Are you asking these questions for your child, Nature-san?]

[That's right. Teio is only a little younger than her. She may very well become Teio's future rival. I just want to understand her in advance. Chairwoman Akikawa, has Kagura-san revealed when she plans to debut?]

[Regrettably! She hasn't said anything official. However, I overheard Kagura-san mention to Rudolph that she would consider debuting once she has completed her contract with the Symbol family.]