There's Something Wrong With You, My Logistics Horse Girl

"Yeah... but that child has always been weak, and recently her condition has worsened again. I was afraid something would happen to her, so I brought her back here first."

As she spoke, the white-haired old horse girl sighed, her ears drooping slightly.

"Ardan's condition has worsened again? How is she now?"

Speed Symbol immediately asked, hearing Old Mejiro's lament.

"It's not life-threatening yet, but that child wants to run... alas, it's probably difficult. The doctors are at a loss, too."

"The world is ever-changing..."

Although Inari Kagura didn't interject much, she carefully listened to the two family heads' conversation. She felt sorry for the child named Ardan, who dreamed of stepping onto the track to bring glory to her family, but fate had given her a body as fragile as glass.

Seeming unwilling to discuss such a heavy topic with her friend, Old Mejiro changed the subject after a while. It was clear that Speed Symbol and Old Mejiro had a good relationship and that she cared about the other's granddaughter.

After that, it was mostly casual chatter about everyday topics. Kagura noticed that Old Mejiro would occasionally look at her while chatting, but she never mentioned the adoption, as if she had given up on the idea.

Although she never brought it up, Kagura, wanting to avoid any complications from staying too long, quickly pushed the food cart away after a while after the meal was finished.

By night, the Mejiro family head had left, and she hadn't mentioned anything about adoption. This relieved Kagura, but she wondered what Speed Symbol's attitude was.

It would be best if Speed Symbol didn't know, but Kagura knew that Speed Symbol was likely aware of the matter. Since it was the Mejiro family's decision, Old Mejiro must have mentioned it to Speed Symbol when she came. However, Kagura couldn't discern anything from Speed Symbol, who didn't seem to plan on bringing it up at all. She wondered if she had somehow convinced Old Mejiro to give up.

The family head doesn't seem to be planning to say anything about it. Alas... if that trainer comes again, I'll just reject him.

The Mejiro family's matter could only be put aside for now. Putting that aside, today was a memorable day for Kagura. She finally had a formal identity in this world, as well as her own phone and savings. Her bank account even had her first month's salary in it.

After Old Mejiro left in the evening, Kagura specifically went to Speed Symbol's room to thank her. Speed Symbol just smiled nonchalantly, telling Kagura not to worry too much about it. Living freely and happily was the greatest reward for her. That night, Speed Symbol also confirmed their itinerary for the day after tomorrow—their destination was Niigata, and they would be gone for a day or two. Kagura would accompany her to take care of her.

"Why are we going to Niigata..."

Before going to bed, Kagura, after taking a bath and shrinking into her blankets, muttered to herself with some confusion as she looked at her phone.

Although she knew almost nothing about Japanese geography, thanks to the phone she had received today, Kagura had a general idea of how far Niigata was from Tokyo. It wasn't a short distance; they would have to take the bullet train.

—Don't panic, just go. Maybe you'll see something interesting.

A line of text appeared on the phone screen and quickly disappeared. It was clearly Eclipse's doing. Judging from the message Eclipse left, she was quite optimistic. Kagura wondered where that optimism came from.

After getting the phone, Kagura's first task was naturally to go online and look around. The internet in this world was similar to what she remembered, except that people here didn't seem to be as aggressive. At least, she hadn't seen any particularly aggressive netizens during her time surfing the web.

Out of curiosity, Inari Kagura also searched for the term "Eclipse," but she found nothing except for the entry on the natural phenomenon.

—Don't bother searching. I've been dormant for hundreds of years. The number of people who still know me can be counted on one hand. But, for your sake, it's best not to tell anyone that you're related to me. After all, if someone really remembers me, it might cause you some minor troubles.

Eclipse didn't explicitly state the reason, but Kagura didn't plan to delve into the details. She trusted that Eclipse wouldn't harm her.

"I see... What kind of person was Miss Eclipse in the past?"

—In my era, everyone considered defeating me as the highest honor. Unfortunately, no such opponent ever appeared until the end. For me, it's quite a pity.

"It feels like I don't understand, but I'm impressed..."

Eclipse didn't write anything else, but Kagura felt a chill wrap around her waist and then rub against her head.

An embrace from a ghost. This wasn't the first time Kagura had felt this in recent times. Eclipse would wrap around her like this every night before bed. It was a strange experience, a little cool, but very gentle.

—Go to bed early. Don't keep looking at your phone. You have to get up early for work tomorrow.

After Eclipse hugged her, Kagura saw the next line of text appear on the screen.

"Okay... Why do I always feel like Miss Eclipse is like a mother hen..."

—I'm not that young! This is perfectly reasonable!

Eclipse's reply was full of confidence, and Kagura could only smile helplessly. She didn't really need to stay online all the time, and her child's body couldn't handle staying up late. It was only 10:30, but she was already feeling sleepy.

"Good night... Miss Eclipse."

12. Tsk, leg touching is the soul of a Trainer!

Two days later, Inari Kagura woke up as early as usual, quickly changed her clothes, grabbed the luggage she had packed last night, and then went to make breakfast for Speed Symbol, who hadn't gotten up yet.

Speed Symbol, who had woken up a little earlier than usual, came out after washing up and saw the breakfast already prepared on the table. She knew that Kagura must have gotten up early to make it, since the maids were still resting at this hour.

"Oh my... You've worked so hard again. I was thinking of eating out, but you got up so early. Are you okay?"

Seeing that the sky outside was just barely beginning to lighten, Speed Symbol was worried that Kagura might hurt herself by getting up so early.

"It's okay. I went to bed early last night. Didn't you say we should go early? So I thought we should eat early so we can leave..."

"Okay... Come sit down and eat, too. Don't stand there."

Seeing Inari Kagura sit down beside her, Speed Symbol remembered something. It seemed that Inari Kagura didn't have any clothes of her own. Besides the shrine maiden outfit she had brought with her, all the other clothes in her wardrobe seemed to be maid outfits.

Although Inari Kagura looked good in maid outfits, it wasn't appropriate for a girl to wear the same clothes all the time.

"Come to think of it, I haven't remembered to buy you some clothes. Since we're going out, let's find some time to buy them for you, okay?"

"No, no, no, it's not necessary! I can do it myself..."

"Hey, don't be stubborn. Children don't understand these things. I'll take care of it."

Seeing Kagura wanting to refuse, Speed Symbol simply forked a shrimp dumpling and stuffed it into Inari Kagura's little mouth, silencing Kagura, who had been about to say something. Her meaning was very clear—no refusing.

Kagura bit into a shrimp dumpling, watching Speed Symbol's expression. She knew Speed Symbol wasn't going to let her refuse this time, so she just nodded.

"Then... thank you, Head of the Symbol family..."

"Good girl."

Speed Symbol patted Kagura's head contentedly. To be honest, after spending time with her, she really wanted a granddaughter like Kagura. Rudolph Symbol was too hot-tempered as a child, giving her endless headaches. Ever since she met a quiet, sensible child like Kagura, she realized that raising children could actually be a joyful experience.

Kagura didn't shy away from Speed Symbol's hand, quietly eating her breakfast with her head lowered. Only her ears twitched occasionally, indicating that their owner was in a good mood.

Tokyo to Niigata was quite a distance. Kagura wondered how wealthy families traveled long distances, but in the end, Speed Symbol chose the simple and unadorned bullet train.

Kagura acted as a luggage rack, carrying her and Speed Symbol's belongings. It wasn't much luggage, and for a horse girl, this amount of weight wasn't nearly enough to make her feel pressured, which made her once again marvel at the strength of horse girls.

However, Kagura felt an unusual pressure even before boarding the train, not from the luggage on her back, but from the environment.

"Wow... that little maid is so cute..."

"Look, a cute little horse girl, is that cosplay?"

From the station to the train car, Kagura's maid outfit was quite conspicuous. Kagura could feel countless eyes focused on her, and even hear people taking pictures of her, making her, who was already bad at socializing, feel like she was about to melt like Bocchi.

'Why didn't I think of this?! Isn't this like wearing cosplay to ride the bullet train!?'

Kagura, whose ears were already folded down, suddenly realized something and couldn't help but wail in her heart.

Speed Symbol, who came with her, looked much more low-key. Her outfit looked like a middle-aged mom going on a trip: sunglasses, a sun hat, and a refreshing white tracksuit. With her ears pressed down, she blended perfectly into the crowd.

"Haha, Kagura, you're very popular."

Seeing Kagura's embarrassed expression, Speed Symbol smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Head of the Symbol family... I feel like I'm about to become an oyster..."

"If you want to become an excellent maid, you must be calm, composed, elegant, and dashing at all times."

"Even if you say that..."

Just maintaining a proper sitting posture was already making Kagura feel strained. She realized very clearly that she was still far from the perfect and dashing Head Maid of the Symbol family.

"Excuse me, if I'm not mistaken, are you from the Symbol family..."

Fortunately, the awkward situation didn't last long. A woman with glasses, whose clothing and demeanor exuded the aura of an elite office worker, walked up to Speed Symbol and asked her in a low voice.

Speed Symbol put a finger to her lips to signal the woman to stop, took off her sunglasses, and then slowly asked:

"Shh—don't say it out loud. If I'm not mistaken, that uniform... Miss is a trainer from Central Tracen Academy, correct?"

"Ah, Miss Toujou, good morning! What are you doing here?"

Speed Symbol didn't seem to recognize Toujou Hana, but Kagura did, so she greeted Toujou Hana and gave Speed Symbol a brief introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Toujou Hana. Since you're on the train to Niigata today... you're also here to see that child's debut race, right? It seems she chose you out of the three."

"So you already know about our affairs."

"Of course. After all, that's my granddaughter... I'm also very curious about what kind of person she chose as a trainer."

Speed Symbol smiled and had Kagura move over a bit to make room for Toujou Hana to sit down.

"Speaking of which, Speed Symbol, this child is your..."

"Kagura is my personal maid, she's accompanying me to take care of me. You should have met her a few days ago."

Speed Symbol definitely knew about Rudolph Symbol taking Inari Kagura to Tracen Academy. Since Kagura knew Toujou Hana, it meant that Rudolph Symbol must have taken Kagura to meet her trainer that day.

Maybe it was Kagura's imagination, but she felt that Speed Symbol's eyes suddenly sharpened, like an examiner sizing up a student entering the examination hall.

"Trainer Toujou, I remember Rudolph took this child to Tracen for a run the day before yesterday. What do you think of her?"

Hearing the topic turn to herself, Kagura blinked curiously, looking at Toujou Hana next to her.

Toujou Hana had seen Inari Kagura run once at the school, although it couldn't be called a formal test, she could still see a lot of things. However, at the time, there were some questions that she didn't ask because she wasn't familiar with her yet.

"How old is Kagura this year? Has she reached her peak yet?"

"11 years old, I think. Reached her peak... what does that mean?"

"It's a growth phenomenon in horse girls. After reaching their peak, the horse girl's body shape will change significantly. It's one of the signs of a horse girl maturing."

"I see... sorry, I'm not very familiar with that kind of thing."

Kagura couldn't confirm whether she had experienced reaching her peak just by hearing the concept, so she could only honestly shake her head.

"I checked, that child hasn't reached her peak yet, I can guarantee that."

Speed Symbol next to her offered a hint.

"She hasn't reached her peak yet..."

"How is it, Trainer Toujou, do you have a general understanding of this child in your heart?"

Speed Symbol narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Toujou Hana.

Kagura vaguely understood Speed Symbol's purpose. She seemed to be using her as a question to test the trainer's professional qualities.

"Kagura should be the type with extremely explosive power. I think she should perform excellently in distances from short to a mile. To judge her adaptability to other distances, I need more experimental data. As for stamina, I can't be sure based on current observations alone. Based on the information I have now, if I were to formulate a training plan, I think..."

Toujou Hana began to speak in a report-like manner, rattling off a long string of things that Inari Kagura didn't quite understand. She also listed some data and theories, and talked about things like running style adaptability, which left Kagura a little confused. The Speed Symbol next to her was slowly nodding, looking very satisfied.

"Good, good... Trainer Toujou, your professional qualities are quite solid. I can see that you are a very planned and confident trainer. And I heard from that child that you are very responsible. The horse girls are lucky to have a trainer like you."

"You flatter me. I haven't really seen Kagura run a few races yet, these are just speculations based on experience. If I have the opportunity, I would still like to feel her legs and take a look... Speaking of which, Kagura asked me what a trainer is before. She doesn't have a trainer yet, does she?"

"That's right, she's not quite old enough yet... Trainer Toujou, if you want to see this child's legs, it's not a problem if this child agrees after we get off the train."

"Mm..."

For some reason, Inari Kagura had a feeling that she was being targeted. The way that trainer looked at her had a certain enthusiasm, almost like when her roommate used to play games and get extremely rare equipment.

"Well then, Trainer Toujou, I have one last, more personal question for you. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can choose not to answer."

"Please, go ahead."

"Suppose, the horse girl under your care has a running style that she is most skilled at and likes, which allows her to unleash extremely high speed, allowing her to be invincible against any opponent... but it may cause damage to her body. Would you let her continue to use her running style, or would you create a safer running style for her that is not as fast and that she doesn't like as much?"

"The horse girl's body is a precious and fragile treasure. As a trainer, protecting the safety of my students is my bounden duty. I respect the student's wishes, but if it would harm them, then I would dissuade them and help them find a better way. In any case, I cannot make a decision that would harm the children under my care."

Almost without hesitation, Toujou Hana immediately gave her answer. It was clear that these were her heartfelt words.

'What a good trainer who loves her students.'

Toujou Hana made a very good impression on Inari Kagura. She was rigorous, serious, and very responsible, belonging to the type that is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Presumably, she should be a very popular trainer at Central Tracen Academy.

"A very enlightened answer, Trainer Toujou. No wonder that child chose you... I look forward to your future performance."

13. Giving the newbies a little shock

After bumping along on the high-speed rail for a while, Inari Kagura and her party finally arrived in Niigata.

Rudolph Symbol had reportedly arrived here yesterday to prepare. Inari Kagura finally learned that today's event was Rudolph Symbol's debut race, so no wonder the Speed Symbol had come all the way here.