Kagura never needed much sleep. Even if the morning's work had been a bit intense, she only dozed for ten minutes or so before waking again.
When she woke, Nature had already released her chokehold around her neck, and Kagura finally had the chance to wriggle free from her embrace. Getting off the bed on tiptoe, she quietly tucked the blanket back over Nature.
Why does it feel like, before I knew it, I've basically become Nature's mom…
Kagura sighed, pulling out her phone to check the time. Just past three. Still plenty of time to move around on her own.
During lunch prep earlier, she had casually recorded a short video of her work and spent a little while roughly cutting it on her phone before uploading it onto that site called UmaTube. For a newcomer's very first video, the view count wasn't bad at all. The comment section, though, was still sparse—just a few bots here and there.
Expressionless, she deleted one of those "check my profile for good stuff" bot comments, hit report on the way, and sighed helplessly. Truly, scam-bros was an inseparable part of internet life.
Slipping quietly out of Nature's room and closing the door, Kagura decided to head to the track. Maybe Rudolf and the others were training there; maybe she could run a few laps herself.
Unlike yesterday, today's track was bustling. From a distance, Kagura could already see a big crowd gathered at the edge. Besides Tojo-sensei's group, there were many more Uma training here. She even spotted a Mejiro trainer, and on the track itself, Mejiro Takamine was running.
But most of the crowd weren't Umamusume. They were trainers—scattered in groups along the edges of the track. Clearly, many had come without bringing their Uma. Kagura was curious what was going on, but just then a line of blue text flickered across her phone, making her stop in her tracks.
——Don't go over yet, Kagura. So many trainers sitting around without their Uma, spread out like that—it's definitely not a training session or a meeting. The ones running already have trainers. And those trainers on the side keep looking around—they're not waiting for anyone out there. The person they're waiting for probably hasn't arrived yet.
Eclipse's warning made Kagura pause. She decided to hang back and observe before diving into the melon-eating.
She changed her route, circling closer to the track while keeping just the right distance—close enough to hear what they were saying with her enhanced Uma hearing, but not so close she'd be spotted.
"Is that Uma you mentioned really here? Fifteen lengths ahead?! Are you sure there's actually a terrifying freshman like that?"
"It's true! I was right there when Tojo-sensei said it to Rudolf-sama! No doubt about it! Too bad I was too far to see clearly what she looked like… But an Uma that strong definitely wouldn't slack in training. She'll come to the track today for sure!"
"She's really that amazing?? Tojo-sensei didn't try to poach her on the spot?"
"No idea. But listen, a person has to have dreams! You can't give up without trying! What if that Uma doesn't even have a trainer yet?!"
"…"
Eavesdropping from the side, Kagura was already sweating. Obviously, the Uma they were talking about was her. She didn't know exactly how she ran yesterday, but she was certain she had pulled far ahead of Nature.
Eclipse-san, what do you think?
——Fifteen lengths, hmm. Not bad, not bad. Just like my style.
I didn't mean the result!! I mean, what do I do now?!
——Isn't it a good thing? Trainers taking notice of you sounds great.
I'm just a Support Uma!! And there are way too many trainers here! I'm not even old enough to sign a contract yet!
Looking at that huge group of trainers, Kagura was already considering retreating to the dorms to hide. Thankfully, nobody yesterday had gotten a good look at her face, or else she probably would've been ganked the moment she walked up today.
Among the crowd, Kagura even spotted Nishizaki Ryu—the "lollipop weirdo" she'd just met not long ago. But he looked rather exasperated, frantically scanning the area like he was searching for something.
Then suddenly—
A chill shot up Kagura's spine. Her instincts screamed that something was coming up fast from behind. At the same moment, her phone lit up with Eclipse's red warning:
——Careful! Someone's coming up on you from behind!!
"Too late…!"
Before Kagura could even react, she heard footsteps right at her back. Then her body moved on its own, before she even thought of it—tilting just slightly to the side at a razor-thin angle, barely dodging a black shadow that flashed past.
Clatter!!
A burlap sack dropped from the air, slamming down exactly where Kagura had been standing. The white-haired little Uma holding the sack, realizing she'd missed, looked at Kagura with some surprise.
"Oh? Not bad, classmate—you actually dodged the great Gold Ship-sama's burlap ambush!"
"Gold… Ship… -sama? Huh?"
Kagura blinked at the sudden praise, completely lost. She stayed in a guarded stance, wary. That long, beautiful white hair did make her think of the Mejiro family, but from the way she spoke, she probably wasn't one of them.
The white-haired Uma calmly put away her sack, then stepped right up into Kagura's face. Raising two fingers like some shady cult recruiter, she said:
"I can tell you're a prodigy! Extraordinary bones, remarkable talent! Definitely top-quality material for racing! Want to shine on the track? Come, today only—a special friendship price, just two carrots! Gold Ship-sama will introduce you to a place to train!"
0_o??
Even with all she'd lived through, this was still a first for Kagura. She froze. Eclipse froze too—her phone stayed blank for a long time without any response.
"Gooold! Shiiip!!"
Just as Kagura's mind had crashed trying to process this, she heard a very familiar voice shout from behind the smaller Uma. Somehow, Nishizaki Ryu—who should have been on the sidelines—had suddenly appeared right behind Gold Ship, charging over furiously.
In Kagura's bewildered gaze, Nishizaki lunged forward, grabbed the white-haired Uma in one go, and hoisted her right off the ground.
"Sorry, sorry! My charge is a bit eccentric. She just wanted to recruit a new teammate. Sorry for scaring you, Kagura-san."
"Uh… so… Gold Ship-san wasn't actually trying to kidnap me?"
"That's right, that's right. Please don't mind her. She means no harm—it's just her personality…"
"Hey! Trainer! You'll never attract people that way!!"
The white-haired Uma flailed in his grasp, protesting loudly.
"If that sack actually landed, our Spica would've been doomed!! …Sorry, sorry, we'll be going now!"
"Cla—ssmate!! If you want to say yes, just come to the little room by the outer wall of the teaching building to sign up!!"
"Shut out!!"
Her childish shout and Nishizaki's exhausted voice echoed across the empty corridors. Watching him carry her away while apologizing nonstop, Kagura stood frozen for a long while before she finally came back to herself.
——So… that was your academy's way of recruiting team members? That kid hasn't even passed maturation yet, right? Is this really how teams find people now… Uh… is this some new trend? Or am I just out of touch with the times?
I don't think it's your problem, Eclipse-san…
Even Eclipse sounded shaken after witnessing that bizarre scene. Never mind her, a person from who-knows-how-many centuries ago—even Kagura, a modern human, had never seen such a stunt. This was a little too ahead of its time.
"…I think I'll skip exercising at the track today."
Glancing toward the field, Kagura decided it was probably unwise to stir the pot right now. Better to wait until Rudolf and the others finished training, and just deliver their meals directly.