Completely focused on her own running on the track, Kagura didn't think too deeply about anything else. She repeatedly experimented with various troublesome sections of the track—earlier this afternoon she had run in strange zigzags precisely because she was deliberately testing out mistakes.
Whenever she encountered something she genuinely couldn't resolve on her own, Kagura would consult Eclipse-san directly. Her change of clothes into the miko outfit had been precisely so that she could communicate with Eclipse-san at any moment. Of course, this process produced no sound whatsoever—in outsiders' eyes, Kagura was simply training alone, silently running around the track.
"That kid should be competing in the 1600-meter event. With her stamina, she'll be fine as long as she doesn't overdo it at the start. Organize what I said properly. As long as she puts in the effort, a week's training will be enough," Eclipse-san's voice lightly drifted into Kagura's ear. It seemed Eclipse-san rather enjoyed whispering directly into her ears—every time, Eclipse-san's breath tickled her terribly.
That's right. Tomorrow I need to start dragging her out for training while I still have days off.
Before Nice Nature could find her trainer, Kagura decided to temporarily act as a makeshift trainer herself. As long as Nature achieved good results in the selection race, she'd surely attract the attention of many trainers. Then, Trainer Tojo's recommendations to her colleagues would carry greater confidence.
Today's progress is about finished. Tomorrow, I should ask Gold Ship to help make the illustrated guide again.
Judging she had almost finished noting the critical points, Kagura decided it was time to head back and rest. Kagura could manage plain text documents herself, but ever since discovering that the clever little rascal Gold Ship could handle graphic design and formatting at such a young age, Kagura decisively entrusted these tasks to her. Gold Ship readily agreed, merely requesting a backup copy of the strategy guide—and a meal—as her payment.
Now that I think about it, what are Director Akikawa and Trainer Tojo doing sitting in the spectator seats this late? They've been sitting there quietly all this time... If they're not just chatting, are they actually watching me test the track?
As for Trainer Tojo and Director Akikawa Yayoi hiding in the farthest seats of the grandstands, Kagura had actually noticed them sitting there when she first arrived. But she assumed the two were discussing something important, which is why she hadn't approached them and disturbed their conversation.
"Don't overthink it. Those adults probably have something important to discuss. Ignore them. Quickly go and drag your Ojou-sama back to bed, then hurry up and take a bath yourself before bed. Rest well, because tomorrow morning you need to get that little Nature started on training!"
That's true. I heard today's student dorm rearrangements have really exhausted Ojou-sama. I wonder if she's finished dealing with it yet.
Giving up the thought of asking them, Kagura simply left the track by the same entrance she'd arrived from.
...
By the time Kagura had finished attending to Rudolf Ojou-sama's needs and returned to the dorm, it was almost curfew. The dorm leader had long grown used to Kagura returning late every night, merely reminding her to rest well without saying anything else.
Upon reaching her room, Kagura pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, only to find the lights inside turned on. Kagura had always turned off the lights when she left; it was impossible for them to still be on. She peered in suspiciously—
"Eh…"
Inside stood a blue-haired Uma Musume she'd just met a few days ago at the Mejiro mansion. The girl had only a towel wrapped around herself, seemingly either preparing for or just finishing a bath. She was staring back at Kagura, giving her a gentle smile.
Suspecting she might have opened the wrong door, Kagura stepped back and checked the room number again—but it accurately indicated this was her dorm room.
"Um…Ardan-san? Why are you in my room?"
After confirming she hadn't entered the wrong place, Kagura cautiously asked.
"Good evening, Kagura-san. I'm here... because this dorm room was originally for two people, after all."
"So, Ardan-san, you're the roommate who's been absent all this time?!"
Kagura froze on the spot. She suddenly remembered the fancy cake she had received before, as well as how the other bed had been neatly made up when she first moved in. Indeed, those details matched Mejiro Ardan perfectly.
"Yes, originally the academy planned to move me to Miho Dorm because I'd been absent for too long. But today, after Grandmother learned my dorm location, she immediately explained the situation to the school and had them withdraw their decision."
"So that's why Ojou-sama was so busy today…"
"Yes~ Something like that. In any case, I'll be in your care from now on, Kagura-san."
"Ardan-san, at least put some clothes on before we continue talking!!"
Seeing Ardan about to formally greet her, Kagura quickly turned her head away, slightly raising her voice to remind her.
While they were both girls and Kagura didn't particularly mind, considering Ardan-san's status as an Ojou-sama, it would be too improper to look directly at her when she was practically naked.
…
"Whew~ I'm exhausted…"
After finishing her own bath and changing into pajamas, Kagura flopped comfortably onto her bed, arching her back in a long stretch.
"Kagura-san, were you working today? President Rudolf mentioned you were supposed to be on holiday, right?"
Ardan sat gracefully on her own bed, curiously watching Kagura. Her only impressions of Kagura thus far were that she had once helped her greatly, and that her housekeeping and running skills were extraordinarily strong. This cute little Uma Musume genuinely fascinated her.
"I was indeed on holiday. I just decided to handle a few things myself and then ran a few laps on the track. It wasn't my official work."
"Wow… Kagura-san, you're truly disciplined. You even trained voluntarily on your day off…"
Ardan assumed Kagura's exceptional strength must surely be linked to her rigorous discipline. She felt sincere admiration as well as envy; Ardan herself yearned for such discipline, but her fragile body wouldn't permit it.
"Well, calling it training might be too much… but you can think of it that way if you want. Your Grandmother asked me to look after you. Actually, I planned to ask you where you were living—I didn't expect you were my roommate all along..."
"Hehe~ Life is indeed full of these coincidences and surprises. Since you've accepted Grandmother's request, Kagura-san, how do you plan on supervising me?"
Ardan leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palms, smiling warmly at Kagura.
"As long as you don't do anything reckless, it's fine. I won't stop you from running either, Ardan-san. Just let me know whenever you plan to go out, and please don't run under a blazing sun again like last time."
Ardan's health was fragile, but ordinary activities or gentle runs were still within her ability, as Old Mejiro had told Kagura. Therefore, Kagura wouldn't enforce overly strict restrictions. As long as Ardan didn't attempt anything dangerous or reckless, she'd simply pretend not to notice.
"Oh? That's it?"
"Being overly strict would just make Ardan-san unhappy, wouldn't it? Besides, I'm not your parent—I don't have the right to restrict your freedom like that."
After responding, Kagura turned aside, picked up her phone to check the time, and sent a quick message to Old Mejiro confirming she had met Ardan.
"It's already past eleven o'clock. Aren't you going to rest soon, Ardan-san? Your health isn't suited for staying up late."
Noticing Ardan still sitting there, watching her curiously, Kagura finally asked about resting. If Ardan planned to stay up, Kagura would have to bring out her eye mask.
"Hmm, let me turn off the lights. Usually I sleep very early. Today I'm just excited because it's been so long since I returned to the dorm."
"Alright, then…good night?"
"Good night, Kagura-san."
Ardan turned off the lights, but Kagura noticed that Ardan's footsteps didn't immediately return to her own bed. Instead, Ardan walked over beside Kagura's bed.
"Is something wrong, Ardan-san?"
"…Nothing in particular."
"You should sleep soon."
Kagura didn't turn to look at Ardan. She sensed Ardan lingered there quietly for a brief moment, leaning gently against the edge of her bed. After that short pause, Ardan returned to her own bed, slipping under her covers at last.
She's certainly a peculiar Ojou-sama…