On the training ground, Nice Nature had just finished a round of today's session. During the break, Kagura was recording training data and discussing with Eclipse-san if they had noticed any issues.
"Kagura, um…after today's training, can you come out with me for a bit?"
"Hm? Sure, but why bring it up all of a sudden?"
Kagura put down her phone and glanced towards Nature. She definitely had free time today; worst-case scenario, she'd just ask Rudolf Ojou-sama to handle her own meal at the cafeteria. After all, she was technically still on vacation.
After six days of training, Nature had greatly improved her running form. Many little flaws had been identified and fixed by Kagura, and her stamina had seen some noticeable progress. She had beautifully won first place in a recent practice race. While Kagura didn't dare claim Nature was unbeatable among peers, she definitely wouldn't embarrass herself on the track now.
"Tomorrow's the school selection race, right? I wanted… to visit everyone back home. I told them yesterday that I'd stop by today."
"…Oh, you mean the people from the shopping street."
"Yeah. I came to Tokyo alone from my hometown. Everyone here—and Kagura too—has helped me so much. Without all of you, I definitely wouldn't have made it this far."
Nature gave a firm nod.
"Before getting accepted into Tracen, I always imagined what it'd be like running in a real race. I thought it'd take me forever to even build up enough courage to enter the selection race to find a trainer. I was scared of what would happen if I failed. I couldn't even imagine it. But now…with Kagura by my side, I'm not afraid anymore."
"Hey… Nature, what's with the sudden seriousness…"
Even Kagura, despite being mentally an adult, felt embarrassed at Nature's sincerity and awkwardly turned her slightly flushed face away. Realizing what she'd just said, Nature's fair cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she struggled to find words.
"A-anyway! If Kagura's free, then come with me to the shopping street today!"
With great effort, Nature finally managed to squeeze out a sentence before sprinting back to the track without looking back, continuing her run.
…
After finishing their training, Kagura and Nature changed clothes in their respective dorm rooms before heading out toward the shopping street.
Before even reaching the shopping street, Kagura and Nature could see colorful balloons and streamers hanging everywhere, creating a festive atmosphere visible from a distance.
Kagura briefly considered today's date. Clearly, today wasn't any special holiday. Yet, with decorations and banners all over, anyone might think it was New Year's or something.
"What's going on here?"
Nature craned her neck curiously, but they were still a bit too far to see clearly.
As they got closer, an uncle dressed in traditional clothes at the entrance spotted them, immediately blowing a whistle like a signal, waving enthusiastically:
"Nature-chan! Kagura-chan! Welcome back!"
"Oh! Meat-shop Uncle! Long time no see!"
"Morichika-san! Long time no see!"
Both girls instantly recognized him and waved back happily.
"It's been a while! Oh, Nature, you've grown up nicely! Looks like you're eating well at school. But Kagura, why do you seem thinner?"
"Is it really that obvious? Everyone I know keeps saying that."
Kagura personally hadn't noticed, but Speed-sama and other acquaintances had mentioned recently that she'd lost weight. Perhaps she had been exercising too hard lately.
"Of course it's obvious! Kagura-chan, you're still young! Don't imitate those ojousama dieting! Girls need a bit of meat to look healthy! Too skinny and you'll just look drained!"
"I'm not dieting! Maybe I've just been exercising too much without eating enough extra to keep up."
"Well, that's no good! If your head maid saw you like this, she'd be heartbroken! Later, I'll give you some meat to take home!"
"N-no thanks! Really, I'm not starving or anything. How could I possibly go hungry at a place like Tracen, with an all-you-can-eat cafeteria?"
Though Kagura was usually busy cooking for several other Uma Musume at Tracen, she always ate well herself. No matter how busy she got, she wouldn't mistreat her stomach—that was a personal principle. Actually, she'd even noticed her appetite growing recently, yet her weight was still dropping.
During their conversation, the two had fully entered the shopping street, which was now entirely decorated with balloons and streamers—even a large, handwritten banner stretched overhead:
[Congratulations Nice Nature-chan on participating in Tracen Academy's Selection Race!]
Nature stood rooted to the spot, staring in astonishment at the banner, unable to speak.
Why does this feel like when a kid from my old village got accepted into a prestigious university?
Kagura had only seen this kind of enthusiastic celebration back in her hometown village. Given Central Tracen's prestigious status, this kind of excitement did make sense—but these were acquaintances without blood relations celebrating her like family, which still felt quite special. According to Nature, when she first left home for Tokyo, everyone had also decorated the street similarly. Perhaps Nature really did have a special talent for making others adore her.
"Boss Nature! Kagura-neechan! You're finally back!"
"Nature-chan! Kagura-chan! Welcome home!"
As they stared at the overhead banner, a flood of people suddenly poured from every shop and corner of the street. Children eagerly rushed forward to surround and hug them, quickly crowding the street to a standstill. Familiar shopkeepers and other grateful neighbors lined both sides, enthusiastically greeting the pair.
"Haha… Long time no see, kids! Everyone! Thank you all for such a warm welcome!"
With foresight, Kagura had brought along some candies and snacks, distributing them with a warm smile to the bustling children. Glancing at Nature, she saw her cheerfully hugging and greeting everyone, her eyes sparkling with moisture.
This is so nice… The people here are just as genuine as the ones from my hometown. Nature really is blessed to be loved by so many people.
Surrounded by the children, Kagura felt a warmth she hadn't experienced in a big city for a long time. Perhaps only in small communities like village neighborhoods or local shopping streets could one experience this warmth.
With the help of the enthusiastic shopkeepers, the shopping street was as lively as a festival today, even drawing curious passersby who wondered why there was such celebration without any special occasion.
Moved, Kagura took out her phone and captured several short videos of today's scene, posting them to her Umastagram.
Soon after, she received a direct message from Curren Chan:
[CurrenChan]:Wow! Looks so lively! Kagura-sensei, are you in Tokyo? Which street is this? I wanna visit sometime!
Kagura smiled, sending Curren Chan a quick reply with the location:
[Inari_Kagura]:Today's a special celebration, so it's unusually lively. Normally, it's just an ordinary shopping street, though. If you're expecting a festival, you might be disappointed.
[CurrenChan]:Ah, I see. Actually, I wasn't really after the festival itself. I just wanted to experience that kind of simple, friendly atmosphere.
[Inari_Kagura]:Then you're very welcome! I used to buy groceries here all the time.
After replying, Kagura put her phone away and looked around for Nature. She was still surrounded by excited neighbors and shopkeepers.
Yet Nature looked completely different from when Kagura first met her—no longer timid and unsure. Now, her expression radiated growing confidence, shifting from a hesitant "Can I really do it?" to a determined "Maybe I can really do this!"
"Nature-chan~ We'll definitely come cheer for you during your selection race! You got this!"
"Hehe… Thank you all so much for taking time to support me! Before, I would've told you not to expect too much. But now… I don't want to always be stuck in third place anymore. Thanks to your encouragement, I'll try my hardest not to disappoint you—or the name 'Nice Nature'!"
Nature's face shone with determination. Kagura felt gratified knowing her encouragement and training had truly paid off.
"Oh, by the way! Morichika-san, can you recommend some tasty snacks around here?"
"Oh! Is Nature hungry?"
"N-no, it's not for me. It's for Kagura! She's been working really hard helping me train recently. I want to thank her. Kagura loves delicious snacks. Um, and I'll pay for it, of course!"
"No need! After all you've both done for everyone here, we couldn't possibly take your money! Just leave it to me—I'll gather up all the best snacks for you!"
The uncle shouted boldly like a general heading into battle, then dashed off.
Nature squeezed through the crowd to Kagura's side, smiling warmly:
"Kagura, are you having fun?"
"Of course. How about you?"
"Everyone says they'll cheer for me. This time, I don't want to disappoint them anymore…"
"You won't. You've already proven your strength, Nature."
As Kagura gently patted Nature's head, Nature hugged her tightly, declaring warmly:
"Kagura… You're the most important person to me!"
Before Kagura could reply, her stomach growled loudly. Nature laughed:
"Hungry, Kagura? Come, let the snack expert show you the true hidden delights of this shopping street!"
"Hehe… Then please lead the way, Miss Expert~"