After their race, Tokai Teio went home happily with Tokai Shizen, remembering to follow Kagura's Umastagram before leaving.
Around nine at night, after returning to school, Kagura received a private message on Umastagram. Checking her phone, she saw it was from Tokai Teio. But for some reason, Kagura felt Teio's online chatting style was quite different from her real-life personality.
—[Are you free to come to the park tomorrow morning?]
—[Sure, what's up? Does Teio-chan want to race me again?]
—[No, there's something I'd like to ask you face-to-face… If you don't want the park, maybe we could meet at a café?]
—[No need for that, the park's fine. I'll be there around seven after preparing breakfast. You?]
—[Alright, seven it is. I'll be there on time.]
...
Tokai Shizen put down her daughter's phone, sighing softly.
This Uma Musume indeed intrigued her—not just out of curiosity, but also considering her daughter's dreams and future. There were things she needed to confirm first.
Picking up her own phone, Shizen sent a message to a contact she hadn't spoken to for a month or two.
—[Director Akikawa, are you available? I have a few questions about one of your students.]
—[Surprised! Shizen-san actually contacted me first! It's been so long since graduation. Which student has caught your eye this time?]
—[Inari Kagura. Does Director Akikawa know her?]
After sending this, Shizen felt Akikawa Yayoi took an unusually long time to reply—maybe slow typing or thinking carefully about what to say.
—[Indeed! Kagura-san ranked first in theory among this year's new students and also won the top prize for Best Support Uma Musume. Why are you asking about her, Shizen-san?]
—[Could you tell me more about her?]
—[Reminder! I can only tell you things that are publicly known. I don't know much about her private life.]
—[That's fine, I don't need personal details. She wears a maid uniform like Symboli's staff. Is she part of the Symboli family? Does she have a trainer?]
—[Negative! Kagura-san has no family. I heard her parents died in a fire, after which the Symboli family took her in as a maid. She's not actually from the Symboli family, nor does she have a trainer.]
"What…?"
Shizen couldn't help but pause in shock. Kagura seemed so mature, kind, and polite; during their meeting that morning, Shizen had assumed Kagura had excellent family upbringing. She'd never imagined Kagura was an orphan.
And Kagura's calm, decisive running style was hard to believe for a child with no professional guidance. Could some Uma Musume be naturally born knowing how to win?
—[I ran with her this morning. She clearly held back. Yet, even then, she easily defeated both my daughter and me. Has she really not debuted yet?]
—[Correct! Kagura-san is only eleven this year. She hasn't reached physical maturity yet, nor debut age. Her talent is shockingly exceptional, even I'm amazed.]
"Hiss…"
Shizen rubbed her forehead, inhaling sharply. Kagura's age matched her estimation—if Kagura delayed her debut or matured slightly late, she'd inevitably face Teio.
—[Shizen-san, are you asking for your daughter's sake?]
—[Yes. Teio is only slightly younger. Kagura-san might become Teio's rival. I just wanted to know in advance. Director Akikawa, has Kagura-san mentioned when she might debut?]
—[Regretfully! Not officially. But I once overheard her tell Rudolf-san she'll only consider debuting after fulfilling her contract with the Symboli family.]
—[Does Director know any details about this contract?]
—[Unknown! The contract is only known to Old Symboli and Kagura-san. There's no way for me to get it, nor has anyone mentioned its details.]
—[I see. Thanks for telling me this much, Director.]
After thanking Akikawa Yayoi, Shizen ended the conversation, turned off the screen, and lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open. Before Shizen could react, a small figure darted in. Before she could even move, a powerful impact pressed her firmly onto the bed again.
"Mom! Whatcha doing?"
"Oh dear, Teio… Mom knows your legs are strong, but if you keep jumping on me like this, my body won't hold up."
Lifting Teio off her stomach and placing her on the bed, Shizen sat up herself, gently ruffling her daughter's hair with a helpless smile.
"Haha, sorry, I got carried away."
"What's gotten you so excited ever since we got home? Was running with Kagura-san really that fun?"
Shizen lightly patted Teio's head. Since returning in the morning, the girl had been unusually hyper, as if she'd been injected with adrenaline.
"Yep! Mom, when can I meet Kagura-onee-san again?"
"You followed her Umastagram, right? Why not ask her yourself?"
Shizen had never seen her daughter so actively ask about someone before, especially someone she'd met just twice, only properly knowing her from today.
"You want to run with her again?"
"Mm! Running with Kagura-onee-san is super fun! It feels great being able to run all-out!"
"Really? Didn't you tell me this morning that wasn't your only reason?"
"Hehe… Kagura-onee-san is so nice… gentle and caring. She even promised to bring me delicious treats next time!"
Even the normally lively Teio began fidgeting shyly. Seeing her daughter's embarrassed expression, Shizen held back a laugh. She noticed Teio wore her hair ornament on her right ear, while Kagura had hers on the left.
Teio really has taken quite a liking to Kagura-san…
Shizen knew children at this age didn't understand much. Still, Kagura was exceptionally talented, polite, and had a good personality. Building a good relationship between Teio and her wasn't a bad idea—if Teio successfully entered Tracen Academy, having a reliable friend inside would be comforting.
Shizen returned the phone—having deleted her earlier chat—to Teio, who happily ran off. Picking up her own phone, she set an alarm for six the next morning.
I haven't woken up this early since retiring…
...
The next day, Shizen arrived at the park early—although they agreed on seven, she showed up at six-forty, only to find Kagura already waiting there with a small basket. The empty park made Kagura, standing alone, particularly noticeable. She wasn't in her maid uniform today, instead wearing casual clothes, causing Shizen almost to not recognize her at first.
"Ah, good morning, Shizen-san."
Before Shizen approached, Kagura had already noticed her presence, turning around with a greeting. Shizen was astonished by the girl's almost scary alertness.
"Morning, Kagura-chan."
"Did you accompany Teio-chan? Speaking of which, where is Teio-chan?"
Kagura glanced around curiously but didn't see the little Uma Musume who had invited her.
"She didn't come. Kagura-chan, the one who invited you out today was me."
"Oh? Was Shizen-san using Teio-chan's account to message me? No wonder it didn't quite seem like Teio."
Kagura didn't seem surprised at all, as if she'd already guessed this might happen. Shizen strangely felt as though she were talking to someone her own age.
"So… why did Shizen-san call me out here?"
"Yesterday, Kagura-chan… you held back, didn't you?"
"…Ah, I got caught, huh? Did Teio-chan notice?"
Kagura, having no intention to hide, admitted directly, only worried it might hurt Teio's feelings.
"No, she didn't notice, and I didn't tell her either. But why did you hold back?"
"Just afraid Teio-chan would feel discouraged or upset…"
Due to the earlier incident with Mejiro McQueen, both Kagura and Eclipse-san had agreed to slightly hold back when racing kids, to avoid accidentally upsetting them.
"I see… Kagura-chan really is as gentle as Teio said."
The simple, straightforward reason perfectly matched Shizen's first impression of Kagura: she truly was a gentle, kind child.
"Ahaha… you're making me feel embarrassed. But I assume you didn't call me out this early just to ask about holding back?"
"Yes, there's one more thing. If you're uncomfortable, feel free to refuse."
"Oh? Something requiring such a disclaimer must be difficult?"
Kagura stared curiously at Shizen, quietly awaiting her next words.
After a brief pause, Shizen reached out her hand toward Kagura:
"Kagura-chan, please don't hold back. Race me again—this time, with your full strength!"
"Eh?"
...
...
Tokai Shizen lost, decisively and unquestionably.
In formal races, huge margins rarely happened, and Shizen had never been badly outpaced in her own career. Yet this small Uma Musume, who hadn't even undergone honkaku, made Shizen feel an almost despairing sense of danger.
This time Kagura used an entirely different strategy—a daitō, front-runner style. Shizen finally realized Kagura had not only restrained her speed yesterday but deliberately used a racing style she wasn't even good at. Kagura's true strength in a runaway strategy was terrifying. Her stable cruising speed was absurdly high, forcing anyone behind to exhaust themselves keeping up. Her endurance was outstanding—2000 meters posed no challenge.
In the final sprint, Shizen pushed herself to the utmost, yet barely closed the gap by a couple lengths. Based on experience, she guessed the gap was around 7–9 lengths.
Kagura-chan… really is incredible.
Even a G1 racer would need caution facing her. Shizen shuddered at the thought of Kagura facing Teio in the future.
Just then, her stomach growled loudly.
"Hungry? Do you want breakfast?"
"Ah, yes… Thank you, Kagura-chan."
Kagura smiled warmly, handing Shizen the basket.
This gentle, talented girl was truly something special.