"Good morning, Ojou-sama."
Like every other day, Kagura brought breakfast into Symboli Rudolf's office. Rudolf was usually busy first thing in the morning, so Kagura always delivered breakfast straight to her.
But today, upon entering, Kagura noticed a number of unfamiliar Uma Musume in the office. It was unusually lively. She'd never seen so many people crowding Rudolf's office before. Curious, she glanced around at the young Uma Musume—they all seemed like first-years.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, Kagura, you're here. Sorry for always troubling you to bring my meals. The Student Council's workload has increased recently, and those officers we had are always nowhere to be found, so I decided to recruit some new members."
"Oh, I see."
Kagura nodded understandingly. So these new faces were here to apply for the Student Council. She'd always wondered why Rudolf was practically alone here all the time. It seemed Rudolf finally realized she needed more help. Previously, Kagura herself had offered to join the Student Council, only to be firmly rejected by Rudolf, who insisted Kagura was busy enough and needed time to rest.
"Right, Kagura, could you go find Maruzensky-san for me? It's busy today, and I need her help, but as you can see, she hasn't arrived, and her phone's not reachable. I'm overwhelmed on my own."
"Sure, just give me Maruzensky-senpai's address. I'll go find her."
"Check your phone. I've sent you the location."
...
Thus, Kagura received her task for the morning: retrieving Maruzensky-san, who was probably oversleeping or slacking off.
Maruzensky-san's house wasn't far from Tracen Academy. Although Kagura briefly got lost, thanks to her Uma Musume speed, she arrived at Maruzensky's apartment door within ten minutes. She even had time to swing by a supermarket. Considering Maruzensky might not have eaten breakfast, Kagura thoughtfully bought some fresh ingredients on the way.
Come to think of it, Maruzensky-senpai seems quite well-off—having her own place and even a car.
In fact, most Uma Musume at Tracen seemed rather wealthy. Kagura remembered how she had struggled in her past life, never getting anywhere near such comfort, and sighed lightly at the shiny car parked downstairs.
Leaving the elevator and walking down the hallway, Kagura checked the apartment number Rudolf gave her and confirmed it before knocking gently.
After a quiet moment, Kagura heard Maruzensky's footsteps approaching from inside, accompanied by a sleepy, lazy voice:
"Who is it…?"
The door opened. Standing there in a disheveled state was Maruzensky, hair messy, eyes half-closed, pajamas barely buttoned. She stared blankly at Kagura's smiling face.
Maruzensky froze.
"Good morning, Maruzensky-senpai."
"Ka… Kagura-chan!!"
Before Kagura could finish her sentence, Maruzensky excitedly pulled her into a tight hug. The older girl's messy pajamas slipped further open, and Kagura's face found itself pressed directly against soft, fragrant skin. The scent of body wash immediately overwhelmed her senses.
Nearly suffocating, Kagura squirmed until she finally freed herself, stepping back onto solid ground and quickly glancing behind Maruzensky into her apartment.
Whoa… I thought rooms this messy only appeared in those viral cleaning-company videos…
The apartment was an absolute disaster, like a tornado had blown through. Kagura had only seen such chaos online, never expecting to witness it firsthand.
Noticing Kagura's gaze drifting into her apartment, Maruzensky suddenly realized how awful the room looked and blushed furiously:
"Ah… Kagura-chan, stay right here! Don't move!! I'll be right back!"
With that, Maruzensky slammed the door shut.
Inside, Kagura heard an epic clatter of objects tumbling, drawers slamming, cabinets rattling, mixed with Maruzensky's muttered complaints. She couldn't even imagine the scale of the chaos within.
Five minutes later, Maruzensky opened the door again, now dressed neatly in a fresh red outfit, finally inviting Kagura properly inside.
"Come, come, Kagura-chan, have a seat! I'll prepare tea for you."
"Alright…"
Sitting quietly, Kagura glanced around. The TV cabinet was so stuffed, it looked ready to burst. The fridge door was slightly ajar, leafy vegetables peeking sadly outward. Unwashed dishes stacked messily hinted at the culinary disaster of the previous evening…
So messy!!!
Kagura's eyebrow twitched uncontrollably. She felt her neat-freak instincts rising, nearly pushing her to stand up and clean on impulse.
Seeing Maruzensky still busy searching for tea in the cabinet, half her body hidden inside and her tail swishing happily, Kagura sighed helplessly, pressing a hand to her forehead. She couldn't stand it any longer.
"Maruzensky-senpai! You sit down!"
...
Half an hour later, Maruzensky stared wide-eyed and amazed at her apartment, now sparkling clean, practically brand-new.
As the price of cleanliness, a garbage pile taller than Kagura herself had appeared outside Maruzensky's door, which Maruzensky promptly carried down as her small contribution.
"Kagura-chan… you're incredible…"
Watching the little maid busily moving around the kitchen preparing breakfast, Maruzensky sipped the tea Kagura had prepared, feeling oddly surreal.
Although Maruzensky had food at home, Kagura had thoughtfully brought fresh ingredients anyway, clearly anticipating that Maruzensky hadn't eaten and lacked proper supplies.
So this is the lifestyle Rudolf enjoys every day… Damn it… I'm so jealous of that lucky girl!!
Watching Kagura quietly standing by the stove waiting for noodles to boil, Maruzensky suddenly felt a mischievous urge. Unable to resist teasing the diligent girl, she silently approached and lightly pinched Kagura's slender waist.
"Kyaa!? Maruzensky-senpai, what're you doing!?"
Kagura let out an adorable yelp, reflexively trying to escape Maruzensky's fingers. But Maruzensky moved swiftly, pulling Kagura backward into her arms and continuing her tickling assault.
"Hahaha… s-stop… Senpai! Haha… it tickles! I'm still cooking!"
"!"
Knowing Maruzensky was just fooling around, Kagura put up only token resistance. Her feeble attempts to escape just made Maruzensky want to tease her even more, but looking at Kagura's earnest expression, she quickly suppressed the temptation with admirable self-control.
"What was that for, Senpai?! I'm cooking here! It startled me when you touched me out of nowhere!"
Finally free, Kagura stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out in a pout of feigned annoyance.
"Hehe… I just saw you busy there and couldn't resist playing a little prank…"
Kagura's pouty face wasn't intimidating at all—in fact, Maruzensky had an urge to reach out and pinch her adorable cheeks again.
"Hmph! Do that again, and I won't cook for you next time!"
"Nonono!! I'm truly sorry! It's been almost half a month since I last tasted your cooking, Kagura-chan! I've been tortured by my own cooking skills!!"
Seeing Maruzensky instantly surrender, Kagura sighed again. Maruzensky was genuinely a good person; her only troublesome habit was spontaneously hugging or teasing Kagura like this, though Kagura herself didn't particularly dislike these playful antics.
Cooking simple tomato and egg noodles took little time. During this brief interval, Kagura sent Maruzensky off to tidy herself properly again, reminding her she couldn't visit Rudolf Ojou-sama looking like a mess.
She's really like a caring mom… She can do anything…
Maruzensky couldn't help imagining how wonderful life would be if she woke up each morning to Kagura busily preparing meals. Remembering Rudolf enjoyed this luxury daily, even having Kagura personally wake her up, made Maruzensky grind her teeth in envy.
"All right, Senpai, are you done getting ready? Come eat your noodles! They'll get soggy if they sit too long~"
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, confirming nothing was amiss, Maruzensky heard Kagura's voice calling from outside.
"Yes, yes! Coming now, I'll be right there!"