Though Eclipse-san had praised her dance warmly, Kagura decided she'd avoid performing it casually at school from now on. After all, it didn't take much effort to reach Inari Shrine—if she really needed to dance again, she'd rather do it there, without constantly worrying someone might spot her.
But what puzzled Kagura a little was that, the next morning when she went to the cafeteria to prepare breakfast as usual, she encountered Nice Nature, who'd surprisingly woken up early and come over to eat. Yet, for some reason, Nature seemed jittery and kept awkwardly averting her gaze. Kagura asked if she felt unwell, but Nature insisted nothing was wrong, leaving Kagura utterly confused. It took several days before Nature returned to normal.
"Good morning, Ojou-sama. Here's your breakfast."
"Morning, Kagura. Thanks again for bringing me my meal. By the way, winter break is just around the corner. Do you have any plans?"
Symboli Rudolf leisurely sipped tea at her desk. With winter vacation approaching, many students had already requested leave to head home early. Naturally, this made the Student Council office much quieter. Kagura remembered Rudolf mentioning recently that their previous recruitment drive had indeed brought in some promising new members—but they'd only start after the holidays.
"Not particularly. But quite a few friends have invited me over to play. Why do you ask, Ojou-sama?"
"It's something Speed-sama wanted me to ask. She said, if you don't have plans, she'd like you to return to the Symboli residence during winter break. Even if you already have arrangements, she hopes you can at least come back during the New Year. She wants to take you to the shrine and visit some festivals."
Speed-sama's intentions weren't hard to guess. Even though Kagura frequently insisted she was "just a maid, unworthy of such concern," Speed-sama had already fully embraced her as family, even shifting much of her attention from Rudolf onto Kagura. Rudolf had hoped Speed-sama might ease up on fussing over her—but she couldn't help but smile wryly at the way this wish had come true.
"If the Head of the Household wishes… well, I suppose I can do that."
"Great. I'll let Speed-sama know you agreed. By the way, do you have some free time these days?"
"I do today. What's the matter? Is there something I can help with, Ojou-sama?"
"The school wants to film a promotional video, and they're looking for an image ambassador. I've spent a long time thinking about candidates. The director said someone younger would be ideal—but you know, not just any kouhai can handle this task…"
Before Rudolf could finish, Kagura already guessed why she'd been called today.
"…In the entire academy, someone young, pretty, and capable enough for this task—I thought it over and realized you're really the only one suitable."
"Ojou-sama, if you praise me like that, I'll get embarrassed..."
"Don't be shy—it's the truth. Kagura, you really are pretty, clearly the type who'll grow into a great beauty. Plus, you understand the school as well as us senior-year students, you're reliable, and you're Tracen's top Support Uma. I honestly can't think of anyone more suited for the job."
Rudolf genuinely agreed with Director Akikawa's evaluation of Kagura: youthful, attractive, gentle, composed, helpful, nearly a perfect genius. However, Rudolf still wondered how Director Akikawa and Tazuna-san found out "Kagura dances extremely well—practically a born dancer." Rudolf herself had never witnessed Kagura perform any kind of dance before. She'd even considered arranging dance lessons for Kagura since, inevitably, Kagura would debut one day, and appearing on a Winner's Concert stage without proper training would be a big problem.
"Ah… If there really isn't anyone else, I'm willing to take this assignment."
"Great. I'll contact Director Akikawa right away. She said she'll handle the filming personally. You can head over to the track and wait for her."
...
Leaving the Student Council office, Kagura followed Rudolf's instructions and arrived at the school track, waiting for Director Akikawa Yayoi to meet her.
As vacation was nearing, even this early in the morning, the field was practically deserted. Nice Nature had left yesterday, otherwise, Kagura would usually see her training here with Trainer Minamizaka.
Though Nature wasn't around, Kagura spotted Trainer Minamizaka strolling around the field. He saw Kagura as well and waved cheerfully. Kagura raised a hand and waved back in greeting.
"Morning, Kagura-chan. Nature went home yesterday—how come you're still at school? Not planning to go out somewhere?"
Trainer Minamizaka had learned from Nature that Kagura was an orphan, so he thoughtfully avoided asking why she wasn't heading home.
"I do have plans, but nothing urgent… The cafeteria closes tomorrow, too, so I can't use the kitchen anyway."
Originally, Kagura considered staying behind to cook meals for Rudolf Ojou-sama, but the cafeteria staff would also be on vacation. Naturally, she couldn't just borrow the kitchen without anyone around, so most of her daily tasks had abruptly disappeared. Thinking about it, she really deserved to enjoy a proper student's long holiday after being so busy for so long.
"I see… Kagura-chan always seems so busy. Trainer Tojo mentioned you're usually even busier than she is."
"Trainer Tojo's way busier! She has far more things to consider than I do. All I need to worry about is keeping Ojou-sama in peak condition."
Compared to Tojo-san's job—analyzing data, making detailed plans, running around liaising with other teams—Kagura considered her own tasks far lighter. Her responsibility was just ensuring Symboli Rudolf stayed in top racing form.
Speaking of Tojo-san, Kagura recalled that she'd recently shared Rudolf's rough race schedule for next year. Surprisingly, Tojo-san's schedule didn't directly list all three Triple Crown races. The last one—the Kikka Sho—was only listed as an alternative, while the primary plan involved the Japan Cup, which fell close to the Kikka Sho's date.
This was Rudolf Ojou-sama's own request, as Mr. C.B. had already announced her participation in the Japan Cup this year. Naturally, Rudolf wished to compete against her. Tojo-san respected this choice, but still included the Kikka Sho as an alternative, mainly due to another factor—public opinion:
"At least domestically, the Triple Crown title is immensely prestigious. If we announce skipping the Kikka Sho… not just fans, but even the organizers might apply pressure for Rudolf to participate."
Kagura fully understood. Constantly monitoring the internet's pulse, she knew precisely how much Neon's netizens expected Rudolf to compete in the Kikka Sho. When the time came, even if Rudolf initially didn't want to go, immense public pressure would likely force her into consecutive races.
"So, Kagura, I'd like your input—do you have confidence you can quickly restore Rudolf's condition if necessary?"
"I don't see it as impossible. If Ojou-sama and Tojo-san require it, I'll do my utmost."
With Kagura's assurance, the Kikka Sho officially remained on the reserve list. After the winter break, Tojo-san planned to leak some subtle hints to gauge public opinion. If pressure grew significant, she'd officially put the Kikka Sho back on the schedule.
"So that's what happened recently… Kagura-chan, you really have it tough."
Trainer Minamizaka nodded thoughtfully. He'd already heard rumors about this matter, so today's chat was just casual confirmation. Kagura knew she could trust Trainer Minamizaka to keep things confidential, given their friendly acquaintance, so she openly discussed her and Tojo-san's supporting roles.
"My job is making sure Ojou-sama can race without worry and retire safely one day. Whether it's tough or not doesn't really matter."
"Haha, no wonder Nature always praises how amazing you are… Ah! Good morning, Director!"
Halfway through speaking, Trainer Minamizaka spotted Director Akikawa Yayoi coming downstairs behind Kagura, quickly greeting her. Kagura also turned, elegantly lifting her skirt in a polite curtsy.
"Morning, Trainer Minamizaka and Kagura-chan! I was just about to look for Kagura-chan—I didn't expect to meet you here."
"Well, since you have business with Kagura-chan, I'll take my leave first."
Seeing Director Akikawa clearly came for Kagura, Minamizaka exchanged a quick glance with Kagura, got a nod from her, and left swiftly, waving goodbye.
Akikawa Yayoi hopped energetically up to Kagura, holding her camera.
"Curious! Kagura-chan! Rudolf-san already explained today's filming to you, right?"
"Yes, Director Akikawa. Please instruct me however you like."
"Relax! With you around, Kagura-chan, I feel way more confident doing this! And no need to be so formal—just treat me like normal!"
"Understood…"
Kagura straightened slightly, quietly waiting for Director Akikawa's instructions.
"Question! Kagura-chan, after today's filming, are you free to visit my home?"
Rather than immediately picking up the camera, Akikawa first asked Kagura a casual question.
Kagura recalled Director Akikawa had previously invited her home, and she'd found it hard to decline back then, so she'd agreed.
"These days I have no other duties—the cafeteria's also closed, so I'm free. But will filming today finish late? I wouldn't want to trouble you."
"No worries! I live alone anyway. If it gets too late, you can stay overnight! I have plenty of spare rooms!"
"Er…"
Kagura was about to reply, but seeing Director Akikawa's stern expression—clearly meaning "no arguments"—she quickly reconsidered.
"…Alright then. Thank you for your hospitality, Director."