Initially, the little Uma Musume had wanted Ardan to organize a tea party so they could listen to Kagura's stories—but once snacks were served, everyone instantly became preoccupied with eating, forgetting all about the storytelling.
"Oh no! I got too caught up in the sweets… Kagura-oneesan?"
By the time Mejiro McQueen emerged from her pile of pastries and lifted her head, she saw Ardan, holding a spoonful of almond tofu, trying to feed it directly into Kagura's mouth. Ardan's smiling face clearly showed she was enjoying herself very much.
"Ardan-sama…I can eat by myself…"
"I know, I know~ But I've always been the one being cared for—in hospitals, at school…so I just wanted to experience feeding someone else for once... Come on, open wide~ Ahh—"
"Haa…"
Kagura hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disappoint Ardan's expectant expression, and obediently opened her small mouth to take the spoonful of almond tofu.
Watching Kagura cautiously eat the almond tofu, Ardan felt like her heart was melting—she genuinely worried she might lose control and pull Kagura into a hug right there to rub her fluffy ears.
"Mmm~ Seems like my cooking skills are about the same as always… Ardan-sama, really, I can eat on my own!"
Kagura briefly commented on her own cooking, and seeing Ardan still looking eager for another round, hurriedly waved her hands to refuse.
A bit disappointed, Ardan set down the spoon, unconsciously turning to glance at her other sisters—only to find Mejiro McQueen watching them curiously.
"Ardan-oneesama, what's going on…?"
"Uh…"
Feeling inexplicably guilty, Ardan momentarily lost her words. Seeing Ardan struggling, Kagura smoothly interjected:
"I was just asking Ardan-sama to help me test the flavor of the almond tofu I made for her, so I can improve it next time. So, Ardan-sama kindly gave me a taste."
"Oh, I see…"
McQueen nodded thoughtfully after hearing Kagura's calm explanation—it made sense, and she had no reason to doubt Kagura's ever-serene smile. She didn't press the matter further.
Ardan let out a relieved sigh, casting Kagura a grateful glance. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet she'd somehow felt oddly nervous under McQueen's gaze. In situations like this, Ardan truly admired how quickly Kagura could regain composure and react calmly—sometimes, she felt more like the younger sister in comparison.
"Ardan-oneesama, can I also taste some of the dessert you had?"
Because Kagura was only aware of Ardan's specific tastes, she had made almond tofu exclusively for Ardan. The milk-white, bouncy dessert looked especially tempting, and McQueen had been eyeing it greedily for quite some time.
"Well…sure. You're not allergic to almonds or nuts, right, McQueen?"
McQueen quickly shook her head eagerly, eyes sparkling in anticipation.
"McQueen…why are you eating alone?"
Suddenly feeling someone poking her back, McQueen turned around to see Mejiro Palmer and Ryan had silently crept up behind her. Both were staring intently, while Dober and Bright, who hadn't come over, watched attentively from their seats.
Fortunately, Kagura had made enough dessert for several little Uma Musume to share comfortably. After some gentle fussing over the portions, everyone finally got their share, and seeing the Mejiro girls eating happily, Kagura let out a relieved sigh.
In the end, they're still just busy eating…
Noticing the kids had once again forgotten about her storytelling, Kagura could only chuckle helplessly.
...
Just as Kagura had predicted, they ended up spending the entire tea party discussing food instead of stories.
With the day's events concluded after dinner, Kagura returned to her room, took a quick bath, and checked her phone—Symboli Speed had just sent a message.
[Symboli Speed]:How is everything going, Kagura? Are you enjoying yourself at the Mejiro household?
[Inari Kagura]:Yes, very much! We even had an afternoon tea party today.
[Inari Kagura]:[Image]
Kagura sent along a photo from the tea party: Ryan and Palmer clinging tightly to her, Dober and Bright crowding nearby, unable to squeeze in fully, while McQueen stood slightly apart, looking helplessly at the joyful chaos.
[Symboli Speed]:Oh my, it looks quite lively. Did Ardan take the photo? You're really popular with those Mejiro children. And from the desserts on that table, I suppose you ended up personally cooking for them again?
[Inari Kagura]:Ah, I just did it without thinking…
[Symboli Speed]:Goodness, I really don't know what to say to you. You should care more for yourself. Oh well, just stay cautious—after all, you're at the Mejiro household.
[Inari Kagura]:Understood, I'll be careful.
Just as Kagura sent her reply, she heard a gentle knock on her room door, followed by a familiar voice.
"Kagura-oneesan~ Are you asleep yet? Can I come in?"
"This voice… Palmer? What brings you here? Come on in."
Kagura glanced at the wall clock—9:30 pm. It was still quite early for Kagura herself, but for the young Mejiro girls, it should have been bedtime already.
After Kagura gave permission, her door swung open, and Mejiro Palmer—clad in pajamas, clutching a pillow—hurriedly trotted into the room. The little filly charged straight at Kagura, leaping onto her with a flying tackle, knocking Kagura from where she sat at the edge of the bed flat onto the mattress.
"Wha… Palmer, you little—don't rush in so recklessly!"
"Hehe~ I'm just super happy to see Kagura-oneesan still awake!"
Palmer lay happily on top of Kagura, rubbing affectionately against her. Seeing the child's joyful expression, Kagura sighed helplessly, reaching up to gently pat Palmer's head.
"What's up, anyway? You didn't come here at this hour just for me to tell you a story, did you?"
"Ehehe… We got distracted eating during the day…but I really wanna know what happened with the scholar and Miss Fox later!"
"You little rascal… Fine, I'm not sleepy yet anyway. First, could you get off me, please? Then I'll continue the story."
"Okay~!"
Palmer, who'd been comfortably perched on Kagura's belly, obediently climbed down. Kagura tidied up her pajamas, but before she could begin speaking, another knock sounded at the door.
"Kagura-oneesan! Are you still awake? Can I come in?"
"Hm… Ryan? Come in, I'm still awake."
Quickly, Mejiro Ryan dashed into the room clutching her pillow. She had been running as if preparing another tackle—Kagura was fairly certain that if Palmer hadn't already been sitting there, Ryan would have launched herself forward to reenact another devastating filly-tackle.
"What's gotten into you girls tonight, not sleeping at this hour, and running over here?"
"Ehehe… I was just really curious about the next part of Kagura-oneesan's story…"
Seriously…you bunch of little troublemakers, deciding to cause me trouble only at night?
Kagura grumbled internally. Just then, she suddenly realized—if Ryan and Palmer had shown up, that meant…
Knock, knock, knock.
Right on cue, another set of knocks echoed from the door. Kagura sighed knowingly and called out, "Come in." A shy Mejiro Dober was gently pushed into the room by Mejiro Bright.
"Hi~ Kagura-oneesan! Oh, Palmer and Ryan are here already? Dober and I came to listen to your story too~!"
Bright's soft voice and sweet smile instantly created a warm, relaxed atmosphere, gently poking at the red-faced Dober who nodded nervously, stealing quick, bashful glances at Kagura.
With the influx of little Uma Musume, Kagura's room became crowded and lively. Having no chairs or tables, the girls squeezed onto Kagura's bed together. Thankfully, the bed was large enough, and the small fillies didn't take up much space.
"Kagura-oneesan, I… Eh?! What are you all…?"
From the open door Bright had forgotten to close, Mejiro McQueen poked her head in, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of all her sisters crowded onto Kagura's bed.
"As you can see, we're having a nighttime story session. So… McQueen, wanna join?"
"…Yes!"
After hesitating briefly, McQueen decisively nodded, shutting the door behind her and joining her sisters with a pillow in hand.
Seeing all the little girls finally gathered, Kagura cleared her throat and recalled where she left off earlier:
"Well then, this afternoon we stopped at… a group of foxes arriving at the scholar's home to propose marriage…"
---
T/N: AWWW SO CUTE also i think ill replace old mejiro with Mejiro Iris, Mejiro's actual grandma irl!
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys