Naturally, Rudolf had heard the news of Kagura entering the School Selection Race. The moment she did, Rudolf promptly sent Kagura off on leave, giving her full freedom to focus entirely on adjusting her condition and training.
Fortunately, Kagura's usual routine—regularly acting as Rudolf's training partner and occasionally being dragged along to crush less experienced rivals—had kept her in excellent shape.
"Hmm…?"
Kagura, busy preparing for the upcoming selection race, suddenly noticed someone watching her from near the track. It appeared to be a student—after all, they wore Tracen's uniform—but she couldn't recall ever seeing such a student around during training.
Speeding up slightly, she reached her starting line and finally realized the identity of this "student"—it was Speed-sama disguised in a Tracen uniform!
"Eh!? Speed-sama… What are you doing here?"
As far as Kagura remembered, the last time she'd seen Speed-sama at Tracen was at the Cafeteria.
"Good afternoon, Kagura. I heard you signed up for the selection race, so I came to see you right away."
Realizing she'd been noticed, Speed casually waved to Kagura.
Sensing Speed-sama's unusual urgency, Kagura left the track to meet her, and Speed pulled her gently aside:
"Since you're entering the selection race, it means you've decided to pick a trainer, right? Do you have someone in mind already?"
Speed's main reason for visiting today was to confirm that Kagura hadn't picked someone strange. To her, Kagura was no different from family, and choosing a trainer was something that impacted a Uma Musume's entire life. No matter who Kagura chose today, the Symboli Family would thoroughly vet them.
"Yes. Currently, I'm leaning toward Trainer Tojo-san. I've been learning a lot from her and feel comfortable under her guidance."
Kagura nodded firmly, voicing her current choice of trainer. Though she'd briefly considered others—like Trainer Minamizaka, who managed Nice Nature—after careful consideration, she decided to go with Trainer Tojo-san, the one she knew best.
"Tojo-san, huh… Mm, she's certainly an excellent choice."
Hearing that Kagura had picked Trainer Tojo-san, Speed nodded slowly in approval. She clearly thought highly of Tojo-san, considering she'd trusted her with Rudolf's training. With Symboli thoroughly familiar with Tojo-san, Speed had no objections to Kagura's choice.
"Well then, Kagura, have you decided on your debut time?"
"I was thinking around July. It's a good window before the Japan Cup and Kikuka Sho, so I should have enough time to run a race. If all goes well, I'll also manage to compete in the Hopeful Stakes and the Asahi Hai later this year."
"…You're not planning on challenging two G1 rookie races back-to-back, are you?"
Speed couldn't help but frown, seeking confirmation again. Competing consecutively in two G1 races placed enormous stress on a Uma Musume's body. Even Rudolf wouldn't dare attempt something like that.
Besides, Kagura's body had yet to show signs of honkaku. Even if it started immediately, she couldn't possibly achieve full honkaku in mere months. Competing in two year-end G1 races without honkaku was risky. Though there had been rare exceptions, those early competitors often ended their careers prematurely—clearly indicating it wasn't a wise choice.
"Don't worry, Speed-sama. Trust me, I'll be fine."
Kagura sensed Speed-sama's worries and gently rubbed her head against Speed's hand, making an adorable, kitten-like face. Momentarily stunned, Speed forgot the words she'd prepared to persuade Kagura otherwise.
"Haa… You really are a troublesome child…"
Reflecting on Kagura's potential, Speed's common sense still told her to stop Kagura from taking such risks. Yet, something deeper within her wanted to let Kagura chase her ambitions.
"If you're still unsure, Speed-sama, I'll prove my capabilities in tomorrow's race."
Kagura understood how deeply Symboli cared for her, especially Speed-sama, who now practically treated her as a granddaughter. And Kagura, in turn, saw Speed-sama as her grandmother. She genuinely didn't want Speed-sama to worry because of her choices.
"Fine… Fine, I'll be there on time tomorrow. Hehe, you haven't come home in a while. The maids and butlers miss you dearly, you know. They all insisted on coming to watch your race tomorrow, so I ended up registering a large crowd with Director Akikawa. Hope she doesn't mind too much~"
"Haha, Director Akikawa will probably be thrilled with more spectators! Speaking of which… Since you're already here, would you like to visit the Cafeteria—"
"Hey! What are you saying, you silly child? Today is your rest day—don't even think about cooking anything! Just rest properly!"
Even though Speed secretly craved Kagura's cooking, she understood that today was strictly for Kagura to recuperate. She'd arrived unannounced, and she didn't want to interfere further.
...
At evening, having finished her training, Kagura headed for Tracen's Cafeteria.
Out of habit, she instinctively turned toward the kitchen entrance. But recalling she wasn't cooking today, she turned around, grabbed a tray, and approached the food counter—a place she'd rarely visited before.
"Oh! Kagura-chan, you're here! We heard about your selection race tomorrow. Do your best!"
The enthusiastic Cafeteria uncle greeted Kagura loudly. Hearing his booming voice, the entire Cafeteria staff immediately gathered around her.
"Eat plenty! You'll need strength tomorrow!" "Take some meat—you can't run properly on just vegetables!" "Here, have some soup too!"
Before Kagura could even place an order, her tray was piled high with food, and she even received a good-luck charm from one of the aunties.
Because Kagura regularly helped in the kitchen, the staff had long considered her one of their own, practically their collective child. Whenever Kagura needed special ingredients, they'd gladly pick them up, saving her a great deal of effort.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, everyone! Tomorrow, I definitely won't disappoint your expectations~"
Faced with their enthusiastic support, Kagura could only keep repeating her thanks. Receiving encouragement and well-wishes from familiar faces throughout the day, Kagura felt filled with boundless energy.
"Don't push yourself too hard! Don't feel pressured, alright? To us, it's more important that our little Kagura grows up healthy and happy!"
"I promise~!"
...
After a satisfying dinner, Kagura returned to the track—but not to squeeze in late-night training. She simply wanted a stroll to digest her meal.
"I knew it! I just had a feeling you'd be back here tonight, little miss!"
To Kagura's surprise, as soon as she stepped onto the track, she saw Director Akikawa Yayoi already there, looking as if she'd waited quite a while.
"Director Akikawa? At this hour—"
"Encouragement! I heard you're entering the selection race tomorrow, little miss! Are you okay? Feeling alright?"
Akikawa Yayoi approached and gently patted Kagura's shoulder encouragingly. The small cat atop Akikawa's hat leapt into Kagura's arms, rubbing against her affectionately and letting out a soft purr.
"I'm fine. My condition is great. Thank you for worrying, Director."
"Reassurance! Good to hear that, little miss. Tazuna-san and I will both watch your race tomorrow!"
Eh… why do I suddenly have the feeling tomorrow's audience will be ridiculously large…?
Kagura suddenly realized something: usually, selection races drew only family, friends, and Tracen trainers. But tomorrow, there seemed likely to be many unfamiliar NPCs in the stands—apparently all because of her…
Akikawa Yayoi was secretly relieved when she first heard Kagura was entering. Kagura's attitude toward competition had worried her, as Kagura often seemed entirely indifferent to winning. Akikawa feared this attitude might waste Kagura's potential. Fortunately, those worries had been unnecessary.
Looking at Kagura's face, Akikawa hesitated for a long moment. After chatting and strolling together for a while, just before Kagura left for her dorm, Akikawa finally spoke up:
"Question! Little miss, have you ever heard of an Uma Musume named 'Eclipse'?"
"Eh? 'Eclipse'? That's an odd name. I've never heard it before… Is she someone famous from recent years?"
Kagura tilted her head in confusion, blinking her sparkling eyes. Akikawa could practically see question marks floating above her head.
"No matter! If you haven't heard of her, just forget I mentioned it—nothing important! Rest well tonight! I look forward to your performance tomorrow!"
Really, what was I thinking… Of course the little miss wouldn't know something like that…
Watching Kagura leave, Akikawa Yayoi sighed softly to herself.
---
T/N: acting 100/100 anyway if you guys are wondering why it switches from speed-sama to speed in narration its because speed-sama comes from Inari! and when its Speeds own thoughts or something like that of course its not gonna be Speed-sama anyway yeah fuck yolu
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