The sudden appearance of that Trainer disrupted Inari Kagura's original plans. She stood under the bulletin board, lost in thought for a long time, so focused that she didn't even notice someone approaching behind her.
It wasn't until Kagura felt her head being gently patted a few times that she came back to her senses, seeing Rudolph Symbol had arrived behind her at some point. Seeing her covered in sweat, she must have just finished an intense workout.
"Kagura? Didn't you go to see the Teaching Building? Why are you standing here? Or have you already finished looking?"
"…I just found the things on this bulletin board quite interesting, so I stopped to take a look."
Kagura thought for a moment, but still decided not to tell Rudolph Symbol about meeting someone from the Mejiro Family who wanted to adopt her. She wanted to think it over and clarify the matter before seeking the Symboli Family's opinion.
Rudolph Symbol also stopped in front of the bulletin board with Kagura, gently stroking Kagura's smooth black long hair as she said:
"Oh? You find it interesting too? The bulletin board always has the students' whimsical ideas, and occasionally posters for Trainer teams recruiting. When I'm under a lot of pressure, looking at the bulletin board always helps me relax."
"Indeed, it's just that some of the posters have a bit too much visual impact…"
Inari Kagura smiled, trying hard not to notice that strange poster that seemed to depict several Uma Musume stuck in the ground like radishes. Perhaps, as Rudolph Symbol said, the students here do have some whimsical ideas.
"Oh right, come with me to the Student Council office. There's something I need to give you."
Stopping her action of stroking Kagura's hair, Rudolph Symbol said as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Something? For me?"
"It's not easy to explain what it is. Explaining it in detail would be troublesome. It's faster to just take you there to see it directly."
Rudolph Symbol didn't elaborate on what the item was. Inari Kagura was momentarily stunned, but quickly followed Rudolph Symbol, who was walking ahead.
The Student Council office was not far from here. At an Uma Musume's speed, it was a quick trip. When Kagura entered the Teaching Building, she was once again deeply shocked by Tracen's extravagance. Not only was the interior well-decorated, but the teaching facilities were also complete, and besides classrooms, there were various activity rooms, and even a pool and a Library!
'They're too rich… And the students here also seem so rich…'
Leaving aside other things, even if they weren't super-rich, the students here all seemed to come from well-off families, which was definitely better than her own situation back in university, where she had to worry about living expenses at the end of every month.
She just didn't know why, but Inari Kagura felt that as she walked down the corridor, the Return rate of the students next to her was a bit too high, making her feel a little embarrassed. She could only lower her head slightly, trying her best not to pay attention to those gazes.
Enduring the curious stares of the students as she walked down the corridor, Inari Kagura finally arrived at the Student Council office. It seemed there was no one inside at this hour.
Rudolph Symbol walked to her desk and sat down, pulling a chair over for Kagura to sit on first, and casually made a cup of tea for Kagura, before lowering her head and starting to rummage through the drawers of the desk.
Watching Rudolph Symbol rummaging for things, Kagura inexplicably felt the awkwardness of being called into the office by her boss, only for the boss to be busy with her own work while she just sat there, unable to do anything. Fortunately, Rudolph Symbol didn't take too long. Soon, she pulled out a stamped document and handed it to Kagura, along with a heavy paper bag.
Kagura curiously took it and looked, finding it was a very formal letter of appointment, followed by a densely written contract.
"This contract is from Old Symboli for you, Inari Kagura. From today, you are officially a Head Maid of the Symboli Family. This paper bag contains your identity documents, your bank card, your work ID, and your phone. Be careful to keep them safe and don't lose them."
"Wow…"
The sudden influx of information made Inari Kagura's mind go blank for a moment. She tried hard to calm herself down and first looked at the contract. This officially confirmed her job title and identity. What surprised her was that the Symboli Family had decided to pay her a monthly salary according to the Head Maid standard. Although it wasn't a huge amount, it meant she now had a source of income.
'This… must be Old Symboli's decision again…'
There were no traps in the document clauses. Her identity was, of course, that of an orphan, with no unexpected relatives. Kagura couldn't think of any reason why the vast Symboli Family would need to trick a penniless child like her.
To be honest, Inari Kagura had always been very grateful to Speed Symboli for saving her, but she never expected the Symboli Family to help her to this extent. Not only did they solve her food and housing, but they also gave her a lot of material assistance, and now even the most troublesome issues of identity and income were resolved.
'Old Symboli is truly kind… Sigh, how can I ever repay this favor…'
Although happy, Inari Kagura did not take this for granted. She made a decision in her heart: even if Speed Symboli might not need her to repay, she would definitely find an opportunity to do something for the Symboli Family in the future.
She remembered the Trainer from the Mejiro Family who had approached her earlier. Before, she had been hesitating how to answer him, but now, her most troublesome problem had been solved. For his proposal, she now had an answer in her heart.
"I… I didn't expect… Really, thank you very much!"
Inari Kagura bowed deeply to Rudolph Symbol. All she could do now was express her gratitude.
"Old Symboli likes you very much. Over the past month, you have indeed proven with your performance that you are an excellent Head Maid. This is what you deserve."
Rudolph Symbol said, walking in front of Inari Kagura to help her up, then gently patted her shoulder to show encouragement and praise.
Although they had only officially met today, Rudolph Symbol also quite liked this quiet and well-behaved Little Horse Girl, because she rarely felt such a natural connection when interacting with Inari Kagura in the academy. The students in the academy were all too in awe of her, which made it difficult for her to develop social connections.
But for some reason, the younger Inari Kagura was able to communicate with her very naturally, and in terms of thinking, she was also significantly more mature than the average students at the academy, giving Rudolph Symbol a fleeting illusion that Kagura was like a peer her own age, rather than a tiny junior.
"How do you feel after touring the school today? Do you like it here?"
"Hmm… it's hard not to like a place like this… the environment is so good, I'm a little envious of the students who get to study here."
After a moment of thought, Inari Kagura replied with a smile.
This was also the truth; Inari Kagura was indeed envious of the Uma Musume who could study here. Although she didn't care much about attending school or not, imagining the daily life in this school, it would definitely be a lie to say she wasn't envious.
"Is that so…"
Rudolph Symbol nodded. Before asking Speed Symbol to hand over the girl, she first needed to confirm Inari Kagura's attitude. Although her recent reply didn't explicitly show a desire to come to school, Rudolph Symbol felt that Inari Kagura seemed indifferent to this aspect, or rather, not just about schooling, but even during their run earlier, she gave off a feeling of not having a strong pursuit of victory, making Rudolph Symbol feel that this Little Horse Girl was somewhat inscrutable.
'It feels like this child seems to lack a clear goal? Is it because she hasn't had much contact with other Uma Musume?'
As an Uma Musume, Inari Kagura was very talented, but she severely lacked common knowledge related to Uma Musume, and she also had a very easygoing attitude towards goals, without much ambition. Rudolph Symbol had noticed this. She pondered that if she could let her interact more with other Uma Musume, it might awaken her desire for victory. This was also why Rudolph Symbol's mood improved when Tojo Hana asked Kagura if she wanted to run a lap today.
After all, even with amnesia, the competitive spirit, a bodily instinct, should not disappear with memories. Rudolph Symbol did not want to let such a promising talent, so hard to discover, be buried.
"Um, Young Lady, is there anything else? If not, I won't disturb you any further?"
Rudolph Symbol, who was deep in thought about her next move, heard Inari Kagura's voice. She came back to her senses and quickly nodded:
"Oh! Good… I don't have anything for now, what about you? Is there anywhere else you'd like to see?"
"Not for now… Hmm, I don't think so. I want to go back to the Symboli Family. I should still make it back in time to prepare lunch."
Inari Kagura had already toured the entire Tracen this morning. She had learned everything she wanted to know and had made some plans for her future. The only thing she was worried about now was Speed Symbol at home.
She could tell that for a while, Speed Symbol had deliberately assigned her less work, and cooking was only every other day. However, in the end, Speed Symbol was still won over by her cooking and household skills. Now, Inari Kagura was basically in charge of and directing the cooking and grocery shopping.
The reason for such an arrangement was simple. Besides Inari Kagura herself actively taking on the tasks, Speed Symbol had admitted with a helpless smile that day—her taste buds had become spoiled, and she couldn't get used to the meals prepared by the previous Head Maid anymore.
"Still going back to cook? You're really dedicated to your work."
"After all, the Head of the Family really enjoys my cooking. If there's a chance, Young Lady, would you like to come back and have a meal?"
"If I have the chance in the future, I'll definitely come. Today… well, I still have some work to attend to."
Rudolph Symbol smiled helplessly. Although she still wanted to take this lovable Little Horse Girl around a bit more, her schedule today was indeed not very flexible. Moreover, she had a guest waiting for her outside, and she couldn't leave now.
"Then, I'll be going. Young Lady, if you need anything, just contact me directly."
Inari Kagura bowed slightly to Rudolph Symbol to say goodbye, then left the Student Council office.
The office fell into a brief silence. Not long after, a soft knock came from outside.
Rudolph Symbol looked up towards the door. She could probably guess who was outside, and judging by the time, it was about right for her to arrive:
"Standing outside for so long, and only knocking now? Is there something you need to tell me that requires so much hesitation, Mejiro Takamine?"