"Mm…"
Symboli Rudolf stirred vaguely from her sleep. She felt as though someone was calling her.
"Ojou-sama, it's time to wake up."
Gradually becoming more lucid, Rudolf finally realized someone was indeed calling her. That voice was soft and gentle, brushing past her ears like warm sunlight.
"Kagura…? Why are you in my dorm room?"
Recognizing the voice, Rudolf immediately woke up fully and saw Inari Kagura standing by her bed, looking down at her.
"You gave me the dorm keys last night, telling me to wake you up in the morning. Did you forget?"
"Eh…"
Rudolf felt her memory was fragmented. She strained to recall what had happened last night.
She vaguely remembered—it must have been around eleven at night. She was still in her office flipping through the last file, and then there was a knock at the door; a horse girl came in…
"Last night, Tojo-sensei called me, saying you were still working overtime in the student council room and asked me to take you back to your dorm to rest."
Seeing Rudolf still half-dazed, Kagura figured she had slept herself into confusion, so she patiently filled in the gaps of last night's events.
Rudolf began to remember a bit more. After Kagura entered her office, she urged her to rest soon. Rudolf had said she'd sleep after signing the last file. She vaguely recalled signing that document and then Kagura giving her a massage. A warm, comforting sensation had enveloped her. Everything after that blurred completely; only a deep, tranquil relaxation she hadn't felt in ages remained vivid.
"You managed to stumble back to the dorm. You washed up and changed clothes half-asleep, then leaned on me and instantly fell asleep… Ahem. Ojou-sama, working hard is admirable, but exhausting yourself like that isn't appropriate."
To say Rudolf had sleepwalked last night wouldn't be exaggerating at all. After eleven, Kagura, who was already hypnotizing herself to sleep by watching cooking videos, received a message from Tojo Hana, asking her to drag Rudolf back home.
Upon receiving the task, Kagura rushed downstairs to report to the dorm supervisor, then sprinted all the way to the academic building. When she entered the student council office, Rudolf was still relatively awake. But after Kagura suggested a massage, Rudolf had started sleepwalking immediately afterward.
"Ah…"
Listening to Kagura's detailed recounting of her actions last night, Rudolf couldn't help but blush slightly. Still, she felt unusually refreshed today; apparently, she'd slept extremely well.
She glanced around her dorm room. Due to her busy schedule lately, including her debut race and student council duties, her room had become somewhat messy. Now, somehow, everything was tidied perfectly—items neatly in place, scattered clothing properly hung, desk and floor immaculately cleaned, gleaming brightly under the morning sun without a speck of dust.
"Alright, enough about last night, Ojou-sama. Now that you're up, go wash your face. I already laid out your clothes in the wardrobe, and breakfast is prepared on the table. I woke up a bit late today, so I could only fetch something from the cafeteria. Next time, I'll bring you a breakfast I make myself."
Rudolf, wanting to ask something, was promptly pulled up by Kagura and nudged gently toward the bathroom. Long before Rudolf woke up, Kagura had already risen, cleaned the dorm thoroughly, and brought over breakfast.
As she changed and ate breakfast, Rudolf, still slightly dazed due to her exceptionally restful sleep, remembered Speed-sama's words of praise for Kagura.
I suppose occasionally relying on her like this… wouldn't be so bad.
Having been so busy lately she'd neglected even herself, Rudolf secretly thought it felt wonderful to be cared for like this. Moreover, Kagura was still just a child—surely, she wouldn't do this every day, so Rudolf could consider it an occasional indulgence.
…
After sending Rudolf off to the student council to begin her day's work, Kagura entered her own free time. Since it was still summer break, Tracen hadn't arranged theoretical classes, so she currently had no lessons to attend.
Earlier, however, she'd heard voices amplified through speakers in the school building. Curious and relying on her enhanced Uma Musume hearing, she quickly found the source—an auditorium-like place holding some sort of lecture.
"Hm? If I remember correctly…"
Kagura vaguely recalled glancing toward the school gate when passing by the courtyard earlier and seeing Tazuna-san standing there. She couldn't understand—how had Tazuna-san, whom she'd seen by the gate less than half a minute ago, appeared at the auditorium entrance so quickly?
Could it be that Tazuna-san can teleport!?
Having already experienced supernatural phenomena like Eclipse-san, Kagura couldn't help suspecting that Tazuna-san might also be something beyond normal.
"Good morning, Kagura-san. You're up early?"
Noticing Kagura approaching, Tazuna greeted her warmly.
"Tazuna-san, is there a lecture happening inside?"
Kagura decided to temporarily ignore the mystery of Tazuna-san's sudden appearance, focusing instead on what was happening inside.
"Yes, it's a trainers' meetup. Recently, new trainer recruits have been finalized, and senior trainers are sharing experiences with newcomers."
"Sharing experiences, huh… Can I go in and listen?"
As Kagura recalled, the responsibilities of a Trainer and a Support Uma overlapped slightly. She was interested in learning more about this topic. Since a trainer lecture was conveniently happening, she'd be glad to attend.
"Eh… Kagura-san, are you sure? Trainer courses aren't very helpful for Uma Musume and are quite boring. No Uma Musume has ever attended trainers' meetings before."
"I'm a Support Uma, after all. I'd like to understand how trainers usually take care of their Uma, to better look after Ojou-sama. Can I please listen in?"
"…Please wait a moment."
Tazuna didn't immediately agree to Kagura's request since no Uma had attended such lectures before. Most Uma were busy training, studying, or relaxing, and Support Uma were very few in Tracen—those who'd attend such events even fewer.
Watching Tazuna typing away on her phone, Kagura guessed she was seeking someone's permission. After a while, Tazuna put away her phone and nodded to Kagura:
"If you're interested, Kagura-san, an exception can be made. But please remember, things discussed here may involve trainers' small professional secrets, so confidentiality is necessary."
"Understood!"
With permission granted, Kagura carefully opened the door and slipped inside.
Kagura, being short, went mostly unnoticed as she sneaked into the back rows, quickly finding an empty seat and settling in.
Why does the person on my left look kind of familiar…?
Instinctively observing her surroundings, Kagura realized the young man to her left, sucking a lollipop and radiating an air of frivolity, looked oddly familiar.
The young man also noticed Kagura's arrival and soon looked toward her—
"Ah! It's that lollipop weirdo from that day!"
Upon seeing his face, Kagura instantly remembered: this was the weirdo who, about a month ago, had stopped her on the street asking if he could touch her legs.
"Why's an Uma Musume here?!"
Thankfully, both of them controlled their voices, and their surprise didn't attract attention.
This was a trainer-focused lecture, though rules didn't forbid Uma from becoming trainers; such Uma were simply extremely rare.
"What're you fussing about… Kagura-san? Why are you here?"
However, the commotion drew the attention of another trainer sitting nearby—Tojo Hana, who naturally noticed from the back rows.
"I wanted to learn more about trainer work, so I applied to listen… um, is it weird?"
"Frankly, in all my years at Tracen, this is my first time seeing an Uma Musume attend this kind of lecture. Though not impossible, it's incredibly rare."
Tojo quickly accepted Kagura's presence, knowing she was a Support Uma.
"By the way, do you know this guy? How'd you two meet? He didn't act inappropriately, did he?"
"Not exactly…? He just asked if he could touch my legs… I refused."
"Good, you've improved—at least you're asking first, not directly grabbing anymore."
With that, Tojo tapped the lollipop weirdo's head with her pen.
"Hey… Hana, at least let me look good in front of a cute student…"
"This is for your own good. Scare off more Uma, and your grades will suffer. Control yourself. Find some trainees next semester—don't waste your talent."
"Yes, ma'am…"
The lollipop weirdo meekly nodded. Kagura felt oddly touched—these two seemed surprisingly close.
"Let me introduce him—Trainer Nishizaki Ryu, also called Okino by colleagues… and this is Inari Kagura, a new student."
"Nice to meet you, Nishizaki-san."
Kagura politely nodded, amused to meet this acquaintance again.
"So Kagura, are you interested in trainer licenses or just curious?"
"For work application, I think."
Actually, Kagura considered eventually obtaining a trainer license herself—another potential future path.
"I see. Well, learning is good, but honestly, Kagura, I'd prefer you focused on running. Your talent is remarkable."
Tojo gently patted Kagura's head.
Kagura silently nodded, noting down Tojo's advice, as the lecture officially began.