"Surprise! Kagura-chan cooked lunch in the cafeteria?!"
After finishing a satisfying meal and leaving the cafeteria, Kagura parted ways with Rudolf and prepared to bring lunch to Nature. Along the way, she ran into Akikawa Yayoi, who looked like she was on her way to inspect the cafeteria. When Yayoi learned she had just missed Kagura's cooking, she appeared truly regretful.
"Will there be dinner tonight? I can bring fresh ingredients!"
Under Akikawa Yayoi's pitiful gaze, Kagura couldn't bear to refuse. She agreed to call her over for dinner later. Conveniently, Kagura now had a phone, so she exchanged contact info with the director as well.
She learned that Yayoi had her own garden within Tracen, where she personally grew all her ingredients. As for their quality, Rudolf had at least given them high praise, but Kagura decided she'd judge for herself when the time came.
Leaving the cafeteria area, Kagura leisurely headed back to Ritto Dorm. She still remembered Nature's dorm number clearly, and following her memory, she knocked on the door.
"Coming!"
A familiar voice responded swiftly from inside, followed by the rapid patter of footsteps. Soon, the door swung open, revealing Nature standing before Kagura, inexplicably dressed only in underwear.
"Uh…Nature, while I understand the desire to relax during holidays, about your current state…did you just wake up?"
Kagura's eyebrows twitched, momentarily unsure where to start with her criticism.
It was already past noon. Although Kagura herself had occasionally been lazy during her school holidays in her previous life, she'd never stayed in bed until midday.
"S-sorry! I… accidentally stayed up late reading novels last night…"
Nature instantly became flustered, blushing and stammering apologetically.
In truth, Nature had quite strong housekeeping skills, evident from how tidy and neat her dorm room was. It was just that whenever Kagura was around, Nature unconsciously became dependent.
"Alright, alright. I brought you lunch. Hurry up and get dressed and wash your face."
Seeing that Kagura had no intention of lecturing further, Nature felt as if she'd received a pardon, quickly darting back into her room, grabbing clothes from the closet, throwing them on hastily, then slipping into the bathroom.
Kagura stepped into the dorm, noting Nature's roommate apparently hadn't moved in yet—the other bed was completely bare, unlike hers, which had at least some bedding. Besides the standard furnishings, the room felt empty apart from a small table Nature had brought along herself.
"Smells so good~ I can smell taro radish cake!"
Nature emerged from the bathroom and immediately caught a whiff of the aroma, her petite frame shivering in excitement. Having eaten Kagura's cooking so often, she could instantly identify from smell alone that this meal was filled entirely with her favorite dishes.
"Yep. You said you loved it, so I specially made it for you."
"Yay! Kagura, you're the best! I love you so much!"
Nature eagerly dashed over to sit at the small table with Kagura, immediately giving her a big, tight hug.
"You silly kid… hey, don't eat too quickly! I brought soup as well—drink some first!"
Watching Nature rapidly wolf down the food, Kagura couldn't help but remind her gently, concerned she'd choke from eating so fast.
Uma Musume naturally ate quickly—even those with smaller appetites. Within minutes, Nature had cleaned up every bite Kagura had brought.
"Amazing~ Kagura's cooking is always so delicious. How do you do it every single time?"
"I rely entirely on intuition~ I'm glad you liked it."
Although Nature could easily have gone to the cafeteria herself, Kagura still preferred cooking personally for her.
With no particular schedule during her summer holiday and no training yet, Nature quickly found herself at loose ends after finishing the meal.
Kagura considered giving Nature some lessons but decided it was unnecessary this early into vacation, so she didn't bring it up.
"Let's go running!"
When Kagura asked what Nature wanted to do today, she received an answer that slightly surprised her.
"Well, I've never gone running with Kagura before, so I'm a bit curious about how it feels."
"Didn't you say you wanted to relax during the holidays?"
Kagura herself didn't mind running a few laps; she was just curious why Nature suddenly proposed this idea.
"Running counts as relaxation too, right? Besides, I quite like it."
Although Kagura couldn't fully understand Uma Musume's interests, the hottest part of the day had passed, so she figured going for a run wouldn't hurt and agreed.
Nature quickly changed into sportswear for convenience, while Kagura, having not yet received a school or sports uniform, could only run in her maid outfit.
As the afternoon sun had mellowed considerably, the track saw several Uma Musume who stayed on campus for training. As Kagura and Nature approached, they coincidentally encountered Rudolf, Maruzensky, and their trainer, Tojo Hana, warming up beside the track.
"Good afternoon, Kagura. Did you come here today to run with a friend?"
"Yes, Nature said she wanted to run together, so here we are."
Kagura nodded politely toward Tojo Hana, who paused thoughtfully before turning her attention to Nature.
"You're Nice Nature-san, right? Have you had any previous running training? Are you confident in a specific distance or running style?"
"Huh? Me? Umm…usually, I run about 2000 meters. As for running style, I'm not really sure."
Nature paused, looking uncertain as she answered hesitantly.
"I see. Then, Nice Nature-san, I have a small request. Could you perhaps run a mock race against Kagura-san, using training-race standards?"