Since it wasn't racing season, there weren't many people at Tokyo Racecourse. Most visitors at this time were Uma Musume and their trainers, all unfamiliar faces to Kagura.
Unfortunately, the racecourse staff didn't allow her to actually run on the track. Even if she applied, the closest she'd get was wandering around the spectator area on the outer edges. Kagura understood this well enough—after all, the track required careful maintenance. You couldn't just let anyone clomp around whenever they felt like it. A single glance at Tracen's constantly patched-up turf made it clear just how damaging Uma Musume's feet could be.
She even recalled seeing Akikawa-sama personally hopping onto a roller machine to smooth out the training course, a scene that had genuinely surprised her. Kagura had no idea Akikawa Yayoi had such a quirky skillset.
——Move closer, get a bit closer! Examine it carefully!
Eclipse urged Kagura to approach the track as closely as possible, instructing her to memorize and inspect every detail carefully.
——Look carefully, touch it if you can. Once I recover enough, I'll bring you back here in your dreams to run a few laps!
Eh? You can do that?
Kagura had to admit, Eclipse always came up with something new. Thinking carefully, though, it made sense: last time, Eclipse had already recreated the Niigata track perfectly in her dreams based solely on Kagura's memory—and then soundly defeated her by more than a dozen lengths using a daitō strategy.
Since she had this advantage, Kagura naturally wanted to make use of it. Unfortunately, a fence blocked her from getting too close; at most, she could only touch the outer edge of the track. But Eclipse said that would suffice.
——Why is every modern course's surface so damn hard? It's infuriating! Such stiff ground—might as well run on city pavement! Who takes responsibility if the kids' legs get ruined?
After completing a careful walk around, Kagura had mostly memorized the track layout, and Eclipse seemed to finish memorizing as well. Soon after, Kagura saw Eclipse's complaints pop up on her phone screen.
Kagura had felt it too. Back when she walked around the Symboli estate's track, her feet never ached noticeably. But since coming to Tracen, after running just one lap, she'd clearly noticed increased discomfort. Apparently, it hadn't just been her imagination.
"This course has many long straightaways… the final stretch is really long."
——Perfect for sprinting. Wide curves too—you can accelerate freely without worrying about collisions. Exactly my type. Too bad the ground is still far too stiff.
While Eclipse commented, Kagura scribbled notes in her small notebook. Comparing the characteristics, she quickly recalled Tracen also had a training course very similar to Tokyo Racecourse—not just the long straights, but even that notoriously difficult slope seemed copied directly from here.
Come to think of it, Eclipse-san, have you ever thought about running again?
——Even though I love running, racing without an opponent is too dull. Besides, even if I had a rival now, what could I accomplish with just this spirit body?
Eh... as a spirit, Eclipse-san, don't you have traditional horror-movie skills—like possession or something?
——Just pretend I don't.
Although Eclipse said "no," Kagura sensed that wasn't exactly what she meant.
…
Checking out the track took up Kagura's entire morning. As she made notes, she chatted occasionally with Eclipse. After gathering all the basic information, Kagura thanked the track staff and departed.
She'd expected it might take longer, so she'd asked for the whole day off. Now she had plenty of time left over. Kagura briefly wondered if she should hurry back to catch lunch hour, but glancing at the time, she realized it was already past noon.
Maybe I'll just wander around for a bit?
——How about having lunch at that place over there? Looks tasty.
The very moment Kagura had that thought, Eclipse's words appeared on her screen.
Kagura glanced around. There was only one shop nearby, clearly the one Eclipse meant. Still, Eclipse rarely recommended food, so Kagura found this strange.
Why the sudden recommendation, Eclipse-san? Did something catch your eye inside?
——I don't know what you modern people call it. Look at the second row in the window, third item from the left.
Isn't that just a waffle? Let's see…
Kagura's stomach actually did feel a bit empty, and the warm, rich baking aroma wafting from inside the shop made her hunger more pronounced. But she still couldn't figure out why Eclipse had suddenly recommended this.
Even puzzled, she obediently entered the bakery as Eclipse requested, sitting down and ordering the waffle. Honestly, for someone as frugal as Kagura, the price made her wallet ache slightly.
Did Eclipse-san used to eat waffles? Why recommend it now all of a sudden?
——I ate them while I was alive. Afternoon tea at home… I often saw these around. It's been so long since I've tasted them—I guess I got nostalgic.
Eh… So Eclipse-san asked me to eat because you're craving it yourself? But how does me eating help you?
——You just eat normally. I have my ways.
As soon as Eclipse said this, Kagura felt a cool sensation gently curling around her neck, trailing softly beneath her chin—as though Eclipse had wrapped her arms around her from behind.
Though still not entirely sure what Eclipse intended, Kagura obediently did as instructed. Picking up a freshly-made waffle, she opened her mouth and took a small bite. Immediately, a warm, crisp aroma of buttery sweetness filled her mouth, mingling with the rich taste of honey, instantly lifting her spirits.
——Nicely baked, golden and crispy. Rich fragrance, sweet flavor—this brings back memories.
Eclipse's words appeared quickly on Kagura's phone, clearly in high spirits. Kagura finally understood: Eclipse genuinely was craving waffles and was using some unknown method to share Kagura's senses and taste them.
Does Eclipse-san like waffles that much? I can learn to make them if you want.
——It's just that I haven't seen them for a long time, got a bit nostalgic. But these are desserts—heavy baking, lots of oil—easy to put on weight. Eating occasionally is fine, but if you keep eating them and get fat, that won't do. Forget it, forget it.
Eclipse consciously restrained her desires. Clearly, whenever Eclipse wanted to taste anything, she had to rely entirely on Kagura's mouth, always having to consider Kagura's physical condition. With so many restrictions, Kagura couldn't help feeling a little sorry for her.
Then… Eclipse-san, is there any other food you'd recommend?
——Forget other stuff. Aside from afternoon tea snacks, there's nothing else I'm willing to mention.
Kagura sensed subtle helplessness hidden between Eclipse's lines.
Enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea with Eclipse—something Eclipse hadn't experienced for who-knows-how-long—left Kagura in a bright mood herself. Judging by Eclipse's messages, she seemed cheerful as well.
Thinking she'd like to prepare it herself sometime, Kagura asked the young bakery owner for the waffle recipe. The cheerful young woman enthusiastically explained the process, and given Kagura's solid cooking foundations, she grasped it quickly.
"Oh, by the way, cute young lady… I've been wondering, are you perhaps Inari_Kagura-sensei?"
As their conversation shifted from recipes to casual chat, the owner suddenly mentioned Kagura's username. Kagura's eyes widened slightly in surprise—she was sure she'd never shown her face in her videos.
"I've always followed your cooking channel! I recognized you from Curren-chan's recent post... ehehe~ I didn't expect sensei to be such a cute girl! Can I take a photo with you?"
Oh right—I nearly forgot about Curren-chan... that makes sense now.
Kagura's confusion vanished immediately. Clearly, Curren-chan's influence was stronger than she'd realized. Still, finding fans out here amazed her—her follower count was just around forty or fifty thousand, and many were clearly Chinese netizens. Running into a fan randomly made her feel just how small the world is.
As for photos, Kagura didn't mind, so she agreed. After snapping a cheerful selfie with the enthusiastic bakery owner, she said her goodbyes and left.
——Oh, seems you're more famous than I thought. So uploading videos every day really does build up fans?
Eclipse-san, what kind of comment is that...? Of course, that's why I upload videos.
Checking the time on her phone, Kagura realized it was about time to head back. Planning her route toward the nearest station, she briefly glanced at her Umastagram.
Initially just intending to see the owner's post, Kagura stared blankly at her follower count, which had suddenly doubled, surpassing a hundred thousand. For a second, she seriously wondered if there was a bug in the app:
"Eh?"