"Kagura!"
After lunch, Kagura and Affirmed left their seats and headed for the exit. They had only just reached the front desk area when Nice Nature came jogging over after them, with Trainer Minamizaka strolling up more leisurely behind her.
Kagura and Affirmed stopped by the door as well. Actually, Kagura had been meaning to ask Affirmed whether she had anything else to do that afternoon. If not, she had planned to wait by the entrance for Nice Nature to come out. Judging by this, though, Nice Nature's reservation must have ended at about the same time as hers.
"Done already too, Nature? I thought you'd still be inside eating for a while."
"I came out pretty early! More importantly, Kagura, this lady with you is...?"
What Nice Nature cared about most was who exactly this Umamusume was—the one who had brought Kagura out to eat. Affirmed had already felt the aura attack from Nice Nature earlier, so naturally she understood at once why that was the first thing Nice Nature asked the moment she rushed over.
I've already accomplished what I came for today, and even picked up a few unexpected bonuses... I should stop while I'm ahead and not bother Miss Kagura any further.
Affirmed knew the value of quitting while she was ahead. She smiled at Nice Nature, who was still carrying a hint of wariness, and answered,
"I'm a fan of Kagura-san's. A while back, my companion offended her quite badly because of... certain circumstances, so I invited Kagura-san here for a meal as an apology on our side."
"Yeah, that's about right. And thank you too, Miss Affirmed. This place definitely isn't cheap."
Kagura had originally been planning to explain the situation herself, but since Affirmed had already done it for her, she simply went along with it.
Affirmed smiled and waved it off, then took out her phone and pretended to check the time before suddenly putting on a startled look.
"Oh no... I forgot! I still have something to take care of this afternoon. My apologies, Kagura-san, but I'll have to excuse myself first."
"No need to apologize. If you've got something to do, go take care of it. Thanks for going to all this trouble today~"
"You're welcome~ Then I'll be off! If Kagura-san ever needs anything from me in the future, just DM me directly~"
With that, Affirmed slipped away at once. Only after she had gone a fair distance did Nice Nature edge closer nervously and lightly grab hold of Kagura, looking her up and down as if checking whether she had been hurt.
It had also been the first time in quite a while that Nice Nature had gotten this close to Kagura. She knew Kagura had gotten much taller after honkaku, but only now, up close, did she realize Kagura was already the same height as her—157 centimeters—and even just a tiny bit taller.
"Alright, alright. What are you so worried about, Nice Nature?"
"That tall Umamusume just... gave off a dangerous vibe. I was worried she might bully you, Kagura..."
Seeing that Kagura was perfectly fine, Nice Nature finally let out a sigh of relief.
By then, Trainer Minamizaka had walked over too. He reached up to pat Nice Nature on the head, then looked toward Kagura.
"Good afternoon, Kagura. Nice Nature, be a little careful, alright? Don't grab Kagura and shake her around like that. It'll make things awkward for her."
"Good afternoon, Trainer Minamizaka. I didn't expect to run into you here today. What a funny coincidence."
"Haha, that's what I was thinking too... By the way, how did you end up knowing Affirmed-san, Kagura?"
"It's just because of... some things. Though, Trainer Minamizaka, it sounds like you know who Affirmed-san is?"
Even now, Kagura still did not know exactly what kind of people Affirmed and Seattle were. All she knew was that Seattle was very strong, and while she did not know how strong Affirmed was, Kagura felt she certainly was not weak either. Since Trainer Minamizaka seemed to know her background, Kagura took the chance to ask.
"You could say I've heard of her. A few years ago, when I was still studying in America, I was lucky enough to see a few reports about Affirmed-san. She was America's Triple Crown winner from a few years back, second only to the undefeated Triple Crown champion just before her—Seattle Slew."
"Undefeated Triple Crown...?"
Kagura could not help freezing for a moment. So the race she had won before... had been against someone who had gone undefeated all the way to a Triple Crown?
"What's wrong? You look pretty surprised, Kagura."
"No... I just didn't expect Affirmed-san's real background to be that impressive. For someone who's a Triple Crown winner, she's surprisingly modest and restrained."
After thinking it over, Kagura decided to keep quiet about the fact that she had raced Seattle before. At the same time, she quietly updated her evaluation of her own ability. Maybe there had been reasons for that race—Seattle not being suited to the conditions, or underestimating her—but didn't it still mean, at least to some extent, that Kagura already had the ability to hold her own against Triple Crown-level powerhouses?
"That's true. By the way, Kagura, are you resting today? If you're free this afternoon, how about we all go for a walk in the park and digest a bit?"
As he said this, the hand Trainer Minamizaka had resting on Nice Nature's shoulder discreetly poked her twice. Nice Nature, who had been standing there blankly watching her trainer chat with Kagura, snapped back to attention after a one-second delay and hurriedly nodded.
"Ah! Right! Kagura, let's go for a walk in the park~!"
...
Even though she had been the one to tell Trainer Minamizaka that it had been ages since she had seen Kagura and that she wanted to meet her and chat a little, once they reached the park, Trainer Minamizaka said he had not slept well the night before and wanted to find a place to nap. Then he promptly went off to rest beneath a tree by himself, leaving Nice Nature alone with Kagura.
And the moment it was just the two of them walking together, Nice Nature found herself becoming inexplicably nervous.
Ever since seeing Kagura today, her thoughts had been a complete mess. She had said she wanted to talk, but what exactly did she want to talk about?
Nice Nature did not have any clear answer for that.
Because she felt that as long as she was with Kagura, no matter what they talked about, she would be happy.
"It kind of feels like... ever since the Kikuka Sho, I haven't really seen you much, Kagura."
After thinking for ages, that was finally what Nice Nature managed to say.
"Well, I've been really busy this whole time. Adjusting Rudolf's condition, training, checking the track conditions, gathering information on opponents... A schedule that packed was a first for both me and Rudolf."
Kagura looked completely relaxed as she chatted, and it was obvious she had genuinely come here to take a walk and help her food settle.
"Come to think of it, I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to check in on you, Nature. How's training been going for you recently?"
To Nice Nature's relief, Kagura brought up a topic herself, so Nice Nature no longer had to think about how to start one. It was not as though she could play the weather card at a time like this. Kagura would definitely laugh at her for that.
"It's... it's been fine! Trainer said I've been doing really well, so he brought me out for a meal today so I could relax a little."
"And what about your written exam scores? I haven't been tutoring you lately, so they haven't dropped, have they?"
"They haven't! I was third place on the last one!"
"That's good~ Nature's doing great. Is there any reward you want?"
As she said that, Kagura smiled in satisfaction and reached out to pat Nice Nature lightly on the head twice, like she was rewarding a child who had behaved well.
"Huh? Um... that's... I couldn't trouble you..."
"A little encouragement helps people stay motivated! I can manage some simple wishes~ As long as it's not too outrageous."
"Mm..."
Out of a sense of propriety, Nice Nature wanted to refuse Kagura's offer. But some instinct she did not even understand herself kept her from rejecting the "reward" Kagura had promised.
They walked on a bit farther together before Nice Nature finally, hesitantly, spoke.
"Then... Kagura, could you... um... hug me? I... haven't seen you in such a long time."
"Mhm~ Of course I can. Nature still loves to be spoiled, huh~"
Kagura agreed without hesitation. At her current height, Nice Nature could indeed hug her now without Kagura having to crouch down first.
Spreading her arms, Kagura stepped closer to the still-hesitating Nice Nature and gently wrapped her in a hug. That familiar, reassuring warmth quickly enveloped Nice Nature, leaving her stunned for a moment before she came back to herself and lifted her own arms to hug Kagura back.
Kagura could feel that Nice Nature was hugging her especially tightly this time—so tightly it was starting to hurt a little.
"Hey... Kagura..."
All of a sudden, Nice Nature spoke, softly calling Kagura's name.
"There's something... I want to ask you. Is that okay?"
"Hm? What is it? You can ask me anything, you know. As long as it's something I can answer."
"My roommate asked me something last night. She said... she has someone she likes, but that person is really dense... like a block of wood. How should she tell them how she feels?"
"Oh ho?"
Kagura blinked her bright, watery eyes. The topic definitely surprised her for a second, but then she thought it over. The Umamusume at Tracen were lively girls in the prime of youth, and trainers even had to take special training to avoid getting too close to their runners. Nice Nature's roommate should be around the same age as her, so it really was the age when people started thinking about these things.
"First, she should calm down and ask herself whether she really likes that person. If the answer is yes, then she should ask herself whether she can bear the consequences of 'liking' someone. And if the answer is still yes... then she should work up her courage and tell them directly. That's what I think, anyway... though I'm not sure whether it suits your roommate."
Kagura thought for a moment before giving a perfectly serious answer. She had never been in love herself, but that did not stop her from sounding off about messy things like this. After all, she had seen every kind of oddball there was back at the hospital.
"Uh..."
What Kagura could not see was that Nice Nature, still holding her and leaning against her shoulder, had gone completely red by now—like an overripe persimmon.
"And! Right now you're still in the prime of your racing years, so don't do anything reckless on a moment's impulse that might affect your career! Trainers definitely wouldn't want anything getting in the way of their runners shining on the track, so make sure your roommate thinks it through carefully!"
"O-okay... I'll pass that on to her..."
Ahhh... I knew it... I still can't say it after all!!
After hesitating for a long time, Nice Nature ultimately swallowed back the words that had reached the very tip of her tongue.
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T/N: went from miss to san because they started talking in japanese