"Hmm..." Nearl gently rubbed her ear, a faint look of discomfort on her face, while seated beside her was a deeply apologetic Komori.
Clearly, the startled shriek upon seeing Oguri Cap had done quite a number on Nearl's ears.
After taking some time to settle things down, Matron Komori invited Oguri Cap to the reception room for a break and apologized for her earlier outburst.
"I apologize for my loss of composure earlier. I simply never expected to see the legendary Oguri Cap right before my eyes and couldn't contain my excitement. Please forgive me."
Komori bowed earnestly in apology, while Oguri Cap sat rigidly upright, her face stern, giving off an intensely serious vibe.
'Oh no, what should I do? That stern look on Oguri's face… does it mean she won't forgive me?'
Seeing Oguri Cap's severe expression, Komori felt cold sweat beginning to form, her smile growing increasingly strained.
Noticing Komori's silence, Oguri Cap's expression grew even more serious, her back straightening further.
Komori felt like bursting into tears.
'Does this child have a problem with me? Why is she looking even sterner? Is she still upset? Or does she think my apology isn't sincere enough?'
The two of them remained locked in this awkward standoff.
By the time Nearl had recovered, she was met with this painfully stiff scene—the two of them staring each other down as if in some contest, each sitting more formally than the other.
Resting her forehead in her hand, Nearl felt a headache coming on.
"Matron Komori, there's no need to be so formal. Oguri isn't the type to hold a grudge. Your seriousness might have given her the wrong idea."
Turning toward Oguri Cap, Nearl shot her a look that said, 'Say something, will you?'
Catching Nearl's hint, Oguri Cap nodded to show she understood, took a deep breath, then clenched her hands over her chest as though psyching herself up.
Seeing this, Nearl's instincts screamed that something was off.
"Wait—"
But before Nearl could rise to stop her, Oguri Cap spoke up with utmost seriousness.
"Please entrust Margaret to me. I want to take her to someone dear to me."
"…"
"…"
Silence fell over the room. The air grew thick and heavy, and Komori's expression froze like a mask.
Nearl's lips parted slightly. Countless thoughts swirled in her mind, yet words failed her. In the end, all her racing thoughts condensed into one clear realization.
'I should've known. Oguri has no idea how to say what normal people would say.'
Resigned, Nearl folded her ears down and covered them tightly with her hands. A moment later, a bewildered shriek echoed through the entire meeting room.
"Whaaaat?!"
--+--
After Nearl's patient explanation, Matron Komori finally began to grasp what Oguri Cap had meant.
"So you're saying that after she learned you plan to become an Uma Musume, she wanted to introduce you to her former trainer?"
Nearl sighed helplessly. "Yes, that's just how Oguri is. Her thoughts and words are straightforward—whatever she says, you can take at face value."
As she explained this to the Matron, Nearl didn't notice Oguri Cap's ears twitch slightly forward.
Once she'd finally calmed down, the Matron realized something: how did her dear child come to know the famous Oguri Cap? And why were they so close that Oguri would even recommend her own trainer?
"Little Nearl, could you tell me how you and Oguri Cap met? You seem very close, enough that she'd refer her trainer to you."
"Matron Komori, could you please just call me by my name? 'Little Nearl' really isn't appropriate."
A faint blush spread across Nearl's cheeks. While the nickname was tolerable in private, being called that in front of others was a bit much for her.
"Hehe, so our little one is shy, is she? Answer my question properly, and I'll consider it."
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap had pulled a pork floss bun from her large bag and begun munching away.
After a moment's thought, Nearl dug up the memory of how she and Oguri Cap first met.
"Honestly, it was quite ordinary—just a chance encounter. I was out running when I came across Oguri on the road. She looked really hungry, so I gave her the breakfast I had with me. After that, I kept running into her in the same spot. We went back and forth like that and eventually became friends."
Through a mouthful of yakisoba, Oguri Cap chimed in, "But the food Margaret gave me was delicious! And it filled me up!"
"I'm glad you liked my cooking, Oguri."
Truth be told, that breakfast had been Nearl's first attempt at infusing ingredients with her light. Since the energy had little effect on herself, she hadn't hesitated to give it to the hungry Oguri Cap when she heard her stomach growling.
But that experiment also proved to her that this method worked—her radiance could merge with food and enter another's body, filling it with energy. Oguri Cap had said just one portion was enough to leave her full.
After that, every time Nearl went out for training, she'd run into Oguri Cap—almost as if the latter was lying in wait.
Oguri never said much, simply jogging along quietly beside Nearl. But the pitiful sounds coming from her stomach during their runs were too much for Nearl to ignore, so she started bringing an extra portion of food for Oguri every day.
After a while, Oguri began striking up conversations. A bit later, she invited Nearl to her home, and Nearl accepted.
At Oguri's home, Nearl met her mother—a remarkable woman with graying white hair, gentle and kind, almost excessively so. She asked Nearl all sorts of questions about Oguri, leaving Nearl feeling a bit overwhelmed at the time.
That visit also helped Nearl understand Oguri a little better, and their friendship deepened. The conditions at Oguri's home were far from ideal—the furniture and walls were worn and shabby. Out of concern for her friend, Nearl promised Oguri's mother that she would look after Oguri.
And she kept her word. From that day on, Nearl prepared three meals a day for Oguri using ingredients infused with her light, delivering them during their daily meetings.
Oguri loved to run, often tearing her clothes and getting them covered in mud and dust. Nearl would always help wash and mend them.
She even took it upon herself to coach Oguri's daily training, using knowledge she'd picked up about being a trainer.
This care continued for a long time, only easing up after Oguri enrolled at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, where food and lodging were no longer a concern.
"So that's how you two met."
Nearl and Oguri Cap—now munching on a hamburger—both nodded.
Matron Komori trusted Nearl deeply and usually didn't pry too closely into her life. Meanwhile, out of respect for Oguri's pride, Nearl had never gone out of her way to mention their friendship to others. That's why the Matron had known so little about Nearl having a friend outside the academy.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.