"Huh? Kagura-san, why did you change into those clothes for bed tonight?"
Before going to sleep, Ardan noticed Kagura had emerged from the bath wearing something she'd never normally wear. The only other time Ardan had seen Kagura in that exquisite outfit was during the New Year's shrine visit—it certainly didn't look like something suitable for sleeping.
"Well…"
Kagura wasn't quite sure how to explain. Normal people certainly wouldn't consider a miko outfit as pajamas, and she couldn't exactly reveal Eclipse's existence to Ardan. After a brief pause, she replied with:
"I'm not really sure myself. Just…a sudden whim? I guess I wanted to see what it feels like to sleep in these clothes."
It was an all-purpose excuse. After all, something done on a whim could explain just about anything.
"I… I see…"
Ardan tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled, but chose not to pry further. Whims were unpredictable things, after all, and she respected Kagura's choice and privacy.
Kagura-san is sleeping unusually early tonight…
Normally, Kagura would stay up until around 11:30, but tonight she'd crawled into bed just past ten. She didn't even spend her usual time scrolling through cooking videos to lull herself to sleep, nor did she chat with Ardan as usual. Before Ardan even stood up to turn off the lights, Kagura was already breathing softly, fast asleep.
Ardan lay on her own bed, idly scrolling through her phone as usual, intending to go to sleep soon herself. But as she paused briefly, she found herself inadvertently glancing at Kagura's sleeping figure again. Kagura always slept quietly, rarely tossing and turning unless she was having nightmares.
Ah! Why am I staring…?
Realizing she'd spaced out, Ardan suddenly snapped back to attention, quickly checking the time on her phone. She'd spent nearly five minutes just staring blankly.
Flustered, she lightly slapped her own cheeks to snap out of it, deciding it was definitely time to sleep. As she got up to turn off the lights, she again found her gaze drawn back to Kagura. She had to admit—the miko outfit truly suited Kagura wonderfully. Even asleep, Ardan couldn't help but steal another glance.
No! What am I doing?! Time to sleep!
Realizing how rude she was being, Ardan bit her lip and finally flicked the room's lights off. Climbing quickly back into her bed, she curled up under the blankets like a little caterpillar, pressing her slightly overheated cheeks into the cool fabric, hoping to calm herself down.
"Ugh… what am I even thinking… Sleep, sleep…"
A whirlpool of confusing thoughts swirled in her head, and Ardan simply hugged her blankets tighter, insisting she should sleep, while her legs unconsciously tightened their hold around the covers.
In this distracted, confused state, she eventually drifted off into sleep.
...
"Easy there, child… Relax, yes… just like that."
In her dreams, Kagura heard a familiar voice softly murmuring beside her. Gentle fingers combed slowly through her hair.
Her mind floated aimlessly for a moment before awareness returned. Opening her eyes, Kagura immediately met Eclipse's crimson gaze. Seeing Kagura awaken, Eclipse's eyes crinkled happily into a smile:
"Awake now? Welcome to Nakayama Racecourse."
"Ah…"
Kagura tilted her head slightly and realized she was resting comfortably on Eclipse's lap. They sat together in the empty grandstands of Nakayama, Kagura sprawled across a few seats, her head supported by Eclipse.
Today, Eclipse wasn't dressed in her usual miko outfit. Instead, she wore a striking red garment trimmed with elegant golden embroidery, reminiscent of medieval European royalty. Kagura's curiosity piqued immediately. She knew Eclipse was British, and that she'd once been an exceptional racer, but otherwise knew nothing about her.
"Hmm? Curious about my past identity, are you? If I put it into your terms… perhaps something akin to a princess? My father was indeed a prince, after all."
Eclipse sensed Kagura's unspoken curiosity and decided there was no point in hiding it, directly providing the answer she sought.
"Eh? Eclipse-san, you were royalty!?"
Startled by Eclipse's casual revelation, Kagura momentarily froze.
Gently lifting Kagura from her lap into a sitting position, Eclipse gave her a moment to adjust before speaking again.
"Status, royalty—all those superficial things matter little now. Instead, let's focus on you. So, same as usual, right? Want to familiarize yourself with the course first, or shall we start the run immediately?"
"Oh—uh, let's start directly. I've already thoroughly analyzed the course. Now all that's left is practice."
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Eclipse snapped her fingers, and Kagura's vision blurred. When clarity returned, she and Eclipse stood side-by-side on the racetrack itself.
Having done this before, Kagura smoothly entered the starting gate, taking up a proper stance. Eclipse entered the neighboring stall, leaning forward into position.
"Clear weather, course condition good. Grass track, distance 2000 meters…"
Kagura listened intently as Eclipse described the conditions. Her eyes locked firmly on the gate ahead, waiting for Eclipse to finish speaking and signal the start of their race.
Clang!
As Eclipse's final words faded, the gates snapped open with a crisp metallic sound. Kagura, fully focused, shot forward without a single moment of hesitation—
"Well done! A perfect start! Looks like your recent practice really paid off~"
Eclipse praised Kagura warmly. Due to her longer stride, Eclipse quickly pulled slightly ahead, steadily widening the gap at a speed that left Kagura slightly incredulous.
I've gotten noticeably faster lately, yet Eclipse-san is still pulling away this easily? Does that mean Eclipse-san's been deliberately matching my growth all along? Was she actually holding back before?
With the experience she'd gained lately, Kagura swiftly deduced that Eclipse was maintaining precisely the same comfortable lead as before—even though Kagura had improved. It was as though Eclipse effortlessly adjusted her own speed to always remain just slightly ahead.
"You know your stamina can easily handle 2000 meters, so how fast you want to go is entirely up to you."
"Eclipse-san! You're definitely holding back, aren't you!?"
"Oh? You noticed I was taking it easy?"
Eclipse seemed entirely unbothered by her little secret being exposed. Rather, with Kagura's accumulated experience, she'd be more concerned if Kagura hadn't noticed by now.
"Yes. After my recent experiences, I realized you were also holding back during our last run, weren't you?"
"Well, that hardly matters now~ Today I'll teach you something useful. You've never tried jockeying for position against other Uma Musume, right? How about experiencing that today?"
"Huh?"
Surprised, Kagura momentarily lost her rhythm as Eclipse slowed down to run side-by-side with her.
"I don't know if you'll face situations like this often, but you should familiarize yourself with them. After all, your Ojousama's running style inevitably puts her in constant battles for track position. If you find yourself boxed in or someone sticks persistently by your side, you must know how to handle it. Pay attention—no spacing out!"
...
After their first lap, Kagura unsurprisingly lost again. Despite desperately pushing her limits, Eclipse effortlessly maintained a consistent sixteen-length lead until they crossed the finish line.
Clearly, Eclipse hadn't even approached her top speed. Her precise and relaxed management of that gap alone showed how much she was still holding back.
Yet what Eclipse didn't reveal was that maintaining this exact distance was previously utterly effortless—Kagura hadn't posed any challenge then. But tonight, Eclipse had felt a hint of strain. Kagura had undeniably grown stronger. Though still far from Eclipse's true capability, Kagura now genuinely qualified as strong.
But the race results themselves mattered little to Kagura. Far more valuable were the tactical insights Eclipse shared during that lap: practical methods for track positioning, unique strategies, and tactics that only Kagura, with her immense stamina, could reliably execute.
"…Some of these tactics are exclusive to you. Not everyone has your stamina reserves. Swinging to the outer track or making sudden movements might exhaust other Uma Musume very quickly. Don't ever try teaching your Ojousama these moves, alright?"
"Obviously—I'm not stupid, Eclipse-san."
"Good~ Glad you understand. By the way, didn't you also plan to practice special techniques for slopes and curves? How about another two laps to reinforce what you've just learned?"
"Yes!"
---
everyone is on vacation so no character notes this week
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