Surrounded by waves of cheers, Kagura stepped off the track and entered the exit tunnel.
She had barely taken two steps into the dim corridor—her eyes still adjusting—when someone suddenly threw their arms around her.
"Kagura!! You were so cool just now!! You left the others so far behind they couldn't even see your shadow!"
"Wah!? …Nature? Why are you here?"
Kagura distinctly remembered that this area should have been off-limits. She could already hear the chatter of trainers gathering outside the tunnel. The moment she stepped out, she'd be greeted by a horde worthy of a zombie movie.
"Director Akikawa saw me livestreaming, so she specially approved me to come in and meet you!"
Having hugged Kagura for quite some time, Nice Nature finally noticed Kagura's confused expression. Puffing out her chest proudly, she pointed at the active camera mounted on her shoulder.
Kagura blinked, staring at the little device—still turned on. Then she looked back at Nature's smug face, and asked cautiously:
"Nature… are you planning to livestream the whole minute you've been hugging me? Your camera is still on…"
"Eh?"
Nature froze. She glanced down at the camera—yep, the power light was very much on.
She hurriedly pulled out her phone. Sure enough, the call with Wudi-san was still live; on the screen, Wudi was watching with a helpless smile.
"Nature-san, I understand you're very close with Kagura-meimei and very happy she won… but hugging her like that during a live stream might be a bit…"
"Waaaah!? I—I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to!!"
Watching Nature panic, Wudi-san couldn't help laughing. In truth, the audience reaction was entirely positive. The livestream barrage had exploded with:
[Whoa!! First-person POV hugging Kagura-sensei! Worth every cent!!]
[Kagura-sensei looks so cute even without makeup… amazing!]
[Kagura-sensei getting startled is adorable!]
[Wudi-meimei, flustered Nature-san, and Kagura-sensei—too cute!!]
Several Super Chats even appeared.
"Since the camera's still on, I'll go ahead and say a few words."
Kagura smiled at the lens and switched to Japanese.
"To everyone overseas watching through Wudi-san—thank you for supporting my selection race stream. I'll keep running forward so I don't disappoint any of you."
"But time's a bit tight right now. I still have to go greet the trainers outside, so I can't chat much. I'll open a stream another day when I have time—please understand~"
She then rose slightly on her toes, gave the camera a sweet smile, waved goodbye, and helped Nature shut the camera off, disconnecting the call as well.
Only after double-checking everything was off did Nature finally exhale. Then she glanced shyly at Kagura:
"Uh… Kagura… that just now was really an accident… but um… can I hug you again?"
"You silly girl… You just hugged me for over a minute and still aren't satisfied? We have to deal with the trainers outside now. If our roommates don't mind, we can meet in your dorm or mine tonight. How's that?"
"Really? My roommate won't be back tonight!"
Nature leaned in, hands lightly gripping Kagura's shoulders as if to confirm it.
"Really~ If she's not there, we'll go to your dorm. Careful now, I'm opening the door. There'll be lots of people."
Still smiling, Kagura reached for the door—
"Kagura-san is coming out!! Kagura-san is out!!"
The moment she opened it, a swarm of trainers—far more than those who had gathered for Nature's own selection race—rushed forward. Even Kagura was mildly stunned. She'd heard that after Rudolf-ojousama's selection race, only a handful had dared approach her. Nature's crowd had also been tiny and timid or wildly overenthusiastic. But this? This flood was something else entirely.
What Kagura didn't know was that her reputation among Tracen's trainers had already exploded.
To trainers, Kagura's independence bordered on terrifying:
—She managed her own training.
—She planned her own schedules.
—She studied running strategies on her own.
—She handled her own life flawlessly.
—She could even decide race plans confidently.
To trainers, she was the mythical "fully automatic Uma Musume"—the kind who produced results just by being assigned to a team. No wonder so many had let go of their reservations.
"Ah… thanks, Nature."
Just as the crowd surged forward, Nature immediately stepped ahead of Kagura, blocking the first wave of trainers with her body.
"No problem! You protected me before—now it's my turn!"
"Fufu~ then I'll trouble you a bit longer. I'll be fast!"
Even if Kagura didn't know the rumors circulating about her, none of it affected her now. Peering over the crowd from behind Nature, she spotted Trainer Tojo on the edge of the group, watching her with the proud expression of a parent seeing their child grow up.
Trainer Tojo-san is over there…
Once she'd confirmed where Tojo-san was, Kagura stepped out from behind Nature and bowed politely to the surrounding trainers.
"Sorry. I'm grateful for everyone's support, but could you please not block the exit? Could you make a path for me?"
She raised her voice just enough for everyone to hear.
The trainers hesitated—clearly wanting to speak but held still by Kagura's gentle gaze. One by one, guilt softened their expressions, and they obediently made way for her.
Kagura walked through the parted crowd, her every step watched intently. She stopped before Trainer Tojo-san and looked up at her.
"Tojo-san, did my performance just now prove that I'm qualified to join your team?"
"If anything… I'm the one who should wonder whether I'm qualified to accept you. Are you sure you want to choose my team?"
Trainer Tojo laughed slightly, flustered. Faced with Kagura's formal, earnest question, even someone with her years of experience felt momentarily overwhelmed.
Is this… what those trainers call a reversed nomination…?
Honestly, even Tojo—who had been in this industry for years—felt a bit insecure when Kagura nominated her. Kagura's performance had been so brilliant that it made her doubt whether she could guide this prodigy properly.
"I'm sure. I trust in your ability and your character, Tojo-san."
"Alright… Then come to my office in a bit and sign the contract papers. Welcome to my team, Inari Kagura. I'll do everything I can to pave the way for your future."
Amid the envious stares of the surrounding trainers, Tojo extended her hand.
Kagura reached out her own.
Their hands met—lightly, firmly.
---
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