"Eleven years old, not yet fully awakened, and already possessing such speed and stamina. Should I say she truly lives up to being the Head of the Symboli Family? Her eye for talent is truly unique."
While Inari Kagura watched Maruzensky train by the Racecourse, Rudolph Symbol walked towards Tojo Hana to ask about Kagura's performance.
"No wonder you're so invested. Have you already discussed bringing that child to Tracen with the Head of the Family?"
"...No, I'm still thinking about how to talk to that old woman about it. I heard from the other maids at home that she's very caring, diligent, gentle, and meticulous. My old woman is very fond of her, so I don't know if she'll let me take her away."
"Your relationship with the Head of the Family is still so bad, huh? Do you dislike her that much? She's your grandmother, after all, isn't she?"
Hearing Rudolph Symbol refer to her grandmother as "that old woman" three times in a long speech, Tojo Hana knew that Rudolph Symbol still hadn't actively tried to mend her strained relationship with the Head of the Family.
"It's not dislike… It's just some past issues. She interferes a bit too much. Although it's not with ill intent, being so hands-on shows a lack of trust, and I… don't really like it."
Rudolph Symbol knew why Speed Symboli always fussed over her. In the past, during the period when her temper was bad, she caused a lot of trouble, and Speed Symboli was always there to clean up her messes. Now that she was more mature and independent, Speed Symboli still treated her like the volatile younger sister she used to be.
"Speaking of which, there's something strange. That old woman used to chase after me every day, asking this and that. But she hasn't contacted me much lately… And when she does, it's just to ask how I'm doing, telling me not to overwork myself, things like that…"
"Oh? That sounds like a good thing for you, doesn't it? Maybe she's had a change of heart?"
"That old woman has been the same for so many years, why would she suddenly have a change of heart recently?"
Rudolph Symbol said, chin in hand, a little incredulously.
After a moment of thought, Rudolph Symbol's gaze drifted into the distance, where she saw Maruzensky trying to pick up Inari Kagura, and Inari Kagura running around the Racecourse, trying to escape.
Counting back, Speed Symboli had said she found Inari Kagura collapsed at the Symboli Family's doorstep a little over a month ago. If Inari Kagura had influenced Speed Symboli during this time, the timing would match up.
'Could such a small child influence that stubborn old woman?'
...Rudolph Symbol and the others still had to train, and with this young lady having arranged a day off for herself today, Kagura was temporarily free. She had the opportunity to wander around this school.
Inari Kagura, feeling refreshed after her run, hummed a little tune as she left the training grounds. She was actually a bit puzzled by her good mood. She didn't recall herself as someone who loved exercise, even being the type to get out of breath after just a few movements. But ever since she became an Uma Musume, not only was she not tired, but she even felt a little happy when running?
'Is running something that makes people very happy…? Why didn't I feel this way before? Could this be an instinct of the Uma Musume species?'
Although she was curious, Kagura thought it wasn't a bad thing.
Ever since she met Excellent Quality, that good child, Kagura had been curious about the Uma Musume's cultural curriculum for a long time. Now that she finally had the chance to visit a top Uma Musume academy, she wanted to go to the Teaching Building to see what Uma Musume's classes were like. So, after leaving the training grounds, she kept walking towards the building that looked like a Teaching Building.
She wasn't sure if it was because Uma Musume's senses were more acute or for some other unknown reason, but shortly after Kagura approached the Teaching Building, she felt as if someone was following her. She also clearly spotted the person out of the corner of her eye. She heightened her vigilance, pretending she didn't know, intentionally changed her route to take a detour, and then used the reflections in several iron bulletin boards by the Teaching Building to see the person following her.
'Who are these people…?'
Kagura saw the person following her. They seemed to be the same type as Tojo Hana: a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses, looking serious to the point of being stern.
She felt quite depressed. She was just an eleven or twelve-year-old child now. She couldn't think of any value she, a penniless undocumented person, could have that would warrant being followed. Surely, they weren't interested in her in *that* way, were they?
'Sigh… Sometimes, walking alone is really helpless.'
—The person behind you should be a Trainer. He was already watching you from a distance when you were running with your young lady and the others over there.
Suddenly, Kagura saw a line of white, misty text appear on the bulletin board. She remembered that she wasn't exactly alone; Eclipse had been with her the whole time.
'I don't understand why someone would follow me. Miss Eclipse, do you think that person can be trusted?'
Inari Kagura, pretending to look at the bulletin board, asked Eclipse in her mind. She heard that the person behind her had also stopped moving, seemingly paused.
—Here, at least he won't do anything too extreme. I assume he followed you because he saw your run just now. He's probably trying to recruit you.
'I'm still so young, and what's there to recruit about me, a rookie who came in last…?'
—It's precisely *because* you're so young that he's here! You silly child, can't you have a little confidence in your own abilities…? Sigh, anyway, that's my guess. Whether you choose to turn around and respond or run away is up to you.
After this sentence, no more words appeared on the bulletin board. It seemed Eclipse had no intention of providing any more hints.
Inari Kagura wasn't too keen on dealing with the person behind her. She hadn't even found her footing in this world yet and didn't want to get into any trouble. As for recruitment, she didn't even understand the specific workings of a team. For now, she only knew that Trainers formed teams to take Uma Musume to participate in races, but these things didn't concern her at the moment. Firstly, she wasn't old enough, and secondly, she was still an undocumented person.
After much thought, Inari Kagura decided to ignore the person following her. She decided to go into the Teaching Building first. If the person still followed her inside, she would accelerate and shake them off.
However, just as Kagura was about to step away from the bulletin board, she heard the man behind her call out:
"Little sister over there, please wait a moment."
"...Is there something I can help you with?"
She considered whether to run away immediately, but after thinking that the other person hadn't shown any bad intentions yet, Kagura ultimately abandoned the idea and turned to face the man.
"I just saw your run. Your footsteps were light and agile, like a shadow, elegant yet powerful. I haven't seen a child with as much talent as you in a long time, little sister. With your talent, you will surely shine brightly on the Racecourse."
"..."
Inari Kagura raised her eyebrows, looking up at the person who was much taller than her, waiting for her to continue.
"So, I want to scout you. Are you willing to join my team?"
"Uh… Sir, I'm not a Tracen student. I'm just here to visit on an open day."
"That doesn't matter. If you're willing, I can help you apply for Tracen's entrance exam. With your talent, Little Kagura, passing the test will absolutely not be a problem."
The tall man in the suit gave Inari Kagura a gentle smile, quietly waiting for her reply.
"I don't think it's quite right…"
"Are you worried about not having an identity?"
'How is that possible?! This person investigated me!?'
Inari Kagura tried her best to suppress her surprised expression. She was certain she had never seen this person before; today was definitely their first meeting. How did this person know she was undocumented?
"If you, Little Kagura, agree to join my team, your identity, admission, none of these will be a problem. You will also get your own residence and income."
"Who are you… What are your conditions? What price do I have to pay?"
Inari Kagura narrowed her eyes at the man. It was clear that this person was not simple. Even though she was not yet familiar with the Trainer profession, she could tell that this person was not an ordinary Trainer at all. To be able to offer such conditions so casually, if he wasn't bluffing, it should only be a powerful family like the Symboli Family.
The conditions he offered did sound tempting. If Inari Kagura was truly only eleven years old, like her body suggested, she might have impulsively agreed. But she didn't believe anyone would give her such great help for no reason.
"Oh… You're asking that question first? Little Kagura, you're not as naive as you look…"
It seemed the other party was also a bit surprised, but he adjusted quickly. He leaned down slightly, closer to Kagura, and lowered his voice:
"I am a Trainer from the Mejiro Family, representing the Mejiro Family. The Mejiro Family wants to adopt you. If you agree, you will become an Uma Musume of the Mejiro Family. Once you are old enough, you will represent the Mejiro Family in races. The Mejiro Family will provide you with as much material support as possible. Please rest assured, if you fail to achieve results in races, the Mejiro Family will not hold it against you."
"The Mejiro Family…"
Inari Kagura had heard Speed Symboli mention this family. Like the Symboli Family, the Mejiro Family was also a very powerful and influential family. Although they had a somewhat competitive relationship with the Symboli Family, Old Mejiro and Speed Symboli's relationship was still quite good.
On the surface, the conditions offered by the other party were no different from charity. Inari Kagura couldn't understand why such a prominent family would take an interest in her.
"It's alright, Little Kagura. We will have another chance to meet very soon. You can take your time to think it over. It's not too late to consider whether to agree next time."
Seeing that Kagura seemed very conflicted, the man didn't pester her. He bowed slightly to Kagura and then left.