After buying Kagura yet another pile of clothes, the two Umamusume finally made their way out of the clothing store, arms full of bags and swaying a little under the load.
Kagura was still wearing the very first outfit Ardan had picked out for her. She had originally wanted to change out of it, but Ardan seemed to like that set so much that she absolutely refused to let Kagura take it off, so in the end Kagura just kept it on and followed along at Ardan's side.
Ardan could tell that with Kagura walking beside her like this, a lot more people around them were turning to look. There was no need to think too hard about why. After all, when Ardan used to stroll around by herself, she had never attracted this much attention.
"One shopping trip and we bought so many clothes... I should've brought my little cart."
It was not as though an Umamusume would ever run into the problem of buying so much that she physically could not carry it. Kagura's situation right now was really just that she had gone from being a tiny short girl to being a somewhat taller short girl. No matter how much strength she had, there was still only so much two hands could hold. Even if she had all the strength in the world, she could not carry more than her hands had room for.
"Hehe~ You really don't shop enough, Kagura. I'd already guessed this would happen, so before we came in, I called Butler-ojiisan and had him drive over to take us back to Tracen."
"Ah... is it really okay to trouble Butler-ojiisan over something this small?"
Because she had stayed with the Mejiro Family for a while and been well looked after by the staff there, Kagura knew the household servants too. Just thinking that something this minor had made the old butler come all the way out to pick her up made her feel a little embarrassed.
"Ardan-ojousama, I've finally found you."
Before Ardan could answer, Kagura heard the old butler's familiar voice from behind them.
"Good afternoon, Butler-ojiisan. Have you had lunch yet?"
"Thank you for your concern, Ardan-ojousama. I've already eaten; lunch at the house just ended... I heard you and Kagura-san bought quite a lot of things, so... where is Kagura-san right now? Is this young lady a friend of yours, Ardan-ojousama? What family is she from...?"
The old butler looked at the Umamusume girl standing beside Ardan. She had a gentle, refined air about her, and every little movement she made seemed to radiate grace and intelligence. At the same time, though, she also gave him an oddly familiar feeling.
"Pfft... Butler-ojiisan, I'm the one you're looking for~ Hehe~"
Watching the old butler study her in curiosity, Kagura could not help lifting a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed.
One look at his expression, and Kagura knew he definitely had not recognized her. But that was only normal. The changes brought by honkaku really had been huge, and now Ardan had dressed her in a style she would never normally wear on top of that.
"Ah? Y-you... you're Kagura-san!?"
Looking at the girl before him, who resembled some aristocratic young lady, the old butler simply could not connect her with the sweet little country girl from not long ago.
"It's me. I just hit honkaku recently, so I look a bit different now, right?"
The old butler still looked like he could hardly believe it, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized that the girl's bearing really was exactly the same as Inari Kagura's. It was just that Kagura normally wore maid uniforms and plain country-girl clothes that suppressed that natural aura of hers.
"You really have changed a lot... I couldn't recognize you at all. It's only been a little while, and Kagura-san's already grown into such a beauty."
"Ah... calling me a beauty makes me so shy~"
Kagura smiled and lifted both hands to cup her cheeks. Even though she said she was shy, there was not the slightest trace of embarrassment on her face. If anything, it felt more like she was joking, with that distinctly girlish playfulness about her. The cute sight made both Ardan and the old butler pause for a moment.
"Ahem... you two young ladies should get in the car first. It's no good standing around out here. I'll take you back to Tracen right away."
Realizing at once that he had been a little rude, the old butler hurriedly coughed twice and steered the conversation elsewhere.
Now he understood why everyone in the Mejiro Family was so fond of Kagura. She was gentle and kind, beautiful besides, and capable in all sorts of ways. It was hard to imagine just how happy the person who one day got to marry Kagura would be.
[Iris-sama]:Ardan, I heard from the butler that Kagura asked you out to buy clothes? How's it going now?
[Ardan]:Yes, we've already finished. Butler-ojiisama is driving us back to Tracen now.
[Iris-sama]:Why did that child suddenly ask you out to buy clothes today? Didn't she always say it was too troublesome?
[Ardan]:Because Kagura hit honkaku, and her old clothes don't fit anymore. That's why she asked me to come out with her today.
[Iris-sama]:What!? Honkaku!?
Mejiro Iris had been reclining in an armchair, sipping tea while chatting with her granddaughter and waiting to hear how things were going. The moment she saw that message, she shot bolt upright and startled even the maids cleaning the room.
[Ardan]:[picture]
[Iris-sama]:This is Kagura!?
[Ardan]:Well? I picked the clothes. She looks good, right?
Looking at the photo Ardan had sent over, Mejiro Iris was stunned for quite a while. That feeling of familiarity finally called up the memory of a painting she had once seen long ago while traveling in Europe.
"She looks so much like her... uncannily so..."
Even knowing that it was a legend long since gone, Mejiro Iris still could not help thinking in that direction.
Whether or not Inari Kagura really had any connection to that legendary Umamusume, Mejiro Iris would have chosen to build a good relationship with her regardless. But now, because of that utterly botched move at the very beginning, the Mejiro Family had already fallen far, far behind on that front.
"Oh, right. I should send this photo to that old relic too."
...
"What are your plans for tomorrow, Kagura? Want to come out for afternoon tea or something?"
"No, not tomorrow. I still need to head to the racecourse and inspect the course. The Japan Cup's almost here, after all, and I need to make sure nothing goes wrong in a race this important for Rudolf-ojousama."
After getting out of the old butler's car, Ardan and Kagura had just started walking back into the school when Tazuna suddenly came over from the gate.
"This young lady... is Kagura, right?"
The change was so great that even Tazuna, who was normally very good at recognizing people, could not help doubting her own eyes a little. She had only gone one month without seeing that little one, so how had she changed this much already?
Kagura nodded. She knew that whenever Tazuna came looking for her, it was usually because something was up, so she stopped walking. Then she saw Tazuna pull out a huge bag. Kagura gave it a quick glance. It seemed to be full of food, plus a pile of powdered milk and what looked like supplements.
"This... what is all this stuff?"
Looking at the things in the bag, Kagura felt completely baffled. The last time she had received something like this, as far as she could remember, was back during New Year, when she had gone around making the rounds of relatives.
"A few minutes ago, some student I didn't recognize came running over wearing sunglasses and a mask. She stuffed all this into my hands and said it was for Inari Kagura... Then she shoved it at me and ran off. I called after her, but she wouldn't stop."
Tazuna stuffed the big bag into Kagura's hands with a smile. In truth, she knew exactly who it had been, but she had no intention of exposing that person's disguise.
As for why that person had suddenly come to deliver all this today, once Tazuna saw the Umamusume girl standing before her—one even she could barely recognize anymore—she had her answer too.
Goodness... what a worrywart of an old lady.
...
——Huh, that's weird. Who'd suddenly run over and bring you all that stuff?
I think it was Speed-sama. After all, sunglasses and a mask... only Speed-sama and Rudolf-ojousama would come up with disguises that clumsy.
——Why would she suddenly think to bring you so much? What, was she worried you weren't getting enough nutrition or something?
I get the feeling... someone must have told Speed-sama about my honkaku. So she hurried over in a rush, and when she saw I wasn't around, she left the things behind and ran off again.
---
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