"Sorry~ I kept everyone waiting~"
Standing onstage after just coming up from backstage, Inari Kagura approached the microphone at the front, cleared her throat, and made her announcement to the audience.
Ever since the race had ended, the whole venue had been steeped in feverish excitement. Especially after Inari Kagura finished her interview, returned to the stage, and announced today's performance, there had been a stretch where she could hear nothing else at all. Once again, Kagura was grateful she had bought earmuffs today.
It's clearly morning, but somehow it feels like I'm at a night concert…
The eclipse still had not ended. The pitch-black sky kept making Kagura wonder if it had somehow turned to night.
This Winner's Concert would be her solo dance, because she had opened up a large enough gap over second place. For that reason, Kagura went with the solo performance she had prepared: a ceremonial kagura dance she had rearranged herself with Eclipse's help. The background music for her performance had already been prepared backstage.
Come to think of it, a performance where I don't sing at all and only dance is probably one of a kind so far, isn't it?
As the voices of the audience gradually quieted around her, Inari Kagura stood properly on the stage, tightening her grip on the kagura bells as she prepared to dance.
Although Inari Kagura had performed singing and dancing in previous races, in an environment where most live performances focused on both singing and dancing, her purely background-music dance was certainly an oddity. Compared to singing and dancing, Inari Kagura still found it easier to accept simply dancing.
Soon, the lights on the stage dimmed, leaving only a single beam shining down on Inari Kagura. Music reminiscent of the beginning of a shrine ritual drifted in from all around, and Inari Kagura took one step forward, beginning this performance along with the melody.
...
"Ayeeeeee!!!"
In the stands, the Mejiro family's section had been drowned out by the excited strange cries of the little ones. Apart from Bright and Mejiro Dober, who were usually quieter, and McQueen, who was slightly less excited, the most worked up was Palmer, who was shouting until her face had gone red. Seeing her like that, Mejiro Ardan was a little afraid that once Inari Kagura came down later, the child might pounce straight onto her and take a bite or two.
Mejiro Ardan herself was actually very excited too. This was her first time seeing Inari Kagura wear a miko outfit and perform her actual work. She had to admit, this really was a stunning dance. Especially on the current stage, where only one beam of pure white light fell across Inari Kagura and set her off like a blooming white flower. Even though this was a live performance without any singing, the audience's enthusiasm had not diminished in the slightest.
"Aah!! …Aah!! Kagura-sensei!! …Kagura-sensei's dancing… It's too precious…!!"
"Hey!! Kiddo!! Why are you suddenly having a nosebleed!? Are you okay!? Does anyone have tissues?!"
From the seats behind her, Mejiro Ardan seemed to hear some strange commotion. It sounded like some child had fainted.
For children who don't handle loud sounds well, coming without earmuffs really is a little too much, isn't it?
Mejiro Ardan could not help thinking that.
A little distance away from the Mejiro family's spectator seats, Nice Nature was holding up her phone and filming from afar. Although there was an official broadcast, Nice Nature still insisted on preserving her own memory of this.
Long ago, she had once seen Inari Kagura dancing beneath the moonlight on the track. Even now, she still could not forget that dance. She deeply regretted not thinking to record Inari Kagura back then, but this time, she finally had the chance to preserve Inari Kagura's most beautiful, moving moments as she danced.
Today's Kagura… is so cool and so beautiful… This is so nice…
Nice Nature kept filming without blinking as she thought.
After the race, she wanted to invite Inari Kagura to go somewhere and have fun. As Trainer Minamizaka had said, if she wanted to deepen their relationship, going out to have fun together was the best way. But when she thought about how Inari Kagura would be running the Hopeful Stakes not long after this, she could not quite bring herself to ask Inari Kagura to come out and play with her over the next few days.
Counting the days, it was already the end of the year. It was December now, and the New Year was coming soon. Last year, she had gone home by herself and ended up stuck there for a month without being able to see Inari Kagura. Nice Nature felt a little regretful that she had gone home so obediently. Although going home to see her family was also something she had wanted to do, she also found it hard to part with Inari Kagura…
"Eh…"
A thought suddenly flashed through Nice Nature's mind.
She wanted to go home, but she also could not bear not seeing Inari Kagura. Then should she invite Inari Kagura to stay at her home for a few days? Wouldn't that satisfy both wishes at once?
Right… Once the Hopeful Stakes is over andKagura has some free time, I'll try asking her!
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Inviting Inari Kagura home would also give her a chance to repay Inari Kagura for taking care of her all the time. It was practically a great plan that hit several birds with one stone.
...
"Wow… This is my first time seeing Kagura-chan dance…"
Maruzensky stared unblinkingly at Inari Kagura dancing gracefully onstage. When she had first seen Inari Kagura in her Race Outfit today, her heart had already stirred a little, but only now, seeing those elegant dance steps, did Maruzensky truly experience what it meant to be unable to look away.
Right now, she was like a game character who had run into an enemy with a hard crowd-control skill. She wanted to shift her gaze, but she had been locked in place and could not input the command.
Rudolf was also in this area, watching Inari Kagura onstage. By chance, their eyes met several times. Those eyes, tender as water and as clear as a lake with no visible bottom, were the sort that, with one careless step, could draw a person in until they sank too deep to escape.
I thought so even before Kagura underwent honkaku, but she really was born with the makings of a beauty… She's so lovely.
Rudolf could not help sighing inwardly.
In the corner of her eye, Director Akikawa was leaning over the railing, watching the stage with complete concentration as if afraid of missing even a single glance. She was not even making a fuss anymore. Tazuna, who had come with Director Akikawa, was also watching the stage and seemed thoroughly absorbed, to the point that she had not noticed she was pressing Director Akikawa against the railing. Director Akikawa, for her part, seemed not to notice she was being pinned down either as she continued watching the stage.
Beside them, quite a few students from Tracen's main campus had also come. At this moment, all those students had their attention fixed on Inari Kagura too. From time to time, Rudolf could hear voices nearby saying things like "So pretty!" and "Kagura-kouhai… She's amazing!" As for the sound of photos being taken, that had not stopped at all. It was not only the students, either. She had also noticed some reporters crouching nearby to take pictures.
"…"
A little distance away from the Tracen crowd, Mr. C.B., who had come specifically to watch Inari Kagura's race today, leaned against the railing of the spectator seats and watched Inari Kagura's dance from afar. She was not making excited strange noises like everyone else. Compared to making sounds to vent her emotions, she preferred quietly engraving every movement of this girl into her eyes.
Mr. C.B. had already watched Inari Kagura perform the ceremonial kagura dance twice before. Once at school, and once at the shrine. Although the first two dances had been about the same, each time had given her a completely different feeling. Especially the time at the shrine—she had truly felt her heart stir.
Kagura-kouhai… really is as perfect as an angel.
Mr. C.B. had known nothing about Inari Kagura's honkaku before this. Today was the first time she had seen Inari Kagura after honkaku, and even she had to admit that Inari Kagura, who had already shown tremendous potential before honkaku, looked even more mature, more beautiful, and far more devastating after it.
"Mm…?"
Suddenly, Mr. C.B. felt as if her vision had grown a little brighter. She raised her head to look at the sky and found that the once-dark heavens were gradually revealing their original color again.
"The eclipse… is ending?"
...
Onstage, Inari Kagura had focused all her attention on her steps. She had no room to listen to the cheers of the audience below, nor did she notice the changes in the world beyond the stage.
One step, then another… Following the choreography she had arranged, Inari Kagura concentrated completely, trying her best not to miss a single beat.
The darkness in the sky was dispersing. In the time Inari Kagura did not notice, blue was slowly climbing back into the heavens. The shadow of the eclipse was thinning, brightening, and at last the radiance of the morning sun broke through the darkness, passed through the clouds, and fell upon the stage like a spotlight.
Across the racecourse, still dim for the moment, that strand of sunlight on the stage was not dazzling yet, but it was so clear, so striking.
"Wow… Trainer! Look! Those are 'God rays,' right? They're actually falling straight onto the stage! Hurry, take pictures, take pictures~!"
"All right, all right. Nishiki, you're already grown up, so why are you still as excited as a child today just because you came to watch Kagura's race?"
The trainer smiled helplessly and raised the camera, preserving this rare, precious scene.
Onstage, the girl in white danced gracefully. The clouds in the sky had not yet dispersed, and only one ray of sunlight pierced through them and touched the stage where the girl stood, making the dancing girl onstage look even more sacred and pure.
Beneath the glow of the spotlight and the sunlight, the girl spread her arms. Her wide furisode sleeves and the colorful streamers of her kagura bells fluttered in the wind. If someone had to find a picture to paste in the dictionary beside the phrase "overflowing with shimmering light and color," Bizen Nishiki felt that Inari Kagura onstage right now would be the most fitting explanation.
The morning sun plated the miko onstage in a layer of soft gold. The colorful streamers were like a group of tiny rainbow spirits, dancing along with the miko's gentle steps. This somewhat unreal scene looked dreamlike, almost fantastical, with a hazy sense of unreality.
Bizen Nishiki even began to suspect she might still be inside some beautiful dream. Otherwise, how could she possibly be lucky enough to see a beautiful fairy dancing before her eyes?
"Guh…"
Unconsciously swallowing, Bizen Nishiki felt her mouth go dry. She realized her heart seemed to be beating especially fast.
Am I… excited? I suppose I am… This really is a rare spectacle…
She felt as if this entire day had been somewhat unreal. First, there was Inari Kagura running alone in front, putting on a once-in-centuries Runaway of light at the end of the race. Bizen Nishiki only hated that her hand had been too slow back then, failing to leave behind a photo of that brief instant. And now, there was this strand of heavenly light falling onto the stage. Bizen Nishiki truly felt that today, she had seen sights many people might never have the chance to witness in their entire lives.
The audience around her was slowly beginning to boil over again. Bizen Nishiki could already hear some spectators chanting in unison the title Inari Kagura had received that morning: Miko Princess Who Chased the Light. More and more voices were joining them in response. Clearly, the audience had also been deeply shaken by today's spectacle. It could be said that today's tickets were absolutely the most worthwhile tickets in history. Not only had they watched a race, they had also seen a sight that might not come once in a hundred years.
Onstage, Inari Kagura's dance steps were slowing little by little, and the background music was nearing its end. Kagura, completely focused, still did not notice the situation below the stage, devoting herself wholeheartedly to the dance.
Blue had already shown itself in the sky. As a large stretch of dark clouds drifted away, the shadow covering the racecourse gradually faded as well. Starting from the stage, sunlight began slowly returning to the earth. Many audience members filming on-site could already see that the light seemed to spread outward from the stage itself, slowly expanding across the entire racecourse.
Some people had once suspected it might be some kind of stage lighting effect, but the operating state of the stage equipment denied that idea. From beginning to end, there had only been one light lit above the Winner's Concert stage, and now, as the light gradually returned, even that single lamp had already been turned off.
"Whew…"
As the final note of the music fell, Inari Kagura also took the last step of her dance. Then she faced the audience and bowed deeply.
After a brief silence, thunderous applause and cheers instantly swallowed the entire racecourse. The audience cheered and shouted with feverish enthusiasm. Those voices she had ignored earlier due to her complete concentration finally reached Inari Kagura clearly.
"Inari Kagura-san is light! She's our light!!"
"Inari Kagura-san—you're so cool!!! Woohoo—!!"
…
The voices were messy and chaotic, but she could still faintly make out a few louder groups. Inari Kagura walked to the front of the stage and smiled as she waved to the audience below.
"Miko Princess Who Chased the Light!! Inari Kagura-san!! —Number one in the world!"
After the earlier chaos, the audience below seemed to reach some kind of consensus, shouting the same… perhaps it was a slogan? Or maybe something else?
If only a few people had been using this title to tease her, Inari Kagura would have felt terribly embarrassed. But now that so many people were shouting it together, so passionately and so neatly, Inari Kagura did not feel ashamed at all. Right now, her heart was filled only with joy and satisfaction.
"Thank you all for your support~! That's all for my performance today. Thank you, everyone!!"
...
"Big Sis, you've been staring at the screen without moving for ages. I remember you never used to be very interested in Winner's Concerts."
"…You say that, but haven't you been staring without even blinking this whole time too, Affirmed?"
"I was only curious about the spectacle…"
"You say that like I wasn't curious too…"
---
T/N: SORRY I TOOK A SMALL WEEK BREAK!!!!!!!! I ANNOUNCED IT ON THE P WEBSITE AND DISCORD
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