After reading the entry list, Inari Kagura now knew which opponents she would be facing in this race. With a week left before race day, she chose to head out for course inspection as usual.
"Kagura~!"
However, when Inari Kagura reached the school gate today, she ran into someone unexpected: Fine Motion, the princess said to be from Ireland, came running over to find her.
"Miss Fine Motion? What's wrong?"
"Are you going out for course inspection today?"
Fine Motion jogged up beside Inari Kagura, and Inari Kagura stopped as well, turning back to look at her.
Today, in order not to attract attention, Inari Kagura had specifically disguised herself. She had changed into a hooded trench coat, and even put on a mask and sunglasses while she was at it. She did not actually like doing this, but after going out around the school over the past few days, she had truly felt just how famous she had become. If she did not want to be recognized too easily, she had to disguise herself a little.
"Yes. Why?"
"It's just… um! I… I'm very interested in racing! I heard that Kagura is an expert who knows a lot about racing, and I happened to hear that you were going out for course inspection today, so… I wanted to go with you and see how Kagura usually works!"
As she spoke, Fine Motion seemed afraid she had said something wrong, and hurriedly added, "Th-That! I'll keep it a secret! I swear on my name as a princess! I absolutely won't tell anyone Kagura's secrets!"
"Miss Fine Motion, why do I feel like you're treating me like some kind of senpai? I'm much younger than you, you know… There's no need to be so nervous."
"I was just afraid Kagura might not like having someone else along…"
"My work doesn't involve anything I can't show people. I don't mind someone learning by watching. I'm going to Nakayama Racecourse today. If Miss Fine Motion is interested, you can come with me."
Inari Kagura saw Fine Motion's expression visibly brighten after receiving her affirmative answer.
"Mm… O-Okay! Then I'll be in your care, Kagura!"
...
Although it was not racing season right now, the train to Nakayama Racecourse was unexpectedly packed.
Inari Kagura had come to Nakayama Racecourse before. Back then, it had been around the Yayoi Sho and Satsuki Sho, and she had come to inspect the course for Rudolf. Now, she herself was about to set foot on this familiar racecourse and participate in the second G1 race of her career.
"So this is a train in Japan? It's so crowded…"
Fine Motion seemed to be experiencing a Japanese train for the first time, and she had also disguised herself a little today. At the moment, she and Inari Kagura were squeezed together inside the train. To be honest, with a princess's reserve, being pressed almost face-to-face against Inari Kagura like this made her extremely nervous.
"Miss Fine Motion, please stand still and don't move. I'll block the others for you."
Relax, relax… Kagura is Kagura. She isn't that princess. She only wants to protect you…
In her current state, Fine Motion could only keep telling herself that.
Although she had already confirmed long ago that Inari Kagura was not that British princess, Fine Motion still subconsciously treated her like a senior figure. Being pressed almost tightly against the train door by Inari Kagura like this, she, in the bloom of youth, could not help blushing a little.
Inari Kagura, on the other hand, did not mind this kind of close contact with someone else. She was also careful to protect Fine Motion in the space by the train door, placing herself between Fine Motion and the crowd to prevent other passengers from touching her. Although Inari Kagura was not sure whether such weirdos existed, it was still necessary to guard against it. If some blind fool reached out and touched Fine Motion, that would be a deadly diplomatic incident. Since she had brought someone else's princess out to have fun, she did not want to leave that princess with any bad memories.
Fortunately, the trip from Tokyo to Chiba was only a little over forty minutes, so Inari Kagura did not need to maintain that state for too long. Fine Motion was finally freed from the packed train car.
"Saved…"
After finally getting off the train, Fine Motion, her face bright red, patted her chest and panted as if she had just run a 3200-meter front-running race. Inari Kagura, meanwhile, straightened the clothes that had gotten messed up while she was protecting Fine Motion the whole time.
"Um… Do people in Japan usually go out like this?"
"I wouldn't say everyone, but most office workers do. A lot of people get squeezed and shoved around inside the train like patties being rolled back and forth. Has Miss Fine Motion never seen a scene like that before?"
"Ahaha… My roommate says I'm a little lacking in common sense. My family protected me very well before, so there are indeed some things I don't really understand… I only came here these past few days because I became very interested in running."
As she spoke, Fine Motion scratched her hair, looking a little embarrassed.
"I see… Speaking of which, Miss Fine Motion, do you have a roommate now?"
No wonder this princess gives off such an airheaded vibe.
Inari Kagura nodded in understanding. Speaking of princesses, she could not help thinking of Eclipse. But Eclipse was clearly much more adaptable, even fierce. They were both princesses, so how could these two princesses be so different?
"Mm! She's a very serious classmate! I heard she's even a member of Tracen's student council!"
"Student council… very serious…"
Thinking it over briefly, the current student council, aside from Rudolf and those few who did not do any work, only had Air Groove. Rudolf and those slackers certainly could not be Fine Motion's roommate, so the answer was already obvious.
"Fine Motion's roommate… is Air Groove, right?"
"Eh? How did Kagura know?"
"I more or less count as half a student council member myself. I still know who's in the student council."
Seeing that Fine Motion seemed a little surprised, Inari Kagura explained in passing. Once Fine Motion appeared to have recovered, Inari Kagura led her toward today's destination.
Of course, Inari Kagura was also the one leading the way to Nakayama Racecourse. However, what left Inari Kagura both amused and exasperated was that after she and Fine Motion came out of the station through the complicated flow of people, she immediately sensed that someone was following them. Inari Kagura, whose counter-surveillance awareness had always been quite good, deliberately led Fine Motion in a few circles. Using corners and reflective surfaces, Inari Kagura confirmed who the followers were: a group of people wearing strange military uniforms. She had seen that same clothing at Tokyo Racecourse before. Back then, this group had been guarding Fine Motion.
In other words, they're the princess's guards? This many… at least a dozen, right? What a formation…
It was obvious that Fine Motion's family attached great importance to her. Just for their daughter going out to have fun with a stranger, they had sent such a large guard squad along.
Originally, Inari Kagura had wanted to ask Fine Motion whether she knew anything about the guards behind them, but seeing that Fine Motion herself seemed completely unaware, she gave up on mentioning it. Since Fine Motion did not know, that meant these guards also did not want to disturb her daily life. In that case, Inari Kagura would be better off not poking through that paper window.
It took about ten minutes for the two Umamusume to jog all the way from the station to Nakayama Racecourse. Inari Kagura could clearly feel that the people following them were still there. She had to admit, being able to keep up so closely with two Umamusume made her quite impressed by the guards' physical fitness.
"Eh… So this is Nakayama Racecourse?"
Standing before the entrance to Nakayama Racecourse, Fine Motion raised her head and looked curiously at the massive building. Inari Kagura saw longing and curiosity in her eyes. It was clear that, just as Fine Motion had said, she had come to Tracen because of her love for running.
"Yes. Miss Fine Motion, in a little while, a local Japanese G1 race called the Hopeful Stakes will be held here. I came today precisely to inspect the course conditions and prepare for the race. Miss Fine Motion, keep up with me. This place is quite large, and I'm more familiar with it. Be careful not to get lost."
"O-Okay! Then I'll be troubling you, Kagura!"
...
Strange, Eclipse-san. If Miss Fine Motion likes running so much, why won't her family let her run and enter races?
——Noble and royal families aren't as simple as you imagine, kid. Do you know what my parent said to me back then, before I ran professional races?
Eh? Eclipse-san's parent… was a prince, right? Did he not support Eclipse-san running professional races?
——It wasn't that he didn't support me. Father was actually fairly open-minded. It's just that he hoped I would enter politics, learn theories about administration and governing the country, things like that. Those things gave me such a headache. Later, I pestered Father into helping me register for a race, and I proved my strength. After my first victory, my family never brought up making me go into politics again.
Eclipse-san's parent sounds wonderful! He was willing to let Eclipse-san develop on her own, and didn't stubbornly hold on.
——He really was wonderful. I love my family very much too. It's just that after I grew up, the two of them started pushing me to get married in a real hurry… Hah… Is that some kind of parental disease?