Due to extreme fatigue, Kagura's sleep quality was exceptionally good.
Kagura had a peculiar ability: no matter how late she went to bed or how early she slept, she would always open her eyes precisely at 6:30 AM the next day. Even if she was dead tired, she would open her eyes, stay awake for a moment, and then fall back asleep.
"Mmm..."
Kagura woke from her sleep, the long-awaited quality sleep making her feel exceptionally satisfied. She was about to move and stretch when she suddenly felt something soft and warm against her back.
Still not fully awake, Kagura instinctively thought it was Eclipse, but upon closer thought, she was wearing pajamas, so she couldn't possibly feel Eclipse's body so clearly. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked ahead, finding Al Dan's bed empty, only the covers thrown back.
"Why... is Miss Al Dan... on my bed?"
Kagura snapped awake. She immediately tried to recall some fragmented memories from last night. She vaguely remembered returning to the dormitory, opening the door, grabbing clothes for the bathroom, and then her memory went blank.
'Did I fall asleep while bathing? So Miss Al Dan came in and carried me out? But why is Miss Al Dan on my bed?'
Unable to figure out the process in between, Kagura decided not to overthink it. She could roughly guess that given how drowsy she was last night, Al Dan must have slept there to help her, and then perhaps something she did prevented Al Dan from leaving, so she stayed.
'Sigh, it seems I've caused trouble for Miss Al Dan... I need to be more careful in the future.'
Kagura carefully slipped out of Al Dan's embrace. She checked the time, then considered her schedule for the day. After confirming that her day was completely free, with no classes to attend, she decided to go to the Dining Hall to start her work.
"Morning, Kagura. You were so tired yesterday, are you sure it's okay to be up so early today?"
To Kagura's surprise, Excellent Quality was already in the Dining Hall early today, but it seemed she wasn't there to freeload a meal from her, as she had already gotten a meal for herself and was eating it.
"It's fine… By the way! Didn't I tell you it's best to have some protein for breakfast? Go get some milk or eggs. Don't eat so many fried things for breakfast; heavy oil and salt are bad for your health."
"I… I know!"
After Kagura reminded her, Excellent Quality smiled helplessly, picked up her plate, and scurried off to get more food.
Kagura, meanwhile, went into the kitchen to look for ingredients and started preparing today's breakfast. Excellent Quality had already sorted herself out, so Kagura only needed to worry about Symboli Rudolph's breakfast.
'Miss Al Dan doesn't seem to be awake yet. Should I make a portion for her too?'
After some thought, Kagura decided to make an extra portion to take up to Al Dan in the dormitory. She wasn't sure what Al Dan's taste was like or if she would be used to her cooking.
Opening the refrigerator door, she saw her jars of newly pickled radishes still lying inside. Kagura estimated they would be ready to eat in a couple of days. Of course, this wasn't Kagura's main focus right now.
Not long ago, Kagura bought some unexpected products—century eggs—from a Chinese specialty store quite far from Tracen. For her Japanese friends, this item seemed to possess a terrifying magical destructive power, but Kagura was very fond of it.
"Hmm hmm hmm~"
Humming a tune, Kagura sliced the century eggs and lean meat, putting them into the pot for porridge. She then prepared shredded ginger and chopped green onions, setting them aside for later use.
Symboli Rudolph was now accustomed to eating Chinese food, so she didn't mind trying what Japanese people considered "dark cuisine." In fact, her reaction after trying it was quite positive.
It was still early, and cooking porridge didn't take much time. Kagura even had leisure to make some egg pancakes. Although Tracen didn't have specialized cooking utensils, making it a bit tricky, it wasn't a problem for Kagura.
"Hm?"
When Kagura came out of the kitchen with two packed breakfasts, she saw a familiar "student" sitting next to Excellent Quality early in the morning. Excellent Quality was eating cautiously beside her, looking very stressed.
"Family Head?! You're up so early? Why are you at Tracen?"
"You haven't rested much lately. For now, you don't need to worry about Rudolph's next race; there won't be any major events in the short term. Based on my comprehensive investigation results, I order you to take a few days off. Come home with me now; you won't be able to rest at school."
"Ah…"
Kagura was about to say something, but after exchanging glances with Speed Symbol, who looked completely unyielding, she didn't dare to open her mouth again.
"Excellent Quality… If you have time outside of your training, you are welcome to visit Kagura at the Symboli Family home."
"Yes… Yes!"
Excellent Quality nodded repeatedly, afraid that a slow response would displease Speed Symbol. She reverted to her previous less confident state, indicating that Speed Symbol's oppressive presence was indeed quite powerful.
"Um… Family Head, can I deliver breakfast first and then come back with you?"
"Alright, I'll wait for you at the school gate. You can just find me when you arrive."
… Kagura took the breakfast to the Teaching Building and gave it to Symboli Rudolph. She also explained that Speed Symbol had personally come to take her home for a few days' rest. Although Symboli Rudolph seemed to hesitate briefly, she nodded repeatedly, expressing support for Speed Symbol's decision.
Symboli Rudolph genuinely felt that Kagura needed a break. Although she wouldn't be able to eat Kagura's cooking for a while, it wasn't worth it to overwork a child for temporary satisfaction. Besides, Tracen's Dining Hall wasn't bad, and it was acceptable for a makeshift meal.
"Oh, by the way, has the Young Lady's next race been decided?"
"Trainer Tojo also asked me this question. I suggested the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. After all, it's a G1 race where Uma Musume of the same year compete for the title of champion. The media generally speculates that I will participate in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes… Kagura, what do you think?"
"If possible, I personally hope that the Young Lady does not participate in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. The championship race puts very severe pressure on your body. The Young Lady already pushes herself hard normally. If you also participate in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, your training pressure will increase several times over what it is now… This is not good."
When Kagura heard Symboli Rudolph's race plan, she couldn't help but frown. She was no longer a novice clueless about races. To help Symboli Rudolph, she had self-taught a lot of race-related knowledge, and she felt that Symboli Rudolph's choice was not wise.
If Symboli Rudolph hadn't participated in that special race earlier or had participated in other races sooner, Kagura felt that the timing wouldn't be so tight. But now, the time was pressing too much. If she were to compete, it would inevitably push Symboli Rudolph's body to its limits, and she feared that Symboli Rudolph's body might suffer irreversible damage as a result.
"Is that so… Then, which race does Kagura hope I will participate in?"
"The open race at the end of November. If the Young Lady really wants to run a G1 race, I recommend the Hopeful Stakes in late December. That way, at least the time pressure won't be too great."
"I see… Haha, Kagura, your opinion is exactly the same as the Trainer's."
Kagura's view was not wrong. Symboli Rudolph smiled and nodded in approval. Although she indeed wanted to participate in a G1 race sooner, as Kagura and Tojo Hana said, this would make the training schedule very tight, and it would be bad if her body broke down.
"The Young Lady's goal is the Triple Crown Race next year, right? There's no need to rush to push yourself to the limit now."
"Mm… Alright, I will convey your opinion to the Trainer. We'll discuss it and then make a decision, okay?"
"Mm, Miss Tojo is a professional Trainer, and she certainly thinks further ahead than I do. Whatever decision Miss Tojo ultimately makes, I will support you to the best of my ability, as always."
Kagura bowed slightly to Symboli Rudolph, then turned around:
"If there's nothing else, I won't disturb the Young Lady's work."
"Alright, Kagura, you too. Hurry back and get some good rest."
… Meanwhile, when Kagura returned to her dormitory, she found that Al Dan had woken up, washed, and was moving around in the room.
"Good morning, Miss Al Dan. Last night, I think I was overtired and had some unexpected situations. I'm very sorry for causing you trouble."
"No, no, no! I… I don't mind at all. Kagura, you don't need to apologize so formally!"
Al Dan quickly stopped Kagura's actions.
To be honest, Al Dan actually had a very comfortable night. Sleeping while hugging Kagura felt truly unprecedentedly comfortable. She slept very soundly, and Kagura's soft touch was also very pleasant to hold, even making her wonder if she could try asking Kagura to sleep together in the future.
"I brought Miss Al Dan the breakfast I made myself. After Miss Al Dan finishes eating, just return the tableware to the Dining Hall, and someone will clean it up."
"Okay… Eh… Such a familiar scent… Did Kagura make century egg and lean meat porridge?"
Before Kagura even opened the lunchbox she brought, Al Dan had already smelled what might be inside.
"Hm? Miss Al Dan has eaten it before?"
"When I hadn't returned yet, Muteki took me to eat it several times. Although I initially found it a bit dark, I tasted it and found century eggs to be surprisingly delicious. Later, I would go out to find it every morning to eat. Unfortunately, after coming back, there's nothing like it to eat here…"
"Is that so… It's good that you don't dislike it. Would you like to try it?"
Kagura smiled, opened the lunchbox on the table, handed Al Dan the utensils, and urged her to sit down.
Al Dan, who hadn't tasted Chinese food for a while, smelled the familiar aroma and couldn't help but recall her days living in the neighboring country. She picked up a spoon, carefully scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it a bit, and then put it in her mouth.
The warm feeling in her stomach immediately made Al Dan feel alive again. She particularly loved this feeling; it was very comfortable. And Kagura's cooking skills were impeccable; it was truly the authentic taste of Chinese cuisine. This long-lost flavor made Al Dan very nostalgic.
"How wonderful… Kagura, your cooking skills are truly amazing! It's exactly like what I ate at the restaurants over there!"
"It's just home cooking, very simple. It's not much of a skill. As long as Miss Al Dan likes it, that's good."
Seeing that Al Dan really liked what she made, Kagura finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Family Head is still waiting for me at the entrance. Since Miss Al Dan doesn't need me here anymore, I'll take my leave now?"
"Rudolph Symbol, you're here to pick up Kagura to go back and rest, aren't you? Kagura has been really tired lately, so you must get good rest."
"I will, thank you for your concern, Miss Al Dan."
Kagura nodded and turned to leave the dormitory.
Al Dan looked at the century egg and lean meat porridge in front of her, then at Kagura's departing back, and couldn't help but fall into a daze.
'Kagura's cooking is really good… It would be great if I could keep eating Kagura's cooking in the future…'
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