In the little room assigned to her, Kagura picked up the child-sized maid outfit the head maid had just delivered and held it against herself in front of the mirror.
"Ah… I'm only about 140cm now, huh? I completely turned into a little kid!"
Remembering the 170cm height she once had, Inari Kagura let out a helpless sigh.
She had spent almost the entire past week in bed, recovering from her injuries, mostly taken care of by Symboli household servants. So, for these days, food and lodging were not her concern. Only today, when she moved into this new room, did she finally have the chance to properly examine herself.
Whether it was this world's advanced medicine, or whether this life her body's constitution was simply much stronger—injuries of that severity had nearly healed in just a week. Even scars were minimal. For someone who had once studied medicine, this was shocking.
During this time, she had also learned some things about her surroundings. The old lady who had rescued her was called Symboli Speed, head of the Symboli family. Kagura didn't really understand the complicated matters of noble houses, but she understood that the Symboli were a powerful family, and Symboli Speed was their current leader.
As for this world—it seemed to resemble Earth, at least geographically an island nation of some kind. And certainly, she had never heard of any such beings as Uma Musume existing on her old Earth. She had heard of the anime Uma Musume Pretty Derby, but only heard of it. She had no idea of its details.
Still—at least this was a modern society. Most common knowledge matched Earth. Kagura let out a breath of relief. At least she hadn't ended up somewhere completely unlivable.
She slipped on the maid uniform, pinned the white petal-shaped ornament to her left ear, and looked at herself in the mirror. Once, a black-haired, long-straight-haired Uma Musume in a maid uniform would have been exactly her type. Now that it was herself, though, her feelings were a little more complicated.
"…So I've ended up living as the kind of girl I used to like, huh."
She used to think maid outfits went best with thigh-highs or garter stockings. But now, faced with actual chores, she understood—bare feet in slippers were the true choice of a traditional maid. All that fancy fetish gear would only slow her down.
"…Sigh. Forget it."
She pushed those messy thoughts out of her head, slapped her cheeks lightly to wake herself up, then made a little "fighting" gesture toward the mirror.
"(p o_o)p Mm, perfect!"
As if in response, a thin mist suddenly formed on the right side of the mirror, and a line of words appeared.
——Good morning. You look full of energy. It's wonderful that your injuries healed so quickly.
"Ah, I almost forgot—good morning, Miss Eclipse."
There was no figure in the mirror writing the words, but Kagura knew the other was right beside her. So she greeted her unseen companion.
This wasn't any kind of legendary "talking mirror." Though Kagura had never believed in ghosts or gods, two nights earlier, while half-asleep, she had felt the mattress sink as though someone climbed onto it. She broke into a cold sweat, instinctively turned her head—and of course saw nothing. Yet she felt something was there. Her rational, scientific mind denied the guess, and in that unease she drifted back to sleep.
And in that dream, she met the Uma Musume who called herself Eclipse.
Through their dream-conversation, Kagura learned that this body was created by Eclipse, modeled after herself. Biologically, it had no parents. But as the creator, Eclipse could be called the parent of this body.
As for why Eclipse had done so—according to her, upon awakening after a long slumber, she had found a restless soul, a spirit whose fate had not yet ended, wandering past her. So she fashioned this body, placed the soul inside, and sent it to the secluded shrine that enshrined her.
At the time, Kagura had been utterly baffled. Her scientific training as a doctor was shredded mercilessly. Later, she accepted it—no need to think too deeply. She had died. Eclipse had given her a new body to live again. The process only went wrong when the divine lightning that accompanied Eclipse's descent set the shrine ablaze. Eclipse, having exhausted her power, could only wake Kagura and urge her to flee. Which led to Kagura collapsing at the Symboli household gates.
What Kagura regretted was that Eclipse had no idea why her soul had ended up in this world at all—let alone how to send her back.
——I'm sorry. I still have no clue about your origins. It has been too long since I received faith. I no longer have such omnipotent strength.
Seeing this line appear, Kagura could almost see the black-haired Uma Musume's ears drooping in disappointment.
"…It's fine. Just like this is good too. Being alive is the most important thing, right?"
She comforted the forlorn goddess with words she used to hear often in the hospital. She didn't much mind living in another place. Since she had no power to change it anyway, better to go with the flow.
To Kagura, this unseen goddess felt more like an invisible ghost-friend who followed her around. And she didn't dislike having someone to chat with at any time.
But today, Kagura had work. She couldn't stay in her room talking forever. After tidying her uniform, she put on shoes and went to report to the head maid.
…
…
"Yo… At this time, I don't usually see you just standing around here."
Symboli Speed stepped from her room and saw the head maid, standing by the corridor window, looking down with a helpless face. Usually, this was when the head maid would be busy. Speed's curiosity stirred.
"Weren't you supposed to be teaching that child the chores? Is something wrong with her?"
"Ah, Speed-sama… It's not that there's any problem…"
The head maid sighed. Seeing Symboli Speed come over, she gestured toward the courtyard below. There, broom in hand, Kagura was sweeping with the force of a whirlwind.
"…If anything, she's too good. It's only been half a day, and there's nothing left for me to teach her. Her housework is smoother and more efficient than mine. I've been squeezed into idleness."
The difference in physique between humans and Uma Musume couldn't be ignored. The head maid had seen it firsthand—Inari Kagura's practiced skill, combined with that physical boost, had made one person's work equal to four. And Kagura worked with meticulous care, giving her no opening even to "help finish up" something.
"…Even you've been pushed aside? Well then… Seems there are things that even amnesia can't erase. Oh right—today's lunch was different than usual. That was her, wasn't it?"
"Yes. She said she wanted to try. It was a cuisine I'd never seen, but she looked so skilled that I let her. How did you find it, Speed-sama? To your taste?"
"…Very good. Years ago, when Old Mejiro and I traveled to a neighboring country to visit her granddaughter, she took me to a grand hotel there. I tasted the same flavor then. I didn't expect, after so many years, to taste it again from a child's hands."
Thinking of lunch, Symboli Speed couldn't help a wave of nostalgia. Honestly, Inari Kagura's cooking had shocked her. She could say, without exaggeration, that not one maid in the whole household could match that child's skill.
"If you liked it, perhaps we can let her cook for you more often?"
"…Cleaning, cooking—she's still a child. Space out her tasks, don't wear her down. Ahh… At first I only wanted to help her, keep her here until we found a place to settle her. I didn't expect she'd be this capable… Haha, it's like I picked up a bargain."
"Haha~ Everyone likes her. You've picked up a treasure, Speed-sama. That child doesn't have a household right? Since you like her so much, why not adopt her?"
Thinking of how the other maids adored the new girl, always wanting to stroke her ears, the head maid couldn't suppress her laugh. Symboli Speed laughed as well.
"…Adopt? Leaving other issues aside, the child herself wouldn't accept it. She knows it would cause us trouble, and she minds that deeply. She refused me without hesitation."
"…Ahh… That really is…"
Seeing Symboli Speed's helpless look, the head maid, who had come to understand Kagura's character these days, could only give a wry smile.
"Back to the point—the matter I asked you all to investigate. Was it done?"
"Yes. The investigation is finished. It's been over a week since the fire at Kagura's shrine. In that time, no one has sought her. The fire left nothing behind. And a child like her could never have lived alone in such a remote place. We can almost be certain—her family died in the fire."
"…Sigh… That really is…" Speed shook her head. "Then handle an identity for her. Get all the paperwork sorted quickly. Without it, her future will be terribly inconvenient."
She paused, rubbing her chin, as if realizing she'd nearly forgotten something. After a moment, she added:
"…But don't tell her yet. That child, though she looks gentle and easygoing, for some reason is stubborn to a fault about receiving help. If she found out, she'd only scold me again not to trouble myself over her."
"Hehe~ You really do care about her, Speed-sama."
"To let all Uma Musume run happily—that is the Symboli ideal. And now one such child is right before my eyes. How could I not help? Besides, a child that thoughtful is hard to leave be. So many things she could simply entrust to us, yet she insists on shouldering alone. Independence is good, yes—but she is only a child, without family, with nothing to rely on. In such a situation… someone has to lend her a hand."