On the starting line, Kagura could clearly sense that Symboli Sirius was brimming with fighting spirit and a hunger for victory even more intense than Rudolf Ojou-sama's. But after racing alongside Rudolf so often, Kagura had grown accustomed to this kind of pressure, so it wasn't a problem for her.
"Recently, whenever I contacted Rudolf, she kept praising this amazing Support Uma who joined her side. After watching your race with that little Mejiro girl, I finally understood why she thought so highly of you."
"Eh…did Ojou-sama really say that about me?"
"Of course! She sounded extremely proud—even boasting a bit! It piqued my interest. Since the Mejiro family is hosting a banquet anyway, I decided it was a perfect chance to return and see you in person."
Sirius spoke as she stretched leisurely beside Kagura.
Initially, Kagura intended to bring out the turf gate for the start, but Sirius said she despised gate starts, so eventually, they decided against it.
"Speaking of which, between the two Ojou-samas, which one of you is older?"
"She's a bit older than me. If you need to call me something, just call me Sirius. No need to add those strange honorifics. I'm not really particular about those."
"That still wouldn't be proper. Understood, Ojou-sama. Should I address you like this from now on?"
"Ha! Call me whatever you like! Just warm up thoroughly and don't disappoint me!"
Sirius's bold, enthusiastic voice was completely different from the gentle Rudolf Kagura knew. Her loud, hearty manner reminded Kagura vividly of the Northern classmates she'd encountered in her past life—open, passionate, unrestrained.
"Good morning, Kagura. And Sirius. Heard you two were going to have a race?"
Just as they finished warming up, Symboli Speed, who had appeared unnoticed on the track at some point, greeted them. Behind her, a group of maids were quietly gathering, clearly eager to watch the spectacle.
Kagura looked at Sirius with a startled expression. It was early morning, certainly not a time when trainers would normally appear. Sirius had earlier mentioned needing someone as a referee, and somehow managed to bring out the elderly Speed-sama herself. How did she convince Speed-sama to get up this early?
"I don't want to miss any races involving my children. Naturally, I had to come."
Speed-sama's reasoning was simple as always. Of course, the "children" she referred to included Kagura as well. Even though Kagura wasn't officially part of the Symboli bloodline, Speed had long considered her as her own child.
"Have you two finished your warm-up?"
"Absolutely! I can hardly wait!"
Sirius looked eager, while Kagura calmly nodded her readiness.
"All right… Sirius, you're really sure you don't want the gate?"
"No need! A start is a start, right? What's the difference where we begin? Why force ourselves into that cramped gate?"
"Fine then…"
Speed-sama sighed helplessly. She was familiar with Sirius's stubborn dislike for gates. Her trainers overseas had constantly struggled with this. Speed had hopes for Sirius to race internationally someday, but with this attitude toward gates, what would she do?
Why does my family always end up with so many problem children? It's not like I have such a bad temper, right?
Ever since Kagura joined the household, Speed-sama had often wondered this. She envied Old Mejiro, whose family members were gentle and elegant young ladies. Meanwhile, hers were a collection of headstrong troublemakers, with Rudolf and Sirius each more headache-inducing than the other. The only mild-tempered child, Kagura, wasn't even blood-related.
"Clear weather, 2000 meters, track conditions: excellent, clockwise course..."
Speed-sama, now acting as the judge, announced the track details as the two got ready to run.
More and more maids gathered around the track, attracted by Speed's announcement. After all, the competitors were Kagura, the beloved darling among the maids, and Ojou-sama Symboli Sirius. Even if nothing else, this match would certainly be entertaining.
Kagura slightly leaned forward into a starting position. Unable to read Sirius's tactics or running style, the choice was straightforward—just run away. If Sirius could catch up to Kagura's runaway strategy over a distance like 2000 meters, then Kagura wouldn't stand a chance with any other tactic either.
"On your marks—go!"
The instant Speed-sama gave the start command, Sirius shot out like an arrow. Kagura, as usual, was slightly slower off the mark, though notably improved compared to her previous starts. Speed-sama could see clearly how hard Kagura had worked to correct this shortcoming.
Kagura had already faced multiple strong rivals at the 2000-meter distance, and though she'd never beaten Maruzensky or Rudolf, losing by merely one or two horse-lengths each time, she had gained a clearer understanding of how to run faster.
——You must abandon your human instincts when running. Humans subconsciously conserve energy, but races demand you hold nothing back. Only by gradually discarding your human common sense can your speed reach greater heights.
Those were Eclipse-san's words during their previous training sessions. Kagura kept these words close to heart. Although she couldn't entirely discard her habits at once, her speed had indeed slowly improved through repeated practice.
This child's speed has become even faster…and she hasn't even fully matured yet. What a monstrous talent.
Speed-sama could easily recognize Kagura's improvement in speed. It took only seconds for Kagura to reclaim the lead position. Sirius, sticking to her usual tactics, observed from behind, preserving stamina while carefully adjusting her pace to avoid falling too far behind.
Yet Sirius quickly realized this approach wasn't practical today. Kagura's speed was abnormal; if Sirius held back to conserve stamina, she would quickly lose sight of Kagura. She finally understood how Kagura had forced even that endurance-focused Mejiro girl to exhaust herself so thoroughly.
"Interesting…this maid…is really fascinating!"
Sirius immediately made the decision to accelerate. Her experience warned her that 2000 meters was already somewhat risky. If she recklessly increased her pace now, she might risk running out of stamina on the final straight. But Kagura had no such concerns; her stamina was actually sufficient to sustain this brutal pace all the way through 2000 meters!
"Wow… Kagura-chan is so fast! Her maid outfit doesn't seem to affect her running at all… I even kinda wanna jump in and run with her!"
"Don't even think about it, you airhead. You'd probably trip and hurt yourself."
The Head Maid smiled and gently tapped the excited maid beside her. Watching Kagura racing across the track, even she felt an impulse to run alongside. Suppressing that urge, she couldn't help marveling at how dramatically Kagura had changed over the past months—it felt almost unreal.
Meanwhile, Kagura, racing ahead, paid no attention to the chatter. She noticed Sirius gradually closing in but wasn't ready to accelerate further yet.
Having just passed the halfway point, she exited the second corner. Although her stamina could easily sustain another burst of acceleration straight through to the finish, she chose to play it safe for now, holding back her sprint.
"Fascinating! Inari Kagura…"
Sirius's fighting spirit fully ignited. Completely abandoning concerns about stamina conservation, she slowly increased her speed again. A single voice echoed in her mind—
Catch her! Overtake her!
The distance between Sirius and Kagura narrowed to merely two horse-lengths. Kagura seemed within reach. Sirius focused intently on Kagura's back, growing more intrigued by this little Uma Musume.
Standing near the finish line, Speed-sama watched as the gap between the two shrank further and further. Approaching the final turn before the straight, she mentally praised Sirius's determination while eagerly awaiting if Kagura would surprise her again.
"Ojou-sama…excuse my rudeness!"
Suddenly, Sirius heard Kagura's quiet voice. Before she could respond, Kagura lowered her stance and sharply increased her speed. Sirius finally realized—beyond this bend lay the final straight. Kagura had chosen this moment for her final sprint.
In response, Sirius decisively released her remaining stamina, matching Kagura's sudden burst. The gap between them was incredibly small, Kagura still slightly ahead.
Her burst speed also improved from before. This child's stamina remains monstrous… If Kagura had sprinted even sooner, would Sirius have been left further behind?
With little distance left, Speed-sama knew the result. Sirius had no stamina left to close the remaining two-length gap.
"Finish! Kagura wins by a small margin!"
As Kagura crossed the finish line, Speed-sama announced the end. The margin was small, yet Kagura undeniably defeated the highly talented Sirius.
"Huff… Huff… Kagura! You're truly fascinating!"
Sirius walked over, heartily patting Kagura's shoulder, clearly not upset despite her loss, looking thoroughly exhilarated.
"It was a good race, Ojou-sama. You were amazing—I could feel your breath right behind me."
"Haha! A loss is a loss, no excuses! Now I understand why Rudolf is so interested in you!"
"Sirius, Kagura, save your talk for later. Come here for cooldown!"
Speed-sama interrupted. Sirius laughed and extended a fist toward Kagura.
"Running alongside you was a pleasure, Kagura. It's been a long time since I've raced this joyfully!"
"Same here, Ojou-sama."
Smiling, Kagura bumped fists gently with Sirius.