Even with Kagura-chan guiding them from the side, the little Uma Musume took quite a while to finish tidying the entire living room. Kagura thought it was actually pretty impressive—after all, the room usually accommodated plenty of people dining together, and considering the sheer size of the Mejiro family's living room, finishing before noon was already quite good.
"So tired~!"
After bustling about all morning, this group of usually energetic kids finally showed their exhaustion, sprawling haphazardly across the long table in the living room.
"Now you know how exhausting Kagura-oneesan's usual chores are, right? She does all of this alone normally, and even when she finally gets a holiday, she still finds time to tell you stories at night. Do you think that's fair to her?"
Seeing the little ones working together under Kagura's guidance and finally completing their cleaning task, Ardan-ojousama smiled with satisfaction, gently rubbing each child's head in turn.
"We know we were wrong~ Ardan-oneesama… can't we just have Kagura-oneesan live with the Mejiro family instead? That way, she wouldn't be so tired all the time!"
Mejiro Palmer, who'd been enjoying Ardan-ojousama's head rubs with squinted eyes, suddenly raised her head and asked curiously.
"Eh… um… that won't do. Kagura-san has a contract with the Symboli family. She can't just leave whenever she wants."
Momentarily stunned by this overly casual suggestion, Ardan-ojousama naturally knew why Kagura stayed at the Symboli household. After all, the Symboli family truly treated Kagura exceptionally well. Although Kagura wasn't officially a member of their family, the contract between them was merely a formality.
Kagura also nodded in agreement. The contract was one reason, sure, but definitely not the main one. Her willingness to stay was largely due to Speed-sama's kindness towards her.
Palmer nodded solemnly without fully understanding, but for some reason, the other little Uma Musume seemed lost in thought—especially Mejiro Dober and Mejiro McQueen sitting next to her. Kagura had the vague sense that these two little heads were busy imagining something strange.
"Oh, you kiddos did a wonderful job! It's spotless here. And perfect timing too—let's have lunch!"
Iris-sama entered to see the living room perfectly cleaned and warmly praised the children who were currently clinging affectionately to Kagura and Ardan-ojousama.
Hearing Iris-sama's praise made the kids even more delighted. Moments ago, they'd looked completely drained, yet now they were brimming with energy again, ready to jump straight into the next task.
"I want to eat Kagura-oneesan's cooking… Can we?"
Ryan timidly raised her small hand, and after a moment of hesitation, the other little Uma Musume also nodded in agreement.
"Nope! Didn't I clearly tell you this morning that you can't keep bothering Kagura-san? I got distracted lecturing you and didn't notice Kagura-san slipping into the kitchen, but you're definitely not allowed to trouble her anymore!"
Ardan-ojousama rejected the request without even thinking about it. Iris-sama, who seemed like she was about to say something, immediately swallowed her words upon hearing Ardan's firm refusal and quickly nodded along:
"Ah… yes, yes, Ardan is absolutely right. We mustn't trouble our guest too much."
"Oh…"
...
After finishing lunch and allowing the kids a brief rest, Kagura finally led them off to their afternoon chore—cleaning their own rooms.
Originally, Kagura intended to have the little ones clean their rooms separately, but Ardan-ojousama suggested that it would be good for them to visit each other's rooms and socialize, so in the end, everyone ended up cleaning each room together.
The first target was naturally Mejiro Dober's room, which was located nearest to the hallway. For some reason, when it was mentioned they'd be starting there, Dober suddenly looked anxious and quickly dashed ahead on her own. By the time Kagura and the other little Uma Musume leisurely reached her door, Dober was just emerging.
Hmm~ Is there something in her room she doesn't want anyone to see?
Dober's actions were so obvious that Kagura didn't even need to guess; the girl definitely ran back ahead to hide something. What exactly needed hiding, though, Kagura couldn't yet imagine—she really didn't know what kind of secret a child would be desperate to conceal.
"All right, everyone~ Let's split tasks like this morning and quickly tidy up Dober's room!"
Pushing the small trolley with cleaning supplies, Kagura entered the room and gave instructions. The little Uma Musume cheerfully accepted their orders and began their chores. Dober, despite having returned first, followed along rather stiffly, looking notably awkward.
Kagura suspected it had something to do with whatever the girl had hidden. After waiting quietly nearby for a bit, Kagura approached when Dober was finally alone near her desk and gently poked her waist from behind.
"Eep!?"
Dober instantly straightened up, startled into letting out an adorable squeak.
"There, there, no need to be so startled. Careful, or everyone else will discover whatever you're hiding~"
"K-Kagura-oneesan, how did you know…?"
"Hasn't Ardan-ojousama told you before? You're really terrible at lying~ You get so shy that all your movements slow down. So, what exactly are you hiding that's making you act so nervous?"
Speaking softly as if sharing a secret, Kagura smiled warmly, gently stroking Dober's head.
After a moment of hesitation, Dober took Kagura's hand and led her to the desk. Opening the drawer, Kagura saw a large, thick notebook lying inside—clearly not a notebook for writing, but for sketching.
"Um… Kagura-oneesan, promise you won't laugh at me after seeing this?"
"Hehe, why would I laugh? Dober's always so sweet and well-behaved; you haven't done anything to be embarrassed about."
"Uu… sweet and well-behaved…"
Praised by Kagura, Dober's little face reddened even further. Nervously, she pulled out the big notebook, and after ensuring none of her sisters were looking, opened it carefully before Kagura's eyes.
Wow~
Upon seeing the bookmarked page Dober turned to, Kagura couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
It was a drawing—clearly something Dober had just started recently, but done with incredible detail, completely unlike something drawn by a child. The Uma Musume depicted had black hair and blue eyes, and from the partially-colored sections, it was clear she wore the maid outfit Kagura normally dressed in. Perhaps because it was winter, Dober had thoughtfully added a scarf around the maid's neck.
"This is… me?"
"My… my drawing skills aren't very good… maybe it doesn't really look like you…"
"Nonsense, Dober~ I've seen plenty of shoujo manga artists' works, and yours definitely isn't any worse~ If it weren't good, how could I instantly recognize myself?"
Kagura spoke these words sincerely—Dober's artwork was remarkably polished, as if she was drawing game illustrations. Though the drawing was incomplete, it showed Kagura reaching out her hand, as if grasping or embracing something. Since that portion was unfinished, Kagura couldn't yet guess the full composition.
"R-really…?"
"Absolutely. Dober's artistic talent is really impressive. Have more confidence in yourself, okay?"
Saying this, Kagura smiled and gently embraced Dober, letting the little girl rest against her chest while softly stroking her hair.
Dober's face turned fully red, almost visibly steaming. Leaning against Kagura, she let out small, confused noises.
"Ah… Kagura-oneesan, I-I have one more request… I promise not to trouble you too much, so… would you listen?"
After finally calming down, Dober remembered something she'd forgotten to mention, nervously whispering once more.
"Of course, Dober. No need to be shy."
"Well… Kagura-oneesan, are you free tomorrow morning? Could you… wear your maid outfit and come to my room? I… I'd like you to model for my drawing! I-I'll do anything you ask in return!"
After speaking, Dober bowed deeply toward Kagura, clearly desperate.
Kagura quickly lifted her back up, relieved that Dober's request wasn't something difficult—just modeling for a drawing. Naturally, she wouldn't refuse something this simple, especially since she was quite free these days.
"Sure~ Such a small thing, no need to be so formal, Dober. I'll come tomorrow morning, don't worry~"
"Thank you, Kagura-oneesan!"
Seeing Kagura agree so readily, the shy Dober's eyes lit up with joy. Just as she started to bow again, Kagura quickly stopped her.
"Dober~ Come help me, please~ There's a lot of stuff piled on your windowsill—I can't move it alone~"
Mejiro Bright's voice called out to Dober.
"Go on, Dober. Bright's calling for you."
"Ah… yes! Coming right now!"
Blushing fiercely, Dober stuffed the notebook back in her drawer and hurried off to help Bright.
Kagura watched Dober happily helping Bright carry things, then glanced once more at the now-locked drawer, her lips curling upward slightly.
Ah~ Dober really is such a cute child—I wish I had a little sister just like her~
---
T/N: so cute...
bonus chaps tomorrow
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