Returning from the Mejiro estate, Kagura finally settled back into her ordinary daily routine.
Inari Kagura returned to the Symboli household, while Rudolf went back to Tracen Academy. Kagura had wanted to help out at school as well, but Speed-sama had forcefully insisted she remain at home and take a proper break.
Staying home naturally meant Kagura had nothing to do. Lately, the maids at Symboli had improved so much that Kagura couldn't even snatch any chores from them—and if she approached, she'd end up getting petted instead.
"Kagura-imouto! You've got a package!"
Early in the morning, after finishing her usual morning jog and wandering around the Symboli estate's garden, Kagura spotted a maid pushing a small cart toward the mansion from the main gate.
After politely thanking the cheerful maid—and getting petted again—Kagura brought the cart carrying her package back to her room.
——Eh? You didn't buy this yourself, did you? Someone else sent it? What could it be?
"I don't know…"
In her room, Kagura unloaded the parcel, puzzling over who would bother sending her anything. Eclipse-san watched curiously from beside her.
[Kagura-meimei, thanks for your care last year! I received tons and tons of New Year's money! I heard you like snacks, so here are some specialty snacks from China. A small gift, please accept it~]
[Don't worry about the cost; all this was bought using the money earned from your videos! Please enjoy it freely~!]
Although the note wasn't signed, Kagura instantly knew who'd sent it. International shipping fees weren't cheap, especially for a box this large—the shipping alone was probably pricier than the snacks themselves. Clearly, Wudi was managing Kagura's account quite well.
——Wow, is this entire huge box full of snacks? What kind of things are these anyway?
"Well…"
Kagura took out a small knife and opened the box. Inside was packed tightly with snacks from her childhood memories.
——What's this thing called "A Single Green Onion (Yi Gen Cong)"? Can you actually snack on green onions? What are "Mom's Beef" and "Mushroom Fatty Beef"? And this price label… 0.5? Is beef really that cheap in your world? Wait, "Boiled Fish Slices" are also 0.5? Or is your currency super valuable?
"No, no… Eclipse-san, almost none of these snacks have anything to do with their actual names…"
Kagura patiently explained to Eclipse-san, who—as a British Uma Musume from ancient times—naturally couldn't comprehend China's peculiar naming sense. She had to spend quite a bit of time explaining what each snack really was. Wudi-san was honestly impressive: this huge box contained over a hundred varieties of snacks. Even back on Earth, Kagura would've had trouble assembling this many kinds at once.
——The naming might be misleading…but these taste amazing! The texture is so addicting! And they're this cheap? What was all that expensive stuff I used to eat!?
Eclipse-san, who shared Kagura's senses, quickly offered astonished praise. Kagura felt as if Eclipse-san was urging her on, bite after bite—clearly, Eclipse-san was hooked.
"Eclipse-san… If I eat too much, I'll get a sore throat!"
Even though Eclipse-san wanted more, and Kagura wanted to indulge her wishes as much as possible, she was still mortal—too many spicy snacks would damage her throat.
——Can you please build me an altar? Offer all these snacks as sacrifices to me!
Eclipse-san understood her limits. As a spiritual entity, she had no physical restrictions and could freely overindulge. But now, she had to rely on Kagura to taste anything.
"Where would I find an altar for you, Eclipse-san… Besides, I don't even know any sacrifice rituals…"
Kagura laughed helplessly, soothing Eclipse-san, who was playfully tugging at her hair in protest. She then picked up her phone to message Wudi-san.
[Inari_Kagura]: Thank you~ I received all the things you sent, Wudi-san. They taste great!
[Wudi]:Glad you like them! I was worried Chinese snacks wouldn't suit your tastes.
[Wudi]:By the way, Kagura-meimei, do you have time recently? Could you record a short Chinese New Year greeting video for everyone? I can teach you how to pronounce the words! It only needs to be a few dozen words!
[Inari_Kagura]:Eh… Sure, if Wudi-san needs it. China's Spring Festival is still a month or two away, right?
[Wudi]:Yep yep! Once it's recorded, I'll release it on the day. And if you have more time, could you record an unboxing video for the snacks I sent?
Kagura immediately understood Wudi's intentions. This was indeed a good idea. Wudi was deeply familiar with Chinese internet culture, clearly grasping what viewers wanted. For Kagura, this required almost zero effort—she just needed to cooperate with Wudi-san's tutoring, use her natural talent, and spend about half an hour mastering the Chinese pronunciation.
After Kagura agreed, Wudi swiftly initiated a video call. For the first time, Kagura saw Wudi's room in China—it clearly belonged to a wealthy family that deeply cared for their child. Her room was sweetly decorated, filled with feminine charm and youthful innocence. Behind her was even a cabinet displaying various collectibles proudly.
Ah, what a nice family she must have…
Kagura, raised under the crushing weight of endless studying, felt a pang of envy. Although her own parents had loved her, they'd never been this supportive about her hobbies.
"Hu~ hu ~Kagura-meimei, can you hear me? Happy New Year~!"
Wudi, knowing Kagura had just celebrated New Year in Japan, offered cheerful greetings.
"I can hear you, Wudi-san. Although I'd love to return the greeting, it's probably too early for you, right?"
"It's fine~! Here we call it 'bài gè zǎonián'—oh, I forgot, you wouldn't understand… It just means an early New Year greeting!"
"Ah, I see! Wudi-san is always so interesting. Oh—I think I see your parents behind you?"
Kagura noticed the bedroom door opening quietly. A charming, mature-looking Uma Musume was peeking inside, along with a gentle-looking man in his thirties.
Surprised, Wudi turned around quickly:
"Mom! Dad! Why are you sneaking around there!?"
"We just heard you talking, dear… We were curious! Who are you talking with? Is it Ardan-ojousama?"
Smiling warmly, Wudi's mother asked.
"No, it's someone you both know! Kagura-meimei! Mom, aren't you always watching her cooking videos?"
"Oh? You actually managed to contact Kagura-laoshi directly? Could Mommy say hello, too?"
"Uh… Kagura-meimei, my parents say they'd like to greet you. Would that be okay?"
"I don't mind. As long as Wudi-san is fine with it."
After obtaining Kagura's consent, Wudi's parents joined the camera view. Kagura bowed politely, greeting them in Japanese, and could hear them praising her warmly in return.
Wudi explained that her parents were longtime fans of Kagura, too. That's why they supported Wudi in running Kagura's account, and today was their first time seeing Kagura face-to-face.
"Kagura-meimei… my mom is curious about your age. If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to answer!"
"I'm 11—wait, I think I'm 12 now."
Wudi translated Kagura's answer, and her mother showed clear surprise.
"My mom says you're younger than she thought. She assumed Ardan-senpai's caretaker was around 14 or 15… Oh, right! How is Ardan-senpai's health lately?"
Wudi, who previously looked after Ardan, was naturally familiar to Ardan's family. Her parents took the chance to ask after Ardan's condition.
"She's improved a lot! She even went shrine-visiting recently with her sisters."
Kagura sent a photo from their shrine visit. Wudi's eyes widened in shock, and her parents appeared equally surprised at just how many sisters Ardan had.
"So nice... Ah, I almost forgot—I was supposed to teach Kagura-meimei Chinese! I'll send you a short script, and we'll go through it together!"
...
Wudi was amazed at Kagura's quick mastery. Kagura deliberately mispronounced a few times at first, before perfectly reciting everything in textbook-standard Mandarin—far clearer than Wudi's own Beijing accent.
"You learned so quickly, Kagura-meimei! You're unexpectedly talented at Chinese!"
"It's probably because I watched many Chinese cooking videos before, so I have a bit of a foundation."
Wudi happily praised Kagura's talent, and Kagura felt her own mood brighten at Wudi's delight.
After hanging up, Wudi happily hummed to herself, reclining in her chair.
Beside her, her mother smiled mischievously:
"That Kagura-meimei is wonderful~ Wudi, if you don't want a man, she'd make the perfect partner! Polite, gentle, and she respects elders. Didn't Ardan-ojousama say she's also frugal and treats her elders extremely well?"
Wudi's father nodded vigorously beside her.
"Moooom…we're both too young! Kagura-meimei is only 12! Stop rushing!"
"Oh, it's never too early~ When I caught your father, I was barely 18~"
"Mooom!! I don't wanna hear that!!"
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T/N: oh btw uhh actua,lly heh