Kagura had considered whether she should train today, but by the time they arrived it was already afternoon. There wasn't much time left for training anyway, so Trainer Tojo simply told them to go do whatever they wanted.
——Wow, this place really does look luxurious. The view outside is nice, too. I heard there's something downstairs tonight… what do you call it, a buffet? Times really have changed… Even regular people can stay somewhere this fancy now.
Kagura, bored and rolling around on the bed, felt her cheeks get tugged a couple times. She stopped, sat up, and looked at her phone screen—where she saw Eclipse's musings.
"Hey~ Eclipse-san, you know this place isn't cheap at all… If the trainers weren't the ones bringing me here, I wouldn't even dare imagine getting to rest somewhere this high-end."
——Do your best. Once you debut, you'll have tons of money. Then you can stay in places like this as much as you want!
Kagura felt her face get cupped and rubbed a few times. She could also feel Eclipse blowing by her ear, making it itch.
Knock knock knock.
Just as Kagura was thinking she might as well doze off here and sleep straight through to dinner, she heard a knock at her door.
She ran over and opened it. Bizen Nishiki immediately poked her head in.
"Hi~ Kagura, are you free right now?"
"I guess I am. What's up? Do you need something?"
"My trainer didn't schedule any training for me this afternoon, so I've got nothing to do. I figured I'd come ask if you had anything fun planned."
"Ah… I see… But why come to me first? Shouldn't ojou-sama be around your age?"
Kagura felt that if Bizen Nishiki wanted someone to hang out with, it would make more sense to go two rooms down and play with Rudolf instead. People the same age usually had more in common. Kagura was three or four years younger than her—there was that saying about a generation gap every three years. No matter how you looked at it, Kagura didn't seem like the first person she'd go to.
"Ahaha… it's just… Rudolf is kind of scary… I… I'm scared of bothering her…"
"Uh…"
Kagura had seen Rudolf unleash that intimidating aura on the track from time to time, and she'd also seen Bizen Nishiki have slow starts to varying degrees in both the Yayoi Sho and the Satsuki Sho. So Kagura could understand why Bizen Nishiki didn't want to go to Rudolf.
"Well, I don't really have anything fun here either. The view's about the only thing worth showing off. Want to come in and look at the ocean? The view from my room is pretty good."
"Yeah~!"
Bizen Nishiki looked delighted, bouncing twice as she happily followed Kagura inside.
To be honest, Bizen Nishiki didn't really care whether Kagura actually had anything fun. At least, that's how it felt—once she saw Kagura, she wasn't bored anymore. Even if all they did was sit inside and watch the sea, having Kagura beside her made her happy. Compared to being alone, or going to Rudolf—who made her feel pressured—she preferred staying here with Kagura.
She followed Kagura to the lounge chair by the huge floor-to-ceiling window and sat down. In the distance were a deep blue sky and sea. Waves swung up onto the shore like they were on a playground swing, tossing up foamy white spray. The wide-open view and the warm afternoon sunlight made her relax without even noticing.
Ding…
After a long while, Bizen Nishiki heard the faint clink of glass against the glass tabletop to her right. Her ears twitched. Turning her head, she realized that while she'd been staring blankly at the far-off sky, Kagura had already boiled water and brewed tea. The air held a clean, fragrant tea scent.
"Kagura, you even brought tea leaves with you?"
Bizen Nishiki sounded surprised. She didn't know how long she'd been spacing out, but it couldn't have been very long. Kagura having everything ready that quickly still caught her off guard.
"Yeah. I figured there might be a chance to sit and watch the sea like this. Can't do that without something to eat nearby, so I brought some. Want some snacks?"
Kagura poured Bizen Nishiki a cup of tea and set out a small dish of snacks, then poured herself a cup and sat in the chair on the right side of the table.
"O-oh… ah! Thank you!"
Being treated like this for the first time, Bizen Nishiki felt a little overwhelmed by the kindness. She carefully lifted the teacup and took a small sip, suddenly much less familiar and casual than she usually was.
"No need to be polite—it's just something I like doing. Go ahead, eat~"
After that, Kagura leaned back, sinking into the lounge chair. She stretched comfortably and let out a cute yawn.
"Whew~ With weather this good, in a place this nice, you're supposed to lie down and soak up the sun. You've been pushing yourself so hard lately, Bizen Nishiki. Narumiya Akimitsu brought you out here—he probably wants you to relax properly, right? If you like it, how about you rest here for a bit?"
At some point, Kagura had started liking the habit of finding a comfy spot in the afternoon and sunning herself. Maybe it had something to do with Umamusume instincts. Somewhere indoors where you could still get sunlight, with air this nice, was hard to find at Tracen.
"Ah…"
Narumiya Akimitsu really had told her that. Summer training camp was "training" in name, but for Bizen Nishiki—who'd been fighting back-to-back and keeping her training intensity high for a long time—it was more of a chance to unwind. This time, Narumiya Akimitsu had even specifically told her she wasn't allowed to join training for the first week.
If Kagura says so… then taking it easy here for a little while should be fine, right?
Thinking that, Bizen Nishiki reclined in her chair too, stretching with a satisfied sigh.
Gazing at the view, she felt more relaxed than she ever had before. A quiet, comfortable calm settled over her. She couldn't quite put it into words. She'd looked at the sea from her own room earlier that morning, but she hadn't felt this good then. Maybe it was because Kagura's window was bigger, with a more open view.
That looseness made her posture relax too. The right hand she'd been holding carefully in place started looking for somewhere to rest. Without thinking, her outstretched fingers brushed something soft and tender. She couldn't help pinching it gently, stroking it once—then she snapped back to her senses, startled, and tilted her head toward the table.
She realized that without meaning to, she'd grabbed Kagura's small hand—resting near the plate of snacks.
"Sorry—"
She started to apologize, but Kagura didn't react at all. Looking closer, Bizen Nishiki saw that at some point Kagura had fallen asleep, leaning back in her chair. Suddenly Bizen Nishiki didn't dare speak.
She knew Kagura was usually extremely busy—she took care of Rudolf as a Support Uma, and she'd even won Best Support awards. Her workload had to be far beyond normal. So Kagura falling asleep that quickly probably meant she was exhausted. Bizen Nishiki didn't dare make a sound, afraid she'd wake her. She simply withdrew her hand silently and went back to watching the sea.
But Kagura's skin is so nice… smooth and soft…
Even after pulling her hand back, Bizen Nishiki still remembered the feel of Kagura's tiny palm. It was so pleasant it made her want to touch again, but she forced that impulse down for the moment and tried to keep her eyes fixed on the distant water.
This time, even though she still felt comfortable and relaxed, for some reason her heart wouldn't settle. She kept instinctively wanting to turn her head and look at Kagura beside her.
Kagura slept so peacefully, her head tilted slightly as she leaned back in her chair. She made no sound at all. That cute look of hers kept giving Bizen Nishiki the urge to pinch her cheeks—because Kagura's cheeks looked like they'd feel really good.
Of course, she couldn't do something like pinching her face. That would be far too rude.
I'll just eat something…
Feeling oddly nervous, cheeks warming with confusion, Bizen Nishiki turned her face away and reached out for a snack to calm herself down.
Because she wasn't looking at the table, her hand grabbed at empty air a few times—until it bumped into that familiar warm, soft sensation.
"!"
Bizen Nishiki shuddered instinctively. She knew immediately—that was Kagura's hand.
Swallowing, she turned her head stiffly like a puppet and looked at Kagura again. Kagura hadn't noticed anything; she was still sleeping quietly.
Kagura didn't wake up…
Bizen Nishiki suddenly felt parched. Her hand moved uncertainly, brushing Kagura's skin now and then. That pleasant texture made her want to touch again—just one more time.
Her hand inched forward a little. She could already feel the warmth of Kagura's small fingers.
What… am I doing… Kagura has helped me so many times… I can't be rude to her…
But her body didn't seem to want to listen to what she was thinking. A moment later, her hand moved forward again, gently sliding into Kagura's palm.
At that point, Bizen Nishiki couldn't stop herself anymore. She held Kagura's hand and softly rubbed it. Just like she'd felt before, Kagura's skin really was wonderful—white, soft, delicate. Her little hand was warm and tender, like the afternoon sunlight itself.
She knew that when she'd been low, when she'd been lost, it was this hand that had pulled her out of the dark.
Once again she couldn't help looking up. Staring at Kagura's face, an impulse she'd never felt before surged up inside her like a flame. Maybe it was the sunlight, but her cheeks felt hot.
Kagura…
Bizen Nishiki's head felt fuzzy. She couldn't explain what she was feeling—she only tightened her grip on Kagura's hand a little. Almost unconsciously, she leaned her body slightly toward Kagura, inching closer and closer to the sleeping girl's cheek.
Knock knock knock…
Less than a few seconds after Bizen Nishiki moved, a soft knock on the door instantly yanked her back to her senses. Like a kid caught sneaking on their phone in the middle of the night, she hurriedly pulled back.
Knock knock knock…
The knocking grew a little louder, and she heard a voice from outside—clearly younger than her own:
"Kagura, are you in there?"
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T/N: BIZEN???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????????