Uma Musume: Your Uma Has A Problem! [54]

“I’m terribly sorry, Kagura. First troubling you to race with McQueen, and now having you personally make snacks for her… Truly…”

Outside the banquet hall that evening, Old Mejiro watched gratefully as McQueen, fully recovered and brimming with energy again, happily enjoyed the desserts Kagura had made.

“It’s fine, as long as McQueen is feeling better, that’s enough. It wasn’t much trouble for me anyway.”

“I’ve always heard Speed-sama boast about your cooking skills and how wonderfully you take care of others, but today even an old woman like me finally got to see it firsthand…”

Old Mejiro felt a touch of envy toward Speed-sama. She had heard about Kagura’s background—the shrine Kagura came from was equidistant from the Mejiro and Symboli estates. Yet, why was it that Kagura collapsed right in front of the Symboli family gate instead?

For a long time, the Mejiro family had searched desperately for someone suitable to take care of their Uma Musume, whether it was a Support Uma or a trainer. Ever since the children enrolled at Tracen, especially the frail Ardan, Old Mejiro and Mejiro Ramonu had tried finding someone reliable—but so far, no truly satisfying candidate had appeared.

After all, Support Uma were rare at Tracen, and most of them were merely students. Old Mejiro couldn’t feel at ease entrusting fragile Ardan to such inexperienced hands. After all these years, they finally found one capable Support Uma—but the Symboli family had snatched her up first.

“Kagura, do you still have spare energy to look after another Uma Musume?”

Although Old Mejiro had little hope that Kagura would accept, she still tried asking anyway.

“What are you plotting, Old Mejiro?”

Speed-sama’s ears immediately perked up upon hearing this, eyes narrowed in warning.

“Kagura’s already busy enough. She’s lost weight over the last few months from the workload, and today she raced with your little girl and even cooked for her. You want to add more burdens to her?”

“I know, I know…but there truly isn’t another reliable Support Uma available at Tracen. I don’t need her to babysit anyone, just keep an eye out and make sure that child doesn’t do anything reckless.”

Although feeling somewhat guilty, Old Mejiro braced herself and explained. Ardan had long wanted to return to school, and Old Mejiro didn’t have the heart to keep her home any longer. However, the frail Ardan still needed someone to watch over her at school. Trainers couldn’t simply wander into the dormitory area—if something happened to Ardan there, even roommates might not respond quickly enough.

Kagura quickly guessed who Old Mejiro wanted her to watch. A mature Ojou-sama like Ramonu wouldn’t need supervision—so that left only Mejiro Ardan, still at Tracen.

“If it’s just watching over her, why not simply ask Ardan-san’s roommate for help?”

Hearing the modest request, Kagura tilted her head slightly. Such basic supervision didn’t require a dedicated Support Uma—any Uma Musume could handle it.

“I considered that too, but Ardan has never mentioned which dorm she stays in or who her roommate is. Besides, she hasn’t returned to school for a long time, and now I hear the school has rearranged her dorm assignment due to her prolonged absence. She’ll likely have to move rooms when she goes back… Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

“That sounds tricky…”

Apparently, Ardan wasn’t as obedient as she appeared. Kagura guessed this rebellious streak might stem from Old Mejiro constantly restricting her at home.

“The Mejiro family will formally hire you, Kagura, and we’ll pay you appropriately. You won’t have to constantly watch over our Uma Musume; simply intervene quickly if she faces any danger.”

“…Kagura, what do you think?”

Speed-sama quickly considered the proposal. The workload sounded minimal enough, but ultimately, it depended on Kagura’s personal wishes. While Speed-sama wanted to protect Kagura from exhaustion, she wouldn’t forbid it if Kagura herself agreed.

“If it’s just simple supervision, I don’t mind… But when Ardan-san returns, please have her contact me directly. At the very least, I need to know where she lives.”

After a moment’s thought, Kagura nodded, accepting Old Mejiro’s request. Seeing Kagura agree, Old Mejiro, who had nearly given up hope, first looked startled, then visibly relaxed in relief.

“Good, good… Thank you, child. I’ll immediately speak to Ardan. I’m truly sorry to impose on your time when you’re already so busy.”

Old Mejiro hurriedly thanked Kagura, then rushed into the banquet hall to find her granddaughter.

“Kagura, are you sure this is alright?”

Only after Old Mejiro was out of earshot did Speed-sama reach out and gently pat Kagura’s head. Though unsurprised by Kagura’s decision—Kagura always judged her own limits carefully—Speed-sama still worried about her workload.

After all, Kagura was no longer just a maid or Support Uma to her—she had long viewed Kagura as one of her own family.

“It’s fine. If it’s just simple supervision, anyone can handle it. It’s really no trouble.”

“You say that, but…sigh. Please don’t push yourself too hard. Trainer Tojo mentioned you even helped Rudolf test race strategies personally, on top of caring for her daily needs. Aren’t you tired?”

“It’s really okay. If it were too much, I wouldn’t have accepted this request. Don’t worry, Speed-sama.”

Kagura smiled gently, waving her hand reassuringly.

Speed-sama sighed again. Honestly, Kagura’s competence had already surpassed their family maids, despite her youth. The thought left Speed-sama deeply amazed.

“Kagura-nee-san~ What are you doing out there? Come in and have some desserts with us!”

Mejiro McQueen’s youthful voice floated out from the banquet hall. Kagura immediately turned to reply.

“McQueen’s calling me. I’ll go inside first, Speed-sama.”

“Go ahead. And eat plenty. Regain the weight you lost.”

“I will~”

Kagura replied cheerfully, hurrying back inside.

Speed-sama stood there, silently watching Kagura’s back as she left, and after a long pause let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll need to give this child some extra allowance when we get home… Honestly, that Old Mejiro never lets anyone rest easy.”

—

This is a fan translation of 你这后勤马娘有问题啊 by 惰性大发 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!