Creak—
It was just past 8:00 PM. Starlight slowly pushed open the door to the dormitory cabin. Since she had noticed the lights were still on through the window, she figured McQueen and Teio weren't asleep yet, so she didn't bother trying to stay quiet.
After walking in at a leisurely pace, she turned around and closed the door.
Ping————!!!!
Suddenly, an incredibly sharp gaze pierced her back. Involuntarily tensing up, Starlight stiffly turned her head to see Mejiro McQueen looking at her with a dead serious expression.
"Um... what's wrong, McQueen-chan?"
"Why did your bath take so much time?"
"I went to the beach with a friend to look at the stars."
'Eh? She actually went to look at the stars with a friend?'
"Hiss~"
Subconsciously, Mejiro McQueen blurted out a series of questions. "Who? Is it someone from your grade? Do I know them...?"
Blinking, a drop of cold sweat trickled down Starlight's forehead. "It was Nishino Flower. You should know her, right? She's in your class."
For some reason, hearing the name Nishino Flower made Mejiro McQueen breathe a mental sigh of relief.
Lying in her blankets on the other side of the room, Tokai Teio was busy playing a mobile game. A large Symboli Rudolf plushie sat by her pillow.
"Starlight-senpai, can I see the photos?"
"No problem! Nishino Flower's Polaroid is really good. It actually makes me want to buy one, the photos turned out gorgeous."
Giggling, Starlight grabbed her phone and crawled into her own bedding to lie down. She and Tokai Teio moved closer together to start sharing the pictures.
'They're just photos of stars... how good could they possibly be?'
Mejiro McQueen acted indifferent and continued reading her novel, occasionally reaching for a small biscuit from the plate by her pillow.
"Wow~ This one is so pretty! Starlight-senpai, your hair is literally glowing!"
"That... I think that's just how the light hit it..."
"Can you send me a copy of this one? I want to save it."
"Eh? The one of me? That feels a bit embarrassing."
"Don't worry, Starlight-senpai, you look really great in this one. It's nothing to be ashamed of!"
"Well, alright then."
The constant chatter between the two kept drifting into Mejiro McQueen's ears, causing her curiosity to spike.
Every few seconds, she would steal a glance in their direction. Realizing she was acting a bit strange, she quickly shook her head and pulled her book closer to her face.
"Focus, focus..."
"Maybe I should go along tomorrow too? It sounds like fun," Teio said.
"Sure thing! I'll let Flower know, and we can all take photos together tomorrow."
'Focus my foot!'
"Ahem! Well, I... I'd also like to see the stars."
Teio and Starlight both turned their heads in unison to look at Mejiro McQueen. For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
"It's mostly because you both said they look good, so I'm a bit curious. There's no other reason..."
"We weren't actually thinking about any other reasons," Starlight replied.
"Anyway, it's getting late. I'm a bit sleepy, let's go to bed."
"Eh? Okay. Since McQueen is tired, let's sleep." Tokai Teio handed the phone back to Divine Starlight and got up to turn off the light.
The dormitory was instantly plunged into darkness. Under the moonlight, Mejiro McQueen's eyes were bright and alert. She lay there, blinking at the ceiling.
After an unknown amount of time, just as she was closing her eyes to drift off, a rustling sound began.
"Psst, psst... Starlight-senpai, are you asleep?"
"Not yet. What's up?"
"I just found a highly-rated horror movie. I really want to watch it... but I'm a bit scared. Want to watch it together?"
"Sure. Should I come over there, or are you coming over here?"
"I'll come to your side, Senpai."
After a very brief, whispered exchange, there came the sound of blankets and mats rubbing together.
Turning her head slightly, Mejiro McQueen could just barely see a large bulge under Divine Starlight's covers.
And inside those covers...
"Senpai, your bed smells so good."
"Eh, really? Maybe it's because I just finished showering."
Turning on her phone, Tokai Teio pulled up that horror movie. After sharing one earbud with Starlight, the two of them began their binge-watch.
The dark clouds obscuring the moon slowly drifted away. As the moonlight spilled onto Mejiro McQueen's face, she stared up at the ceiling with an expression of pure frustration.
'Clearly, my relationship with Divine Starlight is better, right?'
'I feel like I'm being isolated, but I don't know why.'
Perhaps this was the difference in temperament between McQueen and Teio. Teio gave off the vibe of a girl-next-door coming over to play, possessing a very high natural affinity.
As for McQueen...
Well, those who know, know.
Listening to the faint, continuous noises coming from beside her, McQueen admitted she was feeling a bit salty.
"Kya~ Teio, don't grab there!"
"Sorry, sorry, Senpai! That jump scare just now was so sudden, I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No big deal, let's keep watching."
...
A night passed. Mejiro McQueen didn't even know when she had finally fallen asleep.
Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up and looked to the side. She saw Starlight lying sprawled out on the floor, with Tokai Teio draped over her body.
The blanket had been kicked aside, presumably because the two of them had felt too hot.
Gazing at this scene with eyes full of complex emotions, Mejiro McQueen felt a surge of grievance in her heart.
'Even though there are three people in this dorm, why do I feel so lonely...'
"Gurgle..."
With a few sleepy grunts, Starlight woke up from her dreams right on schedule.
Frowning as she slowly opened her eyes and felt the weight on her body, she quickly reached out and gently patted Teio's head.
"Teio~ Teio, wake up... didn't you say we were going to do morning practice together today?"
"Mnh-mnh... okay, okay, Senpai."
Rubbing her eyes, Tokai Teio lifted herself off Starlight. The moment she squinted and saw Mejiro McQueen's face, her brain immediately overlapped the image with the female ghost she had seen last night.
"AAAAAAAAHH!! G-G-Ghost! Senpai, a ghost!"
With eyes wide open, a panicked Tokai Teio frantically clung to Divine Starlight, who had also just sat up.
"Where?! Where's the ghost— ?!"
Well, that did it. The two Uma Musume, who were originally a bit groggy, were now instantly wide awake.
After realizing it was just Mejiro McQueen, Starlight breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's just McQueen~ What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare last night?"
"Eh, oh, it's just McQueen-chan. Sorry, the light in the room was a bit dim, I didn't recognize you," Teio said, pressing her hands together in apology.
"Wait, that's not right. Wasn't McQueen the first one to say she was going to sleep? Why does her face look so terrible?"
"S-Senpai, you don't think she was... possessed by something dirty...?"
"Shh, shh! Don't say it out loud—"
"Um, Mc-McQueen, could you say something?"
As Starlight's inquiry faded, a heavy silence lasted for two long seconds. Then, the sound of a sob rang out.
"You— you two! Tonight— no, every night from now on, no matter what you're doing, I'm participating too...!"
Seeing this, Tokai Teio and Divine Starlight shared a silent look. Though they couldn't quite figure out what was going on with her... they figured they should comfort her first.
"Okay, okay, McQueen-chan. We won't leave you out next time, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't cry. Do you want to do morning practice together, or sleep a bit longer?"
The weather today was quite pleasant.
Kiryuu Inami sat in a chair, holding a cup of coffee. Watching from a distance as Starlight and Teio walked with McQueen sandwiched between them, fussing over her with concern, she smiled.
"Have those three little ones become such good friends already? How wonderful~"