One by one, the glows of lightsticks flickered to life in the dim surroundings.
On stage, beneath the spotlight, Silence Suzuka performed her song with earnest passion.
Below the stage, Starlight and Special Week were naturally cheering her on with everything they had.
"Suzuka's performance is so wonderful... Has Starlight-senpai ever performed on stage before?"
"Oh, you bet! I've performed many times."
Pulling out her phone, Starlight checked the time and suddenly remembered something.
"Oh dear, look at the time! Sorry Spe-chan, I have to head back to the academy for training. Do you want to walk back with me, or stay and watch a bit longer?"
"Ah... I—I think I need to go report for enrollment too."
Seeing the other girl's panicked expression, Starlight found it quite adorable. She covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Then let's head back together."
"Mm-hmm, okay Starlight-senpai!"
After saying goodbye to Silence Suzuka, who had finished her performance, the two Uma Musume began hurrying toward the academy.
Taking the specialized Uma Musume road, Starlight and Special Week soon arrived at the gates of Tracen Academy.
"Miss Hayakawa, good afternoon~"
Standing at the gate, Hayakawa Tazuna saw Divine Starlight running toward her and reached out with a smile to pat the girl's head.
"Hello, Starlight-san. And... this must be Special Week-san. Welcome to Tracen."
"I'm here to receive you..."
"Ah, Miss Hayakawa, h-hello!" Special Week bowed deeply as she spoke.
"No need to be so nervous. Please follow me, I'll take you to see the dormitories."
"Okay!"
"Then I'll head off to training first. Bye-bye, Spe-chan!"
"Mm, bye-bye Starlight-senpai!"
After the farewells, Divine Starlight started heading toward the training grounds.
'You've finally separated, Starlight-chan... Here I come.'
Watching the two Uma Musume split up, Still in Love, who had been following closely behind, felt a surge of joy.
She hurriedly quickened her pace to keep up.
At the Ritto Dormitory.
Fuji Kiseki, who was sitting on a bench reviewing documents, looked up when she heard footsteps.
"Hayakawa-san, you've arrived."
"Mm... Good afternoon, Kiseki-san . This is the newly joined Special Week. I'll leave her in your hands."
"Understood. It's alright if I call you Spe-chan, right?"
Nodding to Hayakawa Tazuna as she left for work, Fuji Kiseki looked gently at the flustered Special Week beside her.
"Y-yes!"
"Haha... don't be nervous. I'm the Dormitory Head, Fuji Kiseki. If you don't mind, you can even call me 'onee-san'."
Reaching out to pat Special Week's shoulder, Fuji Kiseki spoke with a warm smile.
"Ah, okay. Kiseki-onee-san."
"Good. I'll give you a brief rundown of the dormitory rules and some things to watch out for. If you make a mistake, you might be punished by the Student Council President herself."
"I understand."
Nodding, Fuji Kiseki shifted over a bit on the bench.
"Come, sit beside me. This isn't a disciplinary hearing, there's no need to be so formal."
Looking at the gentle, older-sister figure before her, Special Week's heart finally settled.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly sat down.
Meanwhile, out on the training grounds...
Divine Starlight was performing warm-up exercises under a large tree. She lowered herself into a slight squat and began stretching her legs.
A cool breeze brushed against her cheek as she looked at the phone screen placed on the ground in front of her. It displayed the schedule sent by Kiryuu Inami.
For some reason, it seemed the Trainers were all in a meeting. Therefore, she had to train alone this time.
"Focus on strength training, supplemented by endurance training... I see..."
Just as she was focused on the screen, a pair of running shoes suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
Divine Starlight blinked, her gaze slowly traveling up from the shoes.
The moment she recognized the person standing there, she instantly stumbled and tumbled to the ground.
Splat—
"Ouch..."
"Are you alright, Starlight-senpai? Did I startle you—?"
Seeing her fall, Still in Love bent down and reached out, her voice filled with concern.
Starlight took the extended hand and stood up, shaking her head with a smile.
"It's nothing, really. I just didn't expect you to show up here, Still."
Noticing that the other girl was also wearing training gear, Divine Starlight inquired, "Are you here for training as well?"
"Yes, Starlight-senpai. May I join you?"
"Of course! I haven't really started yet anyway, so let's warm up together."
With that, Divine Starlight brushed the dust off her clothes and began to jog.
Following behind her, Still in Love watched the silver-haired Uma Musume.
A faint, refreshing fragrance wafted toward her as the silver hair fluttered in the air.
Her ears stood alert, and she could faintly hear the sound of hot breaths escaping from Starlight's small mouth.
Once the warm-up was over, Starlight held her phone out to Still in Love.
"This is my training volume for today. Can you handle it, Still? If you feel unwell or find it too difficult to keep up, please tell me."
Looking into those golden eyes, Still in Love saw they were filled with genuine concern for her.
Her heart raced with excitement, and she became intensely focused—staring fixedly into Divine Starlight's eyes.
'Starlight-chan's eyes... they're full of me... I'm so happy. Starlight-chan is worried about me... I'm so happy...'
"Still? Still-san, are you still with me~?"
Seeing no reaction, Divine Starlight waved her hand in front of the girl's face.
Whoosh!
The next second, her waving hand was firmly caught and held by both of Still in Love's hands.
"It doesn't matter! As long as I am with you, Starlight-chan, I would run until my legs break. You don't need to worry about me..."
Looking at those obsessed eyes and feeling the scorching, powerful grip on her hand, Divine Starlight's brow furrowed.
She felt a surge of inner panic.
She quickly set her phone down and used her free hand to give the girl's forehead a gentle flick.
"What kind of silly talk is that? How could I not worry about you when you're like this? Besides, I am not that important. To you, Still in Love-san, you yourself are the most important person."
"I want to see you galloping across the racecourse with my own eyes. Please, take better care of yourself, okay?"
In an instant, the thick fog that had threatened to swallow Divine Starlight was dispersed by the light she radiated.
Those scolding words were like a purifying spear, piercing through the red iron cage that had shrouded Still in Love's heart.
Her eyes regained their clarity and light. Trembling, she looked at the Uma Musume before her and slowly released her grip.
"I... I'm sorry... Starlight-chan, I'm sorry."
"Oh, there's no need to apologize to me. You should apologize to yourself. Alright, let's pick up the pace, or we won't finish today's training quota."
"Still, don't push yourself if you can't keep up, okay?"
Starlight turned and threw herself back into training. Watching her back, Still in Love couldn't help but let the corner of her mouth curl up.
"O-okay, Starlight-senpai. I... I will definitely make sure you see me galloping across that racecourse..."
Ritto Dormitory.
Silence Suzuka had returned after her race. Just as she pushed open the dormitory's main doors, she saw the Dormitory Head helping Special Week move her luggage.
"Kiseki-san, good afternoon."
"Oh~ Suzuka! That was a fine performance in the race."
"Thank you for the praise. May I ask what's happening?"
"Your new roommate has arrived. She's currently in the room tidying her bed. Do you want to help carry some luggage?"
Realizing the situation, Silence Suzuka nodded and said with a smile, "Sure. I'd like to get on good terms with my new roommate anyway."
Carrying a suitcase, Silence Suzuka arrived at the door of her room, only to find that it was Special Week— the girl who had been watching the race with Starlight that afternoon.
"Eh? It's you?"
"Ah! Silence Suzuka-san!!!"
"Oh? You two know each other?"
Hearing Fuji Kiseki's question, Special Week was visibly excited.
"Of course! Before coming here, I went to watch Silence Suzuka-san's race. It was incredible!"
"That's great. It seems I don't need to worry then. Suzuka, get along well with your new roommate. I'll be taking my leave now."