The next morning.
Symboli Rudolf woke up early and stood before the mirror, tidying her clothes.
Her ears twitched as she heard the door to the opposite dorm room open. Following suit, she grabbed a trash bag and pushed her door open.
"Good morning, Divine Starlight-san..."
In the hallway, Starlight, who was leaning over to tie her shoelaces, looked up at the sound of the voice.
"Good morning, Madam President. Are you heading out to take out the trash?"
"Indeed."
"Ah, the trash bag in my room is full too. Madam President, why don't I take yours and throw them both away for you?"
"That won't be necessary. For something as minor as this, I'd prefer to do it myself."
Thus, Rudolf successfully managed to walk side-by-side with Starlight.
The two of them headed down to the dormitory's waste station and tossed their bags into one of the large bins.
"Well then, I'm off to morning practice, Madam President. Bye-bye!"
"Mm, alright. The temperature is quite low today, so remember to warm up thoroughly. Don't get injured." Rudolf reached out and gently rubbed Starlight's head, reminding her with a smile.
"Mm-hmm! Thanks for the reminder, President, I'll keep it in mind."
Watching the silver-haired Uma Musume gradually distance herself, Rudolf couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward.
'This morning is turning out quite well...'
However, as she walked past the training grounds with her school bag in hand, that smile instantly vanished.
Her face darkened as she looked out at the turf in the distance.
Beside Starlight and Yaeno Muteki, there was now a third, black-clad Uma Musume.
"I previously thought Rice Shower-chan was quite petite, but I didn't expect her long-distance strength to be so formidable. Her late-stage explosive power surprised me as well."
Turning her head slightly, Yaeno Muteki spoke in admiration.
"T-that... thank you for the compliment. Yaeno-senpai is very powerful too. Ri—Rice needs to work even harder!"
"Oops, we're rounding this curve! We're going to accelerate now!" Suddenly, Divine Starlight, who was running ahead of the two, gave a loud reminder.
"Understood..."
"O-okay!"
The cold wind brushed against Starlight's cheeks. Panting heavily, she watched as her lead foot stepped into the zone marked by the curve's pylon.
The next second, she exerted a sudden burst of power from her legs.
Thump—!
The crisp sound of footsteps rang out like a symphonic movement on a stage.
She had now completely integrated her starting technique into her own running style, and both her speed and stamina had reached a level of qualitative breakthrough.
In the blink of an eye, the silver figure surged forward, opening up a five-length lead over the two Uma Musume behind her.
Yaeno Muteki's heart, which had been pounding normally, skipped a beat before racing with excitement.
She looked at the figure ahead of her with a flushed face.
"As expected of you, Starlight-chan! I won't let you leave me behind!"
The ground beneath her seemed to crack as Yaeno Muteki let out a roar. Her muscles tensed before turning as fluid as water.
The moment her second foot made contact with the turf, a shockwave rippled across the ground, and her figure rapidly gave chase.
Rice Shower, naturally, was not to be outdone. Long periods of grueling training combined with her specific track aptitude made stamina her greatest forte.
She currently had far more energy left in reserve than either Yaeno Muteki or Divine Starlight. Her purple eyes flickered as black flames seemed to swirl around her body.
The moment she stepped off, her figure accelerated in a dash.
Watching the three Uma Musume pouring their sweat onto the turf, Rudolf's expression was incredibly complex.
To be honest, she really wanted to join them, and ideally, it would just be her and Starlight alone.
But constrained by her duties as President, she couldn't make it happen.
Though she felt uneasy, there was no reason to say anything, so she simply turned to leave.
'For this afternoon's training, maybe I should talk to the Trainer about heading over to Inami's place for a few days...'
During the break after the second period.
Divine Starlight was currently sprawled across her desk, enjoying a gentle massage from her classmate, Super Creek.
The occasional soft groans she let out were absolutely adorable.
Squinting as she looked at Divine Starlight, Super Creek felt a wave of happiness in her heart.
"Starlight-san, there's a junior outside looking for you..."
"Ah~ Understood, I'm coming."
Straightening her back, Divine Starlight stretched lazily.
"Creek, I'm heading out for a bit~"
"Ah, yes, alright."
Walking out of the classroom, she saw a pink-haired Uma Musume who looked visibly flustered.
The girl was leaning against the window, glancing left and right with an expression that looked as if she had committed a guilty deed—she was incredibly soft and adorable.
"Ah, St—Starlight-senpai!!"
Upon seeing who it was, Agnes Digital hurriedly bowed and cried out.
"Hello there. You're the president of the Otaku Club, right?"
"Ahhh, n-no, don't say it out loud... Starlight-senpai," Agnes Digital pleaded, her face turning a bright shade of crimson as she stepped forward.
"Hehe, alright, alright. Then could you tell me your name, you cute pink-haired Uma Musume?"
'C-cute? Hehe, ehehe... Starlight-senpai called me cute~'
"Ahem, well, my name is Agnes Digital. Hello, Senpai."
"I see. Digitan-chan, is there something you needed me for?"
"Hehe, well, Senpai, I am your biggest fan! Could you... could you please sign this shirt?"
With that, Agnes Digital gave a goofy grin and leaned in, pulling open her outer jacket.
Underneath was a white T-shirt featuring a photo of Divine Starlight.
Her golden eyes widened slightly in surprise, but Starlight quickly took the pen with a smile.
"Oh, a fan of mine? Hooray! I'd be more than happy to sign it for you. Where should I write?"
Agnes Digital pointed to a specific spot.
"Here, here... right next to your head, Starlight-senpai."
"Th-this is a bit difficult, Digitan-chan. I'll try my best to make it look nice, so hold still~"
"Come on, Senpai. I can endure it!"
After some rustling sounds, Agnes Digital looked down at her Starlight fan-shirt and started giggling again.
"Hehe..."
'This kid... it looks like she really is a die-hard fan...'
"By the way, Starlight-senpai, you said before that you wanted to join my club— is that true?"
As if remembering something, Agnes Digital's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at Starlight.
'What should I do? I only said that to deal with the President... I really want to refuse, but she is a die-hard fan after all.'
'She's even wearing the shirt...'
"O-of course it is. Digitan can count me as a club member. But I'm currently in the middle of race prep, so I'll join your club activities a bit later~"
Hearing this, Agnes Digital excitedly grabbed Divine Starlight's hand.
"Um, St—Starlight-senpai, since you're in training... can I take photos of you? I won't disturb you, I promise! Please..."
"No problem. Digitan-chan, just do whatever you like. I won't say no."
'Starlight-senpai... so kind, so great! So beautiful, so...;
Ring, ring, ring...
Agnes Digital, who had wanted to spend more time with Divine Starlight, looked a bit regretful when she heard the bell.
"I have to go now, Senpai. Can I come find you again later?"
"Sure thing."
"Mm, I got it! Bye-bye, Senpai!"
"Bye-bye."
Turning around, Divine Starlight was about to re-enter the classroom when a blue-haired Uma Musume, who had just come out of the restroom, called out to her.
"Starlight-chan! Wait a moment..."
"What is it?"
"Actually... McQueen-chan has been a bit listless lately and hasn't been coming to school. I don't know what's wrong."
"When you have time the day after tomorrow, could you please come to the Mejiro estate?"
'Eh? Mejiro McQueen is listless... did something sad happen to her?'
"I can do that, Ardan."
"That's good. Thank you so much, Starlight-chan."