On the weekend, Starlight returned to her dorm after finishing her morning training.
She stripped off her training gear, tossed it into the washing machine, and headed into the shower room with a fresh change of clothes.
After opening a music app on her phone, Starlight leisurely prepared to turn on the hot water for a shower.
Sputter, sputter—!
However, the showerhead seemed to be broken, so the water only dribbled out in tiny droplets.
Frowning, Starlight brought over a small stool and unscrewed the head to inspect it.
"Tch... the showerhead is fine. Is the problem somewhere else?"
She sighed and checked her phone. It was almost time for her meeting with Mejiro Ardan.
"Grass and El Condor Pasa next door aren't in... maybe I should go across the hall and ask the President."
Reaching out with her fair arm, she grabbed her bathrobe and wrapped it around her body.
She bent over to put her laundry in a small basket, then, with a towel wrapped around her head, she arrived at Symboli Rudolf's door.
Knock, knock, knock...
Sitting at her desk and scribbling away at some paperwork, Rudolf frowned slightly when she heard the knocking.
'Who would be looking for me on a weekend?'
Approaching the door, Rudolf asked, "Who is it?"
Her calm voice carried through, and a response soon followed.
"Madam President, the shower in my room is broken. Could I borrow yours for a bit?"
The familiar, pleasant voice caused Rudolf's heart to skip a beat.
She stood up quickly, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, and swung the door open.
Suddenly, the figure of the silver-haired Uma Musume wrapped in a bathrobe appeared before her eyes.
The girl blinked her large golden eyes and tightened her grip on her robe.
"President? President..."
"Ah, y-yes, of course. Please come in, Starlight-san—"
Even for someone as composed as the Student Council President, Rudolf couldn't help but be dazed for a moment at the scene.
Her face flushed slightly as she stepped aside to make way.
"Thank you, Madam President. I'm sorry for the intrusion."
After a polite bow of thanks, Starlight walked inside.
Rudolf stood by the door, glancing left and right down the hallway before finally closing it.
Regaining her composure, she looked at the back of the Uma Musume in front of her. A few stray water droplets still clung to the girl's neck.
"Gosh, I just finished training and wanted to shower before heading out with a friend, but the shower room had no water."
"I see... I'll contact the maintenance staff to come over and fix it. You can use my room's shower for now."
"Hehe, thanks a lot, President."
With a smiling nod, Starlight pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside.
Once the door was closed and the faint sound of running water echoed from within, Rudolf took a deep breath and sat back down at her desk.
She held her pen, trying to get back into her work flow, but...
The sunlight streaming through the glass window danced on the desk. She twirled her pen over and over, her mind restless from the constant sound of the shower in her ears.
Occasionally, a hazy image would flicker in her mind— an image of Starlight's back as she showered.
'No, no, no, Rudolf. You are a person of integrity. How can you think about such things now?'
'At the very least, you should wait until you're actually together with her before thinking about that—'
"Ahem... By the way, Starlight-san, where are you planning to go? You seem to be in quite a hurry."
Squeezing shampoo into her palm, Starlight lathered it into her hair. Hearing Rudolf's voice, she replied casually.
"McQueen-chan hasn't been feeling well lately and hasn't come to school for a few days. Ardan and I are planning to go visit her."
'Mejiro McQueen...'
Muttering the name to herself, Rudolf seemed to recall something. Her brow furrowed with a complex expression.
"I heard she submitted an application to me last week. She wants to train with Oguri Cap's former trainer."
"It was mentioned before, but Mr. Kitahara already turned her down. I don't know how things stand this time..."
"Eh... is that so? I suppose I won't know the situation until I go there and see for myself."
The sound of water gradually ceased. After drying herself off, Starlight changed her clothes and stepped out.
Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
She jerked around in a startle, only to let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Symboli Rudolf holding a hair dryer.
"Would you like me to help dry your hair?"
"No need, I can do it myself. Thanks, President."
She reached out to grab the hair dryer and gave it a tug, only to find it wouldn't budge an inch.
"Uh... maybe the President should help me after all. There are indeed some spots I can't reach."
Seeing this, Rudolf finally nodded with a smile and pulled Starlight over to sit in front of the desk.
Rudolf then began to meticulously help dry her hair.
The familiar scent of body wash wafted through the air— it was the bottle from her own bathroom...
The strands of hair passed smoothly through her fingertips, they were very soft.
The humming sound stopped after a while, and the atmosphere fell quiet.
After a long moment, Starlight, who had been squinting her eyes, finally spoke.
"Is it finished, President?"
"Ah, yes. It's dry now."
Skillfully tying her hair into side twin-tails and adjusting her bangs, Starlight stood up and turned to speak.
"Then I'll be heading out first."
She walked to the door and pulled it open, but there was a lingering silence from the person behind her.
Divine Starlight frowned and turned to look at Rudolf's face.
"President..."
"What is it?"
"You don't look like you're in top shape. Why don't you take a break this weekend? The work can wait until another day, right?"
The door closed again. Rudolf was now the only one left in the room, but Starlight's final words kept echoing in her mind.
She looked back at the documents on the desk.
After a long pause, she shook her head and let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.
"Well then... I suppose I'll rest for a bit..."
The scene shifts to the entrance of the Mejiro family estate.
Looking at the magnificent, high walls, the place felt like a castle belonging to royalty or lords of the past.
The heavy gates slowly swung open. Starlight followed Mejiro Ardan inside.
Turning her head, Ardan enthusiastically introduced the grounds while watching Starlight's curious expression.
"Over there is the family's private training ground, it's fully equipped with everything. Over here is the garden, where I usually have afternoon tea with my sisters from other branches of the family."
'Is this what it means to be rich? Is this what a prestigious clan is like? Is this the power of capital?'
Lost in thought, the two soon arrived at the door to Mejiro McQueen's room.
Knock, knock, knock—
"McQueen-chan, are you in there?"
"..."
"Miss McQueen hasn't come out since she finished lunch, Miss Ardan," a servant nearby replied.
"I see."
Hearing the servant's response, Ardan nodded.
"McQueen, can you open the door? I want to talk to you..."
Seeing that there was still no answer, Ardan turned to Divine Starlight behind her.
"Starlight-chan, don't worry. I'll try to persuade her a bit more."
"Sure, but if it's alright, maybe I should try—"
Taking a few steps forward, Divine Starlight reached the door. She adjusted her breathing and opened her mouth, preparing to speak.
Suddenly, the room door snapped open. A hand reached out and grabbed Divine Starlight's arm.
Like a black hole, it sucked the dazed silver-haired Uma Musume inside.
Thud!
The door slammed shut again, leaving behind a stunned maid and Ardan.
"Oh dear... McQueen-chan~ Your sister went to the trouble of bringing Starlight-chan here, and you don't even say thank you?"
"Well, never mind. To think I was so worried, but looking at this... sigh—"
After finishing her act of feigned sadness, Ardan turned and walked away.
Judging by the fact that Mejiro McQueen was willing to pull Starlight into her room, she figured the recovery wouldn't be far off.