"Alright, that's enough teasing. Let's get started..."
Nakayama Festa rubbed her hands together, speaking with an air of eager anticipation.
Nodding, Sirius shifted her gaze away from Divine Starlight and reached out to press the draw button on the mahjong table.
As the three dice rattled inside, the round officially began.
Reaching out to organize her tiles, Sirius looked at her hand with great satisfaction.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the gray-haired Uma Musume beside her again.
"Say, little Uma, do you even know how to play? Want me to teach you personally?"
Looking up, Starlight frowned at this Uma Musume who seemed to be the embodiment of overconfidence.
She waved her hand dismissively.
"I'll pass. If a beginner like me ends up beating you, wouldn't you be too embarrassed to show your face?"
"You might even drop a few little tears from your eyes, won't you?"
As soon as she spoke, Dream Journey and Nakayama Festa fixed their eyes on Divine Starlight.
Both were quite surprised by her bratty retort, they had assumed she was some kind of gentle, quiet little girl.
Sirius wasn't bothered by Starlight's provocation. She simply nodded and casually discarded a tile.
"Interesting... Since we're just starting, why don't the two of us make a bet?"
"I refuse."
"Could it be that you're scared?"
"Yes, I'm scared."
...
The taunt was right on the tip of Sirius's tongue, but she couldn't find the words to say it.
She never expected this gray Uma Musume to admit it so decisively.
After a few turns, Starlight finished organizing her hand and promptly laid the tiles flat one by one. She then elegantly picked up her coffee.
While gently stirring with her spoon, she uttered the words that decided the match.
"I win~"
"What!?"
Sirius had been feeling certain of victory, but hearing Starlight's declaration, she stood up in sheer disbelief.
She stared intently at the hand laid out before her opponent, then shifted her gaze to Starlight's face.
Slurp, slurp...
"Dream-chan, your coffee-making skills are wonderful~"
Dream Journey, who had been just one tile away from her own winning hand, was dazed for a moment after hearing Starlight's praise.
Slowly putting down the tile in her hand, she replied with a smile.
"I am glad you like it, Starlight-san... I did not expect your skills to be so formidable. I stand corrected."
"Oh, it was nothing. I just got lucky this round, that's all."
As she spoke, Starlight inconspicuously nudged her chair closer toward Dream Journey.
Crunch—
Biting through her lollipop, Nakayama Festa pulled the stick from her mouth, tossed it into the trash, and looked at Divine Starlight across from her with excitement.
"Again! Let's go again—"
"Sure thing, Festa-chan. Let's do another round~"
At that moment, Sirius Symboli reached out and grabbed the back of Starlight's chair. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she said:
"What is the meaning of this? Are you really that unwilling to sit near me?"
"How could that be, Sirius Symboli-san?"
Knitting her brows, Sirius gave a forceful pull, dragging the chair— along with Starlight— right in front of her.
The two stared at each other for a long time before Sirius finally reached out and pinched Starlight's cheek.
"Just call me Sirius. No need for such distant titles."
Having said that, she turned back and sat properly.
"Then Sirius should call me by my name too. Stop calling me 'little Uma Musume' over and over. I'm not little!"
"I'm in the High School division just like you—"
Hearing this, Sirius glanced sideways to size up Divine Starlight, nodding as she gave her evaluation.
"Well, you're certainly not 'little' there..."
Sensing something was off, Divine Starlight hurriedly retreated with her chair. Her face flushed slightly as she covered her chest and spoke indignantly.
"Hey! That's not what I meant!"
'That Rudolf girl is the same way... Is there not a single normal Uma Musume in the Symboli family?'
"That is indeed rude, Sirius... Starlight-chan is a mare, please mind your words."
Dream Journey narrowed her eyes and spoke to Sirius.
Her tone was very calm.
"Tch... Fine, fine, I get it."
Leaning back against the chair, Sirius crossed her legs and spoke dismissively.
"My apologies~ I took it too far. Starlight... Starlight-chan."
"Hmph, I'll forgive you~ Since you're the loser here, it's best to be gentle with you."
"Heh... I hope you have the same luck in the next round."
Looking at the other's mischievous grin, Starlight knew that nothing good was coming.
Sure enough, once the second round began, Sirius poured all her energy into targeting Starlight.
Operating on the philosophy of "I might not win, but don't you dare think you will," she caused all sorts of chaos— stealing tiles, breaking up her own sets...
By the end, Starlight looked at the absolute mess in her hand with an expression like she was constipated.
She glared spitefully at the culprit, the smirking Sirius.
"I win!"
Suddenly, Nakayama Festa stood up excitedly as she revealed her hand.
Unwrapping a new lollipop and stuffing it in her mouth, she said happily:
"To play like this even with Sirius messing everything up... Divine Starlight, you're pretty good..."
After standing up to check the others' hands, Nakayama Festa gave Starlight a thumb's up.
"Hehe, thanks for the compliment. That play you did at the end was quite stunning too, Festa-chan."
Tilting her head, Dream Journey looked at the tiles in her hand and shook her head helplessly.
"One tile short again. It seems luck isn't on my side today."
The four played several more rounds, only stopping when it was nearly time for lunch.
During that time, Dream Journey and Nakayama Festa took the lion's share of wins, while Divine Starlight's win rate remained low because Sirius kept targeting her.
Letting out a breath, Starlight stretched her shoulders and stood up.
"Alright, I'm going to eat. I have training this afternoon. Bye-bye, everyone—"
"Eh~ wait a second."
Unsurprisingly, as she passed by Sirius, the other girl grabbed Starlight's wrist.
"How about we go together? Starlight-chan~"
"You're not thinking of something bad to do to me again, are you?"
"How could I? I can't wait to shower you with love."
Sirius pressed Starlight's soft, fair hand against her cheek and rubbed it, her tone remaining intensely aggressive.
Starlight was caught in a dilemma. Looking at Sirius's smiling face, she really wanted to refuse.
But after their recent interaction, she realized this girl was the type who would pester you endlessly if you turned her down.
She had to go along with her...
Just then, a cool sensation came from her palm as Dream Journey pulled Starlight's hand away from Sirius.
Her petite frame stepped in front of Starlight, a black satchel hanging from one hand.
"Why don't I join as well? It's been a while since I've been back from abroad, after all."
"...Never mind. I have things to do, you two go ahead."
Seeing this, Sirius's expression changed instantly.
She turned away and waved her hand with a total lack of interest.
Turning around, Dream Journey looked up slightly and reached out to Starlight.
"Then, Starlight-san, would you be interested in accompanying me for lunch?"
"Of course! Since it's an invitation from Dream-chan, let's go together."
'Thank you for saving me, Dream Journey!'
And so, the two Uma Musume, Starlight and Dream Journey, left for the cafeteria together.
"Why are you so interested in her...?"
Nakayama Festa, who was fiddling with the mahjong tiles, glanced at Sirius out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, who wouldn't pay attention to a beautiful Uma Musume? Especially one that's under such a spotlight."
"If I were to 'pluck' her, I'm sure many Uma Musume would be heartbroken, right?"
"Heh, your cruel streak really hasn't changed at all."
Nakayama Festa commented with a smirk.
'However, I'd quite like to see the look on your face when you finally fall for someone.'
'I hope I won't have to wait too long for that scene.'