The classroom was very lively, with Uma Musume gathered in small groups chatting about the latest news.
At that moment, Starlight stood up, clutching her stomach in slight discomfort, and headed toward the restroom.
Inside, an Uma Musume with a side ponytail was holding a mop, mopping the floor with a vacant look in her eyes.
"Ah! You... are you Daitaku Helios...?"
The girl slowly turned her head. After seeing who had arrived, her deathly pale face quickly brightened.
"Sei, Starlight-chan~ Waaaah..."
Dropping the mop, Daitaku Helios rushed forward and hugged Divine Starlight tightly, beginning to wail.
She rubbed her head against Starlight's chest like an insecure rabbit.
Stunned at first, Starlight eventually reached out and stroked the girl's head.
"Alright, Helios. Let me finish using the restroom first, then we can talk, okay?"
"Oh, okay! Please, go ahead. I just finished cleaning."
Releasing her grip, Helios opened one of the stall doors for Starlight.
"Haha... thank you, Helios."
As the stall door closed, a smile appeared on Helios's face.
She clenched her fists and said with a touch of sadness:
"Finally... I've been insisting on mopping the high school section in the morning and the middle school section in the afternoon every day just so I could run into Starlight-chan in the restroom!"
'Through my unremitting efforts, I finally succeeded!'
Blinking, Divine Starlight asked in confusion from inside the stall, "What are you talking about, Helios?"
"Ah, nothing! It's just... Starlight-chan, could you come to the restroom more often from now on...?"
As soon as those words came out, Starlight froze mid-action.
"What on earth do you mean by that?"
"This punishment is so boring. If Starlight-chan can spend a little time with me, I'll have something to look forward to~ Starlight-chan!"
With a complicated expression, Starlight sighed and replied, " I'll try my best, okay, Helios? So, could you please not stand right at the door? I'm finding it a bit hard to... finish."
"Okay! I'll step away immediately."
As the sound of the flush rang out, Helios watched Starlight walk out and lunged forward again, wanting to hug her.
"Wait a second... let me wash my hands."
"Oh."
Starlight went to the sink, and once she finished washing her hands, Helios wrapped her arms around her.
"Helios is like an insecure child right now. How cute~" Starlight commented with a giggle, rubbing Helios's head.
Blushing slightly, Helios looked at the face so close to her own and said energetically, "Starlight-chan was the one who said I could have a hug!"
"That's true. Then let's have a good hug, Helios-chan..."
This scene played out many times over the following days, and it was bound to get noticed.
Later, another Uma Musume, after finishing her business and washing her hands, looked at Divine Starlight with an expectant face.
"Can I have a hug too, Starlight-san?"
"Ah? Sure~"
Seeing that Starlight didn't refuse, the Uma Musume's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly opened her arms for a hug.
"Hey, hey! You! What's the big idea? Why are you stealing my spot!?"
Helios, who was mopping nearby, turned around and was immediately displeased by the sight.
She rushed over to interrogate the intruder.
"It's okay, it's just a hug."
Outside the restroom, many Uma Musume saw what was happening and began to follow suit.
And so, over the next few days...
More and more Uma Musume came to use the restroom, all for the sake of getting a hug from the academy idol.
Aside from her classmates, most students found it difficult to talk to Starlight, so her fans didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Seeing the line getting longer and longer, even Divine Starlight began to feel the pressure.
Not to mention Helios, who felt the world turning gray again.
'My... My Starlight-chan... I worked so hard for this chance! You guys are such bullies!'
'Hehe, hehehe...'
At that moment, a pink Uma Musume walked forward with a silly grin.
"Starlight-senpai~ I—I want a hug too—!"
Agnes Digital spoke with little hearts in her eyes, spreading her arms wide toward Divine Starlight.
"Eh!? Digitan... I don't think you're a high school student yet~" Starlight asked in surprise after embracing her.
Sniff, sniff~
Closing her eyes, Agnes Digital thoroughly enjoyed the warm embrace and the faint fragrance lingering on Starlight.
"Eh, Starlight-senpai doesn't know yet? This little activity you've been holding at the restroom entrance has already spread throughout the entire Tracen Academy."
"More than half the people here aren't even from this section of the school."
A pink Uma Musume followed closely behind, explaining breezily with her cherry-blossom-shaped eyes sparkling.
"Urara, you're here too~"
"Hmph hmph! For such a popular event, of course I have to participate, Starlight-senpai! Huggie~"
After hugging Haru Urara, Starlight smiled and rubbed her head.
"I don't recall ever 'holding' this event..."
Starlight was somewhat speechless.
It was only then she realized that her interactions with Helios had been mistaken for some kind of special activity.
"No wonder more and more girls have been coming to use the restroom lately, there's even a long line."
As for the hugging, she personally found it quite enjoyable.
Being able to hug so many cute Uma Musume was a form of happiness in itself— especially since most of them were juniors who admired her or fans who loved her.
It had essentially turned into a fan meeting held at the restroom entrance.
However, the good times didn't last long—
Clack, clack, clack...
The sound of approaching footsteps rang out. Turning her head, Starlight saw the newcomer was none other than Symboli Rudolf.
The girls in line naturally didn't dare block her path and parted to let her through. Rudolf walked unimpeded right up to Starlight.
Then, she gave her a hug.
"Eh!?"
Before Starlight could even react, Rudolf released her, turned around, and announced:
"This incident is hereby cancelled due to its impact on campus order. If anyone wishes to hold fan meetings or similar activities, please choose another time and location."
"Do not disrupt the normal campus life of other students."
Unsurprisingly, with the heavy-handed intervention of the Student Council, this so-called secret activity was shut down.
Inside the Student Council office.
Rudolf looked at the restless gal Uma Musume sitting before her and said helplessly:
"I already know the truth of the matter. How is it always you, Daitaku Helios!?"
"Well, that... you can't blame me, Madam President! Starlight-chan and I just happened to meet in the restroom by chance and shared a hug."
"Though I did say I wanted Starlight-chan to come see me more often in the restroom..."
The latter half of her sentence grew smaller and smaller until it was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
"I can see it now. A well-behaved student like Divine Starlight is being led astray by people like you. It's best if you don't have contact with her from now on."
Rudolf spoke with a cold tone, crossing her arms.
"Wha—! What!? Madam President, nooo! You can punish me by making me mop the toilets for another three months, but please don't tell me I can't see Starlight-chan anymore!"
"Alright, Madam President, this isn't Helios's fault. If we're really assigning blame, I'm actually the main culprit. Please don't make things difficult for Helios-chan."
"Besides, I didn't call for this or promote it, my cute juniors and fans came to find me on their own."
Turning around, Rudolf nodded.
It was true. The matter itself wasn't a huge deal, it was just that too many Uma Musume had shown up, forcing her to intervene.
Consequently, neither of them received any real punishment.
After a few warnings, the "Mysterious Restroom Fan Meeting" incident came to an end.
If there was anything to be regretted, it was the Uma Musume still in line who hadn't managed to get a hug from their idol.
In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.
At 9:30 AM, Divine Starlight, who was still fast asleep under her covers, was jolted awake by a frantic pounding on her door.
"Who is it?!"