And so, Special Week rounded the final curve and, utilizing her powerful final spurt, successfully claimed the championship.
Even that Caribbean Pirate-themed Uma Musume didn't get a chance to pull any dirty little tricks.
"Congratulations to our debut race winner! Her name is Special Week! What a brilliant race she delivered for us today. Let us all look forward to this rising star's future performances on the turf~!"
Bowing flusteredly toward the spectator stands in thanks, Special Week felt for the first time just how amazing winning a race could be.
Receiving the cheers and applause from the audience brought her such joy...
Clasping her hands together, Special Week closed her eyes and recalled the time spent training with Starlight and Suzuka.
'Thank you, Suzuka-chan! Thank you, Starlight-senpai! Thank you, Trainer, and thank you everyone! I'm so glad you were all here...'
Just then, the gray Uma Musume managed to catch her breath.
She stomped over to Special Week with a fierce expression on her face. Startled, Special Week took a few steps back.
"D-Do you need something?"
"Hmph! You brat, I only lost this race because of a momentary lapse in judgment. Next time we meet, I'll definitely win it back."
"Okay, okay! I'll do my best too!"
Seeing Special Week's dorky and innocent reaction, the gray Uma Musume grew even more irritated.
"Are you still pretending?! I've already seen through you!"
"Huh? Pre-pretending? What am I pretending...?"
'Eh? Is there some sort of misunderstanding with this Uma Musume???
'What should I do, Suzuka-chan, Starlight-senpai!!'
Fortunately, it wasn't long before this misunderstanding was completely debunked. The reason being—
On the Winning Stage, under the glow of the spotlights, the gray Uma Musume who took second place was singing and dancing along to the rhythm.
Meanwhile, she looked on in bewilderment at Special Week, who was standing in the center position looking completely lost.
'This girl... could she really be just a total airhead?'
Special Week stared blankly at the sky, pretending not to hear the cheers and the waving of the glowsticks from the crowd below.
Her eyes were glazed over.
"Hahaha, how cute~ Spe-chan looks hilarious like this—"
Clutching her stomach, Divine Starlight let out a light laugh.
Beside her, Gold Ship was practically rolling on the ground laughing.
"Well... it seems we were so focused on the race that we completely forgot about the Winning Stage. Haha..."
Silence Suzuka looked at Spe-chan on stage with a bit of helplessness.
"I'll have to teach her later..."
In any case, Special Week's debut was a major success, and for Ryo Nishizaki, it held significant meaning.
He began making arrangements for the debuts of the other Uma Musume in Team Spica, as well as Special Week's future racing schedule.
At noon, inside Starlight's dormitory.
Grass Wonder sat on the edge of the bed, holding a cup of steaming black tea in her hands.
She narrowed her eyes and said with a smile:
"Starlight-chan... no matter how long I stay in your room, it always makes me feel so comfortable and at ease."
"Really? I'm glad you like it, Grass-san. Oh, right— these are some cookies I just bought."
Walking over with a box, Starlight handed it to Grass Wonder with a smile.
"Thank you, Starlight-chan. I'm sorry for intruding today," Grass Wonder said with a slight note of apology as she picked out a cookie.
"Don't say that! I'm more than happy to have you here."
Starlight popped a cookie into her own mouth and sat down cheerfully beside Grass Wonder.
Feeling the touch of Starlight's body beside her, Grass Wonder lowered her head slightly, looking at her reflection in the tea.
"Speaking of which, it was thanks to your ointment that my leg was able to heal so I could continue training."
"I'm just glad I could help. How does it feel now? Any discomfort?"
Grass Wonder looked up slightly at Starlight's face.
That smile was incredibly infectious, and the hexagrams in her pupils shimmered.
Grass Wonder's fingers couldn't help but rub against the edge of her cup.
"That... it doesn't really affect much. It's just that my sole occasionally feels a faint, stinging pain. It's probably just something on my end."
Hearing this, Starlight's brow furrowed.
"It couldn't be a side effect of my ointment, could it? Grass, does it sting right now when you lift your foot?"
Standing up and then crouching down in front of Grass Wonder, Starlight looked up with concern and asked.
With her face turning slightly red, Grass Wonder let out a soft hum. "Yes... a little..."
Gently reaching out to help her remove her shoes, Starlight prepared to perform an inspection.
If it truly was a side effect of her ointment, she felt responsible for taking care of it.
As those soft, warm hands cupped her sole, Grass Wonder's body gave a slight shiver.
"Ah? Sorry, did I use too much strength?"
"It's alright, Starlight-chan."
At this moment, Starlight's attention was entirely focused on Grass Wonder's foot.
Had she looked up, she would have seen a blush on the other girl's face along with a faint, knowing smile.
"Have you seen the school doctor about it?" Starlight asked as she gently set the foot down and stood up.
"Ah, that... I-I've been there."
"What did she say?"
"The doctor said it's nothing serious. It just needs to be massaged every day, and it should recover after a while."
Nodding thoughtfully, Starlight looked seriously at Grass Wonder.
"In that case, how about I help you, Grass-san? I actually learned some massage techniques a few days ago."
"Eh!? Okay... no, I mean... is that really alright?"
Seeing her flustered state, Starlight sat back down on the edge of the bed and patted her shoulder.
"Of course. Technically, Grass, you were the first junior to ever help me out."
"The first? Hehe..."
Taking a sip of her tea, the blush on Grass Wonder's face didn't fade in the slightest.
She watched as the gray Uma Musume carefully places Grass Wonder's foot on her lap to begin the massage.
Her heart felt full of joy. Behind her, her horse tail swished rhythmically against the bedsheets.
"Does it hurt... Grass? Grass-san?"
"Ah, what is it, Starlight-chan?"
"I asked if it hurts when I press here."
"No, it doesn't hurt. It feels very comfortable."
'Strange...' Starlight thought, a doubt surfacing in her mind.
'I've gone through a whole cycle, and she isn't feeling pain anywhere? It's like there's nothing wrong at all.'
'Could it be because my technique is just that good? No way, I only started learning recently...'
"Ahem, by the way, Starlight-chan."
Seeing Starlight lost in thought, Grass Wonder coughed lightly to interrupt her.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I saw Spe-chan's debut race. It was amazing, she actually used your tactics, Starlight-chan."
"Hehe, that's right. I trained Spe-chan personally for over two weeks."
'Personally, huh...'
Frowning slightly, Grass Wonder nodded.
"I see. It must be nice... I'd love to train with you too, Starlight-chan~"
"No problem! I'd always welcome you, Grass. Though, I'm sure Trainer Tojo Hana has her own schedule for you."
The two Uma Musume spent the rest of the noon drinking tea and chatting in a relaxed atmosphere.
When afternoon came and Starlight was about to change into her training gear, Grass stood up and spoke.
"Starlight-chan... my training kit was damaged when I got injured last time. Could I borrow yours?"
"Of course! I've finally been waiting for an opportunity like this. Here, take it."
Hearing this, Divine Starlight enthusiastically pulled out her spare training uniform.
"You can use it as long as you need, Grass. Go ahead."
"Eh... O-okay. Then, thank you, Starlight-chan."
Taking the uniform, Grass Wonder looked down at it. A faint, refreshing fragrance drifted up.
Her eyes curved into crescents.
'It's that familiar scent. It smells so good... like I'm hugging Starlight-chan.'
Her horse ears twitched as she thought this to herself.
"I'll head out first then. Bye-bye, Grass!"
The two reached the door, and Divine Starlight waved goodbye.
"Yes, bye-bye, Starlight-chan~"