Knock, knock, knock!
'Hiss~ That familiar knocking... is it McQueen again?'
Starlight curled deeper into her blankets, frowning as she thought to herself.
"Divine Starlight! Open the door~!"
The familiar voice rang out, startling the orange cat on Starlight's bed.
The cat let out a sharp meow and leapt onto the desk to lick its paws in protest.
Knock, knock, knock!
"I know you're in there! Let me in..."
Limply crawling out of bed, Starlight blinked her sleepy eyes and let out a helpless sigh.
'What a disaster. Why is this Young Lady blockading my door again?'
Throwing back the covers, Starlight stepped onto the floor, slipped into her slippers, and said in a soft, groggy voice:
"Coming, I'm coming..."
Click.
As the door opened, Mejiro McQueen laid eyes on the silver-haired Uma Musume in her pajamas and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
"Is there something you need?"
"What is it? Let's... talk about it inside—"
Without giving Starlight a chance to speak, McQueen pushed against the other girl's soft frame and squeezed her way in.
After closing the door behind her, she sat down on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed.
"Ahem! What is the meaning of this?!"
Starlight tilted her head and scratched her cheek in confusion. "What do you mean, 'what is the meaning of this'?"
"Do I even need to say it? While I was away at the Mejiro estate for my secluded training, you actually went and coached the Spica members together with Tokai Teio!"
"I'm clearly a member of this idol unit too! You're isolating me again!"
As she spoke, McQueen's fiery attitude fizzled out, replaced by a look of pure grievance.
Starlight could only gape in stunned silence.
'What's the situation here? Did you knock on my door and barge in first thing in the morning just to cry in front of me?'
'And wasn't that unit just Teio and me to begin with? Didn't you force your way in through sheer willpower?'
After grumbling a bit internally, Starlight quickly moved to McQueen's side with a placating smile.
She cupped the other girl's face with one hand and used her other hand to gently wipe away the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't cry, don't cry. McQueen-chan, we weren't isolating you~ You said it yourself, you were in seclusion. We just didn't want to disturb your focus."
"But neither of you even messaged me to chat. Especially you— you were so perfunctory when replying to my messages these past few days."
"That was because I was training Special Week! I've been very busy~"
"So have some sympathy for me, McQueen-chan." Starlight comforted her while patting her head.
"Hmph~ I actually came here today for something specific, not just to complain!" McQueen huffed, turning her head away with a slight pout.
"And what would that be?"
"The family is planning to send us on an overseas trip. Should I go?"
"Shouldn't you ask yourself that? Do you want to go, McQueen?"
"...I already went to that place the year before last. I'm not particularly interested, but they said I could bring a friend. I wanted to bring you."
Hearing this, Starlight froze.
She pointed at herself in disbelief. "You want to bring me?"
"Yes, exactly. Do you want to go? Overseas with me?"
Starlight stood up and thought for a moment before offering a gentle refusal.
"I have the Oka Sho coming up soon. I'm sorry~"
"So that's a 'no' then?"
"Mhm."
"Then I'm not going either."
"Is that really okay? Won't your family say anything?"
"What is there to say? Anyway, I'm tired. I want to lie down here for a while."
With that, Mejiro McQueen pulled out a pair of pajamas she had prepared earlier from her handbag.
"Wait a second, why aren't you going back to your own dorm?"
"Um... my roommate went back to her hometown and the room is locked. Besides, I spent so much time at the estate that I want a change of scenery."
"W-Why? Is it not allowed?"
Setting down the clothes in her hands, Mejiro McQueen's face flushed red, her eyes darting toward Starlight from time to time.
"Of course it is. But McQueen-chan, has your weight recovered yet? The moment you sat down just now, my bed definitely sank quite a bit."
"It won't collapse, will it?"
Starlight-chan pushed her pillow further toward the inside of the bed, speaking in a teasing tone.
Hearing this, Mejiro McQueen's brow furrowed.
She puffed out her cheeks and glared at the silver-haired Uma Musume who had her back turned.
She opened her arms and lunged straight at her.
"Curse you! Stop talking nonsense, I'll crush you!!"
"Ouch—!"
After tackling her down, McQueen's hands began to tickle Starlight's waist on both sides.
"Hahaha, wait, I was wrong McQueen-chan, hahaha... I surrender, I surrender~"
After a bout of playful scuffling, McQueen sat on Starlight's backside.
Looking down at the disheveled gray-haired Uma Musume beneath her, she curled the corners of her mouth upward.
"Now you know how formidable I am, Starlight-chan..."
"Yes~ I know, so can you get off me? You're heavy..."
"Hmm? What'd you say?"
"Ahahaha, why don't we go out and grab some breakfast together, McQueen-chan?"
"Hmph, fine. I'll help you pick out your clothes."
With that, McQueen stood up and walked over to Starlight's wardrobe.
After browsing for a moment, she picked out a long-sleeved shirt and a hoodie, paired with shorts and warm tights for the bottom.
"Starlight-chan, you have so few clothes. Let's go buy some cute outfits together later, okay?"
After getting up, Starlight tidied her messy hair and nodded.
"Sure~ I'll follow your lead."
Taking the clothes handed to her, Starlight didn't hesitate and began changing right then and there.
Seeing this, Mejiro McQueen moved to the side to pet the cat.
Even so, her eyes still drifted back toward Starlight from time to time.
"I say, did you do anything else besides training during your seclusion?"
"Of course not. It's not like I was in prison. I'd watch baseball games after training. Oh, speaking of baseball!"
"The Koshien qualifiers happen to start this afternoon. Should we go watch them together?"
"Baseball? Koshien... Sure~"
Having put on her top, Starlight rolled up her tights and slowly pulled them onto her legs.
"Does Starlight-chan not know much about it?"
"Mm... I know a bit, but not much. Definitely not as much as an enthusiast like you, McQueen-chan."
"But if you're looking forward to it this much, I'm sure it must be exciting~"
"It is! When I was little, my father took me to see the Summer Koshien finals. The atmosphere was so lively!"
"The game was already in the ninth inning with the bases loaded! But then the clean-up hitter ended up striking out..."
Now fully dressed, Starlight looked at McQueen, who was still talking incessantly, and couldn't help but find it amusing.
'McQueen-chan is so cute. She arrived acting so aggressive, then cried so pitifully, and now she's completely overjoyed...'
"Alright, alright, McQueen-chan. How about I just sit here and listen to you talk all day?"
Walking over to her, Starlight patted McQueen's shoulders with both hands and spoke in a soft voice.
"Ah, sorry. I accidentally talked too much..."
"Cough. Shall we head out then?"
Realizing she had lost her composure, McQueen's face turned red.
She quickly adjusted her posture and gestured toward the door.
"You don't need to put on airs in front of me, McQueen-chan. Just be however you feel most comfortable~ I actually quite like seeing you act like you did just now."
"T-That would be most improper. it would damage the image of the Mejiro family..."
"...However, if that is what Starlight-chan wishes, I suppose I could make an exception."