"Here, Starlight-chan... say 'ah'~"
Mejiro McQueen held a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other.
She lifted the noodles into the spoon, soaked them in a bit of broth, topped them with two slices of beef, and brought it to Starlight's lips.
"I'll get down first, and then I'll eat..."
Divine Starlight had just lifted her backside, preparing to leave Mejiro McQueen's embrace.
"Starlight-chan, just have this one bite. I'll let you go once you finish it."
Turning her head to look back into Mejiro McQueen's eyes, Starlight nodded hesitantly.
She blew on the noodles in the spoon and then took the bite.
The chewy noodles soaked in beef broth and the tender meat seemed to burst with flavor in her mouth. It tasted quite excellent and was very satisfying.
After chewing for a moment and swallowing, Starlight stood up to leave.
Seeing this, Mejiro McQueen set down her chopsticks and pressed her hands directly onto Starlight's shoulders.
"Wait, wait... I haven't eaten yet. You should feed me too, Starlight-chan~"
"I can do that sitting next to you. This is so inconvenient, what if I spill something on you?"
Without saying a word, Mejiro McQueen's hands tightened slightly on Starlight's shoulders.
"Can... can you stay a little longer? Just for a little bit. I want to hold you, Starlight-chan..."
It seemed she had run out of excuses, or perhaps she truly didn't want the other to leave, Mejiro McQueen squeezed those timid words of entreaty through her teeth.
The pair's bickering didn't bother Fine Motion, who was eating nearby.
From the moment her noodles arrived to the moment she finished, it took less than five minutes.
Setting down her utensils, she picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth and smiled at Starlight and McQueen.
"I won't disturb you two any longer. Bye-bye~"
"Yeah, bye-bye, Fine Motion—"
After saying goodbye, Divine Starlight decisively reached out to move McQueen's hands aside, stood up, and sat in the chair next to her.
McQueen's purple eyes shrank as she looked at her empty arms.
She slowly clenched her hands into fists.
Without looking at her, Starlight picked up her chopsticks and a small side plate and began to eat.
"Could you tell me your true thoughts, McQueen-chan...?"
Hearing this, Mejiro McQueen looked up at her, her lips trembling as she spoke.
"I... I like you, Starlight-chan. I really, really like you... but because I rejected you so many times before, now instead—"
"Do you regret it?"
"I don't regret it..."
Starlight's movements paused. She looked at McQueen, her eyes curving into a smile.
"You're very firm about that."
"Yes. Because I feel that I didn't like the Starlight-chan who was chasing after me."
"Compared to that version of you, I love the current Starlight-chan— the one who is persistent in her passions and has a gentle, cheerful personality."
"It all feels as though you are getting revenge for my rejections..."
As she spoke, Mejiro McQueen's brow furrowed, and her breathing grew heavy.
"That's not right. I'm actually thanking you, McQueen-chan. It was precisely because of your rejection that I made up my mind to change."
"Thanking me?"
"Yes. Thank you, Mejiro McQueen. You helped me find myself again."
"However, that sense of excitement faded away along with those changes. Now, I feel that just being friends with you is enough."
"But... I don't want to be just friends with you, Starlight-chan. I love you..."
"But isn't what you're doing now exactly what I used to do? McQueen-chan, what you should be doing is making me like you back, not trying to possess me."
The moment those words were spoken, Mejiro McQueen froze.
The words echoed in her ears.
In her mind, the conversation she once had with Mejiro Ardan resurfaced.
'...Indeed, it seems I... was doing it wrong. Thank you, Starlight-chan.'
"I understand. Starlight-chan, I... I will find my own way to make you like me again."
"Exactly, McQueen-chan. Do your best~ I look forward to that day coming."
"As for now, we should finish this bowl of noodles and head to the baseball game, right?"
"Mm... yes."
Starlight knew very well that when faced with someone else's feelings, facing them bravely was always better than cowardly avoidance.
At the very least, things wouldn't spiral out of control, and she wouldn't be doing a disservice to those who liked her.
The rest of the itinerary went smoothly.
Starlight and McQueen arrived at the baseball stadium together and watched the game until the very end, still wanting more.
On the way back to Tracen Academy...
Wearing a souvenir baseball cap bought at the stadium, McQueen held a signed baseball in her hand, tossing it up and catching it, up and catching it...
"I'm telling you, that number eight batter in the top of the seventh should have stolen a base. It was so obvious the pitcher wasn't paying attention to him. I have no idea what the coach was thinking."
"The next batter even hit a double. If he had stolen the base earlier, they probably would have scored."
"Well~ we didn't know the sixth batter would actually get a hit, he had been striking out the whole time before that."
Listening to McQueen's highly professional analysis, Starlight chimed in with a few words every now and then.
The atmosphere was very warm.
"Sigh... It's a shame there wasn't a single home run throughout the whole game. They were last year's championship contenders, but the win felt a bit flat..."
"McQueen, did you forget that the other team's pitcher performed really well? He had a wide variety of pitches and he was a left-handed sidearmer."
"Oh right, you're right. But it doesn't make much of a difference now, they were eliminated in the first round."
"No matter how strong he is, he won't be taking the field again."
Sighing, Mejiro McQueen caught the tossed baseball.
Out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but spot a dessert shop not far away.
Perhaps the shop was having a special promotion today, as the digital screen outside displayed a freshly made chocolate mousse cake— a stuffed one, at that...
Licking her lips, Mejiro McQueen hesitated for a moment before deciding to close her eyes and look away.
Starlight caught this. She said with a smile:
"Want to go eat? It looks pretty good..."
"Hmph, cease your temptations. As an Uma Musume of the Mejiro family, I am extremely strict regarding weight management."
"Aw~ It's just one piece, McQueen-chan. Let's go, I really want to eat some~"
"This..."
She had already been abstaining for three days, so it really was time for a little indulgence.
However, she had eaten quite a lot of beef ramen for lunch, and her original plan was to skip dinner entirely...
Glancing at the expectant look in Starlight's eyes next to her, Mejiro McQueen lowered her head and fell into thought once more.
'It's just one piece of cake. If I go for two laps around the track before curfew tonight, it should be fine.'
'Besides, it's not that I want to eat it. I was going to leave, but Starlight-chan wants to eat it, so I'm just accompanying her.'
"McQueen-chan sure is firm in her resolve. Sigh~ then I guess we'll just head back—"
"Wait a minute, Starlight-chan! W-we're going!"
"Eh!? You're being undisciplined again?"
"I am not! I'm going for a run tonight after eating!"
"I see."
"And you're coming with me! You're the one tempting me from the sidelines, that's why I can't help myself. This is all your fault!"
"Okay, okay~ I get it. We'll go for a run together after we eat."
The two Uma Musume chatted as they made their way toward the dessert shop.
The scene shifted—
At the shop entrance, Starlight stared speechlessly at the gray-haired Uma Musume beside her.
McQueen held one box in her hand, while a small bag next to her contained three more.
"Didn't you say you were only going to eat one?"
Hearing this, McQueen's face flushed red as she retorted:
"Y-yes, that's right! These are for Mejiro Ryan and Mejiro Dober and the others. They aren't for me to eat."
"Is that so?"
"Exactly, that's how it is. You're overthinking it!"