"Mm-hmm, I occasionally cook at home on the weekends... Oguri Cap, is that okay with you?"
Oguri Cap nodded, she was already starving by this point.
"Since I can't go to the nearby restaurants anyway and the school cafeteria is closed, let's do that."
The three of them headed to the supermarket and bought a large quantity of vegetables and fresh meat.
"Hey, hey... Oguri Cap, take it easy! You're practically emptying out this whole section!"
After placing a bag of carrots she was carrying into the shopping cart, Tamamo Cross looked at Oguri Cap in front of her with astonishment.
Oguri was cradling a massive stack of containers taller than she was, filled with various meats.
More than half of the shelves in the entire fresh food section were now empty.
Hearing this, Oguri Cap looked around at a loss, but fortunately, Starlight's voice put her at ease.
"It's fine, it's fine. I just negotiated with the manager, so Oguri Cap, just take whatever you want."
Starlight walked over carrying a massive pot. She set it down and stretched her wrists.
"What's this for?"
"The pot in my dorm is too small, it can't make very much. So, I'm swapping it for a bigger one."
Tamamo Cross hurried over to give Starlight a hand, helping her lift the pot into the cart outside.
Upon returning to the dorm, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross sat down on the tatami mats on the floor.
"Oh~ Starlight-chan's room feels really cozy."
"Mhm. It's perfect for sleeping. Without realizing it, I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy."
Sniffing the fragrance in the air, Oguri Cap rubbed her eyes and flopped directly onto Tamamo Cross's lap.
"Hey! Oguri Cap... Oguri Cap! Starlight-chan is cooking, are you still going to eat or what?"
"...Call me when it's ready, thanks Tama-chan."
Tamamo Cross poked the other girl's head, but upon hearing only that response, she let out a sigh.
"Sigh. You really are something, Oguri Cap. Whatever..."
Stroking the "little cat" that had snuggled up against her leg, Tamamo Cross stopped bothering her.
'I've actually entered Starlight-chan's room. I didn't expect it to happen like this...'
Sizzle!
The splattering sound of a hot pan rang out as a faint aroma drifted out from the kitchen.
This was followed by the sound of Starlight tossing ingredients with a spatula.
"Sniff, sniff... It smells so good... Is it time to eat yet?"
"Not yet, Oguri Cap. Starlight just started stir-frying the vegetables."
"Sigh... I'm so hungry. Luckily I grabbed a few chocolate bars to tide me over."
Lying on Tamamo Cross's lap, Oguri Cap pulled several unopened chocolate bars from her pocket.
Just as she tore open a wrapper and was about to put one in her mouth, it was snatched away in a flash by Tamamo Cross.
"What are you doing, Tama-chan!"
"Hey! Isn't this from that small box I kept at the very back of the cabinet under the table? How did you find it!"
"Nom!"
Instead of answering, Oguri Cap simply opened her mouth wide and swallowed the chocolate bar right out of Tamamo Cross's hand.
"Eeeek!!!! That's gross— Oguri!"
Tamamo yanked her hand back.
Looking at the dark, greyish, viscous liquid left on her fingers, she looked utterly repulsed.
She stood up, pushed Oguri Cap aside, and ran to the kitchen to wash her hands.
"So delicious..."
Completely indifferent to the other's reaction, Oguri Cap knelt on the floor and squinted her eyes, enjoying the sweet richness of the chocolate bar.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Looking at the broth bubbling in the giant pot— carrots, potatoes, and eggplant paired with fatty beef slices, drumsticks, wings, and chicken chunks...
Basically, every single ingredient they had just bought had been thrown in to make a massive stew.
"Wow~ Starlight-chan, what kind of dish is this? It smells amazing..."
Turning on the faucet to wash her hands, Tamamo Cross asked curiously as the aroma continued to waft from the pot beside her.
"Ahahaha, I don't really know either. Anyway, I just put everything in there. It shouldn't taste too bad."
"It can't be helped, I guess. Making enough food to fill Oguri Cap up is a massive project."
"Her stomach really is a miracle, being able to fit that much food."
"On the other hand, there's you, Tama-chan... eating so little every day is really not good for you."
"I can't help it. Sometimes when I think about eating, I just don't have much of an appetite."
"Usually, I get by with nutrient shakes and oat milk. They're the easiest things for me to get down."
After turning the heat to low, Starlight covered the pot with a lid and looked at Tamamo Cross with concern.
"Have you gone to the hospital for a check-up? Maybe there's something wrong with your stomach or intestines."
"Of course I went. It's just a common stomach ailment, nothing serious."
Tamamo Cross waved her hand with a look of indifference.
"That won't do. How can you be so careless with your body, Tama-chan? What if it turns into a major problem?"
"I'm drinking medicinal tonics for recovery, so you don't need to worry about me, Starlight-chan."
"Really?"
"Yeah, of course it's true—"
"Alright, alright. I won't meddle too much in your business, Tama-chan, but you have to eat properly tonight, okay? Even though the taste might not be amazing."
Turning around, Starlight looked at the steaming giant pot and spoke.
"It doesn't matter! If Starlight-chan made it, I'll definitely eat two extra bowls of rice even if it tastes bad!"
Tamamo Cross patted her chest, offering Starlight some reassurance.
"Hehe, I'll hold you to that. It should be ready in just a little bit."
"I'll go get the bowls and chopsticks!"
Rolling up her sleeves, Tamamo Cross opened the cupboard doors, found the utensils, and headed out.
After a while, Starlight emerged from the kitchen, carrying the massive pot and placing it on the low table on the floor.
Oguri Cap could hardly wait, picking up her bowl as the lid was lifted.
A thick, rich aroma wafted over.
Oguri squinted her eyes and used her hand to fan the steam toward her. The true face of the dish was finally revealed.
A dark, reddish, savory sauce completely drenched the potatoes, meat chunks, and carrots inside.
Not caring if it was hot or not, Oguri Cap directly picked up a chicken drumstick, gave it a quick blow, and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.
"Ha-hoo, ha-hoo... Mmm~"
"How does it taste, Oguri Cap?" Tamamo Cross asked curiously from the side.
Clatter.
A bone was spat out.
With stars shining in her eyes, Oguri Cap gave a huge thumbs up and praised the meal without reservation.
"Delicious! It's very delicious!!"
"With Oguri Cap, she says everything is delicious as long as it's food. Tama-chan, you'd better taste it for yourself~"
"Fair point. Then, I won't stand on ceremony!"
After offering a quick prayer, Tamamo Cross picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of carrot, blew off the steam, and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm... Mmm~! The flavor is actually really good!"
"Starlight-chan, you're amazing, being able to make something this delicious out of that."
Untying her apron, Starlight hung it on a nearby rack.
"Yay~! Today's experiment was a success!! Time to eat, time to eat—"
As Starlight sat down on the floor and picked up her chopsticks, ready to dig in, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Ah, who is it? I just picked up my chopsticks..."
Getting up, Starlight went to the door and opened it.
"Starlight, are you cooking? There's quite a lot of commotion..."
"Eh~ It's Luna? Yeah, I was just making a super delicious mess of a stew. Do you want to come in and try some?"
Blinking, Symboli Rudolf took a glance inside and immediately nodded in agreement.
"I happen to have not eaten yet. In that case, I hope I'm not intruding."
"We're so close, don't bother with such formalities. Come on in."
Sitting at the dining table, Rudolf looked calmly at the three gray-maned Uma Musume gathered around.
"President, why are you here?"
"Tamamo Cross-san... my room is right across the hall. I heard quite a bit of noise over here, so I came to check it out..."
"Eh! You actually live across from Starlight—"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"No, none at all."
Rudolf watched Tamamo Cross lower her head to scarf down her rice, then glanced at Oguri Cap on her left, who was single-mindedly focused on devouring the food.
Finally, she turned her gaze toward Divine Starlight, who was serving her a bowl of rice.
'I hereby declare that today is my lucky day.'