The air on a Saturday morning is incredibly fresh, but most people are likely still hidden under their covers, unable to enjoy it.
6:30 AM.
Symboli Rudolf slowly opened her eyes from her slumber.
Just as she was about to stretch her arms and give her stiff waist a good pull, her hand suddenly brushed against something fuzzy.
Confused, she tilted her head back to look, only to see the Starlight plushie leaning quietly against the edge of the bed.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
After sitting up, Rudolf gently gathered the Starlight plushie into her arms.
After a moment's hesitation, she eventually nuzzled her head into the plushie's chest.
Sniff, sniff...
"Starlight's scent is faint... it's about to fade away..."
Frowning, Rudolf pulled her head back and looked at the doll.
"Should I leave it at Starlight's place for a few days and then take it back?"
"Wait, why am I even asking this? I can just go hug her directly. This doll is just a memento to keep by the bedside."
Realizing she was actually having flights of fancy over a plushie, Rudolf's face turned slightly red.
She hurriedly placed the doll back on the nightstand.
Just as she was about to get out of bed, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the doll's position looked slightly tilted.
Unable to help herself, she reached out to straighten it.
"Very well. There's work to do today, so let's begin..."
After getting dressed and finishing a simple wash-up, Rudolf sat down at her desk.
She opened a file and picked up her fountain pen, but just as she was about to start reviewing, the phone on its stand suddenly lit up.
She picked it up to look, it was actually a message from Sirius Symboli.
Out of curiosity, she opened the chat box, only to freeze the instant she saw the message.
Sirius Symboli: "Rudolf, you bastard. You actually abducted that little Gray and took her on a date. Despicable."
Symboli Rudolf: "?"
Sirius Symboli: "Heh, don't think I didn't see her feed."
Symboli Rudolf: "And? Please don't say meaningless trash talk while I'm working."
Sirius Symboli: "You just wait. I'm going to find that little Uma Musume right now."
Symboli Rudolf: "...I've already communicated with the dorm manager. You can't get into the Miho Dormitory."
Sirius Symboli: "You!"
Seeing that the other party had no intention of stopping, Rudolf simply muted her messages.
She put down her phone and began grading documents in a significantly better mood.
"What a joke. No one knows Divine Starlight better than I do. At this hour, she's still sleeping. How could she possibly be lured away by you?"
Meanwhile, in the dormitory across the hall.
Just as Rudolf expected, Divine Starlight was indeed still tucked away in her blankets, fast asleep.
Down at the base of the Miho Dormitory, Sirius Symboli stood with one hand on her hip, looking at her phone's "call not answered" screen with growing irritation.
"Based on the last few days of investigation, this little Uma Musume is quite popular. There are plenty of girls who like her... but the biggest obstacle right now is Rudolf."
"Sigh... with her there, I don't stand a chance at all."
Leaning against the outer gate, Sirius was frantically brainstorming a strategy.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Thinking it was Divine Starlight, a look of joy flashed in her eyes, only to slump her mouth when she saw it was Dream Journey.
"Hello, Sirius. Your flight to Europe is scheduled for three days from now. I've already arranged for personnel from the Gold family to meet you once you arrive."
"Just follow her instructions for the rest of the itinerary."
"...Understood."
As the call ended, Sirius stared at the black screen of her phone and couldn't help but clench her fist.
That's right— in a few days, she had to go abroad for races again, and she likely wouldn't be back for a long time.
That was why she was so anxious. It was rare to find a little Uma Musume who suited her taste so perfectly.
As an elite of the Symboli family, she couldn't allow herself to leave without even getting a chance to make a move, could she?
Thus, Rudolf had perfectly utilized the advantage of moving into the dorm room directly across from Starlight, almost completely shutting Sirius out.
11:00 AM.
Starlight tried to do a kip-up to spring out of bed but failed, finally waking up from her slumber.
"Nngh~~~! That was a great nap..."
"Hmm... the weather looks nice outside, looks like another beautiful day."
She picked up her phone, and the moment she turned it on, a series of missed call notifications completely took over the screen.
"My goodness, is this Sirius? Does she have some kind of emergency? I should call her back and ask."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?" Starlight asked toward the door, her finger hovering mid-air over the screen.
"It's me, Starlight. Are you awake?"
"Yeah, give me a sec."
Slipping on her shoes, Starlight tidied her slightly messy pajamas and headed to the door.
Creak—
The door opened to reveal Rudolf, whose eyes held an unreadable depth.
She inquired with feigned curiosity:
"Did Sirius send you any messages?"
"Eh? How did you know, Luna-chan? Starting from 7:25 this morning until now, she's called me over a dozen times." Starlight said, scrolling through her call logs.
Upon seeing this, Rudolf unhesitatingly snatched Starlight's phone, tapped on Sirius's contact info, and blocked her.
"Do you have any plans for today?" Rudolf asked, nodding with satisfaction as she handed the phone back to a bewildered Starlight.
"Well... I don't really have anything to do today."
"Then come to my room. I'm handling student council business and it's a bit boring. Keep me company."
"Sure, as long as you don't find me annoying, Luna-chan," Starlight said with a squinted smile.
After successfully pulling Starlight into her own dormitory, the last trace of unease in Rudolf's heart completely vanished.
Sitting on Rudolf's neatly made bed, Starlight held a manga book, reading with great interest.
When noon arrived, Starlight closed the manga, looked at Rudolf who was still buried in work, and suggested:
"What should we do for lunch? Should we go out or eat here in the dorm?"
"Let's eat in the dorm. I've already notified Air Groove to bring up some ingredients."
"Is it... really okay to give orders to Air Groove-senpai on a day off?"
"It's fine. After all, the Student Council doesn't have clearly defined holidays. Can't you see I'm working too?"
With a twitch of her lips, Starlight nodded and reopened her manga, waiting for Air Groove's arrival while she read.
In this manner, under Rudolf's various persuasive words, Starlight ended up staying until past 8:00 PM.
Rubbing her eyes, Starlight got up from Rudolf's bed, set aside the Starlight plushie she had been holding, and looked at Rudolf's silhouette, still hard at work.
She couldn't help but admire her dedication.
"Luna-chan, I'm going to take out the trash and then head back to my room to sleep. You should get some rest early too."
"Mhm, go ahead. Stay safe."
Rudolf seemed to be troubled by a certain matter and was deeply focused, giving Starlight only a casual, perfunctory response.
Carrying two trash bags downstairs, Starlight saw many Uma Musume still coming and going through the dorm lobby, which made her curious.
"'Stay safe'? How could there be any danger here?"
Arriving at the trash collection point, she tossed the two bags in and dusted off her hands, preparing to head back.
At that moment, a sudden red glint pierced through the bushes.
Before Starlight could react, a dark shadow flashed in front of her and pulled her into a lock.
"Hey! Wh-Who are you?! I'm warning you, there are other Uma Musume nearby! Let me go or I'll scream..."
"Shh~ don't panic, stay calm... It's me, Sirius."
As her vision adjusted to the dim light, Starlight finally realized the person holding her was indeed Sirius Symboli.
"Whew. I've been staking this place out until now. Finally, I've managed to catch you coming out."