About a week had passed since Special Week's Yayoi Sho concluded.
In the morning, Starlight was sprawled across her desk sleeping as usual, while Sakura Chiyono O beside her was diligently taking notes.
The window was half-open, and a small bird flew in from outside.
As if drawn by the scent emanating from Starlight, it gently landed on her head, occasionally pecking at her hair with its sharp little beak.
In a daze, Starlight waved a hand toward the top of her head.
"Stop it..."
Mumbled words squeezed through her teeth, causing Sakura Chiyono O to look over.
"A bird? Could you go outside, please?"
Speaking softly to the bird atop Starlight's head, Sakura Chiyono O opened the window wider and tried to gently nudge the bird away.
However, the bird seemed to have a mind of its own and was utterly unwilling to leave the foothold it had worked so hard to find.
During their stalemate, the bell for the end of class suddenly rang.
The abrupt sound startled the bird, which immediately spread its wings and flew away, while Starlight pushed herself up from the desk.
"Is class over? Chiyo-chan~"
"Mm-hmm, class is over, Starlight-chan. Oh, your arm has a red mark from the desk. Should I rub it for you?"
Having just woken up, a drowsy Starlight handed her arm over.
"Thanks, Chiyo-chan."
Gently holding the fair arm, Sakura Chiyono O used the fingers of her other hand to softly massage the area with the red mark.
"Do you want to go grab lunch together, Starlight-chan?"
"Sure. Oh, right, Chiyono O— the notes~"
With a doting smile, Chiyono O pushed her notebook onto Starlight's desk.
"The teacher spoke a bit fast today, so I might have missed a few things. Starlight-chan, why don't you check the notes of the students in the front row later to fill in any gaps?"
"Okay, I will."
In this warm, daily interaction, Starlight had grown accustomed to the care provided by the Uma Musume around her.
Though she didn't know why every Uma Musume who became her desk-mate ended up looking after her so patiently, it wasn't a bad thing, so she didn't pay it much mind.
Meanwhile, in the hallway downstairs.
Daitaku Helios had once again asked Daiichi Ruby out for a chat.
Looking at the petite, black-haired, red-eyed Uma Musume before her, the frantic thumping in her heart had long since settled into a calm resolve.
"Is there something you need, Helios-san?"
"Ahem. I came here today to tell you something very important, Ruby."
Ruby tilted her head with a look of doubt, though she quickly assumed this was just another of the other girl's elaborate ways of confessing her love.
"Let's be friends, Ruby. I've found another Uma Musume I'm interested in, so I won't pester you like that anymore."
Helios's words were so unexpected that Ruby's eyes widened, and she stood frozen for a moment.
"Is that so? Very well, I understand. Then I wish you success, Helios-san."
"Yeah... although, although you never really gave me a warm welcome or a kind look, I still want to thank you."
Ruby waved her hand, her expression remaining flat. "It was only proper."
"Aren't you curious about who I like?"
Ruby blinked, feeling a bit helpless as Helios started talking to herself.
'I don't want to know. Can you leave now?'
"It's Starlight-chan~ you know, the senior from the class upstairs. The silver-haired Uma Musume with golden eyes— you remember her, right?"
Seeing Helios reveal the name, Ruby rubbed her chin and nodded.
She had indeed seen her a few times, and the impression she left was quite good, other Uma Musume in the ordinary classes often discussed her as well.
"I remember. Starlight-senpai is a very kind Uma Musume. I hope you don't go overboard."
"Of course I won't! Besides, Starlight-chan... Starlight-chan, hehe—"
Ruby's mouth twitched.
Seeing Helios descend into a state of delusional, silly bliss at the mere mention of Divine Starlight, she sighed and silently turned to walk away.
After a good while, Daitaku Helios snapped out of it, looked left and right, and said in confusion:
"Eh? Where's Ruby? Where did she go... Oh well, I guess I'll head to the cafeteria and try to run into Starlight-chan for lunch~"
In the afternoon, outside the training grounds, a suspicious figure was lingering about.
King Halo watched Divine Starlight warming up down below and couldn't help but daze off for a moment.
Unlike her usual look with hair flowing loosely or the meticulously groomed appearance one has when taking the stage, Starlight currently had her hair tied in a practical, efficient ponytail.
Her eyes seemed to be perpetually filled with light, and she appeared to be surrounded by a sparkling aura of special effects.
"Ahem, while she certainly has some charm, I am here to gather intelligence."
"Exactly! As the mentor of my rival, Special Week, she must have many things to learn from, as well as weaknesses."
After finding a perfectly legitimate reason for herself, King Halo adjusted her attire and her composure.
Straightening her training jacket, she walked down toward Starlight.
Meanwhile, having finished her leg stretches and warm-up, Starlight stood up to roll her wrists and shoulders. she glanced at the training plan handed over by Inami and nodded.
"Okay, Inami-chan, I'm ready."
Nodding back, Kiryuu Inami picked up the stopwatch to start timing.
As Starlight took off, Inami shifted her gaze away from the running figure.
"Um... the Uma Musume behind that tree, stop peeking. Could you come out?"
Rustle, rustle—
King Halo trembled in panic and accidentally tumbled to the ground.
When she looked up, she met Kiryuu Inami's curious and questioning gaze.
"U-Um, hello?"
"Ah, h-hello. I just happened to be passing by to take a look, don't mind me."
"Hmm? Just happened to be passing by? But you've been acting suspicious ever since you arrived at the training ground, and your eyes have been glued to our Starlight the whole time."
Inami stepped closer to King Halo, one step at a time, until the latter was backed against a tree trunk.
"Oh~ I remember now. You're King Halo, right? Is there something you need with Starlight-chan?"
"That... well, I..."
King Halo lowered her head, feeling extremely embarrassed and unable to come up with a proper excuse.
Just then, Starlight finished a lap and ran over to Inami's side, saying with a smile:
"Ah~ You finally came, Halo-chan! Oh, Inami-chan, she's the one I invited a few days ago to train with me."
Turning toward Starlight, Kiryuu Inami's serious expression instantly melted into a gentle one.
"I see. Then take her along. Just don't be so sneaky next time. I doubt even Rice Shower-chan is as shy as you~"
Seeing Inami leave, Starlight turned to King Halo and said with a grin:
"Shall we begin then? Let's go train..."
"Hmph. W-who said I wanted to train with you? I only came to observe you and gather some intel to deal with Special Week, that's all."
King Halo crossed her arms and looked away guiltily.
"If that's the case, wouldn't training alongside me help you gather the intel you want even better?"
"That, I..."
"Alright, Halo-chan. I won't say much more, but you definitely haven't fully recovered from your recent failure yet, have you?"
"Of course I have! I am a first-rate Uma Musume, how could I be discouraged by a mere Yayoi Sho?"
"Mm. I'm very happy to see that you have the courage to step forward after a failure."
"I'll say it again: I truly hope to see the sight of you standing in victory on the turf."
After saying that, Starlight turned around to continue her training.
Watching her figure and hearing those sincere words echo in her ears, King Halo's breathing quickened slightly.
Her gaze sharpened as she moved her legs and followed.
"Eh!?"
"What are you so surprised for? Didn't you say I could gather intel better by training with you?"
"Hehe... mm, true. Let's work hard together this afternoon~"
Starlight gave a knowing smile, and together with King Halo, she began to gallop across the grass.