"Ah, the fried chicken bucket is here, Starlight-chan..."
Straightening her back, Seiun Sky spoke with a smile as she took the fried chicken bucket from the server.
"Yay! Let's dig in then..."
Holding the massive paper bucket, Starlight pulled out a large, freshly fried piece of chicken, sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper on it, and began to eat.
Underneath the crispy skin was tender, juicy meat, the flavor from the secret marinade was already delicious on its own.
Adding the salt and pepper dipping seasoning made it truly excellent...
After finishing a piece, Starlight set the bone aside on the table.
Looking at her greasy fingers, she couldn't resist sucking on them a few times.
"T-This... Senpai..."
Opposite her, King Halo's lips twitched as she watched Starlight, the words caught in her throat.
"What's wrong?"
"Haha, it's nothing, just—"
"Oh, I get it. Here, you two eat some too, don't be shy."
Smiling, Starlight generously pushed the large paper bucket toward the two of them.
"Starlight-chan, the fried fish cakes are good, try one..."
Seeing Seiun Sky hold out a piece of fish cake, Starlight didn't mind at all and leaned in to take a bite.
"It really is better than the last place... though it's a bit salty."
King Halo, who was a high-class lady after all, had never seen such a display.
She turned her head in slight shock, only to see Grass Wonder also holding a chicken leg, eating at a slow and steady pace.
"This... I think I'll just have a burger..."
After lunch, Starlight patted her stomach and walked happily ahead of the three Uma Musume.
"Sigh... even though this kind of food isn't very healthy, it's quite nice to eat it once in a while."
Seiun Sky familiarly moved to Starlight's side and asked while linking arms with her:
"Starlight-chan, what are you planning to do this afternoon~?"
"What, do you still want to follow me, Sky-chan? That won't do~ You have a race coming up, so go to training and behave yourself."
"Exactly! Seiun Sky, if you're this lazy, you won't be able to beat me in the Satsuki Sho."
King Halo hurried forward a few steps to Starlight's other side and spoke with one hand on her hip.
"That's right, you two should just focus on training."
"I actually happen to have something to discuss with Starlight-senpai. Would you be willing to help me?"
Suddenly, Grass Wonder came up behind Starlight and lightly wrapped her arms around her, asking in a cheerful tone.
"Sure. What do you need me to do, Grass?"
"Well, you'll find out when you come to my room this afternoon, Senpai..."
"Hey, Grass Wonder-san, Senpai is still in her recovery period. Isn't it a bit much to disturb her like this!"
King Halo frowned, her tone urgent.
"Oh, don't be so serious. Even though I'm recovering, don't think of me as being that fragile~"
"Besides, Grass definitely won't make me do anything physically taxing, right?"
"Mm, that's right, Starlight-senpai."
Once the four Uma Musume reached the academy gates, Starlight headed back to the dorms with Grass, while Seiun Sky and King Halo chose to head to the training grounds.
For the rest of the afternoon, Starlight spent her time in Grass Wonder's room tasting a new type of tea she had purchased.
The flavor was indeed excellent, and it had the effect of warding off the cold while refreshing the mind.
The next day, Starlight woke up as usual.
Fortunately, that little cat Seiun Sky didn't come looking for her again.
It seemed that with the race actually approaching, she was working hard at her training.
'Special Week, King Halo, and Sky-chan... ah, just thinking about it, it's going to be a brilliant race.'
'I wonder who will win?'
As she was thinking, Starlight received a message from Daitaku Helios.
Daitaku Helios: Starlight-chan! Darling, are you there? Do you have time?
Starlight: What's up?
Daitaku Helios: Ah! Starlight, you actually replied to me instantly, I'm so happy!
Starlight: [Doting emoji] So what's going on?
Daitaku Helios: This afternoon, I have a G3 race to run. If you're free, could you come watch?
Starlight: Sure! I'll go right now. Which racetrack?
Daitaku Helios: Oh yeah~! It's at Nakayama Racecourse, hurry up and get over here!
"This girl... I can tell exactly what expression she has on her face just by looking at her messages."
Getting up to stretch her body, Starlight headed to the shower to wash up, then changed into a white lace-trimmed western-style dress.
After casually tying her hair into a bun and putting on her shoes, she headed out the door.
Even though there was still plenty of time before the race started, the fact that Daitaku Helios was calling her over now meant she definitely wanted to chat or have Starlight give her a pep talk.
'Hehe, what a lively and cute Uma Musume.'
Sitting in the car, Starlight watched the scenery flash by outside the window, recalling the scene when they first met.
"I suppose we could be considered 'fellow failures in romance'... though I really wasn't pursuing McQueen-chan anymore at that point..."
Outside the racecourse, Daitaku Helios— having a very wide social circle— basically had a few familiar friends wherever she went.
In this G3 event, besides a few Uma Musume from the Tracen Center, there were two or three Uma Musume from the local circuits who had achieved quite excellent results.
If they managed to win the race smoothly or put on a brilliant enough performance, there was a chance they might be scouted by the Central circuit.
"Hey, Helios, is there anything fun at Central?"
"Eh, well, of course there's tons! Let me think..."
Facing the curious inquiry from this chestnut-colored Uma Musume, Daitaku Helios nodded repeatedly, preparing to start her explanation.
However, a gray Uma Musume and the black-haired girl beside her interrupted Daitaku Helios, laughing lightly as they brought up her embarrassing past.
"I think I heard that you've been chasing after a certain young lady~"
"Right, right, right, I heard it too. It's Daiichi Ruby, right? Tsk tsk, it's pity she treats you with such cold indifference..."
"Hahaha..."
By this point, Daitaku Helios could tell that they were just looking for trouble. But since what they said wasn't technically wrong, she could only respond with a forced, awkward laugh.
"Well, I did pursue her before, but that's over now, okay?"
"Oh?! It couldn't be that she looked down on you, could it? If I were you, I wouldn't have persisted for so long."
However, when she saw a figure suddenly appear behind the gray Uma Musume, the frown on her face gradually relaxed, and a smile spread across her lips.
Seeing this, the gray Uma Musume gave a "tsk" and questioned her with a smirk.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me it's—"
"Yahoo~ what are you all chatting about...?"
Before the girl could finish, a soft and ethereal voice rang out from behind her.
The gray Uma Musume froze, she turned around irritably and said:
"Who is it? Interrupting me like—... th-th-there's nothing..."
Golden hexagram-shaped eyes gazed at her curiously, set in a handsome face wearing a gentle smile.
This sight caused the Uma Musume to freeze in their tracks.
'D-Divine Starlight!? Wh-Why is she here...'
"Starlight-chan! You're finally here! I've been waiting so long, let's go—"
In an instant, Daitaku Helios darted to Starlight's side and grabbed her arm, her tone full of joy.
"Eh? You seemed to be chatting with your friends, is it really okay to leave like this?"
"Oh, it's fine, it's fine. Right, guys?"
Turning her head, Daitaku Helios looked triumphantly at the three Uma Musume who were staring blankly.
When Starlight cast a questioning glance toward them, the leading gray Uma Musume immediately waved her hands with a fawning smile.
"Ahahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing! Starlight-senpai, you two go ahead, don't mind us."
"Well, alright then~"
Daitaku Helios leaned against Starlight's shoulder, saying excitedly:
"You finally came, Starlight-chan..."
"Isn't the race this afternoon? Why were you in such a hurry to call me over now?"
"Hehe... I haven't seen you in days, of course I missed you, Starlight-chan~"
Pinching the girl's cheek, Starlight teased her while giving it a little squeeze.
"I saw you cheering for me at the race just the day before yesterday, how has it been 'days' since we last met?!"
"Ow, ow, be gentle! That doesn't count!"