Fidgeting with her fingers, Symboli Rudolf kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look at the gray-haired Uma Musume standing before her.
"Actually... this afternoon, seeing Seiun Sky holding you while you slept made me feel a bit... unsettled."
"So I moved her to a bed in an empty dorm room one floor down..."
Hearing Rudolf's explanation, Starlight furrowed her brows, feeling a sense of helplessness.
"Sigh... So that's what happened. You aren't allowed to do things like that next time. What if Sky-chan caught a cold?"
"Mm... I understand."
"I'm going to go check on her. Luna-chan, you go back to your work for now~"
With that, Starlight turned and left Rudolf's room, heading to the empty dorm on the floor below as described.
After discovering that the "cat" was no longer there, she made her way to Sky's own room.
She pushed the door open and saw Seiun Sky lying on her bed playing games, which allowed her to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Aya~ Starlight-chan, you're finally here? You're so mean, actually throwing me into an empty dorm room..."
Turning to see it was Divine Starlight, Seiun Sky tossed her gaming console aside with a look of grievance and sat up.
Walking slowly to her side, Starlight reached out and patted her head.
"I'm sorry, Sky-chan..."
"Mm... was it the President who did it?"
Squinting her eyes, Seiun Sky sniffed the scent lingering on Starlight, asking after a moment of thought.
"Eh... well, yes, it was."
"Sigh~ Alright, so it really was the President..."
Seiun Sky didn't really have a reason to confront the other party, after all, going to Starlight's dorm at noon was already a bit against the rules.
Moreover, since it was Rudolf, she could only let her horse ears droop.
"Don't be sad, Sky-chan. I've already spoken with the President. If you want to come to my dorm in the future, you're welcome anytime. Or I can come over to your place."
"Re-really?!"
Her pupils dilated as Seiun Sky looked up at Starlight's face in disbelief.
'I didn't expect... I didn't expect Starlight-chan would actually stand up to Symboli Rudolf for my sake. Starlight-chan...'
"Of course, so don't be sad, okay~"
"Can I have a hug? Starlight-chan..."
After being stunned for a long while, Seiun Sky finally managed to speak.
"...Alright, come here, let's hug..."
Without much hesitation, Starlight sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to pull Seiun Sky into her embrace.
The familiar embrace, the familiar warmth, the familiar scent.
It gave Seiun Sky an immense sense of security. If she could, she truly wished she could nestle in Starlight's arms for the rest of her life.
Closing her eyes to savor the feeling for a moment, she eventually pulled back and spoke.
"Weren't you going to train, Starlight-chan? I won't bother you then... I'll find you to play when we have time."
"Mm... then I'll see you next time. Bye-bye, Sky-chan."
"Bye-bye, Starlight-chan..."
Click~
The door to Rudolf's room was opened once again.
Rudolf was quite surprised to see Starlight return, she stood up from her chair and asked curiously:
"How is Seiun Sky?"
"She's playing games in her own room. She seems to be doing alright."
Nodding, Rudolf sat back down.
She looked at the documents spread across her desk, her mind feeling a bit cluttered.
"Why did you come back?"
Against all expectations, she actually blurted out such a question.
Hearing this, Starlight couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Luna-chan, didn't you ask me to keep you company this afternoon? Of course I had to come back."
"If you'd like, I could just go to training right now."
Glimpsing Starlight making a move as if to turn and leave, Rudolf hurriedly stood up and grabbed her.
"...I thought you would be angry and wouldn't come back."
Turning around, Starlight looked at Rudolf and reached out to hold the hand that was gripping her.
"Although Luna-chan's actions did make me a bit annoyed, I always keep my promises regarding things I've agreed to."
Walking slowly over to the bed to sit down, Starlight's tone remained steady.
"I know that Luna-chan did something irrational out of an emotional impulse."
"If it were only directed at me, I would forgive it, but please do not let it affect the Uma Musume around me, alright?"
"If they truly do something out of line to me, then Luna-chan can step in. How about that?"
Raising her eyes to meet Divine Starlight's pleading gaze, Rudolf let those two questions echo in her ears.
She nodded, her voice firm.
"I understand."
"That's more like it. Well then... Wh-What are you doing?!"
Starlight had just breathed a sigh of relief seeing the matter settled, only to see Rudolf's figure slowly closing in on her.
"Didn't you say... that if I did something irrational to you, you would forgive it...?"
Seeing the other's face getting closer and closer, Starlight reached out and blocked her directly.
"Hey! Rudolf! Stop right there... that's not how you're supposed to interpret that!"
Only when the pressure against her hand diminished did Starlight breathe a sigh of relief, standing up quickly to move toward the door.
Seeing Starlight so tense, as if she would bolt the second Rudolf made another move, Rudolf finally laughed.
"I was just teasing you, Starlight-chan."
"Are you sure?"
"Mm. I wanted to see you flustered. It's quite cute..."
Looking at that mischievous smile, even someone as good-natured as Divine Starlight felt a bit annoyed.
She balled up her little pink fists, walked up to Rudolf, and gave her shoulder a firm thump.
"Luna-chan is so mean, playing a joke like that on me!"
'Hiss... this little one packs a punch...'
Rudolf reached out to pat Starlight's head, her tone returning to a serious note.
"Alright, alright, no more teasing... Wait for me to finish my work, then we'll go eat together."
While Rudolf was using smooth-talking techniques (God knows where she learnt them) to tease Starlight, over on the other side with Team Spica...
Trainer Ryo Nishizaki was riding his bicycle, shouting at the formation of six Uma Musume ahead of him.
"Keep that rhythm! Everyone, keep it up!"
At a certain spot in the park, the girls who had finished their training session were resting.
"You're at your limit, aren't you, Vodka!"
"What! I still have plenty of stamina left. It's you who's panting so hard, you're about to collapse, aren't you!?"
The daily bickering between Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet had long since become a routine spectacle for Team Spica.
Suddenly, Gold Ship let out a loud shout.
"AHHHHH!!!!"
The other Uma Musume were startled instantly.
"What is it? Don't make such a fuss."
Pointing toward a nearby Taiyaki stall, Gold Ship said, "They're selling Taiyaki..."
It wouldn't have been a big deal normally, but as soon as she said it, the fragrance wafted over from the stall. Special Week's eyes went straight.
Gurgle...
Blushing, she rubbed her rumbling stomach. Though she hadn't spoken, the sound said everything.
"Sigh... Alright, alright. I can't do anything with you girls. It's my treat today, go ahead and order."
"Hooray!!"
A small line quickly formed at the stall. Once everyone had ordered, they turned their gaze toward Special Week, who was at the back of the line.
"Spe-chan, aren't you ordering?"
"Ah, well, I think I'll pass~"
"Don't be like that. You should have one, Spe-chan."
"Exactly. Even if you're on a diet, having one extra today won't hurt."
Under everyone's persuasion, Special Week couldn't resist and ordered one.
However, the price for that choice was that the rest of Team Spica would have to help our Special Week undergo hellish special training to get her weight back down.