The afternoon sun was scorching.
Watching the Uma Musume on the beach either shooting water guns or playing beach volleyball, Starlight sat in the lounge, enjoying the cool air conditioning as she sighed with emotion.
"It's so nice to be young..."
Suddenly, a cup of chilled carrot juice tapped against Starlight's head.
"I haven't even started showing my age, yet you're already acting as if your hair is turning white?"
Once she saw Starlight catch the cup with both hands, Rudolf let go and sat down beside her, her tone laced with playful mockery.
"I'm a high schooler too, after all, what's wrong with a little sentimentality? By the way, why didn't you let me play with Helios? I thought her little fish pond seemed pretty interesting."
"If I hadn't known about it, that would be one thing. But since I saw it, I had to stop them..."
Starlight stood up and scooted away slightly, her voice filled with a hint of disdain.
"How cruel! How can you be like this, Luna-chan? Look at Helios's expression, she looked like she was about to cry..."
Her fingers tracing the rim of her glass, Rudolf slowly turned her head toward Divine Starlight, a trace of emotion flickering in her eyes.
"Seeing you with other Uma Musume... it simply makes me unhappy. I want you to stay with me— is that not allowed?"
"But that wouldn't be fair to me. I want to spend time with my friends, too. If you're like this, I'll be the one who's unhappy..."
For Starlight, honesty was the only policy, she would never hide her thoughts.
Rather than looking through a fogged-up window, she preferred to wipe it clean to see the snowy landscape outside.
"Then think of a way to make me happy."
Hearing this, Starlight furrowed her brows and actually began to think seriously.
"For example... get a little closer to me..."
The words were very soft, sounding like a quiet complaint from Rudolf to Starlight.
"Alright, alright~"
Starlight stood up and sat back down exactly a fist's width away from Rudolf, asking tentatively, "How about now? Are you happy? Give me a smile..."
Keeping a stiff upper lip, Rudolf shook her head quite plainly.
Seeing this, Starlight slowly leaned her head in, her warm breath gently brushing against Rudolf's neck.
She reached out and pinched Rudolf's cheeks, attempting to force a smile onto the other woman's face through sheer will.
"See, see! You're smiling~"
'I can't smile yet. Must... resist...'
After a good while, seeing that even after she had pinched that serious face red there was still no smile, Starlight simply lunged at her and began to tickle her.
However, before she could even start, a pair of incredibly strong hands locked around her like chains, pinning Starlight firmly in place.
Rudolf lowered her head, nuzzling against Starlight's soft cheek.
"Like this... I feel a bit happier."
After struggling for a moment and realizing it was futile, Starlight could only knit her brows and say with a flushed face, "Don't be like this, Luna-chan..."
"Just a little longer, then I'll let you go... Starlight-chan."
The soft, gentle words were a stark contrast to the person saying them, yet in this atmosphere, it didn't feel out of place at all.
As evening approached, Starlight walked out of the hall, adjusting her loose shirt as she sighed helplessly.
"Is 'a little longer' supposed to mean the entire afternoon? That's not short at all..."
"Starlight-chan~! Are you okay? Did the President do anything to you?"
Helios, who had been searching the vicinity, rushed over the moment she saw Starlight emerge.
She circled around Starlight, inspecting her while asking with concern.
"What are you thinking, Helios-chan? How could I possibly be anything but okay?"
Grabbing Starlight's hand and checking left and right, Helios said, "Let's go, we need to leave this place quickly. If someone else kidnaps you in a bit, it'll be a total loss."
Forced to follow along, Starlight narrowed her eyes and laughed.
"It's not like I'm some kind of treasure, you're exaggerating, Helios..."
"How could you say that, Starlight-chan? If I could, I'd really want to take a rope and tie you to me."
"If you actually did that, I wouldn't mind hitting you."
"What! There's such a good deal?! Come on, Starlight-chan, ravage my body as much as you like with those soft, fragrant little hands!"
"Don't hold back, do it now!"
Upon hearing this, Helios let go of Starlight's hand and spread her own arms with a look of utter sincerity, looking expectantly at the bewildered silver-haired Uma Musume.
'Perhaps I've found the real reason why Daiichi Ruby ignores her...'
With her lip twitching, Divine Starlight's hand trembled slightly as she silently turned around, preparing to leave.
"Eh?! Don't go, Starlight-chan! I'm begging you, please don't go!"
Hurrying over, Helios grabbed Starlight's arm.
"It's not that I want to, but Helios-chan, you always force me away with such outrageous words, so I have no choice..."
Startled, Helios immediately raised both hands above her head in surrender.
"Okay, okay! I'll stop saying stuff like that..."
Narrowing her eyes, Starlight raised a hand and signaled, "Let's go then. Where are we going and what are we doing?"
"Hehe, Palmer and I have already hauled up some seafood from that little tide pool. We're going to build a fire and have a barbecue..."
Grasping the other's hands once more, Helios said with a smile.
'Starlight-chan is so nice, she's so easy to coax, so cute...'
Skipping along while pulling the silver-haired Uma Musume's hand across the beach painted by the sunset, Helios was incredibly happy.
Her tail behind her wouldn't stop wagging, to the point where Starlight felt tempted to reach out and grab it.
Under a coconut tree by the previously mentioned tide pool.
Mejiro Palmer sat on a rock, holding a branch and poking at the charcoal that had already burned black in the fire.
Looking up through the white smoke and seeing the two Uma Musume approaching, she stood up and walked over slowly.
"You actually managed to kidnap her? Did the President agree to this?"
In the face of Palmer's teasing, Helios proudly lifted Starlight's hand and pressed it against her own cheek as if showing off.
"What are you talking about? Starlight-chan came with me voluntarily, right?"
"Mhm... yes, I came of my own free will."
"Doesn't sound like it from your tone. Starlight-chan, if you're being threatened, just blink. I promise to rescue you from the clutches of this Uma Musume."
Seeing Starlight actually blink, Mejiro Palmer rolled up her sleeves and prepared to walk toward Helios.
"Ah! Starlight-chan, you're joking, right? I-I didn't threaten you!"
The little star-shaped sticker on Helios's cheek almost fell off as she waved her hands in a panic.
"Haha, I was just teasing you~ That was fun... Alright, Palmer, stop scaring Helios."
"Ah~! Starlight-chan! Palmer! You two... how cruel!"
"What, are you going to kick me out? Helios-chan... it's almost dark, and as you know, I'm very afraid of the dark..."
Starlight's expression was a bit exaggerated, her eyes watery and looking utterly pitiful.
"Of course not! Don't worry, Starlight-chan, I'll personally escort you back later!"
"That's good then."
After the brief bout of playfulness ended, the three Uma Musume sat by the fire, chatting happily while savoring the grilled seafood in their hands.
Small stars had already begun to twinkle in the sky.
'Even without any seasoning, as long as it's fresh enough, it's still sweet and delicious...'
Tasting the shrimp in her hand, Starlight felt a sense of contentment.
In contrast to the warmth here, however, was a scene on a distant reef.
A pinkish-brown head was staring intently in this direction, her sky-blue eyes reflecting the bonfire, along with Starlight's face...