The sky remained dark.
Guided by the flickering light of the campfire, Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond gazed at the silver-haired Uma Musume before them.
Their eyes were dazed— not for any complex reason, but simply because they were captivated by the sight of something truly beautiful.
Starlight didn't pay much mind to the two little Uma Musume' expressions.
She picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from her face, then turned her gaze toward Rice Shower.
"Want me to help you wipe down, Rice-chan~?"
"Ah... o-okay."
Rice Shower had originally intended to do it herself, but when a gentle, beautiful Uma Musume stands right in front of you, offering to wipe your sweat with such warmth...
Well, it would be rude to refuse, wouldn't it?
Lowering her head, Rice Shower squinted her eyes, thoroughly enjoying the other's light and gentle touch.
Noticing the fixed stares of the two little Uma Musume, Starlight asked with the same smile.
"Do you two need my help as well?"
"Eh? Is... is that okay, Starlight-senpai...?" Satono Diamond asked, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.
"Why wouldn't it be? It's just a quick wipe. I don't have any extra towels, so you'll have to make do with some tissues."
"Come here—"
Before little Diamond could even react, she felt the sensation of Starlight's small hand, holding a tissue, gently dabbing her face.
A faint, clean fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose.
For some reason, Satono Diamond felt her face flush slightly red.
Next was Kitasan Black.
After helping her wipe down as well, Starlight led the two little Uma Musume back toward their original campsite.
"Alright, I'll walk you back. You have to be careful at night, don't get snatched away by bad people, or I'll be very sad..."
"Really?"
A bit skeptical, Kitasan Black asked.
After all, they had known each other for less than a day, all things considered.
"Really. You two looked so beautiful when you were running today. If I can see you on the racecourse in the future, I'll be very happy."
Starlight patted her head and smiled with narrowed eyes.
Satono Diamond clenched her fists, full of passion.
"Then, I will definitely train hard and get into Tracen later!"
After seeing the two Uma Musume back, Starlight slowly returned to her own campsite.
She crawled back into the tent to find Rice Shower lying on her sleeping bag, kicking her feet back and forth while holding a picture book, a cozy smile on her lips.
"Ah, Starlight-chan, you're back~"
"Yeah, I'm back. What are you looking at, Rice-chan?"
Hearing this, Rice Shower didn't share it with Starlight as she usually did. Instead, she hurriedly snapped it shut and hid it behind her back.
With a slight blush on her face, she avoided Starlight's gaze and waved her hands dismissively.
"No, nothing at all."
"Oh~ Rice-chan won't let me see it anymore. Has our relationship grown distant?" Starlight said, leaning in close with a look of mock sadness.
"No, no, no... it's just, Rice doesn't want Starlight to see this pitcure book. Y-You can look at Rice's other picture books."
Starlight nodded and sat down on her own sleeping bag. Looking at Rice Shower's flustered state, she said thoughtfully:
"It seems there's a secret in that picture book. A secret that only Rice can know and I can't, right?"
Faced with the silver-haired Uma Musume's inquiry, Rice Shower hesitated before nodding.
"Haha... alright then. In that case, I won't look. You have to protect that secret well~"
After giving Rice Shower's head a light pat, Starlight began to change into her pajamas.
Inside the tent, a faint, warm-colored light glowed. The rustling sound of clothes being changed echoed nearby.
Rice Shower didn't move. Her eyes remained fixed on Starlight, watching the process without blinking.
The other's back was as lovely as ever.
Her frame was small and looked like it would be easy to push over, and a gentle fragrance wafted over from time to time...
As she reached out her small hand to pick up her pajamas, Starlight caught a glimpse of Rice Shower's unblinking gaze out of the corner of her eye. S
he said with a laugh:
"What is it? Is there something wrong with me?"
"Ah... no, it's not that. It's just that Starlight-chan is so beautiful that I..."
"Is that so? Thank you for the compliment."
"No, it's not a compliment. It's the truth—"
The sudden firm tone caught Starlight off guard. She reached out to pat the other's shoulder and nodded.
"Mm-hm, I get it. In Rice's eyes, I'm very beautiful~"
Thump, thump, thump...
That was the sound of a heartbeat.
More specifically, it was the black-haired Uma Musume's heartbeat.
She had never felt like a happy person before, she felt cursed, just like some of the stories in her picture books...
Until that race, where she met the silver-haired Uma Musume before her.
It was she who allowed her to feel happiness, to feel what it was like to win a race and enjoy the cheers and applause, and to feel the warmth of being wrapped in sunlight.
A throbbing heart often leads to a bit of impulse, just like now.
Rice Shower swiped Starlight's hand away and suddenly wrapped her arms around the other's waist.
Her great strength pulled both Uma Musume down onto the floor.
By the time she snapped out of it, her purple eyes were trembling violently.
She looked down to see Starlight beneath her, face flushed with a hint of shyness, looking back at her with uncertainty.
'W-what did Rice just do?! Why am I pinning Starlight-chan down...?'
'But she doesn't seem to be resisting, does that mean... No, no, no—'
"What's wrong, Rice... Are you feeling unwell, or...?"
Slowly lowering her body, Rice Shower's nose pressed against Starlight's.
Warm breath brushed against her face.
Starlight was still confused about what the other was trying to do when, in the next second, a sensation of warmth touched her cheek.
In a flash, Rice Shower had already scrambled up.
Like a startled rabbit, she sat off to the side.
Reaching up to touch her cheek, Starlight realized she had just been kissed.
She sat up, her golden eyes turning toward the black-haired Uma Musume, whose body was trembling incessantly.
Starlight narrowed her eyes and gave a complex smile.
"What was that for, Rice-chan?"
"Ah, t-this... sorry, I'm sorry Starlight-chan! R-Rice just wanted to thank you for always taking such good care of me..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a similar warmth touched her own cheek in the exact same spot.
Starlight had kissed her back.
Rice's pupils shrank instantly.
Before she could recover from the shock, the silver-haired Uma Musume gave a gentle smile.
"Then I also want to thank Rice-chan for always being by my side. Let's be even, even better friends from now on~"
Drip.
A tear slid from her eye and landed on the carpet beneath them. Rice Shower began to sob.
"Eh! W-what's wrong? Do you not want to? Rice-chan, don't cry—"
Wiping away a tear, Rice Shower shook her head gently, then nodded vigorously.
"R-Rice is happy... to be friends with Starlight-chan."
"Then don't cry. Look at you, you're turning into a little speckled cat. Here, let me wipe it."
Starlight pulled a tissue from her backpack and was about to help her, only for the black-haired Uma Musume to dive straight into her arms.
Her movements froze.
With no other choice, Starlight helplessly placed her hand on top of the other's head and began to stroke her hair.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of soft breathing filled the air.
Looking down, she saw that the Uma Musume in her arms had already fallen into a peaceful sleep.
There were still teardrops on the corners of her eyes.
Once she finished wiping away the tears, Starlight gently tucked her into her sleeping bag.
After tidying herself up a bit, she turned off the light and crawled into her own sleeping bag to sleep.
The next morning, when Starlight woke up, she felt a heavy pressure on her chest.
She opened her eyes and looked down, only to find...