"Ahaha... It's nothing, nothing at all. Actually, I was thinking, Starlight-chan, I could come and help you~"
"You help me?"
Nodding, Seiun Sky pushed her tray toward Starlight's side, then stood up and sat down next to her, inching a bit closer in the process.
"Think about it. The President is busy with a thousand things every day, so she's extremely overworked. Wouldn't it be a bit much to ask her to take care of you on top of that?"
"Besides, El Condor Pasa just left for the Arc de Triomphe, so Team Rigil must be taking things very seriously right now."
'That actually makes a lot of sense...'
Seeing Starlight nod, Seiun Sky continued her vivid persuasion.
"The President is already exhausted after a full day. If she has to take care of you too, it's not only bad for her, it's bad for you. If her energy flags and she slips up, Starlight-chan might end up back in a hospital bed."
"True..."
Stroking her chin, Starlight knit her brows and thought about it for a long while before nodding in agreement.
"So, don't you need a friend who is close, gentle, considerate, and most importantly, has a very flexible schedule to help you with your daily life?"
"So..."
Starlight looked up at Seiun Sky, whose intent was now crystal clear, her self-praising look was impossible to hide.
"So, me! Starlight-chan, I want to help you. As a friend, I really want to take care of you, even if it means skipping class or training! I'll go and look after you."
Everything Seiun Sky said was true.
Not wanting to go to class was true, not wanting to train was true, and wanting to take care of Starlight was especially true...
Starlight's mouth twitched as her hand was gripped tightly by Seiun Sky.
"Sky-chan, you really just want an excuse to be lazy and skip class and training, don't you?"
Blinking, Seiun Sky realized that Starlight didn't seem to think her desire to help was purely altruistic...
"Ah, right. Come on, help me out, Starlight-chan~"
"Fine, fine. I'll leave things to you then, Sky-chan. I'll talk to the President about it later."
"Hooray! Starlight-chan, you're the best~"
Hugging her, Seiun Sky rubbed her cheek against Starlight's small face, her lazy tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"Aren't Special Week, Grass-chan, and the others coming to have lunch with you?"
Releasing her hold, Seiun Sky picked up her chopsticks again, ready to finish her lunch.
"Don't you know? Both of their teams went away for summer training camp, they aren't at the academy right now."
"Is that so? Why didn't they say anything to me? Honestly..."
"...Oh well. I'm an injured person anyway, I shouldn't bother them. Sky-chan, do you want this croquette? I can't eat any more."
Sky's eyes lit up, and her chopsticks were already reaching out.
"Ehehe, thanks Starlight-chan! I've been eyeing this croquette for a while. Don't mind if I do!"
After the meal, Seiun Sky cleared away both their trays and pushed Starlight's wheelchair back to the dormitory.
At the first-floor lobby of the dorms.
Seiun Sky pushed Starlight to the foot of the stairs, then moved in front of her, squatting down slightly to pick her up.
"How does it feel? Starlight-chan, are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Not at all. Sky-chan, you're actually quite meticulous. I trust you. Let's go~"
Arriving at the door to Starlight's room, Sky reached into her pocket, took out the key, and unlocked the doo
r. She carried the silver-haired Uma Musume over to the bed.
"I'll go grab your wheelchair. You rest for now, Starlight-chan... Be a good girl, okay?"
"I am your senpai... Oh, whatever. I will."
Fidgeting with her fingers, Starlight answered with a slightly reddened face.
Watching the short-haired gray Uma Musume walk away, Starlight nodded to herself, feeling a wave of appreciation.
'I didn't expect Seiun Sky to care so much about me. Usually, she's such a lazy Uma Musume...'
Seiun Sky returned quickly, moving the wheelchair next to the coat rack.
"Would you like some tea? Or perhaps some snacks?"
"No thanks. I want to look at my picture books for a bit."
"When I was in the hospital, Rice Shower came by every day to bring me new ones. Do you want to read them with me?"
"Sure! Oh, right! I have a bunch of unread manga in my room, Starlight-chan. I'll go grab those too."
"Alright, go ahead."
Seiun Sky got up and left for her own room to fetch the manga.
Not long after she departed, there was a knock on the door.
"The door isn't locked, come in~"
Hearing the voice, Starlight slowly shifted her gaze from the picture book in her hand toward the doorway.
Click.
The door opened.
The worried expression on Symboli Rudolf's face instantly smoothed over the moment she saw Starlight safe on the bed.
"How did you get back?"
"Ah, Sky-chan brought me back."
"Is that so? I'm sorry. Because El Condor Pasa is going abroad to race, I've had quite a lot of work to process, so I'm a bit late."
"It's okay, it's okay~ Luna-chan, you don't need to come take care of me anymore. I've already asked Sky-chan to help..."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Rudolf's expression froze.
She stared wide-eyed at Starlight's still-smiling face.
"W-Why? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not at all. Luna-chan is very considerate. But as you can see, you're the President and your daily workload is already heavy."
"Having to find time to look after me makes me feel very guilty, and you really need your rest. So, I asked Sky-chan."
"I see... that's fine then."
Although she still felt a bit uneasy, at least Starlight wasn't replacing her out of dislike.
On the contrary, she was doing it out of concern for her, to reduce her stress so she could work better.
'What does that mean? It means she has me in her heart...'
"Alright, go get some rest. Good luck with your work this afternoon~ You can come by in the evening for tea and a chat, or I can even give you a massage."
"Mhm... I understand. You too— stay safe and don't get hurt again."
"Okay~ I know."
Rudolf let out a sigh and turned to leave Starlight's dorm.
In the hallway, she ran right into Seiun Sky, who was carrying her manga.
"Ah, P-President, good afternoon!"
Rudolf looked deeply at her for a moment, a smile touching the corners of her mouth.
"I'll leave her care in your hands..."
"Mhm, okay! Don't you worry, Madam President!"
Watching Rudolf walk away toward her own room, Seiun Sky let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'So that Rudolf girl is capable of such a soft smile?'
"Starlight-chan~ I'm back!"
"Mhm, come sit here. I just got to a really good part..."
"Coming~"
After closing the door, Seiun Sky quickly sat down beside Starlight, placing the manga she brought on the desk.
Leaning gently against the other's shoulder, Seiun Sky caught the faint scent from the crook of Starlight's neck, her horse ears twitching.
This was her favorite time.
Whenever she was by Starlight's side, leaning against her, she felt happy even if she had been in a bad mood.
"If you want to lie in my lap, you can, Sky-chan~"
Noticing that Sky looked like she wanted to nap, Starlight patted her thigh gently.
"No, no, Starlight-chan. Your legs are still injured, I can't do that."
"Besides, I think this is perfect just the way it is..."