Approaching noon, inside the classroom.
Starlight, who had been frantically catching up on her notes, glanced at the time and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally, class is over... I'm so tired..."
The silver-haired Uma Musume closed her notebook and slumped over her desk, seemingly preparing for a nap.
Beside her, Sakura Chiyono O reached out and poked Starlight's cheek.
"Hey Starlight-chan, do you want to go grab lunch together?"
"Ah, I—"
Knock, knock, knock—
After knocking on the door, Gold City strode in with her hands in her pockets, cutting in before anyone else could.
"Sorry, Starlight-chan is coming with me today."
As she spoke, she moved behind Starlight's chair and reached out to rub the twitching ears on the girl's head.
"Let's go, Starlight-chan..."
The slight tingling sensation from the top of her head caused Divine Starlight to let out a purring hum.
"Mm~ Okay... Sorry, Chiyono O, I have already entrusted myself to Gold City~"
It shouldn't have been a big deal, but the way Divine Starlight said it with such a look of pure enjoyment made Sakura Chiyono O feel like a useless husband who had just been replaced.
Not only her— this classroom also held the trio of Mejiro Ardan, Yaeno Muteki, and Super Creek.
They watched the platinum-blonde Uma Musume behind Starlight, feeling as though some Boss-level character had just imprisoned their cute princess.
After the two left, Starlight was led all the way to Gold City's dorm room.
City pulled a hair-cutting kit from a storage box under her bed.
"Come on, Starlight-chan. Trust me, you'll be even more beautiful with a new hairstyle!"
"Mm, alright then..."
The silver-haired Uma Musume rubbed her own locks.
It was true that she had kept the "gal" look for quite a while, so it was indeed time for a change of style to face her new self.
Meanwhile, on the training grounds...
"McQueen-chan! Let's talk this through. This is really dangerous!"
McQueen was performing her jumping exercises, but the hurdle beneath her had been replaced by Gold Ship, who was lying flat on the ground.
Holding her head in her hands, Gold Ship felt the sheer weight of the heavy horseshoes landing on the turf.
As her heart rate began to skyrocket, Gold Ship spoke up.
"Do you really need me? Weren't you doing just fine with the hurdle earlier?"
"Of course, this is necessary. With you beneath me, I feel my focus sharpening."
"My opponent is Tokai Teio, and against an undefeated Uma Musume like her, this level of intensity is a must."
"So why does it have to be me...?"
"Because you are more important to me, Gold Ship! In order not to hurt you, I have no choice but to push myself to lift my feet as high as possible."
Hearing this, Gold Ship was actually quite moved. She sniffed, her eyes welled with tears.
"McQueen, you jerk! That being said— why couldn't you ask Starlight-chan to do it? Isn't she more important to you?"
McQueen's face flushed slightly, and she immediately shot the idea down.
"No! I could never bring myself to do anything that might hurt Starlight!"
"Then why are you perfectly fine with hurting me, you Mejiro McQueen bastard!?"
Watching from the sidelines, Special Week, who was always happy to see a spectacle, marveled innocently.
"So amazing! Every step is so stable— eh, wait! Is that a donut food truck!?"
Suddenly, hearing a noise behind her, Special Week turned her head and couldn't help but shout.
In a split second, the attention of both McQueen and Gold Ship was snatched away.
This lapse caused McQueen, who was still mid-air, to forget to adjust her direction.
Her two lead-filled, elegant feet landed heavily right on Gold Ship's sturdy back.
CRACK.
A clear sound rang out. Gold Ship's eyes bulged in agony, and she let out a scream drenched in cold sweat.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!"
This "War Stomp" combined all of Mejiro McQueen's strength and momentum. It felt like a blow with enough energy to transcend time itself.
Lying on the ground, Gold Ship's limbs twitched uncontrollably.
She felt as though she were seeing the very origin of Uma Musume— she could almost see the Three Goddesses waving to her from the other side.
After a period of resting to recover, Gold Ship finally regained her senses.
She leaned back in her chair, a bit of white foam still lingering at the corner of her mouth.
"Alright Gold Ship, let's continue the training. This time you only need to do a half-squat, just bend down to hold your knees with your hands."
The gentle words sounded like a whisper from a devil.
Gold Ship immediately snapped to attention, sitting upright and staring at the smile on Mejiro McQueen's face.
"Are... are you sure this is okay? This height is even higher than before. I... I can't take any more."
"Of course it's fine. You'll have room to dodge this time. If I make a mistake, you can just dive forward."
Hearing this, Gold Ship swallowed hard.
Thump!
Thump-thump!!
The higher jumps resulted in even heavier landing sounds.
Mejiro McQueen's expression grew strained, feeling the weight pressing into her thighs, she struggled to complete the jumps.
"Spe! Don't talk, whatever you do, don't talk! Or else McQueen's attention will get diverted again."
Gold Ship looked up, then froze.
"Spe? Where are you—?"
The tree stump nearby was empty, only Special Week's phone remained mounted there on its stand.
The next second, over by the donut stall, Special Week came skipping back happily, cradling a massive bag of donuts.
"Everyone! Does anyone want some donuts?!"
Gold Ship: "What!?"
Mejiro McQueen: "Wait—"
CRACK.
Another "War Stomp" followed, slamming Gold Ship face-first into the ground.
"Aaaagh!"
"Are you okay, Gold Ship?!"
Meanwhile, inside Gold City's dorm room, as the final snip of the scissors fell, the stray hairs from Starlight's bangs slowly drifted down.
The comb swept through the silver hair, leaving it incredibly smooth.
"All done, Starlight-chan~"
Starlight, who had been dozing with her eyes closed, slowly blinked awake.
Her misty gold eyes paired with her curved lashes fluttered open, the silver-haired Uma Musume's long, elegant hair draped softly over her shoulders.
"How is it? Let me see."
In that instant, Gold City froze.
The innate gentleness that permeated Starlight's very core seemed to radiate outward, enhanced by the new hairstyle.
Starlight's golden eyes emitted a faint, divine glow, as if an angel had descended.
If her previous "gal" style only highlighted her cuteness, then this neat, smooth, long-straight style had completely unsealed her true beauty.
"City-chan?"
"Ah... right, okay! Here's the mirror."
Snapping out of it, Gold City handed over the mirror with a hint of fluster.
As it turned out, making this silver-haired Uma Musume beautiful didn't require excessive decoration.
All that was needed was a simple, tidy hairstyle and nothing more.
"Oh...!? Not bad at all! City, you really do have a talent for this~"
"Hehe, of course. I often help my other friends with their hair. If you don't mind, Starlight-chan, you can come to me from now on."
"Mm, okay. Then shall we go find your manager now?"
"Okay, let me check in first..."
Picking up her phone, Gold City opened her contacts and stepped aside to chat with her manager.
A moment later, she spoke up with a look of difficulty.
"...I'm so sorry, Starlight-chan. The agency is currently being renovated, and my manager is on vacation. It might take a few days."
"Is that so? No worries, no worries. I've survived nearly half a year in a wheelchair, I can wait a little longer."
"In that case, I'll head out for now."
"Yeah, okay..."
Adjusting her outfit, Starlight stood up to leave.
Watching her figure, Gold City felt a strong urge to reach out and make her stay.
But for now, she lacked a proper reason.
"Eh?! Wait a second, those socks look a bit familiar?"
Starlight's gaze landed on a pair of stockings hanging from a rack on the wall by the bed.
Her eyes widened in realization as she asked inquisitively.
'Oh no—!'