On the dimly lit stage, Starlight was dressed in a magnificent gown. Her natural makeup made her look both gentle and adorable.
Beside her, Gold City looked even more striking.
Compared to Starlight, she was clearly more at ease in the spotlight.
As the lights flared, the two coordinated with the accompaniment and began today's performance.
Below the stage, silver and gold light sticks glowed in harmony. It was easy to see that their fanbase was substantial.
As the performance reached its climax, Starlight and Gold City followed the choreography, pressing their palms together and winking at the audience.
With that, the show concluded. The house lights came up, and the audience erupted into cheers and applause.
Waving as she left, Starlight followed the staff's guidance offstage.
Gold City gave a casual wave behind her and quickly followed the silver-haired Uma Musume.
In the backstage dressing room, Starlight began removing her makeup while scrolling through her phone.
Sitting on the sofa and looking at the silver-haired girl's back, Gold City wanted to step forward to unlock a follow-up event with Starlight, grind some affection points, and unlock a special CG...
But just as she stood up, the phone in her pocket rang.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she pulled it out and looked at the screen, her expression immediately darkened.
"Starlight-chan, I'm going outside to take a call."
"Mhm, okay. Go ahead, go ahead~"
Without turning around, Starlight remained focused on what she was doing.
Outside, Gold City's "idol smile" vanished in a second.
She answered the phone and spoke in a low-pressure tone.
"Hello? What is it?"
"Gold City... it's about your race next week. When can you start training?"
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I have performance schedules with Starlight-chan for the next few weeks. Why did you book a race for me anyway...? I'm not going."
"But, didn't you say yourself that you wanted to balance being a Uma Musume and a model/idol?"
"Even so, didn't I already tell you the plan? Can't you, as my Trainer, just push the race back a bit...? I need to rehearse and perform with Starlight-chan."
"This..."
Inside, Starlight had finished cleaning up. She slung on her bag and put on her coat, ready to go grab dinner.
Just as she pushed the door open, she caught the tail end of this conversation.
Starlight went silent.
Gold City whipped her head around at the sound of the door, a smile instantly plastered back on her face.
"What's wrong, Starlight-chan...?"
Blinking, Starlight glanced at the phone in the other girl's hand and spoke with a hint of guilt.
"Is it because of me that your race is being delayed?"
"How could it be? No way, Starlight-chan. We had everything scheduled from the start, the Trainer just added this on his own!"
Seeing the silver-haired Uma Musume shifting her feet as if she wanted to leave, Gold City's eyes narrowed.
She stepped toward Starlight and grabbed her hand to prevent the little Uma Musume from running off.
'Are you kidding me? I haven't interacted with you yet, haven't unlocked any post-performance events, how can you leave?'
"...I think an Uma Musume should still focus on her primary career."
"City-chan, we can do performances anytime, but if you don't race for a long time, the President won't be happy about it..."
After a slight struggle, finding she couldn't shake off the grip, Starlight looked up and used her "Gentle Persuasion" skill.
"What about our scheduled rehearsals? And the upcoming shows?"
"Didn't I say we can do them anytime? It's not like I'm going anywhere, right? Can you let go of me now?"
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the dorm... and then dinner."
"Let me go with you in a bit, Starlight-chan? Okay?"
Starlight blinked and declined the invitation.
"Let's not. We're both pretty tired, and you still need to coordinate your training plan with your Trainer. I won't disturb you."
Clearly, if this had been Rice Shower or Mejiro McQueen, they would have been able to force the invitation.
After all, they had grinded Starlight's affection levels quite high.
Gold City was still a bit too weak! She couldn't even manage a simple "let's eat together" invite.
"We can discuss it tomorrow! Starlight-chan, Starlight-chan~ please, let me come with you."
"I actually ordered a special custom cake today to commemorate our duo's debut..."
Oh no, it's a paid affection-boosting item!
"...Is that so? Well, alright then~ City-chan, you've gone to too much trouble."
"It's nothing, really! As long as it's for Starlight-chan, anything I do is worth it~"
Starlight reached out and took Gold City's phone, speaking to the Trainer who was busy eavesdropping on the other end.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Trainer. It's because of me that I've delayed your race plans with Gold City..."
"No worries at all, Miss Starlight! You two carry on, I have work to do here so I won't disturb you."
The Trainer quickly hung up.
Sitting at his desk, Gold City's Trainer was actually quite excited.
Though his Uma Musume was a bit fierce and stubborn, you couldn't deny she was beautiful... and don't forget, even she has an Uma Musume she likes.
Everyone in the circle knew Starlight was the object of affection for many... what he had just overheard was enough for him to write a whole book.
Back at the dressing room, Starlight handed the phone back to Gold City.
After being pulled back into the room, she watched the other girl rapidly remove her makeup, wash up, and change clothes.
"Okay! I'm all done. Starlight-chan, let's go."
Meanwhile, at the Tracen Trainers' Office.
Ryo Nishizaki walked in carrying a cup of coffee, glancing over at Kiryuu Inami.
"Sigh... Inami-chan, why are you scribbling away so furiously again lately?"
"Senpai? It's because Starlight-chan is starting her recovery training, so I'm drafting a plan."
"Really? That little Uma Musume is truly stubborn, huh? She's even more relentless than Teio. But why are you scribbling so hard, too?"
The two of them looked toward the corner at Gold City's Trainer.
He slowly raised his head and gave a sheepish laugh.
"Oh, I-I'm also drafting a training plan. Gold City has a race coming up soon, haha..."
Taking a sip of his coffee, Ryo Nishizaki nodded.
"That's great, everyone is so motivated! Good! I can't just sit around either."
He returned to his desk and turned on his computer.
But before Ryo could type even a few words, Tokai Teio crept in quietly. She stood beside him and spoke up.
"Trainer."
"Hmm... Teio? What's up? Is something the matter?"
Ryo picked up his coffee, blew on the steam, and took a sip.
"Well, I want to temporarily leave the team and go over to Starlight-senpai's Trainer."
Pffft—!
"Cough, cough... What? Temporarily leave the team? For what reason?!"
Kiryuu Inami: 'Huh?'
Gold City's Trainer: 'Oho?! Another player enters the fray—'
"Well, I'm an injured person right now. I can't do much training with the others, and I'll only slow you down when you're making the team plans."
"My situation is about the same as Starlight-senpai's, so I want to do recovery training with her and Trainer Inami."
Ryo Nishizaki slowly shifted his gaze toward Inami, who had been watching the scene unfold.
"Care to explain what Starlight-chan has been up to, Inami-chan...?"
"Hey, how should I know, Ryo Nishizaki-senpai?"