The determination was there, but the actual situation was far from optimistic.
The two friends, Daitaku Helios and Mejiro Palmer, were practically rampaging on the racetrack.
They would weave through the pack chaotically, then use a Great Escape strategy to dictate the pace.
In any case, they were having the time of their lives running, but it was a bitter experience for Tokai Teio and Rice Shower.
After several races, the summary was simple: Either Mejiro Palmer or Daitaku Helios would secure the win, while the other would drop back depending on the situation to mess with the pace.
Rice Shower and Teio both ended up with very poor rankings across several matches.
But the most surprising thing of all was that, no matter what happened, Nice Nature always managed to snatch the third-place spot.
Her teammate, Ikuno Dictus, looked on in absolute shock.
"Seriously, how do you even do that!?"
"Ah, well... how should I know? Haha... though, I really would like to win just once..."
"Hmph, it's fine! Just watch my Twin Turbo! Next time, my Great Escape will pull away from every single Uma Musume and seize victory in one fell swoop!"
On the other side of things, in the farmland.
Starlight squatted on the soil, digging a small pit with her hands.
She poured a few seeds in, covered them with earth, and sprinkled some water.
"Mm, that should about do it."
"Starlight-chan, let's go eat~"
"Coming!"
Standing up, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her wrist and jogged toward the cafeteria area.
At the dining table, Starlight looked at the dark, unidentifiable lump on her plate.
Her lip twitched as she looked at Suzuka and asked curiously:
"Is... is this actually edible, Suzuka-chan?"
Suzuka, dressed in flaxen-colored commoner's clothes, was still holding a wooden spatula.
She scratched her cheek.
"Well, the farming activity is about to start. Since Starlight-chan is a judge, it's okay to test your capabilities a bit, right?"
"Uh... I didn't expect Suzuka to be so mischievous. I think I'll just stick to a couple of slices of bread."
"There's meat soup over here, too~ Starlight-chan, don't be in such a hurry. That was just an experiment."
"That's more like it. You meanie Suzuka-chan, how did you pick up such a wicked sense of humor after just one trip abroad?"
Covering her mouth as she let out a soft giggle, Suzuka said nothing.
She slowly took off her apron, sat down beside Starlight, and reached out to tidy the other girl's slightly messy hair.
"Starlight-chan, the first wave of Uma Musume participating in the event will be here soon. The Chairwoman said she arranged for an assistant to help us. Who do you think it will be?"
"I don't know... hopefully, it's an easygoing Uma Musume. Ideally, someone we know."
"You see, the staff lodging here only has a few rooms. How about the two of us stay together? That way we can save a space."
Starlight looked at Silence Suzuka.
Although the other girl's logic made sense, she still wanted to sleep alone.
"Sorry, Suzuka... I still want to sleep by myself. You can squeeze in with the other Uma Musume when the time comes."
"Starlight-chan, did you know?"
"Ah... know what?"
Silence Suzuka's expression darkened. She slowly leaned in, whispering into the other's ear.
"In this manor, someone once met an unfortunate end. Later, the scarecrows in the fields would come to life every few days."
"The former owner of the farm said that the scarecrow is the returning soul of that unfortunate person... and that it comes back to take revenge on every farm owner here!!!"
Starlight's body shivered as a cold breeze blew in through the half-open window.
Despite it being daytime, a chill crept up from the soles of her feet.
She shifted uncomfortably to the side.
Silence Suzuka didn't give her the chance to escape.
Reaching out to gently wrap an arm around Starlight's waist, her tone remained light and soft...
"And Starlight-chan, because you are a gray horse... the scarecrow will knock on your door in the middle of the night~"
"Don't— Don't scare me like that, Suzuka-chan! I-I don't believe you!"
"Hehe~ alright, let's get back to work."
By evening, the "farm owner," busy after a long day, walked into the dormitory carrying a tattered cloth bag and a bundle of sheep-herding whips.
Starlight took off her mud-caked black leather boots.
Looking at her feet, which were emitting a faint wisp of white steam, she took a quick sniff and immediately turned her head away in self-disgust.
"Bath time, bath time... I'm exhausted!"
Kicking her boots to the side and swapping them for slippers, Starlight hurried into the bathroom.
Splash.
Before long, the rhythmic sound of falling water echoed.
"Hum~ hum-hum-hum!"
Humming an unrecognizable tune, Starlight grabbed the shampoo and started lathering up her hair.
It was a picturesque scene.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Silence Suzuka sat on the edge of her bed in a floral nightgown, running a comb through her hair.
"Sigh... how did Teio manage it? Why can't I? Could it be... Starlight actually likes Teio!?"
"No, that shouldn't be it... back when we were voice chatting, didn't Special Week say Teio and McQueen were a thing now?"
Tokai Teio currently harbored some very unfriendly feelings toward Daitaku Helios.
First, she had been caught up in a wave of rumors and misunderstandings, and then she had been ambushed on the racetrack by the combined tactics of Helios and Mejiro Palmer.
The fact that she hadn't broken down in tears yet was already quite impressive.
In the dead of night, the farm fell into a long-awaited tranquility.
Creak... creak...
Suddenly, an eerie sound rang out.
Starlight, who had been dreaming of chatting with a pink-and-white Uma Musume, was startled awake instantly.
She sat up dizzily.
"Who is it... so noisy..."
She climbed out of bed and turned on the light.
The warm white glow filled the room and faintly illuminated the area outside.
Starlight pulled the curtain back slightly to peek toward the source of the noise.
She saw a humanoid shadow swaying and moving slowly.
The skritch-scratch of crushed straw and the creak-clack of footsteps made Divine Starlight's small frame tremble. She took a few steps back.
"W-What is that..."
The moonlight didn't illuminate the object's face, leaving Starlight to fill in the blanks with her imagination.
Suddenly, she remembered the ghost story Suzuka had told her that morning.
"No... no way... that scarecrow didn't actually... actually come for me, did it? Stop, stop joking around!"
Suddenly, the shadow, for some unknown reason, leapt up violently as if it were about to pounce.
The silver-haired little Uma Musume couldn't take it anymore.
She grabbed her pillow, turned tail, and bolted out the door.
She reached Silence Suzuka's room and began pounding on the door frantically.
"Suzuka-chan! Suzuka-chan, open up! There's a real ghost! The soul-returning scarecrow has come for my life—!"
Click—
The door opened.
Silence Suzuka looked on in bewilderment as Starlight threw herself into her arms, though her heart was secretly filled with a mix of joy.
"Wha— What's going on?"
"O-outside! There's a scarecrow! It's terrifying..."
Suzuka blinked and glanced out the window in the direction Starlight was pointing.
She reached out to stroke the girl's head, comforting her in a gentle tone.
"Don't be afraid, Starlight-chan. I'm here... go lie down in my bed first, I'll go check it out..."
"Mmm... o-okay."
Watching the silver-haired girl burrow into her covers, Silence Suzuka grabbed a flashlight and headed outside.
When she reached the spot outside Starlight's window, she shone the light over. There sat an overturned small trolley and a wooden broom.
As she propped the broom up against the trolley, Suzuka was momentarily startled.
A light breeze wafted past, and the broom began to slowly tilt toward the other side, letting out a creak-creak sound.
"Well... since that's the case..."
The Broom: Watch me play a prank on her.
With that, Suzuka tossed the broom onto a nearby rack, engaged the brake on the trolley's wheel, and returned to the room with her flashlight.
Seeing the silver-haired Uma Musume on the bed with only the top of her head peeking out, Suzuka slowly closed the door, a smile spreading across her lips.