The sea breeze blew gently from the distant ocean.
At a campsite on the beach, two Uma Musume were blushing, their posture quite suggestive, and their attire even more so.
Although the black-haired Uma Musume was stammering and offering a messy explanation... strangely, she didn't move her hand away.
The Silver-Haired Uma pinned beneath her finally managed to catch her breath.
Her breathing was a bit heavy, and her chest was heaving.
Having two small hands pressed against that spot was a bit...
"Since... since Rice Shower didn't do it on purpose, could you move your hands away!?"
"Ah!! Okay, okay..."
Hurriedly standing up and raising her hands above her head, Rice Shower got off the chair in a hurry and crouched beside Starlight.
Fortunately, she had a jacket. The Silver-Haired girl just needed to quickly zip it up.
Patting her cheeks, Starlight looked around.
Once she calmed down, she turned to look at Rice Shower.
"Rice... where's my bra?"
Hearing Starlight's question, Rice Shower's body trembled slightly as she turned her head stiffly.
"A mouse... it took it away..."
Seeing the little black-haired Uma Musume like this, Starlight sighed, stood up, walked over, and slowly crouched down to pat Rice Shower's shoulder.
"Rice-chan~ Do you even believe that yourself? Or is it that Rice Shower wants to be a mouse~?"
"It's true! Starlight-chan, Rice Shower— Rice Shower is telling the truth! A mouse accidentally crawled onto that spot, and Rice Shower just wanted to chase it away..."
As Rice Shower spoke, her purple eyes grew moist, tears welling up as her voice took on a sob.
"This... Alright, alright~ I understand..."
Seeing that Rice Shower was about to burst into a full-blown crying fit, Starlight quickly stepped forward and hugged her, gently patting her back.
"I believe you, Rice Shower. I misspoke earlier... then you should know which direction that mouse ran off in, right? Shall we go look for my... uh... my bra together?"
Feeling Starlight's embrace— especially with the lack of obstruction at her chest, so the full force of it was pressing against her— Rice Shower nodded and agreed with a red face.
"O-Okay! Rice Shower will definitely help Starlight-chan find it!"
Standing up, the two Uma Musume went hand-in-hand to search for that precious lost item.
In the evening, as the setting sun gradually stained the sea red, the two Uma Musume finally spotted the blue and white bra on a bush.
It had two leaves stuck to it, looking as though it had been taken on a very exciting adventure by some little mouse.
Rice Shower quickened her pace, went up to take it down, brushed off the leaves, and stepped in front of Starlight to hand it over with both hands.
"Starlight-chan, h-here..."
The warm red light hit the profiles of the two Uma Musume.
In such an atmosphere, Rice Shower handing this item to Starlight with a blushing face felt very much like a confession scene from an idol drama.
But Starlight didn't feel that heart-fluttering sensation at all.
Reaching out to take her underwear, she gave a sheepish smile.
"Mhm~ Let's hurry back and make dinner. I heard the stars will be beautiful tonight, so let's go to the cliff over there later to see them."
"O-Okay!"
The sky gradually darkened as twinkling stars bloomed in the night.
Picking up her chopsticks to eat the last bite of her rice ball, Starlight leaned back on her lounge chair and patted her stomach.
"Ah~ I'm so full... As expected, lunch wasn't even enough to act as a snack."
Seeing this, Rice Shower, who was cleaning up the dishes, squinted and smiled.
"Starlight-chan, let's have something light for breakfast tomorrow morning."
"Mhm, okay. I'll leave everything to Chef Rice Shower's arrangements."
Originally, Starlight thought she and Rice Shower would take turns showing off their culinary skills, but Rice Shower insisted on doing it alone, saying it was to let Starlight get used to the feeling of being a judge in advance.
Starlight's golden eyes watched the black figure, and she shook her head with a chuckle.
'Isn't she just trying to figure out my tastes so I'll give her more points during the competition? Little Rice Shower looks so dazed, but who knew she actually has such little schemes.'
A short while later, on a low hilltop, the two Uma Musume sat leaning against each other on a rock.
Gazing at the sky full of stars, an unprecedented sense of clarity and awe quietly spread through her heart. Rice Shower secretly took Starlight's hand.
Resting her head on the other's shoulder, her tone was a bit timid.
"I'm sorry... Starlight-chan, Rice Shower did something very out of line this afternoon... Rice Shower will take responsibility!"
"No, there's no need! Rice-chan, I know it wasn't intentional, so there's no need to go that far for me. It's not worth it."
"It is worth it..."
"Ah?"
"It is! Starlight-chan is worth it... Rice Shower wants this... It's because of Starlight-chan that Rice Shower found the motivation and courage to keep running, and it's because of Starlight-chan that Rice Shower can truly face herself."
"I like Starlight-chan, and I want to protect you for a lifetime!"
"Ha? A lifetime???"
Starlight was stunned.
She turned to look at the black-haired Uma Musume, who was gazing at her with deep affection.
"Mhm... what about Starlight-chan? Starlight-chan's answer... what is it?"
'Oh no!'
Starlight found herself at a loss for words at the question.
'Rice Shower is different from the other Uma Musume. If it were Helios, a clear rejection would be fine, and if it was someone as sensible as the President, we could both move on if I turned her down.'
'Even someone like McQueen, who had lost an opportunity once, would be alright. But Rice Shower is special.'
'If there's any slip-up in the answer, Rice Shower might just shatter on the spot... Not to mention what happened earlier.'
Starlight kept calculating in her heart how to respond.
"Is it... is it that Starlight-chan dislikes Rice Shower? It... it makes sense. Rice Shower isn't as strong as other Uma Musume... she's weak. She isn't as pretty as others, she's ordinary..."
"No, no~ Rice-chan, don't talk about yourself like that! In my heart, Rice Shower is very strong and very cute!"
Grasping Starlight's hand, Rice Shower's eyes were clearly dodging, yet she still looked at Starlight.
"Then why... why won't Starlight-chan accept Rice Shower? You gently pulled me out of the darkness... you let me find the meaning of my existence and let the name 'Rice Shower' reflect its original meaning."
"So, Rice Shower's happiness equals being with Starlight... What about Starlight-chan? Your happiness? Is it being happy together with Rice Shower?"
As everyone knows, Starlight is a gentle person, gentle to everyone.
Such people have a fatal weakness: Someone like Rice Shower, who is clearly so insecure and on the verge of tears, yet still bravely and assertively speaks her mind.
At this moment, the Silver-Haired Uma Musume, who usually held the dominant position, had her eyes dodge for the first time.
She didn't dare meet Rice Shower's gaze.
Because she knew that once she saw Rice Shower's eyes, it would be very difficult to say words of rejection.
'So it turns out that the strongest when it comes to romance is Rice Shower!?'