So sleepy…
Oguri slowly blinked as she did her best to remain awake. The teacher continued to drone on throughout the morning class, and Oguri knew that it was important for her to listen. But she'd been feeling so warm as of late, and since the persistent hunger that'd tormented her over the past month was gone, it was really easy for her to fall asleep.
It didn't help that she could finally see Star sitting in the seat next to hers. For the first in a month, that seat was no longer empty. A part of her life she'd never noticed had finally been completed, and she wanted nothing more than to savor the feeling in her dreams.
But she forced herself to stay awake. She couldn't sleep just yet. She'd slept long enough, and if she fell asleep again, she wouldn't be able to perform at her best when she and Star would do their training later on in the day.
Thankfully, her friend was more than happy to help.
Suddenly, she felt a chilling sensation run up her back, though she did little to react aside from her twitching ears. A moment later, half of her vision was obstructed as a massive wall of flickering black descended from the ceiling, draping over her like an oversized blanket. Slits opened across the wall, and a dozen bloody red smiles tore themselves open.
"No slEepINg." The phantom said, their voice almost playful despite the grating static that covered most of their voice.
Oguri smiled faintly. "Thank you." She whispered, soft enough that only the phantom could hear her.
With the chill keeping her awake, she managed to refocus on what the teacher was talking about. She'd only tuned in midway, but it seemed their homeroom teacher was going over the recent rule changes the Director had made regarding the races in Central, and how they differed from the rules previously hammered by the URA.
The phantom also seemed rather curious, with half of its bloody smiles turning towards the board to listen in.
…
It was strange.
She'd known the phantom for as long as she remembered. They were her very first friend. They were there back when she wasn't even able to stand—a vigilant presence that watched over her at every moment. And when her mother allowed her to finally run, they were there to keep her out of harm whenever she ran around her hometown.
And it was the phantom that had eventually led her to meeting Star. After all, it was them that'd suggested she take that route by the riverside, back then.
She'd never told anyone about them; not even her mom. There would always be a sense of wrongness whenever she considered telling others.
But after Star first promised that she'd joined Kasamatsu Tracen, her friend disappeared. The phantom had told her that she'd be going somewhere, and then she was gone. It was only recently, after they first landed in America, that her friend reappeared by her side once more.
Of course, she was a little curious as to where her friend had gone, but she didn't ask. Didn't feel like she needed to.
"-and now the registration for joining the Classics are far more lenient!" Her homeroom teacher said. "Umamusume are able to register up to a week before the [Satsuki Sho] or the [Oka Sho], though the price for registering climbs the closer it comes to the deadline."
Her teacher smiled. "Though this was first aimed for any local umamusume who transferred late, it also greatly benefits those who debuted later in the Spring!"
"tHaT ruLE…" Her friend whispered, the dozen bloody smiles slowly melding together into an amalgamation of crescents. Then that amalgamate split open into a giant smile, dripping with cracks of red. "An oVerLOrd reJoICes…"
Oguri's ears twitched. "Overlord?" She asked in a whisper. The phantom gave no reply, and Oguri eventually shrugged.
Though, she couldn't help but think about what her homeroom teacher had said. A rule that extended the deadline for the Classic races—why did that sound so familiar to her? It felt as if it was something personal to her.
…Oh. Right.
It was similar to the rule that other Oguri had inspired, right?
Her eyes darkened for a moment as she found her mind wandering. She still remembered that strange dream she had months back—that dream that spoke of a world that had her travel through her career alone. Where there was no Team Kitahara, where Belno Light was her support and only that,
A world where she never met Blossom Star, and she was left only as a tombstone after she–
"dOn'T." Her friend suddenly warned.
Oguri blinked. A slithering hand of ink swerved down from the ceiling and pointed at her hand, specifically at how she was gripping onto the edge of her desk. It took her a moment to realize that she'd been pressing down onto her desk, and she would've likely broken it if she pushed any harder.
She took a small breath.
It didn't matter anymore. Star was here. She was sitting next to her, a small amused smile on her face as she pretended to listen to the teacher's words. Her tail swayed gently as she kept glancing out the window and at the tracks below, her feet impatiently bouncing.
Blossom Star was here.
"-for today!" Her teacher called out. "Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!"
The classroom immediately became noisy as everyone prepared to leave. Star mewled softly, a blissful smile on her lips as she stretched her arms and legs. "What a weird feelin'~" She said, grinning slightly. "It feels like it's been years since I last sat down for a class."
Belno giggled as she stood from her desk. "Well, you have been away for almost 4 months, Star-chan."
"That's true~" After giving her shoulders a quick roll, she finally stood up from her seat. "Well, guess it's time for some practice." She paused for a moment, before she smiled wryly. "And by that I mean light practice. I don't want Musaka-san to chew me out for that."
Oguri blinked. "I don't think that's ever happened." She said, genuinely incapable of remembering a single instance when Star did heavy training when she wasn't supposed to.
Belno blinked as well, and then hummed. "Huh, I think Oguri-chan's right."
Star just shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to be diligent and all."
Oguri nodded, and after a moment's pause, she eventually reached out and grabbed Star's hand. Star raised an eyebrow, but seeing that Oguri had no intention of letting go, Star just smiled as she intertwined her fingers with hers. Oguri smiled back, her tail beginning to sway slightly.
The chatter around them fell silent, and some began looking away in embarrassment. After all, though their relationship was by no means secret, it'd been nearly four months since anyone had last seen them be so open with one another.
Belno, already more than used to this display, only smiled wryly. She stuffed her notebooks into her bag and gave both their shoulders a tap as she prepared to leave. "Come on, let's go."
Star blinked, and then chuckled. "Yeah, yeah~" She smiled as she turned to Oguri. "Let's go."
Oguri nodded as she stood up.
They left the classroom not long after.