Obviously, Starlight— having just finished training followed by another race— was no match for Yaeno Muteki.
Turning her head to see the other girl's figure steadily closing in, Starlight hurriedly called out. "Stop chasing me, Yaeno-san!"
"I'm not chasing you. You're running, so I'm just following. Stop, I have something to say to you."
"Your face is as dark as the bottom of a pot! No matter how I look at it, you look like you want to hit me."
Unfortunately, Starlight was still outmatched. She was tackled to the ground by Yaeno Muteki.
"Got you at last!"
"Wait... let's talk this out calmly."
"Why?!"
"Why what?"
"Why did you say yes to her, but you've never said yes to me?" Yaeno Muteki flipped Divine Starlight over, staring into her confused eyes with a serious tone.
"Say yes... to teaming up for tomorrow's swimming class? You didn't ask me about that though..." Starlight said, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
"Not that. I'm talking about a match. I invited you ages ago, but you kept making excuses."
"But when Tamamo Cross asked, you agreed immediately. What's that supposed to mean?! Divine Starlight, am I not worthy of being your opponent!?"
Luckily, the place where she had been tackled was a small grove. If this had happened on a main path, they would likely have been surrounded by crowds of spectating Uma Musume.
Starlight finally realized what was happening. Her eyes darted around before she spoke.
"I— I just wanted to get a bit stronger and be in better condition before accepting your challenge."
"If I raced you right now, I'd definitely be defeated easily. I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me..."
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fire in Yaeno Muteki's heart. She looked down in confusion at the watery-eyed Uma Musume pinned beneath her.
The shy, timid look on Starlight's face left Yaeno Muteki stunned.
"S-sorry. I got a little too excited just now..." Hastily getting off Starlight, Yaeno Muteki helped her up. She frantically pulled a tissue from her pocket to wipe Starlight's eyes.
"It— it's okay. I can do it myself... After all, I'm at fault too. If I had explained it clearly to you, you wouldn't have had to worry so much. I'm sorry, Yaeno-san."
'Great, it worked.'
Watching the other girl's flustered state, Starlight finally breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
"Um, Divine Starlight, are you hurt anywhere?" Yaeno Muteki began to look Starlight over.
"No, no. You definitely held back, Yaeno-san. There's no way I'd be hurt."
Looking at the dust and the loose threads on Starlight's training pants, Yaeno Muteki lowered her head guiltily. "How about I walk you back to your dorm, Starlight?"
"Eh? Is that okay? Don't you have other things to do, Yaeno-san?"
"No, I don't have any races recently, so I have plenty of time."
"Alright then, thank you."
Seeing Starlight agree, Yaeno Muteki looked up slightly at the gentle smile on the other girl's face. She couldn't help but smile herself. She followed behind Starlight all the way back to the dormitory.
The door pushed open.
"Woof, woof!" A small Shiba Inu at the door wagged its tail and barked.
"I'm back, Kameda-kun."
"Excuse me— " Following close behind was an inquisitive Yaeno Muteki.
She looked around the room: Several kittens lying on the bed, little birds in small wooden houses on the wall, and several plants and flowers placed on the windowsill.
A warm and cozy feeling washed over her.
"Starlight, your room feels wonderful."
"Right? I quite like decorating it this way too."
Turning toward a box on the bed frame, Yaeno Muteki asked curiously...
"Eh? You don't have a roommate?"
Picking up a large ginger cat and sitting on the bed, Starlight said with a smile, "That's right, I've always been by myself. Don't just stand there, come sit down."
"Oh, okay." Nodding, Yaeno Muteki carefully sat down beside Starlight. Watching her profile as she petted the cat, Yaeno found herself slightly mesmerized for a moment.
"By the way, why are there so many animals in your dorm, Starlight-san?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure myself. Maybe they just happen to like me."
"True. Compared to how you used to be, the current you is indeed very likable," Yaeno Muteki agreed with a nod.
"What was I like before?"
"Uh... well, that is— "
"So, Yaeno-san didn't pay any attention to me at all before."
"Sorry, that is indeed the case."
"It's fine. The 'me' of the past wasn't worth remembering anyway. If you can remember the 'me' of now and the 'me' of the future, I'll be satisfied."
"...I will. Oh, right, are you still doing morning training tomorrow?"
"Mhm. Do you want to join again?"
"No, it's my turn for duty tomorrow morning."
"I see."
"Um, I could bring you breakfast. How about something I made myself?" Looking at the expectant gaze in the other's eyes, Starlight nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I'm actually looking forward to your cooking."
Meanwhile, at the Ritto Dormitory. Mejiro McQueen walked into her room with a troubled expression. Beside her, an Uma Musume with bright brown hair was studying.
Wearing glasses, she looked very much like a model student.
"You're back quite early today, McQueen-san." Hearing the door, she looked up slightly and spoke in a calm tone.
"Gokigenyou, Diktus-san. I'm back— "
(T/N: According to Google, "Gokigenyou" means "Good Day" in Japanese. I left it in because Uma Musume takes place in Japan with Japanese characters. If you'd prefer me to just put the English meaning in the future and axe the Japanese words, please let me know.)
"Your expression looks a bit off. Did something happen?"
"Hmm... do you know Divine Starlight?"
"Starlight-senpai? Of course. I went to the field to watch her race against Seiun Sky."
"What did you think of her?"
"Oh~ She's very strong and very decisive. Her tactics are quite bold, and since she changed her hairstyle recently, her looks are high-tier. You could say she's excellent."
"If she can shine in future races, she will surely be a highly respected senpai."
After listening to Ikuno Diktus's calm analysis, Mejiro McQueen's eyes darkened a bit more.
"But she wasn't like this before..." McQueen muttered subconsciously.
"Hmm? Like what? Do you know this senpai, McQueen-san?"
Ruffling her hair, Mejiro McQueen said somewhat sheepishly, "Actually, she's the senpai I mentioned to you before— the one who confessed to me."
"What!? That was Starlight-senpai? Hmm... she seems great though. She's not as 'unbearable' as you described."
"She is indeed great, but she only became like this after I rejected her confession..."
Hearing this, Ikuno Diktus's lip twitched, and she pushed up her glasses.
"Err... McQueen-san, if I may be blunt, you should look at the whole person. Perhaps Starlight-senpai is just an informal, low-profile Uma Musume."
Now it was McQueen's turn to be dumbfounded. "Why are you speaking up for her?"
"Isn't it obvious? Starlight-senpai is just like that. Besides, last time at the cafeteria, she gave me the last piece of fried carrot Salisbury steak for free."
McQueen's expression could be described as quite complex, and her mind was a bit dazed.
'Did I run into a bug? Is everyone else seeing the "latest version" of Divine Starlight while I'm the only one with the "old version"? And after I rejected her confession, the bug got fixed?'