Myriad Dreams left the training grounds, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she walked back.
Unexpectedly, near the dormitory building, she ran right into Special Week and her new acquaintances from Team Spica.
Namely, it was Silence Suzuka and the one Uma Musume who gave her a massive headache: Gold Ship.
"Ah! Myriad Dreams-san!" Special Week waved happily. "Let me introduce you, these are..."
Before she could finish, Gold Ship immediately leaned in close to Myriad Dreams with curiosity, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone.
"Ah! So you're the Myriad Dreams Spe spoke about! This aura, this scent... you're one of our 'Gold Family,' aren't you!"
Myriad Dreams shot back immediately, "I am most certainly not!"
Even though she had inherited Gold Ship's factors, she hadn't expected the other girl to be able to smell it directly.
'Was this the true power of an alien-like eccentric horse?'
"You clearly are~ you have that familiar 'Gold' scent on you!" Gold Ship was relentless, circling around Myriad Dreams.
The two bickered for a good while, and it was only after Special Week managed to drag Gold Ship away that Myriad Dreams finally made it back to the dorm, feeling exhausted.
Between the heavy training session and the recent argument, she was feeling quite drained.
Pushing open the dormitory door, she saw that Yaeno Muteki had already finished her martial arts practice and was sitting at her desk, quietly reading a book.
The atmosphere in the room was still somewhat flat.
Thinking about the fact that they would be roommates for the next few years, Myriad Dreams suddenly felt that rather than letting things stay awkward, it would be better to try and improve the relationship.
She took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and spoke in as natural a tone as possible: "Um... Yaeno-san, what book are you reading?"
Yaeno Muteki looked up from her pages.
Her expression remained solemn, but she replied politely, "It is a theoretical work regarding muscle stretching and flexibility training. Scientific stretching can effectively prevent training injuries."
Normally, Myriad Dreams would have steered clear of such hardcore content, but now she forced herself to keep the conversation going.
"I-I see... sounds very useful."
"Indeed." Yaeno Muteki nodded and looked toward Myriad Dreams. "Did you just return from training? Your breathing seems a bit labored, did you engage in high-intensity running?"
Myriad Dreams was taken aback, she hadn't expected the other girl to be so observant.
"S-Something like that..." she muttered vaguely.
To Myriad Dreams' surprise, Yaeno Muteki closed her book, stood up, and took a small bottle out of her cabinet.
"This is a spray to relieve muscle fatigue. If you have need of it, you may try it. Post-training relaxation is equally important."
Myriad Dreams took the spray, feeling a bit lost. "Th... thanks."
Next, Yaeno Muteki pointed to the desktop that Myriad Dreams hadn't had time to organize yet.
"I have roughly gathered your papers and books and placed them on the left side of the desk. It looks tidier this way and will be easier for you to find things."
Her tone was still flat and rigid, betraying no emotion.
Only then did Myriad Dreams notice that the things she had previously tossed around haphazardly had indeed been neatly stacked.
Looking at Yaeno Muteki's perpetually serious profile, she suddenly realized that while this roommate spoke in a stiff manner and always wore a stern face, her actions possessed an imperceptible tenderness and thoughtfulness.
She noticed her post-training state, shared useful items, and even silently helped a slightly messy roommate organize her desk...
"Yaeno-san, even though you're always so serious," Myriad Dreams' tone softened unconsciously, carrying a hint of sincere gratitude, "You're... actually a pretty good person."
Yaeno Muteki seemingly hadn't expected such a comment.
She froze for a moment, then lowered her head slightly in an unnatural way, pretending to be deeply engrossed in her book.
"This is merely the duty of a roommate, you overpraise me."
Though she maintained her serious facade, Myriad Dreams thought she saw the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
Myriad Dreams couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
'So this stiff roommate has a cute side after all.'
It seemed that future dorm life might not be as grueling as she had imagined.