Quickly shaking her head, McQueen erased those unrealistic thoughts from her mind.
After giving Diktus a deep, lingering look, she said nothing more, sighed, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
The next morning.
After her usual training session ended, Starlight walked into the classroom right on time.
"Um, Starlight-san, can I add you as a friend?"
"Me too!"
"And me, and me!"
...
In the short period before class started, she had barely sat down to rest before she was surrounded by several Uma Musume. While wiping away sweat with a tissue, she dealt with them one by one with a wry smile.
"Cut it out. Starlight just finished training and she's exhausted. You guys wait until she's rested before coming back," Yaeno Muteki barked from behind.
Seeing her fierce expression, the other Uma Musume didn't dare linger and hurriedly returned to their seats.
"Actually, it was fine, Yaeno-san."
"Hmph, they were just delaying me from collecting homework. Where's yours?"
"Mine is in my..."
"Forget it, just rest. I'll find it myself." Patting Starlight on the shoulder, Yaeno Muteki reached directly into Starlight's bag to search for it.
"Um, alright. Thank you."
The school bell rang. After the teacher walked in, they looked toward the wall and cleared their throat a few times.
"Ahem. Divine Starlight-san, please look up for a moment. I have an important announcement."
"...Okay."
With a look of utter exhaustion, Starlight slowly raised her head and responded.
"Right. There will be a mock exam this month, so please take it seriously. After the exams are over, we will be preparing to reshuffle the seating."
"The format will be pairs sharing a desk. That's all. Everyone, use this period for review. And please stay safe during the upcoming swimming class."
After finishing, the teacher turned and left, leaving the rest of the time for the students to study.
Starlight simply rested her head on the desk, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. From the seat in front, Super Creek would occasionally look back at Starlight, seemingly conflicted about something.
Ring, ring, ring...
The bell for the end of class rang. Yaeno Muteki picked up a wrapped lunch box and walked over to Starlight.
Seeing that she was still face-down asleep, she tapped the desk lightly.
"Starlight-san, this is the breakfast I promised you yesterday."
Sitting up, Starlight gave Yaeno Muteki a lazy smile.
"Thanks~ Yaeno-san. Then I won't stand on ceremony— "
Right at that moment, a white-haired Uma Musume suddenly dashed in and slammed a lunch box onto Starlight's desk.
The newcomer rubbed her nose and said: "Hey Starlight! I brought you breakfast. Even though you didn't beat me, I still brought it."
"Well? Hurry up and thank me..."
In an instant, the smile on Starlight's face froze. Beside her, Yaeno Muteki's eyes narrowed.
For some reason, the originally noisy atmosphere of the classroom suddenly went dead silent.
'What on earth is going on?'
"Um, Starlight-chan... actually, I brought you breakfast too..."
'There's another one?!'
Starlight looked up at Super Creek in the front seat. With a twitch of her lip, Starlight looked down at the three lunch boxes arranged on her desk.
"Wait, Starlight! Why is she bringing you food?"
"That's what I should be asking. You clearly won your bet, so why are the both of you making her breakfast?"
"So what? I'll make food for whoever I want! Besides, this is between me and Starlight, why are you buttin' in?"
Super Creek remained quiet, merely resting her face in her hand and looking on with a squinting smile.
"Um, can you please not fight? I really appreciate you all making breakfast for me. I'll take all of it."
Starlight quickly opened all the lunch boxes on the desk. Picking up her chopsticks, she began to eat.
"Starlight, where's your swimsuit? Did you bring it?"
"Yeah, I brought it. Why do you ask?"
"Since we're teaming up anyway, just give your swimsuit to me. I'll help you put it in the locker room so you don't have to carry it around later," Tamamo Cross said, squatting down and holding out her hand.
"Oh, that works. Thanks, Tamamo Cross-san."
Without thinking much of it, Starlight put down her chopsticks and started rummaging through her school bag.
A moment later, she pulled out the bag containing her swimsuit. Inside was the standard deep-blue school swimsuit issued by the academy.
"Alright then. Take your time eating, I'm heading over to the pool first."
Just as Tamamo was about to reach for it, Yaeno Muteki stepped in and blocked her. She looked over with a cold gaze.
"Even if she's teaming up with you, our class and your class don't use the same locker room, do they?"
"So what? Starlight can just come use the locker room on our class's side."
"No. She needs to stay on our side."
"What's wrong with you? Are you looking for trouble?"
"You're the one looking for trouble, aren't you?"
"You two, don't disturb Starlight. She's trying to eat. It'll ruin the mood— " Super Creek said in a gentle voice, seeing the situation unfold.
"Hmph!"
Scratching her head, Starlight swallowed her food and looked on, feeling a bit lost.
'What on earth are they arguing about? This came out of nowhere.'
Reaching out to take her swimsuit back from Yaeno Muteki's hand, Starlight gave a self-deprecating smile.
"I won't trouble Tamamo Cross then. It's not heavy anyway, so I'll just carry it over myself."
"The weather is great today, and there's a meteor shower tonight. So, on such a wonderful day, don't be angry, you two. Let's be happy."
Nodding, Yaeno Muteki waved her hand. "I see. In that case, Starlight-san, can I come to your dorm tonight to watch the stars with you?"
"Eh? Sure, that's fine with me, but how will you explain it to Fuji Kiseki-senpai?"
"I'll just report it to her at noon."
"You're welcome to come."
After saying that, Yaeno Muteki returned to her seat.
Standing to the side, Tamamo Cross saw that the other had finished eating and quickly spoke up.
"Let's go, Starlight."
"Okay."
After tidying up her lunch box and placing it at the corner of the table, Starlight followed Tamamo Cross toward the swimming center.
After changing in the locker room, Starlight adjusted her swimsuit and walked over to the poolside, finding Tamamo Cross, who had already finished changing.
"Tamamo Cross-san, you sure change fast."
With her hands on her hips, Tamamo Cross said proudly, "Of course. I've got lightning speed. Alright, let's get to warming up."
"Mm."
Swimming is certainly more dangerous than other sports, so a thorough warm-up is essential to avoid risks like cramps or strains after getting in the water.
Divine Starlight lay face down on a nearby bench while Tamamo Cross sat on her thighs. The two began their stretching routine.
"Am I too heavy?"
"Not at all, Tamamo Cross is very light. Maybe you should eat a bit more."
"Sigh... I can't help it. Every time it's mealtime, I look at that food and have absolutely no appetite."
"That won't do... you have to eat at least a little."
After finishing the last set, the two swapped positions.
"My trainer says the same thing. I wish I had an appetite like Oguri's."
As they spoke, the two looked toward a lounge chair not far away. Oguri Cap was currently holding a large box of cookies, enjoying them thoroughly.
"I feel like Oguri Cap-san is always either eating or on her way to get food."
"That girl's stomach is basically a bottomless pit."
Once the warm-up was over, Starlight went to the edge of the pool. Just as she was preparing to get in, another Uma Musume suddenly came sprinting past.
"Wait, wait! The floor is too slippery! Someone move out of the way in front!!!!"