When she first entered, Starlight was admittedly carrying a fair bit of shame. After all, being carried all that way meant being seen by quite a few Uma Musume.
Then, upon seeing Rudolf, a sense of unease welled up within her as she wondered what kind of mistake she had made to be summoned.
But the very first sentence out of the President's mouth made her lose her composure entirely.
"Huh!? N-No, it's nothing like that, President! It's just because I overdid my morning practice and my legs haven't recovered yet. Yaeno-san was just helping me get here."
Phew~
Inwardly, Rudolf breathed a sigh of relief. Although she didn't know exactly why she felt that way, her tensed-up state finally relaxed.
Uncrossing her legs, she adjusted her posture and picked up her black tea once more. Taking a light sip, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she spoke.
"Starlight-san, I originally intended to invite you over after your race ended, but due to being busy with official duties, I'm only just getting around to it now."
"Um, so President, did you need something from me?"
Looking at the girl's apprehensive expression— especially those golden hexagram eyes that were flickering with an adorable light— Rudolf waved her hand dismissively and spoke in a flat tone.
"It's nothing urgent. I simply wanted to have a chat with you."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I went to watch that race of yours. You ran very well, you even broke the new record."
"Thank you for the praise, President."
"After this, you plan to participate in the mid-distance Pre-OP races, and then move on to the Graded races, right?"
"Yes, that's what my Trainer said. If all goes well, that's the plan."
"I see..."
As her words trailed off, Rudolf's gaze lingered on Starlight.
Time passed slowly. Being stared at so intensely, Starlight finally couldn't hold out any longer and asked:
"President? If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to get shy."
"...Apologies. I was just reflecting on how different you look now compared to before. It's like night and day."
"So, am I better now, or worse? President?"
"Better, of course. After all, you can feel the reactions of the Uma Musume around you, can't you?"
"True, I have noticed more eyes on me lately."
Suddenly, remembering something, Rudolf's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I heard you're the only one in your dorm room right now. Are you used to living alone? Do you need me to help you arrange a roommate?"
"Eh, about that... no need, President. My room is actually quite lively, and I've lived there so long that I'm used to it."
"Very well. If you have any needs, feel free to bring them to me. I will do my best to satisfy them. Consider it a small reward for you returning to the track."
"I hope you can continue to let your brilliance shine on the racecourse."
"Okay, thank you, President. I'm doing great right now. I'll gladly accept your blessing."
After chatting for a good while, Rudolf glanced at the clock on the wall and waved her hand.
"Alright, let's end our chat here. I'll look for you again next time. You should get going."
"Understood. Goodbye, President."
Pushing the door open, Starlight stepped out. Once in the hallway, she closed the door behind her and turned to head back to the classroom.
Suddenly, a gentle female voice sounded from behind her.
"Divine Starlight? Is that you?"
Turning around, she saw Fuji Kiseki holding a stack of documents.
"Yes, it's me, Kiseki-san."
"I'm really sorry for what I said last time. I spoke out of turn."
"No, no, it's nothing. You don't need to apologize."
"I heard you've undergone a total transformation, and I was curious. Looking at you now, you really have turned into a beautiful girl."
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment. But I think Kiseki-san is even more beautiful."
"Haha... What did the President want with you?"
"Nothing special, just a simple chat."
"I see. Well, get back to what you were doing. I still have to hand in this report."
"Okay. Goodbye, Kiseki-san~"
"Wait..."
"What is it?"
Starlight turned back in confusion. However, Fuji Kiseki suddenly leaned in close. A faint fragrance wafted over, and Starlight's eyes widened in surprise.
The other girl reached out slowly and smoothed down a stray lock of hair that was sticking up from Starlight's head.
"Your hair was a bit messy."
"Eh, thank you, Kiseki-san."
"It's nothing. Let's chat again when we have the chance."
"Sure, I'm looking forward to it."
Starlight made it back to her class smoothly.
Although quite a few Uma Musume came up to strike up a conversation along the way, they all stayed within her comfort zone, so she was able to handle them easily.
It was becoming clear that Starlight was a character with high attack but low defense. Dealing with someone like Yaeno Muteki, who was hardheaded enough to carry Starlight out of nowhere, was proving to be quite tricky.
Not long after Starlight returned to her seat and slumped down, the gentle voice of Super Creek from the desk in front of her rang out.
"Starlight-chan, are you alright?"
Lifting her head to see that same gentle smile as always, Starlight waved her hand dismissively.
"With a smile from Creek-san around, I could be on the verge of death and still be brought back to life."
"Haha... it's not as exaggerated as you make it sound."
"Oh, right. I made some sushi myself this morning. Starlight-chan, why don't you try some?"
As if remembering something, Super Creek pulled a lunchbox from her bag and placed it on Starlight's desk.
"Really? Since Creek-san made it herself, I won't stand on ceremony!"
Opening it to find the sushi neatly arranged inside, Starlight picked up her chopsticks and popped one into her mouth.
"Starlight-chan..."
"Mmh... what is it?"
"About this morning... what exactly happened between you and Yaeno Muteki-san?"
'Uh, wait, there's something off about your smile. It feels like you just went from a virtuous wife to a resentful widow.'
'...It's probably just my imagination.'
"It's, it's nothing. It's just that during morning practice, I ran a session with Yaeno Muteki. I overdid it a bit, and my legs gave out."
"So, she was kind enough to bring me here."
"So that's how it was. Starlight-chan, you really shouldn't push yourself so hard during training, it would be bad if you got injured."
'Yup, that's the right vibe. It definitely was just my imagination earlier.'
"Mm, thank you for the concern, Creek-san. I'll be careful."
"The next period is Home Economics. How about we pair up?"
"Sure! I'm happy that Creek-san invited me."
The reward from her previous choice was a Stamina Recovery Potion. Since she needed it right now, Starlight didn't hesitate and drank it immediately. Feeling the strength return to her thighs, she no longer had to worry about getting injured during the afternoon training.
The morning classes came to an end.
School Cafeteria.
At this moment, the place was already packed. Everyone knew they had to get their food quickly before a certain "white-haired blur" arrived.
Carrying a set meal, Starlight found a decent spot to sit and began to enjoy her lunch. Suddenly, a hand slapped onto her shoulder, followed by the energetic presence of Daitaku Helios.
"Yo~ Starlight-chan! Eating alone? Isn't that like, super sad? Want to join us? OK?"
Starlight found the girl's strange, rhythmic way of speaking combined with her wild gestures quite funny. She then looked at the girl beside her.
"You're Mejiro Palmer, right?"
"Hello there~ Divine Starlight. I've wanted to get to know you for a while, but things kept coming up with the family, so I couldn't find the time."
"Well, it's not too late now. Come, have a seat."
"Hey, hey! Don't ignore me, Starlight-chan!"
After sitting down next to Starlight, Helios pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it.
"Uwah~ Palmer, your nail color is so pretty! Where did you get them done?"
"Over on Central Street. You've probably been there."
While she was chatting with Mejiro Palmer, Helios suddenly thrust her phone in front of Starlight.
"What's the deal with this! Starlight, I'm pretty sure I met you first, right?!"
Divine Starlight and Mejiro Palmer leaned in to look. It was the photo she and Curren Chan had taken at the ice cream stand earlier, Helios must have seen it on her feed.
There were already quite a few comments and likes at the bottom.