Early the next morning.
When Starlight woke up, she found herself being held tightly.
Frowning, she slowly lifted her head and saw Air Groove's face, sleeping peacefully.
"...Starlight-san, are you awake?"
"Vice President, why are you holding me?"
Rubbing her eyes, Air Groove let go and slowly sat up.
"Last night, those two Uma Musume wanted to sleep with you. I didn't agree, so I made them sleep on the floor. I slept in the bed with you."
Starlight also sat up and finally saw Ardan and Yaeno Muteki lying on the floor.
"I see... you can sleep a bit longer, I'm going to go train now."
Hearing this, Air Groove's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Right now?"
"Mm. It's usually around this time."
"I'll go with you. I don't feel very sleepy anyway."
"Okay."
After a simple wash-up, Starlight changed into her training gear and stood at the dormitory entrance.
Seeing Air Groove walk out from the dorm room opposite hers, Starlight walked up with a smile.
"It's truly an honor to be able to train with Vice President Air Groove."
"You flatter me, Starlight-san. On the contrary, I should be learning from you, starting your training at such an hour."
"The early bird catches the worm~ Even so, I might still not beat those with extraordinary natural talent."
The two headed toward the training grounds, chatting and laughing.
Meanwhile, Symboli Rudolf stood miserably on her balcony, watching their retreating figures.
She had originally planned to time her exit perfectly to walk with Divine Starlight, but who would have thought the Vice President would be so inconsiderate?
Left with no choice, she changed into her school uniform and headed to the Student Council office to work.
Time passed as Starlight immersed herself in hardworking training.
Finally, the day of her second race arrived.
However, this time, she was only ranked second in popularity.
There was no other reason than the fact that an idol-tier Uma Musume was also competing in this race. Starlight looked toward the platinum-blonde figure making her first appearance.
"A beautiful girl Uma Musume? Her popularity is really high."
Fiddling with her cross earring, Starlight fell into thought.
"Hey, are you there?"
Suddenly, a voice by her ear interrupted her. Starlight looked up to find Gold City standing in front of her.
"Ah, is there something I can help you with?"
"Nothing special. I just wanted to introduce myself, because lately in class, people are always mentioning you."
"Is that so?"
"While I appreciate you drawing that kind of fire for me, I won't be handing this race over to you."
"Mm, same here. This is a crucial race on my path to the graded stakes. I... will give it my all."
As those last words left her mouth, Starlight's entire aura underwent a subtle shift. A faint sense of majesty seeped from her golden eyes.
"...I see."
Turning around, Gold City walked toward the inspection platform. A moment later, thunderous cheers erupted— far more intense than those of the previous race.
Should one expect anything less from Gold City?
Hanshin Racecourse.
The announcer glanced at the script in his hand and spoke to the capacity crowd in the stands.
"Next, please welcome our second most popular contender, Divine Starlight!"
Clack, clack, clack...
The sound of steady, unhurried footsteps approached. The cheers from the audience noticeably quieted down.
Because her image in the last race hadn't been particularly "marketable"— with her bangs covering her face, no one could see her features. But this time...
A worn-out running shoe stepped out first. The sunlight shimmered off the girl's long silver hair. The faint golden gradient at the tips echoed the brilliant silver, and for a moment, the scene fell into a stunned silence.
Not just the audience, but even the announcer seemed unable to react. He stared at the new profile photo she had submitted for a long time before finally saying with surprise:
"It seems our contender, Starlight, has changed to a much more radiant hairstyle. One wonders if her performance under this brand-new look will be even more brilliant."
The reporters and photographers, having finally regained their composure, began snapping photos and attempting to interview Starlight on the platform.
After stepping down, she stood beside Gold City, only to hear the other girl mutter:
"How does it feel?"
"Ah? It's alright, I guess..."
"Is that so? I hope you still feel that way later."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't like being the center of attention... well, to be precise, I don't like it when they only discuss my looks." Gold City stretched her calves, looking at Starlight's appearance.
"If only they talked about my race results and my strength instead. Besides, you're a filly, I expect... you might have it even worse than me."
"Is that so? Rather than my looks, I will definitely use my strength to brand myself into the audience's hearts first. I've experienced what it's like to be ignored by everyone, so I crave being noticed even more."
"Thank you for the warning, Gold City-san."
As the inspection ended, Starlight walked slowly toward the starting gate.
"Ignored? With a face like that, how is that even possible?!" Gold City was utterly perplexed, but she didn't dwell on it, following the other Uma Musume toward the starting line.
"All contenders, please enter the gates."
The red light slowly transitioned to green.
The gates opened with a bang.
At the exact moment every Uma Musume lifted their feet, a silver meteor slid out first, blossoming with her own unique color at the front of the pack.
"The race has started! Wait! Contender number three, Divine Starlight, has bolted out of the gate before any of the other Uma Musume could even react! Her speed is incredible— is she going for a Great Escape?"
The announcer, who was supposed to follow a script, jumped up in excitement due to Starlight's move.
Perhaps the sight was too shocking, or perhaps Starlight's figure was simply too captivating, out of the twelve competing Uma Musume, three suffered a delayed start.
The rest, though shocked, managed to start without too much delay.
Tucked within the pack, Gold City looked at the figure ahead, and the girl's words echoed in her mind.
"I won't give up either. If you want to go for a Great Escape..."
Faint platinum-blonde hair fluttered in the air like high-grade silk. Gold City immediately began to give chase from the outside lane.
"Contender number one, Gold City, intends to keep pace with the 'Great Escape' Divine Starlight! Are these two going to duel in the early stages?"
The crowd watched with bated breath. In a corner of the stands, Silence Suzuka watched the silver figure on the track in silence.
'A Great Escape... is it?'
As an Uma Musume who consistently used the Great Escape tactic, Silence Suzuka could clearly feel that Starlight's "Escape" was a bit different. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was off.
Clack-clack-clack, clack-clack-clack—
The chatter of the audience gradually died down, and the venue grew quiet. Everyone was surprised to find that no matter how noisy the surroundings were, they could always hear those distinct, clear footsteps.
Suzuka's eyes widened as she finally realized it.
'A Great Escape wouldn't produce footsteps like that. What exactly is Starlight-chan's tactic?'
Silence Suzuka's heart couldn't help but pound with excitement. She wanted to know... she wanted to know exactly what way this girl, as bright as sunlight, intended to run.
On the track.
Passing the first corner, Gold City noticed that Divine Starlight up ahead seemed to be intentionally slowing down.
She felt her chance had come.
She slammed her foot down against the turf, and a glimmering green light flashed in her eyes. Her body was enveloped in a misty, silken aura.
With a faint white glow shimmering behind her, her speed began to climb.
She drew closer and closer to that silver figure.