"Ya~ Who is this onee-san? She's so beautiful..."
Ignoring Rudolf entirely, Starlight darted past her and appeared in front of Mr. C.B., taking the other's hand in hers.
"Hello there, junior~ I'm Mr. C.B."
"C.B. Onee-san, what a wonderful name! Would you like to be on my team for the volleyball match?"
'I admit your eyes are incredibly sparkly, and it's truly hard to say no to you.' C.B. thought.
'However...'
She flicked her gaze slightly toward the space behind Starlight, where Rudolf's face had already turned as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot.
Her mouth twitched as she slowly released Starlight's hand, giving the girl's cheek a little pinch as she did.
"I'll have to pass this time, Starlight-chan. Let's team up next time when we get the chance, okay? I think I'll stick with the President's arrangement."
"Eh~ What a shame..."
Starlight didn't get to finish her sentence because a large, firm hand had already landed on her shoulder.
"Starlight-kun, let's go. Even if this is recreational training, we can't afford to fall behind schedule."
"Alright, alright."
And so, a three-versus-two match was formed.
The high net was set up, and Inami sat on a high referee chair wearing a green-and-white baseball cap.
"Players on both sides, get ready. The match... begin!"
The serving side was, naturally, the duo of Rudolf and Starlight.
As the cries of seagulls echoed in the distance, Starlight slowly tossed the volleyball high into the air.
Her golden eyes narrowed, she took a few quick steps for a running start and leaped directly into the air.
Her pale arm swung out with lightning speed.
Pa— !
Struck by her palm, the volleyball soared over the net, plunging toward a gap in the sand on the opposing side. The angle was tricky, aimed precisely at the opening between the three opponents.
Unfortunately, as a legendary veteran, Mr. C.B. had quite a few tricks up her sleeve.
She lunged forward, right arm extended, and successfully saved the ball. Then, bracing herself with her left hand on the sand, she performed a cool flip to return to her feet.
Due to the angle of the save, the ball flew toward the space above Tokai Teio in the back.
"Leave it to me! Witness my lethal strike!!!"
With a confident smirk, Tokai Teio leaped without hesitation. Relying on her incredible flexibility, she twisted in mid-air and swung her arm.
The volleyball rocketed back toward Starlight and Rudolf.
Just as it was about to cross the net, a pair of hands rose up like a city wall erupting from the ground, successfully blocking the attack right at the net.
"Oh no!"
C.B.'s eyes widened. She wanted to pull off another move like the one before, but it was too late, the ball had already hit the sand.
"President, that was so cool~!!! Next time, I'm definitely going to break through your defense!"
Even though they lost the point, Tokai Teio shouted with excitement. After landing, Rudolf gave her a small smile and a wave.
Then, she turned a triumphant gaze toward Divine Starlight behind her.
"That was amazing. As expected of the Student Council President."
Rudolf's tail began to wag. She crossed her arms and held her head high.
"Naturally..."
The game continued. Since they won the point, Starlight's side continued to serve.
Just like last time, she struck the ball over. This time, Mejiro McQueen, positioned at the back right, saw it coming. She quickly joined her hands together and bumped the ball up steadily.
"Teio~!"
At that moment, Mr. C.B. tracked the ball's landing point and shouted immediately.
"I'm on it!"
Even before C.B. had tossed the ball up, Tokai Teio had already moved to the far left, beginning her approach for a jump.
Bam—
Pa—
The two coordinated with perfect chemistry. The volleyball flew from C.B.'s hands on the right into the high air in front of Tokai Teio.
All Teio had to do was adjust her angle slightly and launch it straight across.
Seeing this, Rudolf darted forward and intercepted the ball just before it hit the ground. Watching the ball pop up from Rudolf's forearms, a flash appeared in Starlight's pupils.
A faint surge of golden energy erupted beneath her feet. She took a few rapid steps and stomped down hard.
Boom!
A clear footprint was stamped into the sand.
Mid-air, Starlight didn't hesitate for a second. Her eyes locked onto the space behind Mr. C.B.'s right side. Due to their previous coordination, C.B. and Tokai Teio's positions had drifted apart.
Now was the perfect opportunity to attack.
Pa—
Her arm whipped out like a lash. The volleyball turned into a blur, streaking across the net toward the empty patch of ground.
Waiting for her moment, Mejiro McQueen exerted force through her legs and lunged forward in a full-body dive. She caught the ball just in time, popping it up toward Mr. C.B.'s side.
"Beautifully done—"
Rudolf reacted instantly. The moment she saw the attack blocked, her eyes locked onto Tokai Teio. Sure enough, Teio was already gathering power in her legs, ready to take flight.
Swish~
"What—!"
Rudolf saw Teio leap and complete a swinging motion, but no ball flew over. Realizing the trick immediately, Rudolf's gaze snapped elsewhere.
Behind Mr. C.B., Mejiro McQueen— who had just dove for the ball— had somehow already leaped into the air.
"Oh no! Starlight! It's a feint— "
But it was too late, the move was too sudden. Divine Starlight, having just landed, hadn't reset her position before a ball smacked her squarely in the face.
"Eh? Wha— Ow!"
Fortunately, her cheeks were quite supple, the volleyball grazed her face and bounced back into the air.
"Good save, good save!"
Rudolf didn't let the opportunity go to waste. She dashed behind Starlight, leaped, and swung her arm.
Pa—!
The volleyball grazed the top of the net and soared to the other side, accurately hitting a spot right before the backline.
Watching the play with amazement, Kiryuu Inami quickly blew her whistle.
"Point to Team Starlight!"
After landing, Rudolf approached the dazed Starlight and asked with curiosity:
"Are you okay? Um..."
Upon closer look, a clear red mark had appeared on Starlight's face. It looked as if a monkey's bright red backside had been stamped onto her cheek
For a moment, Rudolf couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.
"Pfft... Are you alright? Star— Starlight-kun?"
"How could I be alright? That hurt!"
Clutching her face, Starlight hurriedly crouched down and began to gingerly rub the sore spot.
"Do we need a timeout?" Inami asked, stifling her own laughter.
"No need, let's keep going— "
After a brief recovery, Starlight stood up. She looked through the net at Mejiro McQueen standing on the right.
"Don't... don't look at me like that. I didn't do it on purpose..."
"I know, McQueen-chan~ I don't blame you."
Starlight took the ball to the back, tossed it high, and targeted Mejiro McQueen directly.
Pa—!
Seeing the volleyball flying closer and closer, Mejiro McQueen reached out to receive it and shouted, "Divine Starlight! Didn't you say you wouldn't blame me?!"
She frantically bumped the ball with her forearms, and Tokai Teio found her position to strike again. The ball flew over the net, heading toward the area behind Rudolf.
Seeing this, Divine Starlight reacted with lightning speed and sprinted toward it.
A spark lit up in Rudolf's eyes. The chance has come—
She also ran toward the back. She pretended to eye the ball's landing point, but in reality, she was covertly tracking Divine Starlight's position.
And so, under the Student Council President's superior calculation, she "coincidentally" moved right into the path of Divine Starlight's sprint.
The unsuspecting Starlight was wholeheartedly focused on saving the ball, completely unaware...
Squish.
Her head collided with something soft.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Rudolf wrapped her arms around Divine Starlight and naturally fell backward. The ignored volleyball landed on the sand beside them.
"Point to Team McQueen!"
"Starlight-kun, what are you doing~? If you hadn't charged into my arms, we wouldn't have lost the point."
Holding the Uma Musume in her embrace, Rudolf immediately seized the initiative to strike first.