Having finished her day of training, Myriad Dreams returned to her dorm and let the warm stream of the shower wash away the fatigue and sweat from her body.
When she stepped out wrapped in a bath towel and picked up her hair dryer to carefully dry her signature long twin-tails and fluffy tail, her phone screen on the desk suddenly began to light up like it was having a seizure, the notification tone chiming cheerfully without pause.
Curious, she walked over and picked up the phone.
Upon unlocking it, she saw the sender was none other than Seiun Sky.
The messages popped up like rapid-fire artillery, the lines overflowing with an excitement that practically leaked off the screen:
"Myriad! Myriad! Did you see?! The Satsuki Sho! I won! I'm the champion! Champion!"
"Revenge successful! Everything I lost last time, I won it all back today! Hahaha!"
"I told you I could do it!"
Following that was a long string of flower-scattering, celebration, and fish-shaped emojis.
Seeing her friend's undisguised joy, Myriad Dreams could almost see the other girl through the screen smug as could be, with her horse ears standing tall.
She couldn't help but let out a laugh.
Her fingers moved briskly as she replied:
"I saw it. Congratulations! You did great! (Clapping Emoji) Keep this momentum going for the Japan Derby next. Good luck!"
Seiun Sky replied almost instantly:
"Of course! The Derby throne is definitely mine!"
Immediately after, she sent another one, her tone carrying a familiar hint of grumbling and dependence:
"By the way, when are you coming back? Without you sitting next to me these past few days, even fishing feels boring. The fish aren't even biting! (Pout Emoji)"
Myriad Dreams smiled helplessly, imagining Seiun Sky muttering toward the river surface, and replied:
"Fine, fine. Once the races here are over, I'll accompany you to go fishing until you've had your fill."
After soothing her lively friend, she was just about to put the phone down when a new message popped up.
This time it was from Special Week, and it was a voice message.
Myriad clicked play, and Special Week's voice— thick with an obvious sob and sounding muffled— immediately rang out:
"Waaaah~~~ Dreams-chan... I... I lost my race... ugh... sniff."
Just from the sound alone, Myriad Dreams could picture Spe-chan's teary eyes and her drooping ears and tail.
She immediately replied with a gentle voice message of her own:
"It's okay, Spe-chan. Victory and defeat are both part of the game. If you lost this time, just work hard to win it back next time."
Special Week's reply was still heavy with a nasally tone:
"Mmh... ugh... if I'd known, if I'd known, I wouldn't have eaten so much... I felt like I couldn't run very well..."
Hearing this, several black lines practically descended over Myriad Dreams' forehead.
Feeling both helpless and amused, she replied with a slightly firm, supervising tone:
"You... once I get back, I'm going to have to strictly supervise your weight loss! No more sneaking so many snacks!"
Ending her long-distance chat with her two friends, Myriad Dreams put her phone down, the smile still lingering on her lips.
After drying her long hair and fluffy tail, Myriad Dreams stretched contentedly, enjoying the refreshing relaxation that follows a post-training bath.
The moonlight outside was beautiful.
She was just about to turn off the lights and rest when a soft but clear knock sounded at the door.
"Hm?"
Myriad was a bit puzzled.
'Who could it be this late?'
She walked to the door and asked softly, "Who is it?"
The hallway was silent for a moment, and then a voice that was familiar yet carried a rare hesitation and a hint of nervousness responded.
"It's... it's me, Silver Charm."
Feeling even more surprised, Myriad Dreams reached out and opened the door.
The sight outside made her eyes widen slightly.
Standing under the soft glow of the hallway lights, Silver Charm wasn't wearing her usual training gear or casual clothes.
Instead, she had changed into a light lavender knee-length dress, the hem fluttering gently in the night breeze.
Her signature silver hair seemed to have been meticulously groomed, flowing smoothly over her shoulders and shimmering softly under the moonlight.
Her hands were tucked somewhat awkwardly behind her back, her eyes shifting slightly, and a faint blush, completely different from her usual sharp image, painted her cheeks.
"...Myriad Dreams-san."
She seemed to muster all her courage before raising her eyes to look at Myriad, her voice much softer than usual.
"Um... are you free right now? Could we... go for a walk?"
The invitation was so unexpected (especially Silver Charm's shy demeanor, which was a world apart from her persona on the track) that Myriad Dreams froze for several seconds.
Looking at those silver eyes filled with a mix of expectation and unease, Myriad didn't understand the reason, but she nodded nonetheless and offered a gentle smile:
"Sure. I just finished my bath anyway, a bit of night air sounds nice."
Seeing her agree, Silver Charm seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Her hands behind her back relaxed, and a thin but genuine smile appeared on her face.