"Please don't." Belno Light said, looking more than unimpressed.
"Oh, come on. It's fine-, ouch." Blossom Star said, wincing slightly as she dropped the TV remote for the third time. "Can't let my muscles atrophy, right?"
"Like how it atrophied during those two months when you did nothing?" Belno readily said back, her eyes twitching with growing annoyance as Star turned away and began whistling. She sighed tiredly as she confiscated the TV remote. "If you try to move again–" Her eyes narrowed as she saw the pout on Star's lips. "I'm going to bring Oguri here."
Star's face immediately paled. "N-No, I'm good." Her laugh came out a little forced as she quickly ducked back beneath the blanket she'd been provided with. "Imma' just, y'know, stay here?" Her expression turned even more severe as she saw Belno raise an eyebrow. "Please don't bring Oguri here. I-I don't want to see her mad again."
Belno huffed. "Then don't land yourself in the hospital again, idiot."
Star grimaced. "Come on. I mean, Oguri's also–"
"Hmm?"
"...nothing." Star finished, her ears drooping with defeat as she slouched into her pillow.
"Hmph."
Normally Belno would feel pretty bad at being so mean to her friend, but she felt like she was more than justified this time around. After all, not only had Star landed in the hospital again, but somehow her injuries this time were worse! Last time Star's injury carried the possibility of ending her career, but this time Star came close to actually losing her life.
Those fissures across Star's skin were real. A lot of the technical details had flown over her head, but apparently Star's cells had gone into complete overdrive, generating so much heat that she was physically boiling her blood. In fact, considering everything, Star should have exploded from the inside out, but that didn't happen. It was almost as if some invisible force was keeping Star's body from exploding like a supernova.
And to make matters worse, Oguri was also in the hospital, though for different reasons. Her legs were fine, but her circulatory system had undergone too much stress, and her body needed time to recuperate. Her heart and lungs were hit especially hard, but Oguri's ravenous appetite at least came with the benefit of a more active metabolism.
So, yes. Belno was very stressed right now, and she totally didn't kick Kitahara in the butt that one time because of it.
No, that never happened. Totally not.
"By the way, what was the reason you came here again?" Star asked. "I don't mind, but you already visited me, like, an hour ago."
Belno blinked, and then she finally remembered the reason why she returned in the first place. "Oh, right!" She quickly pulled out the notebook she'd been carrying in her tote bag. "Um, this might sound a little strange, but what's the name of your Domain?"
Star raised an eyebrow. "The name?" She asked, before she tilted her head slightly. "Why?"
Belno chuckled softly. "I'm just curious." She said. She wasn't quite sure herself. "I've also asked Oguri."
"Nah, nah. You don't need to explain. I was just curious." She winked. "But maybe you can share your findings with me when you're done, Prof?"
Belno rolled her eyes. "I'm not trying to be a researcher, Star-san."
"Sure~"
She sighed, but she then flipped to an empty page, her pen ready in her hands. And seeing that, Star's smile became a little fond as she gazed at something only she could see, before her mouth opened. "I mean, I didn't choose the name, but it's called–"
.
.
.
Blossom Star)
{Solar Radiance}
"When activated, Star's body burns with solar energy. The speed and acceleration she showed during the homestretch of the 1989 [Japan Cup] even surpassed the speed shown by Dicta Striker's Domain, though I can't be sure. I'll have to record their times myself.
However, this solar energy is equally destructive to Star herself. The doctors mentioned how Star's body was literally boiling from the inside due to how active her cells had become, and this appeared as physical cracks that grew across Star's body. She's confident that she'll eventually become used to it, but I'm still scared.
That aside, there could be said to be two main 'effects' of the Domain: The Golden Wings she grew behind her, and the Sun she created. I assume the wings aid Star in some way, though I'll need further information to confirm that. On the other hand, the Sun acts to debilitate the other runners. Inari One mentioned how it felt like she was having a heatstroke when that Sun first appeared.
Interestingly, when both Star and Oguri's Domains are activated together, their Moon and Sun overlaps together to form an Eclipse. I'm unsure if this has any special significance.
Overall, Star's Domain requires further study, though I don't want to see her using her Domain again."
Belno sighed softly as she finished writing. The written notes were flawed in many ways, but this was the best she could do at the moment. The recording for this year's [Japan Cup] likely wouldn't be publicized until months later, which meant the only thing she could rely on was her own memory of the race.
She set her pen down on the table, and she frowned slightly as she reread through everything she'd written.
The {Solar Radiance}—it was a fitting name for a Domain that summoned the destructive power of the sun. Star had mentioned that she hadn't picked the name herself, but that wasn't strange. In fact, everyone she'd questioned about their Domains had mentioned the same thing. Oguri, Dicta, Inari, Obey—all of them had said that the names of their Domains just appeared in their heads when they thought about it.
Belno was no different. She instinctively knew that her Domain's name changed whenever she changed its 'form', so to say. The {Divine Spear}, the {Divine Chariot}—their names just spontaneously formed in her mind.
And of course, there was that interesting correlation between the epithets given to an umamusume, and the Domain they eventually awakened. Obey was seen as the 'American Assassin', and she later awakened the {Wild Joker}. Dicta Striker was previously the 'Yellow Bullet' before she shot forward with the power of a {Railgun}.
Only Oguri seemed different. Her {Umbral Sonata} didn't seem to match. She supposed there was some connection between a Beast and the Moon—werewolves, maybe? But that thread seemed a little weak.
It was just-, strange. It almost felt as if Oguri's Domain had mutated into something it wasn't supposed to be.
What really captured her interest was the Eclipse Oguri and Star created. The fact that the Sun and Moon their Domains created could both overlap to form an Eclipse felt almost designed, in a way. Or maybe their love for one another was so strong that their Domains reflected it?
Hehe. If the latter was true, she was sure Star would physically combust with embarrassment.
She smiled as she closed her notebook, though she then frowned as she gently held her throat. She hadn't realized it earlier, but she'd spent nearly an hour writing about everyone's Domains, and she hadn't drank even once. Her throat was completely dry, and–
Suddenly, a cup of water was carefully placed on the table, and Belno's eyes widened slightly before she smiled. "Thank you." She said, and she sighed in relief after she drank the water.
…
Wait, what?
Belno looked down at the cup in her hands. Wasn't this the paper cup that was provided at the cafeteria? Why would Kitahara grab water using this paper cup instead of her mug-?
No, wait. She didn't hear the door open. And she was alone in this room.
Which meant it couldn't have been Kitahara.
Gulping, and slowly, she turned around to see who was the one who had given her this cup.
And her pupils shrunk as she saw an ethereal umamusume standing just behind her, their body covered in thick armor, with a spear held in one of their hands and a rounded shield strapped to her other arm. The soldier nodded as they saw Belno's shock, and they smiled as they pounded a fist onto their armored chest in honor.
Then the phantom soldier vanished, and Belno was left staring at where they were for the next couple minutes, mind completely overwhelmed with shock.