Standing before the mirror, Starlight looked at herself dressed in the training uniform and sighed.
"As expected, I look as plain as plain can be."
Leaning slowly toward the glass, she lifted her bangs, revealing eyes with golden, hexagram-shaped pupils.
"Actually, looking at them closely, they're quite pretty."
The upturned corners of her eyes gave off a hint of charm, yet her slightly drooping eyebrows added a touch of vulnerability. These two qualities didn't clash, instead, they blended together perfectly.
After letting her bangs fall back into place, Starlight tied her loose hair into a high ponytail. Putting on the running shoes she had just received— which provided a training bonus— she headed toward the training grounds.
On the way, she sent a message to her Trainer.
Inside the Trainers' Office.
A man wearing a yellow-brown vest sat in the corner. His hair was long in the middle and short on the sides, tied back in a flashy, short ponytail. At that moment, he was happily digging into a bowl of rice while playing a mini-game on his computer.
"I say, Ryu Nishizaki-senpai, is this really okay?"
Beside him, a girl with twin tails, straight-cut bangs, and round-rimmed glasses spoke up.
"Is there a problem? Kiryu-chan..."
"Uh... everyone else is seriously setting up this afternoon's training tasks, yet the two of us are sitting here playing an online game."
The one questioning him was the female Trainer who had just brought him his meal, Kiryuu Inami.
"Haha, well, since neither of us has found a Uma Musume to train, we're bound to be idle this afternoon anyway."
"I do have a Uma Musume, okay? It's just that she hasn't shown up since her debut."
Hearing Inami's rebuttal, Ryu Nishizaki swallowed his food and quipped, "By that logic, I have one too."
"Never mind whether she actually trains or not. Whether it's playing chess, solving a Rubik's cube, or flying a kite— at least my girl actually shows up."
Inami wanted to argue back, but she found herself speechless.
'It's true. At least that Gray Uma Musume shows up. Mine doesn't even bother to come by.'
Taking off her glasses, Inami's purple eyes were filled with a sense of grievance. She slumped dejectedly against her chair, appearing ready to contemplate the meaning of life.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on over there, Kiryu-chan? Your backline just got breached!"
However, her dejection only annoyed Ryu Nishizaki. After all, they were mid-game.
"High, high~ I'm coming... sigh— "
Waving her hand helplessly, Inami resumed her controls. Just then, her phone buzzed.
She caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye and froze instantly. She immediately grabbed the phone from the desk with both hands.
The School Hunk of the Green Meadows: Trainer-san, I'm starting my training today. I have a race to run later.
The School Hunk of the Green Meadows: Um, can you help me arrange a training plan? I'm coming to see you now.
Kiryuu Inami: Eh!!!
Kiryuu Inami: Really?! Okay, okay! No problem on my end!
"Hey, Kiryu-chan, focus! This match is at a critical point!"
"Sorry, Senpai! My Uma Musume is starting her training. I have to go!"
Excited, she grabbed her phone and the folder next to her and dashed out the door.
"Wait, wait— at least finish this match..."
Ryu Nishizaki reached out to stop her, but the young girl had already vanished.
"Sigh, in the end, I'm the only one left to shoulder the burden. Kiryu-chan, I can't believe you betrayed our organization..."
At that moment, a black-haired woman in a lady's suit and silver-rimmed glasses walked past holding a tablet. She couldn't help but criticize him.
"To think someone like you is a 'Senpai.' Even the school janitors have more professional experience than you."
"That's harsh, Tojo Hana-trainer. Just because you have several famous Uma Musumes under your belt, don't look down on me."
Ignoring him, Tojo Hana gave him a sideways glance and retorted, "I'm not looking down on you. I'm not looking at you at all."
Watching her walk back to her workstation to start her work, Ryu Nishizaki could only let out a few helpless, awkward laughs.
It wasn't that he didn't want to raise a Graded-race winner, it was just a pity...
"Hehehehe... what a tragic junior." Ryu Nishizaki muttered to himself. "I'm waiting for my 'thousand-mile racer'— my prodigy. What about you? Do you still plan to stick with that Gray Uma Musume?"
One couldn't really blame Ryu Nishizaki for saying that, after all, Inami was an eccentric.
Normally, when a Trainer encountered a situation like Starlight's, they would simply choose another Uma Musume.
If the girl were a genius, it might be worth the wait, but her data showed nothing remarkable. One could even say she was utterly mediocre.
"Sigh... wait, this is bad. I've been playing games with Kiryu-chan for so long, and yet I can't even remember what her Uma Musume looks like or what her name is."
At that moment, Tojo Hana delivered the final, fatal blow. Without looking up from her documents, she said coldly:
"I admire Trainer Kiryuu Inami's persistence. As for you... she chooses not to find another Uma Musume, whereas you simply can't find one."
"The nature of the situation is different."
Pfft— !
Ryu Nishizaki felt as if he had coughed up a pint of blood. He instantly turned to stone at his desk.
On the small path leading to the Trainers' Office, Starlight saw her Trainer waiting at the door from a distance. She picked up her pace and broke into a light jog.
"Trainer! I'm here— !"
Hearing the voice, Inami, who had been looking down flipping through Starlight's file, looked up. After blinking a few times, she pointed at herself.
"Um, are you looking for me?"
"Eh? Aren't you Trainer Kiryuu Inami?"
"Oh~ so you're my Uma Musume?"
"Wait, did you actually forget who I am?"
"Sorry, sorry! It's just that you never showed up, so I only remembered that I had a trainee." Inami coughed twice.
"Ahem, actually, I didn't forget. I was just... testing you."
"Is that so? Then what's my name?"
Hearing this, Kiryuu Inami lowered her head awkwardly and began flipping through her files even faster. Her lip twitching, Starlight pointed at the stack of documents in the other's arms and asked:
"Don't tell me you can't even find my data file?"
"Haha... you caught me," Inami said with an embarrassed laugh, pushing up her glasses.
"Forget it. Let's introduce ourselves properly again." Starlight waved it off. She placed a hand over her heart, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Divine Starlight. That is my name. I hope you won't forget me again, Trainer."
A timely breeze brushed past. As her hair fluttered, the glimpse of the hexagrams in her eyes was deeply etched into Inami's mind. Inami's purple pupils shrank slightly as she spoke unconsciously.
"Perhaps... I won't be able to forget you for the rest of my life."
She had spoken under her breath, but Starlight's ears caught it.
"Really? If that's the case, I'd be very happy."
"Ah, that... ahem! Hello, Divine Starlight. I am your Trainer, Kiryuu Inami. Although you are my first Uma Musume— and currently my only one— please place your trust in me."
"Eh?! You're that devoted, Trainer? You didn't even look for other Uma Musumes?"
Starlight was genuinely shocked.
'This girl forgot my face and my name, yet she was still waiting for me. Original Starlight, you had such a wonderful Trainer— and a beautiful one at that— why on earth did you choose to be a simp for someone else?!'
"Of course. I'm a rookie Trainer too, so naturally, I want to do my best to raise my first Uma Musume..."
"I'm so touched. Thank you, Trainer. I won't let your feelings go to waste."
The two of them walked toward the training grounds. Since it was still midday and most Uma Musumes were in the dorms for a nap, the field was occupied only by Divine Starlight and her Trainer.