The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow onto the swings of the training field.
Marvelous Sunday sat there alone, her head bowed low, shoulders twitching slightly.
"Ugh... I lost again..."
She sobbed softly, pouting as crystal tears rolled down her cheeks.
By chance, Myriad Dreams happened to be wandering through the academy chewing gum when she heard the familiar sobbing from a distance.
She quickly spat out her gum and hurried over to the swings.
"What's wrong, Sunday?"
Marvelous Sunday lifted her tear-blurred face, her voice choked with sobs.
"I lost again... I trained so hard, why can't I ever beat you?"
As she spoke, more tears welled up.
Losing twice in a row to the same person made the sense of frustration particularly hard to bear.
Myriad Dreams suddenly panicked, waving her hands frantically. "Don't— Don't cry! How about I treat you to some ice cream?"
Hearing this, Marvelous Sunday's crying stopped abruptly.
She looked up with wet eyes, her tail unconsciously starting to wag gently.
"Really? I want strawberry flavor!"
Watching Marvelous Sunday break into a smile through her tears in an instant, Myriad Dreams couldn't help but chuckle.
"Really."
She marveled inwardly: 'What a simple, easy-to-please child.'
The two went to the ice cream truck on campus, and Myriad Dreams made a point of buying a pink strawberry ice cream to hand over.
Marvelous Sunday immediately broke into a brilliant smile and happily accepted it.
"Hehe, thank you so much!"
Watching Marvelous Sunday devour it, Myriad Dreams couldn't help but remind her, "Eat slowly, no one's going to steal it from you."
She paused, then added, "There's more after you finish that one."
"Really?!" Marvelous Sunday's eyes lit up instantly, and she finished the remaining ice cream in two or three bites.
Myriad Dreams shook her head helplessly and bought her another one.
Marvelous Sunday widened her eyes in surprise as she took it, saying softly, "Hehe, Myriad Dreams, you're such a good person~"
Looking at this innocent and cute Uma Musume, Myriad Dreams couldn't resist reaching out to gently rub her head.
Marvelous Sunday squinted her eyes in enjoyment, nuzzling into her palm like a kitten being groomed.
At that moment, Myriad Dreams suddenly felt a gaze on her and instinctively turned toward the academy building.
"What's the matter, Myriad?" Marvelous Sunday asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing, probably just my imagination."
Myriad Dreams withdrew her gaze, though she felt certain someone had indeed been watching them.
"Oh, okay~" Marvelous Sunday thought nothing of it and went back to happily licking her ice cream, completely immersed in the sweet flavor.
Around the Corner of the Academy
Yaeno Muteki was hiding around the corner, secretly observing Myriad Dreams and Marvelous Sunday with mixed emotions.
Yaeno Muteki felt a surge of bitterness in her heart.
For some reason, seeing Myriad Dreams together with Marvelous Sunday made her feel incredibly uneasy.
Myriad Dreams didn't seem to notice Yaeno Muteki, as she went back to patting Marvelous Sunday's head.
"Don't cry anymore in the future. If you cry until your face is all messy, you won't look pretty."
Marvelous Sunday nodded obediently. "Mm! I understand!"
Watching the intimate interaction between the two, Yaeno Muteki felt even worse.
She watched them from her hiding spot, clutching her chest with her right hand, the unstoppable bitterness made her breath hitch.
Yaeno Muteki didn't understand why, but seeing them interact now was painful.
In that moment, she realized that her feelings for Myriad might have changed.
Perhaps it started when Myriad won against Oguri Cap on her behalf...