But as soon as Yaeno Muteki nodded, she regretted it.
She instantly waved her hands frantically, a vivid blush creeping up her cheeks.
"No! It's not that! I just... I just want to be closer to that person..."
Inari One rested her chin on her hand, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You're saying it's not like that? But you're so embarrased~"
Mejiro Ardan also covered her mouth and chuckled.
"I really didn't expect that our most serious Yaeno-san would be the first to fall in love."
Even the habitually air-headed Oguri Cap nodded thoughtfully. "Mm, it is indeed a bit surprising."
"Y-You all figured it out..." Yaeno Muteki covered her burning cheeks with both hands, steam nearly erupting from the top of her head.
Seeing this, Super Creek considerately stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, alright, everyone, let's not tease Yaeno-san too much."
She turned gently to Muteki and asked softly, "But why are you suddenly so anxious to close the distance, Yaeno-san?"
Yaeno Muteki calmed her breathing and said in a low voice, "Because lately, she rarely takes the initiative to find me... aside from daily greetings, she's often out fishing or chatting with other Uma Musume."
In reality, Myriad Dreams had simply returned to her accustomed leisurely pace.
After helping Muteki fulfill her wish of challenging Oguri Cap, she felt there wasn't much left to talk about and had regressed into her usual lazy lifestyle.
But in Yaeno Muteki's eyes, this was a sign of being neglected.
Super Creek looked thoughtful. "And how do you two usually interact?"
"It's... just very normal communication. We respect each other a lot."
"I see." Creek suggested with a smile. "The problem might be that there's too much respect. If you want to get closer, why not try using a more intimate honorific? For example, adding '-chan' after her name."
"A-Adding '-chan'..."
Yaeno Muteki imagined herself calling out "Myriad-chan," and an immediate wave of shyness washed over her.
For someone as serious as her, this was indeed a major challenge.
Ultimately, she nodded with a red face, thanked Creek, and prepared to leave.
"Remember to take it step by step," Creek reminded her kindly from behind. "If you're too eager, you might actually scare her away."
As the night grew deep, Myriad Dreams finished her training just before lights-out, as was her custom.
She sipped on carrot juice while walking leisurely back to the dormitory.
The moment she pushed the door open, Yaeno Muteki, who had long prepared herself mentally, immediately stepped forward and tried her best to flash a natural smile:
"Myriad-chan, welcome back~"
The moment Myriad Dreams heard this address, she jumped in fright, and the carrot juice instantly went down the wrong pipe.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!!!"
Myriad Dreams doubled over on the floor, coughing violently, she had clearly choked quite badly.
Seeing this, Yaeno Muteki hurriedly rushed forward and patted Myriad Dreams on the back, hoping to ease her discomfort.
While gently patting her, she asked worriedly:
"Myriad, are you okay?"
After coughing for a while, Myriad Dreams finally felt a bit of relief and said, "It's nothing... I was just startled by the way you suddenly addressed me. I'm not used to it."
After all, Yaeno Muteki was usually very stern and proper.
Such a sudden and drastic change was something Myriad Dreams found difficult to predict.
"Um, Muteki? Have you run into some kind of trouble lately?"
Myriad Dreams instinctively assumed she must be in some sort of trouble.
Yaeno Muteki simply shook her head and said, "No, nothing. I just suddenly felt like changing how I call you."
Myriad Dreams remained puzzled. "Is that so?"