Rising languidly, Seiun Sky picked up her empty tray and walked toward the dish return area.
Returning to her own dormitory, she spoke to Nishino Flower, who was currently reading a book.
"I'm going to go find a Senior, Nishino Flower."
"Mhm, go ahead."
"By the way, I'm going out with friends this afternoon, so I might be back a bit late."
"No problem. Have fun, Sky-chan!"
"Okay..."
Waving her hand, Seiun Sky turned and headed upstairs.
"This is Grass and the others' room, so the one next door should be Starlight's dorm."
She knocked on the door tentatively.
"Starlight-senpai, are you in?"
She waited for a long time, but there was no response. Seiun Sky scratched her head, feeling a bit stuck. She tried the doorknob.
Click—
The door wasn't locked.
"That's not a good habit, Senpai. Well then, I'm coming in."
Pushing the door open slowly, Seiun Sky poked her head inside and peered around. What she saw made her freeze on the spot.
On the left bed, resting atop a small bulge wrapped in a blanket, was an orange cat. Scattered around the bed were several other adorable little kittens.
"Woof— !"
"Aaah— !"
Suddenly, Kameda-kun, who had been lying quietly nearby, let out a bark. It scared the sneaking Seiun Sky so much her hair practically stood on end.
"Mmm... Kameda-kun, what is it?"
A soft, drowsy voice drifted out as Starlight slowly poked her head out from the covers and looked toward the door.
"Ahahaha, sorry Senpai! I let myself in and even woke you up," Seiun Sky laughed awkwardly, quickly bowing in apology.
"It's fine, it's fine... come in and sit."
Waving her hand dismissively, Starlight couldn't keep her eyes open and flopped back down.
Since she had said so, it wasn't right for Seiun Sky to just stand awkwardly at the door. She walked slowly over to Starlight's bed.
Noticing the opposite bed was piled high with cardboard boxes, she turned back to Starlight, who was tucked under the covers.
"Um, Senpai... is it okay if I sit here?"
There was a hint of expectation in her voice. After all, even though she was practically a specialist when it came to cats, it was her first time seeing a bed literally full of them.
"Mhm, it's fine. Sky-chan, you can sit wherever you like."
"Okay."
Nodding, Seiun Sky sat on a small patch of space at the edge of the bed. She glanced at the half-asleep Starlight, then her gaze drifted to an American Shorthair kitten nearby.
She couldn't resist reaching out to gently stroke its head.
"Purr-purr~"
Seeing the little creature's cute reaction, a smile unconsciously spread across Seiun Sky's face. At this moment, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting faint glimmers near the window.
Having just finished lunch at high noon, she let out a groggy yawn and decided to finish what she came to say before heading back to her own room to sleep.
However, before she could speak, Starlight's eyes opened and looked her way.
"Are you sleepy, Sky-chan?"
"...Mhm. After lunch at noon, it really is easy to get drowsy."
"From the look in your eyes, it seems you really like these cats."
"Did you catch me? Hehe... I really do like cats quite a bit."
Sitting up slowly, Starlight steadied Big Orange, who was curled up on her, and then reached out to pat Seiun Sky's head.
"Sky-chan is as cute as a cat sometimes, too."
The sudden remark caused a flush of red to bloom on Seiun Sky's face.
"Hehe, alright. If you don't mind, you can lie down here for a bit. Here's a pillow."
With that, Starlight shifted inward to make space. She grabbed an extra pillow from the side and placed it down.
Gulp—
Seiun Sky swallowed hard. She couldn't resist this kind of temptation. Sleeping in with cats was one of her favorite things to do.
"Is it really okay?"
"Of course. Aren't we friends, Sky-chan?"
"Thank you, Starlight-senpai. Then... excuse me."
She lay down cautiously. The kittens nearby snuggled closer to her. Holding one in her arms, Seiun Sky felt her entire body and mind relax.
And so, despite coming here just to say something and leave, she somehow ended up lying down and falling fast asleep.
Afternoon. At the school gate.
Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, and Haru Urara (who was carrying a white cloth bag) were waiting.
A significant amount of time passed, yet the three of them still hadn't seen those two figures emerge from the dormitory building.
"What are Senpai and Sky-chan doing? Are they still not coming out?" El Condor Pasa said, growing a bit impatient.
"Could it be that Sky-chan fell asleep as soon as she went back to her room and forgot all about this?" Haru Urara suggested.
The moment she said it, considering the other girl's personality, the other two couldn't help but agree.
"That is indeed a possibility. Why don't we go take a look?"
One after another, the three of them arrived at the door of Seiun Sky's room on the first floor. Grass Wonder stepped forward and knocked.
After a moment, Nishino Flower opened the door, poking her head out to inquire.
"What is it, everyone...?"
"Ah, Nishino Flower~ Is Seiun Sky in the room?" Urara was the first to ask.
"No, she said she was going to look for a Senior and hasn't come back yet."
"Is that so? Sorry to disturb you then."
"It's no problem. Are you all planning to go out and play together?"
"Yes! Nishino Flower, do you want to join us?"
"No, thank you. I still have some class duties to handle. Maybe next time."
"That's a real pity. Get back to work then, we'll go together when we have the chance."
"Alright, bye-bye! I hope you all have fun."
As Nishino Flower closed the door, the three girls exchanged a look, their target now clearly defined.
"So the problem is: Seiun Sky isn't sleeping in her own room, she definitely went to find Senpai. Do you think they might have left already?"
"I don't know. I've sent her several messages, but she hasn't replied to me," Urara said, scrolling through her phone.
"Then... let's head to Senpai's room and check?"
"Okay! x2"
The trio marched non-stop until they reached Starlight's door.
Knock, knock, knock...
Click—
This time, they didn't even need to turn the handle. Seiun Sky hadn't closed the door properly at all. When Grass Wonder knocked lightly, it swung open on its own. As the gap widened, the scene inside gradually revealed itself.
Upon seeing the sight before them, all three were stunned.
"Starlight-senpai... Sky-chan...?"
There on the bed, Seiun Sky had her eyes closed in deep sleep, and she was holding Divine Starlight— who was also asleep— tightly in her arms.
Hearing the noise, Seiun Sky slowly opened her drowsy eyes. "What's the matter...?"
"You... you and Senpai are...?"
Grass Wonder's confused voice, along with the exclamations from Urara and El, successfully woke her up.
Glancing down at the grey Uma Musume in her arms, Seiun Sky's eyes instantly bulged.
All sleepiness vanished in a second as she jumped straight from the bed to the floor.
"I— I don't know why Senpai was in my arms! I was clearly holding a cat at first!"
Urara was looking around with a face full of curiosity. "Wow! There are so many cute cats here, and this little dog!"
El Condor Pasa, meanwhile, spoke to the hawk on the coat rack. "Little hawk, you ran off to Senpai's place again. Hurry back, staying here will only cause trouble for Starlight-senpai."
Starlight slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she spoke. "Why did so many people show up all of a sudden? It's so lively~"
"Good afternoon, Senpai."
"Mmm... Good afternoon, Grass-chan, El-chan."
"Hello, hello, Starlight-senpai! I'm Haru Urara!"
Looking at the pink-haired cutie who had suddenly lunged in front of her, Starlight smiled and reached out to pat her head. "Hello, Urara-chan~"
"We came to invite you to go out and play! Do you have time, Senpai?"
"Being invited by such beautiful Uma Musume, of course I have time. But could I ask you to wait outside for just a moment? I need to change my clothes."
"Alright, let's go," Grass Wonder said to the other three.
Out in the hallway.
Surrounded by the three of them, Seiun Sky had her horse ears lowered in a blush of pure embarrassment.
"Sky-chan, didn't you agree to go invite Senpai? How did you end up sleeping there?" El Condor Pasa teased, her arms crossed.
"Exactly. And you were holding Senpai like that... if Miss Tazuna found out, the consequences would be very serious," Grass Wonder added with a frown.
Though her tone was stern, she wasn't actually angry.
"Come on, don't be like that. Sky-chan didn't do it on purpose. We're about to go out and have fun, so let's not ruin the mood!" Urara waved her hands, smiling at everyone.