Starlight Trajectory had no idea that her team members had revised their opinion of her in such a short span of time. Even if she knew, though, it was far too late to salvage her image.
Compared with losing the last few people around her who still thought of her as male, she found the idea of someone from her past discovering that she'd become an Uma Musume much harder to accept.
Come on, that'd be mortifying!
When Akikawa Yayoi had learned that she could transform into an Uma Musume as a child, she'd treated Starlight like a dress-up doll.
She'd forced her through outfit after outfit while filling her head with all sorts of strange Uma Musume trivia. Had Starlight not reincarnated into this world, Yayoi might've warped her tastes for good.
Mejiro Ardan would never go that far, but Starlight still didn't want anything similar to happen again. It'd bring back memories she'd rather leave buried with the rest of her shameful past.
As for how she knew Mejiro Ardan remembered the person she used to be, despite them never having met face-to-face back then... Starlight wasn't dense enough to miss that many indirect questions.
It wasn't important anyway. Mejiro Ardan was most likely just curious about how the trainer who'd once taught her younger sister had turned into a woman. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dropped the subject the moment Maruzensky interrupted her.
Starlight's attitude toward the matter was much the same as when Symboli Rudolf had almost uncovered her identity.
She'd admit it if someone asked, but if they didn't, she'd keep her mouth shut. She wouldn't go out of her way to hide it, but she wouldn't confess on her own either.
Lately, though, Starlight had begun to suspect that this approach wasn't as trouble-free as she'd hoped.
For example, she'd just finished another full day of training and was about to return to the staff dormitory to organize her data when another unwanted visitor caught up with her. Naturally, the culprit could only be the utterly boundary-free Maruzensky.
"What brings you here at this hour, Miss Supercar?"
Starlight heard the footsteps drawing closer behind her. She knew Maruzensky's gait well enough that she didn't even need to turn around.
Her words made Maruzensky freeze in the middle of preparing to pounce on her from behind. All at once, it felt as though an invisible wall had risen between them.
Whoa, talk about keeping your distance!
What was going on? They hadn't seen each other for a single morning, and Cloudy was already acting like they were strangers?!
"It's nothing serious. I told you before, didn't I? I've just got a few little things I wanted to talk to you about."
Despite her thoughts, Maruzensky still pressed herself against Starlight's back and wrapped both arms around her right arm. Perhaps because Maruzensky behaved outrageously so often, Starlight had grown used to this kind of contact since that morning. She neither stopped nor chased her away, instead letting Maruzensky cling to her side.
Maruzensky brightened at once and pressed even closer without the slightest hint of restraint.
Cloudy really was all bark and no bite. Even the way she refused to be honest with herself was just like Rudolf!
"You were talking to yourself. I don't remember agreeing to anything." Starlight glanced sideways at Maruzensky, her gaze cold behind her plain glasses. "And don't push your luck."
Having Maruzensky press her chest against her still stirred a faint trace of embarrassment, but after being touched so often, Starlight had built up some resistance.
"You're already giving me the cold shoulder. Did that new young lady steal your heart? Am I just getting in the way now?"
Maruzensky pitched her voice high and whined in an exaggerated, syrupy tone. She immediately felt Starlight's body stiffen as goose bumps rose across her skin.
Maruzensky let out a quiet laugh, pleased that her prank had worked. Knowing when to stop, she returned to her usual manner.
"Besides, doesn't Cloudy want to have a heart-to-heart with her big sister?"
"I'm already exhausted from handling three trainees while keeping track of their training. Could you show me a little consideration, Miss Supercar?"
Starlight sighed in irritation and tried to pull her arm free. After several failed attempts, she gave up for the moment.
So far, Oguri Cap was the only one who'd settled into a proper rhythm. She'd already established herself in Central, which meant Starlight could worry a little less about her.
Tokai Teio and Mejiro Ardan were another matter. Teio needed constant attention before entering her prime, while Ardan had only just joined the team and possessed Glass Legs.
"So, what did you want?"
Unable to shake Miss Supercar off, Starlight stopped walking and asked what she'd come for. If they went any farther, she'd end up bringing Maruzensky back to the dormitory, and she didn't even want to imagine how much trouble that would cause.
"It's really nothing much. It's just... you've met Rudolf already, haven't you?"
Once she'd let the mood build long enough, Maruzensky finally revealed her reason for coming.
"I met her when Oguri came to Central. She even tried to intimidate me," Starlight said with a scowl.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about! I mean while you were an Uma Musume!"
"Oh. Then yes, I've met her."
Starlight had prepared herself for a confrontation, but Symboli Rudolf had done nothing except follow behind her for the entire run. She hadn't caused any trouble.
They'd also run into each other around a corner that morning. Starlight couldn't tell whether Rudolf had failed to notice her or simply hadn't wanted to speak, but she thought their current arrangement of leaving each other alone worked perfectly well.
"Then... did anything happen between you two?"
"No. She just followed along behind me without saying anything."
Her answer caught Maruzensky by surprise. She still remembered how dejected Symboli Rudolf had looked when they met that morning.
No matter how she considered it, that wasn't the expression of someone who'd experienced nothing at all.
Then again... Rudolf clearly wasn't the only person acting strangely today.
Starlight watched Maruzensky's eyes shift again and again. She didn't need to ask what the woman was thinking. Maruzensky had no doubt begun inventing another overblown story and adding details that had never happened.
Starlight had no intention of explaining herself. Now that she had nothing left to worry about, Maruzensky could think whatever she pleased. Trying to correct her might only make the misunderstanding worse.
"That's everything I know. You'll have to ask Symboli Rudolf about the rest."
While Maruzensky's attention was caught by those words, Starlight freed her right arm from the woman's embrace. She unlocked her door, stepped inside, and shut it in one smooth motion, leaving Maruzensky outside with a final remark.
"All right, I'm going to rest. Please leave, Miss Supercar."
--+--
T/N: This is all I got guys... No more raws and the author disappeared after 2024. I didn't think this only had one more chapter left, so im rushing to find another entertaining uma fic. Most likely an uma fic will be released tomorrow to replace this uma fic. Or maybe a reupload of the pokemon fic if i can't find a replacement uma fic.