It was only at seven in the morning that Xingyun Liuge finally rose, unhurriedly, from Qianzao Yuyi's bed.
Usually, she started her morning training at four sharp. By comparison, today was the very definition of taking it easy.
Of course, that had everything to do with what had happened the previous night.
After lying down, Xingyun Liuge suddenly remembered that she had meant to use that random die several days ago. One thing after another had delayed it, and she had almost forgotten about it entirely.
Today was a rare day—she was not entering the Samsara Arena, nor was she planning to admire four a.m. New York. Since she had the chance, she might as well use the die now before she forgot again.
So she cast it without a word.
What greeted her was boundless darkness.
Not merely darkness so thick that she could not see her hand in front of her face—no, it was far worse than that.
Immersed within it, she could scarcely even sense her own existence. Xingyun Liuge could not tell whether she was breathing, nor whether her heart was still beating.
Perhaps only a moment passed. Perhaps several long hours.
At last, change came to that sea of darkness.
A single point of light appeared in the depths of it. Though faint, it flared forth with a defiance that refused all submission, proclaiming a pulse more profound than darkness itself, more enduring than light, a rhythm that could cross hundreds of millions of light-years.
Even if the moment it shone was also the moment it reached its end, in that vast universe beyond measure there were countless lights glimmering soundlessly—some radiating light and heat, others awaiting the final instant when they too would erupt.
From that starry sky, Xingyun Liuge sensed His presence.
She saw Him as though riding the void itself, wandering beyond the heavens.
Then a solemn, ancient voice spoke:
"So it is by nature."
The Star Forger — Aurelion Sol
This was the first hero Xingyun Liuge had drawn who came with two full skill sets.
She was so excited her face flushed and her heart pounded. She hugged Qianzao Yuyi to her with such force she nearly snapped the girl's waist in half.
That, in turn, was why Yuyi later had to stagger out while bracing herself against the wall.
If a horse girl suddenly hugged you without knowing her own strength, who could possibly survive that?
And then came the real problem.
Yuyi's strange condition looked very easy for other horse girls to misunderstand.
Oguri Cap was the first to rush over. She circled around Qianzao Yuyi, sniffing her all over, because the scent of Xingyun Liuge clinging to her was unbelievably strong. Oguri did not understand what was going on, only that it made her terribly agitated.
The more she sniffed, the more restless she became.
The more restless she became, the more she sniffed.
A vicious cycle.
Still, Oguri Cap was not a rude horse girl. Rather than keep pestering Yuyi, she turned straight to Xingyun Liuge herself.
"Xingyun, why were you two sleeping in the same room?"
Oguri's ears bent back, and the expression on her face was almost intimidating.
Qianzao Yuyi immediately shrank behind Xingyun Liuge and offered a weak excuse.
"Well… it's a long story…"
If she actually admitted that they had slept together last night, she had the distinct feeling none of them would leave this hotel alive.
After all, every eye in the room had fixed on them.
Some were curious.
Some were downright dangerous.
Even the simple, harmlessly nosy stares were rare enough to feel precious.
Wait. Harmlessly nosy?
Following one of those looks, Yuyi turned and found Cuihe there.
For some reason, that little horse girl's presence was so faint that Yuyi had nearly forgotten about her entirely. Even Latifa had more presence in the room. Was it because Cuihe had not yet entered her Classic year?
Oguri Cap, meanwhile, clearly did not realize "it's a long story" was just a dodge.
"Then make it a short story."
Pressed by Oguri's stare, even hiding behind Liuge offered Yuyi no sense of safety at all. She silently wished some other horse girl would step up and stop this Oguri, who for some reason had suddenly become so forceful.
Then she discovered something extremely awkward.
Fujimasa March and Latifa were both staring at her with equally strange looks.
If Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo had not already gone off to train, the scene would probably have been even livelier.
Since Rudolf Symbol had returned to Japan, Sirius Symbol had decided to simply observe how things developed. She wanted to use this chance to see clearly the bonds between Xingyun Liuge and everyone else, so that later, if the time came, she could better help persuade Liuge to stay.
Faced with an unusually aggressive Oguri Cap, Xingyun Liuge looked perfectly relaxed.
"Yuyi and I were discussing the Belmont Stakes late into the night. She probably just didn't sleep well."
Then why did Qianzao Yuyi smell so strongly of Xingyun Liuge?
For that, Liuge had an answer just as ready.
"There was only one bed in the room. Of course some of my scent got on her."
Hearing that, Oguri nodded repeatedly.
"I see."
Mini Lady looked horrified.
"No way… She bought that? Just like that?"
Nolen Ace, on the other hand, spread her hands helplessly.
"Well, that's just how Oguri is. She's a natural airhead. Besides… well, never mind."
What she had wanted to say was: horseplay was a perfectly normal thing, nothing worth making a fuss over.
Xingyun Liuge was her favorite, so naturally she was willing to help cover for her. But the atmosphere around them had become far too heated. She was just an ordinary horse girl; how could she dare get dragged into such a dangerous battlefield? In the end, she wisely chose silence.
Xingyun Liuge, for her part, had no interest in whether there were deserters or not. She only wanted to put this whole mess to rest as quickly as possible.
Hands on her hips, she announced loudly, "Everyone's gathered here first thing in the morning? Then your lives have obviously gotten too comfortable lately. Come on, come on, let's go out and run a bit. Sweat it out, and your hearts will clear right up."
What she truly wanted was to seize every horse girl here and flatten them in one shot.
Except for Oguri Cap, everyone else could tell that Xingyun Liuge was trying to redirect their attention.
But then again, she was Xingyun Liuge—the legendary horse girl who had sprinted from regional dirt tracks all the way onto the international stage.
Who could resist the chance to run with her?
That really was the sort of fortune one only earned over a lifetime.
Nolen Ace was the first to answer, even faster than Oguri Cap herself.
Because of that, Oguri gave her a serious look and praised her.
"You've got taste."
In Oguri's eyes, it was impossible for any horse girl not to want to run with Xingyun. Anyone who said otherwise was just pretending.
What she did not know was that Xingyun Liuge had her own little scheme.
Starfire Revolution (Passive): Every one of Xingyun Liuge's skills can siphon stardust from her opponents, permanently strengthening those skills and unlocking a second skill set.
At present, she still possessed old Aurelion Sol's skill set, but she also had new Aurelion Sol's passive. Through it, she could eventually unlock the new skill set.
Which meant—
Training matches, line up!
She was going to drain the horse girls dry!
She was so eager for it that she did not even spare Kitahara Jones, who was serving as a trainer. The poor veteran nearly fell apart on the spot.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 150)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
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