"Did you guys see anything?"
"I only saw Suzuka-san go into Kitano-chan's room—and it looks like Chigiri-senpai is in there too!"
Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa craned their necks, trying to get a better view of Kitano's room and gather more intel on him. They didn't dare get too close; Mr. C.B. and Silent Suzuka were both very perceptive horse girls. If they were caught, they wouldn't know how to explain themselves, even if Kitano wouldn't say much.
Nakayama Festa, especially, was struggling. She still wasn't sure how she truly felt about Kitano, but she knew one thing for certain: some of her feelings... couldn't be expressed to him yet. After all, she couldn't even overcome her own stubborn personality to express her emotions more directly.
"Something felt off before... The way he treats Chigiri and Suzuka is clearly different... Is he into the older, senpai type?"
"I don't think so. Kitano-chan probably just doesn't turn anyone away."
In response to her sister's slightly jealous remark, Gold Ship, who understood Kitano's character well, replied with a playful smile.
"If you were a little more honest, Festa-nee, you could have just said you didn't want anyone else on the team, right? I'm sure with Kitano-chan's personality, he would have considered your feelings first, since no one else had joined at that point~"
"—But, if you actually said that, Festa-nee, Gold Ship-chan would have to wonder if you were really you."
Gold Ship spoke words with a deeper meaning only she understood. But her gaze wasn't on Festa, nor was it on the lit doorway to Kitano's room. It was drifting subtly towards the silent Seiun Sky standing beside them.
"None of that matters. What are Suzuka and Chigiri talking to him about? I can't hear a thing from here."
Due to her upbringing, Seiun Sky, despite speaking fluent Japanese from her family's influence, rarely used honorifics with anyone. Her brow furrowed, she finally decided to stop hiding in the corner. Under the watchful eyes of the other two, she began walking silently towards the door.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"You'll be discovered if you get too close!"
Seiun Sky's casual movements, as if she didn't care about being caught, drew hushed gasps from Festa and Gold Ship. They had to suppress their voices, terrified of alerting those inside. Left with no other choice, they followed her.
Thankfully, Seiun Sky didn't burst into the room. Instead, she leaned against the wall next to the door, her horse ears perked to catch the conversation within. Gold Ship and Festa did the same, the three of them holding their breath. Soon, the sound of a bathroom door opening broke the silence, followed by Silent Suzuka's familiar, gentle voice.
"I found it. It really did fall in the bathroom. My apologies."
Inside the room, Suzuka put her ear cover back on, offering a natural-looking apology to Kitano. Then, her gaze slowly shifted to Mr. C.B. Her tone remained unchanged as she asked with simple curiosity:
"But, Chigiri-senpai, why are you still here? I remember you don't live on campus, and it's getting quite late."
A sly smile appeared on Suzuka's face as she continued in a soft voice, "Or perhaps... Trainer-san has a special treatment reserved just for Chigiri-senpai?"
"That's not it at all!"
Mr. C.B., who could usually handle any situation with grace, retorted with unexpected ferocity. A rare blush appeared on her cheeks, a stark contrast to her usual composed image.
Perhaps it was because her recovered memories had unleashed all her long-suppressed feelings for Kitano. Knowing that he had once wanted to propose to her made it impossible for Mr. C.B. to face him with her old nonchalance. Even the潇洒 (free-spirited) facade she had maintained for so long was beginning to crumble.
Suzuka's words had unintentionally struck a sensitive nerve. In truth, Mr. C.B. was at a disadvantage for being in a much earlier "cycle." In her time, Kitano hadn't yet developed skills like "acupuncture."
Furthermore, their era was a time when the public scrutiny over relationships between trainers and their horse girls was at its peak. While rumors about Kitano and Mr. C.B. had been rampant, their "romance" was built on the premise of being a purely platonic relationship.
Thus, even now, despite her bold gestures like putting the ring on Kitano's finger and burying their past together, they had barely had any physical contact beyond their hands and faces.
The kind of acupuncture treatments Suzuka and the others received now were unthinkable back then, let alone the prolonged leg-touching required for Suzuka to get accustomed to it. Mr. C.B. had never experienced any of that; just the thought of it was enough to make her blush with embarrassment.
"Suzuka... don't say things like that," even Kitano advised with a wry smile, shaking his head at his most dependable charge. "Especially not in front of Festa and Ship. They'll think I'm playing favorites. Chigiri was just having a heart-to-heart with me."
"I see."
However, Mr. C.B.'s unusually strong reaction only served to confirm Suzuka's suspicions. Suzuka simply smiled gently, her eyes narrowing in a subtle glance. Though she heard nothing, she guessed someone was eavesdropping outside the door. She deliberately continued, speaking to both Kitano and Mr. C.B.
"But even if that were the case, I wouldn't mind, you know? In your heart, Trainer-san, even if everyone on the team is equal, the care each person needs is different."
"If you do something for one of us but not for another, it's natural for people to feel you're being biased. But I don't think that way. Trainer-san is already trying his best."
"Instead, everyone else shouldn't be so greedy for Trainer-san's attention, or trouble him over every little emotion. It would be nice if everyone could be a little more considerate of his difficulties."
"Especially since Trainer-san's health isn't the best to begin with. I've always felt that ever since your health improved recently, Trainer-san, everyone's concern for you has lessened a little."
Suzuka's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone, inside and outside the room, to hear. Her seemingly casual complaint struck a chord with Festa, Gold Ship, and Seiun Sky outside, causing them all to jolt.
Involuntarily, the three girls recalled the scene of them asking Kitano for acupuncture one after another. Nakayama Festa, who had been annoyed that Kitano had touched so many horse girls' legs, was hit hardest by Suzuka's words. She couldn't help but lower her head, a rare moment of introspection washing over her. Had she been... too selfish these past few days?
First, when Suzuka joined the team, she had thrown a tantrum and refused to listen to Kitano's instructions... Back when she was with the Orfevre family, she would never have done anything to cause him extra worry.
And this time was the same. After Kitano finished with Suzuka's treatment, she had demanded he do the same for her simply out of spite. If she truly didn't want him to touch her, how could his frail body possibly force her? The fact that Nakayama Festa had allowed him to touch her legs was proof enough of her silent consent.
Nakayama Festa knew that Kitano was not a biased person. Whatever he did for others, he would do for her too, as long as she agreed. But... in the past, even if she wanted something, she would never have wanted him to do anything that would further burden his body. Before... she had always put him first in her heart.
When had her heart started to rebel so much, to become so anxious? And because of that anxiety, she had done things that indirectly hurt him... Why?
Nakayama Festa lowered her head, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Beside her, Gold Ship and Seiun Sky were also silent, lost in their own thoughts after hearing Suzuka's words.
"Don't say that, Suzuka. Festa and the others are already doing great. To be honest, if they really wanted to cause trouble, who could stop them? The fact that they're willing to listen to me, to accept me as their trainer, already makes me very happy."
But Kitano's perspective was completely different. Causing trouble? From the day he joined the Orfevre family, he knew exactly what kind of personalities he was dealing with. Having been the trainer for Orfevre and now for her younger sisters, Kitano knew better than anyone that when a horse girl from that family truly went wild, no one could rein them in.
But as he got to know them, he slowly discovered that if you looked past their quick tempers, their wild antics, and their sometimes frenzied performances on the track, they weren't so different from other horse girls.
In fact, because their "infamy" kept most other horse girls from approaching them, the care and concern they showed to those who were still willing to be with them was greater than what you'd see from the average horse girl.
Right now, for instance, Festa and Ship were deliberately suppressing their natural instincts to listen to his words. That alone was enough to show how much they cared for him—if it were anyone else, getting them to restrain themselves would be a joke.
"I would never ask them to be as quiet and obedient as you, Suzuka. Everyone has a different personality. My job as a trainer isn't to suppress your natures, but to help you thrive while keeping you from crossing any lines."
"I'm very happy to hear you say that, Trainer-san." A faint smile appeared on Suzuka's face when Kitano praised her for being "obedient," but inwardly, she sighed.
I see... you still see me as a child. But then again, for a special existence like you, Trainer-san, perhaps all of us are just children in your eyes.
But that's fine. Whether you see me as a child or a partner, whether my feelings are one-sided or not... I will always be by your side, Trainer-san.
I won't just stand by and watch anymore. This time, I will change your fate. I'll use every bit of strength I have.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave. If Chigiri-senpai still has matters to discuss with Trainer-san, I won't disturb you any longer."
"...No, actually, I don't have anything more to say either."
With things having come to this, with Silent Suzuka bringing up Kitano's health, Mr. C.B. certainly couldn't continue the conversation as if nothing had happened. Doing so would make her exactly the kind of person Suzuka was talking about.
Besides, Mr. C.B. had a vague feeling that Silent Suzuka wanted to speak to her alone... Was it about Kitano? Or was she... planning to confess something?
"Alright, be careful on your way home tonight."
"Yes. See you tomorrow, Trainer-san."
A suspicious Kitano bid farewell to Suzuka and Mr. C.B. The moment the door closed again, the gentle smile on his face slowly vanished. Even he could tell something was off about what had just happened, with both Mr. C.B. and Suzuka.
Mr. C.B. suddenly talking about "love," and Suzuka's rare complaint, which seemed directed at an unseen audience... Everything about the two girls felt wrong. The atmosphere when they had looked at each other earlier had made him especially suspicious.
"...It can't be that Suzuka and Chigiri are fighting over me, can it?" Kitano chuckled at the thought and shook his head. If both of them had their memories, he might have considered it. But as it stood, he had known them for less than three months. If he could raise their affection levels that high so quickly, he wouldn't have been "rejected" by Mr. C.B. in the first place.
But if it wasn't that, then what was it? Kitano pondered for a moment, recalling his actions over the past few months, and his suspicion began to center on Suzuka.
Suzuka... she wasn't this easy to get close to in the past. Although several months together had narrowed the distance between them, based on his experience, his relationship with Suzuka usually only became this close after at least a year.
But now, her attitude towards him had been this gentle ever since the Mile Championship, almost matching the level of their relationship in her original cycle.
...Could it be that victory in that race is what made her start to—
For a moment, that was the only possibility Kitano could think of. He could imagine how much that victory in the Mile Championship must have encouraged her. During her lowest point, when she was despairing even in herself, he had given her his full support. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had saved her.
Could that be it? Thinking back, he felt he had seen that particular expression on her face before. It was when he had taken her to visit Special Week's home; he had seen that same subtle, half-smiling expression then.
"This is not good..."
The thought filled Kitano with complex emotions. On one hand, he was somewhat happy that Suzuka could still fall for him in this cycle... but when he thought of Seiun Sky, Nakayama Festa, and Gold Ship's reactions, he didn't know how to handle Suzuka's feelings.
It seemed the only thing he could hope for was that Suzuka would suppress her feelings, just like before... At the very least, he hoped she wouldn't show them while Festa and the others were still competing.
Meanwhile, Silent Suzuka was unaware that her well-hidden feelings had already been seen through by Kitano. If she had known, this seemingly masterful "strategist" might have lost her composure and revealed her shy side.
Right now, Suzuka and Mr. C.B. walked together in unspoken understanding. They silently made their way to a washroom in the trainer's dormitory. In this slightly damp corner, they both stopped, facing each other in the dim light.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't the perplexed Mr. C.B. who spoke first, but Suzuka. The girl known for her "Great Escape" in races, conversations, and even love, made her move. In the most direct and simple way possible, she said something that made hearts stop:
"Chigiri-senpai... If I'm not mistaken, you've known Trainer-san for much longer than the present, haven't you?"
"!"
Suzuka's words made both Mr. C.B. and a certain sky-blue figure hiding in the shadows jolt. In the next moment, through the darkness, Mr. C.B. stared at Silent Suzuka with an expression of disbelief. Suzuka's own emerald eyes, which seemed to glow even in the dark, curved into a smile as she spoke, word by word:
"I knew it... Chigiri-senpai, we are the same kind of people."
-------
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