Shinji Kitahara had come looking for Symboli Rudolph.
Although the Black Forest was not under the student council's jurisdiction, it was still a student self-governing organization, and some aspects of its problems definitely needed to be discussed with the student council in advance. So Shinji, along with Grass Wonder and Agnes Digital, had compiled a list of the current problems and had come to discuss them with Symboli Rudolph.
But to his surprise, before he even entered the school building, he saw Tokai Teio walking out.
Her expression was sad, her eyes were slightly red, and her ponytail hung limply behind her. She had completely lost her usual lively spirit, looking like a little cat that had just been drenched in a downpour, trembling as she walked on the muddy road.
So he walked over, heard her whisper, and responded.
And in the next second, the rain-drenched little cat pounced into his arms, holding him tightly, as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go. Her body trembled continuously with sobs.
The moment Tokai Teio hugged him, Shinji's body stiffened for a moment, and then he realized.
Damn it, it must be that bastard Symboli Rudolph who scolded the kid again!
Because of her previous record, Shinji instantly thought of this possibility.
Shinji wanted to comfort Tokai Teio directly, but he looked at the surroundings. Although there weren't many people in the school building at the moment because it was between training and mealtime, some students had to attend evening self-study, and some had to stay behind for remedial classes because of poor grades, so there would definitely be more people here later.
After a little thought, Shinji simply bent down, picked up Tokai Teio directly, and then carried her to a secluded and less crowded place nearby.
Although reason told him that Tokai Teio was a dangerous horse girl and that this behavior was a bit over the top, the problem was that even if you raise a dog, you develop feelings for it after a few months, let alone a good and obedient child like Tokai Teio. Especially after talking with Rudolph so much, although he hadn't managed her training much, he did in a sense treat her as half a daughter, so of course, he couldn't just sit back and watch her in this state.
As for Tokai Teio, although her body stiffened for a moment when Shinji's hands wrapped around her, in the next second, she cooperated with his movements without any hesitation. Her tail swayed gently behind her, and her face, pressed against his chest, was also slightly red.
And after being put down, after secretly glancing at the surroundings, Tokai Teio's face became even redder, and the amplitude of her tail's swing directly increased by a notch.
Although reason told her that, based on her understanding of Shinji, it was impossible for him to have brought her to this kind of place for some purpose.
But what if Trainer-san has some bad thoughts about me...
And then, before she could think further, Shinji spoke directly, shattering her fantasy.
"Did Rudolph scold you again?"
When he said this, there was a hint of disappointment in Shinji's tone.
He thought to himself, I've emphasized it to that woman several times. With a smart, sensible, and obedient child like Tokai Teio, scolding is useless and might even be counterproductive. If there's something, just talk to her properly. Why do you have to use that temper you brought from the Symboli family?
And after hearing Shinji's words, Tokai Teio's body paused for a moment, and then she quickly realized that he had misunderstood something.
But, after a moment of thought, Tokai Teio gave up the idea of clarifying this misunderstanding.
After all, according to the president's account, he didn't seem to want her to know about that matter, so she would just pretend she didn't know.
And, she herself also enjoyed this feeling of being carefully taken care of by Trainer-san and didn't want to lose this hard-won warmth.
So, this time, for the sake of her own greed, Tokai Teio decided to be a bad girl for once.
She didn't answer Shinji's question, just snuggled into that warm embrace, enjoying this moment of happiness.
Seeing her like this, Shinji didn't press her for an answer, nor did he offer much comfort. He just quietly stayed with her.
Then, after a while.
Tokai Teio's voice came from Shinji's embrace.
"Trainer-san, do you also think it's better for me to have a trainer?"
Hearing her words, Shinji's eyebrows raised.
Well, well, Rudolph, you just don't learn, do you?
The reason for this argument is exactly the same as last time, not a single thing has changed, has it?
But even so, he still answered Tokai Teio's question honestly.
"Yes, from my perspective, it's definitely better to have a trainer than not to have one."
Shinji had thought that after he said this, Tokai Teio would be unhappy, or at least have some reaction.
But nothing happened.
Excitement, rebuttal, sadness...
Nothing.
She just quietly nestled in his arms, like a hermit crab that had finally found its shell, shrinking in and not making any more movements.
Then, after a while longer, her voice sounded again.
"Then, Trainer-san, as long as you want, I'm willing to be your charge."
The initial excitement had faded, and the balance had gradually returned. But even so, she still mustered up the courage to say this.
As long as Shinji was willing to place a weight on that scale, then no matter what was on the other side—the past, herself, or anything else—she was willing to give it up.
But Shinji said nothing.
He just continued to hold her, silently accompanying her, without any extra movements.
After a while, Tokai Teio spoke with some anxiety.
"Um, Trainer-san, are you unwilling? It's okay if you're not, I won't force you... Or, do you hate me..."
"I just feel that this doesn't sound like something you would say."
Shinji's voice sounded.
Tokai Teio's body stiffened slightly, and then she felt a hand touch her head, skillfully picking up the small tuft of white hair in front of her forehead and gently rubbing it.
And with this rubbing, feeling the wonderful rhythm coming from it, a strange sense of peace and satisfaction began to rise in her heart, and her anxiety gradually dissipated.
Then, after she relaxed, Shinji spoke again.
"I know you're probably very sad right now, and you might even have some self-doubt."
"I don't want to say things like 'I think you're right', because I just think that trying to win the undefeated Triple Crown without relying on a trainer is a hopeless and very unwise thing to do."
"But hopeless doesn't mean there's no hope, and unwise doesn't mean it's impossible."
"People have to make many choices in their lives, some good and some bad, some important and some insignificant."
"But all these choices have one thing in common: before you make them, you never know which side is right, and you may not even know after you make them."
"What Rudolph and I can do is use our experience to help you judge which side has a higher probability of being right, not the absolutely correct option."
"This is not a statement I made up to comfort you. In fact, I have made choices that were even more unwise than yours."
"In a village once, when I was a child, I witnessed a group of human traffickers kidnapping a girl and fleeing into the mountains."
"I knew at the time that my wisest choice was to notify the nearby adults, then notify the police, seal off the mountain and search for them."
"But I was afraid that this might cause them to become desperate, and I was also worried that they might have some secret path to escape, so I followed them without consulting anyone, using my life as a bargaining chip and winning that hopeless gamble."
"Another time, I was in a very dangerous situation, surrounded by very dangerous bad people."
"And on my side, there was only me, a child at the time, and a little ancestor who couldn't do anything right, could only be a hindrance, and had a very troublesome personality."
"I knew that as long as I abandoned her, I could easily escape."
"And as long as I was fast enough, I could call my companions who were already lurking outside to round them all up, and that little ancestor, as long as she hid well, would not be in any danger."
"But I chose to believe in her, put both of our lives in her hands, and then we cooperated to escape from there."
"These were all very unwise choices, and I didn't know right from wrong before I made them."
"And when I review them afterward, I often feel that my brain must have been kicked by a horse girl at that time, to insist on doing that when there were clearly better and more stable choices."
"But Teio, I have never regretted those choices."
"Because I succeeded, I saved them."
"And if I had chosen the other 'correct' path, although the result might have been the same, there might have been an accident, which might have made the situation worse."
Then, he lowered his head, looked at the girl in his arms, and said seriously.
"You too."
"Although challenging the undefeated Triple Crown alone without relying on a trainer is a very unwise and hopeless thing to do, perhaps this is your correct path."
"And winning the undefeated Triple Crown with a trainer, although I think it's the right choice, perhaps many years later, you might regret it, feeling that you could have challenged a higher honor at that time."
"But this is not the most important thing."
"The most important thing is that the you right now is not like you."
He skillfully wrapped the girl's hair around his finger, guiding her to lift her head, and looked at her calmly, his tone serious.
"The Tokai Teio I know is the lively, confident, and running-loving Tokai Teio."
"She listens to other people's advice, but she also has her own opinions. She can be a little willful at times, but she is never vague about important things."
"When the trainer is not doing his job, she will take the initiative to liven up the atmosphere in the team and treat everyone with enthusiasm."
"And before a race, she will make all the preparations she can and win with the most perfect posture."
"I know that people have sad times and can't always stay calm."
"But I hope you can think about the question you just asked me again after you calm down, and then confirm your decision."
"Whether you find a trainer or not, whether you go it alone or not, I will respect your choice."
"And if you choose to continue alone, I will still fulfill our previous agreement and will not interfere with you in any way."
"And besides training, you can still leave other things to me. I will also talk to Rudolph..."
"Don't!"
Originally, listening to Shinji's words and feeling the pulling of her hair, Tokai Teio's consciousness was a little fuzzy, and she just wanted to lie in his arms and not leave today.
But when she heard him say he was going to talk to the president about this, she was immediately scared awake.
She had to wake up. If she really let him go and talk to the president about this, and they compared notes, wouldn't her concealment just now be exposed? Although she just didn't answer and didn't lie, what if Trainer-san thought she was a bad child and didn't like her anymore...
Thinking of this, Tokai Teio suddenly regretted not being honest from the beginning.
But the problem is that Trainer-san's embrace is really comfortable...
Tokai Teio was conflicted.
And seeing her like this, Shinji thought that this little one was probably worried about the various situations that might arise after he and Rudolph confronted each other.
After thinking for a while, he said that if she was worried, then he wouldn't talk to Rudolph about this for now, but if it happened again next time, he would definitely have to go over and give her a good talking to.
Hearing him say this, Tokai Teio immediately agreed, and then snuggled in his arms for a while longer before reluctantly leaving.
But even after leaving that warm embrace, feeling the residual warmth on her body, although she still couldn't make the most difficult choice, she could at least make another choice.
"Trainer-san, can I still go to the training camp now?" she asked with a slight blush, her tail wagging faster and faster behind her.
Shinji noticed her abnormality, but only thought she was embarrassed.
After all, she was the only one who had refused the invitation to the training camp before, and now she suddenly wanted to join. Not to mention Tokai Teio, even he, Shinji, if he really did that, would want to find a hole to hide in.
"What about the game?" he asked.
After a moment of silence.
Tokai Teio's gaze shifted slightly, and she said in a small voice.
"...Already cleared it."
"Then it's up to you—but I might not have enough beds over there, you might have to sleep on the floor outside with Agnes Digital."
"Eh? Is the bed in your dorm that small, Trainer-san? Didn't you get more money..."
"Did you forget how many people are in our team?"
"...Ah, then it seems that it's really not your problem, Trainer-san."
Chatting idly, they walked out of the corner, and then the two separated.
Shinji still had to go find Rudolph to talk about the Black Forest, and Tokai Teio had to go back to her dorm tonight to pack up and prepare to move over for the training camp tomorrow.
But, Shinji left very decisively, but after walking a few steps, Tokai Teio stopped and looked back at him, her tail wagging with increasing amplitude.
Looking at that back, feeling the residual warmth on her body, Tokai Teio blinked, her face slightly red.
To be clear, she had no special, bad, strange, or dangerous thoughts about her Trainer-san.
It was just that when she was free, being held in his arms and pampered, that seemed pretty good too.
And if there could be something more intimate than a hug...
Not knowing what she was thinking, Tokai Teio ran away, wagging her tail and blushing.
-------
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