...
"Trainer, we've changed clothes! Come in now!" Urara's head peeked out from beside the door.
"Done changing? Then I'm coming in."
Sweat should smell bad, especially since all three of them were drenched.
But when Lucian entered the training room, he was met with an even stronger fragrance—a fresh, floral scent, like flowers dampened by rain.
"Trainer, what's this 'relaxing activity' you mentioned next?" Urara, exhausted just a second ago, was now brimming with energy again.
"It's more like a special training session for Spe-chan."
Special Week pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Your debut race is coming up. Who else would it be for?" Lucian replied.
"Then how are we gonna train Spe-chan!?" The fact that they didn't have to do intense training made Urara even more excited.
Lucian's lips twitched. Urara sure had a way with words.
"It's that." Lucian pointed at the small sandbags prepared on the table.
Silence Suzuka tilted her head. "Sandbags?"
"Yes." Lucian nodded and began explaining. "Among Spe-chan's opponents is a racer named Dextrous Bailey. She's incredibly strong... and might pose a threat to Spe-chan. So, we're using these sandbags to train Spe-chan's reflexes."
"Yay~ Sandbag toss! I love this game!"
"Urara, don't throw too hard later, okay?" Special Week forced a smile.
"Don't worry, Spe-chan! I won't hit you hard!"
"Urara, don't be so confident. Spe-chan's reflexes are sharp," Silence Suzuka said.
Back in the countryside, Special Week had often undergone similar training. Though not systematic, it had still been effective.
"R-Really, Suzuka? Are my reflexes really that good?" Special Week asked weakly, lacking confidence.
"Spe-chan!" Silence Suzuka puffed her cheeks slightly.
The atmosphere in the training room was lively.
...
Everyone grabbed sandbags and returned to the training field.
Lucian briefly explained the rules. "First round: rapid consecutive throws. Second round: delayed throws—don't give Spe-chan too much time to react. Repeat the cycle."
"Got it!"
"Okay."
Lucian and the other two stood in front of Special Week.
Though she had no worries about attacks from behind, the close distance still put immense pressure on her.
"Here they come!" Special Week's eyes sharpened as she braced herself.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
Three sandbags flew in quick succession.
But to Special Week's focused eyes, it was as if time had slowed—the trajectories of the sandbags were clear.
Without any surprises, she dodged them effortlessly.
"Wow, Spe-chan! That was amazing!"
"Spe-chan, I told you to be more confident!"
...
The special training continued for a long time.
Urara, who had been full of energy at the start, was now listless. "I can't hit her at all! This isn't fun anymore!"
Meanwhile, Lucian and Silence Suzuka had managed to land quite a few hits in the later rounds.
"Urara, do you want me to stand still so you can hit me?" Special Week felt a little guilty.
"Hmph, no!"
"Urara, no tantrums," Lucian said as he picked up the sandbags from the ground. "That's it for today's training. Let's all head back to the training room and rest."
...
Back in the training room, the training clothes from yesterday had already dried. Lucian gathered them and returned them to the three girls.
"Pack up and go get some dinner."
"Okay! I'm starving!"
Special Week, the food lover, chimed in, "Me too! I'm having two bowls of rice tonight!"
Only Silence Suzuka looked at Lucian, who had sat back down at the computer desk. "Lucian-kun, are you staying here?"
"Yeah, I'll head back later." Aside from recording today's training data, Lucian still had some things to take care of.
"Will it take long? I could... bring you dinner."
Silence Suzuka actually wanted to stay and keep him company, but with Urara and Special Week around, she couldn't bring herself to say it outright.
"It's fine, I'll be done soon. Go ahead, they're waiting for you." Lucian felt warmed by her concern.
Silence Suzuka glanced at Special Week and Urara waiting by the door, then nodded. "Alright. But make sure you rest early too."
"Mm, I will."
...
After dinner, Silence Suzuka's thoughts kept drifting back to Lucian, so she made up an excuse to part ways with the other two.
"Suzuka, did you forget something again? Have you not been resting well lately?"
Special Week thought Silence Suzuka was usually meticulous—it wasn't like her to be forgetful.
"A little, I guess."
"Wait, is it because I snore at night!?"
"Spe-chan, you snore? Can I record it and use it as my alarm tone?" Urara laughed.
"No, I just haven't been sleeping well. You two go ahead."
...
Silence Suzuka returned to the training room—sure enough, the lights were still on.
She pushed the door open to find Lucian still at the computer.
"Suzuka?"
"Lucian-kun, why are you still here?"
"I didn't expect there'd be this much work. Next semester should be better, though."
The Trainer duties were manageable, but the teaching workload—submitting materials to the school—was piling up.
"Can't you finish it tomorrow?"
"It's due tomorrow. Heh." Lucian hadn't realized how much had accumulated due to his procrastination.
"Not very teacher-like of you." Silence Suzuka sat beside him and teased, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Seeing she wasn't planning to leave, Lucian smiled. "If you're not in a hurry, just keep me company."
"Okay."
The time spent with Lucian...
Made Silence Suzuka feel at ease.
Even if they didn't speak or do anything.
Especially the way Lucian looked when he was focused on work.
It was almost magnetic—drawing her gaze to his profile.