The once arrogant Dextrous Bailey ultimately yielded to Lucian's deprave... no, his majestic authority, and reluctantly made her way to Team "Dream's" lounge.
"What are you standing at the door for? Come in."
After his outburst, Lucian wasn't particularly angry at Dextrous Bailey anymore, though his tone remained indifferent.
Dextrous Bailey entered the training room, awkwardly glancing around at Silence Suzuka and the others before finally fixing her gaze on Lucian.
Lucian sighed.
Why was she looking at him like that...
He wasn't being fierce now—was he really that scary?
"Spe-chan isn't hurt. Give her a proper apology, and we'll consider this matter closed."
"I'm sorry! I won't... I won't do it again!" Dextrous Bailey clenched her teeth and bowed in apology.
Lucian sighed again. "I'm not Special Week. She's over there."
Embarrassed, Dextrous Bailey adjusted her direction and bowed toward Special Week. "I'm sorry."
"Well... Dextrous Bailey-san, I forgive you."
Despite being the victim, Special Week seemed a little flustered.
But she had to accept it—otherwise, wouldn't Lucian's efforts be in vain?
"Is... is this okay now...?" Dextrous Bailey cautiously raised her head, still half-bowed, and asked Lucian.
"That'll do." Lucian rubbed his forehead. "But you can't use those kinds of methods anymore."
"Yes, I promise!"
"Alright, you can go now."
After dismissing Dextrous Bailey, Lucian went over the day's tasks before letting the team members leave the training room one by one.
He was the last to leave.
Just as he locked the training room door and prepared to leave, Lucian noticed Dextrous Bailey peeking out from behind a tree, her head barely visible.
So she hadn't left yet.
"Why are you still here?" Lucian walked over and asked.
"Lu-Lucian-sensei... is that really all? You... you won't file a complaint with the referees?" Dextrous Bailey shrank back, looking as though she was the one being bullied by Lucian.
Lucian was about to answer when a question suddenly occurred to him.
Why hadn't the referees pursued this matter?
And back when the race had just ended, when he confronted Dextrous Bailey, Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky had clearly been out of the loop.
If he hadn't explained, they would have thought Lucian was angry about the physical collision—but body contact during races was actually quite common.
Connecting these two incidents, Lucian gradually arrived at an answer.
In reality, the dirt fragments were very fine, and the broadcast screens at the venue didn't show close-ups. That was how Dextrous Bailey had gotten away with it.
But Lucian's blessed eyes could see everything—even the horse girls running at full speed didn't appear as mere blurs to him.
"S-so it's really not okay...?" Seeing Lucian remain silent and just stare at her, Dextrous Bailey lowered her head in dismay. "Lucian-sensei... what do I have to do for you to keep quiet? As long as it's something I can do... except for that kind of thing."
Snapped out of his thoughts, Lucian finally regained his focus.
"What did you just say?"
Thinking Lucian was dissatisfied with her answer, Dextrous Bailey gritted her teeth, her fierce expression finally matching the eyepatch on her face. "F-fine... but not here!"
"Wait—!? What nonsense are you spouting?"
Though Lucian didn't engage in romance, he had seen enough to recognize what Dextrous Bailey was implying.
But he had just been lost in thought—he hadn't meant anything like that!
"You... you didn't mean it that way?"
Dextrous Bailey slowly raised her head.
This was the first time she had ever studied Lucian so closely.
He was handsome... even the way he had scolded her that day was handsome.
And the way he had yelled at her—somehow even more handsome?
"No."
Lucian also took the chance to examine Dextrous Bailey properly.
For a minor character who had barely any screen time in the anime, he had almost no impression of her.
But today, he realized Dextrous Bailey had her merits.
Not just her athletic physique.
#WhiteHair #GapMoe #Curvy #LongLegs
And... well, one particular "asset" that surpassed all his team members combined.
Lucian averted his gaze. "You can leave now. I won't expose what you did, but I might keep an eye on your future races."
"I said I won't do it again! I really won't!"
Good grief.
Using the toughest tone to say the most cowardly words.
"Why are you shouting?" Lucian's gaze sharpened, his authority radiating even without anger.
Dextrous Bailey immediately paled, shrinking back a step. "S-sorry..."
Lucian seemed to have discovered something amusing, but he had other matters to attend to and didn't want to delay further. "Alright, get going."
Dextrous Bailey remained rooted in place.
"Still not leaving?"
"C-can you scold me a few more times? Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."
Lucian had never heard such a bizarre request before. Jokingly, he asked, "How about I hit you a few times too?"
"If... if you want to..." Dextrous Bailey curled in on herself.
Lucian froze.
He had been joking.
But the look in her eyes—almost eager—didn't seem like a joke at all.
"Are you trying to get dirt on me?"
"Huh??"
That escalated way too fast...
It was as if some hidden switch had been flipped in Dextrous Bailey.
Her mind kept oscillating between "He's that kind of person!" and "No, he couldn't be..."
"As a teacher, I know exactly what the consequences would be for physically disciplining a student. You're trying to retaliate, aren't you?"
"No, no!" Dextrous Bailey frantically waved her hands.
So that's what he meant.
She had thought he meant something else entirely.
After exchanging a few more rounds with her, Lucian realized Dextrous Bailey simply refused to leave. Sighing, he asked, "Do I really have to scold you for you to feel at ease?"
"Hitting would also—"
"Stop." Lucian made a time-out gesture.
He hadn't expected Dextrous Bailey to be so bold.
But he was the coward here—he didn't dare act on it.
"Next time, if you ever pull something like that on the track again, I won't let you off." Lucian glared, pointing at her. "Why are you spacing out? Did you hear me?!"
"Y-yes, I heard!" Dextrous Bailey nodded repeatedly.
While stealing glances at Lucian earlier, she had zoned out a little.
If only his hand wasn't pointing at her, but instead gripping her like a pair of pliers...
And this wasn't even a proper scolding—it was just another lecture.
Clearly, after waiting so long, she hadn't gotten what she wanted.
But after Lucian finished speaking, Dextrous Bailey finally left.
This way, she could use the same excuse to come find him again next time.