...
On Saturday afternoon, Lucian drove to the gates of Tracen Academy.
Special Week and the others had agreed to meet at the dormitory building.
When Lucian arrived, they all walked out together.
"Trainer, we're here!" Haru Urara waved and called out from afar.
Since there was no training today and they were just going out to have fun, none of them were wearing their tracksuits.
Haru Urara was dressed in casual wear, with both her top and bottom in light tones, which suited her very well.
As for Special Week, she was wearing Tracen's school uniform. But Lucian wasn't surprised—this was just Spe-chan being her simple, honest self.
What was worth mentioning was Silence Suzuka.
Silence Suzuka had a quiet and steady personality, but her outfit today was a stark contrast.
She wore a black dress with a two-tiered skirt. The outer layer was made of sheer chiffon, semi-transparent, while the inner layer was smooth silk.
On her feet, she wore a pair of simple yet elegant black heels.
Lucian noticed that Silence Suzuka really liked wearing stockings. Whether it was this dress or her racing outfit, she always paired them with black stockings.
Don't ask why Lucian observed this so closely.
The answer was simple: he liked it.
A bow was pinned to the back of her dress, its two ribbons fluttering gracefully as she walked. The ruffled sleeves, resembling white waves, stopped at her shoulders, revealing her fair arms.
Noticing Lucian's gaze lingering on her, Silence Suzuka felt both pleased and nervous, lowering her head shyly.
She rarely wore such sexy outfits.
But after agonizing over it yesterday, trying on different clothes, she had ultimately chosen this one.
A clash of innocence and sensuality.
The two didn't conflict but rather seemed as if innocence was wrapped in sensuality. To reach the innermost layer, one would have to peel it back like an onion.
When Seiun Sky saw Silence Suzuka at the dormitory building, she knew she had lost.
Though she was also wearing a carefully selected dress today, it couldn't compare to Silence Suzuka's at all.
Looking at her long sleeves that reached her wrists, Seiun Sky wondered if she should have shown a bit more skin. And maybe white stockings would have looked nice too...
"Get in the car, what are you all standing around for?" Lucian honked the horn.
Everyone filed into the car one by one.
It was only then that Lucian noticed the two small braids tied at the back of Seiun Sky's hair, one on each side.
Quite playful and cute.
...
The karaoke room had already been booked.
By the time Lucian and the others arrived, someone was already singing inside.
"Hello, you're finally here!" Tokai Teio put down the microphone and came to the door to welcome them.
"Who's this?"
Aside from Special Week, who was somewhat familiar with Tokai Teio, the others didn't really know her.
Lucian introduced her to the group: "This is Tokai Teio. She was specially invited by Symboli Rudolf to help you all with your Victory Live training."
Tokai Teio—the female protagonist of the anime's second season.
Everyone must have heard of "Hachimi" and her singing "Ballin" this meme originated from her.
Tokai Teio's physique was similar to Haru Urara's, both being very petite.
But her talent far surpassed Haru Urara's. Her flexibility was exceptional, and her ankles were much more supple compared to other horse girls.
This flexibility would later become her greatest strength—but also her greatest weakness.
Silence Suzuka: "Hello."
Seiun Sky: "We'll be in your care."
"Hello!" Haru Urara waved warmly.
Perhaps because they were both small in stature, she felt an instant fondness for Tokai Teio.
She thought to herself that if Tokai Teio ever faced setbacks, she would do her best to comfort and encourage her.
"Come in and sit down! Since the president asked me, I'll do my best to teach you!"
...
Tokai Teio was very enthusiastic and sociable. It didn't take long for her to get familiar with everyone and start teaching them how to sing and dance.
Lucian, on the other hand, was the most idle one. Leaning back on the sofa, he felt a good portion of his fatigue melt away.
He had been swamped with training reports lately, often working until dawn.
"Haah~" Lucian yawned.
Since the music stopped while Tokai Teio was teaching, everyone heard him.
"Why are you all looking at me? Keep the music going, keep dancing."
"Trainer, are you bored?" Haru Urara asked.
"It's fine. Your training is more important."
If this world had the games from his previous life, he would've already started playing Honor of Kings, Mobile Legend or Wildrift by now.
Everyone resumed their practice.
Before long, Silence Suzuka sat down beside Lucian.
She had actually been helping to guide the others earlier, but now that she wasn't needed, she came over.
Silence Suzuka felt a little resentful deep down.
After all this time, Lucian still hadn't complimented her on how nice she looked today.
"Suzuka, why'd you come down?"
"Taking a break."
"I thought you'd be down there shaking your tambourine the whole time."
Silence Suzuka looked surprised—she hadn't even taken out her tambourine yet. "How did you know I brought a tambourine?"
Lucian couldn't very well say he knew from watching the anime, so he changed the subject. "Are you going to perform later? You rarely dress up like this."
"Does it... look nice?"
The compliment she had been hoping for came unexpectedly.
"Of course it does." Lucian nodded, though what he really wanted to ask about was the first half of his sentence.
For some reason, hearing Lucian's praise made Silence Suzuka feel that all her agonizing last night had been worth it.
"It depends on how long they practice... If there's time, then... I'll sing." Silence Suzuka suddenly felt nervous.
Strangely, she had never felt this way even when performing in front of thousands of spectators.
"Trainer~ Suzuka-senpai~ What are you two talking about?" Seiun Sky also came over and sat down on Lucian's other side.
"Nothing much, just asking if there'll be any performances later."
"Performances?" As if triggered by some mechanism, Seiun Sky's competitive spirit flared up again. "There's still plenty of time. Spe-chan and Urara are picking it up quickly, so it should be possible."
"Then I'll look forward to it. After all, this is a privilege usually reserved for when you place in the top three." Lucian picked up two empty cups and poured hot water for Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky. "Have some water first."
"Thank you." x2
Silence Suzuka reached for the cup on the table, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the other cup—the one Lucian had been drinking from.
She swallowed hard, as if the now-cooled water in that cup would taste better than the one in hers.
While Silence Suzuka was still hesitating, Seiun Sky on the other side had already sprung into action.
"It's too hot~" Seiun Sky pursed her lips and put the cup back on the table. "Trainer, let me mix some water from your cup into mine."
Without waiting for Lucian's reply, she picked up his cup and poured some into hers—right under Silence Suzuka's stunned gaze.
"That's the one I drank from..." Lucian didn't react much.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
That said, Seiun Sky's hands trembled slightly as she held the cup again.
This counted as... an indirect kiss, right?
Seeing that Seiun Sky didn't mind, Lucian didn't say anything else.
"So sweet."
She downed it in one go.
Even though it was just water, Seiun Sky acted as if she were tipsy from alcohol, her cheeks blooming with a faint red hue.
Witnessing all this, Silence Suzuka felt as if she had been hit by a paralysis spell, an invisible hand tugging at her heart.
Everything Seiun Sky said... seemed like it should have been her lines.