"Special Week crosses the finish line first!"
"In second place is Seiun Sky, and in third is El Condor Pasa…"
...
Special Week's victory was something that should have made Lucian happy.
But as he watched Seiun Sky walk away with her head down in dejection, his smile gradually faded, replaced by a look of concern on his calm face.
"Woo-hoo! Spe-chan was amazing!" Haru Urara cheered without a care in the world, dancing around excitedly.
Special Week had won, so of course she had to celebrate for her.
Silence Suzuka nodded. "Seiun also did very well. She was only a little behind Spe-chan."
...
On the racetrack,
Special Week wiped away her sweat, turned toward the stands, and bowed before striking a victorious pose.
After the overwhelming cheers died down, a round of applause rang out beside her.
When she turned her head, she saw Seiun Sky clapping as she slowly walked toward her.
"Spe-chan, you were amazing."
"Seiun-chan, you were incredible too."
Though the two had trained together many times, the pressure and tension of an actual race were impossible to simulate.
Special Week had won, but she knew it hadn't been easy.
Even though she was standing steady now, she was actually straining to keep her leg muscles tight—otherwise, her exhausted calves would tremble uncontrollably.
Of course, Seiun Sky had also given it her all.
Seiun smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Let's go. The Trainer and the others are probably waiting for me."
"Yeah."
...
In the exit tunnel,
The moment Urara spotted the two, she rushed over to greet them.
"Spe-chan! Seiun-chan! You were both amazing! Now our team has taken both first and second place in the race!"
Only the innocent Urara would consider the top three placements all good results—most horse girls only cared about first place.
Seiun Sky and Special Week were no exception.
"Thanks, Urara."
"Spe-chan, did you hear me cheering for you earlier? I was shouting really loud!"
Urara pulled Special Week aside, leaving Seiun standing alone.
"Welcome back, Seiun," Silence Suzuka said gently.
"Mhm. Where's Grass Wonder and Tokai Teio?"
"They had something to do and went back to school early."
"Oh~ Couldn't they at least stay to congratulate me and Spe-chan first?"
...
While Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka chatted, Lucian's gaze remained fixed on her.
He wasn't hiding it—in fact, his look was almost intense—but Seiun never met his eyes.
She was avoiding him.
"Seiun," Lucian finally spoke up. "You did really well this time. Just keep pushing for next time."
Seiun Sky froze for a moment before sighing and forcing a wry smile, her eyes narrowing.
"Spe-chan was just too strong~ No matter how fast I ran, she still overtook me in the end~ I really can't beat her~"
Her tone sounded no different from usual—still casual and lazy.
But her hands, hidden at her sides, clenched into fists, as if she was suppressing some emotion.
Of course she wasn't happy. She had tried so hard...
But Trainer... why did you have to speak to me in such a caring, gentle voice right now?
I really don't want to cry...
"Spe-chan didn't have an easy time beating you either."
Seiun Sky just smiled and changed the subject. "Trainer, I should go change first. There's still the Winner's Ceremony tonight. Even though I lost the race, I don't want to lose to Spe-chan in the dance."
"Go ahead. I'll take pictures of you all tonight."
...
Both Seiun Sky and Special Week headed to the locker rooms to change, and Urara went along to join the excitement, leaving only Silence Suzuka and Lucian together.
Noticing Lucian's distracted expression, Suzuka asked, "Are you worried about Seiun?"
Lucian let out a bitter chuckle and nodded. Suzuka really was perceptive.
"I don't think she's taking it as well as she's pretending."
"Maybe that's a good thing? Once she processes it, she might run even better next time."
"Suzuka, you might be right."
Of course, Lucian knew horse girls weren't so fragile that one loss would break them.
But he could sense the pressure building within the team—even the usually cheerful Urara sometimes struggled with it, let alone Seiun Sky.
Still, that pressure was necessary for the girls to improve.
As their Trainer, his job was to provide emotional support afterward and make sure none of them felt wronged.
But with Seiun Sky's personality, she probably wouldn't open up to him on her own...
This really was a tricky situation.
"Lucian-kun, you're a very, very, very good Trainer." Just as he was racking his brain, Silence Suzuka suddenly spoke with unusual seriousness.
On this matter, Suzuka's little jealous side didn't flare up.
If... just if... if Lucian treated all his team members this way, then wouldn't that mean he might treat her even better?
But then again, it was precisely because of this side of him that she had been drawn to him in the first place.
"Wow, that's rare. You're actually praising me so directly today."
"Hmph~ I take it back."
"Too late. It's been over two minutes—no takebacks."
"Well, I don't acknowledge it."
Lucian couldn't help but laugh at Suzuka's adorable reaction, and some of his earlier worries faded.
"Alright, let's go buy some things. They'll probably take a while to get ready, so we might as well grab some snacks for them too."
The racetrack had dedicated shower rooms for the horse girls, but after bathing, they still had to do their makeup and change... They likely wouldn't have time to eat.
"So, are we still having the victory party?"
"We are." Lucian thought for a moment. "Spe-chan really did win, and she deserves to celebrate. It wouldn't be fair to her otherwise... As for everything else, I'll handle it."
A good Trainer, huh...
Lucian felt he still had a long way to go.