Just as the two were about to leave, a voice from behind halted their steps.
"Hey!"
Lucian and Silence Suzuka turned around, surprised to see Dextrous Bailey striding toward them with one hand on her hip.
This girl...
Though she carried herself with arrogance, there was a hint of shyness between her brows, and her gaze unconsciously wavered when she looked at Lucian.
"You are...?"
"Huh!?"
Lucian's casual remark instantly broke Dextrous Bailey's composure.
"I-I'm... You actually forgot about me?"
Now genuinely flustered, Dextrous Bailey's face turned red, and her restless hands clenched into fists. "L-Last time, you even spoke to me alone in the office! Didn't you?"
She thought it hadn't been that long. Though Lucian had stopped teaching their class, he shouldn't have forgotten her so quickly.
"Oh, it's you... Is 'hey' how you address your teacher?" Dealing with Dextrous Bailey required a firm display of authority.
"L-Lucian-sensei."
"That's better. Dextrous Bailey, what do you need?"
"I came to..." Dextrous Bailey glanced at Silence Suzuka, her words suddenly catching in her throat. She stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
Silence Suzuka narrowed her eyes and subtly stepped forward.
She had just heard keywords like "office" and "alone"—words that reminded her of a certain scene from a book she'd recently read.
"W-What's with that look?" Facing Silence Suzuka's hostile gaze, Dextrous Bailey grew uneasy.
Though her tone remained brash, there was already a hint of retreat in her voice.
"Dextrous Bailey, do you need something? If not, Trainer and I are leaving."
"N-No, nothing."
She had just wanted Lucian's praise—he'd promised her last time, after all.
But clearly, this was something she had to bring up with him privately. Otherwise, she'd be too embarrassed.
"Then goodbye." Silence Suzuka finished speaking and tugged at Lucian's sleeve to leave.
She could let Seiun Sky's jealousy slide, but Dextrous Bailey's was another matter.
Just what had these two discussed in private?
So suspicious... Could they really have done that kind of thing!?
...
Silence Suzuka pulled Lucian along, lost in thought, not even realizing how far they'd walked.
"Suzuka, hey... You can let go now, right?"
Only after Lucian's reminder did Silence Suzuka retract her hand.
"What's wrong? Are you mad?" Lucian asked again.
Silence Suzuka stayed silent, wondering if she'd been too obvious or if Lucian had suddenly become perceptive.
Lucian continued, "What happened before was just that incident, but Dextrous Bailey has turned over a new leaf under my guidance. You saw earlier—she didn't resort to any underhanded tricks."
Clearly, Lucian and Silence Suzuka were on completely different wavelengths.
But this gave Silence Suzuka an opening to press further.
"So, what you discussed with her privately was just that?"
"Yeah, her apology was quite sincere."
Lucian thought about it but decided not to mention Dextrous Bailey's strange quirks.
Silence Suzuka gave him another glance before finally dismissing her doubts. "Let's go. Weren't we going to buy something to eat?"
"Mm, but I think we took a wrong turn. The food street is back that way." Lucian pointed behind them with his thumb.
"Are you blaming me for leading us the wrong way?"
"I'm not blaming you. We'll just walk a bit more."
Lucian felt Silence Suzuka was being unusually prickly today—almost tsundere-like.
...
That evening, Lucian, Silence Suzuka, and Haru Urara sat together watching the Winner's Stage.
Thanks to Tokai Teio's coaching last time, Special Week had improved significantly. Though her dance moves were still slightly unpolished, her performance was undeniably impressive.
"Lucian-kun, you're secretly taking photos again."
"Again? What do you mean 'again'?" Lucian kept his phone raised, not even turning his head. "Wait, no—I'm not secretly taking photos!"
"But you took so many pictures of me last time."
"Suzuka, it sounds like you want new stickers made."
Silence Suzuka pursed her lips and fell silent.
Whenever she looked at the stickers Lucian had made last time, she couldn't help but laugh to herself.
"Trainer~ Do you want to see Urara dance?" Haru Urara watched the three horse girls singing and dancing on stage, her eyes sparkling with envy.
Lucian lowered his phone. For some reason, hearing Haru Urara say that gave him a pang of sadness. "Of course I do. I've been waiting to see Urara's Winner's Stage performance."
"Really?" Haru Urara's eyes widened as she stared at Lucian.
"Have I ever lied to you?"
Haru Urara's crescent-shaped eyes curled with joy. "Hehe, I can't wait for my debut race!"
"It really won't be too long now."
Lucian raised his phone and resumed recording.
Last time, everyone had made a good point—as a trainer, preparing his charges for the Winner's Stage was also part of his job.
But all he could do was take videos and let Special Week correct herself later.
However...
Lucian's gaze suddenly shifted from the screen to the stage.
Today, Seiun Sky's face seemed devoid of smiles, and her movements appeared somewhat stiff.
...
The day after the Yayoi Sho, news of Special Week's victory topped the school newspaper's headlines.
In the classroom, Special Week was surrounded by El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, and others.
"Spe-chan, impressive! Makes me want to race you too," El Condor Pasa said, still mixing in English as she spoke.
"I'd love that too," Special Week replied.
She wanted a rematch—this time, she wouldn't lose to El Condor Pasa.
But their showdown wouldn't happen anytime soon, as Toujou Hana had arranged other races for El Condor Pasa.
Grass Wonder quietly asked an unrelated question, "Spe-chan, does that mean you'll have another celebration party this week?"
"Probably."
"Then... can you take me along again?"
Grass Wonder subtly swallowed.
Lucian's cooking seemed to hold an inexplicable magic over her taste buds. After trying it once, twice... she'd gradually become addicted.
Sometimes, when she reminisced about it before bed, her stomach would growl with hunger, and her mouth would water.
But she couldn't bring herself to visit Lucian's place alone just to mooch food... If only she had an opportunity like this.
"Of course! Trainer won't mind."
"That's good." Grass Wonder smiled faintly.
...
Nearby, Seiun Sky pretended to nap on her desk while eavesdropping on Special Week's conversation.
She'd read the newspaper.
Only the winner would be remembered—the names of second and third place were barely mentioned.
Winning and losing were normal, and she understood that. But this time, it bothered her more than usual...