...
"So, why do you call Suzuka 'Suzu-chan'?"
A familiar question echoed through the lounge.
After Urara left, Seiun Sky closed the door.
It was as if she had become a different person—the restraints of the trainer-horsegirl relationship no longer existed.
"Can't I? Suzuka hasn't complained at all," Lucian leaned back in his chair, his expression playful.
"No, it's impolite to call her that," Seiun Sky offered a flimsy excuse.
"Oh? Since when do you speak up for Suzuka?"
"I care about her. Is that wrong?"
"Sure, of course you can. Then what's the problem with me calling her 'Suzu-chan'?" Lucian leaned forward, propping his chin on his hands. "Or... do you want me to call you that too?"
"I—" Seiun Sky bit her lip, as if an insurmountable mountain had lodged itself in her throat, making it hard to speak.
She hesitated, her eyes flickering with timid light. The moment she turned to Lucian, she met his smiling gaze and immediately shrank back.
Deciding to change the subject, Seiun Sky said, "I have incline training later."
"Mhm." Lucian nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Seiun Sky pulled out a familiar metal ring from her pocket. "The weight ring... I don't know how to put it on."
Lucian was speechless.
She had already gone through a round of training, and now she was saying she didn't know how to wear it?
"Trainer-san, could you help me put it on?" Seiun Sky shifted tactics, her demeanor changing again.
"Don't tell me you didn't use the weight ring in your previous training?"
"I did, but... what Spe-chan has, I want too. You promised me." Seiun Sky bent down, pulling up her pants to reveal fair skin tinged with pink, her gaze at Lucian leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Alright, Lucian had indeed promised.
He got up from his chair and walked over to her. "Fine, sit properly."
Seiun Sky braced her hands on either side, watching as Lucian fastened the weight ring around her ankle.
For some reason, it reminded her of a ring—well, wasn't it kind of the same? Except it was worn around the ankle. No, no, it didn't count, because Lucian had done the same for Spe-chan.
"Trainer, when you put it on Spe-chan, you touched her leg, didn't you?"
Now it was Lucian's turn to be stunned.
He'd been so careful and natural about it back then—how had Seiun Sky noticed? She was way too observant.
But Lucian wasn't about to admit it outright. "Don't spout nonsense. I didn't. Spe-chan's legs aren't soft or smooth at all."
...An indirect admission.
Lucian's relationship with Seiun Sky was a bit peculiar now.
And precisely because of that, his words no longer required much thought—yet they still fit perfectly within this strange dynamic.
"Ohhh~ So you did touch them?" Surprisingly, Seiun Sky didn't react with anger. Instead, her tone and expression turned teasing, flipping the script.
Just as Lucian finished fastening one weight ring, there was still the other side. "Dunno."
Seiun Sky extended her other leg, deliberately brushing her skin against his hand as he worked. "Then let me ask you..."
Lucian lightly tapped her, cutting her off. "Don't ask, and don't move. It'll be harder to put on if you keep fidgeting."
"I will ask. Whose is better—Spe-chan's or mine?"
"Both are good."
"Don't brush me off. You said you wouldn't ignore my feelings anymore."
Lucian's head throbbed.
He had said that, but he never expected Seiun Sky to weaponize it like this. It was like an emperor's decree being turned against him by a cunning minister—checkmate after checkmate.
"Yours is better~ Soft and fair, yet still strong and beautifully curved. Such lovely calves would be a waste if not for..." Lucian paused at just the right moment.
Given her mischievous nature, she'd probably start imagining things.
"N-Not for what...?" Sure enough, Seiun Sky's voice grew tense, trembling slightly.
Lucian glanced at her, amused. "Not for running. Good thing you didn't go down the wrong path."
Seiun Sky hmphed, her eyes glistening like clear autumn water—but anyone who looked closer would see murky ripples of something warmer stirring beneath the surface.
Who knew what she was thinking now?
Once the weight rings were secured, Lucian stood up.
Seiun Sky was already much shorter than him, and sitting down made her seem even smaller. From this angle, the view was... quite something if she didn't look up.
"It's getting late. Aren't you going back to eat?"
"I know. I still have night training later."
"So the overachiever finally admits she's grinding at night too," Lucian chuckled. "But don't push yourself too hard. A little extra is fine, but don't overdo it."
"Got it~ What about you? Aren't you leaving yet?"
"Nah, I've got some things to wrap up first."
"Trainer-san is so busy~" Seiun Sky stood and began packing her bag.
Tracen Academy was, after all, a school. Aside from training, there were assignments after theory classes.
So neither Silence Suzuka nor Seiun Sky could stay with Lucian every day.
Come to think of it, midterm exams were coming up soon.
"Oh, right." Lucian suddenly called out to her.
"Hm?"
Casually, he added, "When you run tonight, remember to wear a jacket and long pants. Don't catch a cold. There've been a lot of mosquitoes lately—one bit me on the face two days ago. Right on my handsome cheek, too."
Seiun Sky's shoulders hunched. She knew exactly what he was implying.
Glaring at him in embarrassment, she turned away—but leaving just like that felt too unsatisfying.
"What's up, Little Seiun?" Lucian feigned ignorance as she turned back.
Instead of answering, Seiun Sky marched up to him, repeating her earlier move. Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek again.
Not a fleeting peck, nor a lingering one.
She came with a huff, and left with a huff.
Only after the lounge door slammed shut did Lucian snap out of his daze.
Under the bright lights, two rows of teeth marks were clearly visible on his cheek, glistening faintly like tiny dewdrops or specks of luminous powder.
Lucian touched his face.
...Maybe he just wouldn't wash it ever again.
Wait, no—
His mind replayed Seiun Sky's whisper, soft yet defiant, in his ear:
"Watch out, or the mosquitoes will bite you to death!"