...
After returning home, Lucian returned Silence Suzuka's phone call.
"Suzuka?"
"Lucian-kun, why are you calling now? I thought you'd already gone back to rest earlier." The voice on the phone was somewhat noisy, suggesting Silence Suzuka was still outside.
"Ah, I was busy earlier. Did you need something?"
"Nothing important. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to watch the fireworks with everyone, but it's already over now." There was a hint of regret in Silence Suzuka's voice.
"Trainer, you didn't answer the video call earlier!" Special Week's voice chimed in.
"Sorry, sorry. Actually, I was watching the fireworks earlier. It was too loud, so I didn't notice my phone."
Truthfully, he only watched for a bit—after that, he was too busy kissing to pay attention.
"Honestly, Teio went to find President Rudolf, Urara and Rice-chan went shopping, Little Bailey went off to sell barbecue again, and Seiun just replied..." Special Week grumbled. It was clear she loved the atmosphere of everyone being together.
"Lucian-kun, were you watching the fireworks earlier too?"
"Yeah. Since we were looking at the same fireworks in the same night sky, doesn't that count as watching them together?"
"I guess that's true..."
"You two, remember to head back early. There's class tomorrow, and training too. You need to rein in your excitement."
"Got it."
The call ended.
Lucian washed his face, finally calming down completely.
Looking back, Seiun Sky's earlier words—"I don't want to make things difficult for you either"—seemed to carry a subtle implication.
But whatever. Feelings couldn't be rushed. He was open to all unexpected encounters and letting things unfold naturally.
(Normally, I'd be open to it, but there needs to be some emotional foundation first. Can't be too reckless.)
...
With the festival over, daily training resumed.
"Get your spirits up—the festival's already ended." Lucian addressed the line of horse girls gathered before him. "I'll take roll call now. Answer loudly. If anyone sounds sluggish, they'll have to keep repeating their name."
"Suzuka."
"Here."
...
"Spe-chan."
"Here!"
...
"Teio."
"Yes!"
...
After roll call and a two-kilometer warm-up, Lucian gathered everyone again.
"Good. Here's today's training plan." He pulled out a clipboard with the schedule. "Suzuka, Urara, Little Bailey, and Teio—Group 1. Run 6 kilometers at a pace of...
After that, five sets of 600 meters and five sets of 300 meters, paces at...
With four-minute breaks in between."
"Next, Seiun, Spe-chan, and Rice-chan—Group 2. Run 10 kilometers, then after resting, do five sets of 1000-meter training."
The grouping was tailored to their needs.
For example, Seiun Sky and Special Week were preparing for the Kikuka Sho, so they focused more on speed endurance.
As for Rice Shower, after reviewing her past race records, Lucian concluded that long-distance suited her best.
"Any questions? If not, let's begin training."
"Okay~"
...
While overseeing the training, Toujou Hana suddenly approached.
"Lucian."
"Hana-nee, what's up?"
"I'm planning a training camp soon. Would your team like to join?" Toujou Hana added, "Nishizaki Ryo's already agreed."
"A training camp? Of course, no problem." There was no downside for his team, and he still owed favors for borrowing Taiki Shuttle twice, so Lucian agreed without hesitation.
"Good. I'll notify you when it's time."
...
Today's training went relatively well, leaving Lucian satisfied.
He walked over to the trio who had joined more recently. "Rice-chan, Teio, Little Bailey, you three need to ease into it gradually."
"Understood, Trainer."
"Got it, Trai—... Trainer." Rice Shower quickly corrected herself.
"Roger! Training with everyone feels so fun!" Tokai Teio was full of energy.
Lucian nodded, then shifted his tone. "But if your legs suddenly hurt, make sure to speak up immediately... Same if you're sick. Don't push yourselves."
He considered that Tokai Teio's condition might be something to discuss privately during this Saturday's physical exam.
After addressing the three, he turned to the others. "Everyone, come to the lounge after resting. We'll have a short meeting."
...
Before the Kikuka Sho, Silence Suzuka would be competing in the G2-level Daily Hai Cup, so this meeting was primarily for her.
"Suzuka, the opponents you need to watch out for this time are Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, Nice Nature, and Eishin Flash." Lucian handed out four compiled profiles for everyone to review.
Though it was Silence Suzuka's race, the others could still learn from it.
"El Condor Pasa is racing too?" Special Week exclaimed in surprise. She had skipped this race to focus on the Kikuka Sho and assumed El Condor Pasa would do the same.
Lucian chuckled. "She probably wants to race against Suzuka."
"In that case, I really want to run with Suzuka too—in a real race," Special Week said.
"Oh? Don't you two already run together in training?"
"Ermmm, I mean in an official race, Trainer-san."
"Urara wants to run with everyone too~"
"Then Rice-chan does too." Rice Shower followed her friend's lead.
"I'm also looking forward to the day we all race together!" Tokai Teio pumped her fist excitedly.
Dextrous Bailey nodded. "I second that."
But then, a discordant voice cut in.
"I don't want to run with everyone~"
All eyes turned to Seiun Sky, who was lazily propping her head up with one hand.
Unfazed by the stares, she even wore a faintly smug look.
"Seiun-chan, are you okay? Do you have a fever? You usually argue with the Trainer, but now you're disagreeing with everyone?" Haru Urara pressed a concerned hand to Seiun Sky's forehead.
"I'm not sick," Seiun Sky brushed her hand away. "While everyone's running together, I'll just sneak ahead~ The championship will be mine~"
Special Week reacted first. "Seiun, I'll still win the Kikuka Sho!"
Silence Suzuka, unusually competitive, joined in. "Before you talk about winning championships, try beating me in a practice race first."
But as soon as she said it, she realized no one had actually beaten her in practice races yet.
Sure enough, Special Week got fired up again. "Suzuka! I'll catch up to you too!"
Meanwhile, Tokai Teio and the others also turned their focus to Silence Suzuka.
Seiun Sky, who had started it all, was now on the sidelines, blinking playfully at Lucian and silently mouthing a "mwah."
In a way, she really was sneaking ahead.
But as for the championship... who would take it remained to be seen.
...