...
After a comfortable sleep, it was ultimately Haru Urara who woke Lucian up.
Upon arriving at the beach, Nishizaki Ryo gathered the team to begin the afternoon training session.
The mood at the beach was gray, and the strong winds today blew the horse girls' hair sideways like wild grass.
"The wind is really strong this afternoon," Lucian remarked with some concern.
"This is perfect for simulating racing conditions in strong winds," Nishizaki Ryo understood the implication behind Lucian's words. "But today, we'll just practice on the sand—no swimming. If it rains, we can retreat quickly. We've prepared large umbrellas over there."
Lucian nodded. As long as they were prepared, it was fine.
Nishizaki Ryo blew his whistle, gathering all the horse girls. "Today's training will be group-based testing. We'll go one group at a time, on the sand, so the intensity might be a bit high."
The wind resistance, combined with the soft sand, made running much harder. Add specific requirements on top of that, and the training intensity naturally increased.
"Nishizaki Trainer, will the group training include points?" Narita Brian raised a hand and asked.
Nishizaki Ryo's special training sessions were usually individual-focused, with no team points involved.
But more than the strict training or bad weather, what Narita Brian feared was having to drink another round of "Jue Juice."
"No points. This afternoon, due to the weather, we'll finish the tests early and wrap up sooner."
"So that means... there's no punishment activity today?" Narita Brian's calm tone couldn't hide her relief.
Their team had been drinking the most these past few days. At night, she even dreamed of Lucian holding that cup of liquid, urging them to drink it.
One could say the aftertaste was... unforgettable.
"Good—!" Taiki Shuttle cheered.
She already had a psychological shadow. Even before drinking, her mouth seemed to fill with bitterness.
A faint smile slowly appeared on T.M. Opera O's lips.
Seiun Sky secretly made up her mind—if she had to drink again, she would retaliate.
For example, holding a mouthful and making Lucian taste it too!
During training, Lucian was the trainer, and she was the team member. But privately? That relationship wasn't so clear-cut.
"Not necessarily," Nishizaki Ryo shook his head. "If it doesn't rain tonight, the three trainers have discussed organizing an outdoor evening event."
"The Winner's Stage is also part of training. Each team will send members to perform, and we'll determine the winner based on scoring."
Nishizaki Ryo laid out the plan clearly.
Since it was a Winner's Stage competition, none of the three teams were intimidated.
"President, President~ Can I perform with you when the time comes?" Tokai Teio looked at Symboli Rudolf with anticipation.
"Of course. It's rare for us to share the stage, Teio."
"Yay!" Tokai Teio excitedly jumped up and down.
After calming down, her gaze subtly drifted toward Lucian.
Aside from Symboli Rudolf, she also wanted to sing with Lucian... She wondered if he still remembered the suggestion she made in the car last time.
Maybe he just brushed it off as a joke? Should she invite him herself?
With Tokai Teio's personality, simply inviting someone to sing together shouldn't make her this hesitant.
Yet her heart unmistakably conveyed hesitation.
....
"Rice-chan, let's perform together when the time comes, okay?"
Haru Urara extended an invitation to Rice Shower.
If she had to go on stage alone, she'd feel a little nervous.
"I'd like to, but Urara... we're opponents, aren't we?"
"We can still perform together! It's not like only teammates can collaborate."
"Oh, then I'll go on stage with Urara."
...
Meanwhile.
If this were a manga, blue flames would be burning behind Seiun Sky, while red flames flickered behind Silence Suzuka.
"Hey, Suzuka, want to compete on stage together?"
"Gladly."
"You won't cry like Spe-chan if you lose, right?"
"Seiun, have you ever beaten me in a mock race?"
As they spoke, the two gradually moved closer, before simultaneously huffing and turning their heads away.
"Seiun, did you just call my name?" Special Week asked blankly as she walked over.
"No, you misheard, Spe-chan."
"Really? I thought I heard you call me."
...
After Nishizaki Ryo organized the warm-up, the afternoon training officially began.
The wind carried sand as the girls sprinted, leaving footprints behind.
Lucian quietly retreated to a safe distance, timing the horse girls as they crossed the finish line.
Due to the conditions, their times were about three or four seconds slower than usual. But overcoming such harsh conditions was already impressive.
"Suzuka is still amazing," Lucian praised.
"Isn't Lucian-kun the one who knows that best?"
Silence Suzuka bit her hairband, straightening her graceful posture as she gathered her loose orange hair.
She didn't care much about hairstyles, but last time, Lucian had tied it into a ponytail for her.
Including during... certain activities, he'd ask her to keep it that way.
"You mean how well I know your speed, right?"
Lucian blinked rapidly, noticing Rice Shower curiously watching them.
Say yes, say yes...
"Speed? I suppose, but shouldn't it be me who knows..." Silence Suzuka ignored Lucian's pleading gaze, pretending to play dumb.
So teasing Lucian in front of someone clueless wasn't just Seiun Sky's privilege.
But Silence Suzuka rarely did this—what was up with her today?
"Ahem!" Lucian quickly cut her off, turning to Rice Shower. "Rice-chan, next time, try increasing your stride frequency. You have to overcome it—that's how you'll improve."
"Okay." Rice Shower nodded, thinking, Increase stride frequency? I'll try it next time and see if I can go faster.
As she walked back, she reflected on how she'd been matched with Silence Suzuka earlier and left far behind.
Seeing Rice Shower easily brushed off, Lucian sighed in relief before glaring at Silence Suzuka. "Don't say weird things!"
"Did I say anything? Why does Lucian-kun think it's weird?" Her tone was calm, but her eyes burned with a searing intensity.
"Go prepare for the next round," Lucian said helplessly.
He could sense something different about Silence Suzuka today—an unusual charm and allure.
Earlier that morning, while Lucian was still washing up, Silence Suzuka had already woken up.
She'd ambushed him from behind, cupped his face, and stared at him for a long moment before slowly nibbling on him.
Come to think of it, during this training camp, he and Silence Suzuka hadn't done anything... because staying up late would affect the next day's training.
So was it pent-up frustration?
Lucian glanced at Silence Suzuka again, confirming his suspicions.
Her gaze looked like she wanted to devour him whole.
...