...
"Onii-sama, is it delicious?"
"Mmm, it's delicious. Rice-chan has improved a lot recently."
Rice Shower peeled a shrimp and fed it into Lucian's mouth as he busily worked.
What was once an extraordinary scene had now become commonplace.
This moment happened to be witnessed by Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky as they entered the kitchen.
Death glares—
"Lucian-kun is quite dashing even in the kitchen."
Seiun Sky nodded. "Indeed, he even has a dedicated little chef feeding him."
Rice Shower's delicate nose twitched. Strange—Trainer shouldn't have made the mistake of spilling too much vinegar, so why did the kitchen suddenly smell so sour?
"Why did you two come in?"
"Are you complaining about us disturbing you, Lucian-kun?" Silence Suzuka crossed her arms.
"Not at all! Rice-chan just wanted me to taste the shrimp she made, and since both my hands were busy cooking, she fed me."
Dealing with one jealous girl was hard enough, let alone two at the same time.
"Freshly cooked twice-cooked pork—want to try some?" Lucian picked up a chopstick, stirred the pot for a bit, then sprinkled a little sugar.
The overflowing aroma teased the taste buds of Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky.
Silence Suzuka: "Let's try it."
"Sure thing."
Lucian picked up a glistening piece of twice-cooked pork and proactively fed it into Silence Suzuka's mouth.
Then, he picked up another piece from the pot. "Seiun, open wide."
"Hmph~" Seiun Sky let out a light snort, glanced at Lucian, then obediently opened her small mouth.
"How is it? Delicious?"
Seiun Sky closed her eyes and chewed carefully. "It looks fatty, but it's actually very chewy and so fragrant."
Silence Suzuka was similarly lost in the fantasy constructed by the flavors.
Lucian gently snapped them out of it. "Alright, go on out now. The food will be served soon."
...
When dinnertime arrived, Lucian and Rice Shower carried the prepared dishes out of the kitchen one after the other.
Originally, they had planned to invite Toujou Hana and Nishizaki Ryo over, but both teams were holding their own team-building events, so the idea was dropped.
"Doto, eat a little slower. No one's fighting you for it." Lucian watched as Doto's head remained buried in her bowl—her eating posture really resembled a cat that had been starving for a long time.
"Sorry, it's just too delicious. Trainer's cooking never gets old, no matter how many times I eat it (ฅ´ω`ฅ)."
"Then eat as much as you want." Lucian took a sip of juice. "Everyone, training is canceled for now. You've all got exams to worry about, so don't fail, okay?"
Considering the upcoming finals, Lucian decided to give the team members more time to study.
"Trainer."
"What is it?" Lucian turned to Tokai Teio.
Tokai Teio short-circuited for a moment, then shook her head. "N-Nothing, nothing."
She had wanted to ask if Lucian still remembered their promise to go to the beach together.
But she didn't want to bring it up in front of so many people... What if everyone else wanted to join the trip? She wouldn't be able to stop them.
Better not draw attention to it and just mention it to Lucian privately later.
"Trainer, does that mean you won't be coming to campus anymore after this?" Haru Urara asked.
"I might or might not. Since I don't have much to do, it's basically an early vacation for me."
"O-Oh..." Haru Urara sounded a little dejected.
It wasn't just her—Silence Suzuka, Special Week, and Seiun Sky also felt uneasy at the thought of not seeing Lucian for a while.
If they parted ways now, the next time they'd meet would be when they all went to China together.
"Mm." To avoid any misunderstandings, Lucian explained the trip to China to the newly joined members like Nice Nature and the others.
Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, and Matikanetannhauser all declined. Since they had just joined, it was normal for them to feel hesitant about an international trip.
Doto, however, felt like she had nothing to do after New Year's. "T-Trainer, c-can I go too?"
"Sure. I'll cover your plane ticket. You'll be staying at my place over there, right? You'll need me as a tour guide when you go out, right? And someone to drive you around, right? So I'll just charge you... let me think, how much?"
"W-Wait, why do I h-have to pay (,,•́ . •̀,,)?"
"I won't charge the others, but I'll charge you."
"Why? (๐•̆ ·̭ •̆๐)"
"No reason. There doesn't need to be a reason for everything."
"Trainer is so mean ╭(╯^╰)╮." Doto knew full well that Lucian was just teasing her.
...
"Trainer, can you come to campus more often after this? Urara wants to see you."
"Of course. I'll supervise your studies—especially yours, Spe-chan."
Special Week swallowed the food in her mouth. "Trainer-sensei, why single me out again...?"
"Because I care about you."
The moment Lucian said this, he immediately felt several sharp gazes land on him and hurriedly added, "I care about all of you. Do your best."
"Hey, Doto, come here for a sec. Sit next to Spe-chan."
"Trainer, what's wrong?" Doto was confused but complied.
Special Week also looked puzzled.
Lucian didn't explain. After scrutinizing them for a moment, he noted that while their hair color and style were similar, their facial features were quite distinct.
"Never mind. You can go back now."
...
With the races over and training canceled, "Dream's" final team-building event of the year came to an end.
This time, after the meal, everyone helped clean up the tables, chairs, and dishes together.
Lucian escorted the horse girls downstairs, reminded them to stay safe, and watched as their figures disappeared into the night.
Over the next few days, he could still visit the school to see them. But once exams ended, everyone would likely be heading home.
Lucian wasn't used to sudden loneliness either—he would miss Silence Suzuka and the others.
During the holiday season in Japan, he didn't want to just stay cooped up at home.
Why not randomly visit one of the team members' homes to celebrate the New Year as a guest?
He first ruled out the newly joined members, then subconsciously excluded Rice Shower and Tokai Teio... Oh~ So this wasn't just a simple New Year's visit, huh?
Some horse girls, always so bold in bullying their trainer outside—who knows if they'd still be so tough once they got home?
"Who should I visit...?"
For Lucian, this was a difficult question.
...