...
The day of the promised outing.
Lucian drove his car to another gate of Tracen Academy. Two horse girls in casual attire seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
Lucian rolled down the window. "I really don't know how you convinced Spe-chan."
"Spe-chan also thinks she needs to relax! Doesn't Trainer always say 'balance work and rest'?" Tokai Teio circled around the car and took the front passenger seat.
"Trainer-san, I think Teio is right."
While it was true that balancing work and rest was important, Special Week couldn't help feeling restless at the thought of Lucian and Tokai Teio going out alone together.
Holding onto the car handle, Special Week froze for a moment before quietly taking the back seat. Shouldn't the front passenger seat be hers...? No, no—she couldn't be this petty. It was just a seat, after all.
The moment she got in the car, an internal war erupted in Special Week's heart. This trip was something she had lost to Symboli Rudolf, but that didn't mean Special Week didn't want to be the main character today.
"Teio, buckle up. We're setting off."
"Mhm!"
...
Inside the car, songs lingered in the air; outside, the scenery was poetic.
"By the way, why didn't you two wait at the North Gate? Why come all the way to the South Gate?" The North Gate was the one Lucian usually used, and it was also the closest to Special Week and the others' dorm.
"No particular reason. We just happened to eat at the South Gate cafeteria today," Tokai Teio replied. Special Week had been puzzled at first too, but Tokai Teio had said she wanted to try the South Gate cafeteria today.
"Tracen's treatment is really good."
"Isn't Trainer also working at Tracen? Don't tell me they've been mistreating you?"
"Not at all. The benefits every month are still pretty great."
That night's Tokai Teio seemed like just a dream. The current Tokai Teio felt much more familiar to Lucian.
"Trainer-san, have you eaten yet?" Special Week eagerly joined the conversation. She didn't want Tokai Teio and Lucian to get carried away chatting without her. But her awkwardness with words left her unsure of what to say. If it were just her and Lucian, they wouldn't be talking this much... Their mouths wouldn't be for talking at all.
"I haven't eaten yet. I only had breakfast, but I wasn't hungry, so I came straight to pick you up."
"Then—"
"Trainer, I just happen to have a piece of bread here. Honey bread~ You said you wanted to try it, so I'm giving it to you." Special Week's hand, rummaging through her bag, froze mid-motion. She had been about to take out some food for Lucian but was interrupted by Tokai Teio.
"Actually, I'm not that hungry right now..." The moment Lucian said this, Tokai Teio's cheerful expression immediately fell. He quickly corrected himself: "I want it, I want it! Thank you so much, Teio~"
"Hehe~ Since Trainer wants it so badly, I'll reluctantly part with it." Tokai Teio took out a small piece of bread. It was her favorite kind of snack bread.
Too bad sweetness doesn't stack... If Lucian eats it, will the sweetness stack? Tokai Teio suddenly found herself puzzled by the thought.
"Trainer-san, I also have some snacks here." Special Week, considering that Lucian was driving, carefully tore open the packaging for him. Tokai Teio took note of this small detail. Noted. Noted.
"Thanks. I'll eat it when we stop at a red light."
"Okay~"
...
This trip was a two-day, one-night outing. To catch the sunrise at dawn, the three of them decided to rent two tents by the beach.
"The wind is so strong today." Lucian's neatly styled hair from this morning was now a complete mess.
"Look, the windmills over there are spinning so fast."
"Yeah, the waves are big too." Tokai Teio felt the layers of cool seawater brushing against her ankles.
"Honestly, I don't really get you two. Didn't we train by the sea before? Why choose the beach again for this trip?"
"Trainer just doesn't understand~ During training, we weren't in the mood to have fun at all. Even though Trainer arranged some recreational activities, overall, it wasn't enough to really enjoy ourselves." Special Week nodded in agreement. "Teio's right. During training, aside from resting at night, we never really felt like playing."
"If you put it that way, then I kinda get it now." The same act of stepping into the water, being chased by the waves—now, they could play like this all afternoon.
"Go ahead and play. I'll take photos for you."
"Okay, but Trainer better make sure they turn out nice!" Tokai Teio said.
"Don't worry. Are you doubting my photography skills?"
"It's hard not to, Trainer-san. Remember how you photographed Suzuka last time? You even caught her afterimage, making her look like a ghost." Special Week recalled Silence Suzuka's deathly still expression when she saw the photo that night. "It was the first time I'd ever seen Suzuka that angry. Pretty sure she wanted to kill Trainer-san right then and there."
"Ahaha..." Lucian laughed awkwardly. Silence Suzuka had already gotten her revenge on him—though she couldn't bring herself to actually kill him.
"That was just a mistake! Suzuka was moving too fast, and my hand shook, so the afterimage got stretched out."
"But Trainer still posted it in the group chat, didn't you?" Tokai Teio suspected he had done it on purpose.
"That's because the most candid photos are the most sincere. Plus, there's a certain beauty in the blur." The moment Lucian said this, both Tokai Teio and Special Week fell silent in disbelief.
...
After playing around happily for a while, Tokai Teio suddenly felt thirsty.
"Trainer, I'm going to buy some water. Do you two want anything?"
Lucian: "Just get me a bottle of water."
Special Week: "I'll have the same as Teio."
"Okay, wait for me. I'll be right back!"
The two of them watched as Tokai Teio walked away, not moving their gazes until she disappeared from sight. Only then did Special Week slowly inch closer.
"What's this? Getting so close all of a sudden." Lucian pretended not to understand.
"Trainer-san, you didn't finish the snacks I gave you earlier."
"Huh? Spe-chan, you've been holding onto that this whole time?" Lucian was surprised.
"Because you finished all the bread Teio gave you."
Realization dawned on Lucian. "So Spe-chan is jealous."
"...Mhm." Special Week boldly admitted it.
"Then how should I make it up to Spe-chan?"
"I still have some snacks in my bag, but they're in the car."
"Is it really just about the snacks? I was hoping Spe-chan would feed me~"
"How is that making it up to me...?" Special Week muttered under her breath.
Lucian feigned disappointment. "Alright, so Spe-chan is rejecting me."
"That's not it! If it's Trainer-san... then of course it's okay." Special Week in love was just too soft-hearted. Lucian almost felt bad teasing her.
He secretly took Special Week's hand.
"Trainer... Teio will be back soon." Though her words resisted, her hand made no move to pull away.
"Then does Spe-chan want to let go?"
Special Week glanced once more in the direction Tokai Teio had disappeared, then shook her head.
"No... I don't want to let go of Trainer-san's hand."
...