After Silence Suzuka clearly saw Mejiro McQueen and the others on the screen, she panicked for a moment, but fortunately reacted quickly, adding an "and the others" to her own words.
"Lucian-kun, I really miss you... and the others."
She couldn't be blamed; if anyone was to blame, it was the wild grass-like longing that was hard to endure... All in all, this wild grass garden had gone nearly a year without tending—how could it not grow madly?
"Doto, Shuttle-chan, Grass, and McQueen, long time no see." Silence Suzuka covered up her panic and greeted everyone one by one.
However, she was a bit puzzled as to why, among the horse girls present, there weren't the more familiar Seiun Sky and Special Week and the others.
Doto: "Hello, Suzuka-senpai. (ㅇㅅㅇ❀)"
Mejiro McQueen: "Suzuka, long time no see."
Grass Wonder: "Long time no see."
Grass Wonder was very detail-oriented; she always felt that the moment the call connected was strange—why did Silence Suzuka express her longing right away? Something was off.
Her gaze switched back and forth between Lucian and Silence Suzuka, as if trying to catch their micro-expressions and grab a little handle on Lucian.
Taiki Shuttle: "Suzuka, I heard you've gotten a lot stronger overseas—I really want to race you again!"
"Have Suzuka and Shuttle-chan competed before?" Lucian couldn't help asking.
"Haha, we did have one race." Taiki Shuttle fell into reminiscence and suddenly remembered something funny. "Back then, I was right next to Suzuka, and I always felt like my starting gate was too narrow—hers looked way wider than mine."
"Aren't all the gates..." Lucian was puzzled, but after noticing Silence Suzuka's resentful gaze, he immediately understood. "Ahem, the gate issue—the Trainer should report it right after the race."
Grass Wonder added fuel to the fire: "Hearing Trainer Lucian say that, it must be Trainer Toujou's fault?"
"I didn't—don't say nonsense." Lucian's survival instinct was in full swing. "It should be the organizers' fault. You can't blame the racers or the Trainer, right?"
Silence Suzuka didn't want to continue on this topic. "Lucian-kun, are you all on a team-building outing? I remember today isn't the weekend."
"And there are rare guests too—how come I don't see the others?"
"This is a long story." Facing Silence Suzuka's questioning gaze, Lucian simply explained the reason.
But Silence Suzuka was great at catching the key points. "In other words, Seiun and the others don't know that the Trainer is here eating..... pastries."
She only mentioned Seiun Sky, believing Lucian would understand the implication.
This playboy carrot... provoking other girls again.
"Um... that's right." Lucian said.
Grass Wonder raised an eyebrow—Suzu-chan seemed a little angry. Was she upset on behalf of Seiun Sky and the others? And Trainer Lucian's attitude seemed a bit submissive... or rather, indulgent? Something fishy.
At this point, Mejiro McQueen spoke up: "Because I used a meal replacement voucher, but I didn't want to trouble Trainer too much, so this time I just invited Grass and Shuttle-chan, planning to invite King and the others next time."
"Yes, exactly." Lucian hurriedly nodded. "By the way, Suzuka, when will you be back, roughly?"
"Probably before the new year. I'll let Lucian-kun know in advance when the time comes."
"Got it." Lucian nodded. He noticed Silence Suzuka's cannibalistic gaze and thought that when she returned, a fierce battle was inevitable.
He clearly wasn't middle-aged yet, but he already understood the hardships of middle-aged people.
"If there's nothing else, Lucian-kun, I'll hang up first. Minna-san, goodbye." With so many people around, Silence Suzuka couldn't say any more intimate words no matter how much she wanted to, so she ended the video call early.
Lucian put away his phone. "So, shouldn't you all head back to the dorms now?"
"Thank you for the hospitality." x4
Doto reluctantly put the dango on the ground. "Trainer, you have to take good care of it."
Lucian nodded. "I'll cut off the tuft of fur on its head."
"Trainer, why do something so cruel? (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)" Doto's ahoge felt a chill, and she said tearfully, "And didn't Trainer say today he wouldn't bully me? ( p′︵‵.)"
"I'm not bullying you—I'm bullying it." Lucian held the little dango in one hand and scratched its belly with the other. "From now on, don't call it little dango—call it little baldy."
The little rascal cat was enjoying it quite a bit, squinting its eyes and meowing... Hiss, why did he suddenly think of Seiun Sky?
"Then bully me instead, Trainer. (.•́︿•̀.)"
"Does Doto want to be cut into a little baldy too?"
"Then... Trainer should bully it instead." Doto thought it was just one cut.
"Haha, don't worry—Doto can come see it anytime."
"Then, Trainer-san, we'll head... hic——" Mejiro McQueen interrupted herself with a hiccup.
She quickly covered her little mouth, but the uncontrollable hiccups made her chest heave up and down. "Excuse me... hic~"
Lucian looked at her amusedly: "McQueen, are you hungry?"
"I... hun——" Mejiro McQueen's face flushed red as she bolted out the door. "Trainer-san, I-I'll go first!"
Everyone watching the flustered fleeing Mejiro McQueen couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Taiki Shuttle: "Trainer Lucian, I'll head out too—bye, bye~"
Doto: "Trainer, I'm leaving too. I'll come see little dango again tomorrow."
The last to leave, Grass Wonder, didn't say goodbye but stared at Lucian for a while.
"What's up, Grass? Still mad? I apologize, sorry." Today's Lucian was either apologizing or on the way to apologizing.
Grass Wonder shook her head indifferently. "It's fine—I'm not that petty, and the food already apologized on Trainer Lucian's behalf."
"Then why don't you catch up? They're getting far away."
"It's okay. I'm going home tonight—someone's coming to pick me up."
"Oh, I see. Then Grass, sit a bit longer? I'll clean up the table."
"Wait, Trainer Lucian." Grass Wonder suddenly called out to Lucian.
"What is it?"
"Suzuka and Trainer Lucian..." Grass Wonder didn't finish her sentence, but the prefix alone was already quite intriguing.
"What about me and Suzuka?" Lucian instinctively avoided eye contact, suddenly feeling a bit nervous inside.
Could Grass Wonder have noticed something?
Grass Wonder tilted her head with a shallow smile, hands casually clasped behind her back. "Nothing—just feels like Suzuka and Trainer Lucian have a pretty good relationship."
"Ha.. haha, she probably wants me to pick her up when the time comes." Lucian said unnaturally, then joked: "I have a good relationship with all my team members. It's a shame Grass joined 'Rigil' too early—otherwise, I would've invited you too."
"Is that so? What an honor. Arigato." Grass Wonder glanced at the wall clock. "Trainer Lucian, it's about time—I'll head out."
Lucian's words weren't problematic, but he explained too much.
"Okay, welcome next time. I still remember the promise from the training camp."
The reward Grass Wonder had requested back then was to occasionally come to Lucian's place for free meals. As for the definition of "occasionally," of course, it was up to Grass Wonder herself to decide.
Before today, she would still be polite about it—now she didn't feel like being polite anymore.
"Okay, Trainer Lucian, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
...