...
Oguri Cap and the others still held back, only taking one or two bowls.
After all, with so many people, it would be immoral for one person to eat it all.
Everyone gave way a little; Oguri Cap gave up a whole sea—this was why Lucian, squeezing in late, still had a chance to scoop some food.
"Onii-sama, do you want to eat? I saved a small bite for you." Rice-chan squeezed out from the horse crowd and sat on Lucian's other side.
Actually, she had only caught a glimpse of Lucian and McQueen sitting in the corner out of the corner of her eye, felt uncomfortable, and came over.
"I'm not eating. Rice, you eat." Lucian pulled a white tissue and wiped the red oil stain from the corner of Rice-chan's mouth. "Don't get it on your clothes, or Rice will have to go back and take a bath."
"Mm, I'm eating very carefully." Rice-chan buried her head, taking small bites of a piece of fish tofu.
"McQueen, you wipe too." Lucian handed over a tissue; he couldn't wipe directly like with Rice-chan.
Mejiro McQueen took the tissue. "Arigato."
Rice-chan put the whole piece of fish tofu in her mouth, chewing with relish, completely unaware that the corner of her lips, just wiped clean, was stained with oil again.
Probably because the blockage in her heart had suddenly cleared.
...
The two large basins of grilled fish were quickly divided up completely.
Lucian clapped his hands to attract the attention of the noisy horse girls. "Everyone, quiet down. You've eaten, and with the little time left, we'll start the evaluations."
Still starting with Rice-chan, Lucian relaxed the standards a lot, so the scores he gave these horse girls were higher than before.
"Little Oguri, my fish got cold and isn't tasty—what if your fish got cold and isn't tasty?" Lucian asked before picking up his chopsticks.
Oguri Cap thought for a moment and said, "It's fine. It wasn't tasty to begin with."
"What a matter-of-fact answer." Lucian looked at her speechlessly, then took a bite to taste. "Truly a sincere explanation."
"Sensei, I don't lie."
"I can already taste that."
Oguri Cap caught the implication in Lucian's words and felt a bit embarrassed. "Sensei, will you open the class next semester?"
"Yes, but I remember with this one, you should have enough credits, right?"
Oguri Cap shook her head. "That's not important. I'll come again next time."
If only she could enjoy these grilled fish alone, she thought.
"Then I'll keep teaching you." Lucian smiled.
Actually, Oguri Cap had improved a lot. Though what she made was still bad, at least it was edible now.
Besides Oguri Cap, Grass Wonder, who often "messed up," finally did it normally this time, and the finished product tasted surprisingly good.
"Little Grass, you cook at home often, right?"
"A young lady isn't someone who only orders others around." Grass Wonder said.
This made Lucian nod in agreement. At banquets hosted by his own company, he had seen some young ladies who were very polite and cultured, including some young masters.
But what did this have to do with him stirring trouble?
"McQueen, Little Grass says you're a thousand-pound young lady who only orders people around."
Grass Wonder: "?"
Mejiro McQueen, caught off guard, looked at Lucian in confusion.
"Yes, she said it." Lucian pointed at Grass Wonder affirmatively.
"Trainer Lucian, I didn't say... If Trainer Lucian thinks 'Rigil' members are easy to bully, I don't mind telling Coach Toujou about this. What do you think?"
Lucian chickened out instantly, dry-coughing twice to ease the awkwardness. "I mind. I was joking."
Grass Wonder's mouth was truly poisonous—smiling while saying lethal words, often beating him in verbal battles.
Even Silence Suzuka could only make Lucian yield with force.
...
Evaluations complete, the final class of the semester finally ended.
After the bell rang, Lucian signaled that everyone could leave.
So who exactly pinched his shoulder earlier?
After that day, Lucian put the matter behind him.
Only Grass Wonder, walking on the road with Mejiro McQueen, seemed absent-minded.
"Little Grass, what are you thinking about?" Mejiro McQueen asked. "You don't really believe what the trainer said, do you?"
"Of course not. Everyone knows Trainer Lucian loves to tease."
"Then why did you look so preoccupied after class?" Mejiro McQueen asked curiously. Grass Wonder was a good friend she had known for a long time, so she couldn't help but care.
"No preoccupation." Grass Wonder smiled and shook her head, then suddenly asked, "McQueen, what kind of person do you think Trainer Lucian is?"
Mejiro McQueen paused, then looked away. "Little Grass, why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Nothing, just a bit curious." Grass Wonder tilted her head with a shallow smile, her fair hand lightly resting on her cheek—a habitual gesture.
Gentle and kind, soft personality, calm and composed, seemingly lacking competitive spirit in races... This was everyone's fixed impression of Grass Wonder.
But this was all what she showed, what she wanted others to see.
The real her had pride that surpassed even Mejiro McQueen's, and her desire for victory was obsessive, like a blazing fire that often made her blood boil and sing.
Someone like her couldn't accept her own failure, even feeling angry at her own incompetence.
Perhaps this personality wasn't limited to races.
"What kind of person... Let me think." Mejiro McQueen played memories in her mind, organizing her words. "Humorous, great cook, steady and measured... Makes people feel very secure."
"Secure?" Grass Wonder wasn't unfamiliar with the word. The first time she sat behind Lucian on his little scooter, she felt the same. "Why does McQueen feel secure?"
Mejiro McQueen started with usual training tasks, then Lucian's instructions and preparations before and after races. "You feel needed, supported, so you have a lot of strength during races."
"I see." Grass Wonder nodded, seeming to understand that unfamiliar sense of security came from the training camp.
"Little Grass, are you planning to leave 'Rigil' and join 'Dream'?"
"Of course not. Coach Toujou is very good to me, and I'm used to her training."
Grass Wonder felt 'Rigil's training suited her—suitability was most important.
Besides... She didn't continue on training or races.
Grass Wonder thought that to the traits Mejiro McQueen listed, one more could be added—seemingly slim, but under those wide sleeves hid a solid build.
She could feel it from the firmness of his arm.
"McQueen, let's do our best together for this Arima Kinen." Grass Wonder was now talking about the race.
"Mm, let's do our best."
...