...
Tokai Teio didn't run far before spotting Lucian's figure at the street corner.
"How much is this?" Lucian stopped at a fruit stall, bending down to pick through the produce, asking politely.
Tokai Teio instinctively wanted to approach, but seeing this, she halted, pretending to casually browse accessories at a nearby stall.
The trainer is so tall, but when he bends down… like now, she could easily reach his neck.
No, no, that would hurt the trainer!
A hand-chop to the carotid sinus could indeed cause fainting, but it wasn't like in TV dramas with no side effects.
On the contrary, the risk was extremely high, possibly leading to severe or even fatal consequences... Don't ask why Tokai Teio knew so much about this.
Since that was the case, only one option remained.
...
While Tokai Teio wrestled with herself, Lucian finished buying fruit and continued toward home.
Snapping out of it, she quietly followed behind.
Pausing to steal glances at stalls or hiding in corners to observe... These actions she'd never done before sparked a thrill called excitement in Tokai Teio's heart.
Yet she could convince herself—she was just escorting the trainer home. What if he got hurt by bad guys on the way? Or deceived by some wicked woman?
Tokai Teio secretly gazed at Lucian's sharp-profiled side face, lost in the refined charm it exuded—as long as she wasn't discovered, she could stare freely.
She thought her self-convincing was just an excuse, but along the way, she really saw Lucian approached by another human woman.
Tokai Teio's heart tightened. The distance was too far, so she slowly edged closer.
"H-Hello!" A pretty sakura-haired girl in a black JK uniform, likely a nearby student.
"Hm? Can I help you?"
"I... I saw you over there. Can I add your contact?" The girl's eyes darted around, her face full of shy embarrassment.
Looks clearly mattered.
Lucian wasn't surprised—obviously not the first time. "Sorry, I already have a girlfriend."
...
It was just within Tokai Teio's hearing range, and... she only caught this last sentence.
"Miss!? Why did you snap my hairpin?" The stall owner jumped, startled as the girl before him forcibly broke the ornament.
But when Tokai Teio turned back, her hollow, lifeless eyes—like two holes poked in snow—sent chills down the owner's spine.
"Miss... did something happen?"
"Nothing. Sorry, I'll compensate you right now." Tokai Teio paid, drifting toward Lucian's fading figure.
The owner stared at the overpayment, then at the girl's chilling silhouette, swallowing his words.
...
Humming a tune, Lucian soon saw his apartment building.
"It feels a bit cold tonight." Lucian pulled his coat tighter, quickening his pace home.
Away from the bustling streets, pedestrians grew sparse. Near the building, almost none remained.
Fortunately, streetlights linked like a necklace; tall, sturdy Lucian wasn't afraid.
But...
He glanced back, frowning. "My imagination?"
Strange—he'd clearly heard faint footsteps, yet no one was behind him.
Don't tell me Sadako or Eight-Foot Lady legends exist here too. He wasn't Ning Caichen.
Lucian turned forward, only to see a figure suddenly appear ahead.
Tokai Teio stood outside the light, so Lucian saw only a dark silhouette.
He felt puzzled—the petite figure seemed familiar, but unrecognizable—so he continued walking casually.
"Trainer, you see me and don't even greet?"
The voice enlightened Lucian. "Teio? What are you doing here? Not heading home?"
"Could I be blocking the trainer's romantic fate?" Tokai Teio suppressed her restless heart. "Trainer, who was that girl just now?"
She wanted to embrace the trainer right here, melt into his arms... so badly, so badly!
What would a kiss feel like? Tokai Teio didn't dare imagine—because if she did now, her voice would tremble more than her heart.
"What romantic fate? I don't even know her." Lucian didn't notice Tokai Teio's oddness; perhaps the night's darkness was too thick—even extraordinary eyes couldn't detect the different black hidden within.
"But how did Teio know? Were you following me the whole way?"
"Afraid of blocking the trainer's romantic fate, I didn't dare approach~" Tokai Teio stepped closer. "And what if the trainer's girlfriend found out?"
She wanted to grab his tie, make him look into her eyes, accept her questioning!
"Hah? Where's this coming from? That was just my excuse to turn her down." Lucian explained.
"Is... that so?"
"What else? I spend most of my time on your training. Have you seen me calling girls every day?"
"Who knows." Tokai Teio pouted, but inwardly believed him; her eyes gradually cleared... yet the madness lingered.
"Who knows~" Lucian teased back. "Were you trying to scare me just now?"
"So what if I was? Is the trainer scared?"
"Who squeezes toward me during thunderstorms?" Lucian was slightly afraid of ghost stories, but knowing it was Tokai Teio's prank, he wasn't worried at all.
And he'd felt cold earlier, but now he was warm... Was he imagining it? Impossible. To brace for Silence Suzuka's return, he'd been conserving energy since last week.
Of course, mainly because Seiun Sky was preparing for the Arima Kinen, giving him recovery time.
If Seiun Sky came on strong, one-word tactic: stall. Another: hand.
Use hands to block Seiun Sky at the door.
Methods were like water in a sponge—squeeze, and there's always some... This phrase mustn't be learned by Haru Urara.