...
Two and a half hours later, the game finally concluded amid screams.
Lucian and the others emerged as the defeated.
"Everyone, please come over here for a group photo," the server said.
The exhausted group stood in front of the camera, forcing smiles and throwing up peace signs.
Seeing this, Lucian temporarily changed plans and extended their checkout from tonight to tomorrow morning.
...
Not long after leaving the escape room, everyone regrouped.
This time Meisho Doto wasn't late either—she arrived carrying a large bag of drinks. "Minna, sorry for making everyone wait last time. So I bought drinks as an apology. (◦˙▽˙◦)"
"I hope you'll accept my sincerity."
"Meisho, you're really on point," Lucian said.
"Hehe, Trainer—this one's for you."
Lucian reached out to take it but suddenly remembered something—his hand froze mid-air.
He looked at the canned drink. "Meisho, let me hand them out instead."
"Oh? Ohhh, thanks, Trainer." She didn't even have time to refuse—Lucian had already taken the plastic bag from her hands.
"Everyone wait before opening—we'll cheers together in a bit."
Lucian distributed them while speaking, quickly finishing the bag. "To celebrate these wonderful three days of vacation—being with everyone has really made me happy. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
...
"Pop—"
The sound of cans opening rang out one after another, immediately followed by soda spraying everywhere, catching all the horse girls completely off guard.
"Ptoo ptoo ptoo~"
"Why did it spray all of a sudden!?"
"It got me right in the face!"
...
Only Lucian remained in the motion of pulling the tab, secretly laughing at the scene.
He had only guessed—but sure enough, the drinks that passed through Meisho Doto's hands really did erupt. This little klutz must have shaken them violently while running.
"Eh, eh!? Why did they spray? I clearly didn't shake them!" Meisho Doto frantically checked her pockets left and right. "Tissues, tissues—I remember I had tissues in my pocket. (Ｔ▽Ｔ)"
Somehow her tiny pockets held so much stuff—she kept pulling things out and tossing them aside.
But the tissues she was looking for ended up thrown right into Lucian's hand. "Meisho, is this what you're looking for?"
"Hm? Yes, that's it. Σ(っ °Д °;)っ" Meisho Doto said in surprise. "Trainer, you use this brand of tissues too?"
"I don't. These are the ones you just threw out of your own pocket." Lucian couldn't help laughing at her. "You really...~"
Meisho Doto guiltily stepped in front of everyone. "Sorry sorry sorry >人<... I really didn't mean to. I just wanted to apologize to everyone. （° △ °|||)︴"
Lucian, fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough, fanned the flames. "Right right right—using soda to extinguish everyone's anger? That's so you, Meisho."
He even gave a thumbs-up.
Meisho Doto: "Trainer, stop talking already. =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇)"
"It's fine, Meisho—there's still a chance to make up for it." Lucian said.
"Chance? ‼(•'╻'• )?"
Lucian raised the can in his hand. "Yes—look, my drink still isn't opened."
"Trainer, you mean... if this can make everyone forgive me... Tr-Trainer!? What are you doing? =͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞(●⁰ꈊ⁰● |||)"
Meisho Doto had barely finished speaking, ready to accept her fate, when she saw Lucian grip the can with both hands like popping champagne and shake it violently.
"Aren't you making up for it?"
"Th-This, this this... please shake it a little slower. ( p′︵‵.)"
"Hahaha, I'm gonna shake it fast."
...
Lucian was laughing so hard he couldn't close his mouth when his shoulder was suddenly slapped.
He turned—only to see a crowd of horse girls glaring at him from behind.
A giant question mark slowly formed over Lucian's head. He grabbed Meisho Doto's sleeve and pulled her in front of him like a human shield. "What are those looks for? You can't bully Meisho—I was just giving her a little punishment."
"Lucian-kun." Silence Suzuka stepped forward.
That single step seemed to establish her as something like the big-sister boss.
"Why isn't your drink opened? Did you already know it would spray and didn't warn us?"
"I think that's probably it~ After all, Trainer specifically emphasized not to open them right away~" Seiun Sky's short hair was visibly soaked in a large patch; her lazy tone carried a hint of anger. "I just washed my hair this morning."
Nice Nature: "Trainer, don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
Twin Turbo: "Yeah yeah! Explanation!"
Haru Urara: "Trainer, you can't bully Meisho!"
Rice Shower's blue rose hair accessory looked like it had just been rained on, giving her a shy appearance. "Onii-sama... this time I can't help you either."
Tokai Teio: "Trainer, you knew all along, right?"
"Dragging that-san down with you." Mejiro McQueen, already embarrassed enough today, couldn't hold back anymore and clamped onto one of Lucian's arms first.
"Ow ow ow... McQueen, you're the young lady of the Mejiro family—how can you do something so rough?"
"Hmph, right now I'm just a soaked horse girl." Mejiro McQueen didn't care—temporarily abandoning her image was fine. Anyway, Tokai Teio had already sent yesterday's embarrassing moments to the group chat.
They were all family now.
"Lucian-kun, time for you to make up for it too." Silence Suzuka took Meisho Doto's hand, walked to Lucian, and placed his can into Meisho Doto's grasp.
Meisho Doto was at a loss. "Suzuka-chan, is this really okay?"
"Yeah, Meisho—your apology included me too." As soon as Lucian spoke, Mejiro McQueen tightened her grip. "Hiss—ow ow ow ow ow—"
Ines Fujin, loving the drama, added fuel. "Trainer, you still look pretty happy about this."
Dextrous Bailey: "Maybe Trainer's heart actually enjoys this process? Could it be that what we're doing right now is a reward for him?!"
"Bailey, don't project your thoughts onto me." Lucian shouted—this Dextrous Bailey, he'd have to retrain her someday.
"Meisho, if you take action against Lucian-kun, we'll forgive you." Silence Suzuka said.
"There's such a good deal?" To Meisho Doto, sacrificing Lucian alone to earn forgiveness from the rest felt like a huge win.
And...
A drenched cat-sama...
Bullying cat-sama...
Gripping the can, she started hallucinating again.
...