...
In the end, Meisho Doto did spray Lucian's face—with soda.
Afterward, though, she carefully wiped him down with tissues.
Seeing that, everyone finally let him off.
Lucian stretched a bit—his joints cracking. The young lady really didn't hold back.
But today Mejiro McQueen had truly dropped her usual shy, proper demeanor toward him.
A step forward in team bonding, perhaps.
Should he actually be happy about that?
...
The last night at the inn.
After saying goodnight to Tokai Teio, Haru Urara, Special Week, and Dextrous Bailey, Lucian slipped into Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka's room.
"Trainer~ perfect timing—help me dry my hair." Seiun Sky shoved the hairdryer into his hands without waiting.
"Still mad?" Lucian looked at Seiun Sky in the mirror, leaned down, and pinched her cheek. "A kiss for Seiun-chan."
"Hmph~" Seiun Sky turned her face away. "Kisses won't work today."
"Fine then—no kisses with Seiun tonight."
"You dare!?" Seiun Sky glared at Lucian's reflection, equal parts furious and fond. "Trainer's face is so handsome, but the things that come out of your mouth are always so cheeky."
"So do you like it or not?"
Seiun Sky turned away again. "I... like it."
Lucian straightened up, satisfied. "Alright, let's dry your hair first—staying wet too long isn't good."
...
About forty minutes later, Silence Suzuka emerged from the bathroom too.
She wiped her damp hair, looking at Seiun Sky—who was now leaning in Lucian's arms on the bed watching a movie. "Seiun, you're really hopeless. Before Lucian-kun came, you said you'd ignore him tonight."
"I already ignored him." Seiun Sky provocatively snuggled deeper into Lucian's embrace, then slipped both hands under his shirt, stroking his skin.
"Lucian-kun, come help me dry my hair."
"Sure." Lucian patted Seiun Sky's perky rear, signaling her to get up.
Seiun Sky lightly bit his lip in protest before reluctantly yielding her spot to Silence Suzuka.
Lucian gathered Silence Suzuka's wet tangerine-orange long hair. "Little carrot spirit."
Seiun Sky walked to the mirror and stood beside Lucian. "What fox spirit?"
"Little carrot spirit." Lucian repeated, thinking the hairdryer was too loud for her to hear clearly.
Seiun Sky: "Little what fox?"
"Seiun, if you don't want your ears, you can donate them to someone in need." Silence Suzuka said coldly.
Seiun Sky stuck out her tongue playfully.
...
The three pushed the two beds together.
Silence Suzuka sat very ladylike—her closed legs like soft, pale jade pillars, elegantly crossed toward the edge of the bed.
Seiun Sky, on the other hand, had zero decorum as she sat in Lucian's lap—sometimes squirming under the pretense of adjusting position, sometimes tilting her head back to kiss his chin.
"Seiun." Silence Suzuka patted the empty spot beside her.
Seiun Sky shook her head. "I'm good right here, Suzuka—no need to mind me."
Silence Suzuka disagreed—it made her look like the outsider. "If you stay like that, I'll come over too."
"Where will you sit?"
"On your lap—indirectly on Lucian-kun's lap. Same logic as your indirect kisses."
What goes around comes around.
Seiun Sky never expected the boomerang to hit her one day. "Fine~ I'll sit beside, okay~?"
"That's more like it." Silence Suzuka murmured.
"Alright." Lucian cleared his throat. "The second meeting regarding Spe-chan officially begins. Seiun, you start."
Seiun Sky: "Let me think... while we were shopping tonight, I noticed Spe-chan staring at you two. Her expression... like she was conflicted. Or maybe struggling and hesitating."
"Then today when she wanted to buy mangoes for Trainer, I told her Trainer's allergic to mangoes."
"She asked how I knew—I said Trainer mentioned it privately once, and I remembered it clearly."
Silence Suzuka nodded, looking at Lucian. "Lucian-kun, you're allergic to mangoes?"
"Am I allergic to mangoes?" Lucian pointed at himself. "Who taught you to make up stuff like that?"
"Hehe~ Anyway, I already said it—so now Trainer really is allergic to mangoes." Seiun Sky not only felt no guilt but thought her improvisation was brilliant. "Trainer, just say if it worked or not?"
"Fine, from now on I'm allergic to mangoes." Lucian sighed helplessly. "Suzuka, what about you? How's it been with Spe-chan?"
"Most of the time Lucian-kun was there—I noticed Spe-chan's expressions too."
Silence Suzuka wasn't as carefree as Seiun Sky.
She paused, then sighed. "Spe-chan will definitely feel conflicted and sad because of me and Lucian-kun... she might not even be asleep right now."
"Don't worry—I just sent her a ton of messages." Lucian said.
"Suzuka, did you forget to add me?" Seiun Sky reminded.
Silence Suzuka just glanced at her and shook her head in disdain. "If it were you, Spe-chan would probably see you as a rival—but she wouldn't agonize over it."
Lucian: "Suzuka, who do you think Spe-chan will ask first?"
"Mm... I think it'll be me. I have a feeling—probably in the next few days, Spe-chan will ask me about this." Silence Suzuka's hesitation carried certainty. "If she kept it bottled up, she wouldn't be Spe-chan."
"Alright, this meeting's over." Lucian nodded, preparing to stand. "You two should rest early too."
"Hm? Trainer, where are you going?" Seiun Sky propped herself on the bed and hooked her leg around Lucian's waist.
Silence Suzuka seamlessly cooperated, kneeling beside him. "After talking about Spe-chan, it's time to talk about Lucian-kun and us."
"Us? What else is there about us?"
Silence Suzuka: "Today when McQueen pinned your arm—why were you smiling?"
Lucian: "I was laughing from anger."
Seiun Sky: "Trainer, what about Bailey-chan and Urara-chan? Why haven't you explained those to me?"
Silence Suzuka: "Lucian-kun, why do you always love teasing Meisho?"
...