...
"Silence Suzuka." Lucian arrived at the medical examination room where Silence Suzuka was.
"Lucian-kun, what's the matter?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about." Lucian gave the doctor a look, and the latter took the hint and left.
"What is it, Lucian-kun?"
In her memory, Lucian was always humorous and lively, rarely so... cautious like this.
"Well... after the Daily Cup, your next goal is the Tenno Sho (Autumn), right?"
"Yes, I'm confident I can win this race." Silence Suzuka thought Lucian was worried about that, but... this didn't seem like him.
"And after the Tenno Sho? Have you considered the Arima Kinen at the end of the year?"
"Arima Kinen... If I qualify, I'll participate."
"Your performance this year has been quite good, and your popularity in previous races has consistently ranked high. So, barring any surprises, you'll definitely qualify for the Arima Kinen."
"So... Lucian-kun, what exactly are you trying to say?" Silence Suzuka looked puzzled.
"Silence Suzuka, could you... give up the Tenno Sho?"
Silence Suzuka's eyes widened in surprise, then she fell silent. After a moment, she asked softly, "Lucian-kun, can you tell me why?"
"The Tenno Sho and the Arima Kinen are only about a month apart, and before the Tenno Sho, you'll have just competed in the Daily Cup. I think this schedule is too tight... Also, you know your running style puts a lot of strain on your body. I..."
Lucian came up with every possible reason to persuade Silence Suzuka, but before he could finish, she interrupted him.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Lucian-kun." Silence Suzuka gave a gentle smile.
Lucian's suspended heart started beating again. He had thought Silence Suzuka would refuse, so he asked in disbelief, "You... agreed?"
"Yes. Though I don't know all the reasons, I..." Silence Suzuka lowered her eyes, "I know Lucian-kun is worried about me and has my best interests at heart. That's enough for me."
"That's great!" Lucian hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. Overjoyed, he impulsively hugged Silence Suzuka.
"Lu-Lucian-kun!?" The sudden embrace made Silence Suzuka exclaim in surprise.
She hadn't expected Lucian to react so strongly.
But Silence Suzuka didn't push him away. Ever since she saw Haru Urara hugging Lucian last time, she had been longing for his embrace for so, so long.
Hmm? Had he just been with Seiun Sky? She caught a faint trace of Seiun Sky's fragrance on him.
"Sorry, sorry, I got a little too excited. At first, I thought you might refuse because you really wanted to compete in this race." Lucian quickly let go.
"N-no, it's fine."
Why did it end so soon?
She hadn't even had time to savor it properly.
"Then, you go ahead with your check-up. I'll call the doctor back in."
"Wait, I won the mock race earlier, and I haven't made my request yet." Silence Suzuka suddenly said.
"You can make it anytime." Seeing Silence Suzuka about to speak, Lucian preempted her, "Choose something else—no more massages."
Silence Suzuka frowned and pursed her lips. "Why?"
That was pretty much her only request. Was even that not allowed now?
"Actually, whether you ask or not, I'll give you regular massages anyway." Lucian patted Silence Suzuka's head. "The 'Front Runner' running style is tough on you, so that's why I only give you those special massages."
Silence Suzuka's cheeks flushed. "Then all my previous requests were wasted?"
"Not exactly. You did add extra time a few times."
....
It seemed Silence Suzuka's matter was temporarily resolved.
As Lucian walked home, the wind rustled through the trees, and the leaves seemed to laugh along with him.
"Come to think of it, isn't this near where Ines Fujin works?" Lucian suddenly remembered and pulled out the address she had given him last time.
Since he had nothing else to do, Lucian followed the address and found the shop.
Before even entering, he spotted Ines Fujin through the glass window, dressed in her work uniform and delivering coffee.
"Welcome." Ines Fujin froze when she recognized Lucian. "Trainer Lucian?"
"Yo! Ines." Lucian greeted her warmly.
The shop owner at the counter noticed and asked, "Is this customer a friend of yours, Ines?"
"Yeah." Ines Fujin nodded.
"Then go ahead and serve him. The shop isn't busy right now." The owner said.
"Got it." Ines Fujin turned to Lucian. "Trainer Lucian, what would you like to drink? I'll pick for you."
"Whatever you recommend. Two cups—one for you."
...
Lucian took a seat, and soon Ines Fujin arrived with two cups of coffee, each adorned with beautiful latte art.
"I thought it'd be a long time before we met again." Ines Fujin sat across from him.
"Well, you're like a phantom at Tracen Academy—here one moment, gone the next." Lucian took a sip of the coffee. "This uniform isn't as nice as the one I arranged for you."
Chatting with a straightforward girl like Ines Fujin was easy for Lucian. He could joke around freely.
"Trainer Lucian, that maid outfit was totally based on your preferences, wasn't it?" Ines Fujin asked. Lucian had given her that outfit too.
After taking it home, she had been afraid of being discovered, so she secretly washed it and hid it in the corner of her wardrobe.
"And how would you know that?" Lucian played dumb.
"Then..." Ines Fujin suddenly leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Who looked the best in it?"
"Cough—" Lucian nearly spat out his coffee, though his brain involuntarily started comparing.
The comparison made him realize they were all amazing in their own ways. But if he had to choose, he still preferred Meishou Doto's style.
After some casual chatter, Lucian remembered the question he had asked Seiun Sky earlier.
"Ines, if you knew you'd get injured in an important race one day, would you still run?"
"For me, I probably would." Ines Fujin's answer surprised Lucian.
"Why?"
Ines Fujin wore a nostalgic expression. "Trainer Lucian, do you know I was once the champion of the Japanese Derby too?"
"I know." Lucian nodded. "I also know you haven't competed in any other races since then."
This was something Lucian had always wondered about.
She had just won a G1 race—the Japanese Derby, no less—and could have participated in other G1 events like the Kikuka Sho that same year.
"Because after that race, even though I won, I was told my body had reached its limit... You could say that race burned through my life, offering everything I had."
"After that, my body was no longer in peak condition. I needed time to recover, so I rarely competed anymore."
Ines Fujin stirred her coffee slowly, her head bowed. The golden evening light draped over her shoulders, as if comforting the faint loneliness in her downcast eyes.
Lucian was stunned. He hadn't expected this to be the reason. "I'm sorry, Ines, I..."
Ines Fujin shook her head, her smile one of resignation yet determination. "But if I had to do it again, I'd still run with everything I have."
At that moment, Lucian realized that running was something purer and more meaningful to horse girls than life itself.
Seiun Sky's choice wasn't wrong. Ines Fujin's choice wasn't wrong either.
The one who was wrong was him—he hadn't chosen to trust Silence Suzuka. Instead, it was Silence Suzuka who chose to trust him.
...
(Regarding Silence Suzuka's storyline, I currently have two ideas.)
Let the fracture incident happen, then the protagonist will find a way to recover her, deepening their bond and letting Silence Suzuka achieve a big win (i.e., securing her route first). This would also kick off the rivalry between Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka. At the same time, Silence Suzuka's abilities would grow stronger, setting the stage for future developments with Tokai Teio. There'd be ups and downs.
But I'm also afraid readers might scold me with, "You're doing a fanfic and still adding tragedy?!" So the second option is to avoid the fracture plotline altogether. However, this would mean less dramatic impact, and the romance would continue developing slowly.
In the anime, after the Tenno Sho, Silence Suzuka basically disappears from the story.
But in this fic, regardless of which path I choose, there will be original content featuring Silence Suzuka later on.