...
As the number of team members increased, Lucian's vehicle upgraded from a sedan to a minivan.
Minivans were great—there was always room to squeeze in a few more~
Led by Tokai Teio, the horse girls in the car cheerfully sang songs.
Lucian glanced at the rearview mirror, a faint smile of contentment on his face.
However, Silence Suzuka, sitting in the passenger seat, wasn't in such high spirits.
Her mind was still occupied by the intimate moment between Lucian and Seiun Sky during the Winner's Ceremony….. And the provocative look from of Seiun Sky.
...
Even though Seiun Sky also had nothing going on with the Trainer, how dare she look at him so boldly...
Silence Suzuka secretly glanced at Lucian, who was driving, and couldn't help but feel like she wanted to get back at Seiun a little.
Lucian, however, was focused on the back seat, listening to their discussion about music. He chimed in, "Have you all heard Suki Dakara (Because I Like You)?"
While the others were still thinking, Tokai Teio, the little music encyclopedia, excitedly spoke up, "I've heard it! I've heard it! Trainer, can you sing it?!"
"Only a little, and right now I have to focus on driving."
"Aw~ I think the Trainer would suit the male part of this song really well. Your voice sounds really gentle too."
Tokai Teio gave an objective assessment.
Actually, she had wanted to say this during karaoke last time, but back then, it was only their first proper meeting.
"It's been so long since we last heard the Trainer sing," Haru Urara propped her chin on her hand, also sinking into memories.
"Wait." Seiun Sky had something to say. "This song sounds like a love song, right? A duet between a guy and a girl?"
"You could say that. It's about innocent school romance," Tokai Teio mused.
"I see." Seiun Sky made up her mind—she was going to learn this song when she got back.
Silence Suzuka in the front seat thought the same.
Rice Shower and Dextrous Bailey, however, looked puzzled. "Is the Trainer's singing really that good?"
"It's amazing! Urara wants to sing a duet with the Trainer too, but the Trainer knows so few Japanese songs," the adorable Urara swayed her head.
"Well, from my perspective, you all know very few Chinese songs too," Lucian replied with a laugh. "But it's true that I don't know many Japanese songs. Let me think... there's also [Irony] [アイロニ], have you heard that one?"
This time, the response was much bigger—almost everyone had heard it.
"We want to hear the Trainer sing! Trainer, sing this song for Urara, okay?"
"Rice Shower... also wants to hear it a little." Rice Shower was good at singing too, so she was genuinely curious about someone with the same hobby.
"Next time, maybe. I happen to have a guitar at home, along with a small speaker and a microphone."
"Next time, next time... Urara has heard that when people say 'next time,' it means they don't know when it'll actually happen!"
Urara pouted, her little expression full of dissatisfaction. "China has an old saying, right? 'Xixi wu zhe shi hen shuaiqi de ren'( a very handsome person )—Urara advises the Trainer not to be ungrateful."
Rice Shower looked at Urara with admiration and clapped. "Wow, Urara is amazing, she even knows China's sayings!"
"Please, my dear Urara, it's 'Shi shi wu zhe wei jun jie'(A wise man knows when to adapt)... Where on earth did you learn that?" Lucian rubbed his temples.
"Never mind! As long as the Trainer gets the meaning!"
"I'm driving right now, and of course, I'll keep my promises to you."
Lucian thought the training camp would be a great opportunity.
Once they were all staying in the mountains for training, he could arrange some entertainment activities in the evenings to help everyone unwind after practice.
...
After safely transporting the carriage full of horse girls back to Tracen Academy, Lucian returned home, washed up, and went to bed.
But in his dreams, he found himself in a vast, boundless alternate space.
Lucian remembered this place—it was where the Three Goddesses had granted him these eyes when his memories awakened.
He had been fortunate enough to see the statues of these three goddesses at Tracen Academy, but he didn't know much about their legends.
So why had he returned here this time?
Lucian looked around, but then a gentle voice suddenly echoed through the space.
"Welcome back~"
"Uh, hello." Lucian could sense the goodwill in the voice. "Goddess-sama, may I ask why you've summoned me this time?"
"Oh? Was it us who summoned you? Weren't you the one with questions for us?" Another voice, sounding more indifferent, spoke up.
"I... do have some questions." Lucian gathered his thoughts for a moment. "The predetermined worldline... it self-corrects, doesn't it?"
"Correct. It's the world's way of adjusting and repairing itself. It's the rule."
In other words, even if Silence Suzuka hadn't participated in the Tenno Sho, she would have gotten injured in some other race.
Lucian's heart sank, and he couldn't help but feel disheartened. He pressed further, "Then is there really nothing I can change? Even if I take care of Tokai Teio's ankles in advance, even if I invest in researching currently untreatable conditions... none of it will matter?"
"Not quite." The gentle voice spoke again, carrying a hint of amusement. "Not everything can be generalized, Lucian-kun. Haven't you noticed? You've already changed a lot."
"The worldline's self-corrections in response to your actions are, in themselves, a form of change," another voice added.
Lucian mostly understood what the Three Goddesses meant—some things could indeed be changed, but others were bound to happen.
"But it's still not enough... I want to do more..."
He wanted Silence Suzuka to keep running forever, until her retirement.
Was there really no way?
At this thought, Lucian suddenly cast a pleading gaze into the vast sky. "Three Goddess-sama, can I make a deal with you? Since you were able to awaken my memories and let me influence the future, you must also have the power to alter the rules, right?"
"No can do, Lucian-kun. Rules cannot be changed so easily."
"I'd rather hear what kind of deal you're proposing."
Two voices responded in succession.
Lucian answered, "I'll trade these eyes you blessed me with... for Suzuka's fractured leg."
After much deliberation, the most valuable thing he had to offer was these eyes.
"Heh." The three voices laughed in unison. "Lucian-kun, these eyes were a gift from us to begin with—we can take them back anytime. Besides, trading eyes for a leg doesn't align with the rules."
"I see."
"Very well. We've said all we need to. Do you have any other questions?"
"...No."
After a long silence, the alternate space began to crack apart.
"Thank you."
Click—
With Lucian's final words of gratitude, the dream shattered like ice crystals and vanished without a trace.
...