...
Lucian put on his chef's uniform and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
As for the matter with Urara, he didn't have any lingering issues.
They were all adults—if they liked each other, they'd collide.
When the mood and atmosphere were right, there was no need to hesitate.
Besides, he also liked Urara very much.
...
By 7 p.m., Lucian finally brought the dishes to the table. "You must all be starving, right?"
"Trainer, have some fruit." Urara held out a slice of orange to Lucian. "Trainer has been cooking the whole time and hasn't eaten anything. Trainer must be the one who's starving."
"Thank you, Urara." Seeing his considerate little sweetheart back to her usual self, Lucian felt it was all worth it.
"Urara, you're making me too embarrassed to say I'm hungry in front of Trainer now~" Tokai Teio eyed the lavish spread on the table and swallowed hard.
"Teio actually feels embarrassed?" Lucian laughed. "If you're hungry, dig in. Everyone, sit down and eat together."
Urara, who had barely eaten breakfast or lunch, was indeed starving—she piled three bowls of rice for herself alone.
"Spe-chan, you can eat so much normally. That's amazing." Urara compared the mountain of rice in Special Week's bowl and gasped in awe.
Special Week wasn't sure whether to feel proud or shy. "It's not as amazing as Urara says..."
Seiun Sky sat next to Lucian. Perhaps still affected by the coldness of the "Lucian" that Silence Suzuka had portrayed yesterday, she was unusually attentive today.
Not only did she pick out clothes for him, but she also kept serving him food, hardly avoiding the others' gazes.
Once Lucian's bowl was piled high with dishes, she secretly held his hand under the table.
Naturally, this move also invited imitation from Silence Suzuka and the others.
"Stop, stop, if you keep adding more, I'll have to search for rice under all this food." Lucian shielded his bowl.
"Trainer, Rice-chan is right here!" Urara pointed at Rice Shower beside her.
Rice Shower, who had been quietly eating, was suddenly called out and shyly stopped. "W-what is it, Urara..."
Lucian smiled at the two of them before straightening his expression. "Today was a day off, but training resumes tomorrow. Everyone, make sure you're ready."
"Don't worry, Trainer-san, I'll definitely work hard to meet the training goals!" Special Week declared with fiery determination.
But among everyone present, the only one who had truly relaxed and enjoyed the day off was Silence Suzuka.
...
After dinner, Seiun Sky and Special Week pulled Lucian aside to try on his new clothes.
Seiun Sky had bought him a gray suit and personally helped him put it on.
The suit was sharp and elegant, making Lucian appear even more mature and composed.
"How do I look?" Lucian turned to show off his figure.
"Trainer looks so handsome~ It feels like you've suddenly grown taller and more imposing." Seiun Sky gazed at Lucian in the suit with satisfaction, her eyes practically sparkling.
She was happy to spend money on Lucian, and even happier that she could dress him up so handsomely.
"It actually fits really well." Lucian adjusted it slightly, sounding a little surprised.
After all, he hadn't gone to try it on in person—Seiun Sky had managed to pick the right size based on a rough estimate.
Did she measure by touch? That was pretty impressive.
"Of course~" Seiun Sky thought that this way, Lucian would surely forgive her.
...
The suit received widespread praise.
Even Silence Suzuka objectively complimented it.
The reason she hadn't bought one herself was that she wanted to save it for a future solo date with Lucian.
But now, seeing Lucian's happy expression, she felt a twinge of regret.
Then again, she wasn't Seiun Sky—she couldn't pick out the perfect size so accurately... unless she was giving him underwear.
But in a setting with so many people around, that obviously wouldn't be appropriate.
"I-It looks pretty good, Trainer..." Tokai Teio stole a few glances at Lucian, not letting her gaze linger too long.
"Teio thinks so too?"
"What's with that tone? My taste is pretty good, you know~ It really does look nice. I'm not lying."
But Tokai Teio was thinking—if only Lucian had worn this suit during their duet that day.
She hadn't treated Lucian as a side character. She had dressed up so formally—Lucian should have worn something that matched.
That way, they would've looked more... compatible?
The word suddenly popped into Tokai Teio's mind like an unknown termination code, instantly freezing her brain.
Compatible!? No, maybe "well-matched"... but that didn't seem right either.
Lucian glanced curiously at the suddenly conflicted Tokai Teio before turning to Special Week. "Spe-chan, let's try on the clothes you got me."
"Okay." Special Week took out the clothes from the bag but didn't hand them over immediately. "What I bought is casual wear. It might not be as expensive or nice as Seiun's."
"So what? Your sincerity is the most valuable thing, and Trainer has already received it." Lucian took the initiative to reach for the clothes, removing the suit and putting on what Special Week had prepared for him.
True to her simple personality, the outfit she chose for him was plain.
It didn't have the elegance and formality of the suit, but the suit couldn't match the sunny, handsome vibe this outfit gave him.
"Spe-chan, what do you think?"
"Trainer-san looks good in anything."
"Thanks. I'll keep this outfit too." Lucian neatly folded both sets of clothes and returned them to their packaging.
"Lucian-kun, you said before that the winning team of the training camp could make a reasonable request of you, right? As long as it's reasonable, anything goes?"
Silence Suzuka and Rice Shower were both part of Symboli Rudolf's team, which hardly ever lost—and if they did, it was only in minor matches.
"Yeah..." Lucian wasn't sure what new idea Silence Suzuka had come up with.
"And everyone on the team can make a request, right?"
"Yeah..." Lucian gulped, growing even more hesitant.
"Good."
Symboli Rudolf and the others would probably just ask Lucian to cook them a lavish meal.
But Silence Suzuka was different—a mere feast was too easy to obtain and no longer satisfied her.
That suit Seiun bought really did suit Lucian well...
Maybe she could ask Lucian-kun to wear nothing but that jacket to bed? And he wouldn't be allowed to button it up—everything that should be exposed must be exposed.
"Suzuka, what are you smiling about?" Special Week asked curiously. She felt like Silence Suzuka's smile was a little... sinister?
She wasn't sure. Maybe it was just her imagination.
"Nothing, Spe-chan. I'm going to the hot springs first."
"I'll go too."
...