...
The two continued walking deeper into the park.
So what does it feel like to date a beautiful girl like Tokai Teio?
She's actually really cute when she's not crying... and even cuter when she is.
Only the yandere side is unacceptable.
But Lucian couldn't make Tokai Teio cry every day.
"King, shall we keep going? The sun's about to set."
"Trainer, there's a path ahead that leads out too." Tokai Teio hopped onto a cylindrical stone post. "Following me, are you still worried about getting lost?"
"Don't fall." Lucian reached out to her, like extending an invitation at a ball. Tokai Teio placed her petite hand in his and nimbly hopped along the posts.
"Trainer, what do you like about me....."
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, cut into irregular golden cards.
She stood right where a beam fell, romantic brilliant yellow slanting down, bathing Tokai Teio's flowing hair and part of her cheek.
Lucian stared at her in a daze for a while.
"I love the clarity in your eyes."
...
Lucian's stay at Tokai Teio's house had stretched on a bit long; he had to leave.
The morning before departure, Tokai Teio woke from sleep.
Not feeling Lucian, with whom she'd grown accustomed to sharing a bed, left an empty hollow in her heart.
But that was all—no panic or negative emotions arose in Tokai Teio.
"Trainer... Trainer?" She rubbed her eyes, rolled out of bed, and called out as she walked.
"Ding-dong—"
Tokai Teio's phone lit up. Lucian sent a voice message: "I'm here. Come down to the living room and you'll see me."
Full of confusion, she held the railing and slowly descended, but midway she spotted Lucian sitting at the piano.
Lucian smiled at her without a word, then shifted his gaze back to the piano.
Black and white keys danced; the moment the prelude sounded, Tokai Teio seemed to see notes like little elves swirling around Lucian.
The familiar, melodious sound made her instinctively halt, her pupils filled with Lucian's spirited figure.
Leaning against the railing, even her hand-raising motion stayed light, afraid to shatter the moment's serenity.
She just smiled, tilting her head as she watched him—watching her very own male lead.
The wondrous music plucked at Tokai Teio's heartstrings. She didn't know what story the song told; only tears fell like beads from a broken string, one by one, shattering into beauty across the floor.
It wasn't a casual promise—he'd firmly remembered it all along.
In his spare time, Lucian had relied on memory to complete this song, Anohana, and practiced it until flawless.
...
One piece ended, the lingering notes fading. For the first time, Tokai Teio felt contradictorily that time was both fleeting and endlessly long.
"Trainer!!!" She dashed downstairs and threw herself into Lucian's arms. "First thing in the morning, you made me cry again!"
He wiped her tears, only now realizing how much King loved to cry. "Don't cry. The things I promise you, I always keep in my heart."
"I don't care, I don't care!" Tokai Teio shook her head like a spoiled child. "Trainer has to compensate for my tears!"
"How should I compensate again?"
Tokai Teio sniffled. "Trainer has to play it one more time."
"Anything for you." Lucian chuckled lightly and sat up straight again.
But the moment he raised his hands, Tokai Teio slipped in from below, wriggling to sit properly. "I want to be in Trainer's embrace..... You can play now."
"Okay."
The pleasant prelude rang out once more.
In the end, Tokai Teio couldn't fully immerse in the music; instead, she turned her head, directing starry brilliant eyes toward Lucian.
The piece ended again, but they stayed close.
"How long does King want to watch?"
Tokai Teio shook her head, kissed Lucian's lips, then leaned against his chest. "I want to listen more—want Trainer to play for me forever."
"Before that, shouldn't King think about what you owe me?"
Tokai Teio of course knew what Lucian meant. "Next time, I'll let Trainer watch my dance—and the lyrics."
"In that case, shall I handle the lyrics?"
"No, I want to be part of this song. It's a product of Trainer and me together."
Maybe Tokai Teio could write lyrics that better fit the two of them? Thinking this, Lucian nodded. "Alright, I'll look forward to it."
"Soon, very soon, I'll let Trainer see it...." Tokai Teio narrowed her eyes, savoring the taste of being enveloped in happiness. "Tomorrow, Trainer leaves, right?"
"Mm. Next time we meet will be when Suzuka returns."
Tokai Teio suddenly clutched Lucian's sleeve tightly. "I can't bear to part with Trainer—not even for a day."
"It won't be long. We'll see each other soon."
"I know..."
Kissing first, then.
Express the melancholy in the most direct way.
After the kiss, express the unspeakable reluctance in the most passionate way.
...
The final night.
The two embraced tightly, not daring to sleep early.
"Ha—mm." Lucian retaliated by biting Tokai Teio's shoulder. "Scheming little imp."
Tokai Teio wasn't one to back down; she flipped on top.
"Stinky Trainer, bad Trainer!"
"Who's the one hiding a whole box of outrageous stuff under the bed, really planning to use it on me?"
"Th-that's..." Tokai Teio felt guilty and stammered. "Trainer, you peeked at my things!"
"I was changing the sheets and accidentally saw it when moving the bed, okay?"
"Anyway, you invaded my privacy!"
Lucian suddenly pinched her neck, cutting off her words.
"Is that looped ring thing used like this?"
Tokai Teio froze for a few seconds, then said in shame and anger, "I don't know, I don't know!!"
Lucian chuckled softly and pulled Tokai Teio forcefully into his arms.
Tokai Teio lay there, no intention of resisting; just thinking that Lucian might actually use the things in the box made her heart pound wildly.
"When do we go public?"
"Huh?"
"When do we announce me and King?"
"No, no no no no... Not now."
"Oh~ alright then." Lucian knew she wouldn't agree, so he was fearless.
But if he ever met a cunning, dominant horse girl, it might be a different story.
"But I really didn't like how King was a few days ago."
Tokai Teio was quiet for a while. "Trainer, I know I was wrong..."
"Mm." Lucian stroked Tokai Teio's smooth back. "I'm everyone's Trainer—so from King's perspective, everyone's jealous of me every day, right?"
"Mm... I can't be that selfish."
"That's right." Lucian quietly held her for a while. "Dance...?"
"Mm, Trainer... want to see the ring?"
"Ah, troubling King again."
Hidden in their little world for two, no matter what they said or did, even the stars and moon would be fooled, kept in the dark.
...