...
Lucian didn't want to make Silence Suzuka angry—he believed in her, and he had to tell her.
As for Ines Fujin, it was better to nurture their relationship a bit more before telling her these things.
Lucian felt Ines Fujin would accept it easily—after all, her chest was visibly broad-minded.
But not everything could be judged by the naked eye. His Suzuka might not be visibly broad, but her heart was very broad too.
The photo had only been sent for a few seconds when Silence Suzuka's message popped up—extremely concise.
Silence Suzuka: "?"
Immediately after, the second message followed right behind.
Silence Suzuka: "O me de tou (congratulations)~ My dear boyfriend is about to have a new girlfriend again~"
Lucian licked his somewhat dry lips, his heart tightening. Even through the screen, no matter how slow he was, he could tell Silence Suzuka on the other end was angry.
Relying solely on these cold words would only make things worse. He took a deep breath and pressed the video call button.
The moment it connected, Lucian-kun saw Silence Suzuka on the other end, wearing thin pajamas, lying on her bed.
The room's lights were dimmed, with only a warm yellow bedside lamp casting a soft halo around the outline of her profile.
"Suzuka-chan~" Lucian's tone deliberately rose at the end, carrying a placating sweetness.
"Lucian-kun, speak properly, or I'm hanging up." Silence Suzuka's expression was calm as water—but this was exactly how she looked when she was normally angry.
"No no no." Lucian cleared his throat. "I'll speak properly."
"Then explain. Who is this again? Lucian-kun, if you're so thirsty that any random cat or dog will do..." Her words paused, her gaze casually drifting toward the bedside table.
Then she slowly reached over, picked up a pair of silver scissors that glinted coldly.
"How could that be!? I, Lucian, have nothing but enmity with gambling, prostitution, and drugs." Lucian waved his hands frantically, his tone resolute.
But from Silence Suzuka's words, he also caught the hint of "pardon," so he cautiously said, "It's someone you know too... It just... happened naturally."
"Who?"
"Big Sis Ai..... Little Ai." After spending these days with Ines Fujin, the intimate nickname had become second nature—he slipped it out without thinking.
Silence Suzuka's eyes flashed with surprise at the words.
She sat up slightly, the collar of her pajamas slipping to reveal her delicate collarbone. "The cause, the process, the result... Lucian-kun has to explain everything clearly. No hiding anything from me!"
...
After that, Lucian laid out the entire process in exhaustive detail, honestly recounting everything to Silence Suzuka.
Silence Suzuka listened quietly, her face showing no extra emotion. Only her eyes—fixed on the screen the whole time—shifted gradually from scrutiny to softness.
When Lucian finished, she simply replied softly, "Mm."
This left Lucian a little unsure. "Suzuka, you..."
"I'm not angry. The moment Lucian-kun proactively told me, I stopped being angry." Silence Suzuka returned to her usual gentleness. "And if it's Ines-senpai..."
"Should I come find you tomorrow?"
"It's so far—better not. We can meet after winter break ends." The pair of scissors she'd been fiddling with was set aside.
"Lucian-kun, I want to participate in this year's Tenno Sho."
Lucian paused for a moment after processing it. The Tenno Sho was exactly the race Silence Suzuka had tragically missed completing back then.
Instinctively wanting to protect her, he spoke gently, "Suzuka, you really don't have to force yourself to face it."
"But I want to. I don't want it to remain a regret forever. I want to stand on that track with you."
Lucian was silent for one or two seconds before slowly smiling. "Then I support you." Her words were enough. "This year, let's work hard together."
"Mm, we will." Silence Suzuka's legs dangling in the air started kicking again. "Lucian, I miss you a little."
"I miss you too. New Year's is almost over—if you're really bored, come back early. We can go on a trip together. Mom will understand."
"Mm!"
...
New Year quietly slipped away at the tail end of winter break. The entrance of Tracen Academy had regained its usual bustle, signaling the start of the new semester.
Lucian unusually gathered everyone on the very first day of school. He cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face, and asked gently, "Has everyone finished organizing their dorms?"
"No." Haru Urara shook her head. "But Trainer's matter feels more important, so I came~"
"It's actually not that urgent. I could have just messaged everyone, but since we haven't seen each other all winter break, I wanted to see you all in person."
"Trainer~ Hurry up and tell us what's going on." Seiun Sky let out a lazy yawn—clearly stayed up late again last night.
"I'll say it now." Lucian rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty. "You all know about the campus open day, right?"
"Oh~ That one.....!" Matikanetannhauser showed a sudden look of realization, but the excitement lasted only a second before stalling.
"Yes! It's the one where we need to guide some successfully registered little horse girls—or tourists interested in horse girl culture—around campus, introducing them to our school and showing them our daily life. I believe everyone is so kind and friendly, you'd be more than willing to contribute to the academy, right?"
"Lucian-kun, isn't this decided by lottery?" Silence Suzuka, having been in "Rigil," naturally knew the process. "Don't tell me Lucian-kun drew it?"
"Haha..... Yeah, can't hide anything from Suzuka." Lucian gave an awkward laugh. "That's the situation. It's tomorrow for the whole day. We need everyone to help receive the visitors."
"Got it~"
"Trainer, good thing it's not a last-minute notice today."
"OK~"
...
Twin Turbo looked around and suddenly spoke. "Bailey-senpai isn't coming anymore, huh?"
"Bailey has officially graduated from 'Dream,' right? She has her own things to do now."
"Yeah..." Twin Turbo's face flashed with a trace of disappointment. Though Dextrous Bailey often fought her for food, her absence still left a sense of longing.
Lucian didn't feel that way.
Because Dextrous Bailey had told him yesterday that she planned to move in with him.
Naturally, Lucian had sternly refused, so she compromised by planning to buy a house nearby.
That was beyond Lucian's ability to interfere.
"Alright, we've seen each other now. After tomorrow, everyone gets another day off. Official training starts the day after."
...