...
In the air, the rich, roasted aroma of coffee beans intertwined with faint milky sweetness. A gentle breeze passed through, making the wind chimes ring with clear "ding-ling" sounds, adding a touch of leisure.
Fortunately, it was still class time, so the café wasn't too crowded.
After ordering, everyone gathered around a round table.
Surprisingly, Lianzhou and New Universe—the two "aliens"—hit it off quite well.
Their voices weren't loud, yet it felt like they'd built an invisible barrier between themselves and everyone else.
Lucian tried tilting his ear to listen—only catching terms about celestial bodies, mathematical formulas, spatial phenomena, and other things that made his brows furrow deeper.
So he gave up and rejoined the other conversation group.
"Chef big brother, do you still remember what you said back then?" After learning Lucian was Mejiro McQueen's Trainer, Satono Diamond's eyes lit up like stars.
This reminded him of the two little sisters at Ines Fujin's house—little horse girls seemed full of energy and passion, like tireless little suns.
But her words left Lucian stunned. He racked his brain but still couldn't recall. "Hm? What did I say?"
"That one sentence! Little Kita must remember too, right?" Satono Diamond blinked her big, watery eyes, looking expectantly at Kitasan Black for confirmation.
"Of course I remember!" Kitasan Black suddenly realized, her eyes full of certainty. She nodded vigorously at Lucian.
Under the table, Tokai Teio lightly nudged Lucian's calf with the toe of her white knee-high sock.
Seeing no reaction, she reached out and gently pinched the outside of his thigh.
"Trainer~ Did you say something weird to kids before?"
Tokai Teio, now thoroughly "moistened," was no longer as innocent as before.
"H-How could I!?" Lucian quickly lowered his voice to deny it—he didn't want to keep guessing blindly. "Little Kita, Little Diamond—it's been two years. I really can't remember. Just tell me what happened."
"It's that Chef big brother said if we come to Tracen for school, we can join your team!" Satono Diamond couldn't hold back anymore and blurted it out in one breath.
Lucian's eyes widened—he did vaguely recall now. "I did say that, but only after you get accepted into Tracen."
He paused. "And Little Kita has a chance, but Little Diamond..."
Satono Diamond's brilliant smile froze on her face.
She furrowed her brows, clenched her fists, her gaze dimming with a hint of defiance. "I can't? Even though Little Kita is fast, I've beaten her before too!"
"It's not because of that." Lucian shook his head with a smile. "It's because your family's assigned Trainer already works at Tracen. You'll probably be placed directly in their team."
"No no no no—!! I want to be with McQueen-san, chase after McQueen-san's footsteps!!" Satono Diamond protested, waving her arms so fast they left afterimages.
"I can't help with that, but if you really come to my team someday, Little Diamond, I'll welcome you." Lucian soothed her.
"Okay... Then one last question." Satono Diamond gradually calmed down, her voice lowering shyly. "Um.... Will Chef big brother open the restaurant again at this year's festival?"
"Well... the restaurant won't open, but we'll have another kind of shop. The details aren't finalized yet."
He'd already left that to Meisho Doto to handle—who knew how far the little scatterbrain had gotten.
If she forgot, "Dream" would have no plans this year.
"Is it food-related!?"
"Probably." Lucian nodded uncertainly.
If it was a café, he could prepare delicate macarons and strawberry tarts. And golden crispy fried chicken chunks with fragrant takoyaki would surely be popular too.
As soon as Lucian finished, Satono Diamond seized the opening:
"That's great! Chef big brother, can you reserve a spot for us then?"
"This..." The specifics weren't even settled yet—promising now felt too early.
And after all these questions, he realized Satono Diamond was actually quite pushy.
"Can't you?" Seeing Lucian's hesitation, Satono Diamond pouted slightly, looking up at him pleadingly. "Really can't?"
Kitasan Black was also influenced by Satono Diamond, staring at Lucian like a drenched puppy begging for mercy. "After tasting Chef big brother's cooking last time, I kept thinking about it for so long.... I want to taste it again."
"I didn't say no—just that the details aren't set yet. I can't promise something uncertain, right?"
"Then once it's decided, can you reserve a spot for us?" Satono Diamond had heard—last time her dad managed to book, but it was really hard.
"Sure, sure~"
"Yay!" x2
Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black exchanged glances and high-fived in perfect sync.
If he didn't know these two were still pure and innocent—everything written on their faces—he'd almost think this was premeditated.
...
The leisurely tea time passed quickly.
In the afternoon, everyone ate together in the cafeteria. Then they toured the gymnasium, swimming pool, auditorium, and other facilities. Just like that, the day ended.
Lucian wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
Having been at Tracen for so long, touring the campus felt a bit boring to him.
At that moment, the horse girls who had finished work gradually returned to the rest room. The originally somewhat empty space instantly filled with laughter and chatter, becoming lively.
"Thanks for your hard work today~"
"Not hard at all! The little kids were all so cute!" Haru Urara's little face glowed with pure joy.
"Urara was surrounded by lots of little kids today—they cheered her on while she ran." Rice Shower tilted her head, explaining softly in her gentle, fluffy voice.
Lucian smiled—no wonder Urara was so happy.
But this was still small potatoes. She was already a big star at Kokochi.
Japan would come to know Urara eventually.
"Suzuka and I worked really hard~" Seiun Sky's voice drifted over lazily. But her relaxed expression showed no trace of fatigue.
Lucian knew her well enough. "So how should I reward you and Suzuka?"
Seiun Sky shot him a "you know" look. "That's for Trainer to figure out himself. You drew the short straw, but the team has to pay the price."
"Trainer, I report Twin Turbo for slacking." Nice Nature raised her hand high.
"Lies! Lies! Nice Nature is lying!!" Twin Turbo reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on, fur bristling instantly. But her frantic denial only made her look more guilty.
"She went to sleep under a tree. I even took a photo." Nice Nature lifted her chin, eyes closed in a smug smile.
"That was... resting. I accidentally fell asleep." In the face of evidence, Twin Turbo's voice grew weaker.
Nice Nature: "Right, deliberately accidental."
Twin Turbo: "Nice Nature! Mean!!"
"Alright, alright." Lucian stepped in to mediate. "Tomorrow's mainly physical check-ups and setting this year's goals, so everyone gets one more day to adjust your schedules. Go to bed early tonight—got it!?"
"Got it~"
...