...
"Go-shujin-sama O-kaeri ~ (Welcome home~)"
The moment Lucian opened the door upon returning home, he was startled by the scene before him—at first glance, he thought Little Dango had become a spirit.
Upon closer look, it was Dextrous Bailey.
"Bailey, what's with this now?" Lucian took off his jacket and hung it casually on the rack.
"Hm? Go-shujin-sama works hard all day and comes home to a cute little maid greeting him obediently—shouldn't he be happy?" Dextrous Bailey knelt by the hallway, thoughtfully offering a pair of slippers.
"You haven't done the three-question routine yet."
"Welcome home, go shu kin sama. Would you like dinner first, a bath first, or..."
"I already ate. Bath, then sleep."
"No sleeping option."
"Oh, what if we sleep together?" Lucian slipped on the slippers, walked to Dextrous Bailey's side, and unconsciously reached out to tease her chin.
Dextrous Bailey cooperatively lifted her chin, eyes narrowing slightly. "Then sleeping is an option."
"In front of outsiders you're all cold and fierce—how come at my place you're like this?"
"Because of what? Doesn't Trainer know?"
"As expected of me—I've got quite the skill in educating horse girls." Lucian patted her cheek. "Don't kneel at the door anymore. Get up—I'll wash some fruit for you."
"Mm mm."
...
Lucian washed a basin of strawberries and sat on the living room sofa. Seeing this, Dextrous Bailey immediately leaned over and flopped into his lap.
"Behave. Don't squirm."
"Oooh... Do you need me to feed Trainer?"
Before Lucian could answer, Dextrous Bailey was already holding a strawberry to his mouth.
Lucian glanced down and bit off the pointed tip. "I only eat this part—Bailey won't get mad, right?"
"No way. Trainer eats part, I eat part—one strawberry done." Dextrous Bailey popped the remaining half into her mouth, chewed, then picked up another plump one.
"But Trainer should have said something earlier." Dextrous Bailey took another bite—this time the pointed tip again.
"Why did you eat my favorite part? What am I supposed to eat?"
"Nothing left... chew chew." Her pink tongue pushed out the intact strawberry tip, offering it back to Lucian.
Still unsatisfied, Lucian tasted something even fresher than the strawberry—her lips. "Shouldn't you be heading home to sleep?"
After a moment of kissing, her eyes shimmered with moisture, rippling with waves.
"But sleeping alone over there scares me." Dextrous Bailey curled up in Lucian's arms.
"You moved here alone in the first place."
"I'm not a horse girl anymore—just a useless one... who can't function without Trainer."
"I see. Alright, alright~" Lucian stroked her smooth silver-white hair, hooking a finger to lift her eyepatch. "Can this golden eye watch Trainer all night?"
Dextrous Bailey: "Anytime?"
Lucian: "Anytime."
"Mm." Dextrous Bailey answered softly, pulling a remote from her pocket.
Pressing close to Lucian's chin, her warm breath brushed his neck. "The air conditioning... is a bit too cold."
"Then turn it up a little—but not too high, or the whole person will burn up."
...
"Ding-dong—ding-dong—"
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Dextrous Bailey instinctively grabbed Lucian's wrist, not wanting him to get up from the sofa.
"Come with me."
Under Silence Suzuka's arrangements, Dextrous Bailey had already integrated into the trio—so opening the door now, he felt fairly bold.
Dragging Dextrous Bailey like an accessory, Lucian went to the door. Through the peephole, he saw it was the little scatterbrain Meisho Doto. "Doto?"
"Doto!?" Dextrous Bailey instantly froze from a puddle of water into solid cement. "Why is she here now?"
"Why else? Obviously to see Little Dango."
"Then I... I'll hide in the bedroom first?"
"Mm, go quick." Dextrous Bailey tiptoed and pecked Lucian's cheek hard before hurrying into the bedroom.
Lucian waited a moment before opening the door.
Meisho Doto had been about to leave but turned back when it opened. "Trainer, did I... disturb you? (ㅇㅅㅇ)"
"Uh... yeah." Lucian made to close the door.
"Wait a second.... Σ( ° △ °|||)︴" Meisho Doto pushed casually—the door flew open. "Definitely not disturbing... I usually come around this time anyway."
Lucian hadn't noticed that detail. "Come in, come in."
"Hai desu~ (๑´∀`๑)" As soon as Meisho Doto entered, she started searching for Little Dango. "Little Dango-chan, big sister's here—where are you? Oh, in your little bed."
Little Dango might have really been asleep but was forcibly woken and made to perform.
Lucian sat bored on the sofa playing games.
No mood to tease Doto today—his teasing energy had all gone to Dextrous Bailey... and right at the critical moment, this little scatterbrain had interrupted.
He shouldn't have opened the door.
Meisho Doto played with Little Dango for a while before her attention drifted to the sounds from Lucian's side. "Trainer, what are you doing?"
"Playing a game."
"Oooh~ (*⊙~⊙)" Meisho Doto got up, holding Dango, and sat on the sofa.
She felt Trainer was unusually cold to her today—he usually teased her eagerly.
This made her uncomfortable.
"Trainer, what game is this? You're so good."
"A shooter game. Lots of techniques... like controlling recoil, or it'll go off easily."
"Oooh." Though she didn't understand, she agreed first. "Trainer, there's another controller here."
"Wait... that's not a controller."
But he was too late—Meisho Doto had already grabbed the remote. "I get it—this is a small-screen game. There's even little hearts on it!"
...