Half an hour later.
Only after Kuroha had slowly smoothed out the girl's meridians and circulation from head to toe did he finally let out a quiet breath and withdraw his hands.
Just as he was about to step away from the bed—
"Trainer."
Oguri's low voice came from beneath him.
Kuroha lowered his head, puzzled. "What is it, Oguri?"
The silver-haired girl lying on the bed was absentmindedly counting on her fingers.
Then, after reaching the eighth finger, her eyes lit up. Her expression was still a little innocent and confused as she turned to ask:
"Come to think of it, Trainer, am I the eighth one? Then does that mean I can't go home during summer vacation this year?"
Kuroha froze for a second.
"…The eighth one in what?"
"Marriage. Marriage."
Oguri's reply was explosive right from the start.
"Isn't Trainer going to marry all of his Uma Musume?"
"???"
Kuroha was instantly full of question marks. "Where did you hear that?"
Had gossip about him already started spreading all over Central?
But even then, how could Oguri know when he himself didn't?
"I didn't hear it from other people."
Oguri looked at him in confusion instead.
"Didn't you say it yourself, Trainer? Back in Ireland. You said you liked me."
?
Did that really happen?
"And now March and the others have all gotten married."
Oguri continued counting on her fingers.
"March, Inari, Obey, Ardan, Chiyono O… Fumino-san. Going in order, I should be the eighth one."
"Mmh… I didn't count wrong, did I, Trainer?"
"…"
Kuroha fell silent for a moment, but his mind had already gone back to what happened between him and Oguri in Ireland.
As the Blessing Power in his body had grown stronger, not only his physical condition but also his memory had improved dramatically.
It didn't take long for him to recall the conversation they had that day.
But… no, that wasn't right.
Back then, hadn't they been talking about why he, as a trainer, was different from everyone else?
Then Oguri had somehow suddenly asked if that meant he liked her, and all he had been able to say was, "If it's liking something, then I probably like being a trainer."
That was all.
Could his memory really be wrong?
A question mark rose in Kuroha's mind. But as he watched the girl on the bed, still counting on her fingers, his body paused slightly.
A thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.
"Oguri."
"Mhm? What is it, Trainer?"
Oguri turned her head toward him.
Looking into those clear, transparent eyes, Kuroha asked softly, "Do you like me?"
"I do!"
There was almost no pause at all.
Kuroha was quiet for two seconds, then explained:
"Oguri, the kind of 'like' I'm asking about now is different from the 'like' I answered you with back in Ireland."
The silver-haired girl blinked.
"The 'like' back then was me talking about how much I like being a trainer. It's like how much you like being an Uma Musume."
"But the 'like' now means something completely different from the 'like' back then. Do you understand?"
"Mhm, I know."
Their eyes met, and all Kuroha saw in hers was that clear, cool gaze.
"I said back then that I'd work hard at training and racing so you'd like me even more, Trainer."
"You did make me like you even more, Trainer, so then—"
She looked straight at him and asked,
"Did I make you like me even more too?"
"…"
The words were nearly the same.
But the meaning inside them was completely different from what they had been in Ireland.
Looking at Oguri, whose eyes held not the slightest trace of confusion, Kuroha felt something complicated stir in his chest.
He never expected this naturally airheaded silver-haired girl to throw a direct shot like that.
And with a direct shot like this, no less.
Honestly, it was only just slightly less aggressive than Maruzensky dragging him into a hotel on the same day as their date.
But remembering what Oguri had just revealed…
…this was probably Berno Light's advice.
He was silent for a second.
Then he responded with a response.
If she was going to throw a direct shot, then he would just catch it head-on.
After being hit so many times by the direct approaches of his girls, Kuroha had at least built up some resistance by now.
When their lips met, the sensation was soft and warm, carrying the uniquely sweet taste of a young girl.
"Mmh—"
Oguri's eyes widened instantly, and her body softened.
She instinctively tried to say something, but all that came out was a vague little hum.
…
Several minutes later.
When Kuroha finally straightened up, the silver-haired girl lying beneath him had a bright red face.
The blush spread from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, and even her neck had been dyed a faint pink.
She looked like a cute little red apple.
Even Oguri, who was normally so innocent and slow on the uptake, was now on the verge of turning into a steaming little kettle.
She stared blankly at Kuroha, lips slightly parted, as though she still hadn't fully processed what had just happened.
But very quickly, she flipped over and sat up.
Her eyes locked onto Kuroha as she said seriously,
"Again…!"
"Hm?"
Kuroha almost didn't catch it.
But there was no need to catch it clearly.
…
The silver-haired girl simply reached out and pressed herself right back against him.
Several more minutes passed.
Only then did Kuroha help the thoroughly kiss-dazed Oguri put her jacket back on, supporting her with a smile as he said:
"Oguri, rest for a bit. I'll give you the blessing after that."
"Oh…"
Oguri touched her moist lips and stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked:
"Then, Trainer, will it be my turn tonight? So I can go back and tell Obey ahead of time."
Kuroha: "…"
Even though the silver-haired girl in front of him looked perfectly pure and innocent, under the influence of some of the girls in Chasing Light, she seemed to have somehow picked up a few dangerous pieces of the process all on her own.
"…Don't worry about that."
Kuroha rubbed at his forehead, then helplessly tapped her on the head.
"Just focus on running properly first. I'll handle the rest… no, actually, saying I'll handle it isn't quite right either…"
"Anyway, don't concern yourself with that yet."
"Oh…"
Oguri touched the spot where he'd tapped her as if she only half understood, but she didn't argue.
She turned and was just about to open the door and leave when Kuroha's voice came from behind her.
"Oguri."
She looked back.
In her line of sight, Kuroha stood under the light, wearing a faint smile.
"I'm going to solve the problem of your peak ending someday."
Oguri was slightly startled, but she nodded without the slightest trace of doubt.
"Mhm!"
"Click—"
The massage room door was pushed open gently, and Kuroha and Oguri slowly walked out.
Inside the trainer's office.
Super Creek, who had been sitting at the tea table, subconsciously looked over.
Aside from the especially rosy color in Oguri's face, everything seemed perfectly normal.
Then again, flushed cheeks were only natural.
Even putting aside the professional techniques for loosening muscles and smoothing circulation, just the more embarrassing movements during the massage and the limp, weak feeling afterward were enough to make anyone's face redden.
As one of the former "participants," and the one outside the Chasing Light girls who had experienced it the most times, Super Creek understood that feeling deeply.
"Trainer Kuroha."
Super Creek smiled warmly and called out to him in her soft voice.
At the same time, with graceful movements, she poured him a cup of tea, clearly having already prepared it for him.
Kuroha didn't stand on ceremony. He walked over, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
After savoring it carefully for a moment, he tipped his head back and drained the rest in one go before praising her softly:
"Not bad. Your skill is almost catching up to Ardan's now. You've really improved."
Ever since coming to Chasing Light, perhaps because "mom-type" girls and "girlfriend-type" girls were similar in some fundamental way, Super Creek and Ardan had often spent their free time exchanging techniques and teaching each other what they were good at.
And most of the things Mejiro Ardan excelled at, whether it was pastries, sweets, or tea ceremony, were deeply influenced by Tōkō-style methods.
To Super Creek, who had grown up in Central, all of it felt very fresh and novel.
And because of that, the snacks she made and the tea she brewed these days had both gradually started leaning in Ardan's direction.
"It's not that much…"
Super Creek scratched her head a little shyly and said modestly,
"I still have a lot to learn from Ardan-san."
Looking at the gentle brown-haired girl in front of him, Kuroha's lips curled into a smile.
Hooking his thumb behind him, he pointed at the massage room door that still hadn't been fully shut.
"By the way, Creek, are you really not going to give it a try?"
"Uh…"
At those words, the smile on Super Creek's face instantly froze.
Emotion kept urging her on: You have to go in. It's not like this is the first time. What are you even scared of? It's already been so long since the last time.
Reason, meanwhile, was warning her just as frantically: Absolutely not. Hurry up and go run a few laps instead.
Although, after having gone through dozens of massages, Super Creek fundamentally wasn't all that resistant to it anymore.
But…
When she looked at the warm smile on Kuroha's face, an image she couldn't stop herself from remembering floated into her mind: four months ago, in Hong Kong, when she had been forced to overhear the embarrassing sounds from next door for an entire week.
The girl parted her lips. The words she had wanted to say, the ones where she would agree, got stuck in her throat.
In the end, she could only shrink back with a bright red face and shake her head with difficulty.
"M-Maybe in a few days, Trainer Kuroha."
Kuroha looked at her a little strangely, but he didn't think much of it and simply nodded.
"All right. If you need it later, or if anything starts hurting from training, come practice with me again."
Naturally, he had no idea that the usually gentle and composed girl in front of him had already let her thoughts wander all the way back to Hong Kong four months ago…
With that, he brought Oguri with him and headed toward the training grounds.
...
Inside Mejiro Training Grounds.
Unlike the lively scene from forty minutes ago, both Teio and McQueen had already gone back to the academy for class at this time.
Aoi Kiryuin and Nase Fumino had probably gone off to organize training materials as well.
At the moment, beside the wide-open track, only three delicate figures remained, each giving off an air of easy relaxation.
"Ha-kun!"
The moment Godolphin spotted Kuroha and Oguri approaching from a distance, she excitedly raised her right hand high and waved it hard.
Seeing that, Kuroha smiled and walked over.
"Godolphin, Byerley, Darley."
When he got close, he found the three goddesses either sitting or lying around, apparently chatting in complete comfort.
Kuroha naturally sat down on the grass with them and said with a smile,
"You girls have really worked hard training McQueen lately."
Oguri followed along obediently and sat down behind him.
"Hehe, it's nothing. Watching little McQueen work that hard makes us happy too."
Darley, the so-called Red Goddess, sat cross-legged on the grass with her usual dazzling smile.
Off to one side, Byerley, who had been sitting upright with her arms folded and eyes closed, opened one eye slightly when she heard that and gave Darley a cool glance.
A trace of helplessness that she couldn't quite hide flickered in the Yellow Goddess's deep gaze.
Those two slackers…
Byerley let out a quiet sigh in her heart.
Over this whole stretch of time, she had been the one doing almost all of the actual work in guiding McQueen's training.
Aside from occasionally shouting a few words of encouragement from the side and acting as living mood boosters, Darley and Godolphin had barely done anything of substance at all.
Every day, they were either eating, sleeping, zoning out, or scrolling videos on their phones.
They were so idle they were about to grow feathers, so of course they were happy…
At that moment, Godolphin quietly leaned in toward Kuroha.
Her little nose twitched twice, then her eyes lit up as she turned happily toward Oguri.
"Oh my? I smell the scent of new love~ How wonderful. Looks like you succeeded, Oguri?"
"?"
Kuroha's brow lifted slightly.
"Mhm."
Oguri turned her face slightly to the side and lightly scratched at the corner of her mouth, then nodded with a faint blush.
"…"
Only then did Kuroha suddenly understand, and he looked at the Blue Goddess in front of him with some speechless disbelief.
"So the one giving Oguri advice before wasn't Hikaru. It was you, Godolphin…"
Godolphin didn't deny it. Instead, she said with a smile,
"When it comes to love, the most important thing is seizing the moment. Hesitate even a little, and you might miss your chance."
"And besides, I can tell that you're very happy right now too, Ha-kun. Aren't you?"
Hearing that, Kuroha couldn't help turning to glance at Oguri beside him.
The silver-haired girl, cute as ever, was tilting her head in confusion as she looked at them, clearly not understanding half of what they were saying.
Seeing his girl looking like that, Kuroha couldn't help laughing softly, and his gaze gentled.
"Yeah. Then I really do owe you one today, Godolphin."
"You're very welcome~" Godolphin replied warmly.
They chatted for a while longer.
Oguri seemed to feel that she had rested enough, so she reached out and lightly tugged at the hem of Kuroha's clothes.
Kuroha immediately understood. He held one hand out in front of her.
Just as he was about to bring out the "tennis spirit bomb"—
"Ahm."
A warm, slick sensation suddenly wrapped around his index finger.
The silver-haired girl beside him had somehow already opened her mouth and taken his finger right between her lips.
Kuroha froze for a moment, then smiled helplessly and fondly.
A soft seven-colored glow bloomed at his fingertip.
A few seconds later, the Blessing Power had been passed on.
Using his other hand, he gently patted the silver-haired girl's little head and smiled.
"All right, Oguri. Go have fun."
"Oh."
Oguri obediently released his finger and stood up.
Quietly feeling the endless strength welling up and returning from deep inside her body, she clenched her fist hard once, then strode off toward one side of the track with burning determination.
And nearby—
After watching the entire public display of affection from beginning to end, the expressions on the faces of the Three Goddesses were all different.
Byerley, the most traditional and old-fashioned of the three, turned her head away with visible discomfort, clearly deciding not to look.
Meanwhile Darley, who dressed like a glamorous older-sister type but had the lively personality of a little girl, covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes full of curiosity.
And Godolphin wore the perfect auntie smile.
For her, watching the girls she supported finally find love was the kind of satisfaction that simply couldn't be topped.
"All right, back to the main point. I came today because there's something important I want to discuss with you."
Kuroha clapped his hands lightly, signaling the three goddesses to refocus.
"What is it?"
The moment she heard there was real business to discuss, Byerley immediately put away her casual attitude and asked with a serious expression.
Kuroha gathered his thoughts, then said in a formal tone:
"It's about McQueen's overseas expedition plans."
(End of Chapter)
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