Thanks to Lucian's reminder, Special Week didn't arrive late for registration like in the original story.
That evening, her luggage and other belongings were smoothly delivered to the dormitory.
Fate works in mysterious ways—when she saw Silence Suzuka returning from outside, she was overjoyed.
"Suzuka-chan!?"
"H-Hello...?" Silence Suzuka was a bit unaccustomed to this.
Fortunately, the dorm supervisor had already informed her about her new roommate when she went upstairs.
"I never thought we'd end up as roommates!"
"Um... have we met before?"
Special Week then recounted her experiences from the day to Silence Suzuka, and the two gradually grew closer through their conversation.
...
Lucian slept until noon before finally waking up with a yawn.
After lunch, he headed out to Tracen Academy.
Before leaving, Toujou Hana sent him a message asking him to stop by the lounge.
"Hana-nee."
"Lucian-kun, our team will be recruiting new members tomorrow, and we'll need your help."
"No problem." Lucian was always reliable when it came to work.
"Good. This afternoon, organize the list of applicants, including their height and weight, and print a copy for me."
"Got it." Lucian nodded. "Hana-nee, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"Not yet. I just finished drafting next week's training schedule." Toujou Hana closed her computer and stood up. "I'll go grab some food now."
"Alright. I'll start organizing the list right away—I don't have anything else to do anyway."
"Lucian-kun, your probation period is almost over, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Thank you for taking care of me all this time, Hana-nee." Lucian expressed his gratitude sincerely. Under Toujou Hana's guidance, he had learned a lot.
Toujou Hana smiled. "You do have good skills, but... make sure you keep a firm grip on Silence Suzuka's reins."
"Don't worry, Hana-nee."
In his past life, horseback riding had been one of his few hobbies, so he naturally had his own insights into the art of handling horses.
...
In the afternoon, everyone gradually arrived at the training field to begin their exercises.
Lucian handed the prepared documents to Toujou Hana and invited her to the victory celebration that evening.
He then found Silence Suzuka and briefed her on the afternoon's training regimen.
Physical fitness metrics weren't static—they required consistent training to maintain.
"You're leaving already?" Silence Suzuka asked.
"There's nothing else to do this afternoon, so I'm heading back early to prepare the ingredients."
Though Silence Suzuka felt excited inside, she remained calm on the surface. "Alright."
"Train hard—no slacking off."
"I know."
...
Lucian invited Nishizaki Ryo and all the members of Team "Rigil."
The gathering was held at his place, but the living room table was too small, so he ended up pushing two tables together.
With so many people, hot pot was the obvious choice.
He had already bought the necessary equipment a long time ago.
As for the hot pot broth and seasonings, he chose to make them himself rather than buying pre-made ones.
This was a time-consuming process, which was why he had to return early to prepare.
Tasks like preparing the spices and simmering the broth required a lot of time and effort.
While waiting, Lucian didn't idle either—he began prepping the ingredients.
With practiced knife skills, he neatly sliced a large fish into uniform pieces.
Feeling inspired, he noticed there was too much fish, so he set aside a portion to make sauerkraut fish stew.
Similarly, since there was plenty of meat for the hot pot, he reserved some to prepare boiled spicy sliced pork.
...
"Ding-dong—Ding-dong—"
"Coming, coming!" Lucian rushed to the door, still wearing his apron, forgetting to take it off.
"Lucian-kun, we're here." Toujou Hana stood at the entrance with all the members of "Rigil" and Silence Suzuka.
"Please, come in."
"Excuse the intrusion, Trainer Lucian." Symboli Rudolf said.
"Excuse the intrusion."
"Excuse the intrusion."
...
The rest of the team followed suit.
Finally, it was Silence Suzuka's turn. "Excuse the intrusion, Trainer Lucian."
"Oh, stop it." Lucian chuckled softly. Wasn't this celebration held just for her? "Come on in."
As soon as everyone stepped inside, they were greeted by an intoxicating aroma that teased their taste buds, making them involuntarily swallow.
"I still need a little more time. Feel free to sit down first—I've prepared some appetizing juice." Lucian pointed to the drinks he had set out earlier.
"No problem, it's still early for dinner."
Toujou Hana was the first to sit down. Thinking it was just ordinary juice, she took a sip.
"This taste...!" Her eyes widened as the flavor continued to dance on her tongue, leaving behind a rich aftertaste.
Seeing her reaction, the others quickly picked up their glasses.
"So good!" Hishi Amazon's eyes sparkled as she took another big gulp.
"Subarashii~ This flavor is truly wonderful." T.M. Opera O sighed in contentment.
"It's on par with the drinks served at five-star restaurants." Grass Wonder maintained her elegance, though her glass was already empty.
Meanwhile, Air Groove, Narita Brian, and Fuji Kiseki had already gone for refills.
"Trainer Lucian, what is this drink?" Symboli Rudolf asked.
"It's a homemade concoction of mine. I'm glad you like it, but don't drink too much—it'll fill you up."
Lucian checked his watch and, seeing that it was about time, returned to the kitchen.
Noticing this, Silence Suzuka also got up and followed him.
...
"Suzuka? Why'd you come in?"
"Is there anything I can help with?" Of course, Silence Suzuka knew how hard Lucian had worked for her sake and wanted to share the burden.
"You're a guest, and I'm the host. It wouldn't be right to make you help."
"But this celebration is for me." Silence Suzuka didn't back down from his reasoning.
Do I have to act like the lady of the house for you to let me help...?
Wait, Suzuka!? What are you even thinking!?
"Suzuka? Suzuka?"
"Ah, what is it?"
"You suddenly stopped talking, and your face is a little red."
"It's just the smoke irritating me."
"Really?" Lucian glanced at the properly functioning range hood. "Well, if you insist on helping, take these plates of ingredients out."
"Okay."
After Silence Suzuka left, Lucian began his final preparations.