...
Lucian turned his head and noticed Rice Shower smiling while looking his way. "Rice-chan, what are you smiling about?"
"Nothing much."
"I'm going to watch their rehearsal later. Rice-chan, do you want to come along?" Lucian then glanced at Taiki Shuttle and Doto as well. "What about you two?"
Taiki Shuttle shook her head. "Sorry~ I have something to do back at the dorm."
Doto also declined. "No can do. I'm going with Rice Shower to familiarize ourselves with tomorrow's test of courage route."
"Hmm? Doto, you're joining as an NPC too?" Lucian looked at her in surprise.
"Lucian-san! P-please don't look at me like that! ╭(╯ε╰)╮" Doto waved her fists in protest, though the gesture lacked any real force.
"Sorry, I'm just worried about you. I'm afraid you'll get scared by your own teammates tomorrow."
"And please spare me the unnecessary concern." Doto pouted, clearly displeased. "Will Lucian-san be coming tomorrow? Then you'll see just how scary I can be."
Hearing this, Rice Shower also looked at Lucian, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
Lucian had already decided to go but hadn't mentioned it yet. "Alright, alright. I'll drop by then."
With that, he handed the cafeteria keys to Rice Shower.
Since Doto and Rice Shower hadn't finished eating yet, Lucian didn't want to rush them. "Take your time. Rice-chan, remember to lock up later. I'll head over first."
...
Perhaps because the performance was approaching, the rehearsal sessions had been extended, and by six or seven in the evening, they still hadn't wrapped up.
When Lucian arrived at the renovated venue, he heard a crisp, clear singing voice before even stepping inside.
Though there was a group dance performance planned as the grand finale, there were also many solo singing and dancing acts.
The venue was large, and Lucian couldn't immediately spot his own horse girls, so he found a random corner to observe from.
He arrived just in time—the solo singer on stage had just finished, and another group of horse girls had taken their places.
"Ah, they're on stage." Lucian crossed his arms and quickly spotted Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky, who had just stepped onto the platform.
However, they didn't seem to be the main performers—they were only backup dancers.
As the music started, the horse girl in the center gripped the standing microphone, and the moment she began singing, Lucian was stunned.
Damn, hitting such high notes right off the bat—was she trying to blast open her own skull?
Thankfully, his horse girls were just backup dancers and didn't have to sing this song. Otherwise, his poor little horse girls might've been worked to death.
But when Lucian got a clear look at the singer on stage, everything suddenly made sense—Matikanetannhauser (Mambo).
"Wait… huh? Aren't those music videos all AI-generated fan creations? She can actually do this?"
No sooner had Lucian muttered this than the little horse girl on stage cracked her voice.
"Pfft—" She laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head before hurriedly finding her rhythm again.
Lucian couldn't help but chuckle before remembering why he'd come in the first place. He turned his attention back to Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka's dance.
Both of them performed brilliantly, even sharing a moment where they faced each other, smiling and clapping while spinning in a circle.
As he watched, Lucian's lips curled into a faint, unconscious smile, filled with pride.
Then, a familiar voice interrupted his enjoyment.
"Trainer!"
Lucian turned toward the sound. "Urara, what are you doing here?"
"Urara was about to ask the same thing! Why did Trainer come all of a sudden without saying anything?"
"I didn't say anything, yet you still found me, didn't you?"
"Hehe~ Of course! Urara spotted Trainer right away and came 'clomp-clomping' all the way over here." Urara even traced a wide arc in the air with her finger to illustrate her path.
"Why are you alone? Where are Teio and Spe-chan?"
"They're up for rehearsal after the next group." Urara pouted and planted her hands on her hips. "Trainer only came after Urara already finished rehearsing! Do you have something against Urara?"
"Not at all. I came as soon as I wrapped things up on my end. I guess that means Urara's dance is the grand finale for me."
"Hmph, even if Trainer says that, Urara won't be happy!" Urara rained down a flurry of soft punches on Lucian's chest. "Take this! And this! And this!"
But it didn't hurt—her fists melted away like gentle raindrops.
"Alright, alright." Lucian laughed and stopped her. Noticing the sweat on Urara's forehead and how her thin clothes clung to her back from the dampness, he asked, "You must be exhausted. Save your energy."
"How much longer is this going to take? Do you want to go back and shower first? Where's your jacket?"
"I'm waiting for Spe-chan and the others so we can eat together. I didn't bring a jacket—I didn't expect it to get so cold at night."
Urara turned and pointed in a direction.
But when she turned back, a familiar scent suddenly enveloped her.
Lucian had taken off his own jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"Don't catch a cold."
"O-oh..." Urara tightened the oversized jacket around herself, savoring the lingering warmth. Still not satisfied, she nestled into Lucian's embrace.
Lucian simply patted her head.
To him, Urara's face was an open book. "You've been extra clingy lately. Are you too tired?"
"Trainer, I wanted you to see me dance… so, so badly." Urara had never forgotten the promise she'd made to Lucian. Otherwise, she might not have even participated in this performance, let alone pushed herself so hard during rehearsals.
A fleeting, unrealistic thought crossed her mind: If only Trainer's eyes could stay on me the whole time while I'm dancing.
"I've been looking forward to it too. What you lost in Kochi, I'll take you to win back next time." After all, he hadn't yet fulfilled his own promise to her either.
"Mm!"
...
As Lucian chatted with Urara and watched the rehearsals, Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka's segment soon came to an end.
The moment the music stopped, Lucian distinctly felt two pairs of eyes on him from the stage.
It seemed sharp-eyed horse girls weren't limited to just Urara.
After stepping off the stage, Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka headed straight for Lucian.
...