...
"Hey, look over there, why is Trainer Lucian going to the preparation area too?"
No one knew who noticed Lucian first, but more and more horse girls began to spot his figure.
"Trainer Lucian is going on stage too?" El Condor Pasa asked Seiun Sky beside her.
"Yeah."
"Is he going to sing? Or accompany Teio?"
"Not telling~"
El Condor Pasa's excited expression faltered. "Seiun, why have you been so down since earlier?"
"Nope~" Seiun Sky pouted.
She had thought it would be a success as long as Silence Suzuka didn't end up singing a duet with Lucian.
But now, watching Lucian and Tokai Teio together, Seiun Sky felt a sourness in her heart.
The evening she had been eagerly anticipating all morning had finally arrived.
Yet now that night had come, she found herself longing for midnight instead—hoping all lights would vanish except the moon's glow, and that no sound would remain except the soft smooching of lips.
Why was time passing so slowly?!
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll go ask Urara."
"You'll find out soon anyway. It's just the next performance."
"Alright then."
...
"Trainer, I've been watching you for so long, and only now do you come up." Tokai Teio held the microphone Lucian had given her with both hands, hiding it behind her back. "Could it be you're shy because of the crowd?"
"I was chatting with two senpais earlier."
"Excuses~" Tokai Teio took a step closer. "Trainer, how many points did you give me just now?"
"What, trying to bribe the judge?"
"Tell me~ Tell me~" Tokai Teio's voice was crisp and bright, like a nightingale's song, fluttering from Lucian's left ear to his right.
"Time to go on stage, let's move." Lucian placed a hand on Tokai Teio's shoulder, turning her around and gently pushing her forward as they stepped onto the stage together.
...
Lucian and Tokai Teio stood side by side on stage.
Facing the pairs of glistening eyes in the audience, Lucian opened his mouth—intending to introduce himself, but his mind blanked before the words could form.
Just then, a wave of enthusiastic applause rose from the crowd.
"Trainer, do your best!" Haru Urara waved her small hands, shouting with all her might.
Lucian also noticed Rice Shower parting her lips, though he couldn't hear her voice at all.
Silence Suzuka had her phone propped up steadily, but—apologies to Teio—her screen was entirely filled with Lucian's figure.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
After all those meme faces he'd made of her, it was finally her turn to retaliate.
"Everyone, the next performance is a collaboration between me and Trainer. The song is called Suki Dakara (Because I Like You)." Sensing Lucian's nervousness, Tokai Teio simply smiled at him before taking the initiative to break the ice.
As the applause died down, Tokai Teio began singing almost immediately—the song had virtually no intro.
The first half of the song was performed by Teio alone, the second half by Lucian, and the finale was a duet between the two.
Coincidentally, the first half depicted the female protagonist's feelings for the male lead in the story.
"It's not because you're handsome that I fell for you."
"It's because I fell for you that I find you handsome."
...
On stage, Lucian swayed slightly, moving to the rhythm.
In the audience, the horse girls waved their hands from side to side, following the melody.
Through Tokai Teio's playful and sweet singing, everyone seemed to experience that tender, beautiful romance.
...
Lucian watched Tokai Teio, a gentle smile lingering on his lips.
But as the lyrics grew bolder, Tokai Teio no longer dared to meet his gaze.
"Ah, I really, really love you."
"Please become my one and only 'hero.'"
...
Before stepping on stage, Tokai Teio hadn't felt nervous at all—especially since she'd just finished another performance.
Yet now, her cheeks felt like they were simmering over a gentle flame, growing hotter and hotter, as if about to cook into something thoroughly done.
Was she suddenly getting nervous? Was it because she was performing with Lucian?
When she practiced alone, she'd never felt like this.
And logically, Lucian should've been the nervous one.
...
Special Week, who had been watching Tokai Teio's performance, suddenly noticed a black shadow falling in her peripheral vision.
Looking down, she saw a phone—its screen still displaying "Recording."
"Suzuka, you dropped your phone."
As she picked it up to return it, Special Week accidentally caught a glimpse of Silence Suzuka's eyes, narrowed into thin slits.
The faint chill emanating from them sent a shiver down Special Week's spine.
So scary, so scary...
"Spe-chan? What did you say just now?" Silence Suzuka turned her head, smiling sweetly, her previously narrowed eyes suddenly wide open.
But Special Week sensed no trace of warmth in that smile.
So scary!
"Su-Suzuka, you dropped your phone..."
"Oh, sorry. I was so focused on the performance that I didn't even notice."
Special Week forced a dry laugh. "I see..."
Yeah, right! Who drops their phone mid-recording just because they weren't paying attention?!
"Suzuka, weren't you just recording Teio and Trainer's performance...?"
"I was." Silence Suzuka tapped the screen, appearing to brush off some dirt—or perhaps focusing on the person in the video. "What about it, Spe-chan?"
"Nothing..." Special Week turned back, her gaze returning to the stage, though her thoughts were elsewhere now.
Was Suzuka's reaction because of Teio? Or... because of Trainer?
Did Suzuka also want to sing a duet with Trainer?
Just... like how I'm feeling right now?
...
Before she knew it, Tokai Teio's solo part came to an end.
As the interlude played, she finally caught her breath, steadying herself to meet Lucian's eyes again.
She respected her stage, and it was rare for her to slip up like this—neglecting her partner when they should've been interacting.
Even though she knew she shouldn't have, it was as if her head had been clamped between iron bars, refusing to turn.
As the interlude neared its end, Lucian slowly raised his microphone.
"It's not because you're cute that I fell for you."
"It's because I fell for you that I find you cute."
"No matter how others look down on me, it's fine."
"Because, you're my 'heroine.'"
...
The male vocals in this song were just as lively, brimming with youthful energy, requiring a relatively high pitch to perform.
The moment Lucian began singing, his warm, soothing voice struck the horse girls as refreshing—like a gentle spring breeze flowing into their ears and soothing their hearts.
But after these lyrics, he was undoubtedly doomed tonight.
...