...
The rain had just ceased, and the moon, weary, quietly hid behind a dark cloud. The shadows of grass and trees on the courtyard wall blurred into the silhouette of the latticed window inside the room, merging into a pool of ink.
The night grew deeper.
By all accounts, Silence Suzuka shouldn't have been tired—or at least, not so quickly.
But perhaps she had poured too much of herself into it, just as she did in her races. Now, she lay delicately in the blankets, curled up in Lucian's arms.
Yet no matter what, Lucian was always the one who ended up the most exhausted.
"Lucian-kun, stop playing around, please..." Silence Suzuka said weakly.
That mischievous hand swirling around her horse tail was like a persistent fly—annoying yet impossible to shoo away.
"Can't I just touch your tail?" This was one of the rare moments when Lucian stood his ground. "So, how does it feel?"
"Tingly... itchy... so embarrassing..."
"You didn't seem this shy earlier," Lucian teased.
In front of Silence Suzuka, he was a man with no strength to restrain the heavens, while she was the one who could bind the cosmos with her hands.
"Lucian-kun." Silence Suzuka's voice dropped lower. "Do you want to go again?"
"I was wrong." Lucian immediately released her tail.
"Why do you always bully my tail..." Silence Suzuka didn't actually want to scold Lucian. Outside of certain moments, she was still very gentle.
But she only ever got stern with him.
"I was just curious."
"Lucian-kun... have you ever touched anyone else's tail?"
"Hmm... no."
The room was already very dark. Lucian could feel Silence Suzuka's breath against his face but could no longer make out her eyes or expression.
Similarly, Silence Suzuka couldn't see Lucian clearly either due to the darkness.
But simply lying together like this, bare and honest, was enough to make her feel at ease.
"Really?"
"Really... I think." Lucian wasn't very good at lying. He could keep secrets, but once questioned, he easily gave himself away.
However, Silence Suzuka didn't press further. "I'm getting a little sleepy... I want to rest."
"You're really not going back tonight?"
"It's not like anyone would come looking for you here, Lucian-kun..."
The moment Silence Suzuka finished speaking, both of them keenly picked up on the sound of footsteps.
The steps were light, but the night was so quiet that they were still audible.
Lucian finally remembered something—Seiun Sky had mentioned she might come over at night.
"Shh—" Silence Suzuka lowered her voice. "Who is it?"
"Most likely Seiun," Lucian replied.
There was no point hiding it. If Seiun Sky entered, she would definitely speak up.
"Oh? Is that so? I won't say anything. Lucian-kun, you'd better not give me away."
"Or else..." Silence Suzuka whispered into his ear, "I've never tasted 'Jue Juice' before."
...
After enduring until she was certain Tokai Teio and Dextrous Bailey in the room were sound asleep, the ever-wakeful Seiun Sky finally made her move.
Yes, Dextrous Bailey was asleep.
And Silence Suzuka wasn't here either. For Seiun Sky, this was nothing short of a godsend opportunity!
Using the faint glow of her phone, she followed the path from memory, stepping lightly like a cat until she reached Lucian's door. Then, she turned off her phone and slowly slid the door open.
She was incredibly careful—even when the gap was just wide enough for her to slip through, not a single sound was made.
But she didn't notice that after she entered the room, another small figure emerged from the corner of the hallway.
"Seiun wasn't going to the bathroom? Why did she go into the Trainer's room?" Haru Urara double-checked—the room Seiun Sky had entered was her intended destination!
Could it be that Seiun was also here to sleep with the Trainer?
Filled with confusion, Haru Urara also crept quietly toward Lucian's room.
But since Seiun Sky was already inside, she didn't dare enter anymore.
...
"Trainer, are you asleep?"
"Trainer~"
Once inside, Seiun Sky grew bolder, her voice no longer hushed.
Though the room was dark, she could faintly make out the outline of the futon and cautiously approached it.
Meanwhile, Silence Suzuka had already hidden herself in the blankets beside Lucian, lying perfectly still, even holding her breath.
"Seiun, why are you here now...?" Lucian pretended to have just been woken up, speaking at just the right moment.
"Did I wake you?" Seiun Sky lay down on Lucian's other side, completely unaware of Silence Suzuka's presence. "But I already said I'd come over. How could you sneak off to sleep, Trainer?"
Just as Lucian was about to reply, he felt a sharp pain at his waist.
Gritting his teeth, he continued, "I can't help it. I usually sleep early."
"Trainer." Seiun Sky lifted the blanket and inched closer to Lucian. But the moment her fingers brushed against his bare skin, she froze. "Y-You're sleeping naked...?"
"It's more comfortable this way."
He hadn't had time to put on clothes, after all.
But being naked also helped mask Silence Suzuka's lingering scent with his own.
"So the Trainer has this habit too..." Seiun Sky murmured. The warmth of Lucian's body seemed to envelop her, gradually heating her up as well.
But her keen nose still caught a faint trace. "Why do I smell Suzuka on you...?"
But hadn't Silence Suzuka gone to sleep at Grass Wonder's place?
"Maybe because we all use the same shower gel lately..."
Lucian's improvised excuse wasn't bad.
Since everyone had been using the hot springs recently, the provided shower gel was indeed the same for all.
"Is that so?" Seiun Sky's voice still carried doubt.
Seeing her linger on the topic, Lucian quickly changed the subject. "Seiun, aren't you going to sleep tonight?"
If Seiun Sky stayed to sleep, then by morning, no amount of hiding would save Silence Suzuka from being discovered.
"I am sleeping," Seiun Sky admitted, though she was also a little nervous. "But before that... I still haven't gotten my kiss..."
Hearing Seiun Sky's honeyed, coquettish tone,
the mare under the blankets stiffened, while the one eavesdropping outside the door gasped.
Who would've thought the usually lazy Seiun Sky could sound like this?
But the oblivious Seiun Sky had already wrapped her arms around Lucian's neck, and Lucian swiftly turned to face her.
"Seiun, are you still wearing that qipao?" Lucian recognized the smooth texture under his fingers.
"I thought you liked it. You stared at me for so long earlier..."
A serpentine hand bit into Lucian's waist again—not pinching this time, but slowly stroking.
Lucian suppressed a shiver.
Damn... this enchantress.
"Trainer, hurry up... kiss me."
...