An hour later, in the temporary activity room.
The atmosphere was strangely silent.
Everyone's gaze was focused on Eclipse, while the latter was still staring into space.
The main reason they were looking at her was, of course, her performance on the racecourse before. But just now, on the winner's stage, they had been deeply shocked by her actions once again.
It couldn't be said that she had performed well. It could only be said that she hadn't moved at all.
Yes, she hadn't moved at all.
After winning the race, she had stood at the center of the winner's stage, just standing there with a microphone in her hand, without saying a word from beginning to end, motionless, as if someone had stuck a piece of black wood there.
"Miss Eclipse, you... have never learned how to do a live performance, have you?" Teio was the first to speak.
Eclipse nodded. "Yes, I haven't. And I don't plan to."
"Ah? Then for future races..."
"I'll try to pick ones with fewer people, or without a live performance."
Tokai Teio: "..."
So Miss Eclipse, what on earth is going on in your head!
Next to speak was Grass Wonder. "Miss Eclipse, since you have such great strength, why haven't you been training? If you hadn't lost speed at the end, you might have been able to set a record."
For a very rare occasion, this time Eclipse answered the question directly. "I am training. It's just that my training method might be a little different from what you recognize."
And so everyone's gaze shifted to Shinji, and then they found that he also had a baffled look on his face.
What the hell? Why are you looking at him?
It wasn't him who taught her. He's even more clueless than they are.
The next to speak was Tachyon, a look of excitement in her eyes. "Miss Eclipse, would you like me to do a full-body check-up on you? I..."
"No." Eclipse refused directly.
Then, Oguri and Special Week also raised their own questions. However, their focus was mainly on eating. The former asked what she ate to be able to run so fast, and the latter asked where to eat for dinner tonight. It could only be said that Special Week was still performing stably.
As for Agnes Digital?
The moment Eclipse returned, she had fainted with a nosebleed, whispering "precious." However, since the team was already used to this kind of behavior from her, they just temporarily settled her down, preparing to throw her in the infirmary after they returned to Tracen.
As for the last one, Shinji... He didn't ask anything.
Because there was no need to ask.
The things she was willing to answer, he had already heard over the years. And the things she was unwilling to answer, although he knew that if he pressed, she would definitely answer, he was not prepared to do so.
Just as if he wanted to go and slowly rot in a cold, damp gutter, she would follow unconditionally, he also unconditionally trusted her.
As for curiosity, of course he was curious. But since she didn't want to say, he wouldn't force her.
Then, after everyone had asked their questions and celebrated their victories with each other, the group set off on the road back to Tracen in a rather subtle and strange atmosphere.
Returning to the campus, after eating dinner, and then staying in the activity room for a while longer, the group once again parted ways with their own thoughts.
But this time, Eclipse did not go directly back to her dorm. Instead, she followed Shinji to his.
"What... do you want?"
Looking at Eclipse, who had been acting strangely since after the race today, Shinji felt his scalp tingle a little.
Could it be that she didn't get to run to her heart's content today and wants to vent in some other way...
Especially after entering the room, when she silently locked the door behind him, this worry reached its peak. He even began to regret not having prepared some safety measures like a parasol in advance.
"Eclipse, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was pushed onto the sofa by her.
And just as he thought his clothes would be torn apart in the next second, she plunged into his arms, hugged him, and buried her face in his chest.
Shinji was taken aback for a moment. After realizing what was happening, he extended his hands and also hugged her, gently patting her back.
"What's wrong? You clearly won the race, why are you still so unhappy?"
Perhaps in others' eyes, she looked no different from usual. Even Grass Wonder didn't think there was anything strange about her. But Shinji could sense that since the race was over, her mood had not been very good, even worse than before the race. It couldn't be said to be sad, but she was definitely not happy.
Eclipse did not answer his question immediately, just silently hugged him.
Shinji was not in a hurry either. While gently patting her back, he thought about the possible reasons that could have made her unhappy.
After a long time, she finally spoke slowly. "I don't like racing."
"Why?"
"Because it's boring."
"...Boring?"
Hearing her answer, a flash of inspiration went through his mind. A certain guess gradually rose in his head, and his expression as he looked at her also gradually became strange.
"Eclipse, you... don't tell me you think the race is boring because all your opponents are too weak?"
Eclipse didn't answer, but according to her usual style, it was basically equivalent to a default.
Now it was his turn to be numb.
He had thought of many possible reasons that could have made her unhappy, such as not liking the venue, being stared at by her strange teammates, or the fact that he hadn't given her a pep talk before the race this time... But he really hadn't expected this to be the reason.
How was he supposed to comfort her now? Was he supposed to create an opponent for her on the spot?
He didn't doubt her words either. After all, she could pull a twenty-length gap on a professional-level racehorse without even going all out. Even someone of Teio's level could be left behind by a large gap. She really couldn't find an opponent in the same grade.
Then what about trying different grades? 'Undefeated Triple Crown' Symboli Rudolf, and that one nicknamed 'Looking Down on Everything' Tazuna Surukawa. Although they should be past their prime, but still...
"It's no use."
Before he could think further, she spoke directly, interrupting his thoughts. "They are both decent racehorses, but still, not enough."
Shinji was not surprised that she could know what he was thinking, but he was also amused by her words. He reached out and rubbed her hair. "You're not old, but you have a big mouth. You know you'd get beaten up if you said that outside, right?"
However, although he said that, he didn't think she was just being childish and bragging. After all, this was the first time he had seen a monster who could casually pull a twenty-length gap on a professional-level racehorse without being serious.
You have to know, that wasn't some ordinary racehorse from a local place that might not even be able to get into a regular race. Especially the one who had been left behind by nine lengths today, she was a horse girl who had hopes of winning even in an OP-level race.
And thinking of this, he remembered the past days of wandering and couldn't help but complain, "If I had known you were so amazing, I would have had you run some high-prize races. We wouldn't have had such a hard time in the past..."
"I don't want to," she replied sullenly.
"Okay, then we won't." Shinji immediately changed his tune. "Then what do you plan to do in the future? Tracen doesn't require students to participate in races. If you don't want to, it's fine to just push all the other races away..."
Even if she didn't want to run, the number of horse girls under his name was enough, and their quality was also very high. To be blunt, as long as he could successfully muddle through these three years, the money he could get would not only be enough for him and her for the rest of their lives, but even after paying back the money to the old horse girl, there would still be a lot left over.
But she rejected his suggestion. "No need. I'll just run casually."
Although she had also said this when they were discussing the race before, now that he heard it, he understood it a little more.
If she could pull a large gap on Teio without even being serious, then wasn't that just running casually?
After a long time of contemplation, many thoughts and questions flashed in his mind, such as her full-fledged development situation, her current strength, why she didn't like to run races and learn the live performance, and why she could be so sure that Rudolf and Tazuna were not good enough without even running against them...
But in the end, he just sighed and then fiercely rubbed her little head. "As expected, I still can't figure out what you're thinking."
He put down the hand that was rubbing her head and pulled her into his arms, and her arms also tightened.
Silence spread again, and time passed bit by bit.
Shinji yawned and looked at the clock on the wall. The hands were almost at the curfew point.
So he poked the black ball in his arms that was about to fall asleep. "Hey, get up. It's almost curfew. If you don't go back now, you won't be able to."
Woken up from a half-asleep state, she looked up at the clock, and then lowered her head again. "It's okay. I don't plan to go back."
Hearing her words, his body stiffened.
Not planning to go back? Does that mean...
"Yes, I plan to sleep here tonight."
Perhaps because she was a little more awake, she let go of him, sat up on him, and then added, "Don't worry, I don't plan to do anything to you. It's just that I've been living in the dorm for a long time, and I miss you a little."
"Then I'll sleep on the sofa..." Shinji tried to make a final struggle.
Eclipse nodded, and then took out the bottle of green potion that she had hidden somewhere before. "Okay. If we sleep together on the bed, fine. If you sleep on the sofa, I'll jump you. You can choose freely."
Shinji Kitahara: "..."
"Then I'd better sleep on the bed."
They took a shower one after another and changed into their pajamas. Because Eclipse hadn't brought any spare clothes, she just wore a set of his spare pajamas. It looked a bit big, and the sleeves and pants were too long, but she didn't seem to mind.
After changing into her pajamas, she didn't show any shyness at all. She went straight to bed, got under the covers, and looked eagerly at him, who was still hesitating by the door, with her little head sticking out.
There was no need to worry about the size of the bed. Although in theory the trainer's dorm was a single room, the bed was big enough to accommodate three or four people and was extremely sturdy, enough to even support a fight between horse girls.
As for the reason? It was better not to delve too deeply.
"Eclipse, I still think..."
Before he could finish his sentence, she blinked and then pointed to the green potion placed on the bedside table.
"I still think sleeping on the bed is better, and I miss you too." Shinji immediately changed his tune. After a sigh, he also got into bed. After turning off the lights, he reached out and pinched her little face, and said helplessly, "Good night."
"Good night." She replied softly, without any further action.
Then, time passed.
As the crescent moon gradually rose, his breathing became long and slow.
But she on the side was not asleep. She hadn't even closed her eyes. She just lay there on her side, and with the moonlight from the window, she quietly looked at the face of the person beside her.
After a long time, a sigh was heard in the room. But it was not from either of them.
And after the sigh, a somewhat helpless female voice sounded in her ear.
"If you want an opponent, just tell him directly. He spoils you so much anyway. As long as you open your mouth, he will definitely not refuse..."
Eclipse did not answer.
The voice stayed for a while, and after confirming that she had no intention of answering, it muttered something like "two awkward people," "sooner or later you'll be jumped to death," "but that seems quite fun too?" and then disappeared.
And after that voice disappeared, she reached out and pinched his cheek, a strange look in her eyes.
An opponent...
She did long for an opponent. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so persistent in looking for him all those years. It's just that she hadn't expected that after searching all over the world for several years, in the end, she would find that the thing she was looking for was right at hand.
She of course knew that the voice was right. As long as she opened her mouth, he would definitely agree to her request and do his best to cultivate the opponent she needed.
But just as he had immediately changed his tune after she said she didn't want to run a race, she also didn't want to force him to do something against his own will.
And, there was another point. For some reason, she owed him a lot, both materially and emotionally, and even to this day, the amount of this debt was still accumulating.
So, although she really wanted an opponent, she didn't want to cause him any more trouble because of her own willfulness.
Looking at the sleeping, completely unguarded face in front of her, she hesitated for a moment, then gently leaned over and left a small mark on it.
Just a little bit of interest.
She thought, and then closed her eyes.
And then, the night passed without a word.
...
The next morning, Shinji slowly woke up from his sleep.
He felt like he had had a dream last night. In the dream, he was lying in bed, and a woman with a blurry face was standing beside him, chattering and complaining to him about something he only half understood.
He had already forgotten the specific content, only remembering that there seemed to be some words like "blockhead," "jumped to death," "serves you right," "ah, I really want to see little Eclipse dance," "why don't you help me persuade her?".
A nightmare?
He shook his head, and then prepared to get up to wash.
But just as he was about to move, he found something was wrong.
His body was so heavy.
And why was the blanket in front of him bulging up so much?
Although he was currently in the normal physiological phenomenon of some men when they wake up in the morning, he thought that his brother was not capable of creating such a magnificent landscape.
Then there was only one answer.
He lifted the blanket, and a certain black ball moved, and then raised its head sleepily. "Ah, is it morning..."
"Yes, it's time to get up."
"Okay."
She nodded, and then was about to get up.
And at this moment, Shinji suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Wait a minute, the position she's lying in, if she gets up...
"Don't move!"
He reacted fast enough, but he was still a step too late.
A certain black rice ball had already sat up, her back pressing against something, her movements pausing slightly.
Shinji gave a讪笑 (shànxiào - awkward/embarrassed laugh) and said awkwardly, "Um, Eclipse, listen to my explanation. This is just a very normal..."
She blinked, her expression unchanging, and said calmly, "Then do you need me to help you solve it?"
Shinji Kitahara: "..."
"No need. You moving off of me is the greatest help."
-------
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