"...Asuka, Asuka."
Saito Asuka suddenly felt someone nudging him from the side.
He drowsily opened his eyes and turned toward the voice, seeing his lover standing beside him with her pale hands resting on his shoulders while continuously calling his name.
"Staying up late again... Get up and go sleep in bed."
Seeing him open his eyes and stare blankly at her, the young woman gave him a helpless yet displeased glare, though he found it completely non-threatening.
—It even looked quite adorable.
"There's no one else here, why call me by my name?"
Still groggy from sleep, Saito Asuka grabbed his lover's arm: "...Just call me like you usually do, wouldn't that be fine?"
After saying this, Saito Asuka pouted his lips.
"Come on, give me a kiss."
"Wait... hold on!"
The woman whose arm was caught blushed slightly, trying to pull her arm free from the man's grasp.
But finding his grip rather tight, and watching his face enlarge in her vision, she turned her head away with reddened cheeks.
"This... this kind of thing should only be done when we're alone!"
"What are you talking about? Aren't we the only two here right now..."
"Ahem!"
Before he could finish the last word, Saito Asuka heard a third person's cough coming from directly in front of him.
Hearing this voice that felt both unfamiliar and familiar, the now fully awakened Saito Asuka stiffened.
"Um... good morning?"
Seeing the man's gaze fixed on her, Bamboo Elegance raised her right hand and waved awkwardly with an embarrassed smile.
"Should I not be here?"
Then, Saito Asuka heard the black-haired Horse Girl add this remark.
"..."
Saito Asuka didn't respond, just silently watched her.
"...What time is it now?"
The man straightened up and stretched.
"It's almost noon, twelve o'clock?"
The woman standing beside him answered without hesitation: "I came to find you to have lunch together."
"...Noon, twelve o'clock?"
Hearing his lover's response, the man was stunned, then looked down at the time.
Ah, I completely overslept...
The man looked at the "You've missed your alarm reminder" displayed on his phone and covered his forehead in frustration.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing the frustrated expression on the man's face after he checked his phone, the woman leaned over to look.
"An 8:30 alarm? You completely overslept, didn't you?"
"Ahaha..."
The man laughed it off and averted his gaze: "Sorry, I stayed up too late."
...An 8:30 alarm?
Bamboo Elegance, who had been standing nearby like air, was first stunned, then narrowed her eyes.
Was this guy planning to get up after just three hours of sleep?!
Bamboo Elegance immediately grasped the key point.
Do you not care at all whether your body can handle it or not?
Bamboo Elegance watched Saito Asuka chatting with his lover, and the corners of her mouth suddenly couldn't help but curl upward.
...Isn't this where the interesting part begins?
"An 8:30 alarm? But when I came to find you at the training center around 5 AM, you weren't asleep yet?"
Bamboo Elegance tilted her head with feigned confusion.
"...Five AM?"
The woman who heard Bamboo Elegance's words immediately changed her expression.
She narrowed her eyes, looking down at the man sitting on the chair with an awkward laugh.
"So... you've only slept about six hours in total?"
"Um, Megumi, let me explain..."
Saito Asuka, pinned under Nakayama Megumi's intense gaze, raised his hands in a futile attempt to make excuses.
"It seems to be true then..."
Without giving Saito Asuka a chance to explain, Nakayama Megumi placed her hand on his shoulder again.
"...Shall we have a proper talk about this?"
"..."
Seeing that his lover wasn't giving him any opportunity to explain, the man who knew he couldn't escape this predicament cast a resentful look at Bamboo Elegance.
"I'll head to the cafeteria for breakfast then, see you this afternoon, trainer~?"
Pretending not to see his look, Bamboo Elegance turned and left the room.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Ouch, don't pull my ear, it hurts!"
Just as she closed the door, Bamboo Elegance clearly heard a pleading voice escape through the crack.
"Click."
Bamboo Elegance gently closed the door.
...Alright, time to head to the cafeteria now!
With light, cheerful steps, Bamboo Elegance walked away from the doorway.
...
"Oh! Little Elegance, you're here!"
The cafeteria lady noticed Bamboo Elegance entering the school cafeteria and clapped her hands, drawing the black-haired Horse Girl's attention.
Seeing Bamboo Elegance approach her direction, she turned around and brought out a plate filled with food.
"Wow... this looks absolutely delicious?"
Seeing the cafeteria worker place before her a tray containing enough food for four people, Bamboo Elegance brought her hands together in delight: "Thank you for your hard work, auntie! I'll eat every last bit!"
"No trouble at all, after all, you're currently the only student in this academy."
The cafeteria worker replied cheerfully, then asked: "But why are you so late today?"
"Before coming here, I went to see the chairman."
Bamboo Elegance answered while picking up her tray, then after a moment's thought added: "...He's with his lover right now."
"Miss Nakayama is here... Looks like he won't be able to eat the lunch we prepared today."
The cafeteria worker thought for a moment, then turned and brought out another tray: "In that case, why don't you eat his portion too."
"Too...?"
Bamboo Elegance looked somewhat troubled: "...But I can't eat that much?"
"That's true."
The cafeteria worker nodded, then picked up some chopsticks and added some meat to Bamboo Elegance's plate: "Then have some more meat."
"You need to eat well to run fast."
"...With you all here, how could I ever go hungry?"
Looking at the sweet and sour pork pieces placed on top of her rice, Bamboo Elegance complained: "Besides, if I eat too much, aren't you worried I might get too greedy and eat until I'm too heavy to run?"
"...You have a point there."
Hearing Bamboo Elegance's words, the cafeteria lady nodded in agreement after a brief moment of thought.
Then... under Bamboo Elegance's gaze caught between laughter and tears, she picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and popped it into her mouth.
"Why are you still staring? Take it away, the rest is all yours."
After swallowing the meat, the cafeteria staff member noticed Bamboo Elegance still watching her and waved her hand dismissively: "Make sure to finish it all, okay? Don't waste any."
"I understand."
Unable to refuse the other's enthusiasm, Bamboo Elegance could only pick up the heavily laden tray before her and head toward the dining area.
Eating more each day, is my weight really going to be okay?
Sitting down at a random spot, Bamboo Elegance reached down and pinched the flesh on her stomach.
...Am I going to get fat from being fed like this?
--+--
T/N : I'll probably upload the first 5chapters at once and then update 1-2 chapters a day (Greatly depends on my mood)