...
"You there, aren't you going to eat? Or have you already eaten?"
"I haven't seen you for almost a whole day, and the moment we meet, you tell me to leave~" Seiun Sky acted like a resentful little abandoned wife, "Seems like Trainer doesn't miss me at all."
"I miss you, I miss you." Lucian played along, utterly defenseless against this, "Didn't you say earlier you were coming? I've been looking forward to it the whole time."
"Really?"
"Absolutely true."
"Then why were you hugging Suzuka behind my back yesterday? What was that about?"
What was bound to come had arrived. The fact that Seiun Sky hadn't asked yesterday didn't mean she'd forgotten today.
"You've already shared your embrace with Spe-chan, and now you're adding Suzuka into the mix. Are you going for three..."
Lucian quickly covered Seiun Sky's mouth, "Don't say it."
Seiun Sky glared at him with wide eyes, pouting like an angry little cat.
"Yesterday was because Suzuka used her condition for winning the mock race." Lucian wasn't lying to Seiun Sky—though he had been the one to steer things that way.
Seiun Sky pulled Lucian's hand away, eyeing him skeptically, "A mock race condition?"
It wasn't that she didn't believe Lucian's explanation, but why would Silence Suzuka propose such a condition?
Suzuka wasn't usually that proactive... Had she overstimulated her, causing Suzuka to awaken something?
"Yeah." Lucian shrugged.
"I'll trust Trainer for now." Seiun Sky glanced out the window and caught sight of Silence Suzuka's back as she swept the ground.
Her mischievous side flared up again.
"Today's kiss—I want you to kiss me." Seiun Sky tapped her cherry-like lips.
"Aren't you afraid Suzuka will find out? Weren't you the one who told me not to say anything before?" Lucian lowered his voice.
Sneaking around with Seiun Sky, getting close in the break room behind Silence Suzuka's back—why did it feel so weird...
"What do I have to fear? I only told Trainer not to say anything~" Seiun Sky chuckled softly, her breathy voice urging him, "Hurry up, hurry up~ Or does Trainer want Suzuka to walk in on us kissing?"
"Fine."
The moment Lucian lowered his head, Seiun Sky rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him.
Could half a day apart really make longing this intense...? It was like holding a piece of jelly in his mouth—unwilling to bite through it, yet also unwilling to swallow it whole.
...
"Lucian-kun? Lucian-kun?" Silence Suzuka called his name softly after finishing sweeping the floor.
Strange, why wasn't he answering? Had no one heard?
Peering through the window, Silence Suzuka couldn't spot Lucian either.
"Ah, what is it, Suzuka?"
Lucian took a deep breath as if he'd narrowly escaped death, then revealed half his face by the window.
He was currently leaning against the wall, with Seiun Sky nestled in his arms, her head pressed tightly against his chest.
"Lucian-kun, I just wanted to ask where the laundry detergent is. I couldn't find it earlier—there are a few clothes that need washing."
"Uh... let me think." Lucian's voice sounded unnatural because Seiun Sky in his arms wasn't behaving. Her small hands had already breached the barrier of his clothes and were tickling his sides.
When Lucian glanced down, she even took a moment to raise a finger to her lips in a shushing motion, whispering, "Don't tell anyone~ Trainer promised~"
Lucian realized his mistake—Seiun Sky wasn't shy at all.
But he couldn't deal with her yet, because Silence Suzuka was still waiting for his answer.
"I think it's... behind the washing machine? Try looking there." Lucian struggled to hold back the ticklish sensations, his words slightly stumbling. Fortunately, Silence Suzuka didn't seem to notice anything off.
"Okay, I'll go check."
"Mm, thanks for your hard work, Suzuka."
Only after Silence Suzuka left did Lucian turn his attention back to Seiun Sky.
Seiun Sky rested her chin on Lucian's chest, tilting her head up with a sly smile, simply gazing at him with amusement.
"Trainer, your ears are a little red~ Are you embarrassed? I like it when Trainer gets flustered."
Seiun Sky really did want to see Lucian blush shyly, like a flustered junior being teased by her.
"Little devil, just what are you trying to do today?" Lucian admitted his cheeks did feel a bit warm.
"Little devil? That's a new one." Seiun Sky tapped her lips with a finger, "The succubus kind?"
"I'm saying your prank skills are top-tier. Aren't you afraid Suzuka might retaliate one day? If she could use a condition to get one hug..."
Seiun Sky froze, her mind flashing with countless imagined scenarios in an instant.
"Trainer makes a good point." Just when Lucian thought she'd back off, she suddenly added, "But there's an old saying in your country: 'An honest person doesn't suffer losses right in front of them'~"
"Wait, who taught you that? Urara?"
"Trainer knows too much." Seiun Sky rose onto her tiptoes again, puckering her lips for another kiss.
But Lucian raised two fingers, pinching her flower-like lips shut, "Hold on, explain what that saying means first."
"Isn't it obvious?" Seiun Sky remembered Urara's explanation clearly, "It means star horse girls don't take losses right in front of them!"
Lucian was dumbfounded, "Then what do they take?"
"You!"
...
Seiun Sky timed it perfectly—after indulging in affection with Lucian, she slipped away quietly through the front door.
She mentioned that Urara had recently taken an interest in some of his country's memes and had shared quite a few with her.
Before leaving, Seiun Sky left Lucian with a phrase—"Very moist"—leaving him dazed for a long while.
He felt like he'd been taken advantage of, but... it wasn't a bad feeling.
Urara was truly a menace. She deserved to sit at the same table as Nice Nature.
"Lucian-kun, are you...?" Silence Suzuka walked in through the back door after finishing her chores, only to find Lucian leaning against the table, lost in thought.
"Don't disturb me, I'm thinking."
"Thinking? About what, so intently?"
"Never mind, it's nothing~"
Lucian's words left Silence Suzuka utterly confused.
"Suzuka, did you finish cleaning outside?"
"Yes, all done." Silence Suzuka's gaze suddenly fixed on Lucian's face, "Lucian-kun, were you biting your lips earlier while thinking? The edges look a little red."
"Huh? That red?" Lucian did feel a faint swelling around his mouth.
That sharp-toothed cat had really gone too far.
The only time he'd done something like this at home was when eating those hard-to-suck river snails or wheat snails.
His earlier jelly comparison had been too conservative.
"Not too red, just a little."
"That's fine, then. No problem~" Lucian sighed, "Are you heading out to eat now?"
"Mm..." Silence Suzuka always felt her alone time with Lucian passed too quickly.
Sensing her hesitation, Lucian asked, "Or do you need a soothing massage to relax?"
"That... that would work too..." Silence Suzuka fidgeted, her hands clasped nervously in front of her.
...