...
The afternoon break time was quite ample.
After lunch, the horse girls drowsily fell into a deep sleep.
However, it wasn't good to sleep for too long, so about forty minutes later, Lucian woke everyone up.
"Wake up, wash your faces to refresh yourselves." Lucian watched as they rubbed their sleepy eyes, their adorable expressions melting his heart instantly.
They looked like fledglings nestled in their den, and Lucian couldn't help but feel utterly charmed.
"Trainer, trespassing in the girls' dorm~" Tokai Teio covered her mouth as she yawned, her voice hoarse from just waking up.
"I haven't even stepped inside, and your door was already open anyway. Besides, the alarm's been ringing for so long, yet you all kept sleeping like little piglets."
"Trainer~" Haru Urara peeked her little head out from the next room.
No one knew how she had been sleeping, but her pink hair was sticking out in all directions, some strands pointing east, others west.
Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her fair face still carried a faint trace of drowsiness that refused to fade.
"What's up?"
"Urara wants you to comb my hair." Urara spoke in a sweet, childish voice and, without waiting for Lucian's reply, grabbed his wrist. "Come here~ Teio won't let you in her room, but Urara will."
There was no refusing her. Absolutely no refusing.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming."
"Eh..."
Tokai Teio wanted to say something, but Lucian had already been dragged away by Urara.
...
At that moment, Dextrous Bailey's voice suddenly came from behind her. "Seiun... what are you doing?"
Tokai Teio turned her head and saw Seiun Sky gripping her own hair.
She could've sworn Seiun had already combed her hair earlier...
"Oh, I just felt it was a bit messy." Seiun Sky got up from the bed. "So, I want the trainer to comb my hair too."
With her disheveled hair, she turned and walked away without looking back.
Tokai Teio was speechless, but then Dextrous Bailey passed by her with a bird's nest of hair.
"You guys..."
They were all gone.
It seemed lively over there...
Maybe she should join in too.
...
There were no chairs in the room.
Lucian sat cross-legged while Urara sat in front of him, holding an apple.
The scene looked like a father grooming his daughter before school.
But while Lucian was willing to play the father, Urara had no intention of being the daughter.
"Where's the comb?"
"Here." Urara handed it to him.
...
Nearby, Silence Suzuka, Special Week, Rice Shower, and the newcomers from the next room—Seiun Sky, Dextrous Bailey, and Tokai Teio—had all gathered around.
"You all want me to comb your hair too?"
"Does the trainer only want to be Urara's personal hairstylist?" Silence Suzuka was direct, cutting straight to the point.
"Of course not, of course not. Alright, line up then."
Urara, however, thought Silence Suzuka's suggestion was great.
She wasn't big on sharing—she'd prefer it if Lucian only combed her hair.
And even though she could feel Lucian behind her, she still thought they were sitting too far apart.
She wanted to sit directly in his lap.
...
Lucian carefully combed their hair, tied braids, and added hair accessories—but he also incorporated some of his own ideas.
For example, he liked giving Seiun Sky two small braids, and he tied Suzuka's hair into a ponytail.
Special Week's was a bit more complicated—Lucian wrapped a series of small braids around the side and back of her head.
"Lucian-kun, why are you so good at this?" Silence Suzuka narrowed her eyes.
Had Seiun Sky ever changed her hairstyle this much before?
And Suzuka could tell—Lucian's braiding technique wasn't clumsy at all.
"Yeah, Trainer, did you get a hairdressing license or something?" Seiun Sky was keenly aware of this question.
"Where would I find time to get so many licenses? But yeah, I did practice before."
"With who? Lucian-kun, you've never dated, right?" Silence Suzuka seemed to be gossiping, but only Lucian sensed the hidden danger in her words.
"My mother, of course. She was someone who loved beauty."
In his memories, Lucia had always taken great care of herself, with an elegant demeanor and refined temperament.
"So it was Mother-sama..." Seiun Sky muttered under her breath.
Thinking about their upcoming trip to the China after the new year, she suddenly felt nervous.
...
"Alright, next is Rice-chan. Sit down."
"Mhm." Rice Shower obediently sat in front of Lucian.
Her hair usually had a naturally tousled look, so Lucian didn't need to do much.
But if he were to give her a new hairstyle, he didn't have any particular ideas at the moment—and they had to gather soon anyway.
Pigtails? Big waves?
Lucian carefully placed a hairband on her and adjusted the blue rose accessory. "Rice-chan, does this eye hidden under your hair ever bother you?"
"I'm used to it."
"Alright." Lucian placed her hat back on and motioned for her to go.
"Last one... Teio." Lucian smiled at Tokai Teio. "Your hair isn't messy at all."
"So just because it's not messy, I can't get it styled?" Teio pouted and plopped down. "Everyone else got theirs done—if the trainer skips me, does that mean you have a problem with me?!"
Lucian shook his head, amused. "How could I? What if you ran away from the team again?"
"Hehe, good that you know. Now hurry up and comb my hair, Little Lu."
"Alright, alright~"
...
Lucian gently combed through Teio's hair when he suddenly felt a tickling sensation.
The other horse girls had all moved their tails aside, but Teio's tail was resting on his lap.
It was incredibly soft, but the occasional flicking made it a little itchy.
"Your hair's fine, but your tail's a bit puffy. Want me to comb that too?"
He ran the comb through it lightly, but Teio suddenly jumped as if startled.
"My tail!? N-no, that's fine..."
"Alright then." Lucian tucked away his curiosity, deciding to ask Suzuka about the mysteries of tails later. "Everyone, get ready—we're heading out soon."
...