...
The four of them each ordered a pizza of a different flavor.
Regarding pizza, Lucian didn't know all that much.
But this shop being able to make a chicken pizza this golden and crispy was indeed quite impressive.
"Trainer Lucian, is that portion of yours the chicken pizza?" Grass Wonder's curious gaze fell on Lucian's hands.
"Yes, the taste is pretty good."
"Can I try a bit of yours? I'm a little curious." Grass Wonder tilted her head slightly, cupping her face with both hands in an innocent and pure expression that made it hard to refuse.
Lucian was taken aback. "Of course."
He ate slowly, and there were still several intact slices left in the box.
"Arigatou." Grass Wonder reached out and took a slice, then placed a slice of pizza from her own box into Lucian's. "Mine is fruit-flavored. Trainer Lucian can try it too."
"Ah, thank you."
Strange… but Lucian couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Beside them, Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky exchanged a glance and carried out a silent conversation with their eyes.
Lucian was just about to enjoy the pizza when, under the table, he felt a small foot clad in a white short sock, carrying a mix of probing and mischievous intent, lightly yet deliberately rubbing against the outer side of his thigh.
It climbed higher and higher... Left with no choice, Lucian clamped it between his legs and shot Seiun Sky a fierce glare.
At the same time, Silence Suzuka's hand also slipped under the table and onto Lucian's thigh. Her fingers captured a soft pinch of flesh and began to knead it gently, yet with clear warning intent. The soft pressure of her fingertips sank into the muscle, rubbing in slow, deliberate circles that sent a faint heat spreading upward.
Lucian set down the pizza slice with a resigned expression. He knew the two little ancestors were jealous again.
The socked toes against his leg flexed once more, pressing more firmly this time, sliding higher along the sensitive inner line of his thigh in a teasing caress that made the muscles tense involuntarily. Silence Suzuka's fingers answered by tightening their hold, rolling the flesh between them with a slow, possessive squeeze that bordered on intimate.
"Trainer Lucian, do people in Long Country celebrate festivals like Valentine's Day?" Grass Wonder took a napkin and elegantly wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth.
"Some people do, some don't."
Come to think of it, Tracen Academy didn't really observe foreign festivals. Everyone focused more on training and races.
"Oh~ So Long Country is the same as us, not really celebrating these festivals much." Grass Wonder nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes."
"Then, for those who do celebrate Valentine's Day, what kind of gifts do they usually give?" Grass Wonder pressed further, seeming especially... troubled by this question.
"Grass, you..." Silence Suzuka started to speak but stopped herself.
Compared to her, Seiun Sky was much more direct. "Grass, don't tell me you've fallen for some boy?"
There wasn't the slightest panic on Grass Wonder's face. "Maybe... so I wanted Trainer Lucian to give me some advice."
Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky exchanged another glance, and the relief in their eyes increased considerably.
So that was it. It wasn't that she had any thoughts toward Lucian, but that she truly had someone she liked. That explained why Grass Wonder kept dwelling on these questions.
"Is that really true? I remember when we went to the water world, you asked similar questions." A glint of gossip flashed in Lucian's eyes as he leaned forward slightly. "Who is it? Can you give a hint?"
"This... isn't very convenient to say." Grass Wonder looked embarrassed.
If she said it out loud, this meal might not be able to continue.
"Lucian-kun, please don't pry too much into other people's private matters." Silence Suzuka spoke up at the right moment, and the hand under the table also returned to the tabletop.
"That's right, that's right~" Seiun Sky chimed in as well.
"Grass, continue telling us. What else do you want to know? Let's see if we can help you." Silence Suzuka said with a smile, carrying a warm tone of encouragement.
"Actually, I just wanted Trainer Lucian to put himself in a boy's perspective and say which kind of gift he would prefer to receive more." Grass Wonder propped her chin on her hand, looking down as she stirred the drink in her bowl, producing soft clinking sounds.
Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky also quietly looked toward Lucian, curious about his answer.
"This..." Lucian pondered for a moment. "Everyone's preferences are different, but what boys care about is generally the feeling behind it. First don't worry about what to give, but whether you give anything at all."
"Personally, I feel that a gift is a vessel for feelings, and those feelings are far more precious than the gift itself."
"Then, only after that do you consider what to give. Generally, computer peripherals, graphics cards, and watches... practical things are best."
Hearing this, Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka suddenly felt a bit guilty. They still hadn't given Lucian any gifts yet.
"Giving these is enough?" Grass Wonder asked curiously.
"The key is still that both people have feelings, or cultivate feelings for each other." Silence Suzuka finished speaking and asked, "Does Grass feel that the other person likes you?"
"...It's just ordinary daily interactions."
"There's another way." Silence Suzuka couldn't bring herself to say something like "force it" or "create feelings where there are none."
She could only put it tactfully: "How about Grass first try confessing? If a girl pursues a boy, the difficulty might be a little lower."
"Eh, confess? Just that direct..." Surprise overflowed in Grass Wonder's eyes as she thought to herself, Did Suzuka and Spe-chan operate like this?
"Mm. If the boy doesn't take the initiative, then we take the initiative!" Silence Suzuka said firmly.
Seiun Sky found it hard not to agree with that statement. No matter how much of a glass-cannon she had been at first, in the end she had still forcibly kissed Lucian. "Both hands raised~ Agreeing with Suzuka's view~ This kind of opportunity only comes once, have to seize it~"
"Grass, have you found out about that boy's preferences?"
"I have." Grass Wonder nodded.
Just learned them.
In short, Lucian really valued the feelings behind things. As long as the feelings were in place, it was fine.
She also had to thank Seiun and Suzuka for continuously giving her advice.
"If only Spe-chan were here too..." Grass Wonder thought mischievously in her heart.
With a shift of thought, Grass Wonder asked again:
"Suzuka-san, I see you seem to understand a lot. Can you talk about how one should interact with the other person if in a relationship?"
"I don't understand that much." Silence Suzuka's words were still quite rigorous. "Grass..."
She left her seat, walked over beside Grass Wonder, and whispered something into her ear.
Lucian continued eating his pizza, not even lifting his eyelids.
What else could Silence Suzuka say? Nothing more than "books hold beauty like jade, books hold houses of gold."
Grass Wonder, hearing these things for the first time, listened with great interest. Could her guesses about Silence Suzuka have been too far off?
Impossible.
Or rather, Grass Wonder also didn't understand—what kind of mindset would one have while watching Spe-chan and Trainer Lucian kiss from the side? It couldn't be that Suzuka had some strange fetish, right?
"That's all for now? Does Grass have any other doubts?" Silence Suzuka, like a teacher, patiently guided her.
Grass Wonder nodded, cheeks resting in her palms. "There is... Last time I also asked Trainer Lucian the same question. What does kissing actually feel like? And after interacting for how long can one kiss?"
Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky both looked toward Lucian at the same time. "She asked last time already... I want to know how Lucian-kun answered."
Lucian was lowering his head to deal with the last slice of pizza on his plate. The three horse girls silently watched him chew.
He had no choice but to swallow hastily, wipe his mouth, and speak a bit awkwardly:
"Uh… I said it's about the same as sucking jelly, something I saw online. She didn't ask me the second question."
"Alright." Silence Suzuka roughly had an idea in her heart and knew how to organize her words to answer.
Facing Grass Wonder, she also didn't dare to be careless, lest any clues be discovered, which was why she had first coordinated with Lucian.
"What kissing feels like… I don't have much experience either. Maybe it's just like what Lucian-kun said. As for the second question..." Silence Suzuka deliberately looked thoughtful as she tapped her lower lip with a finger, her gaze drifting toward the ceiling:
"It happens naturally when the time is right. But one side might be shy. At that time, a forced kiss is also a good choice."
"Cough cough cough..." Lucian dry-coughed several times. "You two, how about we not talk about this topic anymore? After all, there's still a pure-hearted big boy present."
He was afraid that if they continued, with Grass Wonder's root-seeking nature, she would ask even deeper questions that were harder to handle.
And why was Silence Suzuka so talkative? Sharing desire this high, even teaching forced kisses?! Then next would she teach...
Lucian silently mourned for Grass Wonder's crush for one second in his heart.
Then the next second, a chill ran down his back for no reason and he let out a loud sneeze.
"Mm, what Lucian-kun said is also right. Grass, if you still have any questions, come ask me in the dorm tonight."
Silence Suzuka completely forgot that she had told Lucian to wear the cat-cat uniform tonight.
But Lucian also didn't remind her.
For someone like him who sometimes felt both physically and mentally exhausted by life, one more day was not as good as one less day.
...