Summer vacation at Tracen Academy lasts for two full months—July and August. While upperclassmen often dive into intense summer training camps, first- and second-year junior high students don't always participate.
Second-years typically focus on their makeup debuts around July, shifting their energy toward racing. First-years, like Rice Shower, are still building their bodies and training fundamentals. For them, summer camps can be too physically demanding.
Some horse girls even take breaks during summer vacation. Rice-chan might have family plans, so I was preparing a flexible schedule to suit her needs.
"Rice, Do you have anything plans for summer?"
"My parents are back coming home for about two weeks, so I'll be spending time with them for a while."
"Oh, nice."
"What about you, Viola?"
"Me? I'm not going anywhere. I'll be staying at school the whole time."
Rice looked genuinely surprised.
I don't have a family to visit. Returning to the facility would be awkward, and I've been living in the dorms for a while now. Also I don't have the money to travel either. So it never occurred to me that Rice might expect me to go somewhere.
"Then Viola-chan, come with me!"
"Wait—I didn't sign up for this!"
"Viola-chan is my trainer. That makes her family too!"
"That logic feels… questionable."
"No way! McQueen-senpai said being a trainer and being the trainee is like being one and the same!"
"What does that even mean?!"
Mejiro McQueen is two years older than me and seems to know Rice well. They talk often and even hang out sometimes. I just hope she's not filling Rice's head with strange ideas.
"So for the first two weeks of summer vacation, Viola will be coming to a summer resort with Rice."
"Guess I've been forcibly scheduled."
Still, I didn't mind. I had free time, and it wasn't a bad idea to spend it with her.
"What about you, Lovely?"
"I'm going home to see my parents for two weeks too, but I'm not sure what to do afterward."
"Why's that?"
"Even if we're told to make the most of summer, it's hard to stay motivated practicing alone."
"True. Two months is a long stretch."
Even with some structure, solo training can get sloppy. Without an instructor watching, it's easy to lose focus.
"Want to do a voluntary training camp? I could help guide you."
"That would be amazing!"
I would be training with Rice anyway, and having more partners would make things more efficient. Running alongside just one person—especially someone as strong as Rice—has its limits.
"But where would we do it? Tracen Academy is fine, but it gets boring."
"We have a villa. You're welcome to use it."
"Lovely-san, you really are a young lady…"
"Still I'd like to invite a few more people besides Rice and Lovely. How many can stay?"
"About ten can fit comfortably."
"Perfect. Let's invite some classmates."
And just like that, my summer schedule was full.
I thought it would be a quiet, blurry two months—but it looks like it's going to be busy, exciting, and maybe even a little fun.