...
A day after the Satsuki Sho, Lucian gave the team half a day off.
Although the next race, the Japanese Derby, was approaching soon, proper relaxation would benefit their training even more.
In the lounge.
Lucian leaned back comfortably in his chair, feet propped up on the table, engrossed in a newspaper he held in his hands.
Seiun Sky's victory in the Satsuki Sho had also brought Lucian some glory.
In the photo taken during the interview, Seiun Sky stood with her hands behind her back, answering reporters' questions, but her eyes sneakily glanced toward Lucian beside her.
Meanwhile, Lucian watched her with a faint smile.
Their eyes seemed to converse across the space—one pair whispering secretly, the other gazing boldly.
"This photo turned out really nice," Lucian murmured to himself, though his mind wandered to that infamous image of Trump covering his ears and shouting.
Before he could dwell on it further, the phone on the table suddenly rang.
"Well, well." Lucian was slightly surprised when he saw the caller—it was his dad.
The relationship between father and son hadn't been the best before. In Lu Fengzhou's eyes as many commonly called him, his son had always been a slacker.
But now that Lucian had proven himself, their relationship had naturally eased.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely Lu Fengzhou's fault—Lucian really hadn't been all that motivated in the past.
"Hey, Dad."
"Lucian, what are you up to? You haven't called home lately." Lu Fengzhou, Lucian's father, was in his forties, his voice deep and slightly hoarse.
"Been busy with training every day."
"I saw the recent news. Congratulations on your horse girl winning the Satsuki Sho."
Lucian thanked him and asked, "Dad, did you call just to congratulate me?"
"There's something else too. The weighted rings have been upgraded and improved again. I've already arranged for a batch to be shipped to you—they should arrive soon."
Lucian nodded. This was good news. He could equip all his horse girls with a set afterward.
Later, he could also focus on other areas like racing shoes and ramp up research efforts.
But compared to these, Lucian had something else he cared about more.
"Oh right, Dad, how's the thing I asked you about before?"
"Progress is pretty good. Those medical academics are very interested in the disease research directions you proposed."
Earlier, Lucian had given Lu Fengzhou some documents detailing leg diseases that current medical technology struggled to treat.
The medical field in this world was relatively underdeveloped.
Naturally, Lucian hadn't studied medicine, but his awakened memories contained impressions of the mechanisms behind many diseases.
Still, professional matters were best left to professionals.
If only... they could find a perfect solution for severe fractures.
"That's good."
"Lucian, what's your goal now?" Lu Fengzhou asked with concern.
Lucian hadn't given it much serious thought. "A Special-Class Trainer? If possible, becoming a Special-Class Teacher wouldn't be bad either."
"No way. That'd mean you'd have to stay in Japan for over a decade. Not only would I disagree, but your mom definitely wouldn't allow it either." Lu Fengzhou immediately vetoed the idea.
"Not necessarily. If my results are outstanding enough, I might skip ahead."
"Then you'd better keep dreaming." Lu Fengzhou scoffed before asking seriously, "Do you plan to return to the country later to develop your career? Even if you stay a trainer... Actually, the Chinese Association has already taken notice of you and reached out to me to ask for your thoughts."
Lu Fengzhou's words were somewhat cryptic.
With horse girl culture on the rise, there was undoubtedly an invisible hand supporting the Chinese Association behind the scenes.
Given that Lucian was a Chinese national, it was only natural—emotionally and logically—for him to return and contribute, even if only for a while.
"This matter... isn't too urgent, right?"
A trace of worry crept into Lucian's voice.
First, he couldn't bear to part with the horse girls here.
The solution wasn't exactly simple, but it was straightforward—take them all back with him.
Second... he felt an instinctive resistance and helplessness.
But there would inevitably come a day when he had to return to the China's horse girl training center.
"It's not urgent. Your career has only just begun. It's just that your early success has drawn attention, so I thought I should let you know in advance so you can think it over slowly." Lu Fengzhou respected Lucian far more than he used to.
"Alright, I understand."
The call wasn't over yet, but the voice on the other end switched from his father to his mother.
Lucian's mother, Lucia, had the demeanor of a strong-willed businesswoman.
Compared to his dad, Lucian was actually a little more afraid of his mom.
"Lucian, I won't allow you to stay there for over a decade. Have you even considered how old you'll be by then? What about marriage?" Now that her son had made something of himself, Lucia's focus had inexplicably shifted to his marital prospects.
"Mom, please spare me"
"Spare you nothing! Your dad and I were talking with some friends earlier, and they're interested in introducing you to some nice girls... You must come back before the New Year, understand?"
Lucian could sympathize, but going home for the New Year was only right. "Got it, I'll come back for the New Year. But let's skip the matchmaking, okay?"
"No! Unless you bring a girl back with you." Lucia had intended to pressure Lucian with this, but she never expected him to agree.
"Fine. Can I bring a horse girl?"
"I don't care about the details—I just want to see one!" Lucia huffed before hanging up.
Lucian held his phone, sighing helplessly. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
There was one more question he hadn't gotten to ask—whether he could bring back more than one.
...
Just as he was about to return to his newspaper, a sudden noise came from the doorway as several horse girls tumbled inside.
Lucian took a sip of tea. "What's this? Playing human pyramid?"
Haru Urara patted her pants as she got up. "Hehe, yep, yep!"
Special Week nodded so vigorously it looked like her head might blur from the motion.
Seiun Sky was a little embarrassed—she'd accidentally pushed too hard, causing everyone eavesdropping at the door to fall in.
Silence Suzuka, who had been at the front of the group listening in, shyly averted her gaze.
But her mind was still stuck on parts of Lucian's earlier conversation.
She had learned a bit of Chinese, though not much.
In the chaos of the fall, the words she'd been piecing together in her mind scattered, leaving only a few key phrases behind:
"New Year's," "bring a horse girl," "go home."