...
By dinnertime, everyone had gradually left the lounge.
Silence Suzuka had also left with Special Week and the others, but after a while, she returned.
With practiced ease, she pushed the lounge door shut behind her.
"You seem afraid of being discovered by them."
"I'm not afraid," Silence Suzuka retorted stubbornly. "It's just that if the others also get massages, you won't have time for me... and you owe me this."
She removed her outerwear, revealing the athletic sleeveless shirt underneath, then lay flat on the small bed in the lounge, completely at his mercy.
Seeing that Lucian hadn't come over yet and was instead staring dumbly at her, Silence Suzuka crossed her arms over her exposed shoulders. "You... how long are you going to keep looking?"
"Coming, coming! Your No. 1 massage therapist is ready for duty." Lucian rolled up his sleeves and approached Silence Suzuka. "So, what kind of service would you like today?"
Silence Suzuka found it amusing. "What options do I have?"
"Hmm... I'd recommend the scallion-ginger-garlic special, followed by a refreshing rinse with cool water, and finally my exclusive cooking wine treatment."
"And then?" Silence Suzuka pressed.
As he spoke, Lucian gathered Silence Suzuka's hair and tied it up. "Then we light the fire and bring it to a boil... and it's time for a good stir-fry."
"Stir-fry?"
"Yep. This stewed dish is called Braised Venison."
"Lucian-kun, do you think you're funny?"
Even the gentle Silence Suzuka couldn't help but bicker with Lucian when she was around him... though she never won.
If she couldn't win now, future "arguments" would be even less certain.
"Indeed, humor is just one of my many charms," Lucian declared narcissistically.
"Lucian-kun, I've noticed that when I first met you, you were still humble and polite. Now... you seem a bit secretly perverted."
"Thank you for the praise~" The thick-skinned Lucian accepted it without hesitation.
"So... I wasn't praising you!"
...
Meanwhile, not long after Seiun Sky had left, she realized she'd left her dorm key in the pocket of the clothes she was about to wash.
Thinking the distance wasn't too far, she decided to return to the lounge.
Behind the lounge was an open area used for hanging laundry and storing miscellaneous items. The washing machines were naturally placed there as well.
Seiun Sky had originally intended to enter through the front door, but as she approached, she heard a series of soft, ambiguous noises.
So familiar...
Is that Suzuka's voice?
She pressed her long ears against the door, and those easily misinterpreted sounds became a little clearer.
It really was Suzuka's voice.
But what's wrong with her?
Is she comforting herself over something upsetting? Trying to cope?
But Seiun Sky remembered that Silence Suzuka hadn't lost any races recently—in fact, she'd just won a G1 title. There was no way she'd be crying.
For a moment, Seiun Sky was at a loss, unsure whether she should push the door open—until she heard another familiar voice.
Though somewhat muffled, she could roughly make out the words.
"Suzuka, if you're afraid of being discovered, why are you making such strange noises?"
"I... it's not like I want to."
"Do you need me to find some tape?"
"N-no, that's not necessary. I'll control myself."
...
Seiun Sky's eyes gradually widened, her furrowed brows as heavy as dumbbells.
The sky had fallen—what were they... doing?!
Tape? Seriously, tape?!
Shock surged through her like a stormy wave, obliterating the flimsy walls of her mental defenses in an instant.
Now, she absolutely didn't dare open the door.
But her determination to uncover the truth only grew stronger.
Lucian and Silence Suzuka... no way. At the very least, not in the lounge!
Seiun Sky pulled back, then tiptoed around to the back of the lounge.
Moving like a thief, she stepped lightly into the open area.
Though the back door of the lounge was also closed, there was a fairly low window.
Her heart pounded wildly, as if she were more nervous than the people inside.
Seiun Sky crept up to the window, then peeked in like a curious cat—securing the perfect vantage point to see what was happening inside.
Oh... they're just massaging.
She didn't realize it, but she felt a faint twinge of disappointment.
"But... Trainer's hands are so gentle. And Suzuka looks so comfortable with her eyes closed."
"Seems like this isn't the first time, huh? When did this start?"
Since Silence Suzuka was the first to join the team, Seiun Sky had no way of guessing.
But this scene also reminded her of the unpleasant memory of Lucian favoring Special Week over her... Though it wasn't intentional, she still felt sour about it.
"Is this Suzuka's exclusive treatment? Probably." Seiun Sky pondered, recalling how she'd once asked about how to address Lucian.
Though professional medical staff also gave them massages on weekends, Seiun Sky definitely wanted Lucian to massage her too.
No matter what! She was jealous—still jealous!
The more she watched, the more that rampant jealousy spread and fermented, completely acidifying the soil of her heart.
Yet unbeknownst to her, such an environment was actually beneficial for the seed buried within.
The seed named "wanting to be close."
Watered by the spring of "unwillingness," it grew with a tearing intensity.
And because this spring wasn't pure—tainted with impurities like "resentment," "envy," "sadness," and "delusion"—its growth quietly took a corrupted turn.
If diseased roots couldn't support the dawn, then it would simply merge with the darkness.
That long-planned intimacy didn't necessarily have to be expressed on the face—what was wrong with imprinting it somewhere else instead?
Seiun Sky didn't know if it would become her exclusive privilege, but she would be the first!
Whether it was Silence Suzuka, Special Week, or Haru Urara—they'd all have to line up behind her.
...
Seiun Sky found her missing key. When she left this time, she wasn't as sneaky as when she'd entered.
She walked with deliberately loud steps, making sure the two inside the lounge would notice.
Sure enough, upon hearing the footsteps, Silence Suzuka abruptly sat up from the bed and hurriedly put her jacket back on. "I think someone's here."
Lucian truly didn't care—he was just giving a massage, not doing anything questionable. "Are we continuing or not?"
Silence Suzuka glanced out the back door, but Seiun Sky was long gone—there was no trace of her.
Noticing the darkening sky, Silence Suzuka realized she'd overreacted.
"That's enough for today. Thank you, Lucian-kun. I'm going to eat now."