...
Ines Fujin quickly finished washing the bowls in her hands, while Doto on the other side was still taking her time, even humming a little tune.
"Lucian-san, is there anything else you need me to do?" Ines Fujin asked again.
"Nothing else."
"Then I'll take my leave first."
"Alright, be careful on your way."
After saying goodbye to Lucian, Ines Fujin bid a quick farewell to Doto as well before hurrying off.
Lucian moved a stool and sat down next to Doto again. "Doto, is washing dishes fun for you?"
"Sort of~ I thought if I take longer, I can get them a little cleaner."
"That Ines Fujin just now—are you familiar with her?" Since he couldn't ask the person directly, Lucian decided to get some information from Doto instead.
"Ah, Ines Fujin-senpai? Because of her family's financial situation, she often takes on part-time jobs to help out."
"I see... No wonder she seems so efficient." Lucian nodded.
Doto felt like she'd been indirectly criticized and pouted, mumbling, "Lucian-san, am I not efficient?"
"You keep working hard and practice slowly, alright?" Lucian eyed the antenna-like strand of hair sticking up from Doto's head and suddenly had the urge to cut it off.
Shaking off the strange thought, he continued asking about Ines Fujin. "Wait, though—how does she usually have so much time for part-time jobs?"
"Hmm... I'd say senpai takes on work whenever she has free time." Doto thought for a moment before adding, "Senpai is really amazing. She won the Derby a long time ago, but for some reason, she gradually faded out of the Twinkle Series."
"Could it still be because of her family's financial situation?" If that were the case, Lucian thought it would be a real shame.
How long can a horse girl's peak last? If she stepped away during her prime, it would undoubtedly be regrettable.
But Doto shook her head. "Probably not. Senpai often says, 'Eat well, run well,' which means running is still much more important to her than part-time jobs."
"Alright then~" Though Lucian had some money to spare, he couldn't just give it to Ines Fujin for no reason.
Besides, what he saw in the girl was diligence and optimism. Handing her charity would only disrespect her.
And since they were just passing acquaintances, maybe after this, they wouldn't even stay in touch... unless fate willed it.
"Doto, how much longer are you going to take with these dishes?" Lucian wasn't rushing her, but he couldn't stand watching anymore, so he rolled up his sleeves and started washing too.
"Sorry... sorry... I'm just too clumsy!"
"Eh, eh-eh—" Her exaggerated apologies caused water from the basin to splash onto Lucian's clothes and face. "Was that on purpose, or was it an accident?"
Doto clearly stifled a laugh before immediately apologizing again. "Ah, I'm sorry!! Let me wipe it for you."
"Eh, eh!? Don't use a wet cloth!"
...
Doto really was a klutz. When she went to dump the water after washing the dishes, she didn't hold the basin steady and spilled it everywhere.
This time, she was genuinely flustered, her eyes even welling up with tears as she apologized.
"It's fine, it's fine. Since it's already happened, just do your best to fix it." Though Lucian had a mischievous fondness for seeing Doto cry, he obviously wouldn't scold her over this.
"Wah—Lucian-san, you're way too nice." Doto rubbed her eyes.
Lucian picked up a mop and started cleaning the floor. "Doto, you haven't joined any other team yet, right? Do you have any thoughts on where you'd like to go?"
"'Rigil'..."
"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Lucian stopped mopping and held out the mop handle toward Doto.
Doto burst into laughter at his antics, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes again.
Though she really wanted to follow T.M. Opera O's footsteps and join "Rigil"...
If she could meet a kind and skilled trainer instead...
"Then there's 'Dream'..."
"Good taste! Bold choice!" Lucian grinned and gave her a thumbs-up before bending down to mop again. "Alright, just kidding. But if you're seriously interested in joining my team, you can let me know anytime."
"Oh—okay~"
...
After locking up the restaurant, Lucian and Doto left together.
Once home, Lucian created a group chat on a messaging app to collect the measurements of the four horse girls under the pretext of ordering work uniforms.
He kept it vague, and surprisingly, no one asked what the uniforms would look like.
Ines Fujin said as long as the pay was good, everything was OK.
Taiki Shuttle said as long as the food was tasty, everything was OK.
The author chimed in that if the gifts were good, even a maid outfit wouldn't be off the table.
As for Rice Shower and Doto, they didn't even think to ask.
Since things had turned out this way, Lucian didn't bother explaining. Once the outfits arrived, they wouldn't have a choice anyway.
...
The next day, Lucian headed back to the restaurant to refine the menu.
The restaurant didn't need cleaning every day, so Taiki Shuttle and the others didn't have to come in daily—except for Rice Shower, who was learning to cook.
But today, before he could even reach the restaurant's entrance, he was intercepted by a row of horse girls with less-than-friendly expressions.
However, today, before he could reach the cafeteria entrance, he was intercepted halfway by a row of displeased horse girls.
Being bombarded by so many resentful gazes, Lucian, who knew he was in the wrong, couldn't remain calm—he hadn't gone to see the fillies during their rehearsals these past few days.
So, with a guilty conscience, he averted his eyes, turned his head, and spun around in one smooth motion, loudly muttering, "Aahh, I'm so tired today. Maybe I should rest a bit," as if afraid they wouldn't hear him.
Lucian had already taken a step back, but the voice behind him froze him in his tracks.
"Lucian-kun, do you really not want to see us that much?" Silence Suzuka spoke coolly.
Seiun Sky, arms on her hips, chimed in, "As expected, you've forgotten about your own horse girls now that you have new ones~ Ah, it seems there's no place for me in 'Dream' anymore~"
Special Week shouted, "Trainer-san, please don't run away!"
Dextrous Bailey, who had appeared out of nowhere, had already blocked Lucian's escape route.
She had made a mistake and needed Lucian to punish her. So now that Lucian had angered everyone, shouldn't he be punished too?
Rice Shower quietly retreated to a corner, wondering if she had said something wrong by sharing what happened yesterday with the others... The trainer probably wouldn't blame her, right? He wouldn't stop giving her delicious treats, would he?
Tokai Teio, who had just joined, watched the commotion from the sidelines.
Lucian knew the situation was hopeless and slowly turned around, saying, "Let me explain..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a small pink figure suddenly crashed into his arms.
Lucian took a step back, bracing against Haru Urara's impact.
He thought Urara was angry too and was fretting over how to comfort her.
But instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, her large, lively eyes shimmering with unshed tears, reflecting Lucian's flustered expression in their depths.
Urara's voice was soft, trembling as if on the verge of crying, sounding utterly pitiful, "Trainer... Urara missed you so much."