....
After chatting for a while, someone couldn't hold back their desire to go to the hot springs anymore.
"Trainer Lucian, I want to go to the hot springs now. Is that okay?"
Straight to the point.
It's Gold Ship. Well, that explains it.
"Of course you can," Lucian nodded. "It's open anytime."
To be fair, all these horse girls had come prepared, with towels packed in their bags.
With Gold Ship taking the lead, the other horse girls who had been itching to go also stood up one after another—even Toujou Hana was no exception.
Though the members of "Dream" had been to the hot springs many times before, they were still happy to join.
Before leaving, Tokai Teio suddenly turned to Lucian, but he preempted her: "No peeking. Nobody will peek. Please relax and enjoy~"
Tokai Teio chuckled lightly. "Hmph, at least the trainer knows what's up."
Lucian took a sip of tea, feeling like that line suited him more when directed at certain people.
But it didn't matter. Just a bit of harmless teasing.
The girls all headed out one after another, ready to enjoy the hot springs.
Seeing this, Nishizaki Ryo lazily got up too. "Lucian, I think I'll go soak for a bit too."
"It's not a mixed bath, you know."
Nishizaki Ryo twitched his lips. "I wouldn't dare go if it were!"
"Just kidding."
If it were a mixed bath, he wouldn't let Nishizaki Ryo go either.
This kind of thing... well, he wouldn't dare go himself.
...
Nishizaki Ryo entered the men's bath first.
Lucian, having brought some drinks, arrived a few minutes later.
"Hey~ Lucian, you're pretty well-built," Nishizaki Ryo remarked, eyeing Lucian's toned physique—especially the six distinct abs—with a hint of envy. "Youth really has its advantages~"
"Senpai, it's never too late for you to start working out too."
"Too lazy~ Hand that over already." Nishizaki Ryo waved at Lucian, eyeing the fine alcohol in his hands eagerly.
...
Somehow, upon hearing Lucian and Nishizaki Ryo's conversation, the chatter in the women's bath suddenly quieted down quite a bit.
Silence Suzuka, Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder, Taiki Shuttle, Daiwa Scarlet, Symboli Rudolf, and Toujou Hana were all seated closest to the dividing wall, so they heard everything most clearly.
Silence Suzuka nodded in silent agreement, feeling a hint of pride. Her trainer really was well-built.
If the trainer were a horse girl, she wouldn't have the advantage in stamina anymore.
But there were no "what ifs," which was why she often ended up on top during training.
Every thought in Seiun Sky's mind was like a stone dropped into a lake, sending ripples through her heart.
The trainer's body really is amazing.
But what exactly did Nishizaki mean by "well-built"?
Ugh, I'm so curious...
And what was that "practice" comment about? Probably abs, right...
Aside from these two, the other horse girls were all blushing furiously.
They hadn't even been in the hot springs for long, but their faces were already hotter than the water.
Daiwa Scarlet bit her lip with her little fangs.
Is this really something we should be hearing for free...? The trainer really has no shame, talking so loudly.
"Hey, you two! Stop saying weird things!" Toujou Hana shouted.
Lucian and Nishizaki Ryo, who had been about to clink glasses, were startled by her outburst.
"Senpai, I think you misunderstood. Nishizaki was just talking about my muscles," Lucian replied, feeling like he'd grown a bit since he understood immediately without much thought.
"Lucian, I'm surprised you're not messing with me this time." Nishizaki Ryo tilted his glass and clinked it against Lucian's.
"Ah, Senpai, don't say that. This involves my reputation too."
"Ahem... muscles, huh." Toujou Hana coughed dryly. "Anyway, keep it down. No more weird chatter."
"Spread the word: Trainer Lucian and Trainer Nishizaki were comparing muscle sizes in the hot springs," Grass Wonder teased with a smirk.
"Grass, that's not cool. Don't go spreading weird rumors."
Lucian clinked glasses with Nishizaki Ryo again, taking a sip of his drink, thoroughly relaxed.
Seeing Nishizaki Ryo's wineglass empty, Lucian moved to refill it, but Nishizaki stopped him. "Lucian, easy on the drinks."
"Senpai?" Lucian blinked in surprise. During their previous meals together, it was always Nishizaki urging him to drink. "What's this about?"
"The wine's good, but there's not much to pair it with. If you're so eager to drink, don't make excuses to skip out tonight."
So Nishizaki was saving it for the evening.
With things put that way, Lucian didn't refuse. "Sure, let's celebrate the successful end of this training camp."
"Time really flies. I can't believe the camp's already over," Nishizaki mused. "By the way, I heard you challenged Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky. Feeling confident?"
"Absolutely. I've always had faith in my team."
...
"Suzuka, the trainer really does have a great body, huh? He looks slim on the outside but has abs and everything," Seiun Sky teased Silence Suzuka again.
"Mhm." Silence Suzuka nodded. This wasn't exactly a secret, so she wondered what angle Seiun Sky was working this time.
"The trainer even told Nishizaki to 'practice' earlier," Seiun Sky continued, slowly steering the conversation toward her point. "Suzuka, you're so slender—do you skip workouts often?"
"Not at all. You're there during training too, aren't you?" Silence Suzuka parried smoothly.
"That's not what I meant..." Seiun Sky was still carefully crafting her next words.
"Then what did you mean? Oh~ Seiun, are you suggesting some... targeted training?" Silence Suzuka glanced downward slightly. "Like... chest... muscles?"
"C-chest?!" Seiun Sky's face instantly burned bright red, her heart melting into a puddle.
She gritted her teeth. "Suzuka, you're right! I think we both need that kind of targeted training!"
Silence Suzuka instinctively glanced sideways, taking in the sight of a certain stacked formation.
Even though Lucian had told her "small is cute too"... she still couldn't help caring!
"Stare—"
The two locked eyes, sparks practically flying between them.
...