...
"Seiun, remember to train on your own in private." Silence Suzuka said, submerging half her face as she swam toward Special Week.
Daiwa Scarlet, Taiki Shuttle, and the like... those were dreams.
Silence Suzuka preferred to keep her feet on the ground, so she set her sights on a target first.
"Suzuka, you too!" Seiun Sky hurriedly replied.
"Let's encourage each other, then."
She had already been training privately with Lucian's help, but the results... well, they were passable. Progress was just slow because she didn't train every day.
...
"Spe-chan."
"Suzuka!?"
Special Week, who had been relaxing with her eyes closed, was startled by Silence Suzuka suddenly appearing behind her.
"Suzuka, why did you come over so suddenly?"
Silence Suzuka was Special Week's idol, and it was usually Special Week who sought her out.
"I came to play with you." Silence Suzuka extended her fair, tender arm, glistening with droplets of water. "Spe-chan, why didn't you come over earlier?"
"Because there were too many people over there, so I didn't want to crowd in."
Truthfully, Special Week had noticed Seiun Sky was also there and was afraid she might do something like last time...
She had a competitive streak too, okay? But after seeing the gap in their abilities, she chose to avoid the confrontation.
"Suzuka, actually, I've been a little troubled lately." After some thought, Special Week slowly began to share what was on her mind.
The two of them swam to an unnoticed corner and leaned against a faux rock to chat.
"What's troubling you? Did you run into some kind of difficulty?" Silence Suzuka asked.
"No, it's... related to romance."
"R-Romance!?"
Silence Suzuka was shocked.
It wasn't the statement itself that surprised her, but the fact that it had come from Special Week's mouth.
Had Spe-chan lost interest in carrots?
"Shh!" Special Week reacted quickly, covering Silence Suzuka's mouth. "Suzuka, keep your voice down... I don't want others to hear."
"I was just a little surprised." Silence Suzuka apologized, lowering her voice. "So, Spe-chan, why are you suddenly confused about this kind of thing?"
"Do you have someone you like? Is it a horse girl from school?"
"It's not a girl..." Special Week blurted out, then shook her head. "No, I don't know if it's love or not."
"I see." Silence Suzuka withdrew her gaze and didn't answer immediately. Instead, she asked, "Spe-chan, why did you come to me about this? I've... never been in a relationship either."
It couldn't be because of her usual interactions with Lucian that Special Week had noticed something, right? But that didn't necessarily mean she and Lucian were dating.
Uncertain. She probably hadn't been exposed. Better observe a bit more.
"I know..." Special Week seemed to struggle with her words. "Suzuka, I'll say this first—I didn't do it on purpose, so please don't be mad. But I really did discover your secret."
"Wh-When?"
The infirmary? The training room? Or at Lucian's place? Or...
The first two could still be explained away, but the last one? No explanation needed.
"It was during the weekend at the dorm." Special Week carefully watched Silence Suzuka's reaction.
"The dorm?" Silence Suzuka frowned.
As much as she'd love to hide Lucian in her dorm, she wouldn't dare.
"Yeah." Special Week nodded. "When I was mopping the floor over the weekend, I accidentally saw those books under your bed."
"Spe-chan, you saw them all?"
"Mhm..." Special Week noticed Silence Suzuka wasn't as shocked or flustered as she'd expected. "But I only saw the titles on the covers. I didn't open them because they're your things."
"So that's why you came to ask me?"
Perhaps because she'd imagined a more explosive outcome, Silence Suzuka really wasn't that panicked.
Besides, while the titles of those books were quite bold, they were still romance novels, not full of explicit content...
That said, the slow-burn emotional buildup leading to passionate entanglement could really make one's heart itch, to the point of wanting to tie the author to their desk and force them to write for 24 hours straight.
Some authors described things so vividly that when Silence Suzuka first started reading, she'd been timid and shy, needing to pause after every section to recover.
But later on, especially after confirming her relationship with Lucian, it all just became theoretical guidance.
"Yes, Suzuka... I'm just a little troubled. It's not like I've fallen for anyone or anything." Special Week averted her gaze.
"I see..." Silence Suzuka wasn't entirely convinced, but she understood. At their age, it was natural to be curious about the scent of love.
"Suzuka, can you tell me about it?"
"Well... I'm not really an expert either." Silence Suzuka thought back to her pre-Lucian days. "You might find yourself thinking about him for no reason, blushing inexplicably when you're with him... wanting to get closer, to interact with him more."
"Is that love?" Special Week naturally applied it to herself and felt it matched perfectly.
"That's just one possible way it can manifest. For me, being with someone I like just makes me feel happier."
"But doesn't venting your emotions or doing things you enjoy also make you feel better?" Special Week pressed.
This question stumped Silence Suzuka for a moment.
After thinking for a long time, she finally recalled something unique. "If it's with someone you like, venting emotions isn't limited to just talking."
"Like what?" Special Week, like an inquisitive child, dug deeper into this unknown territory.
"Kissing, hugging..." Silence Suzuka stopped there.
Anything beyond that—don't ask. Even if you did, she wouldn't say.
That said, the feeling of being with a lover was truly incomparable, and Silence Suzuka couldn't perfectly describe it either.
"Oh... I see. I-I get it..."
Special Week lowered her head, staring blankly at the shimmering water, lost in thought.
So... is what I feel for Trainer-sama love? Whenever I'm with him, I always feel so at ease.
The rising steam swirled around Special Week's head—whether it was from the hot spring or her own overheating brain was unclear.
"Spe-chan, I actually have a question for you too."
"What is it?"
"Mmm..." Silence Suzuka leaned in close to Special Week's ear and began whispering.
...