...
"It wasn't me, it was Spe-chan."
"Spe-chan?" Lucian's eyes widened abruptly.
He couldn't possibly believe that the vivid sensations from last night were just a dream or something—that would be too absurd.
So, the person he kissed and held last night was...
"Trainer-san, you were drunk last night and insisted on tying everyone's hair. In the end, I helped you back to your room." Special Week's gaze drifted away, as if sensing something.
"I see... Thank you, Spe-chan."
Special Week was shy—this matter definitely couldn't be discussed in front of so many people.
He would have to find the right moment when they were alone together and apologize to her properly.
"It's alright, Trainer-san."
"Ah, right. Everyone, let's pack our things later. We'll be heading back this afternoon."
...
After eating their final lunch there, the horse girls returned to their rooms to pack.
Special Week glanced at her lit-up phone for a few seconds before turning it off and slipping it back into her pocket. "Suzuka, could you help me pack those things?"
"I can, but... Spe-chan, do you need to do something else?" Silence Suzuka nodded.
"I think I might have eaten something bad, so I need to use the restroom."
"Alright, then go quickly."
Avoiding everyone's notice, Special Week carefully made her way to a quiet corner of the courtyard.
Lucian was already waiting for her—he had texted her earlier to meet him there.
"Spe-chan." Lucian spoke first, though he couldn't help feeling awkward.
This kind of thing really shouldn't be delayed. If he was going to apologize, it had to be done promptly.
"Trainer-san." Special Week clasped her hands together as she walked toward him.
She wasn't sure if anyone might pass by. Even though it was quiet now, her heart was filled with nervousness and tension.
"Um... have you finished packing?"
"Yeah." Special Week nodded slightly.
The phrase "a maiden in love" seemed to take physical form in her demeanor.
"About what happened yesterday... I'm really sorry." Lucian bowed deeply and sincerely to Special Week. "I truly apologize!"
"Trainer-san..."
Special Week didn't say she forgave him—because what she wanted wasn't an apology. "The things you said to me yesterday... were they true?"
Lucian, still with his head lowered, frowned.
Yesterday, he not only did strange things but also said strange things?!
This was bad. He had absolutely no memory of what he said last night.
"Trainer-san, answer me. Did you forget, or were you lying to me?"
Special Week wasn't being unreasonable.
Her mood could instantly darken, depending entirely on Lucian's next words.
"I don't want to lie to you. I really don't remember."
Hearing this, a trace of disappointment flickered across Special Week's expression.
"But as the saying goes, 'drunken words are sober thoughts.' Unless it was something completely absurd, then I must have meant it." Lucian straightened up. "So, Spe-chan, could you tell me what I said last night?"
This made Special Week hesitate.
After thinking for a moment, she finally whispered a rough summary of Lucian's words from the night before.
"So you're saying you pretended to be Seiun to trick me into talking?"
"No, no! It was Trainer-san who mistook me for Seiun!" Special Week suddenly realized something odd. "Trainer-san, after mistaking me for Seiun Sky... why did you do... those things?"
There was no hiding it this time. Absolutely no hiding it.
"Spe-chan... First, if I mistook you for Seiun, it was probably because of your short hair."
"And second... all this time, the qualities you have, Spe-chan, have always drawn me in. To say I don't like you would be a lie."
Since he couldn't hide it, he might as well answer selectively.
Even if he didn't say it outright, Special Week probably already had an idea. She might seem a little slow sometimes, but she wasn't actually stupid.
"So... is it the kind of liking that comes from admiration?"
Special Week asked the same question she had asked the night before.
Right now, she was like a plucked string on an instrument, alternating between tension and relaxation.
"Admiration? That's just one part of it. It's precisely because I admire you that I'm drawn to you." Lucian explained clearly. "Then, Spe-chan, what about you? How do you feel about me?"
Special Week lowered her head in silence, her hands clenched tightly, her fingers turning red from the pressure.
Lucian, now an experienced angler, cast his bait and continued to guide her gently.
"Alright, I think I understand how Spe-chan feels. About yesterday, I'm truly sorry. As your trainer, I promise it won't happen again—"
"Wait!" Special Week suddenly bit the hook, flustered. "I haven't said anything yet!"
When she saw Lucian's smile, she realized belatedly that she'd been played.
"Trainer... you bullied me yesterday, and now you're bullying me again today..."
"I bully you because I like you, Spe-chan."
"But you also bully Urara and Suzuka all the time..."
"Uh... that's different." With his accumulated experience, Lucian knew full well that this was not the time to bring up other horse girls!
"How is it different?"
"Rather than worrying about that... Spe-chan, you still haven't given me your answer."
Special Week lowered her head slightly, her voice so soft that Lucian had to lean in to hear.
"...Suki (I like you)."
Those words had drained all the courage Special Week had mustered, so Lucian knew he couldn't tease her any further.
"Then... a hug?"
"...Mm."
Special Week stepped closer and nestled into Lucian's embrace.
He gently patted her back.
When it came to emotions, he felt that Spe-chan was the type of girl who was especially delicate and soft.
For example, Seiun Sky was like a glass cannon—strong but fragile. Silence Suzuka was outwardly cool but inwardly passionate. As for Special Week... she was the type who made him want to tease her, and when she got shy, she was truly adorable.
In other words, he was the only one allowed to be on the offensive.
"So, Trainer-san, you still haven't answered my earlier question. Why did you do those things when you mistook me for Seiun Sky?"
Now she had transformed into "Specially Persistent."
"Ah, well..." Lucian evaded, opting to stall instead. "You've been out here for a while. They've probably finished packing by now. We should head back, right? Spe-chan doesn't want to get caught, does she?"
"I don't."
"Then let's go."
...