...
"Everyone, since we're all feeling a bit bored right now, how about I tell you a few jokes to liven things up?" Symboli Rudolf proposed.
Her voice, no matter the occasion, always carried the gravitas of a formal speech.
Aside from Tokai Teio and a few members of "Spica," the other horse girls showed keen interest.
"The president telling jokes—this is a rare opportunity indeed."
Tokai Teio silently put on her headphones, wearing only one out of respect.
She still had to offer praise, of course. Cold jokes were meant to be shared and endured together.
"Yeah, yeah." Air Groove nodded, regretting why she had to sit right in front of Symboli Rudolf.
Having been by Symboli Rudolf's side for so long, Air Groove already felt the chill before the joke even began.
"Then I'll share one I recently heard." Symboli Rudolf cleared her throat. "Why did the racehorse bring a ladder to the track?"
"Why?" Taiki Shuttle pondered for a moment.
El Condor Pasa tilted her head. "To jump higher hurdles?"
"Because she wanted to reach new heights?" Haru Urara guessed.
Symboli Rudolf shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "No, no. Because she heard the competition was on another level! Ahahaha~"
Haru Urara's face darkened, as if a crow dragging ellipses flew over her head.
"Ha, haha... hahaha." Tokai Teio forced out a laugh since she was sitting right next to Symboli Rudolf.
Air Groove wore an "I knew it" expression, thinking to herself, "The president always wants to tell jokes, but they're always so predictable."
The other horse girls could only offer awkward chuckles—it was all about social courtesy.
Symboli Rudolf noticed the lukewarm response and glanced at Lucian in the corner. "How about Trainer Lucian tells us a few jokes instead?"
After exchanging contact information, Symboli Rudolf had immediately taken action, asking Lucian for some jokes from the China.
Lucian had read them but didn't know what to say. They were indeed jokes—just a bit... strange.
For example, one went like this: "On the way home, I ran into five beautiful horse girls. Who could possibly refuse?"
Lucian had been alarmed and even looked up the incident, only to find out it was about a Chinese trainer named Yang Shang, who had been fought over by five horse girl wives in a viral video.
"Uh..." Lucian, who had just been teasing Special Week, was startled by the sudden attention. The small hand he'd been holding slipped away. "Jokes?"
"Yes." Symboli Rudolf looked at him expectantly.
"Let me think." Lucian scratched his cheek, his mind blank from guilt. "Got it."
Lucian stood up from his seat, making sure everyone could hear him. "A little earthworm's mom came home and saw that Dad wasn't there. So she asked the little earthworm, 'Where's Dad?' Can you guess what the little earthworm said?"
After Symboli Rudolf's joke earlier, no one dared to guess this time.
Lucian waited a few seconds before continuing. "The little earthworm said, 'Dad went fishing with someone.'"
After a few minutes of silence, the bus erupted in laughter.
Even Air Groove, who hadn't expected much, looked at Lucian with newfound respect.
Now this was what you called an effective joke.
Perhaps through exchanges with Trainer Lucian, the president could finally learn jokes that weren't just cold.
Symboli Rudolf's eyes lit up, her competitive spirit ignited. Once the laughter died down, she continued, "I have another one. Do you know why the sea is blue?"
"Why?" Tokai Teio was still playing along.
"Because there are fish in the sea, and fish blow bubbles—'blue~ blue~'"
Air Groove adjusted her seat. Had the driver turned on the AC? It felt like the temperature inside had dropped by ten degrees.
"Rudolf, you're quite good at wordplay," Lucian remarked, finding it creative, if not particularly funny.
"Trainer Lucian, your turn."
"Let me share one more." Lucian pondered for a few seconds. "I went to the balcony to smoke, but the wind smoked half, and I smoked the other half..."
Before he could finish, Haru Urara interrupted, "Trainer, no smoking! Smoking is bad for your health! Absolutely not!"
"Lucian-kun, smoking really isn't good. It affects... your health." Silence Suzuka quietly added in her heart, "And sperm quality."
"I also object to the trainer smoking. I hate the smell of smoke the most." Seiun Sky didn't want to see Lucian's yellowed teeth from smoking when they kissed.
Tokai Teio even used herself as a threat. "Trainer, if you smoke, then I'll drink!"
Symboli Rudolf gave Tokai Teio a surprised look. "Teio, you care quite a bit about Trainer Lucian, huh?"
"N-No! Why would I care about the trainer?!" Tokai Teio avoided Symboli Rudolf's gaze. "I just don't want the lounge to smell like smoke and become all stuffy."
"Is that so?" Symboli Rudolf knew Tokai Teio all too well. The more flustered she was, the more it revealed.
"Y-Yes!"
Symboli Rudolf leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Teio, 'Dream' will be expanding soon, right?"
"Yeah."
"With more members, Trainer Lucian's attention will be divided even further... I heard he currently gives you over forty minutes of leg massages every day?"
Symboli Rudolf didn't want to see Tokai Teio end up as the losing heroine.
Though she didn't consider what she'd do if she herself became drawn to Lucian.
"That... that's true." Tokai Teio's voice grew quieter under Symboli Rudolf's gaze, feeling as if her emotions were laid bare.
"Then think about it. With more members, will he still have time to massage you? Not to mention, he might have to massage others too."
Tokai Teio fell silent, her eyes darkening.
The thought of Symboli Rudolf's scenario left a bitter taste in her mouth, as if something precious was being taken away.
A devilish whisper echoed in her heart, urging her to be selfish—Let the others find their own masseurs. But mine can only be Lucian. Only him.
"Well~ I just mean that if you don't fight for it, you might never get the chance... I'm talking about your future races. Do your best." Symboli Rudolf patted Tokai Teio's shoulder.
Tokai Teio snapped out of it, shaking off the dark thoughts. "I understand."
...
Meanwhile, Lucian finished explaining and delivered the punchline of his joke.
"I thought, Why should the wind get to smoke my cigarettes? So I started smoking the wind instead."
...