"Thank you very much, Asama, for lunch today."
Leisurely time always passes quickly. The two finished lunch, chatting and laughing. With Kazuo's help, Fine Motion thoroughly enjoyed the flavors of Japanese cuisine.
It must be said that as a foreign young lady studying abroad, she surprisingly loved this kind of food, especially showing a blissful expression when eating soba noodles.
It was clear that she truly liked all of it… Fine Motion sincerely thanked Kazuo, "I haven't been in Japan for long, and there are many things I'm still not familiar with…"
"Ah… it's nothing, just a small favor. Don't worry about it."
Kazuo quickly waved his hand in response.
Although he was indeed startled at first, a student holding a black card… this scene was simply too surreal.
"Oh, my… it's already this time."
The leisurely and relaxed lunch hour was over. Kazuo checked the time. Miss Tojo had told him earlier to go to the office in the afternoon.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Kazuo didn't procrastinate. He turned to Fine Motion and smiled, "For you new students, each class should have a homeroom meeting or something this afternoon, right? Then I won't disturb you."
Fine Motion looked a little disappointed. In a sense, Kazuo could truly be considered her first friend in this academy with whom she could talk. She probably hadn't even realized that her unconsciously exuded aura of an elegant young lady made her classmates too reserved to approach her.
And it was precisely this coincidence that Kazuo unconsciously became her friend.
Despite being reluctant to part, Fine Motion, ever sensible, nodded, "Yes, it was very nice to meet you."
Seeing the girl's somewhat dejected look, Kazuo couldn't help but reply, "Well, if I have time in the future, I can introduce you to many interesting Japanese snacks and such."
"Really?!"
Seeing the girl's sparkling eyes, Kazuo couldn't help but smile knowingly and nodded in promise, "Yes, I'm at the academy anyway, so we'll have many more opportunities to meet."
"That's great… Then there's something I'd like to ask. Is Asama employed here? As a teacher or a Trainer?"
"Uh."
Kazuo smiled awkwardly, scratching his head, "I guess… I'm half a Trainer? Or rather, a newcomer who can't yet stand on his own. It's like I'm temporarily studying coaching work as an intern at the academy…"
"It's okay! Asama will definitely become an excellent Trainer!"
The girl charmingly clenched her fist, cheering Kazuo on.
Setting aside her identity, Fine Motion was actually easier to get along with than she appeared. Although she seemed a bit thick-skinned and lacked common sense, she was indeed generous and lacked the airs of a noble young lady.
Approachable, just occasionally a bit ditzy.
Looking at the girl, Kazuo couldn't help but return her smile, "Yes, I'll do my best! Well then, I'll be going now."
"Oh, right," Before leaving, Kazuo thought of something else, stopping to remind her, "The academy here uses these green cards for payment. If you need to top up, just find a teacher in the room next to the cafeteria for help."
There shouldn't be any problems, right?
Looking at the girl, Kazuo couldn't help but think to himself.
Training Department.
Kazuo knocked on the door and then pushed it open.
It was lunchtime, and Toujou Hana was the only one in the Training Department office; everyone else seemed to be enjoying their break in various parts of the academy.
"Are you here?"
Toujou Hana was buried in a pile of documents. Upon seeing Kazuo knock and enter, she pointed a finger to a corner and said,
"That's your spot. Go ahead and tidy it up. I'll explain things to you after I finish my work."
"Oh, okay..."
Kazuo dutifully responded and walked straight to the furthest corner of the office. It was clear that some items belonging to the previous occupant were still there—
"Uma Musume Model Magazine"
Weekly magazines were lined up on a small bookshelf on the desk, seemingly a complete collection of all issues... A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down his face, especially when he saw the ID photo on the desk; the person in it was all too familiar.
A somewhat mischievous face—
"That guy..."
Toujou Hana appeared behind him at some point, looking as if she was gritting her teeth, clearly harboring intense animosity towards the original owner of this spot.
"I'll clean this up now—"
"No need, I'll do it myself," she said, not giving Kazuo time to react. She walked out, and a moment later returned with a cardboard box in her hands.
With a gloomy expression, Toujou Hana walked straight over and, right in front of Kazuo, unceremoniously "swept" all of Koji's belongings into the box.
"Um, Toujou Hana, these are Koji-senpai's things. Shouldn't we get his permission first...?"
Though trembling, Kazuo still mustered the courage to speak up.
However—
"Hm?"
A murderous-looking Toujou Hana instantly turned her head and glared at him.
"Does a deserter need his feelings to be considered? He's not even planning to work here, so why keep his things?"
"Uh... then I'll hand these over to him. We happen to share a dorm..."
"No need!! I'm taking them to throw away! It's none of your business. What are you looking at? Sit down!"
"Y-yes!"
That oppressive aura made Kazuo recall her aggressive demeanor during the interview. By the time he came back to his senses, he was already sitting in the chair, watching Toujou Hana storm out with the box.
In the office at noon, only Kazuo remained.
"..."
Koji... what exactly did you do...? Toujou Hana's reaction even made Kazuo suspect that Koji's earlier talk about 'running errands' was actually just an excuse to avoid Toujou Hana... Although—
He was indeed half right.