"Trainer and Dober, you both can go back to Tracen ahead of us. McQueen and I have some things to talk about. Isn't that right, McQueen?"
"Ye–Ye–Ye–Yes…"
The little Teio had her arm around McQueen's neck when she said that, almost as if she had taken her hostage. The fact that McQueen looks intimidated, while Teio looks completely furious. The little Uma looks like she was about to bust at any moment now.
"If it has something to do with racing, then I can–"
"Shut up and go home, dumb trainer!"
*Thwack*
"GAH!! My legs!"
The young man was thinking that he might step up his effort to be a good trainer, only for Teio to crush that spirit.
Alright! Fuck being a better person for you lot! I'm just going to be a better person for myself!!
"Do—Dober… You can go back fi–first… Please be careful…"
*Blink* *Blink* *Blink* *Stare* *Stare* *Stare* *Blink* *Blink* *Blink*
*Blink* *Blink* *Blink* *Stare* *Stare* *Stare* *Blink* *Blink* *Blink*
*Blink* *Blink* *Blink* *Stare* *Stare* *Stare* *Blink* *Blink* *Blink*
"I… I understand…"
McQueen's face darkened in horror as Teio dragged her back into the mall. The heels of her shoes scratch the floor as she is pulled deeper and deeper into the mall. The young man wonders if he can track them by following the scratch on the floor.
"..."
"..."
Great… I'm stuck with someone who is notoriously difficult to click well with men.
"I shall call for my personal driver…"
"Alright…"
The young man waved his hand in the air before turning around and walking away. This action, of course, confuses Dober to no end. Did he not understand what she implied?
"Where are you going?"
"Tracen Academy."
"Then wait. My personal driver will—"
"Are you sure you want to sit beside a man, Dober?"
"..."
Dober didn't answer immediately. The fact that he asked that kind of question tells her that the young man knows Dober's reputation. Yet something troubles Mejiro Dober.
Usually, when men find out about Mejiro Dober's tendency, they'll try to 'fix' her. Regardless of whether Dober asked for it or not. And yet this young man has done none of that. He accepted Dober wholeheartedly and works with it, even if he has to put more effort into it.
"...you're McQueen's trainer. I can make an exception."
"...yeah, no."
The young man peeks back to see Dober's face. He was surprised that Dober actually called out to him. He had expected her to just flat out ignore his existence and let him walk all the way back to Tracen. So when she called for him, he stopped in his tracks and peered behind him. He saw an uncomfortable young girl who looked like she would cry at the moment's notice.
"Enjoy the ride, Dober."
"..."
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
…
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
"Dober, please wait for your driver."
"I'm an adult. I can do whatever I want."
The young man is walking on the pavement of a busy Tokyo city, expecting to have a relaxing, lonely walk, but the young Mejiro lady had other plans in mind. She had unexpectedly followed behind him. Her distance isn't too close that people will instantly think of them as a friend, but not too far that the young man's ears can't hear her footsteps.
The young man wants to ask what she is doing. Why is she following him when she said she was going to call for her personal driver? But decide against it, and conclude that her personal driver might be waiting at the next intersection or whatever.
So he walks and walks. Listening to Dober's footsteps, yet not bothering to ask her any questions. They walk past one intersection, and then the next, and then the next, and then the next. They keep on walking until the young man concludes that Dober's personal driver might be busy and couldn't pick her up, because why else would she follow him to Tracen?
Why did I decide to follow him?
The one who asked the question wasn't only the young man, but the young lady too. Why did she start walking after him? Why didn't she call for her personal driver? Why was she doing something so irrational? And why is she so fascinated by the man?
He left her.
Unlike most men, this guy left her even though he knew what kind of girl Dober is. Why didn't he console her? Why didn't he try to talk it out with her? Why did he just walk away? Why did she accept her for who she is? Isn't that weird?
Among the bustling Tokyo city, the 2 individuals are nothing more than a speck of dust. Easily lost in the crowd of people, and yet, they never and will never do.
Her footsteps have a consistent rhythm.
How old are his shoes? I should tell McQueen to buy him a new one.
People are talking, cars are honking, and billboards are blasting their ads nonstop. Among all the noise pollution, the young man always honed in on Mejiro Dober's footsteps behind him. Listening every time her feet touch the ground.
Mejiro Dober's eyes are glued to the young man's feet. Watching and following his every move. Without Dober's noticing, her pace matched the man's to a T. Two footsteps become one among the thousands of others around them.
A convenience store… I'll buy a drink. Haven't had one in a while.
The young man walks into a convenience store, fully expecting Dober to stop following him, but to his surprise, the Mejiro enters the convenience store after him. Did she blank out and simply follow him inside, or does she actually have something to buy as well? The young man doesn't know and, just like everything with her, has no intention of finding out.
It's not like I hate her or anything. She's just too complicated for me.
Why did I follow him inside? While I'm here, I might as well buy some cream.
The two individuals separated inside the convenience store, each moving toward the aisle of the stuff they wanted to buy. The man looks through the aisle of fridges, passing each one by with a glance before grabbing one that catches his attention.
Never had this one before. I hope it's good.
The young man walks up and puts his drink on the counter. He brings out his phone and taps the back of it on the sensor. As he checked whether the payment had gone through or not, he caught a glimpse of the weather prediction. It was predicted to rain.
Welp… Time to buy an umbrella, I guess…
"Hey, can you wait for a moment? I want to add an umbrella."
"Sure, sir."
The man quickly jogs toward the shelf of hanging umbrellas. He wants to buy a collapsible umbrella so it will be easier to carry. It's easier to break but also easier to store.
The young man extends his hand onto the pile of collapsible umbrellas and takes two. He stopped for a moment. Why was he grabbing two? He is buying for himself, so why two?
…
The young man himself knows the answer to his question, but not to the question of why he just instinctively grabs 2 umbrellas. Dober wasn't one of his trainees. This is the first time he has met her. Their relationship is nothing more than an acquaintance. Perhaps the young man was just being nice…
On the other aisle, Dober is picking stuff that'll help her to sprint to the deadline of her next comic. She would like to have at least one new comic every Comiket, which is why she has been working hard. Pushing her eyes and hands.
Cream for muscle pain, eye fresheners, instant coffees, and a box of tissues. This should be all. Eh? A warming drink?
Next to the aisle that Dober is standing in front of was an aisle of medicinal products. One of the things that caught her attention was a bottle of ginger extract. Ginger has a very well-known effect of warming one's body up.
It'll help if I get sick… Even though I wasn't planning to be sick.
Dober extends her arm toward the aisle and grabs 2 bottles. Normally, Dober wouldn't question why her hand grabbed specifically 2 bottles, but today was different. Why was she getting worked up just because she grabbed 2 bottles? Won't it just become a stock for her to use just in case one wasn't enough? Doesn't that make sense?
This is not for him… This is purely for me.
After convincing herself, Dober put the 2 bottles of ginger extract into her basket. She walks up to the counter and puts all her items on it. Unlike the young man who uses his phone to pay, the Mejiro lady uses her black card. Shocking the woman behind the counter. The way the staff hold the black card is like how Indiana Jones holds a treasure, with extreme caution and care.
"You don't need to be so nervous…"
"Ah… Uhh… O–okay…"
While the staff bags her items, Dober looks around the convenience store. Noticing the lack of red hair pooking above the shelves. Maybe he was crouching right now, and that's why Dober couldn't find him. But knowing how he has treated her so far, perhaps he has gone first and left her.
We are mere acquaintances after all. He doesn't have to wait for me.
"Your items, ma'am. Thank you for shopping!"
"Thank you."
Dober grabs the filled reusable bag and makes her way to the door.
*Clink* *Clank*
"Hmm…"
"Ah…"
To Dober's surprise, the man was standing in front of the store, right beside the door, as if he was waiting for her this entire time.
"..."
"..."
The 2 pairs of eyes meet each other, but the young man blinks first as he turns around and starts walking again. Why was the man waiting for Dober? It's not only a question Dober keeps asking herself, but also Igo Heita. He could just walk away, and their relationship wouldn't change one bit. So why didn't he? Why did he decide to crack open his drink and stand outside the store instead of continuing walking to Tracen Academy?
What the hell is wrong with me today?
I don't understand him at all… Does he care or not?
The pair walks in a single file amongst the crowd until they're out of downtown Tokyo. That's when water starts dropping from the sky. At first, it was simply just one every few minutes, then it started picking up and up.
"Ah…"
Dober looks up in despair as she watches more and more drops of water fall onto the Earth. But when she looked back down, she was even more surprised when the young man already had an umbrella over his head and was also offering her an umbrella.
"..."
"..."
No words were uttered between the 2, yet they understand each other. Without any hesitation, Dober grabbed the umbrella from the young man. Normally, Dober would be extremely cautious when receiving anything from a man, and yet, here she is taking the umbrella gratefully.
"...thank you."
"...just don't get sick."
With the shield above her head, Dober can breathe a sigh of relief as the rain pours down from the heavens above.
The already lonesome pavement became deserted cause of the pouring rain, leaving only the 2 individuals to walk on it. The noises of rain hitting the Earth, the water running down the gutter, and cars occasionally going by spruce up the otherwise silent journey. And yet,
Is she stomping on the ground? Why are her footsteps louder than before?
Even among all the deafening pollution, the young man's ears are still able to pick up on Dober's footsteps even more than before. Did he receive some sort of buffs that increase his hearing ability in the rain? Was the rain noise so monotone that he instantly canceled them out in his brain? Or is he walking closer to Dober than before? The young man couldn't figure out which one it was, but decided to just accept it since it wasn't necessarily hurting him or her.
The pavement of Tokyo doesn't necessarily offer an outstanding view. It's just a pavement that you can almost find in any other part of the world, hence why nobody really pays attention to just how dull it is. The pouring rain doesn't necessarily help with the fact either. The most interesting thing on the ground was the reflection of the dull, dark sky, and anyone looking down would quickly blur out any details of it. So why,
The water bounced up to his knees…
Can't Dober take her eyes off of it? Why can she look more at the young man's legs? Did he shrink? Surely not. Shrinking to this point is simply impossible without the help of Agnes Tachyon's potion [read: poison]. So how come she can see more of his legs? Was it because she was walking closer to him, or did she tilt her head upward? Once again, Dober shrugs it off her train of thought. For what reason does she need to figure out such a speck of detail? It doesn't hurt her or him, so it's not worth the energy to think about.
"Oh my~~ Welcome back, you two."
"Tazuna…"
"Ummhh…"
Upon reaching Tracen Academy's gate, the 2 are greeted by Tazuna, who is wearing a transparent raincoat. The young man covers his face with his hand, disappointed at the lolita chairwoman for still having Tazuna take her stance at the front of the gate in this kind of rain. Surely, this is a valid excuse for a revolution, right? As for Dober, she quickly sneaked under the young man's umbrella when he wasn't looking, folded her umbrella, and gave it to Tazuna.
"Here. This umbrella should cover you more than that raincoat."
"Ah! Thank you so much, Mejiro Dober. But what about you?"
"Don't worry. This man will escort me to my dorm."
Both the young man and Dober glance at each other when the latter utters her answer. Did they agree to that? No. Will the young man fulfill the end of a bargain he never made? Yes. Why? Who knows.
For the young man, Dober's action just now was solid evidence of her kindness under her cold demeanor. She willingly shares an umbrella with a man to help someone, basically sacrificing herself. How can he refuse her when she had bitten the corpse? And it's not like he is in a disadvantaged position for sharing an umbrella with Dober, it was Dober who is in a disadvantaged position.
If only you weren't afraid of men… Perhaps we could grow closer, Dober…
"We shall take our leave then, Tazuna. Talk to you later."
The young man and Dober wave at Tazuna before they continue their walk to Miho Dormitory.
During their walk, Dober would occasionally glance at the young man's face. Why didn't he say anything when they were with Tazuna earlier? Why did he agree to her selfish desire? Will he agree to anything she says? And more importantly, why didn't she feel any malice toward this man like she had toward others? Sure, he doesn't act like how most men do.
He probably doesn't register me at all… To him, I'm nothing more than a flying leaf on a windy night. Not worth caring for…
Sharing an umbrella on a rainy day is a trope many romance authors have used to show how close their pair is. Not only do they have to be close physically, they also need to think of the other throughout their journey, making them reflect on their current status quo and progressing the story from there. Dober had read so many of those kinds of stories, dreaming of the day she gets to experience the same thing as well. But there's a reason why those stories are locked behind papers or screens.
I guess this is how far our relationship will develop… I wonder how far McQueen would progress if she were in my position right now.
"We're here, Dober."
"Yes. Thank you."
Dober walks out of the protection of the umbrella, but stops just one step away from the young man. The young man looks at Dober with confusion on his face. Why did she stop? Why didn't she continue walking forward into the dormitory?
Is there something that she wants to tell me?
The young man held his breath, waiting for Dober to make the first move. He can't lie about the little bit of anticipation in his heart. An Uma Musume like Dober isn't something he gets to meet every day, surely whatever she will say is going to be different than most.
Dober turns around and meets the young man's eyes with her own. She put her hand into her bag and pulled up the one spare bottle of ginger extract. She gracefully pushed it toward the man in a way that both of them understood that she was giving it to him.
Why is she giving him her ginger extract? Didn't she say that she'll keep this just in case one wasn't enough? She bought this for herself and yet, here she is giving it to a young man who is nothing more than an acquaintance to her. Baffling both her and the young man.
Was this her way of saying thank you for the umbrella? Who knows. Was this simply her being kind? Who knows. But one thing the young man knows, he has to take it.
"...thank you."
"...just don't get sick."
With those parting words, the 2 go their way. The young Mejiro lady enters the dorm, and the young man walks toward the trainers' dormitory. Even when they're walking on the opposite path from each other, they both wonder.
Why can the young man still hear Dober's footsteps?
Why can't Dober get the image of the young man's legs out of her head?
Igo Heita…
Mejiro Dober…
""Nevermind…""