The weekend.
For working adults, that word is practically synonymous with everything good.
After grinding through an entire week, you finally get a day where you can empty your head—let your battered, overworked spirit catch its breath.
For Fujimura Hui, weekends mattered too. It was a chance to shift his mind away from horse-girl training for once, and sleep in properly.
But this weekend, he had no intention of wasting it on nothing but lying in bed.
—
The plaza.
A young man stood alone in a corner, waiting. He wore a white shirt up top and dark-blue straight-leg jeans below. The breeze lightly teased the loose strands of hair at his forehead, and his slightly pale complexion lent him an oddly fragile air.
That man was Fujimura Hui.
Truth be told, his looks were in the "pretty good" tier. It was just that he usually spent all his time prepping training plans for the girls, so he rarely bothered to groom himself—effectively "sealing" his own face value.
But with even a little effort, that advantage immediately showed.
In the short time he'd been standing there waiting for Xingmu, three or four trendy girls had already come up to flirt with him. You could tell at a glance what his "modeling" was worth.
Naturally, Hui turned all of them down without exception.
"Hui~"
A bright, crisp call rang out from behind. Hui turned around—and his eyes lit up.
A light pink outer layer, the soft hue of cherry blossoms, draped over her shoulders. Under it was a clean, pale-blue dress that hugged the girl's graceful curves. Below the hem, a pair of smooth, fair thighs were bared to the air—skin so rosy and delicate it honestly made you want to pinch it with a fingertip, just to see if it was real.
(Xingmu — casual outfit)
Xingmu wore Tracen's uniform all the time at school. With so much day-to-day contact, Hui had almost forgotten that his trainee was, in fact, a ridiculously beautiful girl.
Now that she'd put a little effort into dressing up, she stole his gaze in an instant.
"Hehe. What, did I stun you?"
Feeling Hui's slightly scorching stare, Xingmu's lips curved into a smile.
All that time she'd spent carefully getting ready—worth it. Seeing Hui with that blank, dazed expression? Profit!
"You look really pretty, Ai."
Hui said it from the heart. The destructive power of her outfit was no joke—just look at how many passersby were turning their heads.
"Hehe, you look extra handsome today too!"
Xingmu covered her mouth and giggled. Hui's compliment made her genuinely happy; her effort hadn't been wasted.
"Then let's go check out the shoe store first."
"Mm."
Even if it looked exactly like a couple meeting up for a date, Hui hadn't forgotten the actual purpose of today: picking out a proper pair of running shoes for Xingmu.
"I know a running-shoe shop. Their quality is really solid."
"Okay!"
Walking side by side, they quickly arrived at the store Hui had mentioned.
Xingmu stepped inside, eyes gleaming as she stared at the shelves packed with running shoes.
"Ooh! Hui, look! This pair is so cute!"
She clung to Hui's arm and pointed at a pink pair in the display window, complete with a bow.
"Ai, you can't just look at how they—when you pick running shoes, you have to consider the materials and durability. And most importantly, whether they fit—"
Before Hui could finish, Xingmu had already darted to another display window, making excited little noises at a different pair.
"…Sigh."
Hui let out a helpless breath. With her this pumped, he couldn't exactly drag her back.
As long as the kid's happy.
Hui turned to the packed shelves and began choosing carefully.
He wasn't just picking a pair for Xingmu—he also needed a pair suited for himself in his Scarlet-Eyes form.
It didn't take long. As a seasoned trainer, Hui could tell at a glance what kind of shoe was best for training.
"Hui, why are you buying two pairs?"
Xingmu stared at the two shopping bags in Hui's hands. One was the pair he'd selected for her; the other was the same style, just in a different size.
"This one's… for the others on the team."
Hui deliberately kept it vague. There was no way he could explain the existence of Scarlet-Eyes to Xingmu, so he could only bluff his way through.
The others on the team?
Xingmu blinked, and the first person who came to mind was the newest addition: Mejiro McQueen.
That's weird. Why would a young lady from the Mejiro family need Hui to help buy her shoes?
Has the Mejiro family fallen so far that their young lady's expenses have to be covered by a trainer?
Which means… McQueen is basically a fallen noblewoman now…?!
If the Mejiro family really has declined, shouldn't I… help McQueen a bit?
Yeah. I can't change her circumstances, but I can help her in training!
A subtly world-shaking piece of wisdom blossomed inside Xingmu's head.
At that very moment, the horse-girl she'd been thinking about sneezed while eating sweets—smearing cream all over her face from the cake.
"Ugh, gross—why did I suddenly sneeze?!"
The purple-haired girl let out a shrill, catastrophic squeal.
Of course, Xingmu had no idea any of that happened.
Meanwhile, seeing Xingmu go a bit vacant with deep thought—oddly adorable—Hui smiled and asked:
"Now that we've bought the shoes, where should we go next?"
"Oh!"
Xingmu snapped back and answered immediately.
After all the effort of finally getting Hui out with her, how could she let it end this quickly?
"I know a dessert shop that's really good. Come with me and try it, Hui~"
"Dessert? You like that stuff too, Ai?"
"Hehe, sometimes I just want to try new flavors."
"Going is fine, but don't eat too much, okay?"
Hui worried a little about her weight, but then remembered Xingmu didn't seem like the type who gained easily, so he relaxed.
"Where is it?"
"I remember it's in an alley off the shopping street…"
"Then let's go."
They left the shoe store—only to find the shopping street far more crowded than expected. The street wasn't wide to begin with; once all that foot traffic poured in, it became uncomfortably jammed.
"So many people…"
Xingmu's little ears drooped. If she had to squeeze through a crowd in the outfit she'd so carefully put together, it would probably end up a mess.
"It's the weekend. Crowded is normal."
Even Hui couldn't help feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer flow of people.
Looks like they'd spent too long in the shoe store and walked right into peak crowd time.
But standing around on the roadside wasn't a solution either.
"Come on."
Hui held out his hand to Xingmu.
"Huh?"
She blinked at his outstretched hand, clearly not processing what he meant.
"If we hold hands, we won't get separated."
"…Pfft."
Hearing such a simple, down-to-earth reason, Xingmu laughed.
He's treating me like a kid.
But…
Her bright eyes flicked over Hui's broad palm. Then, she placed her small hand into his, cheeks tinting a soft pink.
…This feeling—she didn't dislike it.
Xingmu's hand was small, cool, and smooth—like holding a piece of warm, soft jade.
Hui quietly etched that sensation into his memory.
He led from the front, parting the crowd for her.
Sure, as a horse-girl, Xingmu could probably outmuscle most pedestrians if she really wanted to—but if she had to shoulder-check people through the street, it would ruin her mood.
Not worth it.
So Hui stayed in front, clearing a path, while Xingmu followed close behind like a little duckling.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked exactly like a boyfriend guiding his well-behaved girlfriend on a date.
What it really was—only the two of them knew.
—
"Mmm That dessert was so good"
Walking out of the dessert shop, Xingmu wore a blissful smile.
Desserts really were super effective against horse-girls, huh.
Hui sighed internally.
He'd noticed it before: the two girls on his team both had basically zero resistance to sweets.
Maybe treating them to dessert could be a solid way to motivate training.
What should he get? A matcha parfait sounded like a good pick.
"By the way, Hui, when can I debut?"
"It's June now. I'll probably schedule your debut race in July."
"Huh, so there's still a month."
"Idiot. You should be glad you still have a month to train."
"True. That's plenty of time to prepare—just watch how I bring you a win!"
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
They chatted as they walked—no real plan for what came next, but simply enjoying each other's company was already nice.
That peace didn't last long.
A sudden intruder cut in.
At the roadside stood an old woman wrapped in black cloth from head to toe, calling out to them.
"Young man—and your girlfriend too—want to try a fortune reading? It's very accurate~"
Hearing that, Xingmu's cheeks flushed faintly. She didn't deny the "girlfriend" label—she simply pretended to be casual and said:
"F-Fortune telling? Sounds kind of interesting. Hui, want to try?"
"Uh… I'll pass."
Hui eyed the "stall," which looked like it had been built out of cardboard. Even the crystal ball looked cheap. The whole thing screamed low-budget scam—he could practically smell the "idiot tax."
"It's okay, young man. Fortune telling is free. I only read for those with fate~"
The woman in the black headscarf said with a smile.
"Come on, come on~"
"…Alright."
Xingmu looked so excited that Hui didn't want to kill the mood. He nodded and agreed.
With a sweep of the woman's hand, several cards appeared on the flimsy cardboard table.
"Tarot?"
Hui raised a brow. So the crystal ball really was just decoration.
The old woman drew three cards from the deck and laid them out in front of Xingmu in order.
"This is your fate, young lady."
Then she flipped the three face-down cards over.
Six of Wands. Ten of Pentacles. The Emperor.
"What does that mean…?"
Xingmu didn't understand tarot rules at all, so she asked the old woman for an explanation.
The woman didn't waste time, smiling as she explained:
"Your fortune is excellent, young lady. Together these cards mean the road ahead will go smoothly, and you'll achieve what you want. A very good draw—one of the best~"
"Really?"
Even with "good luck" in hand, Xingmu didn't get overly excited. The old woman's delivery was almost too fluent—enough to make Xingmu suspect she was just reciting a script.
"Ma'am, read mine too."
Hui spoke up.
"Alright. Wait a moment."
The woman stared at Hui for a long time, then quietly lowered her head. She shuffled the deck, then drew three cards at random and placed them before him.
"Young man, want to flip them yourself?"
"Sure."
Hui reached out and turned the cards over one by one.
Knight of Wands. Six of Swords (Reversed). The Tower.
…Yeah. No idea.
Hui looked at the three cards and shook his head.
But the moment the old woman saw them, her face changed drastically.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Xingmu noticed the woman's expression turning ugly and asked with concern.
"N-No… just unexpected…"
"So what do they mean?"
Hui asked.
The woman looked at him deeply, then spoke slowly:
"You will become a dazzling flame in a foreign land. But after you become flame, you will meet the ending that belongs to flame. Ash will be your homeward road."
"What kind of fortune is that? What 'ash'? Don't say such unlucky nonsense—totally inaccurate! Hui, let's go. Don't mind this con artist!"
Xingmu, hearing that ominous interpretation, reached for Hui and tried to pull him away.
But the moment Hui heard it, something in his chest sank.
A foreign land…?
Hadn't the system just offered him the chance to debut overseas…?
"Become… a flame…?"
-------
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