Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal, with laughter and cheerful chatter almost constant throughout.
After lunch, they didn't linger and immediately took the train back to Fuchu.
Tokai Teio, after exchanging contact information with Rudolph Symboli, happily and contentedly went home.
Mejiro Takamine also said goodbye and then returned to her own mansion.
Chitose Meiji, who knows where she went to play again? With her free-spirited style, it feels like she could be anywhere, whether catching fish in the river or jumping continuously on stone pillars…
Or even randomly appearing beside Horse Girl who are in distress and guiding them in unique ways.
All are possible.
The straightforward Katsuragi Ace, upon returning to the academy, headed directly to the training ground with a clear purpose, seemingly with something she wanted to try, and her expression was exceptionally serious.
Maruzensky had originally intended to go to the student council room with Rudolph Symboli, but upon learning that she had no intention of dealing with documents today, she changed her mind and went out for a drive, taking Polaris Glacier with her.
So, what did Rudolph Symboli, who had no intention of dealing with documents, do?
The answer is that she went to the library specifically to find several books on joke explanations and began to study them.
She genuinely intended to learn relevant knowledge and then incorporate it into her daily life.
As for how well she ultimately mastered it, that remains unknown for now.
Meanwhile, on the training ground behind the teaching building.
“Hey, Mihono, that’s enough, isn’t it?”
Sirius Symboli, carrying a plastic bag with a lunchbox, stood on the side and shouted to the running figure on the field:
“You haven’t stopped since morning! I brought you lunch; eat it first and then rest.”
Hearing this, Mihono Bourbon slowed her pace slightly but didn't stop completely. She turned her head and said,
“Thank you, Sirius, but I want to run a bit longer. Please set it down for me.”
With that, she resumed her original speed and gradually ran off into the distance.
Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Sirius Symboli scratched her head in annoyance and sighed,
“Seriously, is the allure of competing with Polaris that great…?”
“Training so hard… it makes me want to run too…”
She wouldn't stop her because it was a decision made by her own will.
Interfering with others’ will was not her preferred style.
“Is that so? The race with Polaris is next Sunday, then.”
Sirius Symboli looked up slightly at the sky and muttered softly.
Her two close friends were about to compete on the track, and she would also be racing on another track on the same day.
Her thoughts kept uncontrollably surging, and to say she could calm down would undoubtedly be a lie.
Over the past few months, she and Mihono Bourbon had both grown much stronger, and she was very confident of winning the upcoming OP-level race she was participating in.
Therefore, at present, she was more concerned about Mihono Bourbon’s condition than her own race.
Polaris’s strength was too great; most of their During the same period Horse Girl had already tacitly acknowledged her as the strongest.
How much could Mihono Bourbon, as she was now, shorten the gap by in terms of Horse Girl…?
Yes, Sirius Symboli did not believe that Mihono Bourbon could currently defeat Polaris Glacier, nor could she herself.
Mihono Bourbon herself should be well aware of this.
“Even so, I can’t give up the chase.”
On the field, Mihono Bourbon gritted her teeth, trying to move her legs even faster, her gaze seemingly fixed on the front, or perhaps on a certain figure ahead.
It was an illusory, blue-haired figure, also running, enveloped in frost, never looking back.
“I can’t give up; I must catch up, catch up and see the scenery beyond that…”
The look in her eyes grew increasingly determined, and as her concentration became complete, a dark, frosty aura unconsciously emerged around her.
Time reached five o’clock in the afternoon.
When the red sports car stopped in front of the mansion gate, it signified the end of Polaris Glacier’s driving journey with Maruzensky for the day.
“Well, Polaris, I’ll be going now. Thank you for accompanying me on the drive.”
The car window was rolled down. Maruzensky said with a smile, then accelerated again, and the car quickly disappeared from view.
Polaris Glacier exhaled lightly, holding two large bags of dessert boxes in her hands. These were gifts of thanks that Maruzensky had specially bought during their drive.
After so many times, the Polaris Glacier had completely adapted to the unusual speed and driving skills, and she couldn't help but feel a heartfelt gratitude for her body's strong adaptability.
With a calm expression, she pressed the doorbell, and soon a maid scurried over to open the door.
Since her tolerance for sweets was almost at its peak, she only ate a small piece of cake from the two large bags of desserts, sharing the rest with everyone in the mansion.
In the evening, after dinner, Kumi Trainer suddenly spoke up to remind her:
“Young lady, next weekend is the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes.”
“Yes, I know. I will gradually reduce my training intensity as usual.”
Polaris Glacier nodded, indicating that she understood.
This had been agreed upon long ago: as the race day approached, the training intensity should be appropriately decreased.
Returning to her room, after bathing, she sat on the bed, picked up her phone, browsed the Jun Yu Circle as usual, and then lay down to sleep.
The next day, a new week arrived, and Polaris Glacier woke up at seven in the morning, following her biological clock.
She slowly opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched slightly.
Getting out of bed, she walked to the window and pulled open the curtains. It seemed to have rained again last night, but thankfully, the clouds had largely dispersed, and she should be able to see the sun today.
She opened her wardrobe, took out her academy winter uniform, then entered the bathroom to wash up and change.
After all her morning preparations were complete, a knock on the door sounded at just the right time, followed by the gentle voice of the Head Maid:
“Young lady, breakfast is ready.”
After breakfast, she rode with Kumi Trainer in the Old Butler’s car to the academy.
It was just past eight in the morning, and the Horse Girl were successively emerging from the dormitory building.
“Good morning, Polaris Glacier.”
“Good morning, Miss Junchuan.”
After exchanging greetings with Miss Junchuan, who was smiling by the academy gate, she temporarily parted ways with Kumi Trainer and headed to the teaching building alone.
She was supposed to go alone, but a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside her, letting her know that she had a friend accompanying her:
“Yo, good morning, Polaris.”
She instinctively turned her head and saw a figure with long brown hair, white highlights like a shooting star, and eyes like begonia red.
It was none other than Sirius Symboli.
“Good morning, Sirius.”
Polaris Glacier immediately smiled and greeted her:
“You’re earlier than usual today.”
“Not really. If you want to talk about early, Mihono is much earlier.”
Sirius Symboli shook her head slightly, a smile also appearing on her lips.
“Mihono Bourbon? What happened to her?”
“Although I haven’t seen her myself, according to her roommate, she woke up at five in the morning for her morning run.”
“That girl has been exceptionally diligent lately; yesterday, she even reached the point where someone had to bring her lunch and dinner.”
After a slight pause, Sirius Symboli looked at Polaris Glacier:
“And she’s doing all that to catch up to you.”
“Of course, I don’t mean to blame you. Rather, it’s a good thing that you can run ahead with such strength, as it gives us a clear goal to pursue.”
“Is that so…?”
A thoughtful expression flashed in Polaris Glacier’s eyes. Come to think of it, Rudolf had mentioned it before; she could still see Mihono Bourbon on the training ground at ten at night. She was truly working very hard.
However… more training isn’t necessarily better.
“Sirius, could I trouble you to look after Mihono Bourbon a bit more? I’m worried that her body might experience some unexpected abnormalities.”
Even if she felt fine now, there was no guarantee that problems wouldn't arise in the future.
A Horse Girl’s body was actually very fragile, and the consequences of overexertion were far more severe than imagined.
“Ah, I would have anyway. Mihono’s appearance truly makes one uneasy.”
Sirius Symboli nodded; she and Polaris Glacier thought the same.
Before long, the two arrived in the classroom and sat down. Noticing that Mihono Bourbon’s seat was still empty, they kept it in mind.
However, thinking that she was usually the last of the three of them to arrive in class, they weren’t too worried.
They didn’t chat any further, each taking out textbooks or notes to read.
However, even after the bell rang and the teacher opened the door and entered the classroom, preparing to call roll, Polaris Glacier’s front seat was still empty.
At once, both she and Sirius Symboli felt a surge of worry. Could something really have happened?
Just as they were thinking of telling the teacher and going out to look for her, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the corridor, growing louder and louder.
The next moment, Mihono Bourbon suddenly pulled open the classroom door, causing everyone to instinctively look at her.
She was still wearing her un-changed sportswear, and sweat was still constantly dripping from her face. It seemed she had rushed back from the training ground after realizing class had started.
“Um… Mihono Bourbon…?”
The teacher’s faint voice sounded, a bit puzzled.
“I’m sorry, teacher, I’m late.”
Mihono Bourbon caught her breath and lowered her head slightly to apologize.
“It’s alright, we haven’t officially started class yet. Come in and sit down quickly.”
“Okay.”
Responding to the teacher’s gentle comforting words, she nodded, stepped inside, and walked towards her seat.
“Here, use this to wipe your sweat.”
As she approached, Polaris Glacier offered a handkerchief.
“Ah, thank you, Polaris. I’ll wash it and return it to you later.”
Mihono Bourbon accepted the kindness, sat down in her chair, and wiped the sweat from her face.
Seeing this, Polaris Glacier smiled and said nothing more.
Sirius Symboli, who had been silently observing from the front row, also secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head back.
After roll call, the teacher began the lesson, and the Horse Girl’ morning would be spent in the ocean of knowledge.
When noon arrived, on the way to the cafeteria, Sirius Symboli was the first to ask:
“Mihono, what happened to you this morning? Were you too engrossed in training and forgot the time?”
“Well… you could say that…”
Mihono Bourbon had already changed into her uniform by this point and scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly:
“My focus was much more intense than usual at the time, and I unknowingly forgot that we had class today.”
“Hehe, being engrossed in training is a good thing, but it should also be appropriate and in moderation.”
Polaris Glacier said with a smile, hoping that she would realize the impropriety of excessive training.
Mihono Bourbon also understood Polaris Glacier’s meaning, but at this moment, she truly didn’t want to slow down.
She thought for a moment and avoided the topic, saying,
“I’m fine. More importantly, this Sunday is the day of my race with Polaris.”
Realizing that her friend’s intention was firm, Polaris Glacier first glanced at Sirius Symboli, who, having been paying attention, shook her head slightly, indicating that she was unwilling to interfere.
She could look after her more, but persuasion and stopping her were out of the question.
It must be said that both of them were stubborn to some extent. One was set on her own ideas and unwilling to change, while the other was unwilling to subjectively change others’ ideas.
“You two…”
Taking a slight deep breath, Polaris Glacier was also a bit at a loss for words, and in the end, she merely closed her eyes slightly and replied,
“Yes, that’s right.”
“This Sunday’s race with Mihono Bourbon, I won’t hold back in the slightest; I will definitely give it my all.”
“Good, that’s how it should be.”
Both sides could run to their heart’s content; that was all that mattered.
