"Special Week has crossed the finish line first!"
"Second place is Seiun Sky, and third place is King Halo..."
...
Special Week crossing the finish line was something worth celebrating for Lu Jue.
But seeing Seiun Sky walk dejectedly with her head down for a while, his smile slowly faded, and a worried expression appeared on his calm face.
"Woohoo! Xiao Te is amazing!" Uralala, who was dancing with joy, didn't have as many concerns.
With Special Week winning the championship, she naturally had to cheer for her.
Silent Suzuka nodded, "Seiun's ranking is also very good; she was only a little behind Xiao Te."
...
On the racecourse.
Special Week wiped her sweat, faced the audience, bowed, and struck a victorious pose.
After the overwhelming cheers resounded, a round of applause reached Special Week's ears.
She turned her head and saw Seiun Sky clapping, slowly walking towards her.
"Xiao Te, you were amazing."
"Xingyun Jiang, you were also very impressive."
Although the two had trained together many times, the pressure and tension during an actual race could not be simulated.
Special Week won, but she also knew it was a very difficult win.
Even though she was standing steadily now, she was actually tensing her leg muscles forcefully, otherwise, her exhausted calves would tremble incessantly.
Of course, Seiun Sky also gave her all.
Seiun Sky smiled, noncommittally, "Let's go, the Trainer should be waiting for me."
"Mm."
...
Exit passage.
The moment Uralala saw the two, she rushed forward to greet them.
"Xiao Te! Xingyun Jiang! You two are amazing! The first and second places in this race were both taken by our team!"
Only the naive Uralala thought that the top three places were all good rankings, but most Uma Musume only wanted first place in their hearts.
Seiun Sky and Special Week were no exceptions.
"Thank you, Uralala."
"Xiao Te, did you hear me cheering for you just now? I shouted really loudly!"
Uralala led Special Week to the side, leaving Seiun Sky still standing in place.
"Welcome back, Seiun," Silent Suzuka said softly.
"Mm-hmm, why don't I see Grass Wonder and Tokai Teio?"
"They had something and went back to school first."
"Oh~ They didn't even wait to congratulate me and Xiao Te before leaving."
...
While Seiun Sky and Silent Suzuka were chatting, Lu Jue's gaze remained fixed on her.
It wasn't hidden; one could even say it was somewhat eager, but Seiun Sky's gaze never met Lu Jue's.
She was avoiding him.
"Seiun," Lu Jue finally spoke, "This time was already very good. Let's work harder next time."
Seiun Sky froze, then sighed, showing a helpless smile, and squinted her eyes, saying, "Xiao Te is too strong~ I ran so fast, but she still overtook me~ I really can't beat her~"
Her voice sounded no different from usual, still so indifferent and lazy.
Only the hand hidden at her side clenched into a fist, as if she was suppressing some emotion.
Of course, she was unwilling, even though she had worked so hard...
But Trainer... don't talk to me with such a caring and gentle tone at a time like this.
I really don't want to cry...
"It wasn't easy for Xiao Te to win against you either."
Seiun Sky just smiled, skipping the topic, "Trainer, I need to go change first. We still have Winning Live tonight. Although I lost the race, I don't want to lose the dance to Xiao Te."
"Go quickly. I'll take pictures for you all tonight."
...
Seiun Sky and Special Week both went to the lounge to change, and Uralala also went to join the fun, so now only Silent Suzuka and Lu Jue were together.
Seeing Lu Jue looking distracted, Silent Suzuka asked, "Are you worried about Seiun?"
Lu Jue gave a wry smile and nodded. Silent Suzuka was indeed very thoughtful. "I don't think she can accept it so calmly."
"Perhaps this is a good thing? After she resolves it herself, she might run even better next time."
"Silence Suzuka, you have a point too."
Lu Jue, of course, knew that Uma Musume were not so fragile as to be disheartened by one race.
But he could feel the pressure within the team's atmosphere; even the optimistic Uralala sometimes couldn't bear it, let alone Seiun Sky.
However, these pressures were necessary to help the team members improve themselves.
As their Trainer, his job was to provide psychological guidance after the race, not to let his Uma Musume feel wronged.
But with Seiun Sky's personality, she probably wouldn't actively open up to him... it really was a bit difficult.
"Lu Jue-jun, you are a very, very, very good Trainer." Just as Lu Jue was having a headache, Silent Suzuka suddenly said with extreme seriousness.
Regarding this matter, Silent Suzuka's little jealous pot didn't tip over.
If... she meant if, if Lu Jue treated ordinary team members like this, then wouldn't it be possible that he would be even better to her?
However, it was precisely because of Lu Jue's personality that he would attract... herself, perhaps.
"It's rare; you're actually praising me so directly today."
"Hmph~ I'm taking back my previous evaluation."
"It's already been over two minutes; withdrawal is invalid."
"Anyway, I don't admit it."
Lu Jue was amused by Silent Suzuka's cuteness, and his previous worries also subsided quite a bit. "Alright, let's go buy something. It will probably take them a while to get ready, so it's a good time to buy them something to fill their stomachs."
The racecourse had special shower rooms provided for the Uma Musume. After showering, they still had to do their makeup, change clothes... so there probably wouldn't be much time to eat.
"So, are we still having the victory celebration this time?"
"Yes," Lu Jue thought for a moment. "Xiao Te did indeed win the championship, and she should have a victory celebration; otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to her... As for other matters, I'll handle them."
A very good Trainer indeed...
Lu Jue felt he still had a long way to go.
...