The two were about to leave, but a voice from behind stopped their steps.
"Hey!"
Lu Jue and Silence Suzuka turned around, not expecting it to be Nimble Beret, who was walking towards them with one hand on her hip.
This fellow...
To say she was arrogant, there was shyness in her brows, and her gaze unconsciously darted away when she looked at Lu Jue.
"You are?"
"Eh!?"
Lu Jue's casual remark made Nimble Beret falter.
"I, I am... Did you actually forget me?"
Nimble Beret genuinely felt awkward, her face flushed, and her restless hands clenched into fists, "L-Last time, weren't you still in the office talking to me alone!"
She thought it hadn't been that long ago. Although Lu Jue hadn't come to teach their class anymore, he shouldn't have forgotten her so quickly.
"Oh, so it's you... Do you call a Teacher 'hey'?" When dealing with Nimble Beret, it was necessary to assert some authority.
"Teacher Lu."
"That's right, Nimble Beret, do you have something to say?"
"I came to..." Nimble Beret glanced at Silence Suzuka, and her words suddenly got stuck in her throat, stammering for a long time without being able to complete a sentence.
Silence Suzuka narrowed her eyes, quietly taking a step forward.
She had just heard the keywords "office" and "alone"... similar to a certain plot in a book she had recently read.
"You, what kind of look is that?" Facing Silence Suzuka's unfriendly gaze, Nimble Beret also felt a little self-conscious.
Although she still spoke bluntly, there was already a hint of retreat.
"Nimble Beret, so do you have something to say? If not, the Trainer and I are leaving."
"N-Nothing."
She just wanted Lu Jue's praise; he had promised her last time.
Sure enough, she had to bring this up with Lu Jue alone, otherwise she would be embarrassed.
"Then, goodbye." After Silence Suzuka finished speaking, she tugged on Lu Jue's sleeve and left.
She could ignore Seiun Sky's jealousy, but she couldn't ignore Nimble Beret's.
So what exactly did these two talk about in private?
So suspicious... Did they really do that kind of thing!?
...
Silence Suzuka pulled Lu Jue along, her face full of suspicion, without realizing it.
"Silence Suzuka, I say... Can you let go now?"
Hearing Lu Jue's reminder, Silence Suzuka finally retracted her hand.
"What's wrong? Are you angry?" Lu Jue asked again.
Silence Suzuka didn't speak. She wondered if she had been too obvious, or if Lu Jue had suddenly caught on.
Lu Jue continued: "That incident did happen before, but Nimble Beret has already turned over a new leaf under my education. You saw it earlier, she didn't use any petty tricks."
Clearly, Lu Jue and Silence Suzuka were not on the same wavelength.
However, this also gave Silence Suzuka an opportunity to inquire further.
"Is that all you talked about with her in private?"
"Yes, her apology was very sincere."
Lu Jue thought for a moment and decided not to reveal some of Nimble Beret's strange attributes.
Silence Suzuka gave Lu Jue another look, then dispelled her doubts, "Let's go, aren't we going to buy something to eat?"
"Hmm, but it seems we took the wrong path. The snack street is over there." Lu Jue pointed his thumb in the direction behind him.
"Are you blaming me for leading you astray?"
"How could I blame you? We just need to walk a bit further."
Lu Jue felt that Silence Suzuka was a bit impulsive today, quite tsundere.
...
In the evening, Lu Jue, Silence Suzuka, and Uralala sat together watching the Winning Live.
With Tokai Teio's guidance last time, Special Week had made great progress. Although her dance moves were still a bit disjointed, they didn't overshadow her performance.
"Lu Jue-jun, you're secretly taking pictures again."
"What do you mean 'again'?" Lu Jue held up his phone, without turning his head, "No, I'm not secretly taking pictures!"
"Then you took so many pictures of me last time."
"Silence Suzuka, I think you want new emojis again."
Silence Suzuka pouted, saying nothing more.
The emojis Lu Jue made last time made her laugh out loud when she looked at them privately.
"Trainer ~ Do you want to see Uralala dance?" Uralala looked at the three Uma Musume singing and dancing on stage, her eyes full of envious little stars.
Lu Jue put down his phone. Somehow, when he heard Uralala say that, he felt a little sad, "Yes, I've always been waiting for Uralala's Winning Live."
"Really?" Uralala widened her eyes, looking at Lu Jue.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Uralala's crescent-shaped eyes curved with a smile, "Hehe, I really want to participate in my debut race soon."
"Actually, it won't be that long."
Lu Jue picked up his phone and continued recording.
As everyone said last time, as a Trainer, training for Winning Live is part of his duty.
But all he could do was take videos and then let Special Week correct herself.
However...
Lu Jue's gaze suddenly shifted from the screen to the stage.
Seiun Sky didn't seem to be smiling much today, and her movements also looked a bit stiff.
...
On the first day after the Yayoi Sho ended, news of Special Week's victory made the front page of the campus newspaper.
In the classroom, Special Week was surrounded by El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, and others.
"Xiao Te, you're amazing. It makes me want to race with you too." El Condor Pasa still interspersed English when she spoke.
"I'm also looking forward to it." Special Week responded.
She wanted to have another race and would definitely not lose to El Condor Pasa again.
However, their showdown wouldn't happen anytime soon, as Tojo Hana had arranged other races for El Condor Pasa.
Grass Wonder quietly asked an unrelated question, "Xiao Te, will you have another celebration feast this week?"
"Probably."
"Then can you bring me along again?"
Grass Wonder secretly swallowed her saliva.
Lu Jue's cooking seemed to have some inexplicable magic for her tongue. After eating it once, twice... she gradually became more and more addicted.
Sometimes, when she suddenly relived the taste before bed, her stomach would feel hungry, and her saliva would secrete at the same time.
But she was too embarrassed to go to Lu Jue's house alone to freeload food and drinks... If only she could have such an opportunity.
"Of course you can! The Trainer won't mind."
"That's good." Grass Wonder revealed a smile.
...
To the side, Seiun Sky, who was pretending to sleep on the desk but was actually eavesdropping on Special Week and the others, tilted her head.
She had read the newspaper.
Only the first place was remembered by everyone; the names of the second and third places were only briefly mentioned.
But winning and losing were normal things, and she understood that, yet this time she cared and felt especially upset...
(Every time I finish a new chapter, I miss yesterday's love, longing for today's love... Powering through with love O_o)