“Ah, so comfortable…”
After returning to Teresen Academy, Silence Suzuka lay on the infirmary bed, enjoying Lu Jue’s massage.
Lu Jue listened to the girl’s soft hum, twitched his lips, and awkwardly said, “Suzuka, can you please not make strange noises?”
“Mmm…” Silence Suzuka made a sleepy murmur, her voice lazy.
Ever since she discovered that Lu Jue seemed shyer than her, Silence Suzuka wasn’t as shy anymore.
As the saying goes, among two introverts, there must be one extrovert; among two submissives, there must be one dominant.
“Lu Jue-jun, were you originally a masseur?”
“No.”
“Oh, then did you want to be a masseur from the start?”
“Not that either…”
“Oh, then did your elders teach you massage from a young age?”
Lu Jue sighed, “Suzuka-chan, why are you fixated on the ‘masseur’ question?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to ask.” Silence Suzuka was so comfortable she was afraid she might fall asleep any second. “Lu Jue, why did we have to find the infirmary? Couldn’t we have done the massage in the lounge?”
“If we were seen in the lounge, wouldn’t more people pester me?”
Lu Jue’s massages usually started at half an hour. Suzuka was a future team member he wanted to recruit; others were not.
But to Silence Suzuka, these words sounded like Lu Jue was giving her a special massage.
One person unintentionally plants a willow, another feels warmth in their heart.
“By the way, Suzuka, I’ve been wondering, why do you sometimes call me ‘Lu Jue’ and sometimes ‘Lu Jue-jun’?”
“Well… the former is because of your Assistant Trainer status, and the latter is treating you as a peer. Lu Jue-jun, you can’t be very old, can you?”
“Twenty-three, a bit older than you.” Lu Jue nodded. He didn’t know Silence Suzuka’s age, but he knew she was an adult. (Disclaimer here)
“Suzuka, what are your plans after this?” Lu Jue massaged Silence Suzuka’s calves.
In anime, there are always various injuries and fractures, but there’s a reason for it. These tender calves have already borne too much before and after races.
Tojo Hana didn’t want Silence Suzuka to use the Great Escape method because she was afraid this extremely energy-consuming method would have adverse effects on her body.
Lu Jue felt he could do a lot, such as post-race care and check-ups, preventing hidden ailments… but he could only do so much.
“After this, huh…” The topic seemed a bit serious. Silence Suzuka pondered for a long time in her dilemma. “I don’t think ‘Rigil’ is quite suitable for me…”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to leave the team.”
Hearing Silence Suzuka’s definite answer, Lu Jue was happy even though he had expected it.
“Lu Jue-jun, what about you? Can you stay at Teresen Academy?” Silence Suzuka had seen many intern Trainers she only met once.
As the top Uma Musume school, Teresen’s selection process for Trainers was naturally very strict.
“Of course, even if I don’t pass the evaluation, I’ll stay as a teacher.” Speaking of this, Lu Jue was still very confident. He continued on his own: “But I’m still very confident I’ll become a full-fledged Trainer. Then I’ll create a team, and you’ll be a founding member. We’ll go compete together…”
Silence Suzuka hadn’t even agreed to join the team, nor had she left her current one, and Lu Jue was already envisioning grand plans.
“Cough, cough, excuse me, Lu Jue-jun, I don’t think I’ve agreed to join your team yet, have I? There are still many teams inviting me.”
“Ah, is that so… Right.” Lu Jue’s hands paused, and he realized he had gotten a bit too carried away, taking things for granted.
Yes, a talented Uma Musume with such potential as Silence Suzuka should be in high demand by many teams.
If Silence Suzuka didn’t choose him and still went to the “Spica” team, it would still be a good outcome, right?
What could he do?
He couldn’t force her…
Lu Jue was a bit distracted, still feeling a little disappointed by Suzuka’s reply.
And his every move had already fallen into Silence Suzuka’s peripheral vision.
She had just had a sudden thought to tease Lu Jue, not intending to truly make him sad. “But if Lu Jue invites me, I can still consider it.”
“Really!?” Lu Jue looked up, surprised, at Suzuka.
The lingering sunlight, peeking through a lifted corner of the curtain, gently caressed the young man’s chiseled face, adding a warm glow to the smile blooming on his lips.
Silence Suzuka froze, then, regaining her composure, she unnaturally turned her head away and closed her eyes.
He really was handsome.
“Mm, but you have to be quick. There’s a team that invited me a long time ago.”
“Is it Nishizaki Ryu’s team? Damn it, he’s so quick!” Lu Jue gritted his teeth. He had been watching Silence Suzuka closely, yet he almost had her poached. “Suzuka, you absolutely must wait for me!”
“I, I understand…” Silence Suzuka’s voice was strangely soft and sweet.
What “you absolutely must wait for me,” how misleading that sounds to others, honestly…
“That’s great~” The ups and downs of his mood made Lu Jue hum a tune. “Suzuka-chan, I’ve decided to give you an extra hour for free!”
“An, an extra hour? I still have to eat soon.”
“It’s fine, the cafeteria won’t close that quickly. At worst, we can eat out.” With his mood improved, Lu Jue’s massaging hands became much more nimble and energetic.
“Alright then.” Silence Suzuka “reluctantly” agreed. She actually enjoyed Lu Jue’s massage very much.
But she also really enjoyed the relaxed feeling of being with Lu Jue.
Her running was to carry the dreams of more people, and that naturally included Lu Jue.
And when she was with Lu Jue, she felt even more important, more needed.
“Lu Jue-jun, you just said ‘you could also stay as a teacher.’ What did you mean by that?”
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet. Besides being an Assistant Trainer, I’m also the new cooking class teacher.”
“That’s amazing!”
“For theoretical classes, most classes will have a few sessions, but for practical classes… Haha, we haven’t started promoting them yet.”
Lu Jue’s class was an elective, aimed at cultivating students’ interests and hobbies, not something every Uma Musume had to master.
The theory and practical parts of this class were separate.
After the theoretical class, a certain number of students had to sign up for the practical class; otherwise, if the number was too small, the course wouldn’t be allowed to run.
“Lu Jue-jun… No, I should call you Teacher Lu Jue now. Your cooking must be delicious, right?”
“Want to try it? Sign up for my practical class and you’ll know.” Lu Jue smiled.
“Teacher Lu Jue, were you originally a chef?”
“Uh, no…”
“Oh, then you wanted to be a chef from the start?”
“No.”
“Oh, then you are… *hiss*~”
Silence Suzuka’s unfinished words turned into a groan of pain.
“You’re not allowed to talk.” Lu Jue said.
He felt that Silence Suzuka wasn’t as quiet as she appeared in the anime; perhaps she was only like that with friends? Lu Jue felt that Silence Suzuka didn’t consider him a friend yet.
As for what would happen later, who could know?
...