...
"Things like this work when your heart is sincere. Maybe that just now was the gods' response to you."
"What kind of response is that supposed to be?"
"Emmm..... It means they heard you." Lucian couldn't keep making up specifics. "Does your little head still hurt?"
"Just a tiny bit." Matikanetannhauser pulled the tissue out of her nostril. "Trainer, it's not bleeding anymore. Does that mean I don't have to go to the hospital?"
"Be good and obedient." Lucian rubbed her head. "Come on, next stop—let's go buy fireworks."
This small area had very few people, the atmosphere slightly eerie. A gust of cold wind blew past, making Matikanetannhauser shiver involuntarily. "Trainer, wait for me!"
....
The two walked along the stone path. The crowd was noticeably thinner than at the start. The moon, which had been high overhead, now hung unmistakably on the treetops.
Matikanetannhauser suddenly grabbed the hem of Lucian's shirt. "Trainer, what exactly is the condition you want? Do I need to prepare for a while?"
Having eaten from someone else makes one indebted—Matikanetannhauser had eaten so much, each bite adding to this emotional debt.
Lucian pondered briefly. "Actually, no preparation needed. You can do it right now..."
"Right now?" Matikanetannhauser blinked in confusion. "Trainer, are you still hung up on my itinerary? And the restroom seems to be that way."
"You can forget about that now."
Call her slow-witted, yet sometimes she catches on quickly.
"Then I don't want Jue Juice either." Matikanetannhauser eyed Lucian's crossbody bag again.
"There's only water and a power bank in there." Lucian unfastened the buckle to prove his innocence, curious what else she'd come up with. "Any other concerns? Spill them all."
"None for now, hehe~" Just moments ago she'd been crying; now her face was full of silly, beaming smiles. "So what is it really, Trainer? Don't keep me in suspense—tell me already."
"It's nothing difficult. I just want you to sing a song."
"Sing?" Matikanetannhauser instinctively thought of the gramophone Lucian had given her. "But 'Tannhauser' is an instrumental piece. I didn't write lyrics, and I can't hum the whole thing."
"Not that one... But speaking of which, Tannhauser, how do you feel when you listen to 'Tannhauser'?"
"I often play it while drinking tea. After it's over, my heart feels all warm."
"Looks like that gift wasn't wasted." Lucian nodded—this was a unique chemical reaction between the two of them.
"So what song is Trainer talking about? Don't make me guess anymore~" Matikanetannhauser urged impatiently.
"This song is very familiar to you. I don't know the exact name, but here's a hint—man bo."
"Ah? It's actually that song!? How does Trainer know it? My father taught it to me." Matikanetannhauser's eyes widened into perfect circles, her mouth forming an "O" shape.
"Because it's pretty famous. I heard it even before I met you."
"Soka~ Soka~ So Trainer's condition is just wanting to hear me sing this song?" Matikanetannhauser's eyes sparkled like lit stars, her cheeks blooming with a smile brighter than moonlight.
"Yes. Is that okay?"
"Of course! Let me warm up a little."
Matikanetannhauser paid no mind to the passersby and quickly began her performance.
Right in front of Lucian, she sang while adding her own improvised hand gestures—hands like holding tiny shakers, tapping left, tapping right. Paired with her sweet, soft voice, it was utterly adorable.
"Mambo mambo, oh mojiri~ Mambo~"
"Wow shita i~ Mambo! Oh mojiri~ Mambo~"
"Zabu zabu~ Yatta yatta, oh mojiri~ Mambo~"
...
In front of Lucian, she was like an elf immersed in her own world, unleashing her nature without reservation.
It was so beautiful that Lucian couldn't help smiling. "Sounds great, Tannhauser. You're too cute!"
A faint blush crept up Matikanetannhauser's cheeks, her eyelashes drooping uneasily.
Such direct words—even she felt shy hearing them.
"I-It's... not that amazing."
"Now I have one more little condition—I want to pinch your cheeks. Is that okay?"
"But Trainer clearly said there was only this one condition earlier..." Matikanetannhauser muttered softly. But deep down, she wasn't unwilling—just a tiny bit of reserve holding her back.
"But I was the first to agree to the plan, and the only one who actually followed through~ Doesn't that deserve some kind of reward?" Lucian sighed dramatically, playing up the grievance.
This pitiful act could even make Silence Suzuka and the others waver sometimes—let alone the naive Matikanetannhauser.
Sure enough, the next second she relented. "Trainer, fine, you can pinch them. Consider it a reward for you today."
"Great~" With permission granted, Lucian unabashedly kneaded Matikanetannhauser's cheeks. The texture was like squeezing a balloon filled with warm water, yet even softer.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind Lucian.
"Trainer, what are you two doing? =͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞(●⁰ꈊ⁰● |||)" Meisho Doto stood there in shock, watching the pair.
She'd somehow picked up a cat from somewhere and was holding it in her arms.
"Oh, it's you, Doto." Lucian wiped cold sweat, relieved it was just a false alarm. He turned back intending to pinch Matikanetannhauser's cheeks a few more times, but she had already scampered to the side.
Tch, all thanks to this little troublemaker ruining his fun.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Lucian stepped forward quickly, snatched the cat from Meisho Doto's arms. "You're done for. Little Dango is still lonely at home, and here you are out chasing stray cats."
"It's not like that! This one jumped into my arms on its own. ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚" Meisho Doto hurriedly explained. "And this one seems to be the shrine's cat, so it's very gentle."
"Oh, I'll tell Little Dango the same thing when I get home."
"Nooo ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚!!"
"Hmph. Go explain to Little Dango." Lucian looked at the cat in his arms—true to Doto's word, it didn't freak out even in a stranger's hold.
The yellow-and-white fur reminded him of the Holy Flame Cat Cult, though he wasn't a believer.
"Trainer, stop bullying Doto." Ines Fujin walked over too. After the water park, Ines Fujin and Meisho Doto had become buddies.
Both were eye-catching tall horse girls.
"Little Ai, you're here too?"
Ines Fujin tugged her lips. "I feel like you're ignoring me way too much. I've been right here the whole time."
"Fine." He'd been too busy teasing Doto earlier—Lucian really hadn't noticed Ines Fujin.
...