Gloria's "offensive" was far from over. Keeping Fujimaru Ritsuka's words close to heart, she had prepared well in advance.
The following afternoon, at 2:00 PM, in the Trainer's office.
Playful sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting patches of warmth across the floor. On the round table, Ritsuka had laid out the "rewards" he had prepared: colorful macarons, buttery biscuits, fluffy mousse cakes, and a carrot cake topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. There was even a carrot pie that radiated the sweet scent of cinnamon.
Beside the spread, a pot of black tea was steaming, its rich aroma mingling with the rising vapor. Sweet carrot juice was, of course, a mandatory inclusion—the undisputed favorite of any Horse Girl. And for the sake of balance, Ritsuka hadn't forgotten sodas like Coke and Sprite.
His goal was to reward the hard work of Gloria and Bell Glory while providing a little extra motivation for the others. The girls' Junior year was drawing to a close, and the coming Classic year would be filled with both opportunity and challenge. Consider this a preview of the heights they could reach next year.
"Everyone has been training so hard lately, and Gloria and Glory have been a huge help with the paperwork. Today, eat your fill!" Ritsuka said, rolling up his sleeves in a show of bravado. To ensure Oguri Cap was satisfied, he had prepared an extra-large carrot cake.
The girls broke into friendly laughter at the sight of Oguri Cap's wide-eyed expression. Mini Lady teased, "For Oguri, this is a dream come true, isn't it?"
Stuffed at lunch, and now a tea party in the afternoon... our weight is going to skyrocket!
Ritsuka poured a cup of tea for Gloria. "Gloria, try this. It's one of my best brews."
Even if it had been the most mediocre tea on earth, Gloria would have drunk it with profound gratitude simply because Ritsuka had brewed it for her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the macarons, a look of nostalgic joy crossing her face.
"It tastes like Paris, Trainer. Thank you for going to such trouble. I brought some small treats as well; I'll need you to sample them carefully in a moment."
She sat down gracefully, her posture impeccable. Even a cursory glance showed she was cut from a different cloth than the local Kasamatsu girls. The contrast only served to highlight her image as a dignified lady of high society.
Sitting slightly further away, Bell Glory breathed a private sigh of relief, even feeling a hidden spark of triumph.
As expected, she thought, Gloria brought French snacks.
Bell Glory subtly nudged her own cardboard box toward the edge of the table. Inside were Uirou (steamed rice cake) and Miso pancakes, limited-edition items she had specifically asked her family to reserve for today.
While these snacks weren't as flashy as macarons, they were hearty, delicious local specialties. When it came to "home-field flavor," Bell Glory was confident her offerings could stand toe-to-toe with Gloria's French delicacies.
Ritsuka sampled the snacks from both girls, praising their thoughtfulness. This prompted Mini Lady to "complain" loudly, "You two are so sneaky! You must have known the Trainer was hosting a tea party and prepared early!"
Mini Lady knew her accusation was baseless, but she wasn't actually trying to pick a fight. She simply wanted to give Noren Ace a bit of a boost. She wanted to tell her friend: Noren, they just didn't play fair. This wasn't a fair fight.
Noren Ace appreciated the sentiment and offered a helpless smile. "Mini, is having your mouth full of food still not enough to keep you quiet? Take this!"
The girls immediately dissolved into play, laughing and enjoying the snacks. As they sipped tea and juice and nibbled on macarons and carrot cake, the atmosphere in the office was one of perfect harmony.
Noren Ace praised the sweetness of the macarons, Oguri Cap focused on conquering the giant carrot cake, and Arpalan nibbled on a piece of carrot pie, her gentle gaze drifting to Ritsuka as he refilled everyone's tea, occasionally noting the reactions of the others.
Bell Glory felt that everything was wonderful. She wouldn't mind if things stayed like this forever. Of course, when it came to Ritsuka, she wouldn't yield an inch to Gloria. The foreign filly wouldn't be allowed to have her way here in Japan!
But just as she thought this, the "accident" happened.
Ritsuka was busy distributing slices of cake—a task that kept him quite occupied. At that moment, Gloria sliced off a small piece of cake with her fork, but instead of eating it herself, she looked up at him.
Her azure eyes were filled with clear, sparkling laughter. In a soft voice, she said, "The Trainer went to all this trouble for us while looking after everyone so carefully. It's been hard work. Please, sample this piece."
With a light flick of her wrist, the silver fork bearing the golden-yellow cake crossed the table, coming to a steady, deliberate stop at Ritsuka's lips.
The girl's eyes narrowed slightly, her smile impossible to hide. She was hand-feeding him in front of everyone!
Time seemed to freeze for a second. Bell Glory felt a literal buzz go off in her brain. Her pupils contracted, and her face flushed a deep, violent red as if she'd been shoved into a steamer. Her hand, holding a piece of Uirou, froze mid-air, her fingertips trembling.
It wasn't just Bell Glory; Arpalan and Noren Ace were also staring fixedly at Gloria.
The former thought: Wait, are French Horse Girls always this direct?! Senior Maruzensky, where are you? Are you free right now? Can you come here and counter her?! She had been working so hard as a "secret agent," and she didn't want to see it all go to waste because of some French interloper.
Still, she also wanted to ask: Senior Maruzensky, weren't you interested in Trainer Fujimaru? Why haven't you made a move? How long do I have to wait?
The latter, Noren Ace, thought: Is... is this the composure of a French Horse Girl? Or is it the composure of a World Champion? How... how can she be so direct?! Shouldn't expressing affection for a Trainer be a slow, step-by-step process? How did she skip straight to hand-feeding? Had they already established a deeply intimate relationship before this?
Noren Ace couldn't wrap her head around it. She was simply stunned. To a Horse Girl like her, who had lost her confidence because her rivals were too strong, such an act bordered on scandalous. But she was powerless to do anything. She couldn't even beat the "Newbie" Oguri Cap, let alone the current one, or a World Champion.
Facing the cake so close to his face, Ritsuka looked into Gloria's eyes, which were brimming with gratitude and expectation. His hesitation lasted only a heartbeat.
Refusal? That would be far too cold, and hardly the behavior of a proper Trainer. Come to think of it, had he experienced something similar back when he was a Master?
With a small smile, Ritsuka leaned in and ate the cake from Gloria's fork. "The frosting ratio is perfect," he evaluated. "It's just the right amount of sweet without being cloying."
"I'm so glad. I'm so glad you like it," Gloria said, withdrawing her hand. Her smile was as sweet as a macaron, capable of melting anyone's heart. "In that case, please try this one as well."
She acted as if what she had just done was the most natural thing in the world, and that there were several more bites waiting for him. After all, she had bought five types of cake; even if he only had one bite of each, she still had four to go.
This act was like tossing a boulder into a still pond. The girls' attention was instantly fixed on her.
Bell Glory felt her brain reaching overclocking levels. Only one thought remained: She—she—she! I—I—I! She's far too bold!
Rushing blood—or rather, jealousy—flooded her mind. Without thinking, she impaled a piece of Brown Sugar Uirou with her fork and thrust her arm forward with stiff, jagged movements. Her target: Ritsuka's mouth.
The Uirou was her contribution, cut into perfect squares for feeding. She was going to do exactly what Gloria was doing.
"T-Trainer! P-Please try... this! A specialty of Nagoya! It's... it's very chewy!" Her voice cracked with tension, and her face was a darker shade than the rich black tea.
Ritsuka looked at the "trembling" dark pastry suddenly shoved in front of him, then at Bell Glory's steaming face and her "do-or-die" gaze. A faint, almost imperceptible smile of amused resignation crossed his eyes.
He followed the flow, accepting the girl's kindness naturally. After chewing thoughtfully, he said, "The brown sugar flavor is very strong, and the texture is unique. Glory, thank you for the recommendation."
Is it because Horse Girls are inherently competitive creatures? Or is it because Bell Glory truly harbors special feelings for me? Ritsuka couldn't say for sure. Regardless, now wasn't the time to ponder it. The priority was to handle this "storm" before it escalated or worsened.
Seeing Ritsuka accept so readily, Bell Glory felt a wave of relief wash over her, despite her racing heart. In her eyes, Ritsuka probably didn't suspect a thing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted both of their offerings so easily. Maybe he just thought they were being "good kids"?
If that was the case... could she say everything was fine? After all, Ritsuka wasn't thinking anything untoward; he was treating everyone equally.
Bell Glory breathed a silent sigh of relief. But catching Gloria's eye, she puffed out her chest, deciding she had to maintain her dignity as a Horse Girl. She couldn't yield an inch. In her mind, she had managed to strike back and even the score.
It was lucky Gloria was watching her. Otherwise, Bell Glory might have stared at the fork and realized the implication of an indirect kiss, likely causing her brain to melt.
It was also lucky they had started this "Feeding War." Neither had the time to dwell on their own embarrassment. Though, Gloria's goal had been the indirect kiss all along; she wanted to gradually raise Ritsuka's threshold for intimacy until they could kiss right in front of the other girls. Her earlier move of sitting on his lap had served the same purpose—it was all groundwork for "displaying her dominance."
The two girls' actions were like a row of toppling dominoes. The other Horse Girls soon followed suit.
"If that's the case... then Trainer, try Noren's macarons too! This raspberry one is amazing!" Mini Lady, never one to miss out on chaos, giggled as she pushed Noren Ace toward Ritsuka, impaling a pink macaron and holding it out.
Rudilemo caught on as well, acting as a wingwoman for Mini Lady. "And this one! I can't tell what the flavor is, but it's delicious. Noren, let the Trainer have a taste."
"Wait, hold on—" Ritsuka tried to intercept the girls' enthusiasm, but it was too late.
In an instant, several hands holding various treats were thrust in front of him. Macarons, cake, Uirou... Mini Lady even managed to find a piece of candy from somewhere. They were all vying for his attention.
The girls seemed to have turned it into a fun game or a new way to express their closeness. They surrounded Ritsuka, laughing and refusing to back down. He was trapped in a "sweet encirclement."
Left with no choice, he tried to eat the offerings as quickly as possible. Though each bite was small, the variety was vast and the frequency intense. Before long, a small mountain of snacks had piled up near his plate.
"Trainer, carrot cake." Seeing her friends having so much fun, Oguri Cap didn't want to be left behind. She "broke" off a piece of cake with the most frosting using her fingers and held it out enthusiastically.
It was only then that Gloria and Bell Glory realized the situation had spiraled out of control. They started wondering if they should help Ritsuka plan a strategic retreat.
But the one offering the treat was Oguri Cap. It was her first time doing something like this. Shouldn't they wait for her to finish before helping Ritsuka?
Ritsuka's gaze fell on Oguri Cap, who was eagerly holding a clump of carrot cake, waiting for her "feeding mission" to be a success. He noticed she had clearly been enjoying the food so much she hadn't realized there was a large dollop of cream on the corner of her lip. She looked quite comical.
Ritsuka chuckled. Instead of taking the cake from her hand, he reached out and wiped the cream from her lip with his thumb.
But in that instant, Oguri Cap's pink tongue darted out. With a quick slurp, she licked the cream right off Ritsuka's thumb. She even smacked her lips as if wanting more.
No, it wasn't just a "feeling." She suddenly reached out her tongue again and gave Ritsuka's thumb another lick.
Ritsuka: "?"
The other girls: "?!"
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (122 Chapters – Ongoing)
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