Qianzao Yuyi had only gone downstairs to get some air.
She had never expected things to line up so perfectly that, the very moment she looked up, she would see Xingyun Liuge carrying Goodbye Halo through the hotel entrance.
For an instant, the trainer's mind went completely blank.
No matter how she looked at it, Liuge had gone out alone… and come back as three people. And one of them was being carried bridal-style.
What… what was this supposed to mean?
Wait a second. Were Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo staying at the same hotel as them too?
Could it be that the reason Xingyun Liuge never mentioned Japan anymore was not only because she was deeply dissatisfied with the JRA's strictness and rigidity, but also because she had developed special feelings for one—perhaps even two—American horse girls, and was now considering transferring?
Yuyi's lips trembled.
She suddenly felt that things might be rather serious. Liuge was still only in her Classic year, wasn't she? Was it really good for her to get involved in this sort of thing so early?
As for transferring schools...
Qianzao Yuyi had always been very clear about her own position. She believed that Liuge's current achievements were almost entirely the girl's own doing. If Liuge truly decided to transfer, then as her trainer, she would offer her the most sincere blessing she could.
That was what she had told herself.
She had even had that thought at the banquet before.
But now that it seemed like it might really happen, Yuyi realized that she was nowhere near as broad-minded as she had imagined.
She would be sad. She would be heartbroken. She did not want Xingyun Liuge to transfer away.
Yuyi did not even know how long she had stood downstairs.
Maybe only a short while. Maybe dozens of minutes.
Time itself had begun to feel meaningless.
She did not even know how she had made it back upstairs. She did not even notice that there was already someone in her bathroom.
Not until a gentle hand stroked her cheek—and then drew her face into a soft, full warmth.
Qianzao Yuyi jumped in shock, her whole body going rigid. She could barely move.
More importantly, that soft fullness was pressing over her so thoroughly that she could hardly breathe.
Naturally, Xingyun Liuge had done it on purpose.
Did Yuyi really think taking advantage of her was so easy? Even Yuyi had to accept a little "punishment."
Still, Liuge had not come here just to stage a murder by cleavage. After holding her there for a moment, she seemed to have suddenly mastered some kind of soothing technique, loosening her embrace a little and gently stroking Yuyi's back, trying to ease the flood of negative feelings that had welled up inside her trainer.
The suffocating pressure faded.
Yuyi suddenly lifted her head and drew in air greedily, using those desperate breaths to calm her spinning mind.
The instant she had been pulled into those arms, she had known who it was. The touch was far too familiar. This was not even the first time Liuge had done something like this with her. If she could not recognize her by now, then all her time as Liuge's trainer would have been for nothing.
And yet, once she had calmed down a little, she had to admit that Liuge's technique had improved tremendously. It felt almost like being held by a gentle mother. For a moment, Yuyi had nearly found herself unwilling to leave that warm embrace at all.
But then she remembered what she had seen downstairs.
At once, that embrace no longer felt gentle in the slightest.
Even so, she wanted to cling to the resolve she had made at the beginning: to bless Liuge's choice.
Yuyi was afraid that if she stayed in those soft arms any longer, she would end up asking Liuge not to leave her. And that would do nothing good for Liuge's future or her growth. So she forced down the turmoil inside her and struggled out of the warm hold.
Not only that, she even feigned irritation.
"Liuge, don't joke around like that... mm—"
Yuyi had meant to scold her in a stern tone, to tell her to keep her distance.
But the moment she looked up, all she saw were Xingyun Liuge's crimson eyes fixed steadily on her. She could not even see Liuge's face anymore.
That was only natural. Their noses were almost touching. At such a close distance, all scenery became distorted, turning into something strange and dreamlike.
That was why ordinary people instinctively closed their eyes before kissing.
But Xingyun Liuge seemed to be an exception.
Yuyi forgot to close her eyes. Yet she saw nothing warped or strange. All she saw were those reddish eyes, glimmering with a half-smile, as if quietly teasing her.
The sight made her flush instantly. Her whole face burned hot.
They stared at each other for a few moments.
Then Yuyi suddenly jerked backward, abruptly widening the distance between them.
It was not that she had seen anything frightening.
It was that, in that instant, she had realized something even more terrifying:
At that distance, if Xingyun Liuge so much as puckered her lips, they would have kissed.
So Yuyi reflexively threw herself backward like she was dodging for her life.
And then, to her surprise, she realized that Xingyun Liuge had already let go. She had withdrawn so lightly and so cleanly that Yuyi had been able to pull away without the slightest resistance.
That was an unexpected twist to the unexpected.
And because of that, Yuyi did not feel relieved at all.
Instead, she felt an odd sense of disappointment.
The moment she noticed that, she slapped her own cheek hard, using the sharp sting to drag herself back to her senses.
She told herself firmly:
No, Qianzao Yuyi. You are Liuge's trainer. How can you be thinking such ridiculous things? Liuge is still just a child—well, mostly. If she doesn't understand, that's one thing. But you're already this old. How can you still be so immature?
Watching her like that, a faint smile stirred in Xingyun Liuge's eyes.
Feigning innocent curiosity, she asked, "What was Yuyi thinking about, to get so absorbed? I called you for ages."
That was a lie.
Xingyun Liuge had never called her name even once.
She had only noticed that Yuyi was absent-minded, and had spotted her downstairs earlier. That was why she had chosen to make her move now.
She was doing this on purpose—to confirm Yuyi's true feelings.
"Eh? Th-that..."
But Yuyi did not know that.
Hearing Liuge say such a thing, her mind instantly plunged into full-scale chaos. Her face flushed red as she stammered,
"I was—I was thinking about the race."
"That's right, the Belmont Stakes. It's the last leg of the American Triple Crown. As long as you win this one, Liuge, your dream will come true. I-I want to help you!"
As she said that, Yuyi finally found her usual footing again. She clenched her delicate fist, trying to use the gesture to cheer Liuge on and, at the same time, distract her from any further curiosity.
She was sure that should do the trick.
Xingyun Liuge put on the touched expression Yuyi had hoped to see.
But only for a moment.
Then she lifted one slender hand and gently pressed it against Yuyi's lips.
A shimmering springlike glow seemed to ripple in her crimson eyes, and little by little, the air in the room turned warm and intimate with unspoken tension.
It seemed this would not end so easily after all.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 150)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 15
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