After training ended, Fujiwara Shirayuki went to find Mejiro Dober.
"How did it feel, Dober-senpai?"
"I feel like I improved quite a bit."
Usually after training, Dober would feel a bit lost. Maybe she had gotten stronger, maybe not. She could not really tell.
But today was different. She could clearly feel that running had become easier. Just by adjusting her running form and changing her acceleration timing based on the trainer's instructions, the difference was immediate.
Only now did Dober truly understand the gap between trainers and instructors. Trainers provided solutions tailored to the individual, and the results were immediate.
"That's good. It means Dober-senpai fits well with our training environment and has good compatibility with a trainer."
"Yeah."
Speaking of compatibility, Dober suddenly had a question.
"During training, the trainer did not really give instructions, right? It was mostly you guiding me, Shirayuki."
"Huh?"
"I mean… you said you were relaying the trainer's instructions, but during training you were the one teaching me the whole time. You did not go back to ask him anything."
It felt like Shirayuki was her actual trainer, while that man was just there in name.
"Ah… well…" Shirayuki broke into a cold sweat. She had responded instinctively whenever Dober had questions and never bothered to act as a middleman. Doing that would have been too inefficient.
After five seconds of silence, she finally came up with an excuse.
"The trainer already told me everything in advance!" Shirayuki said. "He predicted what problems you might run into during training and how to solve them. He told me all of this yesterday."
"Really? He could predict the issues I would have?"
"Exactly. Our trainer is very capable. He already anticipated the problems you might face, so when they came up, I could answer you immediately."
"That's… impressive…" Dober could not help but admire it.
Foresight like that was rare even at Tracen Academy.
Her evaluation of Fujiwara Chiya rose noticeably.
"I'm going to stay and do some extra training tonight to reinforce what I learned."
"Alright. I'll head back first, Dober-senpai."
"See you."
After Shirayuki left, Dober looked toward the black-haired man in the distance.
If training continued like this, she could accept it. Most of the time, Shirayuki was the one teaching her, and she barely had to interact with the trainer.
Still, it would not be right to keep things this way forever. If she never spoke to the trainer and only relied on Shirayuki to relay everything, it would be disrespectful to the actual trainer.
After thinking it over, Dober decided that once she got more comfortable with the team, she would try speaking to him.
For now, she would do what she could.
She walked forward and stopped a short distance away from Fujiwara Chiya.
When he turned toward her, her gaze wavered nervously.
"Trainer Chiya…" she said softly.
"Thank you for your hard work."
After bowing, she quickly ran off.
"Hm? What did she just say?" Chiya scratched his ear.
The wind had been strong. He had not heard clearly.
Judging from the bow, maybe she was thanking him?
"Probably…" he muttered.
It was still too early to see clear changes in Dober. He would need a few more days.
Unfortunately, Chiya was still inexperienced as a trainer. The only method he knew was steady, gradual improvement.
Was there a more efficient way?
"Onii-sama, thank you for your hard work today!"
Just as he was thinking, Rice Shower ran up to him, full of energy.
"Yeah, Rice. Get some rest early."
After saying goodbye to his girls, Chiya headed to the eastern flower bed.
He still had to complete his punishment for drinking, cleaning up the two large flower beds at Tracen.
If he did it alone, he probably would not finish even by dinner. So he planned to have Shirayuki help, splitting the work between east and west.
Looking across all of Tracen, how many trainers were stuck doing manual labor like this?
Probably just him.
Well, it could not be helped. Authority was authority, and the one giving orders was the chairwoman.
She managed him like a mother and disciplined him like a teacher.
Seriously… that fanged loli… just wait until I become a senior trainer.
Chiya grumbled to himself while pulling weeds.
"Um… what are you doing?"
A gentle voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
He turned and saw a small girl with short brown hair standing there, her beautiful purple eyes blinking curiously.
"I'm weeding," Chiya replied.
"Weeding? That's impressive. But those aren't weeds."
"They aren't?"
"No." The girl smoothed her skirt and crouched beside him. "This is Japanese iris. When it blooms, the petals are pink and very pretty. But before it blooms, it often gets mistaken for a weed."
"And these are bindweed. They're also flowers, but before blooming, they look just like weeds."
She pointed at the plants mixed in with what he had pulled out.
"I see…"
"Some flowers are mistaken for weeds before they bloom. But once they do, each one strives to become the most beautiful flower."
Noticing his gaze, the girl suddenly realized something and smiled gently.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Nishino Flower, a middle school student."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Fujiwara Chiya."
"Fujiwara…"
"I'm Shirayuki's cousin. Thanks for looking after her at school."
The girl in front of him, Nishino Flower, was Shirayuki's classmate. She had helped her a lot when she first transferred in.
"Trainer Chiya, why are you weeding here?"
"Because…"
Because I got punished by the chairwoman.
Obviously, he was not going to say that.
"Because I love flowers."
That sounded much better.
"Flowers enrich our lives, yet we rarely do anything for them. Watering them, fertilizing them… I just want to do what I can for them."
"Trainer Chiya…" Nishino Flower widened her eyes, a hint of admiration appearing in her gaze.
"You're such a kind person. People who appreciate and care for flowers usually have wonderful character."
"You flatter me. I'm just an ordinary person."
"If you don't mind, may I help? I like gardening too. I usually take care of flower beds."
"Really? That would help a lot, thank you."
More hands meant less work.
Just as Chiya bent down to pull another "weed," a cool voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Fujiwara Shirayuki… what are you doing here?"