Even in summer, the wind off the sea was cool enough to wash the heat away.
Terizumi Shinji stood on the shore with his two trainees behind him, watching wave after wave roll in, and couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh.
"This should be the first training camp our team's ever had. It's a shame Offside Trap isn't here…"
He had originally wanted to imitate Tōjō Hana's approach. For Offside Trap, that method was unquestionably the most effective, both for adaptation and improvement. But now, while he could ensure her future form and results, it also felt as though he had neglected how she might feel.
If Offside Trap found out she'd missed the team's very first camp, she would probably be disappointed—and annoyed.
Thinking of that, Shinji scratched his head, annoyed with himself for not considering it more carefully.
It would probably earn him a nice chunk of emotional energy, but at this point, he would honestly rather Offside Trap just be in a better mood.
Behind him, Saint Halo bit down lightly on her lip.
Shinji's comment had been directed at both girls, so she had heard every word of it. And the moment he said it, her teeth clenched.
Their trainer, really…
Yes, Offside Trap missing the team's first training camp would definitely make that girl feel disappointed.
But what about them?
Watching Offside Trap kiss their trainer on the cheek—did they think that was supposed to leave them feeling nothing?
Especially during the live broadcast, when the girl had pulled away with that shy, blushing expression…
Just remembering it made Saint Halo feel anger boil up inside her.
She had a hard time putting her feelings into words, but for one brief moment, it had felt as though everything inside her had gone hollow. She had lost all motivation and could only sit there blankly, watching the teacher-and-student pair chatting and laughing under the questions of the European media.
She had nearly failed to keep her composure.
"Why are neither of you saying anything?"
Shinji turned back, puzzled.
His two trainees didn't seem excited about the training camp at all. Back when he'd first mentioned it, both of them had been happy for quite a while. Yet now, one was quieter than the other.
Saint Halo had been about to remain silent, but suddenly realized something and turned sharply toward Narita Brian.
Brian had not hidden it very well. In her eyes, Saint Halo could clearly see a host of tangled emotions.
Someone else might not have understood them, but Saint Halo did.
Because just moments ago, her own eyes had held much the same expression.
And in that instant, Saint Halo suddenly understood.
A trace of wariness rose in her gaze.
Narita Brian, who had already noticed Saint Halo looking at her, could only smile bitterly.
She had been thinking of her old contemporary—that girl's behavior toward the trainer Brian herself had come to admire, during the live broadcast. Perhaps she did understand her own feelings. Perhaps she also understood that Offside Trap's actions had stirred up a great, unpleasant wave inside her.
But she had no right to anything, did she?
She had once belonged to another team. She had once had another trainer. Her history was not "pure," and on top of that, her current trainer cared deeply about such things.
At times like this, Narita Brian would ask herself whether she regretted it.
Tōjō Hana really had led her to an Arima Kinen victory, had made her Japan's Triple Crown horse girl, the one who stood just beneath Symboli Rudolf.
But later, after everything Tōjō Hana had done, after the backlash from the Three Goddesses' blessings, Brian had often wondered—if she had never met Tōjō Hana, could she still have reached those heights on her own?
In the end, though, those thoughts meant nothing.
Tōjō Hana had already become one of the most important trainers of her racing life.
And Team Rigil, too, would forever remain one of the deepest marks left upon her—something she could never erase simply because she wanted to.
She had only, much later, met a man who made her capable of regret.
At the very least, he had made her think, Why couldn't I have joined his team in the most perfect version of myself?
Narita Brian lowered her head slightly and didn't meet Saint Halo's gaze.
She knew she had no right to compete for anything. All she could do was hold fast to her dream and keep working toward it.
Only then did Saint Halo look back at Shinji.
He still wore a puzzled expression. Taking a slow breath, she finally forced a smile onto her face.
"The breeze is really cool… really nice."
Her answer did nothing to ease Shinji's confusion. If anything, it only made him study his two trainees more deeply.
But he didn't pursue it any further.
A training camp was for training, not for sightseeing.
Whether they were in a good mood or not, as long as it didn't affect the quality of the training, he could live with it.
"Take today off first. If either of you brought swimsuits, you can go play in the water a bit. If not, just head back to the room with me."
Even though it was a bit wasteful for just three people to be using the largest villa, Shinji had rented it anyway.
Saint Halo and Narita Brian exchanged a glance, and neither saw the slightest interest in swimming or splashing around.
After all, in order to train his trainees' lung capacity and endurance, Shinji had long since made swimming part of their routine.
As his trainees, both girls had swallowed water more than once from sheer exhaustion during those sessions, so over time, they had grown less and less interested in it.
Seeing both of them shake their heads, Shinji was about to start walking when the system suddenly sighed regretfully in his mind.
[I was kind of hoping to see both of them in swimsuits…]
It's not like you haven't already!
Shinji rolled his eyes.
Still, almost involuntarily, his gaze dropped to Saint Halo's smooth, fair calves. The shape of her legs was beautiful enough that, at times, he genuinely thought it was a shame she hadn't become a full-time idol.
"Then what do you want for dinner tonight? I can cook for you."
At that, Saint Halo and Narita Brian finally looked a little more animated.
Especially Saint Halo—her eyes were shining with so much anticipation it was practically spilling straight into Shinji's.
"Don't look at me like that." Shinji was starting to feel weird under those eager stares, so he hurriedly added, "You two really aren't scared it'll taste awful, huh? I just said it casually, and you actually believed I'm good at cooking."
His half-hearted attempt to back out only made both girls even more interested.
If he cooked badly, then at least they'd get a laugh out of it.
And if he cooked well, then they'd be the ones enjoying it.
With that in mind, Saint Halo had already moved to Shinji's side. Narita Brian deliberately kept half a step behind, quietly listening to the conversation between trainer and trainee ahead of her.
As Saint Halo started listing the dishes she wanted, Shinji naturally picked up the thread of the conversation.
For a moment, Narita Brian almost spoke.
But in the end, she held herself back.
After all… among the dishes Saint Halo was happily naming, there were one or two that Narita Brian truly loved as well.
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
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 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 70
Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried! 36
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