Chapter Text
Tokai Teio.
The spirited and confident girl who dreamt of being an undefeated Triple Crown winner.
The girl who won two major crowns, broke her leg and withdrew.
The same Teio who was struggling from being unable to achieve the dream.
The same girl who wanted to be an undefeated horse girl.
The Tokai Teio who won the Arima Kinen after 364 days of absence.
The Teio that succeeded Symboli Rudolf as the Student Council President.
…
Is the same girl who’s on my back.
"Come on, Trainer!~ Just a bit more!"
"You said you were gonna get back to the council ro-"
"Noo!~ You are so cruel, Trainer!~"
Her grip is getting stronger!
"Teio... You're 25."
"And?"
"...And you haven't changed a bit since then, y'know?"
She leaned more of her weight into me.
"So you think I'm too childish despite being the President?"
"Yes, yes. You are too clingy, you keep going towards my own office when it's your break, you ke-"
She slapped and pinched me.
"Hey, hey, hey! You don't talk badly about the President in front of her!"
I straightened my back. God, she does get bratty….
"So, how about Miss President get off this poor man's back and walk by herself?"
She pouted.
"Nooo!~ Bad! Bad! I'm tired, Trainer!"
I checked the time… It’s almost 6 PM.
I should get off work.
"Hey, hey, Teio, it's time to go home." I patted her back.
She got off my back. I grabbed my suitcase.
"Hey, Trainer, before you go... Can you rub my ears?"
I turned my gaze towards her, looking at her for a good while.. Ears fine, tail is wagging a bit..
"Sure, Teio."
I moved my hand near her right ear. She closed her eyes and leaned towards me… It’s so soft!! I love it..
“My height only increased by a bit since the Arima Kinen win… Do you think it's bad, Trainer?”
I slowly went towards the inner side of her ear.
“Still the same Teio. A fiery drive to achieve your goals, yet clingy and adorable.”
“Hey! You know I'm the President now, right? Today I discussed with the Director to allocate funds towards expanding Tracen Academy and planning a new training facility dedicated towards Ura trainees, you know??”
I patted her head.
“The model President being helplessly clingy to her trainer, huh…”
“And I'm so tired!~ Can you carry me home?”
“Fine…”
Her face lit up with joy and leaned towards me.
“How about I go to your place too?”
“Huh? What?”
“How would it look if I carried you to my home?? We aren't even datin-”
She put a hand over my chest.
“Don't keep me waiting…”
“Ugh… How would we look in front of others? Wouldn't Tracen's reputation be ruined?”
She looked away and pouted. her tail wagging to the sides.
“I don't think any would be surprised about us dating, y'know?”
She put another hand on my shoulder.
“Besides, wouldn't this be an interesting news story? ‘The Student Council President Tokai Teio and her Trainer are dating?!’ Come on, think about it! We could draw attention to the school!”
“Bad, bad! This is the publicity stunt that would ruin this school's reputation!”
I pulled her ear.
“H-H-Hey! What do you think you are doing!”
Her tail is wagging side to side, pointing up.
“S-Stop it!! Trainer!~”
I pulled a bit more.
“A president must discipline herself!”
She put both of her hands on my shoulder.
“I'm tired! The president needs her trainer!”
I slowly pulled her ears to the side.
“Come on, Teio! You cann-”
“Let me go to your home, please!!~”
Her eyes are wide open and her tail is straight, angling towards me..
I guess so..
“Fine…”
She hopped onto my lap, her tail swaying to the sides strongly.
“Yay!”
I patted her head, then slowly rubbed her hair.
“Come on now… Get off me, and walk with me. No piggyback ride!”
She loosened her grip.
“You act so cruel… Trainer…”
She got off my lap and I noticed her hands were near mine.
I grabbed my suitcase and looked at her face. She looks… sad.
“Teio?”
She looked away from me, then abruptly she grabbed my hand.
“Tokai Teio, the winner of the Trainer Handholding championship!”
She looked away and I noticed her blushing.
“T-The Quadruple Crown winner! Undefeated! Unbeatable! The first crown of the-”
“Ahem. Let’s go..”
She lets go of my hand, and her ears are pointing upwards.
“Let’s eat out together, and then we can go home. I’m too lazy to cook.”
She looked at me, her pupils dilated, before she froze up, her ears pointing down.
“H-Hey! That'd be scandalous!”
I shrugged.
“Like you said, the news… ‘Tokai Teio and Trainer-’”
She slapped my arm.
“Stop it! Stop! Let's go!”
She grabbed my hand again. Seems like she’s into it.
“Let's walk together!”
I nodded. I turned off the light and opened the door, with Teio following.
Outside in the hall, the lights are out and the moonlight shines inside. Her ears curled up.
‘D-Did we overdo it? It’s late…”
I laughed nervously.
“Come on, we both enjoyed it, didn’t we?”
Teio gave an awkward laugh, her tail slowly wagging.
“Yeah…”
“Hauuu~ I’m so tired… Carry me…”
“Actually, let’s not…”
We reached the courtyard. As expected, nobody is there. She looked at me, her ears pointing upwards.
“H-Hey… is this our first date?”
Her tail started to wag quickly, her ears pointed towards the sides.
I tightened my grip.
“If you consider it that..”
She looks away, her ears pointing up, her wagging has more strength and speed to it. How cute…
“Hey, Trainer, let’s go!”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We got out of the gate, but then, she stood still.
“I’m worried…”
She lets go of my hand.
“How would others see us, Trainer?”
I patted her shoulder.
“I don’t think they would be- Actually, yeah, maybe it’s better to keep our face.”
Her ears are curled up, but her tail is still angled towards me.
“Teio, let’s go!”
She froze up on the spot, then she bumped her hand into mine.
“I know a good spot!”
She pointed at a restaurant.
“Here! I know this place is a good one! I love to eat out late!”
“And you gotta pay for the bill! I’m tired! Treat me well, Trainer!”
Her face is blushing red right now. Welp, looks lik-
“Are you even paying attention?”
“Yes, I am! Just gotta consider the bills, and how much I have left!”
She bumped her arm into mine.
“You’re literally the Lead Trainer for the whole Tracen Academy! I doubt you DON’T have enough money.”
I shook my head.
“And, do you think my spending habits are good?”
She bumped into my legs.
“Of course!”
I patted her head softly.
“You still have that much faith in me, huh?”
Her ears curled up.
“And… You think that isn’t the faith you had for me?”
…That time she had her fractures, huh?...
“I think so.”
She grabbed my hand, squeezed it tightly then let go.
“YOU THINK SO?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I mean, you cannot be 100% sure of others, right?”
Her ears curled up. Again.
“...Yeah. But, I can 100% be sure of YOU!”
I gave her a slight laugh.
“Come on, let’s go eat before we go home at 10PM again.”
She also laughed.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
She stopped for a moment, and looked back.
“WE MISSED THE SPOT!”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the restaurant.
It’s a small restaurant with a tubular house design. Half-lit neon sign, and you can see the chef inside the restaurant. Sure looks good.
Teio tightened her grip, squeezed it and pointed at the door.
“You open the door, Trainer!”
I let out an awkward laugh.
“You do it, Teio. You’re supposed to be the President, right?
Her ears curled in, her face even more blush red.
“W-Who cares! Just open it!”
I obliged and opened the door. You can practically taste the food from here.
“Welcome back, young lady. Is that your-”
“I WOULD LIKE TWO ORDERS OF MEDIUM SHRIMP FRIED RICE, AND TWO SODAS!”
She looked at Teio bewilderedly before laughing.
“Oh my, are you in that much of a rush? Take a seat, both of you.”
I laughed awkwardly. God, I’m getting nervous.
“Excuse her. She’s tired right now. Also, no soda. She’s on a diet.”
She waves her hand around.
“It’s fine. Also, are you gonna pay the bill, mister?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
I noticed her gaze at me. Her tail is pointing towards me. I know what she wants.
“Also, I’d like to order a honey tea.”
I could feel her tail brushing against my legs.. She’s happy.
“Let’s take a seat.”
She nodded.
Moments later, we’re at a table.
“Hey… Should we sit together or sit opposite of each other?”
“What do you want?”
She tugged again.
“No, what do YOU want?”
I took a look at her. She’s actually serious.
“Let’s sit opposite..”
Her ears pointed sideways and her wagging slowed down.
“If that’s what you want…” She sighed.
We both sat down.
She’s looking down at the floor. Her ears are curled up, her tail is at rest. She’s still blushing red..
…Hey, her white streak! It’s off to the side!
“Hey Teio.”
She froze up.
“Trainer?”
“Your white streak is off…”
“Eh? Oh shoot!”
She quickly readjusted it with her own hands.
“D-Did it do anything?... Hnnghhh… I’m so nervous…” She bumped my feet.
I smiled and laughed slightly.
“Three fractures and you’re still racing, what is one mistake gonna do?”
She looked at me, her ears pointing up. Her face is even more red than before.
“H-H-Huh?”
She fidgeted with her hair.
“Y-Yeah… you’re right…”
Looking at her like that, flushed red, playing with her hair, all nervous…
“I know what you are thinking right now. This Triple Crown winner cannot handle a first date herself! Come on, Trainer, spare me some slack!”
“Teio. You think I can handle this first date too? Of course not!”
She laughed slightly.
“So what, can this be a Quadruple Crown?”
“Come on, Trainer! Is this one or not? And if it is, can I have an award?~”
I love this side of Teio.. The same attitude that-
“Hey, Trainer, are you listening? Are you enamored in my cuteness?”
?! Right, right, right…
“What do you think? Will you win the race today-”
Wait, did I just default to my trainer mode?
“Why would there be anyone else other than me for your first rank?!”
She seems cool with it.
“Keep your spot then!”
The look on her face, that smile… It does remind me of the time she won the Arima Kinen after a year of not racing.
“I, Teio, would-”
The chef stood at the side of the table.
“Here’s both of your orders. Shrimp fried rice, and honey tea.”
She handed me the honey tea.
“This is for her, right?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. She loves to drink it.”
She crossed her arms, her tail wagging strongly.
“Get another for him!”
The chef laughs.
“Oh my. You two lovebirds might just make my year brighter.”
I gave a nervous laugh. She also gave a nervous laugh.
The chef has a bright smile on her face.
“Another honey tea, coming up!”
…
“Hey Trainer.”
“Yeah, Teio?”
“What do you think, will people react to seeing us together? “Teio and the handsome guy from Tracen are on a date together in a restaurant!” Wouldn’t that be cool?”
Yeah… Wait, did she just call me handsome?
“Teio, what do you mean by that?”
She crossed her arms.
“I said, you’re handsome!”
What to say, what to say…
“You’re cute.”
Her ears went up.
“I’m cute?”
I nodded.
“Teio is cute.”
She started to wag her tail again.
“I haven’t heard that ever…”
I smiled. Her eyes lit up, she looked at me, leaning towards the table. She keeps staring at me, yet she doesn’t say a word. Her ears wiggled.
…
“Here’s your honey tea, for your date!”
She looked at the chef before crossing her arms, focusing her gaze on me.
“Oh my…”
She went away. Teio’s ears are… curled up. Ok… I think my nervousness is.. getting to my head..
I looked at the shrimp fried rice.
“It’s time we dish in, shall we? It’s getting cold.”
“Trainer… Let me sit beside you…”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
Before I knew it, she jumped straight from her seat towards my seat, landing perfectly in the spot. After that, she brought her food and drink over.
“Thank you for the meal, Trainer!” She looked at me, closed her eyes, and smiled. Her ears wiggled. She is so cute..
“You too, Teio.”
We both dug into the meal. Teio seems to love drinking honey tea during her meals. She even does this a lot while I was training her too!
In the midst of eating, Teio asked me.
“Trainer.. How has your job been recently?”
“Just… the same. You still call me your Trainer despite you retiring from racing and me not being your trainer.”
Her tail wiggled and her ears went down.
“You deserve that title.”
She cleared her throat.
“Still the same paperwork for the new facility?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. You proposed it to Akikawa, and then look at me, having to deal with this. She asked if I could help you manage the budget for the facility.”
She laughed slightly.
“Not sorry for that!”
I grabbed a spoonful of my food and put it near her face.
“Then, eat this as an apology.”
“E-Eh?” Her ears wiggled.
“Isn’t this…”
I stared at her, and she seemed… taken aback. I think she-
She just ate that entire spoon! I could barely even handle one, let alone all of it! She has a bright smile on her face and… it looks like she’s happy?
“Stamina up!”
Reminds me of that time I trained her… Heh. What an adorable dork. Constantly eating food, yet always active on the race field… Makes me wonder, is that childlike side of her essential for her to function professionally-
“Trainer, what are you looking at!”
Shoot. I got lost in my train of thought.
“Finish the food! I’m done already!”
“Fine, fine…”
“And give me that honey tea, since you aren’t drinking it!”
“Yeah, that too..”
…
We’re both finished. Teio looked at me.
“So, are you gonna pay the bill?”
I looked at my pocket and grabbed my wallet.
“Yeah, give me a moment.”
I put a hand on Teio’s shoulder and pulled her towards my side.
“T-Trainer?” She looked at me, her ears flopping up and down.
I looked at her, and smiled confidently.
“Maybe let’s do it like the office! 30 more minutes of us doing stuff!”
Teio’s ears curled up. Maybe it’s not a good idea.
“On second thought, how about we just finish up the process and get to my home?”
Her eyes lit up.
“Yes! Fine… Pay the bill, Trainer.”
I got out of my seat and Teio followed.
I paid the woman and she waved at both of us.
“See you, lovebirds!”
“You don’t get to call us that!”
She laughed.
“So what, you don’t fancy him, little miss?”
She looked at the lady.
‘I DO!”
She laughed again.
“What a fiery drive…”
We both went out the door, and for a moment, we stood there, side by side. Teio looked at the night sky, her eyes glittering.
“The stars are beautiful tonight!”
I nodded.
‘Yeah. They are.”
She looked at me.
“You know, Rudolf told me this. The stars in the night skies aren’t the stars of the present, they’re the version of the past.”
She locked arms with me. Great. She’s on her rant again.
“Light takes time to travel, and the stars in the night sky are lightyears apart from us.”
I looked at the sky.
“So what you’re telling me is…”
She looked at me.
“Everything right now is shaped up by what happened before. I’m glad to have you, Trainer.”
…
“Trainer, are you listening?”
It felt like my heart just skipped a beat.
“Trainer!”
I patted her head.
“And the path from the star to us right now is a long and arduous path, and yet it’s here.”
She smiled.
“And the path to now is a long and arduous journey too. Do you think I would even be President if I lost the Arima Kinen then?
Let me think…
“Why did you become President then?”
“You see how I recovered from my injuries and ran after a year of absence? You remember my struggles when I was injured, right?”
“Yes, yes. I remember it. I thought you were gonna run even when you were injured. I was actually surprised to see you swallow your pride and instead let yourself rehabilitate.”
She looked at the ground.
“I knew it was the right thing to do. I wanted to be an undefeated Triple Crown winner, I wanted to be like Rudolf. Needless to say, I didn’t achieve that goal.” She gave a nervous laugh.
I patted her in the back.
“Yet, you achieved something much better. Instead of someone who always wins, you are someone that knows how to win.”
She tugged on my arm, again.
“Yeah. Besides, shouldn’t we walk home?”
“Right. Let’s walk.”
…
The air sure is cold tonight… Teio keeps bumping her hand into mine. I think she wants to hold it, but.. seems like she wants to keep her reputation..
I wonder… Over the years, Teio has matured, but she’s still really childish when she’s with me.
Of course, she knows when to stop. I feel like so much trust is between us tha-
“Hey, President!”
“Hey there!”
She stopped in the middle of the road. She bumped my hand again.
“Teio, what are you doing with that man?”
She laughed nervously and started to twiddle with her hair.
“Oh, just hanging out.”
I looked at the girl and waved at her.
“I’m just escorting her home, alright?”
Teio looked at me, then looked at her.
“Yeah, he’s just escorting me home! He’s a nice man, y’know?”
The girl looked at both of us and laughed.
“Oh… Well, looks like you two finally got it on.”
I could notice Teio’s ears going up. Before she could do anything, the girl ran off.
Teio looked at me, her tails wagging strongly.
“Looks like my cover’s blown… Well, who cares!”
This is gonna cause so much trouble… Teio… you did it.
She grabbed my hand and softly squeezed it. She lets out a small laugh.
“Well, we aren’t too far from your home anyways. I’ve been there before.”
She closed her eyes and leaned towards the side… God, she’s so cute…
“Ahem. Teio, let’s walk again.”
She looked at me, nodded, and leaned onto my arm, gripping my hand tightly. I don’t know what to say… I’m enjoying this moment.
She started to hum, God, she’s so adorable..
…
“We’re here.”
Teio stopped and looked at me.
“At your home?~”
‘Yeah.”
She leaned again.
“Lead me inside then~”
I led her inside my house. As I closed the door, Teio immediately grabbed my arms..
“Trainer… Don’t let me go…”
She grabbed my arm with both of hers, her hold on me is tight!
“I’m so tired too… Too much work today.”
“You did well today, Teio.”
I instinctively moved my arm and she protested.
“No! Don’t move!”
She’s still clinging onto my arm like her life depends on it. Her tail is angled towards me, her ears are curled up. She yawned again.
“And I haven’t taken a bath…”
She gripped onto my arm tighter.
“Can you wash me then?~”
She covered her mouth.
“No, don’t think of anything else, ok? Do you have any clothes I can borrow?”
“Well… you can borrow my shirt.. Any size I have is probably too big for you.”
She pouted.
“I don’t care! I might as well steal your-”
She slapped her mouth again.
“Nope, nope… Keep it down first..”
Heh. Seems like her impulsiveness is getting to her. I patted her head.
“I know you are really impulsive when you are tired.”
She looked at me, and she instantly leans herself into my arm more. I started to rub her hair, and her tail is wagging.
“Trainer, can you prepare the bath?~ I’m so tired…”
I poked her forehead.
“Then let go of my arm!”
“Noo! Do it! Just don’t let go!”
I pulled her ear.
“Then how am I supposed to do it?!”
She yelped in pain.
“Ow, ow, ow! Fine, I’ll let go, but don’t be surprised if I cling more onto you from now on!”
She removed her arms from mine.
“Just do it now… Also, let me use your towel…”
“Yeah. Just… a few minutes.”
Wait, MY TOWEL? Uh oh…
I got up from the couch and prepared the bath. In the midst of it, I see Teio pacing around the couch.
“Trainer, Trainer, Trainer, Trainer…”
What the hell is she doing?
She began running around the couch.
“Trainer!”
I opened the bathroom door.
“Teio!”
She instantly ran towards me,
“Y-Yes? Trainer? Is it done?”
“Yeah. Go in. I’ll get the clothes.”
She looked away, crossing her arms.
“I don’t trust you to get me the right clothes… Can I just take it for myself?”
“That’d mean you’d get into my bedroom, and then you’d just get on my bed and fall asleep.”
Her ears wiggled.
“I’m an adult! You can trust me to do the right thing.”
“So, let me get it. If I can accommodate you when you’re this tired…”
She slapped my chest.
“No! Let me DO IT!”
She grabbed my shirt and ran towards the door.
“I know it’s your bedroom because your smell is in here! I know it, Trainer! Where else could it be?!”
Yeah, classic Teio behavior.
“You’re cute when you’re like this.”
She’s even angrier now.
“Just open the door and let me get the clothes”
“You’re just gonna get on the bed and fall asleep immediately!”
I grabbed her hand.
“No going to bed, Teio!”
Her ears wiggled.
“You cannot stop me!”
“Then I’ll not let you borrow my clothes!”
“Fine…”
I went inside and grabbed my clothes. White shirt, shorts, just good enough for her. As soon as I got in her sight, she looked at my clothes.
“Trainer!”
I handed it to her.
“There.”
She bumped her head into my chest.
“Thank you! Trainer! You’re the best! Yaya!”
She dragged me towards the bathroom door.
“Change me! Remove my clot-”
Wha-
“I did not mean it, ok!?”
I think I knew exactly what she wanted me to do there…
“What are you thinking?! Trainer!!”
I laughed nervously.
“Not right now.”
She pouted and punched my chest.
“Not right now?! Not right now?? Come on, it’s been YEARS! You just kept me waiting!”
“You deserve to feel me, come on!”
She grabbed my wrist and pulled it towards her… Wait, is that-
“Do you like it?”
I looked at her. My hand is on her belly..
“Give me a moment or two…”
I know what she wants.
Her tail started to wag strongly, her ears flopping up and down.
“M-More… More…”
She started being shaky, and she let the clothes fall.
“Teio, you… got too relaxed, didn’t you?”
She looked away, her ears pointing away.
“...That was too far, wasn’t it…”
I handed the clothes over to her, and she went towards the door.
“Trainer… Whatever you do, don’t leave me out, ok?”
I put my hand on my forehead.
“Jeez...”
I went back to the couch.
It’s late, isn’t it? I checked the time on my watch. It’s half past nine..
Did we really just move forward? Throughout these years, we kept a really close and trusted contact, yet we never did go forward in our relationship.. We remained as friends. Well, REALLY close friends.
…Are we officially a couple? We’ve gotten quite closer today and… seems like we’ve crossed the Rubicon. She’s the type to never give up to achieve her goals, and well… She has a goal in her mind now. Twenty-five and still acting like a child… What a girl.
But hey, she trusts me enough to let go of herself around me. It’s cute to see her like this, though…
I wonder if she’ll go too quickly. I think it’s best if we take things slower..
Also, she… stayed at Tracen, and got promoted to the Student Council President, huh.... Good salary, good security, and it’s a natural promotion.
Guess she ran on her own prize money from her races till she got the title. Probably worked a part-time job or two.
All of that… for what? I thought she’d go somewhere else, like-
The door opened.
“Trainer!”
“Yes, Teio?”
“Where is the hair dryer? Can you dry it for me?”
I grabbed the hair dryer from the cabinet and plugged it in.. She looked at me, her eyes pleading.
“Please, dry my hair.. You know the best…”
I shrugged.
“You do it. You’re twenty-five now.”
She stomped the ground so strongly. Thank god it didn’t crack.
She grabbed my shoulder.
“Then what are you doing right now? Are you training me?”
I shrugged.
“I dunno. You tell me.”
A droplet of water falls on the ground from her hair.
“Teio…”
She smiled awkwardly.
“Oopsies!~ I forgot to use the towel!~ How about you do it, Trainer?~”
I grabbed her ear.
“Bad Teio, bad!”
…She’s not responding well. Her tail isn’t wagging… I let my hands go.
“..”
“...Was that payback?”
I shrugged.
“Guess we’re both impulsive.”
She sighed.
“Consider it a payback..”
Then, she whacked her tail on my legs.
“Dry my hair with your towel, now! It’s here!”
She handed the towel over to me.
“...Teio? Aren’t you-”
“...I actually liked it. I don’t know but…”
“I really don’t know.”
I put the towel over her hair and started drying it.
“As always, we’ll figure it out, right?”
Her ears went up.
“Yeah! I trust you to do so!”
I grabbed the nearby hair dryer and turned it on.
“Yeah…”
…What is she trying to say here? Does she trust me, or does she feel uncomfortable but she doesn’t want to show it to me… She trusts me, right?
“Trainer, stop blowing on my ear!”
I turned off the hair dryer.
“Sorry, sorry, I was lost in my train of thought!”
I did it again, didn’t I-
“Jeez… Trainer… Are you that charmed by me? Losing your train of thought to think of me?”
I started the hair dryer again.
“...You do realize I’m worried for you, right?”
Her ears wiggled.
“...Yeah. But you always overthink! You keep saying "I cannot do this, I cannot do that”, yet when I do, I can do it!”
I gave a nervous laugh.
“Natural response to your brattiness.”
Her ears wiggled again.
“Guess that’s fair.”
I grabbed the brush.
“Do you think this can work out?”
She looked towards me from the couch, her ears up.
“Come on, it will work, right?”
I got near her and started brushing her hair.
“I don’t know…”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?” Teio shouted.
“Jeez, calm down, this is why I’m overthinking!”
“Hnngghh..” She crossed her arms.
“Just brush my hair!”
…
Time passes.
Her hair is… kinda fluffy?
Does my shampoo do that for her?
I think she looks good with this hair. It’s adorable. I like it.
Maybe she should use it more.
Teio looked at me.
“So, what do you think? Am I beautiful? Cute? Or…”
“Exactly to my liking.”
She smiled.
“Of course…”
She touched my shoulder.
“Hey, from what I’ve seen, conflicts tend to spice up a relationship! So, why don’t we have a go at that. It’ll be fun!”
What does Teio mean by this?!
“Like, like, the female character stirs up trouble by doing some stuff like… asking for a lot of money, or to give her this, give her that, or… like…”
“Bleugh!! I am not doing that! I am not doing that at all! Begone, dirty thoughts! Begone!”
Oh Teio… Are you testing me?
“How much of these romcoms have you watched?”
Her face went red and her ears curled up.
“Probably more than I can remember. It’s just…”
…
An awkward moment of silence…
…
“Let’s talk about it while we’re in bed.”
I sighed.
“Want to listen to some music?”
Her eyes lit up.
“I know what you like. Come on, play it! Tell me I’m right!”
I went towards the cabinet and opened up the drawer. I dug through the layers of drives, till I saw “stay with me” in shoddy handwriting, written with a black marker.
I opened the player and put the disk in. The song played.
“To you…”
Teio laughed.
“EXACTLY!”
I turned my gaze towards her.
“You kept hearing that in my office, didn’t you?”
She sat up from the couch and went towards me.
“Yes, my love, to you…”
She crossed her arms behind her back and went near my face.
“Don’t lie, you also felt the same way I did!”
I put a hand over my forehead.
God, she knows. She knows it.
“Yeah…”
She grabbed both of my arms.
“Guess we’re both the same in our ways of coping, huh…”
I uncovered my face, and- ?!
“Teio, why are you so goddamn adorable?”
“Huh?”
Her ears wiggled, then her tail started to wag really fast.
“So you admit it, huh…”
No point in holding back now…
“Trainer, what are you-”
“E-Eh? Trainer?? What do you want to-”
“Why are you opening the door to the bedroom? Hey, Trainer! Hey!!”
I dragged her inside.
“Let’s do it.”
She blushed.
“E-Eh? What do you mean?”
I gave her a smug smile and she became more red.
“Trainer?! Right now?!!?”
I squeezed her hands.
“What do you think I mean?”
She froze up, her ears pointing up. Her tail wiggled once, and then after a moment, it started to wag strongly.
“To bed, right? Cuddle??? Right?!?”
I nodded.
“You’re correct.”
She took a deep breath and then leaned in towards me.
“Before bed…”
The disk popped out, the song stopped.
Her ears went down.
“Just as it got good…”
I took a good look at Teio. White shirt, shorts, hair out without a tie, and… looks like she’s developing her winter coat. I instinctively smelled her. She smells just exactly like her.
“Trainer???” She looked at me, flushed red.
“Teio?”
“Trainer…”
Her eyes are half-closed and she's wiggling her ears.
“Trainer… Let's sleep.. I'm so tired!!”
She jumped up and landed on me.
“Bed, now!”
I grabbed her hands and pulled it towards me.
“You really do look cute in my clothes.”
She wags her tail even faster.
She looked at me, like she wanted to speak, but she couldn't.
She closed her eyes and buried herself in my chest.
I patted her head and gently pushed her inside.
“Teio..”
Her ears pointed up, but she gripped me harder.
“Teio… Do you actually like this?”
Her tail stopped for a moment before it kept going, even stronger than before. Guess she is in a trance right now.
“Teio, it's time we get to bed, right?”
She gripped stronger and she lifted herself up, attaching herself to my shoulders. I instinctively carried her, one hand on the back, one hand on her legs.
She looked at me and she closed her eyes.
“I won…”
Her ears wiggled and she let out a soft yawn.
“I've been wanting this for sooo long… You are slow to realize at times…”
“So what? Do you feel like it's too late?”
Her tail stopped and her ears curled up.
“It's not too late… isn't it? I hope it isn't..”
Her ears wiggled again.
“Also, for the ear stuff… Just, don’t pull it too strongly when I’m not ok with it, alright? You can do it whenever you want, just decrease the strength!”
I nodded.
“Yeah, got it.”
I gently placed her on the bed and covered her in my blanket.
Tears formed in her eyes.
“Trainer.. do you really sleep like this every night?”
“Yeah. What is the mat-”
She grabbed my arm.
“Every night, I sleep while snuggling a big, 186cm tall blanket!”
She covered her face with my pillow, and… her tail is wiggling.
I moved myself near her and proceeded to put a hand on her head. Her ears pointed up, but I saw no other signs..
I whispered to her.
“Teio…”
I heard a whimper from her. She’s in the middle of something right now, huh?...
…
I wonder how lonely she is. There’s always a weight that I feel whenever I’m home. Does she feel the same way?
These moments with her…
The same Teio on the inside…
The cool president on the outside…
I inserted myself into the blanket. As I touched her back, her body shook and her tail went in between my legs. Teio uncovered herself, and she looked at me, her face full of tears.
“Trainer… Don’t keep me waiting again, ok?”
I put my hand on her face.
“It’s alright, Teio..”
I moved her head towards me and instinctively kissed her forehead. She shoved herself into me and she took a deep breath…
“mmm… warm… don’t let go… trainer…”
Her mumbling is so cute, it’s…
“trainer.. your heart… it’s beating quicker…”
I put my hand behind her head.
“trainer… i love you…”
“Love you too, Teio.”
Wait did I just- I just instinctively confessed in front of her! Well… no going back now, I suppose.
“mmm..”
Teio looked up at me, her eyes half-closed.
“give me a kiss…”
She shuffled up the blanket and her face was in front of me. I kissed her on the lips and backed away.
Her face is of frustration, but it seems like she wants me to guess it… She keeps staring at me.
“trainer!~”
I pulled her in and gave her another kiss, this time, I’m not backing away.
…
…
We both pulled away.
Teio has a smile on her face.
“yay…”
She closed her eyes and nuzzled her head on my shoulder. She raised her leg up and locked it in with me.
Welp. I’m stuck. I’m stuck.. I cannot get out of this bed.
I gave her another forehead kiss.
She pressed herself on me.
?!
Maybe we both should just sleep.. I got my hand on her ear, and it moved towards mine. I started rubbing it.
…
All this time, all the loneliness I’ve felt… It just dissipated.
It is gone. The weight is gone. Is this what heaven feels like? To cuddle, to be at peace, to… feel safe, and wanted…
The clock ticks…
Good night, Teio.