Only when standing beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris did one truly feel the weight of this monument's long history—and the sheer awe it still inspired after all the years it had weathered.
Shinji glanced at the little shops below the tower. Behind him, Offside Trap was staring up at the top with naked admiration, clearly eager to go up already, but Shinji still pointed at the nearby stalls first.
"Want anything to eat? It'll be a little cold up there…"
When it got cold, people often ended up wanting something warm in their stomachs. Shinji was thorough like that, which made Shijiaji pout a little.
When she thought back to going out with her own trainer, Feiber had never been this considerate. Half the time he didn't bother with anything at all, and if he forgot something, he'd end up borrowing it from her or Master Painter instead. Shijiaji had always had complaints about that.
And now, with this comparison right in front of her, her dissatisfaction with Feiber only deepened.
"I'm fine. What about you, Shijiaji? Want anything?"
"Me?"
Being asked so suddenly, she froze for a moment, then trotted off toward the stalls.
She was supposed to be the host here. Technically, she should have been the one asking that question in the first place.
In that sense, she and Feiber really weren't so different after all. If Master Painter had been here, she definitely would have mocked her for it.
By the time she came back, she had picked up several loaves of bread and some hot food. She gave them a little shake in her hands, which immediately brought a brighter smile to Offside Trap's face.
Her friend really was adorable. Sometimes just her expressions alone were enough to make Offside Trap laugh.
"Isn't that Shijiaji?"
"And the one next to her looks like Offside Trap too… if I'm not mistaken."
Voices rose from nearby, though no one rushed over, so Shinji paid them little mind. What did surprise him, however, was just how popular Offside Trap seemed to be in France. He hadn't expected so many French people to recognize her—or for so many of them to sound like fans.
Shijiaji caught the look on his face and immediately flashed a smug grin.
"Little Yue is really well recognized over here."
Though he wasn't entirely sure why Shijiaji looked so proud about Offside Trap being popular, Shinji still gave her an expression that plainly said, Go on, explain.
"Since Little Yue's main target for the second half of the year is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a lot of racing fans over here are really worried about her. Even though she still hasn't proved herself in Europe yet, they're worried that with how ridiculously stacked our side's lineup is, they could still lose."
That much was true.
This year's French Arc field was absolutely loaded. Not even counting Shijiaji herself and Dorémi from the student council, even Master Painter might run again.
And Shinji already knew that France had produced a new prodigy this year as well. Though he had yet to meet her, all reports said she was extraordinarily strong—strong enough to have a real chance of challenging the older horse girls in the Arc while still in her Classic year.
Classic-year runners held a real advantage in that race.
Still, Shinji didn't care.
He firmly believed that by the time the race came around, Offside Trap would be the strongest of them all.
His gaze shifted toward the elevator nearby, and he led the now-thoroughly-impatient Offside Trap over.
Tilting his head back to look up at the tower, Shinji suddenly felt like teasing her a little.
"It would've been nice if Halo and Brian were here too."
A pulse of jealousy rose immediately from Offside Trap.
"So just bringing me isn't enough fun for you now?"
Her tone was sour enough that Shinji could already see how this was going to go.
Shijiaji, meanwhile, stood off to the side with the detached expression of someone who had just found free entertainment. If only Master Painter were here too, she thought, then watching this would've been even more fun.
"Come on," Shinji said. "I was thinking Brian could use the trip to unwind a little from all that student council work. And Halo… well, she'd definitely like a place like this. Historic landmarks, old architecture, all that. It might help her relax."
But that wasn't what Offside Trap wanted to hear at all.
Say that it's only fun because I'm here. Was that really so hard?
Another wave of frustration flared up in her chest.
No matter how reasonable Shinji sounded, it didn't change the fact that this wasn't the answer she wanted.
The elevator finally arrived.
Shinji lightly touched her shoulder, only to have her shrug him off at once. Her face was still tinged with annoyance, but beneath that was something much more embarrassing: the fear that maybe she had made her feelings too obvious, and yet somehow her trainer still wasn't responding to them.
It left her with a faint, miserable insecurity—like maybe the bond she thought they had wasn't as deep as she had believed.
"Alright…"
His voice suddenly brushed against her ear. It tickled so much that one of her ears reflexively slapped against his face. The fluffy touch made her flush even harder, while Shinji, annoyingly enough, looked oddly pleased.
"Pervert," Shijiaji muttered.
Shinji ignored her.
"I was teasing you," he said quietly. "If I'd really wanted to bring them, I would've. The fact that I only brought you to Europe with me should already tell you what I think."
Offside Trap's eyes trembled.
Shinji stepped out of the elevator first, but she hurried after him almost at once.
Shijiaji could only shake her head again and follow.
She watched as Offside Trap wrapped herself around her trainer, then walked right up beside them.
"Actually, there are some little rooms on our side that a lot of the horse girls don't know about," she said. "Little Yue, you could make very good use of them."
"Hm?"
Both Offside Trap and Shinji turned to her at once, baffled.
Wearing a wicked grin, Shijiaji leaned close to whisper in Offside Trap's ear.
Shinji watched Offside Trap's expression shift from delight, to shock, to outright disgust, before finally settling into something much more complicated—a mix of hesitation and a tiny, unmistakable spark of anticipation.
Shinji suddenly had a bad feeling.
Still, he forced himself to ask, "So what kind of rooms are they?"
"Nothing much~"
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 155)
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 (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
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 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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