Her foot having been kicked away, Tokai Teio let out a pained and annoyed cry.
"Sky!"
"Trainer had something dirty on him. I was just helping him clean up." Seiun Sky looked completely unrepentant.
A vein popped on Teio's forehead. She glanced at Luo Cheng, then forced a smile. "How 'thoughtful' of you. I specifically chose a place far away from Tracen. How could I possibly run into you in a city this big? There are dozens of restaurants nearby."
"Maybe because the Trainer and I have a special connection." Sky ate a fry and handed one to Luo Cheng. "Savor it, Trainer. It has Sei-chan's flavor on it."
"Got it. I'll savor it well."
"Hehe. Actually, you can just 'eat' Sei-chan directly. Want to know what Sei-chan tastes like?"
"Dandelions."
"?"
Watching their interaction, Teio's anger simmered. She picked up the milk tea the manager had given them. "Trainer, it's time to drink the 'Couple's' milk tea the manager gave us." She put a heavy emphasis on the word "Couple."
"Teio, actually, you and Sky..."
"You'll eat Sky's food but you won't drink with me?" Teio's cute face held a bone-chilling smile. She was a little filly, but she exuded a terrifying aura that made it clear a wrong answer would lead to him being eaten alive. Luo Cheng had intended to say "you are both my wings," but one look from Teio made him swallow the words. Now he only had half a wing.
He leaned in and bit the straw.
Here was a question: If he died here, would he be truly dead, or would he just "respawn"?
On his sixtieth day in the game world, Luo Cheng had thought about dying. The monotonous life, the crushing loneliness, the feeling that he was the only person in a world of puppets... like Truman, he searched for the truth. But he wasn't a movie protagonist; he couldn't find it.
When he was at his lowest, Teio had suddenly appeared and pulled him back. Her immense strength had yanked his despondent self away from the window, and she had taken him to the infirmary. Once he was better, she had left automatically.
It seemed his mental breakdown had triggered some sort of protection mechanism in the horse girls, preventing him from jumping. Teio's actions had snapped him out of it. Being alone made one overthink; silence bred madness. He needed to communicate. Humans must communicate.
It proved the saying: a human is the sum of their social relations. If one is isolated from the world and has no interaction with others, one cannot be called a "human." So, Luo Cheng had found Cafe to be his listener, pouring all his bitterness into her ears. He would search for a chance for change in this vibrant yet deathly still world.
As they drank, Sky called out, "Waitress, another Couple's drink for us, please."
"Certainly... eh?" The waitress looked at Teio, then at Sky, and finally at Luo Cheng. "One moment..."
"Sky, you're doing this on purpose!"
"This is a restaurant. It's normal to order milk tea. Of course, I could also just drink the Trainer's."
Teio grit her teeth but could do nothing. The Trainer wouldn't let her kick Sky out. Her perfect date had been ruined by Seiun Sky!
Sky stayed with them the rest of the day; they couldn't shake her. What was more infuriating was that the Trainer had no intention of shaking her off. If she offered herself for a pat, he gave her one.
Do you have no sense of belonging to me? My Trainer shouldn't be smelling like anyone else! Teio bit her nails.
When they finally parted, Luo Cheng remembered something. "Right, Teio. The debut race is next week, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck. I'll be there to watch you crush the competition."
Luo Cheng didn't want to ruin Teio during his time without the system. His goal was to beat the game—a URA victory. Of course, he wasn't sure which scenario he was in; the final race might be the hellish L'Arc de Triomphe. If that was the case, training would be difficult. If he lost, the game might crash, and he'd be trapped in the game world forever.
He patted Teio's head, told her to rest early, and headed back. Teio watched him go. That last sentence had set her off.
You clearly care about me so much, so why were you being so flirtatious with Seiun Sky?! It's my race! Why are you paying attention to others? Teio decided to demand an explanation tonight.
Back at the dorm, Luo Cheng undressed. Since coming to this world, he had either been playing around or feeling melancholic. He'd never just lived a normal life. Only now did he realize that the water temperature in the bathtub was adjustable.
After a comfortable soak, he put on a robe and sat in the living room watching TV. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. A middle-aged man with a bit of stubble asked if he wanted to play cards. During his time as a Trainer, he'd met a few colleagues on the same floor. This man was Yagyuu Youkei, whom everyone called "Brother Yagyuu." He was a kind senior who liked looking after his juniors. He was married and had two kids.
He showed Luo Cheng photos and videos of his children, but at the time, Luo Cheng only had one thought. So that's your character setting. He no longer saw people as people, but as game settings. He was already far from normal.
After playing cards for a few hours, Luo Cheng returned to his room. He'd missed the feeling of a university dorm. He wondered if his old roommates would be jealous of his situation. If you had the chance, would you want to come to a world like this?
With that question in mind, he undressed, turned off the lights, and climbed into bed. Just then, he felt a weight on him, followed by a pair of soft feet stepping on his face. Opening his eyes, he saw Tokai Teio riding on top of him with a mischievous grin.
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Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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