"Eh?"
At first, Tokai Teio had only been chasing after the scent of the president. But as she ran, the figure of a person in black gradually appeared before her eyes.
The black-clad figure had not appeared out of nowhere. They had been there the whole time—Teio simply had not noticed them before.
And the president's scent was coming from them!
For a split second, Tokai Teio thought the figure might actually be Symboli Rudolf herself. But the horse girl she admired most could never run this slowly, so Teio immediately dismissed the idea.
"Could it be... a thief?"
That would explain why this person smelled like the president. They must have stolen some intimate belonging from President Rudolf. A total pervert!
To dare steal something from the president she respected more than anyone—
Unforgivable!
But alongside her anger, Teio also felt a flicker of anticipation.
"If I can help President get her stuff back, she'll definitely praise me, right?"
Tokai Teio was super into President Rudolf. Since childhood, she had been one of Rudolf's most devoted fangirls, dreaming that one day she too would become a horse girl admired by everyone, just like her.
Because of that, after enrolling at Tracen Academy, Teio would often find excuses to visit the student council office and chat with Rudolf. Even if she just stood quietly by the side and watched the president work, it made her incredibly happy.
Rudolf also cared a great deal for Tokai Teio. Although she could be strict at times, she paid close attention to Teio, treating her with the kind of fondness an old father might show his own child.
Still, no matter how close they were, Tokai Teio could not stick to Rudolf every second of every day. Doing that would seriously interfere with the president's work.
So if Teio wanted to visit Rudolf again, she needed a proper reason. Something flimsy like "President energy levels are low and need replenishing" absolutely would not cut it.
It had to be a legitimate excuse.
And right now, was not one standing in front of her...?
"Thief."
Tokai Teio's eyes lit up.
If she caught this thief, she would get to see the president again. Better yet, if she recovered Rudolf's stolen item, she would definitely be praised!
"Hehe."
Looking at the black-clad figure's back, Tokai Teio smiled.
"...Hm?"
Tang Han suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine, and his whole body shuddered.
What the hell?!
Why do I suddenly feel like something terrible is about to happen to me?!
"Thief! Don't run!"
Just as Tokai Teio was about to solve the problem with a flying kick, Tang Han abruptly stopped running.
"...Ghk..."
Tang Han had completely run out of stamina. Bracing his hands on his knees, he panted out blasts of scorching breath.
Can't outrun her. Not running anymore. Guts is a stat not even a dog would take.
"Eh? Eh?!"
Tokai Teio had absolutely not expected that the person who had been desperately sprinting away a moment ago would suddenly slam on the brakes. She had already started accelerating into her flying kick, and now she could not stop in time!
"Danger, danger!"
Unable to halt before crashing straight into Tang Han, Tokai Teio could only throw out both hands and plant them on his back.
Whoosh!
Like vaulting over a gym horse, Tokai Teio sprang right over Tang Han. The honey drink in her hand splashed all over the Doctor's Outfit.
"Uwah—"
Tang Han staggered from being used as a launchpad.
After landing, Tokai Teio ran a few more steps to bleed off her speed before finally coming to a stop.
Puffing out her cheeks, she complained, "Mou~ that was really dangerous just now! If the invincible Tokai Teio hadn't been so clever, crashing into you would have hurt a lot!"
Then she noticed her honey drink had spilled everywhere, which put her in an even worse mood.
"My honey special... o(╥﹏╥)o"
Tokai Teio was just about to scold Tang Han when what he did next left her staring blankly.
Tang Han dropped to his knees and respectfully held out a photograph with both hands.
"Huff... hello... Miss Tokai Teio... I'm also... a fan... of the Emperor... Symboli Rudolf... huff... this is my greeting gift... let's cheer... for President Rudolf... together..."
Tang Han was gasping so hard he looked like he might die of exhaustion at any second.
"Eh? You know who I am?" Tokai Teio tilted her head adorably.
And why has Mr. or Ms. Thief suddenly gone full dogeza?
"..."
The truth was, Tang Han had not intended to kneel. But his legs were already completely numb from exhaustion, and after Tokai Teio had planted her hands on his back, he had simply collapsed into the position.
Tokai Teio stepped closer and looked down at the photo in his hands.
"Ehhhhh?!"
The moment she saw who was in the picture, her eyes lit up.
"This is President's swimsuit photo!"
And it was so clear, so vivid, it looked almost as though the real Symboli Rudolf had been sealed inside the photograph itself.
If Teio had not seen Rudolf in person just an hour ago, she might have genuinely believed the president had been trapped by some evil dark magic.
A photo set this exquisite would fetch an astronomical price at auction.
Of course, Tokai Teio would never sell it.
She would sooner treat it as a family heirloom.
But then... how did Mr. or Ms. Thief get hold of a photo set of President Rudolf?
"Staaare—"
A hint of danger crept into Tokai Teio's gaze as she looked at Tang Han.
"Wait."
Then she remembered what Tang Han had just said.
Had Mr. or Ms. Thief not claimed to be a fan of the president too?
Tokai Teio asked, "You just said... you're also a fan of President Rudolf?"
Tang Han nodded.
"Yes."
"And this photo...?"
"Oh, since the two of us are both fans of the Emperor, this is a gift for our first meeting."
Tang Han raised the photo slightly, indicating for Tokai Teio to take it.
"Arigatou~"
Tokai Teio accepted the photo, her tail wagging happily. The sorrow of losing her honey drink was instantly thrown beyond the horizon.
President... hehe... President...
Her mood shot straight up to Perfect Condition!
"Then why were you running just now? I thought you were a thief," Tokai Teio asked.
Tang Han made up an excuse on the spot.
"I was exercising. I just happened to run into you when I stopped, so I figured I'd give you a greeting gift while I was at it."
"I see."
Tokai Teio did not think too deeply about it.
"But if you want to run, please use the training field. Running around campus is against school rules, you know."
"My mistake."
"Hehe. Since you've admitted your fault so sincerely, I, Teio-sama, won't report you. But..."
Her tone shifted.
"Your outfit is way too weird. You don't look like a horse girl from the school, and you don't look like a trainer either. So who exactly are you?"
"..."
Tang Han hesitated over whether he should tell her.
If he did, then exposing his identity might cause Tokai Teio to latch onto him.
But if he refused, she might call someone to seize him, which would mean even more horse girls learning who he was—which sounded even more dangerous.
So in the end, Tang Han had no choice but to answer.
"I'm actually a new trainee trainer."
He showed Tokai Teio his ID card, deliberately covering the upper-left corner with his fingers so she could not see his name.
"Ohhh, so you're a trainer."
Tokai Teio immediately relaxed, completely dropping her guard.
"Sorry... for suspecting you just now..."
Tang Han stood up as casually as he could and waved it off.
"It's fine."
"Um... may I ask what your name is, Trainer?"
"Ah... well... my name is Hokuto Seiji!" Tang Han blurted out at random.
"Hokuto Seiji? Then you're a boy?"
Tokai Teio truly could not tell Tang Han's gender. His voice sounded neither distinctly male nor female, and the way he referred to himself was gender-neutral as well.
Tang Han nodded, then shook his head.
"Maybe yes, maybe no."
A question mark practically popped up above Tokai Teio's head.
"Hm?"
What kind of answer was maybe yes, maybe no?
Tang Han did not explain.
Because if he wanted to keep himself hidden, then naturally the less information he exposed, the better.
Everybody knew feelings were something people talked into existence.
If he kept chatting with Tokai Teio, he feared not only that she would dig up all his personal details, but that the bond between them would also start growing for no reason.
And if that happened, the Teio Basement would not be far off.
So, ignoring the puzzled look on Tokai Teio's face, Tang Han turned and left at once.
"I still have things to do. Let's chat again next time."
"Wait, Trainer, let's add each other as friends."
Seeing that Tang Han was leaving, Tokai Teio pulled out her phone.
Tracen Academy had an official forum. Both horse girls and trainers had accounts there. They could post threads, and they could also add each other as friends and chat online.
Up until now, Tokai Teio had never added a trainer as a friend, because she believed the relationship between a trainer and a horse girl was supposed to be like that of husband and wife—you could not just add people casually. Otherwise, it would be no different from flirting around.
Well... those ideas came from older horse girls she had learned from.
Even though most of those seniors had eventually disappeared together with their trainers, the spirit they left behind continued to influence the younger students at the academy.
But Tang Han was different.
After all, he was also a fan of President Rudolf, just like her, and he had even gifted her such a precious photo set of the president.
So for today, Tokai Teio was willing to make an exception and take the initiative to add him as a friend.
That way, the two of them could talk about President Rudolf online anytime they wanted.
Just imagining it made her excited.
"Let's skip that. I didn't bring my phone today," Tang Han said without looking back.
"But then... how am I supposed to find you later?"
"Remember this: my name is Hokuto Seiji, and I'm a Japanese girl. Search under those conditions and you'll find me."
"Hokuto Seiji... Miss... mhm, I'll remember it!"
Tang Han did not reply again.
His objective had already been accomplished.
He turned the corner and disappeared from Tokai Teio's sight.
Watching the direction he had gone, Tokai Teio tilted her head adorably.
"Miss Hokuto Seiji seems kind of shy. I wanted to talk with her more about the president, though."
"And also... her physical condition... isn't it a little too bad...?"
"Or are human bodies just all like that...?"
It seemed Tokai Teio had just learned something she really was not supposed to know.
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 115)
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 (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
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 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
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