It was the first time Luo Cheng had seen Cafe take the initiative to kiss him. Her fair face was flushed a beautiful vermillion.
"Trainer, I have been accompanied by ghosts since I was a child. No one knows what the world looks like through my eyes. Perhaps when I speak to them, others think I am a freak talking to myself. You are the same. Your world is different from others. You see things we do not, and you understand things we cannot. This might last a lifetime. But regardless, I hope you can live according to your own ideas."
My own ideas. What were they? As a player... to beat this game?
He thought of the Trainer's Handbook, which recorded many races. If I successfully raise every character in that book, will I 'clear' the game? He craved communication. He had given up on himself more than once; a hundred days of solitude had exhausted him. This was no way to live. If this continued, he wouldn't just be using the girls as pillows; he might lose the last of his humanity. He liked them, and he liked holding them, but he couldn't bring himself to actually hurt them. That was his line.
He didn't know how long he could hold that line, so if there was a chance for change, he had to take it. He would raise every girl in that handbook—that was the goal he set for himself.
Feeling the softness of Cafe's thighs, Luo Cheng gradually relaxed. Cafe really did have a mysterious magic; talking to her made him feel peaceful. Even just her sitting there in silence calmed his restless heart. All the words he bottled up during the day were saved for Cafe at night. Like a castaway carving a friend out of wood to talk to, he didn't need wood—he had Cafe. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly talkative, he would just sleep outside with her.
"Trainer, you are not alone." Slender fingers stroked Luo Cheng's furrowed brow.
Is she comforting me? Unfortunately, there was no sense of "youthful romance" between them. It was a bond built purely on touch to raise affection. Love didn't exist here—who could fall in love with a doll they couldn't communicate with? If it was just about looks, that wasn't love; it was lust. And Luo Cheng was definitely lusting after her.
He knew his self-control wasn't that strong. Holding onto his one "line" was enough. He didn't want to think about anything else. Clutching Cafe's soft black tail, he breathed in its pleasant coffee scent. Lying on her lap, he eventually drifted off to sleep.
The girl stroked his head. Her Trainer was strange. He said he wasn't from this world, that everyone was a doll, and that he was the only living soul here. Every night, he told her these things. Cafe felt he was completely out of place in this world.
She couldn't leave him alone. Not only because their time together had made him a part of her life, but because she had become infatuated with this person who shared her "affliction." Just as he felt alone, Cafe sometimes felt like she was the only "awake" person in the world. She saw, touched, and spoke to ghosts—an anomaly in everyone's eyes. This had left her standing in the crack between two worlds, the living and the dead. Consequently, she had more ghost friends than real ones.
The Trainer was the same, living in a crack between worlds, though his situation seemed even more unique and complex. Otherwise, he wouldn't ask her "Cafe, can you hear me?" over and over again. Perhaps at those moments, he was already in another world, and she had become the "doll" he spoke of.
The thought made Cafe sad. She knew how terrifying loneliness was—how people looked at her and said, "Cafe, you're so weird." Even if she didn't care much for others' opinions, those words still hurt. The Trainer was in that state now. If she had survived that period thanks to her ghost friends, who did the Trainer have?
Aside from her, no one understood him. She was the only one who could offer him salvation.
Cafe lifted the man. For a horse girl, carrying a 180cm adult was no different than carrying a baby; they could barely feel the weight. Carrying him like that, she went to the Trainer's dorm. She knew he had a habit of leaving a key on top of the doorframe; she'd seen him do it before.
Seen him... strange. Have I been here before? Her memory was fuzzy. she felt like she knew the place but couldn't quite remember.
Back in the room, Cafe laid him on the bed. She caught her breath and looked at his clothes. Sleeping in clothes must be uncomfortable. Since he was so tired, she'd make him more comfortable. With that thought, she propped up his body and removed his shirt, then his trousers.
As her fingers brushed over his powerful thighs and she looked at his well-proportioned frame, Cafe couldn't help but swallow. Although humans could never surpass horse girls no matter how much they trained, his defined physique still made her heart flutter. Especially since, under her touch, the man showed his "hidden side." It was... quite impressive.
No, no, I shouldn't look anymore! Her heart hammered, and her head felt heavy. Cafe suddenly pulled the blanket over him and turned away, trying to calm her heart, but the more she tried, the faster it beat. Looking at the sleeping man, her body grew hotter, as if a switch had been flipped. Her golden eyes changed, and a red heart pulsed within them.
[Affection: 100]
A screen flashed in the man's mind for a split second.
"Trainer..." We are each other's salvation. So, even if we become a little more intimate... it should be okay, right?
Her eyes held nothing else. Cafe slowly climbed onto the bed and began to undress.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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