"Trainer, how are my results?"
As the debut race drew nearer, the training requirements became more demanding. Luo Cheng hadn't been idle during this period; outside of training, he put all his energy into studying training theory. His brain, which had gone dormant during university, was slowly turning again, sprinting toward the peak efficiency he'd had in high school. Back then, learning this stuff would have been a breeze, but now he was on a downward slope.
However, through his own knowledge and the experience accumulated in the game world, Tokai Teio's results were getting better and better. Today's time was 0.2 seconds faster than yesterday's.
Luo Cheng nodded. "Good. Maintain this pace."
According to the Trainer's Handbook, if a horse girl's condition was "unwell" or "average," the training intensity should be lowered. Before a race, training time should also be reduced to ensure they had enough stamina. Luo Cheng understood the latter, but the former... he squinted, looking at Teio's face.
What did "average condition" even look like? In the game, he could tell by their expressions and ears. But here, Teio was always bursting with energy. Was she in "Perfect" or just "Good" condition?
"Trainer? What is it? Are you dazed from looking at my face?" Teio stood with her hands on her hips, looking proud. "Normally, people don't get the chance to admire my heroic posture, but since you're the Trainer, I'll grant you a special privilege. Look as much as you want. But you have to reward me afterward, you hear me?"
Looking at the child-like Teio, Luo Cheng couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair. In terms of personality, she really was a kid. It was that personality that made her so likable. If she had been there to keep him company in the game world, Luo Cheng never would have ended up like this. Even so, as the only "obedient" horse girl, Teio remained his only solace in that world, and the heart above her head was even redder than the others.
"The rewards will be great. Didn't I promise to take you out this weekend? I'll play with you then."
"Hooray!" Teio grinned as Seiun Sky drifted over.
"Trainer~" she called out, tilting her head toward him.
Does that mean 'pet me'? Fine. He loved patting the "big cat's" head. Unlike Teio's smooth hair, Sky's was as soft as cotton, with a faint, pleasant scent. Why else would Sky be the ultimate body pillow? If you were with her, there was no such thing as not being able to sleep.
"Hehe~" Sky let out a light laugh. Beside her, Teio's eyes instantly lost their light.
"Sky-chan, that's so mean... coming over just when Trainer was rewarding me..."
"What's wrong with it? He's my Trainer too."
Every time she heard that, Teio felt a surge of anger. The Trainer belonged to her—her alone! Then, for some reason, he had signed a contract with Seiun Sky. That wretched home-wrecker!
It had happened several times now; Teio would find the Trainer lying with Seiun Sky. Over time, she had developed a sixth sense for it. Whenever her heart started racing, it meant the Trainer was lying next to Sky somewhere. Following that feeling, Teio would hunt them down.
If you want to sleep that badly, let me be the one you sleep with! My body is softer and more comfortable than hers! There's no reason for Trainer not to like me!
Gloomily watching the Trainer pat both her and Sky at the same time, Teio pouted. At the very least, she was going to make him compensate her fully over the weekend.
After a good petting session, Luo Cheng cleared his throat and sent the two head-rubbing girls back to training. His goal was to beat this game; he couldn't afford to be lazy. He wouldn't allow things like late nights, lack of sleep, or skipping classes—the things that made a Trainer's blood pressure spike—to happen.
Elsewhere, in a dim room, Cafe sat before a brownish-haired girl. The girl was a celebrity in Tracen, known as the "Research Maniac," Agnes Tachyon. She did nothing else but hide in her lab and conduct experiments.
To uncover the mysteries of the Uma Musume, she frequently slipped her experimental results to others, turning them into her guinea pigs. Her abrasive personality naturally made people keep their distance. If one had to name her good points, there were two: first, as a horse girl, she was incredibly talented, showing shocking strength in her rare training sessions. Second, she was beautiful, with a well-proportioned figure and rounded, pale legs under her short skirt. Perhaps because she spent so much time out of the sun in her lab, her skin was even whiter than the others, giving her a sort of sickly beauty.
Whenever Luo Cheng visited Cafe's room, he would pass by Tachyon's. The two lived in the same suite, separated by a curtain. Because Tachyon frequently caused trouble, the Student Council had appointed Cafe as her supervisor to prevent her from harming others.
Cafe hated Agnes Tachyon. It was one thing for her to mess with others, but she didn't even spare the Trainer. Every time Cafe came to the room, she saw Tachyon forcing strange medicines down Luo Cheng's throat. She always claimed they were harmless, but the colors alone suggested otherwise.
But today, Cafe had come to Agnes Tachyon to ask for a favor.
"The Trainer said it again."
"Said what?"
"He said this world is a game. That we are all fake—that we are games, dolls, NPCs that have simply gained self-awareness."
"Hoh..." Agnes Tachyon swirled a vial of medicine in her hand.
"We should take him to a psychiatrist. If this continues, I'm afraid the Trainer will only get worse."
Cafe had been in a similar state once. If it hadn't been for the friend who stayed by her side and helped her out of the darkness, Cafe might have suffered a mental breakdown too. She wanted to help the Trainer, but she was a poor speaker and didn't know how to comfort him. She was a good listener, but a poor advisor. In that regard, the ill-mannered Tachyon was far superior.
"A psychiatrist isn't out of the question. Based on his symptoms, my 'Guinea Pig' might be suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Or perhaps, as you say, he is wandering between two worlds and cannot tell them apart. If a game world controlled by a system really exists, I'd love to see it. If I met the 'doll' version of my Guinea Pig, I could do whatever I wanted to him, couldn't I?"
"Tachyon, I am being serious." Cafe frowned.
"Tell him to come to my room," Tachyon said. "I'll act as his psychiatrist and see what's really going on."
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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