King Halo was the ultimate tsundere young lady.
Unlike the more standard type, she was not just stubborn and sharp-tongued. She also had a trait that could be genuinely irritating to other people: arrogance.
She believed herself to be a first-rate horse girl, and therefore only a first-rate trainer was worthy of taking her on. If some rookie trainer dared try to scout her, she would mercilessly tell them, "If you're not first-rate, then I won't acknowledge you."
And she was just as overbearing in daily conversation. Whether she was talking to classmates or total strangers, she always used a superior tone. If you did not understand what she was really like inside, speaking to her could feel less like a conversation and more like she was graciously tossing you scraps out of pity.
But the most unbearable thing of all was her bizarre laugh.
Like right now.
"Ohohohohoho—!"
King Halo threw back her head and laughed, that shrill noblewoman cackle echoing all around Tang Han.
"Yee…"
Tang Han shivered involuntarily, goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.
What even was this medieval-aristocrat laugh? It felt awful. Like ants crawling all over him.
After laughing for a full ten seconds or so, King Halo finally stopped and turned to size Tang Han up.
"So you're Urara-chan's trainer? What a strange outfit."
"Just a personal hobby," Tang Han replied.
"The fabric is good, but the design has no sense of beauty whatsoever." King Halo reached out and touched the Doctor's Coat, then shook her head in disappointment. "Clothes are meant to display the wearer's perfection, not hide it away. Your outfit has no taste at all."
"Uh…"
"If you don't even dare show off your own charm, or understand how to use clothing to express it, then you obviously can't be a first-rate trainer."
"That's true enough. I'm only a first-year trainer."
Tang Han did not deny it.
"Ohohohohoho—!"
King Halo immediately burst into laughter again.
"As expected of the Saint King's eye for talent! I could tell the truth just from your clothes alone. Truly worthy of me. Ohohohohoho—!"
Tang Han felt another wave of goosebumps.
"But let me make this clear first. I, King Halo, am a first-rate horse girl. I will only ever accept a first-rate trainer. A rookie like you? I would never agree to be your partner. So do not even entertain the thought of trying to scout me. Though, of course, someone as exceptional as I am is bound to attract your interest anyway. Ohohohohoho—!"
"…"
Tang Han had not yet lost his mind, but the system already had.
System: Ahhh! I can't take this anymore!
Tang Han: What are you going crazy for now?
System: Don't you think she's way too full of herself?
Tang Han: I think she's fine.
System: Huh?
The system was dumbfounded. Did you hear yourself just now?
System: How exactly did you arrive at "fine"? Are you a masochist or something?
Tang Han: Of course not.
The reason Tang Han could say that was simple: he knew what King Halo was really like underneath all this.
Yes, she spoke arrogantly. Yes, her personality could absolutely be called awful. On the surface, she looked just like one of those snooty villainess-types from anime.
But Tang Han knew that all of this was just a facade, a protective shell she had built to hide how fragile she really was. At heart, she was an incredibly warm and earnest girl, if a bit scatterbrained.
Because she had a mother who had won a G1, King Halo had grown up under suffocating expectations. In order not to disappoint everyone, she had started hanging the word "first-rate" on everything—finding a first-rate trainer, running first-rate races—because only that way could she catch up to, or perhaps even surpass, the path her mother had taken.
King Halo might be prickly on the outside, but that was only surface-level. Those thorns were a defense mechanism she had grown because of how often others belittled her. If you spent enough time with her, you would realize that she was actually very kind, especially toward her roommate Urara, whom she took care of like a real mother.
And how could Tang Han possibly dislike a girl who was all bluster outside and genuinely kind inside?
System: Tell me the truth, or I'm assigning you a task.
Tang Han: …
Fine.
The real truth was that Tang Han had never intended to scout King Halo in the first place. No matter how arrogant her attitude was, it made no difference to him. If anything, he preferred that King Halo keep her distance from him.
System: Heh.
Ding! New task issued: Discipline the Brat
Description: King Halo's attitude is far too arrogant and requires correction. Begin immediately. No matter what method you use, make her develop a sense of respect toward you.
Time limit: 10 minutes
Reward: Doctor's Coat duration extended by 3 days
Penalty: Doctor's Coat reclaimed
Tang Han: Huh?
Now it was Tang Han's turn to be stunned.
Tang Han: Didn't I already tell the truth? Why are you still assigning me a task?
System: I never said I wouldn't assign one after you told the truth. Anyway, hurry up and deal with her.
Tang Han: Damn it! This task is way too much! What am I supposed to do in ten minutes to make someone feel respect for me?
System: For example… take off the Doctor's Coat.
Tang Han: Damn it!
"What am I supposed to do…"
Tang Han desperately tried to come up with a simple, effective way to complete the task.
But how could such an absurd demand possibly be fulfilled in ten minutes?
The pressure made him increasingly frantic. Staring at King Halo, he found himself at a total loss.
Meanwhile, King Halo noticed him watching her, and became even more convinced that he had been captivated by her supreme first-rate charm.
"Ohohohohoho—!"
She tilted her chin even higher, laughing louder than before.
System: Host! She's looking down on you! Can you really stand for that?
Tang Han: Don't talk nonsense. She's just happily laughing because she's being noticed. The only issue is that her laugh is hard on the ears.
System: I don't care. Hurry up. You've only got five minutes left!
Tang Han: ?
Tang Han: Damn it! Didn't I have ten minutes just a second ago? How did the timer suddenly get cut in half?!
Tang Han raked at his hair in rising panic.
What could he even do in five minutes? Nothing! He could not think of a single solution!
And just as he was wracking his brains, outside voices kept intruding on his thoughts.
Urara noticed that Tang Han was looking at King Halo. After thinking about it for a moment with her simple little head, she suddenly clapped her hands in realization.
"Trainer-san, do you want to take Saint King-chan on too?"
Since Tang Han did not respond—because he was still frantically thinking—Urara took his silence as confirmation. Of course. He must have been staring at Saint King-chan because he wanted her to join them.
Yet instead of getting jealous over her trainer paying attention to another horse girl, Urara felt delighted.
If she could train together with her good friend—and such a strong one, too—then she would definitely improve faster and win first place sooner!
So happy~
With such pure thoughts in mind, Urara immediately began recommending King Halo to Tang Han.
"Trainer-san, Saint King-chan is a first-rate horse girl She's super strong If you take her on, you'll definitely get first place in every race!"
Hearing Urara praise her, King Halo grew even more pleased.
"Ohohohohoho—! Urara-chan, even if you're merely stating the facts, I still won't agree to become the partner of some rookie trainer~"
"But Trainer-san is really strong! He's a ninja!"
"Being a ninja does not mean he's a first-rate trainer."
"Trainer-san is really amazing! Just this morning, he already helped me improve a lot! He's definitely first-rate too!"
"But…"
"And if I could train together with Saint King-chan, I'd be really happy~"
Urara looked at King Halo with utterly pure, sparkling eyes.
"Th-that…"
Faced with such a cute and earnest plea from Urara, King Halo wavered.
While the two girls were talking, Tang Han was on the verge of going insane.
But their conversation was not what was truly driving him mad.
The real problem was the damned system.
System: Just take it off already! If you don't, you'll fail the task! Your Doctor's Coat is going to be reclaimed!
Under the system's relentless pressure, Tang Han became more and more anxious.
So anxious! So anxious! I'm the king of anxiety!
System: Three minutes left! Two! One!
Tang Han: Ghhhhh—aaaaargh!
System: TAKE! OFF! THE! DOCTOR'S! COAT!
And just as Tang Han was about to crack and follow the system's suggestion, pulling off the Doctor's Coat…
His mind suddenly went cold.
His racing heartbeat began to slow.
Once calm again, Tang Han let out a slow breath and said in an icy voice:
"I almost fell for it, System. So you really have been trying to screw me over every chance you get…"
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 132)
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 (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
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 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
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 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 26
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 36
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