With the disappearance of the translucent screen, the sound of horse girls' footsteps came from outside. The eerie silence vanished, and Seiun Sky stopped talking. Her attribute UI appeared on her body. The support card story had ended, and Luo Cheng was back in the game world.
No matter how many times this happens, it's hard to get used to it.
The time in the real world had not advanced. The calendar on the wall in Seiun Sky's room was still marked with the 17th, the day Luo Cheng had entered the support card story. Even the time was the same: 10 a.m. However, he and Seiun Sky had switched places.
If the support card story is a completely independent timeline, why do the characters' positions match up? No matter if it was him feeding Seiun Sky, or them sleeping and waking up, wherever they were in the game world, they were in the same place in the story. So are the characters in the support card stories the same as the characters in the game world?
"Trainer." Seiun Sky spoke, gently pulling on Luo Cheng's sleeve and whispering, "What's today's training plan?"
This was the one sentence Luo Cheng least wanted to hear from a horse girl.
...Hmm?
Suddenly, Luo Cheng noticed that Seiun Sky's attributes were off. Her initial speed and stamina, which he had desperately tried to raise past 120, were now close to 140. All of Seiun Sky's attributes had been boosted.
What's going on?
Luo Cheng's gaze shifted to Seiun Sky's status bar.
[High Spirits: All attributes increased by 15%, training efficiency increased by 15%]
"..."
Luo Cheng was silent for a moment, then rubbed his eyes. I didn't misread that, did I? A boost to all attributes and an increase in training efficiency! The effect of this buff is way too powerful! And it only came from some cheap spicy sticks.
Luo Cheng had finally found a cost-effective item! The next time he entered a random event, he would immediately buy out all the spicy sticks from the street vendors and have the horse girls eat them.
He reached out and stroked Seiun Sky's soft cheek, then pulled her into a hug. The matter of entering the next plot could wait. Luo Cheng just wanted to enjoy the moment. Only the nights in the game world would reset his physical state, and the plot didn't. After being "played with" by Seiun Sky all night, Luo Cheng was completely exhausted.
Looking at the entire Tracen Academy, Seiun Sky is probably the only one who can do this while sleepwalking.
Okay, Luo Cheng likes it.
But he had decided not to indulge in Seiun Sky anymore, or he would be turned into a useless person. He would spend every day just eating, sleeping, and holding Sky. This listless life made it hard for Luo Cheng to distinguish between sleeping and being awake.
He yawned and stroked Seiun Sky's soft back, preparing to go back to sleep. Seiun Sky instinctively hugged Luo Cheng back, her small, fair face pressed against his chest. Just as Luo Cheng was getting drowsy, a small, strong hand wrapped around him, and he was lifted up.
What the hell? Luo Cheng was baffled. He looked up at the girl who was holding him—Tokai Teio.
Teio, why are you here?
Whenever Luo Cheng slept next to Seiun Sky, Tokai Teio would appear. This was a command Luo Cheng had given her in the game world to prevent himself from becoming irreversibly obsessed with Seiun Sky. It turned out that the command was still in effect today.
Later, Luo Cheng changed it to three times, but had this already happened three times? After his brain had been turned to mush all night, he couldn't remember. But how did Teio know he was in Seiun Sky's room? Was it the system? Does Tokai Teio also have system prompts? No, they're just a bunch of little computer people with instincts. Even if they occasionally act like real people, they never leave the confines of their programming. After all, the most fundamental difference between humans and other creatures is autonomous thought. Does Teio... have her own thoughts?
"Guah!"
Luo Cheng was thrown onto a bed, a sound of escaping air coming from his mouth. Tokai Teio had carried him to the infirmary.
"Trainer, what's today's training plan?" Tokai Teio said in a cold voice, her sky-blue eyes looking at Luo Cheng. Compared to her usual energetic voice, this was terrifyingly cold.
Teio, you're not angry, are you?
Luo Cheng looked at her steadily declining mood.
[Extremely Poor Condition]
"...Help me get my clothes." Luo Cheng had been carried away by Tokai Teio without a stitch of clothing on.
"Yes."
After staring intently at Luo Cheng's body for a moment, Tokai Teio trotted away. That look in her eyes made Luo Cheng feel as if he were a man who had been lonely his whole life, suddenly seeing a beautiful, defenseless little girl placed in front of him, as if she would pounce on him and ravage him at any moment.
This won't do, Luo Cheng, you need to man up! Show these little girls, who have ten times your strength, what a man is capable of!
Luo Cheng kept trying to pump himself up.
By the way, Dober in this world probably doesn't remember what happened in the support card story. They have different memories and experiences, but their personalities are the same, which means the Mejiro Dober in this world would also put on makeup for him and dress him up. If I want to develop Mejiro Dober in the future, do I have to wear makeup all the time? No! Luo Cheng can't sacrifice himself just to raise her affection level.
This is the last time. From now on, he will face Dober with his most masculine side and let her see his true size!
After putting on the clothes Tokai Teio brought, Luo Cheng left the room. He gave his horse girls spicy sticks, told them to go train after they ate, and then began to summon his helper.
Manhattan Cafe's friend, the "ghost" of Tracen, Sunday Silence. Luo Cheng had asked her to find the audience for this game, and he didn't know if she had found them. She could only be seen when Luo Cheng was in a fragile mental state. Whether he was scared, or his mindset changed, or he went into an emo state, he would see her. Thinking back, Luo Cheng had seen Sunday Silence many times. He would always see her whenever he was feeling down. But changing his mental state wasn't something he could control. Luo Cheng was often affected by his external environment.
In the past, Luo Cheng would complain about this world, but now he had accepted reality. Doing missions and playing with the horse girls—that was the purpose of his existence. As for the rest, Luo Cheng didn't care. At this stage, his mind was already complete. He had recognized his situation, accepted it, and let go of his shame and morality. There was nothing left that could defeat Luo Cheng.
He was invincible.
Clang!
The sound of a shattered glass cup came from the room. The wall suddenly warped like an oil painting.