The figures of Cafe and Tachyon vanished, and with them, so did Sunday Silence. The scene shifted. The smell of cold rain disappeared, and Luo Cheng slowly sat up from the sofa, looking at the familiar office.
Recalling the expressions of concern on Cafe and Tachyon's faces when they had entered the room, Luo Cheng took a deep breath. Sunday Silence had said they weren't the real Cafe and Tachyon, but after witnessing the two of them disappear with his own eyes, Luo Cheng's heart still ached. The after-effect of this "waking from a dream" was truly powerful.
After a moment of rest on the sofa, the turmoil in Luo Cheng's heart calmed slightly. The information he had gotten from Sunday Silence was that the horse girls around him, more or less, had a sense of déjà vu, but for now it was just the beginning. It would require more observation over time.
This meant Luo Cheng needed to frequently trigger support card stories to accumulate the horse girls' sense of déjà vu. Story replays wouldn't work; after a replay, the horse girls would completely disappear, and their positions in the game world wouldn't even match up. Luo Cheng felt that story replays were like projections in a VR world—you could interact and communicate, but they wouldn't leave any trace. It was just a simple replay, just as the system page showed.
But triggering support card stories wasn't easy. Their trigger conditions weren't just simple training; they required certain prerequisites to be met.
Compared to the support cards, Luo Cheng felt that random events were actually simpler, although he hadn't triggered one in a long time.
Am I really that unlucky? There's no way I've gotten no rainbow cards, and only hit pity every time.
"Trainer, what's today's training plan?"
Without him noticing, it was training time again. Tokai Teio walked into the office and asked Luo Cheng, who was sitting on the sofa, physically and mentally exhausted from the brainstorming session. The man looked up at her.
[Mood: Extremely Poor Condition]
"Come here, Teio." Luo Cheng extended his hand. Tokai Teio walked closer and sat down on Luo Cheng's lap. This action was already etched into Teio's DNA; whenever she got close to a seated Luo Cheng, his lap was her throne.
Looking at the little horse sitting in his lap, Luo Cheng wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her pleasant citrus scent. He then took her shoe by the heel and pulled it off.
It was time to play with Teio's adorable little feet. It would improve her mood while also comforting himself. The soft bodies of the horse girls had a natural magic that could lift a person's spirits. They were like creations of a god, possessing a softness that humans could never match.
Looking at the little Teio in his arms, Luo Cheng pinched her pink cheek. Tokai Teio made a sound of contentment.
Pulling on the tip of the sock over her toes, Luo Cheng slipped Teio's cotton sock off and let it float softly to the floor. The sight of her snowy-white, long legs filled his vision.
Looking at that beautiful jade-white skin and her taut foot with not a bit of excess fat, Luo Cheng reached out and held it. His fingertips traced her beautiful arch. The tender pink skin showed how well Teio took care of herself. Her toes were tightly curled, and her thigh twitched gently with Luo Cheng's touch.
"Mmm..." Teio, in his arms, leaned against Luo Cheng's chest. She tilted her head back, her cheeks turning red. Her nose twitched slightly, as if she was smelling Luo Cheng's scent.
So cute.
Luo Cheng's hand rubbed the warm arch of her foot. As his fingertips applied pressure, Tokai Teio's body twitched. Rubbing against Luo Cheng's chest, Tokai Teio made a purring sound like a little cat.
[Mood: Good Condition]
Just a little more.
Looking at the little horse's moist eyes and her lips that looked like pink gems, Luo Cheng leaned in and kissed her. Tokai Teio hugged Luo Cheng's neck tightly. After a kiss that lasted for who knows how long, they separated. Tokai Teio was panting, her eyes hazy with mist.
"Trainer..." Tokai Teio gave a soft smile. She squinted her eyes and leaned against Luo Cheng. "What's today's training plan?"
"Training plan, huh... just stay with me for a bit."
"Okay."
Looking at Teio, whose mood had recovered to [Excellent Condition], Luo Cheng rubbed her cheek and patted her head.
Finally feeling sufficiently soothed by Teio, Luo Cheng began the training. He took out the spicy sticks, ready to have the horse girls eat them.
All attributes increased by 15%, training efficiency increased by 15%—what kind of divine item is this? The attribute boost is ridiculous, and the price is ridiculously cheap. You can buy several bags for a few thousand yen.
Looking at Seiun Sky and the others who had gathered, Luo Cheng said, "Alright, eat those spicy sticks I gave you. We'll train in a bit."
With their moods maxed out, and items and equipment, these horse girls should get a massive boost to their attributes. Luo Cheng could already see himself raising a stable of Ub-tier horse girls.
However, none of the horse girls moved. Not even Teio.
"?"
Everyone's face showed a look of difficulty. Agnes Tachyon, uncharacteristically, squinted her eyes.
What's wrong with them? Is this their rebellious phase? Or a collective rebellion?
Luo Cheng repeated himself, but still, no one moved.
How is it that as their affection levels get higher, the red hearts get brighter, and I get more ways to play with them, a problem with training starts to appear?
"Eat the spicy sticks. They're good."
"..."
Could there be something wrong with the spicy sticks?
Luo Cheng took a look and saw a line of small text on the packaging.
[Extremely Hot]
"..."
"This stuff can help you improve your training performance. It's a bit spicy, but spicy sticks are supposed to be spicy! Teio, you go first and show them how it's done."
Luo Cheng told his number one horse girl to come forward. But as soon as he finished speaking, Tokai Teio's mood, which had just gone up, instantly dropped to [Good Condition].
Is it really that bad?
But at Luo Cheng's strong insistence, Tokai Teio obediently ate it.
Instantly, her pink lips turned red, tears streamed from her eyes, and she looked teary-eyed. Opening her mouth, Tokai Teio stuck her tongue out and gasped for air, looking like she was about to die.
"Ugh?! Water, no, ice! Find some ice!"
Tokai Teio rushed out of the room at 1.5 times her training speed. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the hallway. Looking at Teio's retreating figure, Luo Cheng coughed a few times.
"It's nothing serious. Just eat some ice. The buff lasts for a long time. You can get rid of the spiciness first and then train when you're comfortable." With that, Luo Cheng had the rest of them put the spicy sticks in their mouths. After that, all the horse girls covered their mouths and ran out of the room.
Honestly, is it really that bad?
Luo Cheng had eaten spicy sticks before. They were pretty tasty, weren't they? He couldn't even buy them at Tracen Academy, or he'd eat three bags a day.
Luo Cheng looked at the last one in the bag and, out of curiosity, put it in his mouth. Immediately after, he covered his mouth and ran out as well.