This was the first time Luo Cheng had actually spoken with Cafe. Although she was a max-affection character, in the game world, the only sounds he could get out of a horse girl besides greetings were their gasps.
Finally having the chance, Luo Cheng chatted incessantly with Cafe, and she responded with a smile.
"Next time, Trainer, you can come to my room and taste that brand of coffee. I like it very much."
"Cafe, you always have a wonderful scent of coffee on you. It's different from everyone else."
"Do you like the smell of coffee, Trainer?"
"I like it quite a bit. But I only started liking it after I fell for you, Cafe. Especially chocolate milk coffee."
"Tra-Trainer..." Cafe cupped her cheeks, stammering and blushing, her golden eyes shimmering with a faint, ghostly light.
During their chat, Luo Cheng realized a problem. According to the game setting, Trainers were forbidden from entering student dorms. So how had he been going to Cafe's room every day without permission? To Luo Cheng, that had been a daily destination. Just as a player in an RPG might barge into an NPC's house like a bandit and rummage through their drawers for loot, Luo Cheng did the same. He frequently went to the student dorms to see if there was anything interesting.
And in a dormitory full of beautiful, adolescent girls, he naturally found plenty of "pink toys." He had been curious what they would do if he took them. Would they just... pretend?
To find out, he had staked out the dorms for several nights. The results were clear: yes. They reacted to changes in an item's position, but if an item vanished, they would simply grasp at thin air. When he took a comb, they would "comb" their hair with nothing and then tie up their messy hair with a ribbon. Of course, he only did this when he was bored out of his mind.
So, if his actions were linked to reality, how had he been getting into the dorms? By all rights, the supervisors should have blocked him, yet neither of the two dorm heads had ever reacted to his presence.
After walking for a while, Luo Cheng suggested visiting the student dorms.
"Is the Trainer allowed inside? I remember Dorm Head Amazon saying... no one but students can enter."
"I'm not sure. Let's ask."
In the game world, Luo Cheng had visited the student dorms so often he knew them inside out. The beds were comfortable enough, but they were quite small. For horse girls, it was fine—they were petite and fit like porcelain dolls—but for Luo Cheng, who was nearly 180cm tall, squeezing in with them was a struggle. He frequently woke up with a soft, tender foot stepped on his face, only to find he had been pushed onto the floor. Horse girls might be small, but they were strong; a sleeping Luo Cheng was no match for them in a space battle.
However, some horse girls would cling to him tightly, their soft, elastic legs wrapping around him like an octopus, their ears pressed to his chest as if listening to his heartbeat. That feeling wasn't bad at all.
When they reached the dorms, Luo Cheng was indeed blocked at the entrance. A horse girl with beautiful, deep blue hair flowing behind her, healthy tanned skin shimmering under the lights, and striking crimson eyes stood before him. She was the dorm head of Miho Dorm, Hishi Amazon, looking every bit the big-sister type. Her impressive chest practically strained against her clothes as she crossed her arms.
"No way. What kind of Trainer comes to the student dorms in the middle of the night? Are you planning something improper, Trainer Luo Cheng?"
"Yes."
"You actually admitted it! No!"
"Amazon, to be honest, I've already 'planned' it many times."
You were very 'moist'.
Her F-cup chest was top-tier in Tracen. Aside from a few girls whose chests could completely bury Luo Cheng's face, Hishi Amazon was virtually unrivaled. Combined with the little fang peeking from her lip, she was the perfect definition of both cute and sexy.
"What are you talking about? I can let you in for a snack during the day when the dorm is empty, but not at night! All the children are here," Hishi Amazon said, righteously refusing him.
The way she said it implied that even if she let him in, it would only be to the lobby or the kitchen. So why did Cafe have memories of him in her room?
"Have I ever been inside before?" Luo Cheng asked.
"You've never come before, but... eh?" She trailed off, her memory experiencing a subtle glitch. Despite logically knowing he hadn't, Hishi Amazon clearly remembered Luo Cheng being in her room.
What's going on?
Observing her expression, Luo Cheng hypothesized that perhaps the game world's influence wasn't limited to the girls' affection levels, but could also interfere with physical reality. He made a mental note of this and bid them both farewell.
"I'll just sneak in when no one's looking later," he joked.
"Don't use the word 'sneak.' I'll invite you in," Amazon corrected. "Alright, get going. Don't disturb the children's rest. Shoo... Come back when no one is around. Sneak into my room then, you hear me?" Amazon waved him off.
It seemed the "Holy Land" was closed to him tonight. Luo Cheng shook his head with a sigh. Before he left, Cafe squeezed his hand. "Trainer, let's walk together again tomorrow." Just as she spoke, Luo Cheng felt something appear beside him and blow a breath into his ear. He thought he heard a faint, crisp giggle.
He shuddered and looked around, but saw nothing. He gave Cafe's ears a pat and promised to come back tomorrow. Seeing her blushing face, he suddenly had the urge to play with the "Kitten Mode" Cafe again.
Back at his own dorm, he passed several Trainers who greeted him. Luo Cheng responded as best he could, realizing with a start that despite being at Tracen for so long, he didn't even know these people's names.
"Yo, Luo Cheng, just getting back?" A middle-aged man with curly hair greeted him. Luo Cheng gave an awkward smile. This man lived next door, but Luo Cheng didn't know him; in the game world, he had no concept of "friends." He was always alone.
After brushing past the man, Luo Cheng returned to his room. He looked at the familiar layout. It looked exactly as it did when he had last left it—the clothes on the wall, the shoes in the rack, and even the half-eaten apple in the fridge. Everything here matched the game world perfectly. Luo Cheng felt like he was in a world caught in a crack, where reality and game were so blurred he couldn't tell them apart.
Tomorrow, he planned to sign a contract with Seiun Sky to increase the number of horse girls under his management and see if there were any changes in the game world. He undressed and lay in bed, feeling a bit out of place in the empty sheets. He wished he had bought a body pillow.
The next morning, the sound of birds chirping came from outside. Luo Cheng opened his eyes groggily, sensing someone standing by his bed. He yawned and stretched, then saw who it was. She wore a white dress with a blue-and-purple jacket over her shoulders, her orange hair falling to her waist. Looking into those clear, violet-blue eyes, he recognized her immediately.
The Chairwoman of Tracen, Akikawa Yayoi.
"Good morning! Trainer Luo Cheng!" She snapped her fan shut and spoke in a volume that didn't match her petite frame. "I couldn't find you in the office, so I thought I'd check the dorms. I didn't expect..." she pointed her fan at him. "How can you still be sleeping! The early bird catches the worm! Get up, I've already prepared breakfast for you!"
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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