After Seiun Sky announced she was becoming Luo Cheng's horse girl, Tokai Teio's tail bristled like a cat's, and she let out a long, low hiss. "Haaa~~?"
"So, as your new teammate, please look after me." Sky signed her name on the recruitment form, waved to Luo Cheng, and strolled out of the room.
"Trainer! My debut race is right around the corner, and yet you actually signed a contract with another horse girl!"
Luo Cheng tucked the form away. "It's for the best..."
"Best for what?! You should only have eyes for me!" Tokai Teio stomped her feet in a huff, her cheeks puffing out. She shouted like a spoiled child, "You could become the best in the world just by taking care of me, but you're getting distracted by others! What's so good about them? How could they possibly be better than the Great Teio?!"
Teio was showing an intense level of possessiveness. Was this just her personality, or was it the influence of her maxed-out affection? Luo Cheng wasn't sure. He could only take things one step at a time; his understanding of this world was still completely surface-level.
He reached out, and Teio instinctively leaned in, nuzzling against his palm. As he suspected, the habits formed in the game world remained ingrained in these horse girls.
"Wait, huh?" Halfway through the nuzzle, Teio's expression went blank. Why had she suddenly started acting so clingy?
Well, whatever! Teio didn't dwell on it, continuing her dissatisfied mumble. "Trainer should just have me... I'm enough... I'm your partner, after all."
"It's okay, Teio. Even if I sign others, my priority is still raising you. You're my protagonist." You don't just swap leads halfway through a playthrough. He had to at least finish Teio's route before considering anyone else.
Wagging her tail, Teio felt Luo Cheng wasn't rubbing her hard enough. She simply grabbed his hand and pressed it against her smooth, tender cheek, moving it back and forth.
"Even if you're raising me, you'll still be distracted by her. You're not getting away with this without compensating me."
"How should I compensate you?"
"Take me out this weekend! Just the two of us. If you do that, I'll forgive you."
"OK."
Teio's face immediately lit up with a grin, her ponytail swaying energetically. No matter how many times he saw it, he never grew tired of it—this was a real girl's face, not a mannequin's. Even if a doll looked identical to a human, it lacked this spark of life.
Luo Cheng squeezed her plump, supple cheeks. Teio giggled happily, her tail swishing with delight. After they had both had their fill of affection, Teio prepared to leave. Before she went, Luo Cheng asked, "By the way, Teio, what made you suddenly decide to come here?"
Teio replied, "I just suddenly felt like Trainer was up to something, so I came over. And then I saw that home-wrecker! Hmph. From now on, no one gets near Trainer except me! That's the irreplaceable bond between us!"
It seemed the command was still in effect. Teio had rushed over under the banners of "friendship" and "bonds." This suggested that the game world might be a higher-dimensional reality capable of altering actual existence. Luo Cheng gathered this information bit by bit, constructing theories in his mind.
Holding Seiun Sky's recruitment form, Luo Cheng headed to the Student Council. Today, not only was Rudolf there, but the other two members were present as well.
On the left, with a cold, elegant face and vermillion eyeshadow, was the Student Council Vice President, Air Groove, a woman who exuded the aura of an ice queen. On the right, with wild black hair tied with hemp rope and yellow eyes like a beast, was the other Vice President, Narita Brian.
The two of them stood on either side of Rudolf. When Luo Cheng first saw them like this, he was stunned—the three of them standing there looked like a promotional poster come to life. It wasn't until Luo Cheng "got his hands on them" that the poster was finally dismantled.
Through his interactions, he had discovered their unique quirks. Air Groove liked to lick—specifically, she liked licking sweat, often taking it upon herself to "clean" him. Narita Brian, on the other hand, liked to bite; spending a night with her meant waking up with several sets of teeth marks.
Both of them stared at Luo Cheng with burning gazes.
"President Rudolf, I'm here to submit a recruitment form."
"Trainer Luo Cheng," Air Groove spoke up. "Have you forgotten to say something to us?"
"Say what?"
"What you do every single day. Did you forget today?" Narita Brian added from the side.
What I do every day... do they mean sex?! Did these doll-like horse girls notice what I was doing? No, they weren't dolls—they were real people. How did they find out? It's not like I wrote "tally marks" on their legs.
"Every time you walked in before, you'd say, 'Time to open the treasure chests. Just as I thought, it's you three treasures again.' Why didn't you say it today?" Air Groove offered a half-smile, clearly finding his usual opening line amusing.
"Oh, so that's all it was..." Luo Cheng scratched his head. "I mean, I can 'open' them, but I'm worried my body won't hold up if I try to open several at once."
"Your body won't hold up?"
"Yeah. In a one-on-one, I'm invincible. But three at once..."
"Hoh? I'd like to see that." Narita Brian put her hands on her hips. "Show me this 'invincibility' of yours."
"Alright, you two, stop teasing the Trainer." Rudolf glanced at the form. "Seiun Sky, I see. I'll speak with the instructors later. She can join your team for this afternoon's session."
Rudolf took out the Student Council seal and pressed it onto the form. With a sharp clack, the world froze.
The sound of static from an old television filled his ears. Crackle, sizzle...
Luo Cheng's vision flickered rapidly. A string of strange characters appeared in the center of his field of vision. Suddenly, he saw a status UI hovering over Rudolf.
Name: Symboli Rudolf Mood: Perfect Affection: 75 Speed: [1442] | Stamina: [578] | Power: [1126] | Guts: [1088] | Intelligence: [1300]
Data appeared over Air Groove and Narita Brian as well.
Name: Air Groove Mood: Perfect Affection: 77 Speed: [1277] | Stamina: [674] | Power: [1035] | Guts: [900] | Intelligence: [1146]
Name: Narita Brian Mood: Perfect Affection: 72 Speed: [1355] | Stamina: [874] | Power: [1251] | Guts: [938] | Intelligence: [989]
Luo Cheng closed his eyes. A semi-transparent screen flashed in his mind with a single line of text: [Seiun Sky has been successfully recruited.]
Like a receding tide, Luo Cheng's vision blurred, and the chaotic numbers vanished instantly. The world returned to normal. Luo Cheng gasped for air, clutching his chest. He collapsed to one knee, a cold sweat breaking out over his body. Seeing this, Air Groove and Narita Brian rushed to his side.
"Trainer Luo Cheng, what's wrong?"
"You're sweating so much."
"Air Groove! Help him onto the sofa! Brian, go get the teacher from the infirmary, hurry!"
Luo Cheng was helped onto the sofa by Air Groove. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Trainer Luo Cheng, are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." Luo Cheng gave a strained smile.
Is this world truly reality, or have the horse girls from the game world simply 'come to life'? He couldn't tell the difference anymore.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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