"Trainer, how are my results?"
With the debut race approaching, the training demands were getting higher. Luo Cheng hadn't been idle at all, dedicating all his energy to learning about being a trainer. His once lazy college brain was now slowly moving, trying to reach the peak of his high school years. If he were his younger self, learning these things would be easy, but now he was already past his prime.
Still, with his knowledge and experience gained from the game world, Tokai Teio's performance was getting better and better. Today's result was 0.2 seconds faster than yesterday's. Luo Cheng nodded and said, "Good. Keep up this pace."
According to the trainer's manual, if a horse girl's condition was "bad" or "normal," he should reduce the training intensity. He should also shorten training time before a race to ensure she had enough stamina. Luo Cheng understood the latter part, but the former... he narrowed his eyes, looking at Tokai Teio's face. What did "good" or "normal" condition even mean? In the game, you could tell by their expressions and ears. Tokai Teio here was always full of energy, so was she in "top-notch" or just "good" condition?
"Trainer? What's wrong, are you mesmerized by my face?" Tokai Teio put her hands on her hips, her expression proud. "If it were anyone else, they wouldn't get to admire my magnificent form, but since you're my trainer, I'll give you special permission to look all you want. But afterward, you have to give me a reward, got it?"
Seeing Teio act like a child, Luo Cheng couldn't help but reach out and rub her head. Personality-wise, Teio was indeed a child, and that's what made her so lovable. If she had been there to keep him company in the game world, Luo Cheng would never have ended up the way he was. Even so, as the only obedient horse girl, Teio was still Luo Cheng's only comfort in that world. The heart above her head was even a bit redder than everyone else's.
"You'll get a big reward. Didn't I promise to go out with you this weekend? I'll play with you then."
"Yay!" Teio beamed, and the nearby Aogumo Sky came over.
"Trainer~" she called out, then leaned her head forward.
Is she asking for a pat?
Perfect. He loved patting big cats on the head.
Unlike Teio's smooth hair, Aogumo Sky's hair was as soft as cotton, with a faint, pleasant scent. There was a reason Aogumo Sky was considered the ultimate body pillow; you could never have trouble sleeping if you were with her.
"Hehe~" she giggled playfully, and Tokai Teio's eyes instantly lost their sparkle.
"Sky-chan, that's so mean. You have to come over when the trainer's giving me a reward..."
"What's the big deal? He's my trainer, too."
Every time she heard that, Tokai Teio felt a pang of frustration. The trainer belonged to her and her alone! Then he went and inexplicably signed a contract with Aogumo Sky. That horrible cheater!
Several times now, Tokai Teio had found the trainer lying down with Aogumo Sky. Over time, she developed a sixth sense for it. As soon as her heart started to throb, it meant the trainer was lying down next to Aogumo Sky somewhere, and Tokai Teio would follow that feeling to find him.
If you want to sleep that badly, why not sleep with me instead? My body is softer than yours and more comfortable to use! There's no reason for the trainer to not like me!
Tokai Teio looked at the trainer, who was patting both her and Aogumo Sky at the same time, and pouted. At least this weekend, she would make sure the trainer made it all up to her.
After a satisfying petting session, Luo Cheng cleared his throat and told the two horse girls, who were still rubbing their heads on him, to go back to training. His goal was to beat this game, so he couldn't afford to be lazy. Things like staying up late, not getting enough sleep, or skipping classes—the kind of things that would make his blood pressure rise—were absolutely not allowed.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Teio sat in front of a brown-haired girl. The girl was a well-known figure at Tracen, nicknamed "The Mad Scientist," Agnes Tachyon. She did nothing all day but hide in her lab, conducting research. To uncover the mysteries of horse girls, she would secretly give others her experimental results, making them her test subjects.
This terrible personality naturally made others keep their distance. If you had to count Agnes Tachyon's good points, there were probably two at most. The first was that as a horse girl, she was very capable; her few training sessions had shown incredible power. The second was that she was beautiful and had a great figure. The legs under her short skirt were plump and fair as jade. She might have a paler complexion than others from staying in her lab and avoiding the light, giving her a sickly beauty.
This was the same Agnes Tachyon whom Luo Cheng would visit in her room after he was done with Teio. The two of them would be in the same room, separated by a curtain. Because Agnes Tachyon often caused trouble, the student council appointed Teio as her supervisor to prevent her from harming others. Teio hated Agnes Tachyon. It was bad enough that she messed with others, but she even messed with the trainer. Every time Teio came to the room, she saw Agnes Tachyon giving Luo Cheng weird medicines. She always claimed the medicine was harmless, but one look at the color was enough to know there was something wrong with it.
But today, Teio had a rare request for Agnes Tachyon.
"The trainer said it again."
"Said what?"
"He said this world is a game, and we're all fake—we're game characters, dolls, NPCs, but we just happen to have our own minds."
"Oh?" Agnes Tachyon swirled the potion in her hand.
"We should take him to a psychologist. If he keeps this up, I'm afraid the trainer will only get worse."
Teio herself had been in a similar state. If she hadn't had a friend who stuck by her side to help her through it, Teio probably would have developed mental issues. She wanted to help the trainer, but she was bad with words and didn't know how to comfort him. She was a good listener but not a good problem-solver. In this regard, the awful Agnes Tachyon was much better than her.
"Going to a psychologist isn't a bad idea. Looking at Guinea-kun's symptoms, he might have dissociative identity disorder. Of course, it's also possible, as you said, that Guinea-kun is caught between two worlds and can't tell where he is. If there really is a game world controlled by a system, I'd love to see it. When I meet the doll version of Guinea-kun, I can do whatever I want to him, can't I?"
"Tachyon, I'm talking about something serious." Teio frowned.
"Tell him to come to my room," Agnes Tachyon said. "I'll be his psychologist this one time and see what's really going on with him."