One second the sky was clear, the next it was completely overcast. The world went dark the moment that dialogue box popped up in front of Luo Cheng. He looked up at the rolling dark clouds, and the rumble of thunder echoed in his ears.
"It's raining!" Luo Cheng heard someone shout, and then a few figures ran toward him.
"Trainer... it's raining. We'd better find shelter." It was Manhattan Cafe, her dark hair dotted with raindrops. Agness Tachyon was right behind her. As for Tokai Teio and Seiun Sky, who had been training next to them just a moment ago, they were nowhere to be seen.
Luo Cheng rubbed his head, feeling as if a lifetime had passed. Who am I, where am I, what am I doing? He was completely bewildered. This was supposed to be the real world, but his perception was once again at odds with reality. A Support Card Story... was this a Support Card Story? Was it different from a normal or random story?
He felt like he had suddenly jumped from one movie set to another. On closer inspection, even his position had subtly changed. Luo Cheng remembered that when he gave Tokai Teio her training plan, he was on the east side of the training grounds. Now he was on the west side, and the Trainers who had been giving instructions were gone, leaving only him.
"Trainer... Trainer?" Cafe pulled on his hand. "It's raining. You'll catch a cold."
"Guinea Pig-kun? What's wrong with you?"
The rain was coming down harder, the cold drops hitting Luo Cheng's face and clearing his mind. Seeing that Luo Cheng was unresponsive, Cafe and Tachyon both sounded worried. Coming back to his senses, Luo Cheng followed them and ran back to the school building. Because of Luo Cheng's delay, their clothes were already soaked. The school uniform clung to Cafe, revealing her pure white underwear. Cafe pulled at her collar and looked out at the rain-soaked field.
"Guinea Pig-kun, why are you just standing there like a fool?" Agness Tachyon took out a handkerchief and wiped her wet hair, asking Luo Cheng.
"I was wondering... when did the sky get so cloudy?"
"It's been cloudy for a while, hasn't it? Did Guinea Pig-kun not notice?"
"It was just sunny a moment ago."
Tachyon's dark red, slitted eyes looked at Luo Cheng, and she said, "You need to rest, Guinea Pig-kun." A cool breeze blew by, and both Cafe and Tachyon instinctively hugged themselves. Seeing them, Luo Cheng took off his large jacket and draped it over them.
"Guinea Pig-kun, usually this kind of nice guy gesture is only for one person."
"Yeah... so Tachyon, you can leave."
"Ha ha ha! Cafe, I should be the one saying that. The area of my body that got wet is much larger than yours, because some parts of me are more exposed to the rain than you."
Cafe was completely choked up by that comment. She looked at her own chest, which was held up entirely by her bra, then at Agness Tachyon's well-endowed chest, and her eyes lost their luster. She couldn't believe Tachyon was openly mocking her, and in front of the Trainer no less! Cafe secretly clenched her fists.
But this didn't mean Agness Tachyon was better than her. When it came to color, she was still prettier.
"You think so, too, right... Trainer..."
The topic suddenly turned to Luo Cheng, and the man looked bewildered. He was still disoriented from being on the wrong set. No matter what she said, he would just answer, "Yeah, that's right."
See! The Trainer didn't like big ones at all! Even if her chest was small, as long as the shape was beautiful, the color was pretty, and it was soft enough, she could still tightly hold the Trainer's heart. Cafe had won a point back.
Luo Cheng wasn't paying attention to what the two of them were arguing about. He was lost in thought, staring at the rain. This doesn't connect with reality... According to the game's setting, Support Cards could boost a character's stats and trigger certain effects. The story and trigger probability of different Support Cards were different. Although there was no such thing as wearing a Support Card here, the horse girls themselves were the Support Cards. If Luo Cheng remembered correctly, this should be Cafe's Support Card, because he had just commanded Cafe to run alongside Teio, which triggered this story.
But something was strange. This place didn't seem like the "reality" that Luo Cheng knew. It was more like a small, self-contained play. Like a standalone episode that wasn't part of the main story.
"I'm going to go buy some things," Luo Cheng said.
Cafe, who was pouting from the close-range mockery, and Agness Tachyon, who was about to retaliate, both said in unison, "Now?"
"Yeah."
Luo Cheng wanted to know if the things he bought in this Support Card story could also be brought back to the game world. If they could, he could use this as a source of supplies. Compared to random stories, these Support Card stories were much more predictable. He felt like he could actively try to trigger them in the future by having others run with Teio or train together.
"I'll be right back!" Luo Cheng ran out.
"Wait... Trainer!" Cafe and Agness Tachyon watched helplessly as he ran into the rain. Two more flashes of lightning lit up the world.
"Guinea Pig-kun, are you a child?"
The next day, Luo Cheng was honorably sick with a cold from running in the pouring rain in just a shirt. He lay in bed, gasping for breath. On his nightstand was a bag of snacks. Agness Tachyon didn't know what to say about him getting a cold just to buy some things.
"Ta... Tachyon... put those things in my office..." Luo Cheng pointed to the bag. He needed to confirm if these things could be brought back to the game world.
"Yes, yes. Did you take your medicine?"
"Yes. That medicine... you didn't make it, did you?"
"Even I wouldn't be so heartless as to test medicine on a sick person." Agness Tachyon placed a wet towel on his head. "Remember to take your medicine on time and get plenty of sleep. It's been raining for days, so there's no training. Just rest."
After giving Luo Cheng instructions, Agness Tachyon left. The room returned to silence.
Luo Cheng looked out the window. The sky was still gray, and it was raining heavily. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night. In the game world, Luo Cheng had also gotten sick, but every night his body would refresh, and he would get better the moment the symptoms appeared. This was why Luo Cheng dared to eat all the horseshoe cakes he wanted. His body was immune to everything. But he didn't have this special ability in the real world.
The main story and random stories had a clear time limit: they would end on the night of the event. But with the Support Card story, Luo Cheng found that there didn't seem to be a clear time limit. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or what would happen. Luo Cheng coughed a few times. Since he couldn't determine the end time, he needed to get better quickly. There were still many things to do. It was windy and rainy outside, and with his current body, he might not survive if he went out.
Just as Luo Cheng was about to lie down and rest, the door opened, and a black figure walked in.
"Cafe..."
"Trainer, I've come to make you some porridge."