"Trainer! Why did you run out so suddenly?"
"I... ran out suddenly?"
"Yes, you suddenly ran to the training field and just stood there. What were you doing, Trainer?"
Luo Cheng shook his head. He looked at the dim sky outside, as if it were already evening. The rain was getting heavier. He remembered that the last time, the story ended right here, but that was the first stage, and there were different chapters.
"Where's Agnes Tachyon?"
"Agnes Tachyon just went back."
"Just now?"
"Yes, Agnes Tachyon said she had an experiment, so she left first. She just came to say hello loudly."
Luo Cheng's eyes flickered. The scene in front of him seemed to connect with the previous support card story. He had spent several months in the game world, but there had been no progress here. It was like a save and exit in a game.
Exiting the story was the same. No matter how long he stayed inside, he would return to the exact time he entered the story. The timelines of the two sides were not interconnected. This was why Luo Cheng believed this world was an independent timeline, because the time didn't match up, and the characters' memories didn't match up. But what Teio said in her support card story made Luo Cheng doubt his own guess. He couldn't be sure of his hypothesis now.
"I'm going to buy some things."
"Now? At least take an umbrella. You just recovered from being sick, Trainer. I have an umbrella here. Come with me."
With that, Manhattan Cafe led Luo Cheng back to the room. Agnes Tachyon was busy with her research. Luo Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to tell her about his discovery, but on second thought, the Agnes Tachyon in the support card story didn't share memories with the one in the real world, so it would be useless to say anything.
"What are you busy with, Agnes Tachyon?"
"Oh my, Guinea Pig-kun." Agnes Tachyon smiled. "I've made a medicine that can increase physical fitness. Do you want to try it?"
"Doesn't sound like a good thing."
"Agnes Tachyon... are you trying to get the Trainer to..."
"I'm not lying this time, it's a really good thing." Agnes Tachyon quietly walked over to Manhattan Cafe and whispered something in her ear. Luo Cheng faintly heard the words 'stamina' and 'dozens of times.'
"Really?" Manhattan Cafe was skeptical.
"Of course. This is my proudest research result. The success rate is at least thirty-six percent higher than before."
Manhattan Cafe hesitated, looking at Luo Cheng.
"Um... the Trainer can try it too."
What in the world did those two say to each other that they suddenly became united against a common enemy...?
Forget it.
"I'll try it when I get back. I'm going to buy things now."
"Going again? What are you buying? It's not snacks again, is it?" Agnes Tachyon asked.
"Snacks, medicine, or something else."
"Guinea Pig-kun, you sound like you're stockpiling."
"Better safe than sorry." With that, Luo Cheng picked up an umbrella.
"Trainer, I'll go with you." Manhattan Cafe also picked up a black umbrella and followed Luo Cheng. Agnes Tachyon watched the two of them leave.
Clang.
The door closed, and she was left alone in the room. Picking up a vial of experimental medicine, Agnes Tachyon continued her research.
"Agnes Tachyon, I think I've gone to a different world line."
Suddenly, Agnes Tachyon heard Luo Cheng's voice.
"The characters' memories there don't connect with reality, and there seems to be something wrong with the world."
"I don't have enough information now. When I go into the story again, I'll give you a clue. In short... just think about it for me first."
Agnes Tachyon clutched her forehead. She looked at the sofa in the center of the room, and her mind started playing various clips, like a broken TV.
"Got it, leave it to me, Guinea Pig-kun."
Agnes Tachyon heard her own voice, and then, as if a TV had been turned off, everything disappeared, and the room was silent again.
What... was that just now?
Leaving the room, Luo Cheng opened his umbrella. The sky outside was getting gloomier, and a layer of mist filled the air. All the students had returned to the school building; there was no one outside.
"Trainer..."
Manhattan Cafe called softly. She hadn't opened her umbrella and had come to Luo Cheng's side instead.
"What a wonderful rain."
"Yeah." A cool breeze blew, and Luo Cheng shivered. He noticed that Manhattan Cafe was wearing a short-sleeved summer uniform with a short skirt. The only thing keeping her warm were the white over-the-knee socks on her slender feet.
Taking off his jacket, Luo Cheng draped it over Manhattan Cafe's shoulders.
"Trainer?"
"I thought you might be a little cold."
Luo Cheng's mind wasn't always just on having fun with horse girls. Occasionally, he wanted to do something serious. Since he was the 'player,' he could be a good guy when he wanted to be and a bad guy when he wanted to be. Luo Cheng could do whatever he wanted. He had to be both a good guy and a bad guy to be well-rounded.
"I wasn't being nosy, was I?"
"No, you weren't." Manhattan Cafe gently pulled the collar of the jacket tighter and shook her head.
"Trainer, do you know what the happiest thing to do on a rainy day is?"
"...Splashing in puddles?"
"That is certainly a happy thing, but I think the happiest thing is to create worlds on glass. Everything you can imagine... appears at your fingertips."
Seeing Manhattan Cafe like this, Luo Cheng remembered why he first liked her. That serene, mysterious, and tranquil aura was unique to Manhattan Cafe; no other horse girl could imitate it.
Her golden eyes rarely showed such interest. Enjoying the rain, Manhattan Cafe pulled on Luo Cheng's jacket, basking in its warmth. Looking at the black-haired girl curled up under his jacket, Luo Cheng reached out and pinched her cheek.
"Trainer..." Manhattan Cafe's eyes narrowed, and a soft purring sound came from her throat. The old Manhattan Cafe had this habit.
The old one?
Luo Cheng noticed that this Manhattan Cafe had the same habits as the one he knew. If their memories were different, why would their habits remain the same?
Just as Luo Cheng was getting a lead on this, a "splat" came from the ground. Water splashed everywhere, and something seemed to have run past.
"Friend," Manhattan Cafe said.
Luo Cheng turned his head abruptly. He then saw a blurry water mist moving quickly in the heavy rain, splashing water all over the ground.
Found you...
After a long time, Luo Cheng finally saw the ghost attached to him again.
"Wait a minute!" Luo Cheng yelled. "You recognize me, right? There are some things, some words, I want to say to you! Let me see you!"
The water mist stopped, and then, in a gust of wind, it disappeared.