The event was over. One second he was in a hotel, and the next, he was back in his office. Furthermore, the exhaustion he'd felt before was gone, replaced by the same vitality as if he'd just woken up. His physical state had been refreshed.
Does this mean even if something happens to me in reality, I'll return to the game perfectly fine after the event ends? It seemed logical.
But before he could dwell on that, there was something else to notice. After the event, a stat boost notification had appeared. Just like in the mobile game.
Moreover, Luo Cheng looked at the fish tank. Inside were several live fish—the ones he'd caught with Sky. They had been transported back to Tracen with him.
Hmm? Luo Cheng narrowed his eyes. He realized the fish actually had attribute bonuses!
[Seiun Sky's Fish: +3 Stamina, +1 Mood upon consumption...]
Food... or rather, item effects. Why were these here? He'd never seen them before.
Luo Cheng slapped his pockets. He remembered taking a flyer from the restaurant. Since his state was refreshed, his clothes had returned to his standard uniform, but the flyer was still in his pocket. He pulled it out, and text appeared on the semi-transparent screen:
[First Date Commemorative Flyer: +1 Intelligence upon reading]
This was an item too! However, the manager's signature had vanished; it was just an ordinary flyer. Items from outside the game carried special attribute bonuses.
While these two boosts were small, he suddenly remembered something else. The shoes he'd bought for Teio! She'd cherished them after the race and switched back to her training shoes. Those were bought outside, too. Did they have special effects?
Just as he was about to head to Teio's room, a knock sounded. A dejected little filly walked in. It was Tokai Teio, and she looked terrible. Her mood displayed: [Terrible].
What happened? Why was her mood so low? Luo Cheng suddenly remembered hanging up on her multiple times yesterday. She'd even gone to his room. Wait, she probably ran into Cafe. He could imagine the scene. It must have been a battle for the ages, but since he'd bypassed that event by returning to the game, the girls wouldn't do anything to him here.
Luo Cheng called Teio over and began to pat her head. Raising a horse girl's mood was simple: intimate interaction. Patting, rubbing, holding... and so on. If their mood was too low, they would fail to follow commands and get fewer stat boosts.
He pulled Teio onto his lap and gently stroked her ears. As if struck by lightning, Teio's body shuddered. She instinctively leaned into him, her citrus scent filling his nose. Her mood began to rise rapidly.
[Terrible] -> [Bad] -> [Normal] -> [Good]
"Tra-Trainer..." Teio said, her face flushed. "What is... what is today's training task...?"
"Today's task is ear-pulling."
"Yes... understood... hehe..." Teio nuzzled her head against his chin. As her mood reached [Perfect], she took Luo Cheng's hand and put it in her mouth.
Slurp...
Wait, is she conscious? Startled, Luo Cheng yanked his hand back with a pop. Silence filled the room. He looked at Teio and patted her again; her ears twitched, but she didn't do anything else. It seemed it was just a lingering instinct. Luo Cheng let out a sigh, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment.
"Teio, I bought you those shoes a while back. Can you go get them for me? I want to see them."
Teio leaned against him for a few seconds before saying, "Yes."
She soon returned with the shoes. Luo Cheng examined them. The mud had been cleaned off, and they looked brand new. The attribute bonuses stunned him.
[Speed +15%, Training Experience +3, Protection +2, Comfort +3]
Several attributes appeared on the expensive shoes. A 15% speed boost was massive! Was it a direct stat increase? Luo Cheng looked at Teio's speed and said, "Put the shoes on, Teio."
She didn't move.
"Teio?"
EXE not responding.
Wait, she can't follow this command? Previously, they could follow anything except complex thought or speech. Why not this? Fine, he'd do it himself.
Luo Cheng had her sit on the sofa and began removing her shoes. Suddenly, Teio's body moved. Her delicate toes curled, and her petite feet peeked through her white socks with a rosy hue. She placed her foot in Luo Cheng's hand, a blush coloring her cheeks.
Does she want me to change her shoes for her? No, a doll shouldn't have that kind of awareness. But Luo Cheng habitually toyed with her foot, pressing his thumb into her soft arch. Within seconds, a fine layer of sweat appeared on her skin. Unlike during training, this sweat was fresh and had a faint fragrance.
Her mouth opened and closed as her azure eyes grew misty. She looked at him and spoke in a faltering voice:
"Trainer... what is... today's... training task?" Her voice was slurred. Her soft arch curled into an 'O' shape, clamping around Luo Cheng's arm.
Luo Cheng looked at her and thought for a moment. He decided to solve the first problem first. He slid the shoe onto her foot and checked her attributes. Her speed stat shot up instantly, soaring by 200 points.
These shoes really could directly boost a horse girl's stats! He'd found a "cheat item" for this game world.
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Uma Musume: Inside the Game (49 Chapters – Ongoing)
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