Luo Cheng now had someone he could talk to: a group of AIs. Even if he couldn't get too physical with them, chatting and joking was quite nice. Girls were cutest when they were shy. Of course, being too shy was a problem; once, Luo Cheng teased one too much and got hit with an uppercut. It was the first time he'd ever flown that high as a human. Fortunately, you didn't actually get injured in VR; you just felt the pain.
Wait—you feel pain but don't get hurt? That's just pure sensory stimulation. Physical stimulation outside consumed energy; stimulation inside might not even cost anything. Luo Cheng suddenly had a bold idea.
He couldn't use the equipment at will. The computer screens were blank, and he didn't want to break anything. He had to wait for the Chairwoman and the others to call him for the next test. I wish I had command authority over Tazuna and Yayoi. They were both horse girls; surely he could be their Trainer? Even though they looked like humans, their ears were under their hats, and their tails were hidden in their skirts. In fact, they both tried desperately to keep their tails from wagging while they spoke. Luo Cheng had confirmed these things personally.
Next time he returned to reality, he'd suggest becoming their Trainer.
"Trainer..." Back at the track, Cafe walked up to him. "What is the next training task?"
"Let me see." Luo Cheng pulled out the schedule. Previously, he only did work or "not-work." But after spending time with the AIs, he'd learned to live in the moment. He had something to look forward to: going into VR to vent to the AI girls. Sometimes he'd accidentally say something "inappropriate" that made them blush, but they always had a pleasant time. As data, the AI horse girls didn't know what "physical harmony" felt like, but they were quite interested—yet their persona data made them too shy to just try it. In short, his affection wasn't high enough; he couldn't unlock the CGs. He had to grind his bond from scratch.
Back to training. His trainees were growing rapidly. Cafe and the others hadn't changed much, but Teio's speed was already over 300! For a debutante, that was incredibly high. The others were hovering between 100 and 200. Luo Cheng felt he could turn them into "Level 99 starters" and just stomp every race.
Over a few months, he had more or less figured out his job through trial and error. Others studied training by looking at the surface; Luo Cheng studied the underlying "code." If he were in the real world, he'd be a top-tier Trainer. Too bad he couldn't go.
Just as he was about to set the next task, he noticed Cafe's mood was dropping.
What's this?
[Status: Injured]
His heart skipped a beat. This was the first time one of his trainees had gotten hurt. Was his plan flawed? No, that wasn't the priority. Luo Cheng had Cafe sit down. Her shoes were damp with sweat. He peeled back the tongue of the shoe. Her petite foot was damp and emitted a slightly sour smell of hard work.
He removed her shoe. At the tip of her toes, a streak of blood marked the black fabric. Removing the sock, he found a cracked toenail. Blood seeped from the wound. On her pale toe, the red looked like a blooming rose.
Thank goodness... it's not serious. A quick bandage and a few days of rest would fix it. Luo Cheng sighed in relief and looked at Cafe. Her pale cheeks were flushed, and she looked down at the ground as if troubled. These girls... Luo Cheng couldn't be mad at them. Even though she was hurt, she was still asking for her training tasks.
Can't you say anything else...? Luo Cheng turned his back. "Get on. I'll take you to the infirmary."
A few seconds later, a soft sensation pressed against his back. A warm dampness followed as her slender arms wrapped around his neck.
"Cafe, do you think I finally look like a Trainer now? You can't hear me, and I probably can't hear you, so I'll just talk. I turn into a chatterbox around you." Luo Cheng talked to himself as he walked to the infirmary. He told her about his time in VR. There was no response.
Luo Cheng shook his head. Suddenly, he felt his waist tighten—that smooth, silky black tail had wrapped around him.
"Cafe? I heard a horse girl's tail can shatter a plate. Is that true?"
"..."
"And it's quite long. Do you always use it to coil around things?" The tail writhed gently, rubbing against his abdomen, seemingly trying to crawl lower.
At the infirmary, the school nurse wasn't in. Luo Cheng laid Cafe on the bed and looked for medicine. He'd learned how to treat wounds from the handbook. As a "Player," he could refresh every day, but these horse girls couldn't. An injury meant waiting for the timer. Cafe's injury timer was 42 hours. It started counting down the moment he picked her up. Exercise would increase the time.
Holding her soft pink arch, Luo Cheng wiped the sweat from her foot. He took out the medicine and applied it to the cracked nail. Being his first time, he was a bit clumsy. During the disinfection, Cafe's body gave a visible shudder. Once he was done, the recovery timer dropped significantly.
I wonder if the medicine I buy in the real world would heal them faster? The thought crossed his mind. He patted Cafe's face. she closed one eye, while the other remained fixed on him.
"Rest today. We'll train when you're better."
"Yes."
Luo Cheng toyed with her tail for a bit longer before leaving. Long after he was gone, Cafe slowly retracted her gaze. Her hand reached down toward her skirt, the heart in her affection bar pulsing frantically.
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Uma Musume: Inside the Game (71 Chapters – Ongoing)
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