"So my real identity's been exposed..." Tang Han muttered to himself.
He had done everything he could to hide himself, so how had Tokai Teio still found out? Which step had gone wrong?
"Hey, hey, Tang Han Trainer, that honey drink you gave me last time was seriously amazing~ It was the best honey drink I've ever had!" Tokai Teio said excitedly.
Last time?
Tang Han thought about it. The "last time" Teio meant was probably when, in order to complete the apology quest, he had secretly given her that S-rank honey drink in the cafeteria.
But during that incident, Tang Han had never even come into direct contact with Tokai Teio. He had also confirmed that Oguri Cap hadn't leaked anything useful. There was no way she should have been able to figure out his real identity.
The most important point was this: even if Tokai Teio had become friends with Urara and the others and had learned the name "Tang Han," back then Tang Han had used the fake names "Hokuto Seiji" and "Nan Xizi," even faking his gender. Unless she saw him with her own eyes, there was no way Tokai Teio could connect those identities together.
Unless there had been something that let Tokai Teio realize that Urara's trainer, Tang Han, was the same mysterious person who had given her that honey drink...
"Wait—"
A chill suddenly ran down Tang Han's spine.
The honey drink.
Yesterday, he had made honey drinks for Urara and the others to drink!
To complete the system's ridiculous "discipline the bratty girl" trap quest, Tang Han had, for the first time, exposed his ability to make S-rank honey drinks in front of Urara and the others—people who knew his real identity!
On the surface, it looked like he had completed the quest in the simplest possible way, but that was exactly what the Barbal System had wanted to see!
A chain trap.
That phrase suddenly flashed through Tang Han's mind.
Forcing him to take off the lab coat in front of horse girls had been the first layer of the trap. Making him use S-rank honey drinks to complete the quest, thereby leaving behind a crucial clue and allowing Tokai Teio to track him down, was the second layer of the trap!
He had fallen for the Barbal System's evil scheme!
System: Huh?
Tang Han: ?
Seeing how confused the system looked, Tang Han also froze.
Tang Han: Wasn't this your doing?
System: I'd love to take credit, but this really has nothing to do with me.
System: If you hadn't made honey drinks for them yesterday, and if Tokai Teio hadn't happened to pass by at exactly that moment, you absolutely would not have been exposed.
Tang Han: ...
All right. He had overthought it. The Barbal System simply did not have the intelligence to design a chain trap like that. This was all just a coincidence.
It could only be said that there had been no other choice at the time. Back then, Tang Han had needed to reveal his S-rank honey drink skill, otherwise the system would have screwed him over. Who could have guessed it would become the key factor in exposing his identity?
"So what do I do now...?" Tang Han looked at Tokai Teio in front of him, his head pounding.
He did not even need to ask. Just from the way Tokai Teio was looking at him, full of longing, it was obvious she was already addicted to the S-rank honey drink. She had come here today specifically to find him.
"Tang Han Trainer... um... I know this is a bit greedy, but could I maybe have another cup of the honey drink you make? Please?" Tokai Teio stepped close to Tang Han, tilting her head up at him cutely, eyes full of hope.
Ah, such an adorable little Teio. Any Teio fan seeing her like this would probably be unable to resist patting her head.
But after an entire night haunted by nightmares, Tang Han truly could not bring himself to see Tokai Teio as just a simple, cute little girl.
Pat her head? The fact that he had not already turned and fled on the spot showed remarkable courage on his part.
"Calm down... calm down..." Tang Han soothed himself.
All that had happened so far was that he had exposed the fact that he could make S-rank honey drinks, and Tokai Teio now knew his real identity. That alone did not necessarily mean anything.
The prerequisite for triggering the Imperial Basement ending was becoming Tokai Teio's trainer. And Tang Han was not her trainer. So for now, he was still safe. There was no need to panic this much.
After all, what Tokai Teio truly liked was the S-rank honey drink, not Tang Han himself.
So as long as he kept a proper distance from her from here on, did not deliberately try to please her, and did not do anything stupid to provoke her, Tang Han would not be in danger.
The way to conquer fear was to face it head-on!
Since Tokai Teio wanted to drink, then let her drink. Tang Han could make S-rank honey drinks, but beyond that he probably had nothing else that would attract Tokai Teio. Naturally, there was no way he would end up in the Imperial Basement.
After all, who would fall in love with a vending machine that only provided delicious drinks?
Great. I'm a vending machine.
"Of course..." Tang Han took out his ingredients from his bag and skillfully made a cup of honey drink.
"Here." He held it out to Tokai Teio.
"Arigatou~" Tokai Teio carefully accepted it. Looking at the familiar rainbow-tinted liquid, happiness was already spreading across her face before she had even taken a sip.
She wrapped her lips around the straw and drew in a mouthful of that rich honey.
Yes. Yes! This was the taste!
"Kimochi~" At that instant, Tokai Teio felt a peak of bliss, her horse ears fluttering rapidly like butterfly wings.
"Of course, you three get some too." Tang Han also made three more servings for Urara and the others.
A vending machine had to treat everyone equally.
"Thank you, Trainer-san~"
"Thank you, Big Brother~"
"Thanks. Ohohoho~"
After thanking Tang Han, the girls also began enjoying their honey drinks.
"I am a vending machine. I am a vending machine." Tang Han silently repeated to himself, mechanically producing cup after cup of honey drink for everyone.
Once each horse girl had drunk about five cups on average, they all gave satisfied little burps.
Stamina +50. Motivation increased.
Tokai Teio especially went from absolute rock bottom yesterday all the way up to peak condition.
"Tang Han Trainer, don't worry, I won't just drink for free. How about I train together with Urara? I'm going to be the undefeated Triple Crown horse girl of the future, you know," Tokai Teio declared confidently.
Hm? She wanted to train with Urara? That was perfect.
Tang Han would never pass up any opportunity for Urara to benefit from friendship training. He needed to turn her into a horse girl capable of winning her debut race in only a week and a half. If he failed, then without completing the quest and extending the lab coat's time limit, Tang Han would be finished.
Anyway, friendship training increased the bond between Tokai Teio and Urara. Tang Han, as the trainer, would just stay on the sidelines keeping time and handling logistics. He was not actually training Tokai Teio, so it should not bring him any trouble.
"Then I'll be counting on you," Tang Han said. "After training, you can drink as many cups as you want. Just treat me like an emotionless vending machine."
"Okay Leave it to Emperor Teio-sama" Tokai Teio patted her chest.
"Hey, hey, Tang Han Trainer, after training, could you make a few extra cups? I want to take some back with me," Tokai Teio asked.
"Sure," Tang Han agreed readily.
She probably wanted to bring a few cups back so she could sneak a sip in the middle of the night when the craving hit.
It wasn't like she was going to bring them back and share them with friends, creating even more S-rank honey drink fans who knew Tang Han's identity, right?
Haha. As if.
...
The next day, Tokai Teio arrived with a horse girl who had purple-and-white hair.
"Hello, Tang Han Trainer. My name is Mejiro McQueen. I had the honor of tasting the honey drink you made before, and I now sincerely invite you to become the exclusive honey drink artisan for the Mejiro family. Salary is entirely negotiable. I hope you will not refuse."
Mejiro McQueen elegantly extended her hand toward him.
Tang Han: ?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
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