"W-why… why are you all looking at me?"
Cold sweat poured down Tang Han's back as several horrifying possibilities flashed through his mind.
Could it be that he was the one they liked? The thing they wanted most?
If that were true, then he needed to start thinking about escaping this place immediately.
The girls exchanged glances, then each explained why they had been looking at him.
Urara gave him her usual sunny smile. "Because seeing Trainer makes me happy~"
Rice Shower lowered her head shyly. "M-me too… seeing Big Brother… gives me motivation…"
Saint Crown turned her face away and looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Hmph. I'm different. I hate you."
Tokai Teio scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Uh… I like your… um… honey special drink… Yeah! I want to drink honey special drink!"
Mejiro McQueen nodded. "I'm the same as Teio."
Gold Ship casually rested both hands behind her head. "I want my UFO, y'know."
After hearing their reasons, Tang Han finally understood.
"Phew… so that's what it was…"
Urara and Rice Shower, those two little angels, were pure-hearted. Just seeing him gave them motivation. Teio and McQueen were after the honey special drink he made, and Gold Ship was more or less the same, just wanting to get her toy as soon as possible.
"As long as it's not because you want to abduct me… or because you like me…"
Tang Han let out a long sigh of relief.
There was only one reason he still could not understand.
Saint Crown said she hated him?
"Hate me?" Tang Han was baffled.
He hadn't done anything lately that should make Saint Crown hate him. He usually went along with her mood and praised her when appropriate, so how had he offended her out of nowhere?
He wanted to ask what exactly he had done wrong, but since everyone was still here, it didn't seem like the right time to bring up something like that. He decided he would wait until later, when he could speak to her alone.
"Although this treadmill is very useful, unfortunately I only had enough materials to make one. For now, you'll have to take turns using it," Tang Han said.
When one horse girl was on the treadmill, the others would train normally on the track. Once the time limit was up, Tang Han would call the next person over.
"Okay~"
After a brief discussion, the order was decided.
Urara would go first.
Tang Han sat cross-legged on the grass in front of the treadmill, serving as the motivation target.
"Trainer~"
Urara happily spread her arms and ran toward him, looking as if she wanted to throw herself into a hug.
"Hehe~"
She ran with her bright, spring-like smile, radiating warmth all over.
"Ugh!"
Tang Han clutched his chest. His heart was being utterly obliterated by cuteness.
He wanted so badly to go over and hug the little angel. But he couldn't do that. He had to stay in front of the treadmill and watch helplessly as Urara ran toward him over and over, unable to actually reach him.
"Wah…"
A profound sense of guilt welled up inside him.
He wasn't even on the treadmill himself, and Gold Ship wasn't threatening him from behind, so why did this still feel like torture?
Fortunately, after a very long period of psychological suffering, Urara's turn finally ended.
"Hehe~"
Urara hopped down happily and immediately ran over to hug Tang Han, leaving both of them thoroughly satisfied.
Then it was Rice Shower's turn.
"Go, go, go oh"
After giving herself a tiny, adorable pep talk, Rice began to run.
Tang Han sat in front of her as well, quietly appreciating the sight of her running and replenishing his daily Rice Shower reserves.
"B-Big Brother… please don't keep staring at me…"
Rice blushed bright red and lowered her head shyly.
"Ah, sorry…"
Realizing that staring at her was making her self-conscious, Tang Han quickly turned his head away.
Unfortunately, that only made things worse.
"Big Brother isn't looking at me anymore…"
Her eyes dimmed, and her horse ears drooped sadly.
"Hm?"
Tang Han's internal Big Brother radar immediately reacted. He could somehow sense Rice's mood dropping, so he turned back to look.
"Mm…"
Rice blushed again, her ears twitching happily.
"Big Brother… please don't…"
"Sorry…"
"Big Brother isn't looking at me anymore…"
"Hm?"
And so the two of them became trapped in an endless loop until her time was up.
Then it was Saint Crown's turn.
"Hmph!"
She stepped onto the treadmill and once again turned her face away, refusing to look at Tang Han directly.
"Got it."
Tang Han stood up on his own and moved behind the treadmill, sitting down on the grass there instead. That way, she wouldn't have to see him while she ran.
"Hm?"
Saint Crown immediately frowned in dissatisfaction when she saw him relocate.
"Why are you going behind me? Stay in front."
"Uh…"
Tang Han didn't understand.
Didn't she hate him? If so, then having him behind her would mean she could use her desire to get away from someone she disliked as motivation. It was a perfectly reasonable decision.
But now she was telling him to sit in front instead?
"Fine…"
Although he still didn't understand what she was thinking, Tang Han obediently moved back to the front.
"Hmph…"
Saint Crown fixed him with a glare full of irritation and began running.
The way she stared at him made it feel as if she wanted to rush over and beat him up. Tang Han found the experience terrifying.
"She really hates me that much…"
Since it was just the two of them now, Tang Han took the chance to ask:
"Ahem. Miss First-Rate Saint Crown… may I ask why you hate me?"
If someone hated you, there had to be a reason. As long as Tang Han fixed the reason, it should be fine.
"Hmph!"
Saint Crown snorted again.
"I'm dissatisfied about what happened last night."
"Last night?"
Tang Han was even more confused.
What had happened last night? He had only sent her the video of Urara's dance like he promised. Could there have been some problem with his phone? Had the video failed to send?
Tang Han hurriedly pulled out his phone and checked the chat log.
"No, it definitely went through."
He was completely lost.
So what on earth had upset her?
"Hmph!"
Seeing that Tang Han still hadn't figured out the real reason she was angry made Saint Crown even more annoyed.
The truth was, after giving him her contact information yesterday, she had gone to bed holding her phone and waited all night, expecting Tang Han to invite her to become one of his trainees.
But all he sent was the video of Urara's winning stage performance. Nothing else.
Didn't that basically mean that Tang Han looked down on her completely and had no desire at all to train her?
That was the real reason Saint Crown was upset.
"Do you think I'm not good enough? That I can't even be called first-rate?" she demanded.
Hearing that, Tang Han was confused for a moment longer—then suddenly understood.
"So that's it…"
He had finally grasped the real reason she was treating him this way.
"She's feeling inferior," Tang Han concluded with confidence.
Maybe she had heard someone belittling her last night, telling her she wasn't first-rate, and now she was upset over it.
And Tang Han himself was just a rookie trainer. Saint Crown usually looked down on him anyway—or so Tang Han believed—so now, with her bad mood on top of that, seeing him today had made her especially irritated.
He had it all figured out now.
The solution was simple: help Saint Crown recover her confidence.
Tang Han shook his head and said seriously,
"No. I don't think that at all."
"No matter what anyone else says, in my… ahem… in our eyes, you are first-rate."
"For example, the beauty of your running form right now far surpasses every horse girl I've ever seen!"
"No—actually, that's wrong. It's not just surpassing them. They don't even qualify to be compared to a first-rate Saint Crown!"
And then Tang Han unleashed a stream of outrageous nonsense, praising Saint Crown's beauty and first-rate elegance in every possible way.
There was no one else around to offend, so he said whatever came to mind. The important thing was getting her confidence back up.
After one solid round of praise, Tang Han successfully cheered her up.
"Ohohohohohoho—!"
Saint Crown broke into her usual self-assured laugh.
But just then, because she was too absorbed in Tang Han's compliments, she forgot to watch her footing, tripped over herself, and pitched forward.
Poof!
The treadmill's safety airbag popped out and caught her in time, leaving her unharmed.
"Uh…"
Tang Han scratched his head awkwardly.
He might have overdone the compliments a little. He had completely forgotten she was still running.
"......"
Saint Crown lifted her head and glared at him in mortification.
Falling down was the opposite of first-rate!
And worse, a man had seen it happen.
How humiliating.
"Mm—!"
She puffed up her cheeks and gave him a sharp warning glare, clearly telling him not to look.
Tang Han froze for a second, then immediately recovered and said:
"Wow! Even when Saint Crown falls down, her posture is first-rate! It's so elegant! Not even the masterpieces in a museum can compare to one-tenth of the beauty you displayed just now!"
"R-really…?"
Saint Crown got to her feet and looked at him in disbelief.
He was praising her even for falling down? Comparing her to works of art in a museum?
Did that mean that, in Tang Han's heart, she really held such a high place?
"..."
She lowered her head and brushed at her hair.
After a moment of silence, she burst into her signature laugh again.
"Ohohohohohoho—! Of course I remain first-rate at all times. That much is beyond question!"
With a smile on her face, Saint Crown pointed at him.
"Since you're so perceptive and can recognize the first-rate qualities of a first-rate Saint Crown, I shall graciously forgive you. I look forward to your performance tonight."
"Sure, sure."
Tang Han agreed perfunctorily.
Performance? What performance? Did she mean he should praise her proactively?
Fine. Then tonight he would praise her a little more, until she was satisfied.
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
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 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 25
After Maxing Out Every Class 25
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