Rows of shoes filled the store.
Everything in the world of Uma Musume revolved around horse girls, and the footwear was built far more sturdily than normal shoes.
That made sense.
Their leg strength was so extreme that ordinary footwear probably wouldn’t survive for long.
“Hello.
Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I want to buy racing shoes for my Uma Musume.
Her debut is coming up.
What would you recommend?”
“Well, in that case…”
The clerk launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
Luocheng listened.
And understood absolutely nothing.
Materials, reinforced plates, brands he had never heard of—
he nodded solemnly as though he understood everything.
Then he turned to Teio.
“What do you think?”
“Obviously, we should buy the one with the best cost-performance ratio.
The reinforced-resin model is durable and doesn’t wear down easily.”
“We’ll take that.”
“Certainly.”
“No need to box them.
I’ll change into them now.”
Teio sat down and extended one foot.
“Trainer, help me.”
“Sure.”
Luocheng crouched down and helped her change shoes.
The process reminded him of just how physically extraordinary horse girls were.
He had once tried training alongside Teio.
It nearly killed him.
He had attempted to keep pace beside her during a run and ended up collapsing on the training ground.
Teio, meanwhile, had barely been winded.
Some automatic protective behavior had apparently triggered, because she had carried him to the infirmary and placed a wet towel over his forehead.
A normal human trying to compete physically with an Uma Musume was simply impossible.
Unless he underwent some kind of mutation and became one himself.
“All done.”
Luocheng tied the laces and looked up.
Teio seemed oddly flustered.
“Something wrong?”
“N-No.”
Luocheng didn’t understand.
Now that these girls possessed real personalities, certain reactions were actually harder for him to interpret than before.
After paying, the two left the store.
The shoes and racing gear together cost seventy thousand yen, though the store included a six-month repair warranty.
As they walked, Luocheng’s thoughts returned to the relationship between the two worlds.
If he eventually returned to the game world, would the things he bought here remain?
Would relationships changed here affect the other side?
Then another realization struck him.
He couldn’t command anyone besides Tokai Teio because he wasn’t their Trainer.
And he had never found a way to establish new contracts inside the game world.
But now that he was in “reality”—
could he sign one here?
Could actions in this world alter his status in the game world?
Maybe that was exactly how the two sides worked.
Things impossible in the game world could be done in reality.
Things impossible in reality could be done in the game world.
The two halves complemented one another.
Luocheng suddenly wanted to return to the academy and test his theory.
But Teio was still holding his hand with a grip that felt like steel cable.
“Trainer, let’s go to the food street!”
Teio was full of enthusiasm.
“We’ll eat lunch outside and spend the afternoon having fun!”
“No, I have something I need to—”
“Oh…”
Teio’s ears drooped.
Disappointment practically appeared as written text across her face.
“…I suppose it can wait.”
“Really?
Hehe~!”
Instant sunshine.
“Fine.
Where are we going?”
Watching such obvious emotional changes made Luocheng absurdly happy.
It was like watching an artificial idiot evolve into an actual person.
The characters had come alive.
Teio eagerly listed food after food she wanted to try.
Takoyaki.
Ramen.
Conveyor-belt sushi.
They spent the entire afternoon outside.
By the time they returned to Tracen, evening had arrived.
Tazuna Hayakawa was still standing near the entrance.
“Trainer Luocheng, you’re back.”
“Yeah.
Still working, Tazuna?”
“I noticed you hadn’t returned yet, so I thought I would wait here.”
“I’m honored.”
Luocheng noticed her gaze briefly shift toward Tokai Teio before returning to him.
“To thank you, I’ll treat you to dinner sometime.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Tazuna smiled.
Even after Luocheng had walked some distance away, he glanced back.
She was still watching him.
[ END 401 Chapter ]
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