The shop's counters were lined with a dazzling array of shoes. In the world of Uma Musume, everything revolved around them, and their shoes were exceptionally sturdy, which made sense given their immense leg power. Not only were the materials good, but the front of the shoes also had steel plates, serving both as foot protection and a weapon.
"Hello, can I help you with anything?" the staff member asked.
"I'd like to buy a pair of shoes for my Uma Musume. Do you have any recommendations? She has a race soon."
"Then I'd recommend this one..." The person began a long, detailed explanation.
Good, Luo Cheng couldn't understand a word. He'd never heard of the brands or the materials like "steel-plated plywood." He nodded and pretended to follow along before turning to Teio.
"Teio, what do you think?"
"Let's get the one with the best value. The one made of reinforced resin is wear-resistant and durable."
"We'll take that one."
"I'll go box it up for you."
"No need, we'll just put them on now." Tokai Teio sat down and held out her foot to Luo Cheng. "Trainer, help me."
"Okay."
Luo Cheng knelt down and helped her take off her shoes. Since she hadn't trained yet today, her feet were clean. After training, her white socks would be soaked with sweat and a dark stain, with a complex, unpleasant smell of sourness, leather, and milk. But right now, they were perfect. Her calves and feet had a fresh scent of soap and citrus, dry and clean without a hint of sweat. It was the perfect state for him to "play with."
Seeing Luo Cheng take off her shoes, Teio's face quickly flushed. The moment his fingers touched her sole, she involuntarily shivered.
"Oh, this is great..."
Teio had been feeling this way since the morning. She wanted to be close to her trainer. After he kissed her, she had felt a restless itch, and kissing him back had only intensified it. She wanted to touch his body, to seek out stimulation from him. Her young, innocent heart was stirring with desire.
The moment Luo Cheng held her soft, tender foot, Tokai Teio let out a small whimper. The staff member, seeing the situation, discreetly left, leaving the two of them alone.
Yet, despite Tokai Teio's excitement, Luo Cheng's reaction was calm. He held her soft foot, put it into the new shoe, and marveled at the quality. A human could wear this pair for a lifetime, but an Uma Musume would probably only get a year out of it. Their daily training would kill a human instantly.
Luo Cheng had tried to train with Teio once. You can't just take without giving back, so he was constantly trying to increase his stamina. He ran with Teio and almost died on the training field, but Teio was completely fine. Eventually, some sort of protection mechanism triggered, and Tokai Teio carried his exhausted body to the infirmary and put a wet towel on his head. It was impossible for a human to challenge an Uma Musume unless they mutated and became one themselves. Their baseline was beyond a human's limit.
"Done." As he tightened the laces, Luo Cheng looked up at Teio. Her eyes were glazed over, her hand was clamped over her mouth, and her tail was twisted into a knot. Her body was twitching.
What was wrong with her? Luo Cheng was confused.
It took a while for Teio to recover from the sensation of having her trainer "tend to her feet." She wiped a tear from her eye, surprised that just being touched was so pleasurable. What if they did something more? She was suddenly full of anticipation.
"Let's go, Trainer," she said, her voice filled with reluctance.
Now that they were in the real world, Luo Cheng found some of their reactions hard to understand.
After the staff member packed up Teio's old shoes, the two left the store. The shoes were quite expensive—70,000 yen with the horseshoes—but they came with a warranty. If they wore out within six months, he could get them repaired.
But did buying things even matter? Luo Cheng's time here aligned with the manual's schedule, so he might go back. Would everything he did here disappear, or would it carry over to the "game" world? Would the things he bought transfer? Would his relationships with the Uma Musume be affected by this reality? These questions swirled in his mind.
Wait a minute... Luo Cheng stopped. He suddenly thought of something.
In the "game" world, he couldn't command anyone besides Teio because he wasn't their trainer, and he couldn't find a way to sign a contract. Now that he was in reality, did this mean he could sign a contract and change the "game's" status? It was possible! The things he couldn't do in the "game" could be done in reality, and vice-versa. The two worlds complemented each other!
Luo Cheng wanted to go back and try immediately, but Teio had been holding his hand the whole time. The little girl's grip was surprisingly strong, like he was bound by steel rods. He was so surprised by her strength that he wondered if he would ever dare to hold her hand again.
"Trainer, let's go to the food district!" Tokai Teio's spirits were high. "We can eat lunch out and then play all afternoon!"
"No, I have some things to do."
"You have things to do... Oh." Teio's ears drooped, her face showing clear disappointment.
"...We can play for a bit first."
"Really! Hehe~" Teio instantly brightened up.
"Let's go. Where to?"
Seeing her emotions change so dramatically, Luo Cheng picked her up and gave her a big hug. For him, this was like watching a clumsy AI become a true one. It was an evolution—his "2D character" had come to life! Luo Cheng's mood had never been better.
Tokai Teio giggled, hugging him tightly. "Takoyaki, ramen, conveyor-belt sushi... I want to eat it all!" She wagged her tail, which silently wrapped around Luo Cheng's thigh like a chain, binding the man to her.
They played until evening. When they returned, Luo Cheng found Tazuna Hayakawa still standing by the gate.
"Luo Cheng-Trainer, you're back."
"Yeah, still working, Tazuna?"
"I saw you hadn't returned and thought I'd wait here to welcome you back."
"I'm truly flattered." Luo Cheng's gaze lingered on her black stockings. She was subtly shifting her long, beautiful legs.
"It was my own idea." She bent down, a perfect smile on her face. Her green eyes casually glanced at Teio standing next to Luo Cheng before returning to his face.
"To show my thanks, I'll treat you to dinner sometime, Tazuna." Luo Cheng tore his eyes away from her tempting legs.
"I look forward to it," she said with a warm smile.
As they walked away, Luo Cheng looked back and saw that Tazuna was still watching him.