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Chapter 22 - Ch.22

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The Tokyo Racecourse was packed with people. Guided by the staff, Luo Cheng and Tokai Teio made their way to the athletes' waiting room. Other horse girls were coming and going from their rooms, getting ready for the race, while their trainers were giving them pep talks. For these horse girls, this was their first official race.

Luo Cheng wasn't sure how to comfort anyone, and Tokai Teio didn't seem to need comforting. But after all this time, Luo Cheng felt a sense of awe. Even if it was just a program setting, it was Teio who reached out to him when he was in danger in that world. It was Teio who responded to his words, and it was Teio whom he held the most.

Tokai Teio was Luo Cheng's indirect motivation to survive. The daily training he planned for her helped pass the difficult time. She gave him a goal to work toward. Because of this, Luo Cheng felt a special bond with Tokai Teio.

"Go and win the race, Teio."

Hearing this, Tokai Teio giggled and threw her arms around Luo Cheng.

"Trainer, I'm going to show you how this great Tokai Teio becomes an undefeated Triple Crown winner!"

The announcer's voice echoed from outside, and all the athletes began to enter the field. Tokai Teio let go of Luo Cheng, looked at him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, I'm off, Trainer. Praise the heroic spirit of me, the great Teio!" Tokai Teio ran out of the room with a childlike joy, her footsteps echoing as she sprinted toward the racetrack.

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"Welcome, everyone, to the Tokyo Racecourse! Fourteen new-generation athletes are about to face their first race. And first up, our fan favorite, Tokai Teio!"

Tokai Teio was a standout even during training. Her repeated victories in simulated races showed off her incredible talent, and she naturally became the focus of the entire crowd. Standing on the stage in her tracksuit, Tokai Teio lifted her head high and pointed a finger at the audience.

"Victory is mine!"

It had rained a little the day before, and the grass wasn't in great condition. Even Luo Cheng could see the bumpy, uneven ground, which made it easy for the horse girls to slip. Unlike the game, there's a special type of training for this kind of ground called "poor track training," where the horse girls practice on the uneven turf they've trampled themselves after a run. Luo Cheng had noticed that Teio's training stats on that kind of ground were no different from normal, meaning she had a very high adaptability to poor tracks.

The word "prodigy" was meant to describe Teio.

The race began quickly, and the fourteen horse girls burst out of the gates. The one in the lead was named Pretty Talent, a horse girl with striking red hair. Tokai Teio was running in second place. She got a good start.

This was another difference from the game. Every horse girl had a different running style. Some had short, quick strides, while others had long, slow ones. Almost every horse girl had a unique running style. Luo Cheng had read about the impact of different running styles on horse girls in a book. The movements of their feet and the swing of their arms could all affect their speed.

When it came to a trainer's knowledge, he was lacking. He only knew how to combine different training methods to maximize stats, but he couldn't give reasonable advice on their running form.

Fortunately, Teio didn't need that kind of advice. Her body seemed weightless as she danced across the grass. He remembered this being called the "Teio Step." As her foot landed on the ground, her calf would instantly straighten and propel her forward. It was flawless, both from an aesthetic and a technical standpoint.

"The race is at its final turn! The leader is Age Time!"

"Trainer, I'm going for it!"

Luo Cheng heard the voice. Despite the distance, he could still hear Tokai Teio's words. She briefly crouched, assuming an acceleration stance, then pushed off with her legs, and her speed surged dramatically. Her pale thighs burst with incredible power, and Tokai Teio's speed continued to climb.

This was the power of a horse girl!

"Tokai Teio is sprinting! Tokai Teio is catching up! Tokai Teio is breaking through the pack! Two lengths, three lengths, four lengths!! Tokai Teio is continuously widening the gap with the second-place runner! So strong! So powerful—!!"

As the announcer shouted, Tokai Teio crossed the finish line, and the whole stadium erupted.

Tokai Teio won with a dominant lead of four lengths. Luo Cheng let out a long sigh of relief. The training plan he had painstakingly devised hadn't held her back. Watching Tokai Teio wave slowly after crossing the finish line, Luo Cheng's heart pounded.

What was this feeling?

The child he had nurtured step by step was basking in the cheers of the crowd. Luo Cheng felt a little teary-eyed, recalling the emotion he felt the first time he played Umamusume: Pretty Derby. The moment they crossed the finish line, he would stand up and cheer.

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"Trainer! Did you see how heroic I, the great Teio, was?!" After the race, Luo Cheng held a celebration party in his office. He bought a large cake for Teio and ordered a renowned chef to make it on the spot. The party pretty much drained most of Luo Cheng's wallet.

But it didn't matter. Money was the most useless thing to Luo Cheng. He'd rather spend lavishly to make Teio happy. At that moment, Tokai Teio was hugging Luo Cheng's waist, giggling and bragging about herself. Meanwhile, Seiun Sky also approached Luo Cheng.

"That was amazing, Teio. Let me toast you." Seiun Sky said, picking up Luo Cheng's cup and clinking it with Teio's.

"Hey! It's good that you know how great I am, but what's with taking the trainer's cup?!"

"Because I don't have one. I can only use the trainer's, and I'm sure the trainer doesn't mind sharing."

"Of course, you have one! I clearly gave you one!"

Tokai Teio had been worried Seiun Sky might pull a stunt like this, so she had prepared a special, very noticeable red cup for her. It had been on the table, but now it was gone! Seiun Sky squinted at the red cup hidden under the sofa and smiled.

"Trainer, praise me more."

"You're great, you're great."

"Hehe~"

Tokai Teio rubbed against Luo Cheng. The celebration continued until midnight. Seiun Sky licked the spot on the cup where Luo Cheng had just drunk. She noticed the trainer kept looking at the clock on the wall.

"What's wrong, Trainer?"

"...Nothing, I'm fine." Luo Cheng shook his head. He remembered the manual stating that the deadline for the debut race was midnight tonight. It was already 11:40. The deadline was approaching. What would happen to him then?

"You two, it's very late. You should go back and get some sleep."

"No! It's just getting started, and you're already telling us to go back."

"We've been eating for four hours," Luo Cheng said, counting on his fingers. Horse girls' appetites were truly huge. He thought he had bought a lot, but these two little girls had devoured everything. Tokai Teio's belly was slightly bloated, yet she continued to eat.

"I want to stay with the trainer a little longer!" Tokai Teio whined, clinging to Luo Cheng. Who would have imagined that the mighty Teio on the racetrack would act like this around him?

"I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Seiun, can you please take Teio back?"

"Sure. Oh, by the way, Trainer..." Seiun Sky stopped, her words caught in her throat, before finally saying, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

With that, the two of them left the office.

Luo Cheng sat on the sofa, looking at the sky outside, which had turned completely black. He then looked at the clock. Time ticked by, second by second. The ticking sound was like a blade, grating on Luo Cheng's sensitive nerves. He picked up the remaining half of Teio's cake and started to eat it.

So sweet...

As the second hand passed the twelve o'clock mark, a translucent screen appeared before Luo Cheng's eyes.

[Story Mission: Debut Race. Complete.]

Instantly, the world turned black.

When Luo Cheng opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in his office. The room was a mess, with garbage and leftover chicken bones everywhere.

Luo Cheng rubbed his face.

Did I fall asleep? When?

He remembered holding a celebration party for Teio and the others last night, and then... a notification appeared before his eyes. Thinking of the notification's content, Luo Cheng stood up and rushed out the door. He grabbed the shoulders of a few students walking down the hallway.

"Hey, you guys!"

Before he could finish, Luo Cheng numbly dropped his arms.

The moment they turned around, he saw their stat UIs.

This was the game world.

He was back.

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