I didn't expect to see Dober here so late.
Luo Cheng poured her a cup of coffee. Before he came back, he had bought the coffee cup she had been looking at, along with two bags of coffee grounds—one for the office and one for the dorm.
"It's good..." Dober sipped it slowly.
"What's up, Dober? Why are you here so late?"
"Can't I come see Trainer just because?"
"I didn't say that..."
Luo Cheng poured himself a cup of coffee too. He took two sips of the bitter brew and put it down. Dober liked hers black.
"If it's too bitter, you can add some sugar, Trainer."
"That would make me look like a kid. Mature adults drink it black."
"An adult, huh..."
Dober held her coffee, stood up, and sat next to Luo Cheng.
"Trainer, earlier today you asked me if I remembered that rain... I actually do."
"You do?"
"Yes, but I didn't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because I thought it was a dream."
Dober continued, "I dreamed of you and Tachyon. We were training at the track, and it suddenly started raining. You went out to buy snacks and caught a cold from the rain."
Yes, that's it!
That was the support card event Luo Cheng had experienced. Dober actually remembered it! But why was it a dream? Was she saying that it wasn't another worldline but a dream world?
"So Trainer, you don't have to worry. No matter where you are, I'm with you." Dober closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Luo Cheng's, reaching out to touch his cheek.
The rich aroma of coffee and the sweet scent of the girl filled the air. Her cool skin and charming voice sent a thrill through Luo Cheng. He couldn't help but reach out and pull Dober's soft body into his arms. Her words offered a glimmer of comfort to his loneliness of traveling between different worlds. At least someone knew what he was doing. His actions weren't just fantasies in his mind; he wasn't a madman living in his own world.
"Cry when you're sad, laugh when you're happy. Trainer, just do whatever you want. Besides me, the only person who can truly understand you is yourself." Dober gently patted the man's back.
Leaning against her soft body, Luo Cheng felt his tense feelings gradually relax. He used to complain to Dober to relieve his stress. Even in this new reality, she was still so perceptive to his anxiety. Dober was truly a good girl.
"That's all I wanted to say. It's late, Trainer. You should go to bed early." Dober leaned on Luo Cheng, kissed his earlobe, and then, with a dazzling smile, she got up and left the room.
"You're not staying a little longer?"
"There's no rush. We have a lot of time in the future."
Dober waved and closed the door.
Heh heh...
Hahahaha!
In the hallway, Dober hugged herself, her shoulders shaking rapidly. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare, afraid the Trainer inside would hear her. The game world, the support card world, the real world... every one of them was so much fun.
She wondered what kind of fun would unfold next. She couldn't wait, "Trainer."
Dober's eyes turned red. She leaned against the door and caressed it twice, as if she was caressing Luo Cheng's chest. She then tiptoed backward, and as she moved, her body became a blurred black shadow and vanished down the hallway.
The light in the office flickered twice.
Luo Cheng stared at the ceiling, his eyebrows slightly raised. He finished the rest of his coffee, picked up his notebook, and prepared to head back. It was getting late, and he had to accompany Teio to her interview tomorrow. He quickly packed up his things and went back to his dorm.
He turned on the light and saw a lump on his bed. A familiar, soft, little foot was sticking out from under the blanket.
It's you again, Teio!
How did you even get in? I'm the only one with the room key, aren't I? Did you glitch through the wall?
Luo Cheng sat on the bed and took hold of her foot. The blanket twitched. Luo Cheng reached out and kneaded the soft arch of the girl's foot, his fingers gently rubbing in between her toes. He had played with them so many times that he knew Teio's weak spots by heart. He lifted her foot to his face and blew on it.
A thin layer of crystal-clear sweat shone on the sole of her foot. The damp skin was cooled by the air, and her fair toes curled together like healthy, tender white bean sprouts.
They look like they're edible? Should I taste them to see if they're salty?
Just as the thought crossed Luo Cheng's mind, the pale foot quickly broke free from his hand and stomped on his face. The taste of sourness and a hint of sweet skin filled his mouth. Tokai Teio lifted the blanket and yelled, her face flushed, "Trainer! You're so bad!"
"How did you get in here, Teio?" Trapped by her foot, Luo Cheng mumbled. The vibrations from his mouth on the sole of her foot made Tokai Teio let out a tiny squeal. She used her toes to grab and pull at Luo Cheng's face, her face beet red.
"I came for compensation! Today was my, Teio-sama's, victory, so what did you do?"
"Didn't I buy you a big plushie of Rudolf?" Luo Cheng said, his face still being pulled. "You don't like it?"
"That's not the point!" Tokai Teio puffed out her cheeks. She lifted her foot and held it to his face, starting to rub. "It was my victory! Why did those other people get things too? If you buy things for everyone, how is my, Teio-sama's, specialness going to be shown! You should only be nice to me right now!"
Tokai Teio began to perform her "Teio Dance" on Luo Cheng. The pitter-patter rhythm wasn't painful at all; it was actually a little comfortable. Of course, that was because Teio wasn't using any force. She was just pouting. If she were really angry, Luo Cheng would have been trampled to death by now. A horse girl's leg strength is measured in tons.
"I'm sleeping here these next few days. If I don't get special treatment during the day, I'll get it at night."
With that, Tokai Teio put her feet down and pulled the blanket over herself, acting as if she was here to stay.
Luo Cheng wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. Today's Teio was in her "mischievous kid" mode. If she wanted to sleep here, he'd let her. It wasn't like he was losing anything.
But he still had one question.
"How did you get in?"
"Huh?"
"I remember I locked the door. You didn't climb through the window, did you?"
"Silly Trainer, I'm your horse girl. Of course, I have a key to your room."
"I see..." It seemed that horse girls having keys to their trainers' rooms was a Tracen tradition.
Luo Cheng turned off the light, took off his clothes, and got into bed. Tokai Teio turned over beside him. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled beautifully in the moonlight.
"Trainer, reward me," she said, looking up and opening her mouth.
Seeing Teio's misty, almost-dazed eyes, Luo Cheng wrapped his arms around her waist, and then...
"Mm~"