I remember the first time I went out with Teio, we went to a sporting goods store. This time, we went to a bookstore. The story didn't unfold the way it had before; I was on a different path.
The event replay could change the story. Of course, this was the result of my active interference. If I had done the same things as last time, the story would probably have been the same, even the dialogue.
Teio sat beside me, happily reading a manga.
If this was a separate timeline, could I buy things here and bring them back? If so, I wouldn't have to wait for an event to trigger to buy items from the outside.
I absent-mindedly looked at some books before buying the manga Teio liked, along with a bunch of brain teaser books. Maybe these could increase her intelligence. Of course, I didn't forget calculus and advanced math, the things that had caused me so much pain. I was sure the horse girls would be much smarter after being "forced" to learn this knowledge.
"Trainer, do you like reading manga too?"
"Yes."
"These mangas are so much fun!" Tokai Teio chattered away. As we passed the shopping district, she grabbed my hand. "Trainer, let's go get something to eat!"
The storyline changed, but some things still happened, like Handyman Hayakawa being at the gate, Tokai Teio wanting to go shopping, and Handyman Hayakawa waiting at the gate and saying, "Trainer Luo Cheng, you're back."
And just as I had expected, after Teio and I returned, Handyman Hayakawa was indeed standing at the gate, and she said exactly what I had in mind.
Now I had a good grasp of the event replay feature. It was a place where I could re-watch and complete story events. I could make my own decisions to see different story paths. It had truly become a real-life visual novel.
"Trainer, I had so much fun today. Let's go out again tomorrow."
Since I didn't kiss Teio at the beginning, I skipped straight to the CG unlock part. So along the way, Teio didn't do anything aggressive. Her most intimate actions were leaning against me and rubbing her cheek against mine.
I was a little unaccustomed to it. I rarely ventured into the all-ages genre.
After saying goodbye, Teio happily ran off. I stood there, and after she disappeared, I looked up at the sky. The sun had completely set, and the streetlights of Tracen Academy were on. I faintly saw a dark figure in the distance. I walked over and greeted her. Her golden pupils glowed faintly in the night.
"Trainer..."
"Let's go for a walk, Dober."
"Okay."
We went to the park. I started telling her about my life.
Listening to my incredible story, Dober proved to be the best listener. She seriously thought about my words and offered her own thoughts. She soothed my emotions with her gentle voice.
"The future me has become your horse girl?"
"Yes."
"That's... a very happy thing," Dober said, a smile appearing on her face.
"You have a unique focus, Dober. I thought you'd be more concerned about yourself or this world."
"While those things are worth being concerned about, they don't feel real to me. Compared to that, you being my Trainer feels much more real," Dober said, blushing and looking down.
Don't look, don't listen, don't think.
I wasn't the only one who lived by this motto. Dober, who was tormented by ghosts, was the same. She never thought about where the ghosts came from; she just adapted to her environment. It was the same for me. I had thought that as long as I could switch between reality and the game at will, I would be able to fit into this world. But now I felt that the ability to switch didn't help much. I'd had a feeling of confusion ever since I arrived in this world.
I rubbed my head.
"You're right. Instead of thinking about these things, it's more practical to focus on racing. Horse girls are meant to race, after all," I said with a laugh.
Dober stared at my deep, dark eyes for a moment. She moved closer. "Trainer..." Dober took my hand, her soft fingers touching my palm. After a moment of thought, she whispered, "I don't know your experiences, and I don't know what you're thinking, but I can hear you, see you, and touch you. So... no matter where you are, these experiences are real, and everything you do is real."
Dober's hand intertwined with mine. "I don't know what the future holds, but I believe that in the future, I will be by your side. No matter which world you're in, you will be my Trainer, and my only Trainer."
"Dober."
I looked at the horse girl in front of me, whose appearance fit my tastes and whose personality was incredibly good. Wasn't she the perfect person to be a wife?
Let's get married.
Perhaps realizing how embarrassing her words were, Dober's face turned red. She turned her head, her beautiful golden eyes blinking as she looked at me. "Since the first day you came to Tracen, I've felt you were special. So... Trainer, let's walk this path together from now on. I will take good care of you."
A beautiful smile appeared on her pale face. I looked at the dark-haired girl in front of me. I suddenly felt that this place was pretty good. I could come here whenever I wanted and see these people. Maybe hiding here was an option. I could just keep replaying this event and live here forever.
"That's not going to work, Trainer." An icy arm wrapped around my neck, and the dark-haired girl leaned over.
The sudden voice interrupted our conversation. Dober's eyes widened as she looked at the person who was hugging me.
"A friend?"
"I'm sorry, you're not Dober, and we're not friends. This world is not our world."
The girl put her lips to my ear. "Trainer, if you hide here, you will truly 'die.' If you really want to leave, you can't escape."
"It's you. Have you been following me?"
"Go back. The real Dober is waiting for you."
I watched the girl grab my hand and tap the three dots above my vision.
[Would you like to exit Event Replay mode? Yes/No]
[Yes]
The scene in front of me was disrupted. The hand that Dober was holding turned into color blocks and disappeared into the air. The warm sensation left my body, and I started to fall, faster and faster. A strong sense of weightlessness enveloped my mind. After an unknown amount of time, a beam of light shone down.
I raised my hand to block the sunlight and saw a blushing Tokai Teio, Sky leaning against my body, and Agnes Tachyon and Manhattan Cafe running on the training track.
I held out my hand and looked at the time on my watch.
The hands pointed to two in the afternoon—not a minute more, not a minute less.