Watching the senior and junior pair—clearly fond of each other, yet somehow still managing to act like a pair of lovable idiots at the strangest moments—Xingyun Liuge nearly laughed out loud.
Since there was no way the two horse girls would actually fall out over something this trivial, she did not hesitate in the slightest. She pulled them both into her arms at once, her elbows snug against their straight backs. One hand patted a head, the other stroked a tail, and for a while she was busy having the time of her life.
Her hands were quick, but her mouth was even quicker.
"All right, all right," Xingyun Liuge said, "you can't go sulking and squabbling at an occasion this grand. Don't give the British any chance to look down on you, even if this is just how you two normally get along."
Since Daiwa Scarlet was a little taller than Agnes Tachyon, Xingyun Liuge deliberately leaned toward her ear and blew a soft breath against the adorable thing.
In that instant, Xingyun Liuge felt Daiwa Scarlet go rigid inside her arms—completely rigid, from top to bottom.
Apparently, that tiny little gesture had dealt the girl a devastating blow, leaving her so flustered she no longer knew what to do with herself.
Xingyun Liuge did not even bother looking at the girl's expression or face. The sudden surge in body temperature had already told her everything she needed to know.
If she was not overwhelmed to the point of embarrassment, there was no way her temperature would have shot up that fast.
And if they had not been standing in full public view, Xingyun Liuge would absolutely have nibbled lightly on Daiwa Scarlet's ear and taught her what the dangers of the human heart really meant.
Her thinking was simple.
Daiwa Scarlet had a great figure and an adorable personality, so she was worth teasing until she flushed and squirmed.
Who did not love seeing a beautiful girl act bashful? Who would not want a beautiful girl to show them that shy little expression?
Xingyun Liuge was no exception.
It was just that, because horse girls were all beautiful girls, her standards for beauty had become correspondingly higher. She was not the sort to go around casually teasing just any pretty girl. The target had to meet her personal standards first.
Just as Xingyun Liuge had Daiwa Scarlet thoroughly flustered—fumbling, panicking, and heating up to almost suspicious levels—Agnes Tachyon tugged lightly at her sleeve.
Her eyes were wide as she stared at Xingyun Liuge with a glare that seemed to say:
I know Daiwa is cute, but bullying a junior right in front of her senior is a bit too much, isn't it? If you've got the guts, then come at me head-on.
Agnes Tachyon did not say a single word, but the expression she wore was very difficult to describe.
If she had been the proper, dependable sort of senior, this would have been the moment to say something like, "Miss Xingyun, weren't you just saying we shouldn't give the British any reason to look down on us? What is this supposed to be?"
At the very least, she should have said, "There are so many people watching, so don't start anything."
After all, Xingyun Liuge was the unquestioned center of attention tonight. Every movement she made was bound to draw eyes, let alone this kind of interaction.
If things went even a little astray, people might start imagining horseplay, and that would not be good for Xingyun Liuge's reputation either.
The dining table and the food blocked some of the view, but people on the second floor, those standing on the stairs, and anyone watching from the sides could all see perfectly well what she was doing.
Yet not only did Agnes Tachyon fail to stop her, she even seemed to be openly provoking her, as though she wanted Xingyun Liuge to keep going.
It was rather rare behavior.
Then again, considering how clingy Agnes Tachyon had been lately, maybe she really was hoping Xingyun Liuge would tease her too.
No—maybe she truly wanted Xingyun Liuge to horseplay with her.
At that thought, Xingyun Liuge deliberately let her gaze settle on Agnes Tachyon, then slowly lowered it until it came to rest on the girl's slight, faintly rounded chest. Then she gave her an awkward but perfectly polite smile.
"?"
Agnes Tachyon's soft ears immediately pricked up, and even her tail stopped moving.
Did this woman think she was flat as a board? Completely featureless? A wasteland?
Agnes Tachyon had never once been anxious about her figure. But since Xingyun Liuge was looking at her like that, then she was going to demonstrate her true level properly.
Sure, it definitely was not remotely comparable to Xingyun Liuge's…
but she was not Silence Suzuka, and she was not flat.
The soft, resilient signs of youthful femininity collided with Xingyun Liuge's overwhelmingly greater mass and instantly squashed out of shape.
And then Agnes Tachyon was forced to admit that the pressure really was something else. There was even a faint sensation of being unable to breathe.
Watching this, Daiwa Scarlet immediately covered her eyes.
She could not understand Agnes Tachyon's competitive spirit at all. She simply did not have the heart to watch a contest that had no chance of ending in anything but total defeat.
However, while Xingyun Liuge was busy teasing Agnes Tachyon and Daiwa Scarlet, Chihaya Yui, over on the other side, encountered one of the greatest challenges of her life.
Led by the maid, Chihaya Yui came to the edge of the banquet hall and found herself face to face with a petite blonde girl idly playing with a folding fan.
"Good day. I am Elizabeth Alexandra Windsor. It is a pleasure to meet both you and Miss Xingyun Liuge at this banquet."
Elizabeth gave Chihaya Yui a perfectly proper curtsy, then opened her folding fan and used it to half-hide her smile like a traditional, elegant aristocratic young lady.
Every one of the girl's movements was impeccably refined. Even the most rigid old academic would have been unable to find fault with her etiquette.
Chihaya Yui, meanwhile, felt painfully awkward.
Though the maid was providing live translation for her, she understood absolutely nothing of noble etiquette. All she could manage was a stiff bow, her whole body rigid, feeling equally nervous and embarrassed.
She was terrified that any small mistake on her part would damage the British impression of Xingyun Liuge. At the moment, she felt like a marionette with all its strings pulled taut.
After a moment's thought, she chose to ask directly.
"I'm just an ordinary trainer. I shouldn't have ever met Miss Elizabeth before, so… may I ask why you suddenly came to see me?"
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she could not make sense of it.
How does an ordinary trainer like me end up getting involved with a British grand aristocrat? Does that make any sense at all?
Elizabeth lightly waved her fan, her tone warm and friendly.
"You are too modest, Miss Chihaya. You are a trainer renowned throughout the world. The great stables across the globe would undoubtedly spare no effort to invite you to transfer and train strong horse girls for them. I merely moved a tiny bit faster than they did and came to you first."
As she said this, she raised her right hand and made a little gesture with thumb and forefinger to indicate just how very tiny that "tiny bit" was.
"Eh?"
Chihaya Yui was startled.
She was nothing but a nobody. How could she possibly deserve that kind of attention?
She immediately wanted to decline.
After all, she knew her own limits better than anyone. Xingyun Liuge's results were the product of Liuge's own hard work. Maybe Chihaya Yui had contributed a tiny little bit, but only that much. She had always been very self-aware.
Chihaya Yui was just about to refuse.
But Elizabeth swiftly raised a hand to stop her, signaling for her not to speak just yet.
She still had more to say.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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