"Young man? Young man?"
Half-asleep, Tang Han heard someone calling to him.
When he opened his eyes, he saw it was the driver.
"Young man, we're at the school," the driver reminded him.
"..."
Tang Han pushed himself up from his seat and looked out the window at Tracen Academy's front gate.
He clearly remembered having just gotten on the bus at the hidden dorm a moment ago, so how had they already arrived in the blink of an eye?
He thought about it for a moment, then figured it out.
He must have passed out from some kind of emotional shock, combined with sheer exhaustion.
And the cause of that shock...
What exactly was Saint Crown's "And then?" supposed to mean? Was he supposed to keep praising her?
Tang Han pulled out his phone and looked at Saint Crown's message.
And then?
"Pffft—!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
He had already wrung every last word out of his brain praising her all night, so why was she still not satisfied?
At this rate, Tang Han could already foresee what kind of miserable future Saint Crown's eventual husband would have. She would probably drain him dry in both body and mind until he became a limp husk slumped in a chair.
Like Tang Han right now.
"Oysters..."
He collapsed back into his seat, nearly dozing off again.
Terrifying. He wanted to give up. He really did not want to keep praising Saint Crown anymore...
Seeing him slump again, the driver offered some earnest advice.
"Young man, take care of your health. Don't stay up all night. Your body matters most."
"Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind..." Tang Han replied weakly.
The driver's warning lifted his spirits a little, and he forced himself back upright.
The world would not stop spinning just because he was afraid. If he wanted to conquer fear, he had to face it head-on. He had to turn that fear into fuel and become stronger.
Tang Han understood that well. No matter how hard things got from here on, he was not the kind of person to give up. He would keep going.
Wasn't it just a matter of continuing to tell Saint Crown she was first-rate? Easy. So what if he had to praise her for a few more nights? He could still get up and go to work the next morning. Maybe it would even improve his eloquence.
"Come on, fear. Show me what you've got."
Tang Han got off the bus.
And then he saw Tazuna Hayakawa standing at the gate, just like she did every morning.
"Good morning, Tang Han~" Tazuna waved as soon as she spotted him, putting away the phone that had his photo on it.
"..."
Tang Han froze mid-step.
No way. It really had to be her?
He gave her a quick once-over.
Today, Tazuna looked far better than before. She seemed much more refreshed and energetic. She must have slept incredibly well last night.
Of course, the price had been Tang Han getting used as a nice, warm body pillow...
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Han still walked over.
"Good morning, Ms. Tazuna."
He greeted her in the same way he always did, as though nothing had happened the day before, as though she had not cornered him in a dark storage room.
"Tang Han..."
Tazuna's feelings were complicated as she watched him approach her so calmly.
She had assumed that after what happened yesterday, Tang Han would run away the moment he saw her today.
But not only had he not taken advantage of her while she was asleep, nor abandoned her alone in that gloomy warehouse, he had even carried her all the way to the infirmary...
And now he was not avoiding her at all. He was still treating her exactly the way he always had.
"Tang Han, thank you for being so magnanimous," Tazuna said sincerely.
"It's fine. I really don't mind," Tang Han said with a dismissive wave.
"If letting Ms. Tazuna get a good night's sleep can help, then it's my honor."
"And besides, being used as a pillow by a beautiful woman like Ms. Tazuna is something other people would envy. Why would I be unhappy about it?" he added with a smile, sounding as if he truly meant it.
Naturally, that was not the truth.
Tang Han cared a great deal about having been used as a pillow. Every time he recalled how close Tazuna had come to actually pouncing on him, he started trembling.
The reason he was not deliberately avoiding her now was because he had backing.
That backing was...
"Ship-bro!"
At that moment, the lofty image of Gold Ship rose in Tang Han's mind.
Ha. Ms. Tazuna, now that I've got Ship-bro protecting me, there's no chance you can shove me into a corner and use me as a body pillow again.
"Hmph." The thought of having a reliable buddy at his back made Tang Han stand a little straighter.
"Tang Han..."
As she watched him remain so composed, Tazuna's heart began to race.
Gratitude, emotion, happiness, admiration—so many feelings blended together inside her that something entirely new began to form.
A strange mix of sweetness, warmth, itchiness, and a desire to rely on him.
From this moment on, Tang Han was no longer just an ordinary friend in Tazuna's eyes. He had become someone much closer—someone truly dear to her.
Though she did not realize it yet, perhaps her feelings for him were already deeper than she thought...
Pressing a hand to her chest, Tazuna gazed at Tang Han with tearful eyes.
"Tang Han, to apologize for how rude I was to you before, I'd like to cover the full cost of all the parts you buy from now on."
"Hm?" Tang Han raised a brow.
She wanted to pay for all his parts? Just like that?
Those special components were extremely expensive. And Tang Han needed them in large quantities. If he wanted to build every piece of training equipment described in that book, even the money Mejiro McQueen had given him before would not be nearly enough.
And yet Tazuna was offering to cover all of it? Was she really that rich?
"There's no need, Ms. Tazuna. My little stash is still pretty healthy, so I can manage without troubling you," Tang Han said, shaking his head.
As much as he would love to be spoiled by a rich woman, there was one important condition: that rich woman could not be a horse girl. Otherwise, no matter how many supplements he bought with her money, they would never be enough to restore a body drained dry.
Besides, the training equipment in that book was divided into tiers, and each tier required a matching level of craftsmanship. Right now, Tang Han was still only at the lowest level, and the number of things he could build was limited. For the time being, he did not need that many parts. His own savings were enough.
Tang Han was not the sort to take advantage of a small kindness just because it was offered, so he refused.
"All right..." Tazuna said, a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up again and looked at him expectantly.
"If there's ever anything you need help with, please tell me. I'll do everything I can to help you," she said.
She wanted to do something for him.
Something easy or something difficult, it did not matter. If she could do it, maybe it would ease the guilt eating away at her over what she had done to him.
If Tang Han asked for half her paycheck from now on? Fine. If he asked her to take over some tedious work for him? Also fine.
As long as it did not endanger the academy or the horse girls, Tazuna would say yes to anything.
If he asked her to be his girlfriend right now, she might even agree...
"..."
At that thought, Tazuna suddenly touched her slightly warm cheeks.
Why did part of her feel a little excited?
"Something I need help with..." Tang Han considered it.
Was there really anything he could not do that Tazuna alone could?
Actually... yes. There was.
"Then, Ms. Tazuna, could I ask you for one favor?"
Tazuna's eyes lit up.
"What is it?"
Tang Han said, "I still need another batch of those special parts. Could I trouble you to order more from your friend?"
The first time, he had only bought a small amount because he had not been sure about the quality. Just enough to build one treadmill and test it out.
Now he knew the parts were excellent.
So this time, he wanted to buy enough to build several more treadmills, so the girls would not have to take turns using a single one.
But he did not know the supplier personally, so he could only ask Tazuna again.
"Of course!" Tazuna said without hesitation.
"If you place the order now, it'll arrive this afternoon. I'll take you there again when it comes."
"All right... and the pickup location?" Tang Han asked cautiously.
"The same quiet warehouse as before," Tazuna replied.
"Ah..."
Tang Han instantly went on guard.
That place again? There was no way that was a coincidence, right?
Did she want to corner him there again?
"..."
He could not help taking a few steps back.
Tazuna noticed his concern immediately and hurried to explain.
"I'm sorry. My friend is rather shy and doesn't like appearing in public, so the pickup point has to be somewhere secluded."
"But please rest assured, Tang Han. This time I'll definitely keep myself under control. Nothing like yesterday will happen again."
"Tang Han... will you trust me?"
She pressed a hand to her chest and looked at him earnestly.
"Haha, of course I trust you."
Tang Han absolutely did not.
Yesterday, when she had cornered him, she had said she only wanted to smell him and would not do anything else.
And then what had happened?
Not only had she touched his face all over, she had curled up in his arms and used him as a pillow.
If she had not already been so mentally exhausted that she fell asleep halfway through, Tang Han's innocence would be gone by now.
So no, he did not trust Tazuna's promise in the slightest.
Which was why he quietly took out his phone and secretly messaged his good brother, Gold Ship.
[Chat with Ship-bro]
Tang Han: Ship-bro, are you free this afternoon?Gold Ship: Yep.Tang Han: Be my bodyguard this afternoon and come with me to pick something up.Gold Ship: No problem.Tang Han: You absolutely have to come.Gold Ship: Sure!Gold Ship: [Certain face emoji]
Once he got Gold Ship's firm reply, Tang Han finally relaxed.
Good brother. Help me get through this pickup safely, and after that I'll build your alien spaceship immediately.
"Thank you for trusting me, Tang Han," Tazuna said, moved by what she thought was his faith in her.
"Then... see you this afternoon."
"See you this afternoon."
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
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 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 25
After Maxing Out Every Class 25
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