Chapter 119

Aomo's catch-up sleep was, all things considered, still going well.

Although Chazuo had been staying indoors the whole time, he also didn't disturb him.

Suzi also hadn't come back; he woke up under his own 11:30 alarm he had set, greeted the somewhat surprised Chazuo, who obviously hadn't expected him to set an alarm for that time; although startled by the sudden music, he still wanted to advise him to rest a bit longer.

But it was no longer necessary.

11:30 was exactly the time to wake up; compared to the lingering slight fatigue, more importantly he needed to call Suzi and Meipu Bopang to the cafeteria to cultivate a good habit of regular mealtimes—

——Although he had once considered strictly controlling Suzi's diet as a nutritionist, the recent tight schedule, plus the fact that most horse girls have appetites better than ordinary people's, had left him no room to carry out that idea.

Let's leave it at that for now—he made a small gesture, deciding to first entrust the horse girls' nutrition responsibility to the cafeteria.

Originally, the Torasen cafeteria already did well enough in basic nutrition; one could only say that made-to-order meals were a bit lacking in that regard, so the trainer could very well intervene in arranging the horse girls' menus.

This is exactly what Aomo is doing.

The menu items marked with the 'Trainer's Special Recommendation' based on Meipu Bopang's dietary baseline, as well as those based on Ailisuzhi's current primary muscle-building and mass-gain recipes, had already been sent out early to both parties and received responses in different styles.

Before making any changes prior to the next physical examination, what surprised Aomo most right now was the fact that those two were together in the infirmary.

"What kind of look is that? The task of persuading your subordinate horse girls to go rest has been taken over by someone else; shouldn't you feel ashamed about that, Tunshujun?"

"Shame is naturally present, but more likely it's relief; it seems I can somewhat guess the content of that previously withdrawn message."

"Think of something else for me!"

"For example?"

"For example, get me to research some monster organization; I heard from Kailifu about some high-speed monsters, and my research desire is surging!"

"We're still looking for that avenue; I'm even more eager than you to find traces of monsters."

"Oh dear?"

This is the style on this side, while the other side is Manchester Chazuo's solicitous concern for Meipu Bopang:

"She... didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"Confirmed, nothing abnormal; what's up, Manchester classmate?"

"It's just... she didn't recommend any medicine for you, or ask you to drink something..."

"Appropriate hydration, muscle massage, everything's normal."

"... Oh."

The conversation between the cyber horse girl and the shamanic horse girl ended with the latter's astonishment.

Then the two sides' conversation merged, and Manchester Chazuo asked Aomo again: "Trainer... didn't you call Yuzhao?"

Although her somewhat lukewarm tone made it hard for her to match the enthusiasm Yuzhao Shizi showed yesterday during their meal, she still left a decent impression; seeing that they were about to reach the cafeteria and yet the grey-haired petite upperclassman hadn't appeared, she felt a bit concerned.

"Explanation, Tamamo has already gone to the cafeteria ahead of time," Meipu Bopang replied to her even sooner than Aomo did, which could be seen as a welcome change from the former's perspective: "Look over there——"

Meipu Bopang suddenly raised her hand, causing the three people beside her to follow her finger to the notice board placed at the cafeteria entrance; the board bore not a printed advertisement but a passage in a regular typeface:

【Just today! Just at noon! Just here! The Central Torasen Big Eater Championship kicks off in the cafeteria!

Hundreds of days' worth of witnesses, the final result accumulated from countless challenges!

The victory will be decided among the reed-haired monster—Little Red Riding Hood, the black-clad assassin—Miyoku, and the Jidong Supreme Commander—Tokubetsu Shu!

Welcome to subscribe to the Little Gold Ship Terra live channel and Umastagram updates, scan the QR code to see the full details of the event, and together witness the colors of the horse girls' peak appetites!!

The string of text is basically in a regular typeface, except for the three characters 'Little Gold Ship', which turn into a flowing cursive; in the lower right corner there is also a strange signature written with an oil-based pen, drawing the whole name into the shape of a warship, and below that is directly drawn a star‑ship emblem that could score seven points.

It's quite capable, quite talented, and has a rather unconventional feel.

It made Aomo's eyelids twitch as he looked at it.

He only remembered Tokubetsu Shu saying today there would be a big‑eater contest, but he forgot that the 'Golden Ship' faction was enthusiastic about it and even better at seizing business opportunities.

"Little Red Riding Hood," at this point, Meipu Bopang, who wasn't feeling sentimental like Aomo, continued her earlier explanation: "She's a friend of Tamamo, so she came early to cheer."

"Whoa! That's Tokubetsu Shu's match, right? The horse girls' peak appetite is also pretty interesting, Tunshujun—let's go check out the conclusion of that potion," "Sure, but don't delay the meal."

Suzi quickly responded, and Aomo, noticing that, activated the terminal to bring up the trainers' chat room; he had wanted to see what reaction there was here, but the opening was just:

【Little Red Riding Hood is sure to win, right!】

【Tokubetsu Shu will win instantly!】

【Instant win! Miyoku has come with all sharks!】

【Will win instantly! Little Red Riding Hood ate two horse girls in one bite!】

【Little Red Riding Hood saw Tokubetsu Shu and went straight for oysters!】

……

Aomo suddenly felt that the egalitarian chat room had many shortcomings; there should be a moderator able to mute people to keep the trainers' group image clean.

But such a suggestion would inevitably offend people and isn't appropriate to raise now, so he merely swept it aside, turned off the screen, and when he looked back, he had already stepped onto the stairs leading to the cafeteria.

Several times when Aomo came to the cafeteria, he'd only caught the edge of the lull; finally he ran into the cafeteria's usual congestion.

Just the cafeteria entrance already had people coming and going; everywhere one looked were horse girls with multicolored hair and various excited expressions, this level of crowding even surprised Ailisuzhi and Manchester Chazuo, while only Meipu Bopang, relying on her usual poker face, kept her composure, though she couldn't help but glance dubiously at some horse girls clutching cheering sticks in their hands.

"I didn't expect there to be so many people pursuing the extreme, Tunshujun—Suzi, hurry and clear a path for me!"

"... So many people... even the 'friends' dare not come over."

What kind of chaotic frenzy would dare to come over? As Aomo muttered to himself, figuring out what she meant by 'friends', he turned his head and saw Meipu Bopang staring at those people's cheering sticks in their hands.

White, black, and white‑black intermixed—clearly corresponding to the three contestants' hair colors—as for where they came from——

"Everyone, everyone! Look this way, look this way! Reed‑monster cheering sticks! Supreme Commander cheering sticks! Black‑assassin cheering sticks! First come, first served! Look over, look over! Don't miss out if you pass by! Not only can they be used in this match, they can also be used to cheer for each of the two on their future fields and victory stages!"

"Action beats hesitation! We've also rolled out a DD discount package and a single‑push deluxe version! Don't let waiting become a regret!!"

The hawkers weren't just one; a black‑haired trainer and a white‑haired horse girl stood back‑to‑back on either side of the crowd, using a tray supported by neck‑suspended straps to sell the cheering sticks.

What sheer cheek, what timely seizing of a business opportunity.

Although Aomo's outstretched finger felt a bit stuck, he also pointed the way for Meipu Bopang.

She probably wanted to buy the black one; Aomo had heard that the lady called the Black Assassin, Miyoku, got along well with her, and she might be the first person besides her roommate with whom she could have a close relationship.

At the same time, it's probably also currently the only one.

The social circles of his horse girl subordinates are all as narrow as a socially anxious person's, completely unlike normal JKs, which really worries Aomo.

But when his gaze followed the horse girl who thanked him and then went to buy a cheering stick, Bopang, seeing her strike up a conversation with the 'merchant,' he still couldn't help but be taken aback.

Oh oh! Meipu classmate, rice-bath color cheering stick, 400 yen for your patronage, thank you for your business!!

That's a roan horse girl.

People mostly have some misconceptions about the roan color, thinking it's white, but actually, roan horses refer to gray hair, not white, and they are darker when just born.

But they gradually turn white with age—that's also the roan horse girl commonly seen in public perception.

White hair is a trait that especially attracts Easterners; Aomo is evidently only of mixed blood in his lineage, but he still has to admit that the girl really does catch his eye.

She has a head of soft, long hair, its color already turning from gray to white, adding a snow-like temperament.

Her brows and eyes could even be called beautiful; even wearing the uniform, her 'quality' cannot be hidden, which makes Aomo recall when he once organized her files, seeing a photo seemingly snatched by paparazzi or leaked from a private gathering, of her in a long dress, enough to prove that when she closes her mouth she has an otherworldly, icy beauty.

The premise is to close her mouth.

"Bopang classmate even brought friends and a trainer! How about buying a team set? Colors optional, 30% discount! Absolutely guaranteed profit, no loss! After this village, there truly won't be this shop!!"

Seeing the roan horse girl here turn to the chestnut-haired horse girl and go all out in her sales pitch, the streetwise jokes from Eastflame roll off her tongue effortlessly; for other horse girls it would feel somewhat off, but only in her mouth——

——All of this seems so natural, as if it were meant to be, as if it ought to be!

This is all of Tresen Academy; not... considering that some horse girl academies without the Tresen name exist, this person would be the most free-spirited outsider in interstellar... I mean horse girl——Huangjin Chuan!

"Bopang, come back!"

But the trainer didn't therefore forget that his horse girl subordinate was facing a commercial trap; he immediately put on a stern face and called her back, his tone even rather severe.

This was also the first time he had shown such severity in front of the horse girls, and thus the effect was also significant.

The roan horse girl almost immediately shrank her neck, muttering something like 'If I don't buy, I don't buy,' turned and wanted to head toward her like-minded trainer, while the cyborg horse girl also perked up her ears, turned around, and immediately ran back with her cheering stick.

"Master."

His expression lacked change, but from his actions one could see some hesitation; Meipu and Bopang were obviously frightened as well, even somewhat torn, but as he approached, one could also hear Aomo's tone turn gentle again:

"You can go cheer for your friend, but don't delay eating."

"Understood! Thank you, Master!"

His newly lively steps were also visibly light; Aomo began to feel that his understanding of the cyborg horse had increased a bit, and then he heard a bland greeting:

"Hey, Guinea Pig-kun, even mechanical guinea pigs can go buy cheering sticks, so can I go over to the crowd?"

"Be honest with me, I don't want to see anyone start glowing while eating."