Chapter 1303: NO．207：Life, a battlefield everyone must face

NO．207：Life, a battlefield everyone must face.

They don't seem to believe what I'm saying.

Looking at the alien who, even while being escorted away, still kept his gaze fixed on me with doubtful eyes, Ailisuzhi turned her head irritably and gazed at Aomo Lindun.

At the same time, that gaze lingered briefly on his hand.

Yet she said nothing about his familiarity with Chazuo, pretending not to notice.

Given Miss Suzi's usual tendency to find fault, this seemed somewhat out of character, but looking at her past behavior, it was actually quite normal—she had once firmly refused to let anyone touch her ears, forehead, or hair, and had even allowed the trainer's habit of occasionally patting people's heads to come to nothing.

But everyone also knows that such persistence lasted only the first two months or so.

These days, even Bourbon and Aizhi, who aren't exactly old friends, have seen Suzi annoyed yet not dodging when the trainer lightly pats her head in approval.

But—

She still didn't want to act that way in front of Chazuo, even suppressing her current psychological imbalance just to avoid drawing the other's attention.

The reason is simple.

A boomerang.

More precisely, she didn't want to have old scores settled against her.

She had once firmly asserted her will and even pointed out the other's performance, and although similar scenes often occurred in her interactions with Chazuo—perhaps already buried in the other's memory like gravel—she obviously wasn't that at ease.

She didn't doubt Chazuo's memory, just as she also believed in Chazuo's usual kind and warm nature toward others.

But these past few days are different.

During these few days, everyone's state of mind isn't very stable, and Miss Suzi has a considerable sense of self-awareness.

The pleased satisfaction felt during training is still fresh in memory, yet now looking at Chazuo, whose eyes are slightly narrowed and not on me but rather absorbed in the satisfaction of a cat resting on its paws.

This self-awareness might better be called a guilty conscience.

But is it really just me overthinking?

She glanced at those indistinctly focused narrowed eyes, a faint golden light flickering in the gap, and for a moment it gave her the feeling of her hair standing on end.

But after just a blink, that aura vanished without a trace.

It seemed like merely an illusion.

"After experiencing such targeting, a paranoid reaction is not hard to understand."

After lightly patting the small black-haired head and releasing his hand, the trainer seemed unconcerned about the double meaning of the horse girl's worries, and simply said calmly:

"Just thinking that there are still a few subordinates of the Gui She inside, and moreover they are everyone's fans, is somewhat regrettable."

"What's regrettable?" At that moment, Aimu Zhiji walked out from behind and said coldly, "Aren't those guys just sacrificial consumables pushed out front?"

She knew very well, because even the day before the competition, the trainer had explained the current situation to the four horse girls on the team.

Otherwise, given the scale of the perpetrators and the racecourse's security strength, there would be no need for the athletes to act; those staff earning a wage could handle it themselves.

But doing so would also make accidents likely.

Less than a month after the Jidong Cup, the attack case flared up again—while a perfect defense might become good ammunition in a public opinion battle, the fact that everyone is already so busy really kills the desire to restart hostilities.

Obviously, it's precisely because he saw this point that Luzas would do this.

Just to disgust you while proving he's still active.

No defeat, no disbandment, no silence—this is a response to many online viewpoints.

"Calling it consumables is too harsh, Aizhi-kun; it's just a guinea pig."

Even with many outsiders present, Ailisuzhi still gives her teammates face, not using the somewhat sharp nickname 'self-abusing guinea pig,' but the alternative she uses still makes teammates frown, and she isn't keen to respond.

No matter what you call her, Suzi's frivolous tone tinged with mockery is a demerit—whatever she says sounds provocative, especially when she speaks without looking at you.

What does staring at Chazuo mean?

Aimu Zhiji, undoubtedly not on the same battlefield as those two, could sense something was up but had no intention to intervene, so she simply chose a silent, salty response.

At such a time, the trainer who can smooth things over becomes especially important.

"That's enough, guinea pig isn't bad to hear anywhere," the trainer muttered while putting his black glove back on; even though the brightness faded with time, his palm remained in a glowing state, "I've already greeted them over there—if they can cooperate enough with the work, these folks, who were merely forced to follow orders, might deserve a lighter sentence."

"If they can be sent to do this kind of work, they probably can't provide any decent intelligence, right?"

"... The point isn't intelligence, it's them..." Gazing at Suzi's eyes, Chazuo said in his usual blunt, low tone, "The trainer only cares about those related to Gui She-san."

"... What's the point of them taking part in the operation..." "Master, it's done."

Suzi hadn't finished speaking when Bourbon came running over, saying, with a staff member in work uniform following beside him.

"Lindun trainer, time's almost up," that person said, bowing deferentially, his politeness judged as that of a local, "If there's anything else, can it be transferred to digital communication?"

The swift words made it clear that time was indeed running short.

"Ah, of course no problem, then everyone," he clapped his hands, looking at the four and also at the players coming up behind them, "The halftime exchange is over—head to your stages, and leave the rest to the trainer to handle."

The winners' stage after the match may be delayed at most, but it will never be absent; moreover, taking this roundabout route was precisely to keep everything proceeding normally, and the girls all moved without delay—even Suzi, whose words had been cut off, straightforwardly led the other athletes forward with her teammates.

At first glance she seemed like a reliable senior.

But the senior impression is an illusion, and reliability is another matter.

Regardless, they ultimately walked away without objection, quickening their pace while many athletes glanced back curiously as they departed.

Their destination was clearly the shower room, changing area, or similar temporary cleaning facilities.

The horse girls' battlefield is indeed the racecourse, but the winners' stage is likewise an important indicator of training results.

Especially since modern racecourses come equipped with large performance stages, highlighting the trend of immediately switching to song and dance after a race to strike while the iron is hot.

Lacking stamina and willpower simply won't do.

Hope nobody makes a mistake.

Compared to other seniors, this batch of athletes has an added nerve-wracking yet safe mindset evaluation, yet they are also a group of newcomers who have officially debuted less than a month ago.

Aomo still feels somewhat uneasy, but on an eighteen‑person stage, those outside the top three usually stay in the shadows or at the edges, so even a poorer performance isn't a big problem.

Anyway, he has confidence in the mental quality of his four subordinates, and the top three in this race are precisely those he has under his command.

It's foreseeable that I'll still be surrounded by reporters later on...

Lifting his hand, only the rigid feel of polycarbonate reminded him that his helmet wasn't off; Aomo abandoned his usual stress-relief small gesture, and looked toward Shi Jia, who was slowly approaching from the side.

"Mr. Aomo, isn't this matter settled? What are you still worrying about?"

Although separated by the helmet, this person seemed to notice Aomo's finger hitting a wall.

"Whether it's settled or not, there will be corresponding worries; do you understand? Shi Jia."

"Um… you mean, even if this matter is settled, I still have to worry about Lu Zasi's problem, right?"

"No."

"Eh?"

"To be precise, I really hope Lu Zasi will give me a riddle right now."

"Otherwise I'll have to face life's riddles."