Chapter 159

Why are we all together?

Aomo also wants to know the answer to this question.

After Qianming suggested he look himself up on umastagram, she didn't give Aomo any leeway to search on the spot and immediately said: "Right, right, since Bai Ren said this isn't fun for you guys, how about I say something fun?"

"I was talking properly with Trainer Lindun—""Over at the university department, there are rumors of haunting, oh—some say it's related to the previous junior high department, others say it's the ghost from the back mountain running to the university department—what do you think? Interested?"

Narita Bai Ren had finally built up some anger, but after being cut off by this remark and before he could respond, he instead heard Trainer Lindun blurt out: "There's more? Now we have no choice but to charge!"

Narita Bai Ren: "?"

You shouldn't be on my side, should you?" She gave Aomo a cold look.

Narita Bai Ren's gaze had once been rated by many as "cold" and "sharp"—that was her when she was always ready to run.

And now, in her semi-retired state, she is no longer what she once was; rather than saying she has dulled, it's more accurate to say she has withdrawn.

At this moment, she believes that her angry self's gaze can certainly impose considerable pressure on others.

Then she saw the trainer, as if oblivious, sizing her up and asking: "Miss Bai Ren, you're not afraid of ghosts, are you?"

I hate it!

That's not answering the question……

It seems Narita Bai Ren's mental model needs an update… Aomo thought.

As for why they've formed a three-person team now… it's clearly because Narita Bai Ren doesn't trust Qianming's representative.

Although she hasn't paid attention to what reputation Aomo has in Tesuren these days, she knows very well that Qianming's representative acts on whim.

She herself might think it doesn't matter, or perhaps even finds it meaningful, but in Narita Bai Ren's view, it's just wasting time.

It might even cause trouble.

If she herself did that, it would be fine—people are tolerant enough of the veteran Triple Crown with sufficient fame—but Trainer Lindun is still just a newcomer.

For his future development, such trouble is unnecessary.

She did, out of good intentions, want to dissuade them, but she's never been good at reasoning, and moreover, the two people she's facing are the opposite of her—silver-tongued.

One is always good at handling others' doubts, able to improvise plenty of perfunctory remarks on the spot.

Another is well-versed in the arts of communication and dealing with matters, able to directly stand from multiple angles to find justification for their actions.

Moreover, this time Qianming's representative's proposal is indeed something Narita Bai Ren finds hard to refuse on principle.

Because she is one of the student council vice-presidents.

Although this is often overlooked, because basically no one sees her doing anything in the student council.

But she indeed serves as a student council vice-president alongside the air tank.

If she really worked hard, with her tough and stubborn demeanor and lack of smiles, she'd likely earn a title like "Deputy of the Ghost".

But she has long been slacking off.

Then only a few trainers from other worlds would say she resembles Chengtarlong.

Come on, Cheng Tairen! The vice-president can't be timid!

You should chat less with those out-of-tune trainers, Qianming senior." Narita Bai Ren sounded weary.

Haha, calling me senior now is useless!

…… Seeing Qianming's representative seem to start getting carried away with her antics again, Narita Bai Ren turned to Aomo Lindun beside her: "Trainer Lindun, you shouldn't indulge her."

"What does indulging mean?" Before the main speaker could say anything, the horse-eared one beside them was sharp: "Don't what we're saying make sense?!"

"Exactly so, Miss Bai Ren," Trainer Lindun, who in Bai Ren's eyes seemed to have defected for no reason, appeared truly duped by Qianming's representative: "Whether it's about the junior high department or the back mountain legend, I've heard of both, and regardless of truth, they indeed need the student council to investigate, right?"

"I heard Qianming is still an external member of the student council," "Hmph!"

Seeing Qianming's representative smugly lift her nose, Narita Bai Ren rubbed her forehead in annoyance: "No, she isn't."

"Even if she isn't, she's still an adult horse girl who needn't worry about safety, and could even be said to be a help; in this kind of exploratory activity she's also a rare valuable teammate, right?"

I think that won't work…

Watching Qianming's representative beside her cross her arms and keep nodding, as if quite pleased, Narita Bai Ren felt her blood pressure rising.

It's really rare; she feels her patience and self-control are also excellent, usually able to keep her emotions and expressions hidden for most things, but now she can't help wanting to throw a punch.

She must throw a heavy punch!

"Trainer Lindun, no, Aomo Lindun, are you serious?" Narita Bai Ren had already gotten serious, her way of speaking gradually revealing its true form: "She often brings trouble, and trainers should really focus on their duties."

"Handling training hazards is indeed part of a trainer's job, right?! You're too narrow-minded, little Bai Ren."

Qianming's representative's rebuttal, to Narita Bai Ren, felt like something far away; she didn't want to hear it.

And Aomo responded with those clear-gold eyes beneath his upright, honest face, his brown eyes still calm:

"Indeed, you're right. But also, as Qianming said, a trainer's work scope is actually quite large; when the horse girls are capable enough, trainers naturally need to worry less, but when they are severely lopsided, trainers also need to make up for their shortcomings."

"You think this could be their shortcoming? Are these two things related?" Narita Bai Ren thought it was quite a stretch.

But if it gets tangled with a negative-energy monster, let alone a horse girl's shortcoming—before it's destroyed, it could probably blast a hole straight into the academy.

Aomo, upon hearing that, glanced at Qianming's representative.

She had already stepped into the teaching building ahead of them—perhaps finally tired of the warm-face-cold-butt treatment, or maybe suddenly interested in a row of lockers, she was now approaching and examining each one.

Her carefree spontaneity is well known far and wide.

Even Aomo has to admit that, in the information he's gathered, Qianming's representative pulling off a few nerve knives and unreasonable moves is normal.

But he can't ignore the situation from just a few minutes ago.

So he said: "We can't ignore it; if it's unrelated, that's best, and the action is also to prevent such a possibility."

"You… sigh…" Seeing the other's serious attitude, Narita Bai Ren sighed.

She doesn't dislike earnest, stubborn people—just like her trainer, who convinced herself to let loose and run with that very will.

And she herself is also an earnest, stubborn person; even to this point, saying anything is useless.

Moreover, the other's original intention for the horse girls is worth affirming.

He could only stare at the Qianming representative with tightly furrowed sword brows, thereby achieving a transfer of hatred.

She felt the Lin Dun training officer was right, but he had been led astray by the Qianming representative.

Regarding this, Aomo didn't know whether he should apologize.

In fact, when Qianming mentioned the University Department, he had already decided to go along with it.

But it cannot be denied that he began to have some doubts about the Qianming representative.

A few minutes earlier, she had pressed her hand onto her personal-mode light screen.

The window vibration kept triggering, and she acted as if it were a mis-touch.

The terminal's light-screen keyboard—its style, as well as the hotkeys and the sensitivity of key-triggering—can all be customized.

Even the most casual user needs some simple personal-style settings, let alone someone like Aomo who pays attention to detail.

His light-screen settings had originally taken into account preventing mis-touches.

After all, he had a troublesome foster father like Morisen, and in his struggle to make a living he inevitably came into contact with some ill-mannered folks, and later he even met an alien as self-centered as Bi Ze.

These are the sorts of people who might suddenly mess with your light screen and raise your blood pressure.

This too needed to be prevented; although Aomo had considered the possibility of unexpected situations and thus hadn't locked his fingerprint, a fixed finger pressure, angle, and frequency pattern would suffice.

Many people have their own key-pressing habits, they just never noticed.

A simple AI with mechanical recognition can distinguish it; this is also a basic, effective anti-mis-touch measure, and Aomo had used it for years without any problem.

Until today, it was recognized.

Three fingers rubbed together in one spot… yet could steadily trigger the window-vibration key?

Having attracted his attention, what did this Qianming representative then propose?

Is the University Department haunted?

The so-called haunting involved the Junior High Department and extended to Back Mountain.

This might be a coincidence, after all these are precisely the two famous courage-testing sites of Central Tressen, and a few days ago, because of him and Zhouri Ningjing, the Junior High Department's ghost stories gained a few drops of 'new blood'.

Yet these two places are exactly where he can't sit still, amounting to 'now he has no choice but to rush in'.

There is a feeling of falling into the other's pace, but upon analysis it might just be an illusion.

Could that be an illusion?

Likewise, looking from afar at that brown-haired back, the figure had changed shoes, turned back, and waved to the two of them, the small hat on his head swaying slightly with the motion.

"You two still haven't finished chatting?!"

He really does seem harmless.