Chapter 167

It had been mentioned before that the names of horse girls differ from the usual convention, yet they also carry a hope.

Dazhenhan's performance clearly lives up to this grand name, but it also easily leads first-time observers to misjudge.

Because she was a petite black-haired girl, her height estimated at about 1.6 meters.

Admittedly, in Toressen Academy, where height leans toward Jidong aesthetics, this isn't considered too short, but in the university division where horse girls from the outer districts gather, she would likely be lost in the crowd.

Thus, what is truly shocking is this contrast.

Especially her stern, cold visage exudes aloofness everywhere, yet her bearing everywhere shows gentility.

…Hello, are you Trainer Lindun?

Stepping into the quiet eucalyptus room, a petite horse girl with long hair smiled and asked, while also noticing Pipa Morning Light beside Aomo.

She was somewhat surprised, yet she did not forget to greet:

Good afternoon, Senior Pipa Morning Light.

…Good afternoon, deep." Obviously Pipa Morning Light, who hadn't been addressed like that in a long time, sounded a bit stiff.

The young man beside her likewise showed a gentle smile, raised his hand to point at the trainer badge on his chest, and said, "Aomo Lindun, that's me."

Nice to meet you, I am Dazhenhan.

The girl slightly lowered her head, then smoothed the tips of her hair by her ear, her gaze lingering briefly on the bandage on Aomo's finger: "It seems you're not suited for a handshake."

I too have long resided in the Boundary Gate District, so there's no need to stick to Western etiquette," Aomo said, glancing at her shoes and hair tips.

I suppose you're also in a hurry, so let's talk about that thing.

The inconspicuous dust, the need to smooth her hair tips again, the pause after knocking and greeting—these stem from adjusting her breath…she had clearly come running.

It's natural for horse girls to love running, but a refined horse girl wouldn't let herself meet people in such a rush, especially a stranger.

So he got straight to the point, speaking while slightly turning sideways to make half a space.

Opening that shift revealed less than half a meter of view, yet it was enough to expose the gaunt figure that Aomo had been blocking completely.

That silent, lonely black existence, whose very presence hints at spreading sorrow, was entwined with a bone tail and fell into her sight.

It left her stunned, then she held her breath.

She didn't even have the leisure to notice that the ferocious bone tail binding that existence extended from behind Trainer Lindun.

She simply stepped forward.

Unconsciously stepping forward, she slowly approached that figure in the space Aomo had yielded by retreating.

…" This impulse was unexpected to Aomo.

He had to admit his oversight.

He yielded half a space merely so the other could see that existence, but without intending contact—just to set a good premise for conversation.

But now he could only retreat as a fallback.

Because when that petite figure walked toward him, he saw a mountain determined to press forward.

And he could only shift to one side.

As for Pipa Morning Light, she had already shifted upon noticing Aomo making way, getting out of the way before being squeezed between the file rack and Aomo's backpack.

Although she dislikes being called 'big head,' her head is indeed one size larger than most horse girls', even the outline of her horse ears is a bit bigger.

In an FPS game, that would mean a higher headshot rate than others, enough to earn praise from a certain blood‑hunting hound.

That's why she needs all the more to avoid situations where this stands out.

She retreated quickly, as horse girls are always sensitive to the compression or expansion of usable space.

After all, on the track they must constantly monitor their own positions, seeking spots unobstructed where they can swiftly overtake others.

Even though Aomo's retreat was hasty, it posed no hindrance to the two horse girls before and after.

Dazhenhan naturally stepped closer, gazing at the black figure that reflected a corner of her past.

She felt no fear at its bizarre appearance; her eyes held only nostalgia and pity.

This feeling is essentially what a warm‑tempered person experiences upon seeing their own dark history.

There is no anger, only helplessness.

Perhaps there would also be embarrassment, but at this moment she seems not yet aware of it.

And Pipa Morning Light slipped out from behind Aomo, walked to his side to watch this scene, furrowed her brow, and asked softly, "Is it all right to let her approach?"

She knows she lacks understanding of this whole matter.

She already had many doubts she hadn't asked, merely trusting her sister's judgment and also trusting the school's judgment that could make Aomo a trainer.

At the same time, this sort of abnormality on campus is indeed the student council's responsibility; Morning Light has done errands for Bai Ren more than once or twice, and is long accustomed to it.

Finally, while wishing to repay a favor, she also wanted to take the opportunity to learn what kind of person the new male trainer her sister had met is.

Aomo's guess about her wasn't wrong, but Pipa Morning Light quickly realized she had chosen the wrong moment.

When she arrived at the infirmary carrying food of unexpected volume, even though she was full of doubts, she could hear from the three's plotting that they were busy with a very serious matter.

Especially when Aomo and Bai Ren did not avoid her presence and released that negative‑energy figure.

On and off the track, Pipa Morning Light has also witnessed quite a few strange powers and beings, all of which are oddities she finds hard to gauge or test.

And after graduating from Toressen, she has had even more opportunities to engage with fields beyond horse girls.

She thought she had also become well‑informed, working in data collation and reporting for a state‑owned enterprise, which gave her chances to see all sorts of races, and even Bai Ren's taboo spirit bodies are commonplace to her.

But that pitch‑black figure, with its abnormal emotional infectivity, still exceeded her expectations; for a moment she couldn't find a suitable category in her knowledge theory, nor could she clarify its possible threat.

But from her sister saying that thing could burst forth at a speed she couldn't even chase, it is utterly impossible to dismiss that petite, gaunt form.

Even if Trainer Lindun is 'controlling' it, the same applies.

Thus she remains somewhat uneasy, utterly unsuspecting that the other might suddenly erupt and harm someone.

Although it had previously been quiet all along.

"That is a condensation of negative energy, Miss Morning Light."

Pipa Chen Guang had always thought that Aomo and Bai Ren hadn't spoken much earlier due to some secrecy requirement, but actually it was just that both were too lazy to say more. Besides, Pipa Chen Guang is also smart; smart people will observe and analyze on their own, entering a state of "those who understand, understand".

Those who don't understand will just fill in the setting now.

"Furthermore, according to Bai Ren's judgment, that is Dazhenhan Miss's past condensation."

"What?" Pipa Chen Guang felt great astonishment, "I know Bai Ren and Dazhenhan have some acquaintance, but is this just a judgment based on feeling?"

"In fact, the way the flying hind leg exerts force is also basically the same; this is the real evidence I can provide," Aomo said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Dazhenhan as she approached the negative-energy humanoid, "Personally, I am a trainer type who focuses on data comparison, and I have studied the different hind‑leg burst methods of famous horse girls."

"... Upon hearing the emphasis on data comparison, Pipa Chen Guang's ears, which were not far from Aomo, twitched; she glanced at him, then turned her gaze back to Dazhenhan, asking, 'Will that negative-energy condensation not harm the main body?'"

Moreover, she couldn't think of the courteous, good‑natured Dazhenhan, who is popular in the academy, as being linked to that quiet, lonely, and sorrowful figure.

Has Bai Ren seen her like that?

Was it when he was busy with studies after retiring?

Chen Guang was still imagining when Aomo gave an unexpected answer: "Not sure."

"What?" Chen Guang thought she had misheard; she had previously felt that Trainer Lindun was quite reliable.

"I said I'm not sure; just now I had no choice but to retreat…"

His gaze remained fixed on Dazhenhan and the humanoid, while Aomo, whose inconspicuous left hand kept gripping the Airei Wang card, only glanced at Pipa Chen Guang for a moment:

"Do you have confidence in stopping Miss Dazhenhan?"

"……Indeed, if it were me, I'd have to call Bai Ren."

Described this way, the horse girls are truly like ferocious beasts, and the abilities of individual horse girls are extremely dangerous.

Smart trainers know how to smooth the fur; the not‑smart ones end up in the hospital.

Although trainers earn high pay and good horse‑girl breeding can earn bonuses, for someone called Aomo Lindun, who hasn't reached the bonus stage yet, wages were deducted instead.

The office renovation fees haven't even been paid—how could we send money to the hospital first?

Aomo is naturally clever, and he also didn't overlook a certain established fact: "Don't panic, I'm watching that negative energy, and Miss Dazhenhan isn't fragile either, and…"

"Miss Chen Guang, I heard you have that protective charm? Are you carrying it on you?"

"Protective charm?" Pipa Chen Guang blinked, quickly pulling it from her clothing pocket, "Did you send this?"

She had always thought it strange for her sister to suddenly receive a protective charm, especially since they hadn't gone to the New Year shrine visit, and Bai Ren isn't the type to pray to gods for no reason.

Even if it were said to come from the rule‑breaking fortune‑telling horse girl who sets up stalls at Waifukurai, it still doesn't seem like it.

But when this thing really can suppress the dark shadow, she couldn't worry about doubting its origin; what mattered more was the urge to test and research, wanting to completely eliminate that dark‑shadow hidden danger for her sister.

"That negative‑energy humanoid and the dark shadow are of similar nature; if something unexpected happens, just throw it at them—ah, no need now."

Before Aomo could finish speaking, he saw Dazhenhan raise her hand directly; it looked like she was going to place it on the humanoid's head, but instead it hovered in midair, and then light blossomed from her palm.

The humanoid quietly collapsed and disintegrated in the light, showing no sign of resistance.

If that negative energy is a condensation of a certain period of Dazhenhan, then that period's situation was unfortunately rather bad.

Compared to lacking offensiveness, the bigger problem lies in that world‑weary attitude.

"This…" Pipa Chen Guang obviously hadn't studied source energy much; the golden eyes behind her glasses slowly widened.

And Aomo, seeming lost in thought, murmured to himself:

"I do recall that Miss Dazhenhan enrolled in the mental‑system major in the university division…"

This mental system, obviously, is not the medical side but source energy.