Chapter 283: with translation of chapter title

NO．45：Getting along like a nasty joke.

Misfortune is a trait that is easily contagious.

Unfortunate people also habitually blame all their misfortunes on themselves.

And this also makes them out of place among those around them.

The result of forcing themselves to get along usually ends in exhaustion that both parties can barely endure.

Thus, their interpersonal relationships also become narrow.

The horse girl named Rice Shower and the trainer named James Stuart—their combination was, by nature, inevitable.

Because they are natural allies, both troubled by the fate of their own rugged districts, and they constantly have to struggle against such misfortune.

The only difference between them is that Stuart's misfortune truly stems from himself, while Rice Shower's rather poor fortune comes from the otherworldly soul she bears.

If she had not become a horse girl, perhaps she would not have to face a life of continual setbacks.

But if she had not become a horse girl, she likely would not have been given the name 'Rice Shower (ライスシャワー)'.

Riceshower, this is a name that brings happiness to those around it, taken from an old Western custom—scattering rice on the newlyweds during the wedding ceremony.

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Although the origin of this custom actually traces back to Eastern concepts, that is not the point.

The point is, having such a meaningful name is naturally something a child can be proud of.

Being told by elders that you are a child who can bring happiness to everyone, and being able to proudly state this meaning in a class self‑introduction, then meeting the classmates' looks of vague admiration.

This start could be called good, but the history borne by the horse‑girl soul is just so ironic.

Bearing such a name, yet she constantly encounters inexplicable setbacks.

Although it does not directly involve those around her, in certain collective activities, one person's mistake also delays everyone's progress—meaning the little girl who intended to pitch in ends up facing this problem.

The little girl is not forgetful; a few disappointments and resentful glances from peers are enough to leave a deep impression, and enough to make her shrink back.

But even if she did nothing, the rumors 'Rice she is, only brings trouble' and 'Be careful, don't get implicated by her' began spreading at some unknown time, spreading without legs.

Fortunately, as a horse girl there is a dedicated school, allowing Rice Shower to transfer to the central school as early as middle school, but her elementary‑school experience still left her with an extremely vivid impression.

That influence is inferiority complex, which stems from comparison, and even more from the unfortunate facts intertwined with rumors.

Even though the new class environment lacks the hometown rumors that follow like a shadow, the shadow cast since childhood still clings like a bone‑deep ulcer.

From middle school to high school, she always kept to herself, even unwilling to reveal her black‑haired horse‑girl self to others' sight, yet eventually there came a day when she would enter the school's internal selection race.

Standing on the Saichang together with her peers, she inevitably faced her poor performance.

At the same time she also met a truly jinxed trainer.

Obviously, there is a clear difference between them.

James Stuart is a rather optimistic person, after all, his parents took him to consult the local church from an early age, and he has repeatedly experienced the actual efficacy of luck‑changing blessings.

So he began early on to counteract such misfortune, and although the effect was slight, he never gave up.

He also does not think he is someone who transmits bad luck; at most, his own inadequacy does indeed affect others to some extent in certain places.

Just like when walking close to others, a slip and fall can indeed drag someone else along.

But this time it was not dragging anyone; instead, he collided with a certain horse girl.

Horse girls' physiques are generally not bad; even as high schoolers they surpass ordinary adults, and although they may be at a slight disadvantage in weight, they are not so easily 'taken down'.

But Stuart did indeed knock down a horse girl, on the premise that she herself was also unsteady—

At such times, a unanimous apology and 'It's all my fault' become especially noticeable.

Innate misfortune and acquired misfortune thus met, and the horse girl named Rice Shower also began to undergo slight changes.

'To be honest, if I were to evaluate it, the changes are a bit few.'

Aomo cracked melon seeds while comforting the patient, and beside him sat Qianming, representative, with arms crossed on a chair.

'Hmm, when Little Rice Shower saw us, her frightened look made me think you had abused her.'

'Abuse? How could I possibly abuse her? And how would I dare to abuse her? She's a horse girl too!' shouted the man, who was a party to a car accident.

At the same time he is merely an ordinary human.

He hasn't practiced source energy much; his palms have some calluses like those from sword practice, but they're not ideal, probably just from hobby.

In the car accident he was involved in, the vehicle damage was severe, yet he only suffered light injuries, proving the value of modern vehicle protection measures.

And when he gets excited, his fluent Hong‑English comes out, befitting his Western face.

Plus that short, pale‑gold hair.

In the Hongying district, locals regard two hair colors as signs of noble lineage: black hair, seen as a symbol of the Roman descendants of the Yiluo district, and blond hair, the paler the more noble.

Although by this era technological development and genetic decoding are enough to discard bloodline theory into the trash, that chain of contempt is still subtly inherited.

Then, could it be that a Hongying person respected in his hometown runs to this Jiement district to become a jinx because of his pursuit as a trainer?

These questions, Aomo inevitably thought of them when they first met, but given the current situation, they probably belong to the topic 'Let's explore later.'

Right now he is here to visit his colleagues, also bringing Bourbon to visit his friend the trainer, and incidentally to look after his friend's mood—

—Rice Shower naturally came; being a local horse girl of the Jiement district, she rushed over to visit as soon as she heard the news.

By comparison, the previous few horse girls that Trainer Stuart had been in charge of are all scattered far and wide; to care about them here one can only, for now, check via video network, a remote visit.

Nevertheless, even so, she was taken out of the hospital by Bourbon at present.

This happened under Stuart's attitude of 'Adults talk, kids go play.'

A day at Meipu Bourbon is especially monotonous and disciplined: morning practice, breakfast, basic training, lunch, specialized training, dinner, evening training, sleep.

Although there are also scattered pockets of relaxation time inserted, in the overtime department, expert Aomo feels it is still necessary to arrange some more practical relaxation segments.

For example, going out with friends to shop, eat, and play.

When he heard the name of that accident‑involved trainer, he had already made up his mind to do this.

But he didn't expect this trainer to be quite cooperative, apparently intending to chat about something inconvenient for children to hear.

As a result, the other party simply wanted Aomo to take better care of Mi Yu, and for that reason they specifically talked about Mi Yu's past.

They even did this in front of a certain Triple Crown horse girl and a Return Ball horse girl.

Although he hadn't yet stated his purpose, for Aomo it was all too easy to see through—after all, he was also experienced at finding substitute scripts.

He had no doubt that Qianming also understood, but the two of them simply didn't expose it.

But… the audience here wasn't just those two; there was also a certain straightforward Sirius symbol.

"What's wrong with the horse girls?! There are plenty of horse girl injury cases every year!" She obviously disliked Stuart's attitude, but because of her position as the 'culprit', she didn't directly throw out horse girl profanity.

"Rudolf's desk always has those things showing up, and they often happen during school—you guess what those guys say when they're investigated and questioned?"

"Never thought horse girls would be persecuted," Aomo answered for him, "—many trainers have grown accustomed to it, even superstitiously believing in the horse girls' extraordinary physical strength, yet they overlook that these girls are still minors, and in this world there are also even stronger criminals."

"Anyway, this has gone off-topic; why don't we keep focusing on the students?" Not giving the other party a chance to respond, Aomo cut in.