Chapter 570: NO．152: The Weary Life of a Youth

NO. 152: In the end, it was the weary life of a young person.

Doing practice problems, taking exams, watching horse girls.

Setting aside entertainment like playing games and work like part-time jobs, these three were his long-term "prison items" during his student years.

Because he watched horse girls' races and information not with pure entertainment in mind, but with contemplation and research, hoping to gain betting funds in horse racing that could cover his expenses.

After all, his situation had been special since childhood, even nearly becoming a loophole in the Terra Federation's social security, and he couldn't be as carefree and happy as most peers his age, spending all day eating, playing ball, bathing, and sleeping.

But thanks to that special endowment and stubborn effort, his expectations for horse racing, after accumulating multiple early failures, quickly yielded returns.

Yet this was just like how even salaried workers feel work is torture—watching horse girls remained a "prison item" in essence, so Aomo could only find joy in suffering at work, like an office worker stealing a moment of pleasure, seeking entertainment in horse racing.

But fortunately……ordinary office workers seeking joy in suffering usually choose high-risk moves like slacking off at work or taking paid bathroom breaks.

Whether it goes well or not, whether it's enjoyable or not, entirely depends on the job environment and the individual's operational skill.

And horse racing as a competitive event inherently possesses sufficient visual appeal, let alone the winner's stage, which is especially attractive to young and middle-aged people as an idol segment.

Aomo naturally belonged to the younger generation in this regard.

To put it plainly, his original intention for watching horse girls was precisely being drawn to their姿态 on the track and stage.

The姿态 of those pursuing honor, dreams, and miracles shone so brilliantly, worthy of the name of contestants in the Radiant Series, and even more so attracted that youth who had nothing and could only enrich himself through what he saw and heard.

Every horse girl active on the track, every one retired from the track, has her own unique story, among which there is no shortage of tragedy, legend, or hardship; when you witness such a story, you can also gain something from it.

This is truly the insight of the observer.

And then, in this short morning……Aomo had already realized the再现 of the three classic "prison items" of youth.

Doing practice problems, taking exams, watching horse girls.

This is not without being a再现 of youth.

But when the "watching horse girls" segment reversed, becoming "being watched by horse girls," this youth perhaps went wrong from the very beginning.

At this moment.

That stinky penguin, upon seeing him appear, greeted him like an old brothel madam in Dongyan, saying "Serving guests," and due to height limitations could only pat his thigh before walking away.

And Texas, who placed the tray on the table, although his gaze showed some concern, still had no reason to stay and left the reception room.

Thus, the reception room of this large company was left with only him facing three horse girls.

The previously restless excitement, at this moment, felt as if cooled by a basin of ice water, facing those three gazes that seemed each with their own thoughts, Aomo felt something was amiss.

This unease came not only from the crowd peering at the transparent glass door, but also from the experienced observer's alertness to gazes.

"Aomo trainer~, ah, outside of work, shouldn't we just call your name directly? Like… Aomo, little Aomo! Good morning——!"

Undoubtedly the foremost was that red supercar whose very clothing always gave the impression of fiery passion.

Miss Wan Shan today wore a white dress that still respected the seasonal climate, and with her greeting itself, gave off a feeling of a neighboring older sister after the heat wave subsided.

But her jade-green eyes clearly carried some fiery aggressiveness, and after Aomo returned her morning greeting, she asked with a concerned face: "Oh dear, oh dear, you look so stiff all over, didn't rest well? Want to come sit with sister here?"

She even patted her thigh covered by the dress, as if indicating some service commonly found in Eastern literature.

"No no no, that's still not necessary……"

The boy who deeply understood that lap pillows aren't comfortable, mainly just for the atmosphere, shook his head repeatedly, let alone that he wasn't used to such intimacy with others, especially since the other party was a lovely young woman, and moreover, the countless gazes at the door destined this decision required enough shamelessness.

Really, can't the boss let those gawking employees go work?

Although I can understand the popularity of two of the three horse girls in the interface area—even that middle school girl has astonishing fan numbers on horse girl Twitter—but no matter what, this is work time, right?

Are those guys really not being managed, crowding the doorway?

And that white-haired dumb dog mixed in—you're not the least welcome, are you?

In the midst of his repeated head-shaking, he glanced toward the reception hall's door and saw that at the very bottom of the crowd stood that flat-haired beast wearing sunglasses, making a throat-slitting gesture with its fin-like limbs.

?

You flat-haired beast!

Although I don't know what motive prompted that threatening gesture, Aomo had already shifted his gaze and stopped paying attention to it, then in the moment he turned his head back——

——he saw that the three women seated side by side seemed to simultaneously have a light flash across their eyes.

Ah?

His mindset had gone through several twists, from the excitement before meeting the idol, to noticing the strange atmosphere after seeing the idol, to now, in that instant he seemed to have caught some clue.

But that was still insufficient for him to understand the situation, so he could only first reach toward the tray on the table, trying to distribute the teacups, while simultaneously his thoughts raced, his mind replaying the visual memory from just now over and over.

After racking his brains he still couldn't figure out what the nearly synchronized light in those three eyes meant, merely lowering his head to distribute the teacups, also unable to come up with a suitable opening remark.

But when he lifted his head, he noticed the exchange of glances between the three, which naturally surprised him greatly, after all, eye communication requires sufficient默契, and while Wan Shan Ski and Qianming as those two old friends need not be discussed, the clever young lady and the two senior elders with too great a generation gap originally should have had no common language.

"This reaction, Aomo hasn't just turned his body back into a youth's."

"Karen is still seeing the trainer in such a flustered state for the first time, huh."

"That greenhorn youthful feeling! I thought after no longer being little Aomo he wouldn't be cute anymore, but this youthful feeling is also great!"

——

【Emperor: Damn, that Aomo kid seems to have truly become a hotheaded youth, our company's first internal digestant just showed signs and already wants to break so fast!?】

【Mosstima: What? Did something happen again?】

【Angel: 【Picture】, 【Picture】, you missed a lot of fun! Mosstima】

【Mosstima: Looks like it, sending long-distance shipments means missing out on lots of interesting things】

【Croissant: What? Linton in Treisen also has love debts?】

【Angel:? I didn't say that, okay】

【Croissant: Ah? I heard Erin in the office say that, version mismatch?】

【Lappland: Hahahahaha Texas, you got dumped so fast, want me to comfort you? Or should I help you snatch him back?】

【Emperor: @Croissant, go notify Texas to check his phone, she just went straight downstairs】

【Void: You guys are crowding around to watch something again while I'm not here?! ∑(? Д? ノ)ノ】

【Emperor: Tsk tsk tsk, those who sing in the Gate of Heaven City, don't speak—you've been ostracized!】

【Kong: (#｀皿′), I really need to change my schedule and come back to cause trouble!】

【Angel: Terrifying, the boss didn't kick Lappland today】

【Emperor: Lappland, go! Go lure Aomo back—I'll admit you're the second temporary worker of Penguin Logistics!】

【Texas: Are you guys that idle? Loitering like this really leaves a bad impression on customers】

【Emperor: Major matter at hand! This kid Lindon has become so tender—gotta be careful he doesn't get lured away!】

【Texas: Isn't he originally a trainer(? _?)? And he's not tender at all】

【Lappland:? You've tried it?】

——Texas has kicked Lappland out of the channel——

——

The pop-up window at the top of the terminal's light screen seemed to always have some movement, but Aomo obviously had no leisure to poke the terminal in front of the three horse girls who had come specially to visit him.

In fact, when he distributed the three teacups, the Qianming representative had already opened with a smile: "Maruzen, you really are something—don't see Aomo like this and start teasing him, we're clearly here to visit his condition."

"Ah, sorry sorry," Maruzensuki immediately put her palms together and apologized, "Today, Sister still heard Suzi say that little Aomo had become small and hadn't come home to stay overnight, so she was worried about your condition and specially came along that report to visit you—just based on this sincerity, how could Sister not be forgiven?"

Saying that, she also playfully blinked her eyes, and her innocent expression, when put into Suzi's mouth, became several parts suspicion of 'old auntie selling cuteness'.

But to be honest……Maruzensuki, though a veteran horse girl with deep experience, had already retired from the Saichang.

But on the racetrack and on the course called life, she was obviously still in her ascendancy, certainly not at the level of an 'old auntie', and Aomo, even while restraining himself to ask for her signature, felt his seasonal stir in her presence, and upon seeing that (^_?)☆ expression, he froze even more, then suddenly heard a voice, much younger than before, say:

"Ah, is this the hot cocoa that Karen likes best? Qianming senior and Maruzen senior are green tea and black tea, respectively? Could it be that the trainer knows everyone's preferences?"

"Ah, really, I still haven't told little Aomo what I like to drink."

「……」

Having just pulled over a chair to sit down, Aomo locked gazes with the innocent pink-purple child, feeling she might want him to stand.

"... It was I who told Aomo, Maruzen—your love for black tea truly cannot be changed, no matter how long you stay in Japan; I even complained about it on Umastagram."

The brown-haired girl spoke her half-true, half-false words openly, but she had at least shifted the topic.

"Is this really troubling you that much? I can drink green tea too, or coffee."

"Spare me—I don't want to see another Rudolf."

"Ha, still talking about me, you Jidong people's habit of mispronouncing Rudolf has also drawn plenty of complaints."

"That's true, but we're not here to see Aomo, are we? Leaving him hanging like this isn't quite right, little Karen."

"Of course, and it's truly pitiful that the trainer has become like this and still been smeared by unscrupulous journalists."

"Exactly—little Aomo must have seen it too!" Maruzensuki exclaimed angrily at the interface, "Such vicious rumors were plenty even during my active days! Don't fear them—let facts speak!"

"

"Indeed." Aomo gave a slight nod, both responding to their understanding of her active days and affirming the idea of speaking with facts.

At the same time, he also glanced at Qianming, who blinked slightly at him, then looked toward that Jiji Ling sitting between Qianming and Maruzen, yet not close by, revealing a discrepancy in relationship and stance.

He silently sighed.

I don't know how these three came together.