Seiun Sky kicked Tokai Teio's foot away from under the table. Teio yelped in pain and irritation.
"Sky!"
"There was something dirty on the Trainer just now," Seiun Sky said shamelessly. "I was just helping him clean it off."
A vein popped on Tokai Teio's forehead.
She shot a glance at Kaito, then forcibly plastered on a smile as she turned back."How considerate of you. I specifically picked a place far away from Tracen, so why is it that, in a city this big—with more restaurants than you can count—you just happened to run into us here?"
"Probably because I share a special connection with the Trainer," Seiun Sky replied casually. She popped a fry into her mouth, then offered one to Kaito."Make sure you savor it, Trainer. It has my sauce on it."
"Roger that," Kaito said seriously. "I'll give it a proper taste."
"Heehee. Honestly, you could just taste the sauce directly. Want to know what it tastes like?"
"Like dandelion flowers."
"…?"
Watching the two of them banter so naturally, Tokai Teio felt her anger sink deeper instead of exploding. She pulled out the milk tea the manager had given them and placed it firmly on the table.
"Trainer, it's time for us to drink this 'couple' milk tea the staff gave us."
She deliberately stressed the word couple.
"Teio, actually, you and Sky—"
"So you're willing to eat Sky's food, but you won't drink with me?"
A terrifying smile bloomed on Tokai Teio's small, adorable face.
Despite looking like a tiny horse girl, she radiated an overwhelming pressure that made it clear: choose the wrong answer, and you'd be devoured alive.
Kaito had been about to say you're both my wings, but one glare from Teio sent both wings retracting instantly.
Now he was down to half a wing.
He opened his mouth and bit down on the straw.
A question surfaced in his mind.
If I die here… is it real death, or just a forced restart?
Back on the sixtieth day of living in the game world, Kaito had once seriously contemplated dying.
The monotonous routine.The isolation of existing outside the world.The feeling that everyone else was just a puppet with flesh—moving in sync to maintain a fake reality.
Like Truman searching for the truth of his world, Kaito had searched too.
But he wasn't a movie protagonist.
He never found the answer.
When his thoughts had spiraled to the point of wanting to end it all, Tokai Teio had suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed him.
The force of her pull yanked him away from the window, snapping him out of his daze. She'd dragged him to the infirmary, laid him on the bed, and left once he stabilized.
It was as if his mental breakdown had triggered some kind of Uma Musume "Trainer protection mechanism."
That incident had cleared his head.
Being alone too long made people spiral. Silence bred sickness. Humans needed interaction.
After all—a person is the sum of their social relationships.Someone completely isolated from others couldn't really be called "human."
That was why Kaito had sought out Manhattan Cafe, letting her act as his listener, pouring out everything he couldn't say elsewhere.
He needed to find a chance for change in this world—one that looked vibrant on the surface, yet felt eerily lifeless beneath.
As he sipped his drink, Seiun Sky waved to the staff.
"Excuse me~ Could I get another couples' drink? We'd like one too."
"…Certainly… ah?"The waitress glanced at Tokai Teio, then Seiun Sky, and finally settled her gaze on Kaito."Please wait just a moment…"
"Sky, you did that on purpose, didn't you!?"
"This is a restaurant. Ordering milk tea is perfectly normal. Besides," Seiun Sky added lazily, "I could always just drink the Trainer's."
Tokai Teio ground her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. Kaito wasn't about to kick Sky out.
Her perfectly planned date—completely ruined by Seiun Sky.
And worse, Sky stuck close to them the entire time. No matter how Teio tried, she couldn't shake her off.
What made it even more infuriating was that Kaito showed zero intention of distancing himself.
Whenever Sky leaned in for head pats, the Trainer complied without hesitation.
Don't you have any awareness that you're mine?
My Trainer can't be contaminated with someone else's scent!
Tokai Teio gnawed on her fingernail.
When it was time to part ways, Kaito suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, Teio. Your debut race is next week, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck. I'll be watching you dominate."
Kaito absolutely did not want to ruin Teio during this system-less period. His goal was to clear the game—complete victory, URA included.
Though, honestly, he still didn't know what route he was on. For all he knew, the final race could be some hellish Arc de Triomphe scenario.
If he lost a critical race and the game soft-locked…
He might be trapped in this world forever.
He patted Teio's head, told her to rest early, and headed back.
Tokai Teio stared after him.
If he hadn't said that last line, it would've been fine.
But now her temper flared.
You care about me this much—so why were you flirting with Seiun Sky right in front of me!?
This is my race! Why are you paying attention to her!?
Tokai Teio decided she was getting answers tonight.
Back at the dorm, Kaito undressed.
Since coming to this world, he'd either been indulging himself or wallowing in gloom. He'd never really lived properly—until he realized, only now, that the bathtub temperature could be adjusted.
After a long, relaxing soak, he wrapped himself in a towel and sat in the living room watching TV.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
A middle-aged man with stubble asked if he wanted to play cards.
During his time as a Trainer, Kaito had gotten to know several colleagues on the same floor. This man was named Yagyu Yohui—everyone called him Brother Yagyu. A good-natured senior, married, with two kids.
He proudly showed photos and videos of his children.
At the time, Kaito had only one thought.
So this is your character setting.
These days, when he looked at people, he didn't see individuals—he saw game profiles.
Kaito was no longer normal.
After hours of cards, he returned to his room, feeling a nostalgic echo of his college dorm days. He wondered if his old idiot roommates—fresh into society—would be jealous if they knew where he was now.
If you had the chance…Would you want to come to a world like this?
With that question lingering, Kaito undressed, turned off the lights, and slipped into bed.
Then—
Something heavy pressed down on him.
Soft feet stepped squarely onto his face.
Kaito opened his eyes.
Tokai Teio was sitting on top of him, wearing a wicked grin.