I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

However, although he wasn't in the team's group chat, he was in the trainers' group chat.

Everyone's been quite busy lately, so there aren't many people talking inside.

In Tressen, the first few days of the school year are often the busiest time for trainers.

On the one hand, the holidays have just ended and the female horses have just returned to school. Both their physical and mental states are still basically in holiday mode, so the trainers need to help them make plans and adjustments. They also need to make overall plans for the new year, which is quite a lot of work.

On the other hand, there's a saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

While a small number of trainers choose to spend their holidays with their trainers, most go their separate ways. Furthermore, aside from major holidays, trainers and trainers are almost always together in Treson, resulting in... well...

All I can say is that those trainers were more tired than the others.

Looking at the trainers with dark circles under their eyes, hurrying around the school streets with various documents and reports in their hands, Shinji Kitahara, carrying two large bags of toys as he walked out of Tresson Supermarket, seemed so out of place.

He had become a celebrity on campus because of the previous posts on the forum, and because the posts included photos, it wasn't difficult for others to recognize him.

So soon, not long after he came out, all kinds of eyes were focused on him, and some whispers began to circulate.

Shinji Kitahara ignored this; for someone who's just giving up, being thick-skinned is the most basic skill.

But after walking only a few steps, he couldn't keep his composure after hearing what the whispers were saying.

"Hey, that's Shinji Kitahara. If you look closely, he's actually quite good-looking, much better than in the photos..."

"To be able to enter the Treson headquarters at this age, even though it's a close call, is still a very good achievement..."

"Ahem, I've heard a rumor about this, saying that he deliberately lowered his score to get in, just to avoid attracting attention..."

"Is that so? No wonder the student council president took a liking to him..."

No, what are you talking about?!

Shinji Kitahara was shocked.

He understood every word the passing horsewoman said, but when put together, he didn't understand what it meant.

He admitted to controlling his score, after all, he was planning to come in and play it badly. Although he didn't know how it was exposed, he still had some clues.

But what exactly does "being favored by the president" mean?

He just had a heated argument with that Rudolf symbol yesterday, earning a lot of negative goodwill. How come he's suddenly being favored today?

This is actually a misunderstanding.

To briefly summarize what happened, when the forum discussion was escalating yesterday, the chairman noticed that something was wrong and took appropriate measures.

When it comes to public opinion, it's better to guide than to suppress. Simply banning and stopping it might only lead to a worse situation. So, Akikawa Yayoi's side thought of guiding it a little.

Although she knew about Shinji Kitahara's deeds and abilities, she felt that if she told him directly, he would probably be accused of faking it, so she adopted a compromise.

In short, it involves using alternate accounts to stir up trouble, suggesting that Shinji Kitahara isn't as bad as he appears and has some significant secrets behind him, encouraging the students to find information and make their own deductions, since people tend to believe what they discover themselves.

Akikawa Yayoi's original intention was to have them uncover Kitahara Shinji's deeds (if they couldn't find them, they could spread them using alternate accounts) to prove his abilities, but what she didn't expect was that those silly netizens had the wrong idea from the very beginning.

Is there a secret behind Shinji Kitahara?

When public opinion was steered in this direction, the first thing those silly netizens thought of wasn't that he might be hiding his talents, but rather that he might have some kind of background.

As for the background, the one most similar to the Emperor of the East Sea is, of course, the symbol of Rudolf.

Are Shinji Kitahara and Rudolf symbolically related?

Some people speculate that he might have some connection with the Symbolists, which is why he was able to become the trainer of the East Sea Emperor.

But at that moment, something happened that changed their perception.

Just last night, while most people were still treating this theory as a joke, Rudolf symbolically summoned Shinji Kitahara.

Furthermore, according to witnesses, in order to meet Shinji Kitahara, she deliberately dispersed the other student council members, and the two spent a long time alone in the student council room.

And then, at that very moment, someone revealed that Rudolph had secretly found a trainer for the East Blue Emperor, without naming the trainer, and so...

Doesn't all of this connect?

President Rudolf was worried that ordinary trainers wouldn't be able to train the East Blue Emperor well, so he simply contacted his family and quickly got a trainer into the new semester. He even made sure the trainer passed with a low grade so as not to attract attention and so that the trainer could directly become the East Blue Emperor's trainer.

Moreover, judging from what happened last night, there might be some connection between these two. It's possible that Rudolf's symbol is actually the trainer who helped guide her in the family before, or even the emperor's 'canary'...

Of course, after realizing that the forum was going in the wrong direction, Akikawa Yayoi immediately blocked these comments.

But as mentioned before, it's better to guide public opinion than to suppress it. It would have been better if it hadn't been blocked; in fact, it spread even more widely after being blocked.

And so things have turned out the way Shinji Kitahara sees them now.

His palms sweated slightly as he listened to the various outrageous remarks around him.

He doesn't really care about people's private slander or ridicule of him, or even if they come to his face. After all, he's already given up and has a thick skin, so being scolded a couple of times won't make a difference.

But these comments really scared him.

If it's just a rumor, that's fine; at worst, Rudolf's side will just hold a grudge against us a bit more. But the real problem is if it's true.

Although I think these comments are probably just rumors, given the negative impression he gained yesterday, what if they are?

What if she really is blind and develops even the slightest bit of affection for me?

After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't withstand the pressure from the surrounding gazes and comments, and chose to turn back from a more remote place.

In this situation, he couldn't take any countermeasures and could only continue to slack off, out of sight, out of mind.

Just as he was about to slip into a secluded path to avoid the attention of the crowd, a woman named Ma, who had been watching him from the distance while mingling in the crowd, took out her phone and whispered.

"Target confirmed to be alone, with no female companions. Operation can commence..."

"Okay, I'll handle it."

Putting her phone away, she casually walked down the secluded path where Shinji Kitahara had disappeared, then quickened her pace and soon caught up with him.

Looking at the man in front of her, who was leisurely walking back to the activity room with two large bags in his arms, Ma Niang's eyes showed a hint of apology, which then turned into determination.

Crouch down, dash out, accelerate.

In a matter of moments, she was behind the man.

Only then did the man seem to realize what was happening and turn around.

But it's too late.

The distance was only a few meters, which Ma Niang could cross in a single breath, leaving no room for maneuver.

Looking at the man in front of her with a slightly bewildered expression, she silently apologized and raised her fist.

Then, it crashed down.

boom--

Chapter Seventeen: Fragile Humanity

boom--

The fist hit.

But it wasn't the feel of flesh and blood; it was a cold, hard wall.

Because she was mindful that the other person was human, she didn't use much force in that punch. So even though it hit the wall, her hand wasn't injured much, and she didn't even blush.

Opposite her, Shinji Kitahara tilted his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression as she briefly lost her focus after missing her punch.

"Young man, the school rules clearly state that running around outside the training ground is not allowed, especially since this place is so narrow—"

Before she could finish speaking, she realized what was happening and threw a second punch, aiming for his stomach.

boom--

The plastic bag containing the toys took the hit, and the entire bag of toys burst open.

By the time her fist passed through the toys, Shinji Kitahara had already retreated out of her attack range. He looked at the toys scattered on the ground, then at her, and couldn't help but sigh.

Sure enough, they've been targeted.

The things he looked at on his phone weren't for nothing, nor were they something he crammed for at the last minute after joining Treson.

He had already noticed the woman when she first appeared in the crowd, but because there were many people watching him at the time, he didn't pay any attention to her.

But ever since he discovered that the other person had followed him into this secluded path, he realized that the other person was watching him.

If we combine this with the information we've already gathered, the other party might actually be the one who's stirring things up online.

He tossed aside the other bag of intact toys, thought for a moment, and then raised his hands.

"Um, young man, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us, perhaps we can talk about it—"

call--

His response was a whistling whip kick.

Having dodged the kick in time, Shinji Kitahara still didn't give up on his talkative tactics, rambling on and on.

"Are you a fan of the Emperor of the East Sea? Or did I accidentally offend you at some point? You can tell me anything. If it's really my fault, I'll apologize to you first. Or you can tell me what kind of compensation you want. We can discuss it."

This time, the other party did not attack immediately. After stopping, they looked at him with a strange expression.

"You...are you really human?"

Because of her previous two successful dodges, she no longer regarded him as a weak human, so she took this kick a little more seriously, making it one that even a normal horse girl might not be able to dodge.

But the man in front of her not only easily dodged it, but also showed no relief at escaping a disaster. Instead, he seemed quite at ease and even had the leisure to talk nonsense with her.

This is something no normal person could do.

"Of course I am human."

Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Shinji Kitahara quickly spoke up.

"Seriously, tell me now why you attacked me, and we can find a way to resolve this peacefully together. I can guarantee I won't tell the chairman afterwards, how about it?"

She was silent for a moment, as if she had made a decision, and then sighed.

"Alright then, I'll tell you, I..."

crackling——

Before the words were even finished, a leg flashed like a whip, cracking through the air with a loud bang.

boom--

The horseshoe slammed hard onto the spot where Kitahara Shinji had just been standing, smashing it into a large shard.

Shinji Kitahara's eyelids twitched as he looked at the destruction caused by that kick, and he gasped.

"Hiss—are all your horse girls this terrifying?"

He was met with a jab.

boom--

The touch was still cold, and her expression finally began to change, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Even in the Treson headquarters, where elite female warriors abound, she is among the most capable fighters, and there are no more than ten people who can reliably defeat her.

But even now, despite using all her strength, she still couldn't touch the hem of this human's clothes.

"You seem surprised?"

Seeing that she had no intention of communicating, Shinji Kitahara gave up on the idea of ​​reconciliation and took off his cheap suit while talking.

Because his dodge was too forceful, several holes had appeared on the fabric, and many of the threads had broken, which pained him greatly.

You've worked hard, old friend.

Shinji Kitahara tossed the cheap suit aside, looked at the other person, and continued speaking.

"It's true that your physical abilities are several times better than those of ordinary humans, but humans, with proper training, can also gain strength far greater than their peers—of course, they will still be much weaker than you."

"I have fought many human martial arts masters, but none of them could withstand three moves from me."

She adopted an attack stance again, her expression gradually becoming serious, now regarding Kitahara Shinji as an opponent of equal caliber.

"I'm starting to have more and more doubts about your human identity."

"Look at it however you like."

Shinji Kitahara spoke casually, but his expression slowly turned cold.

He raised his hand, and his opponent reacted instantly, throwing a straight punch.