I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

Valentine's Day challenge on the 12th?

After reading the text next to him, Shinji Kitahara recalled the content of the previous poster.

If he remembers correctly, the content of this challenge number 12 doesn't seem to be too excessive; it's just a simple princess carry, and there are no gender restrictions. It even specifically states that either a man carrying a woman or a woman carrying a man is acceptable.

This is not incomprehensible, after all, the weight of the female horse is what it is, and most of the trainers are not in good physical condition. This rule is obviously prepared for the combination of female horse and trainers.

"Tamamo, do you want that?"

Shinji Kitahara looked at Tamamo Cross, who remained silent for a moment before nodding with slight hesitation.

"This thing is indeed on my list, but that challenge seems a bit... troublesome?"

Before she could finish speaking, Tamamo Cross noticed that the hand that had been holding her had loosened its grip. Then, before she could react, she felt something wrap around her waist and then, with a slight pull, lift her up.

"What's the trouble?"

After lifting Tamamo into a cross shape, Kitahara Shinji turned to look at the salesperson beside him.

"That should be enough, right?"

"Well, that won't work..."

The saleswoman standing nearby looked at the two of them and then added.

"Our requirement is that the hug lasts at least one minute, and during this time, the person being hugged must have their arms around the other person's neck and maintain eye contact throughout..."

This isn't a difficult thing to do.

Shinji Kitahara nodded to indicate that he understood, then looked down at the Tamamo Cross in his arms.

As for the latter, whether it was because she really wanted that item or for some other reason, she didn't resist at all. Her face flushed, she wrapped her arms around Kitahara Shinji's neck and looked him in the eye.

Originally, according to Shinji Kitahara's estimate, it would only take one minute of eye contact, and with his physical abilities, he could easily complete it without even needing the help of other horse girls.

However, after making eye contact for less than ten seconds, Shinji Kitahara noticed that Tamamo's gaze began to wander. By twenty seconds, it was clearly unfocused, and after about thirty seconds, she simply lowered her head, her face burning red.

How can you bow your head like that?

Shinji Kitahara looked puzzled.

What puzzled him even more was that, faced with this obvious failure to meet the challenge, the saleswoman, Ma Niang, acted as if she hadn't seen it at all. She simply counted sixty seconds on her stopwatch and then considered them to have passed the test.

Could it be that he was deliberately retaliating against his boss because his salary was too low?

Shinji Kitahara looked puzzled as he looked at the prize he had just received.

The problem is that, according to his understanding, the Mejiro family's employees have always had very good salaries and benefits, and after Aldan took over, the sales staff's salaries were all increased due to improved performance, which shouldn't be the case...

With this question in mind, Shinji Kitahara put down the trembling Tamamo Cross in his arms, gave her the prize, and then continued shopping with her.

Soon, because the following items were all fairly standard and there was nothing challenging, Tamamo Cross and Kitahara Shinji quickly finished buying the items on their list and then went to the second store.

Similar to the previous store, the basic requirement for participating in this store's event is also to hold hands.

Having learned from his previous experience, Shinji Kitahara easily grasped Tamamo Cross's hand this time and led her inside to start shopping.

But as he continued shopping, Shinji Kitahara discovered that this store offered greater discounts compared to the previous one, but also presented more requirements and challenges.

Although Tamamo Cross mainly purchased regular items, avoiding most of the challenges, there were still two items that required completing challenges to purchase during their shopping trip.

Do two people in a three-legged race or use their bodies to hold balloons for transport...?

Looking at the challenge, Shinji Kitahara didn't think there was anything wrong with it and simply pulled Tamamo Cross onto the challenge.

Then......

How could it all fail?

Looking at the Tamamo Cross in front of him, Shinji Kitahara fell into deep doubt.

It was one thing for two people to be in a three-legged race, but after all, there was a height difference between Tamamo Cross and him. Although he tried his best to cooperate, Tamamo Cross seemed flustered, perhaps because it was her first time doing something like this, and she lost her balance and fell to the ground with him.

But you shouldn't fail at pinching balloons. You just need to go slower and keep a steady pace. But in three attempts, you either got too close to the balloon and popped it, or you were too far away and the balloon fell to the ground. In short, you failed every single one of your three attempts.

Even more bizarrely, despite their failure in the challenge, the shop assistants, just like the previous salespeople, acted as if they hadn't seen their failure at all, and gave them the prizes after the challenge ended.

Moreover, according to Shinji Kitahara's observation, his situation is not an isolated case.

During his challenge, two other pairs of people who were clearly from Tressen also took on the challenge. One pair passed successfully, while the other was completely wiped out, but both pairs ultimately won the prize.

It's just weird.

However, before he could think too much about it, the challenge ended, and the shopping at this shop also came to a close. The two then went to the third shop, holding hands as they entered. After completing a series of challenges, they obtained their goods. Then came the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Since all the stores were in similar situations, the events that occurred were also largely the same, with only slight differences in the challenges.

Furthermore, as the number of challenges increased, the two became more and more skilled at cooperating, and began to work together to win the challenges and obtain prizes.

Chapter 257: The Selfish Tamamo Cross

after a while.

Holding the vouchers in their hands, Shinji Kitahara and Juji Tamamo appeared in front of the hotel.

However, contrary to expectations, the suggestion to come to the hotel was not made by Shinji Kitahara.

Although Shinji Kitahara considered taking Tamamo Cross to a nearby hotel to rest when he left the mall, he later felt that it was inappropriate to do so after thinking about it for a while.

After all, although he didn't have those kinds of thoughts, he did have a parasol and lace lingerie in his hands.

Although the prizes were obtained accidentally because I didn't check the reward list, inviting Tamamo Cross to the hotel under these circumstances might cause some unnecessary misunderstandings.

Moreover, even setting aside the props in hand, the act of inviting one's own horse girl to a hotel is strange enough in itself.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that she was a Tamamo Cross, Kitahara Shinji would never have been able to come out with her alone at this sensitive time.

However, just as Kitahara Shinji was about to give up on the idea and go out to find a place to rest for a while, Tamamo Cross, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up.

"Well, you must be tired after walking around for so long and completing so many challenges. Now that you've received your reward, why don't we go to that nearby hotel to rest for a bit and regain some energy before heading back..."

Although Shinji Kitahara rejected the idea of ​​making the suggestion because he felt it was inappropriate, he was not actually opposed to it in his heart.

So when Tamamo Cross mentioned it, he quickly nodded, picked up his bags, and went to the hotel with Tamamo Cross.

As for the suspicion that Tamamo Cross might have some other motive.

Just kidding, if any other horse girl did this, Kitahara Shinji would definitely refuse a million times, but Tamamo Cross...

You know her, right? She's Tamamo Cross! The only sensible person in Treisenne, Tamamo Cross!

And so, after arriving at the hotel with Tamamo Cross, Kitahara Shinji showed his credentials, received the room key, and then, carrying his bags, entered their room with Tamamo Cross.

"Phew, finally I can take a break..."

After entering the room, Shinji Kitahara put his things on the floor and then sat down on the sofa, his expression gradually relaxing.

Despite having stamina far exceeding that of Uma Musume, Kitahara Shinji, carrying a lot of things and shopping for so long, didn't feel particularly tired.

The problem is that shopping is not only physically exhausting, but also mentally exhausting.

Not to mention that in addition to shopping, they also did so many challenges, and during the challenges, Shinji Kitahara had to keep a distance between them at all times and pay attention to the surrounding environment.

Adding to the previous special week and the incident with the grass flyer, all the actions had taken had exhausted him, and he finally felt a rare sense of fatigue.

"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't expect today's event to turn out like this. Thank you so much..."

Seeing Kitahara Shinji looking so exhausted, Tamamo Cross couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, even though she herself was in a similar state.

After all, this was originally her plan, so it's understandable that she's tired. But Shinji Kitahara was just there to help, and he only said that they would pretend to be a couple, not that they would have to do so much.

Under normal circumstances, when faced with Tamamo Cross's apology, Kitahara Shinji would probably wave his hand and say something like "it's okay," which would be in line with Kitahara Shinji's personality.

But today, faced with Tamamo Cross's apology, Kitahara Shinji did not respond immediately. Instead, after a period of silence, he let out a long sigh.

"Tamamo."

"......What's wrong?"

"There's something I've wanted to talk to you about for a long time."

Sitting on the sofa, Shinji Kitahara slowly raised his head, looking at the ceiling with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"I know you're a good child, sensible and well-behaved. Although you seem carefree and indifferent at times, you actually care a lot about the people around you. You're also quite strong-willed, hardworking, and resilient. No matter what happens or what difficulties you face, you can always maintain a calm attitude..."

"These are all wonderful things, shining like diamonds on you, and the reason why you are loved and trusted by everyone. Even I have to admit that I really like you as you are."

Upon hearing this, Tamamo Cross paused for a moment.

Like her...

Although she knew perfectly well that, given this person's thought process, this affection was most likely the kind of affection an elder has for a younger person, and she considered Kitahara Shinji as family, she didn't have any improper thoughts in her mind—at least that's what she thought.

But for some reason, the moment she heard Shinji Kitahara say that he liked her, Tamamo Juji instinctively held her breath and clutched the button that she never took off.

Then, before Tamamo Cross could give any further response, accompanied by another sigh, Kitahara Shinji's voice rang out again.

"However, even though I admit that these are all your strengths, and I like you very much, there's something else I've been keeping to myself for a long time."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Tamamo Cross and slowly began to speak.

"Tamamo, do you know that you are actually very selfish?"

......Selfish?

Upon hearing those two words, Tamamo Cross paused for a moment.

Normally, upon hearing such a comment, most children would at least be somewhat unhappy, even if they didn't refute it on the spot, since no one likes to be criticized.

However, after listening to Shinji Kitahara's words, Tamamo neither refuted them nor showed any displeasure.

Instead, the moment she came to her senses after being stunned for a while, she began to recall her recent behavior, trying to find evidence to support Shinji Kitahara's claim that she was selfish.

Has she done something selfish lately? But I don't think so.

Although her financial situation is indeed not very good, and she is habitually frugal in her daily life, that's all she is. She is not selfish, and she has never even been stingy.

She would try her best to participate in any class activities, and she would accept gifts from friends during holidays, even if they weren't very expensive, and would do her best to reciprocate. She never shied away from the fact that she was not in a good financial situation.

Although she uses many things sparingly, she never keeps anything that needs to be thrown away, and she never refrains from spending money when necessary. She never expects others to accommodate her just because she claims to be poor. In fact, because she is mature and sensible, she is often the one taking care of and accommodating others, like the girl in the chestnut hat...

In this situation, no matter how much she believed Shinji Kitahara, Tamamo Juji couldn't think of any reason why he would call her selfish.

But just as she was wondering about this, Shinji Kitahara's voice slowly rang out.

"That's what I mean by selfish."

"......What?"

Tamamo Cross was truly dumbfounded.

But faced with the puzzled Tamamo Cross, Shinji Kitahara did not immediately explain. Instead, he turned his head back and looked at the ceiling before speaking.

"Tamamo, you should remember that you said before that you considered me family, right?"

"......Yes."

"What about the others? The rest of the team, do you consider them friends?"

"Of course."

Tamamo answered decisively, but the doubt in her eyes deepened.

Shinji Kitahara noticed her confusion and, feeling that it was about time, began to get to the point.

"Alright, in that case, let me ask you, if other members of the team encounter some difficulties and need your help, such as helping with a lesson or assisting with training, would you help?"

"of course."

"If something unexpected happens during this help, such as the tutoring session taking longer or the training session requiring more laps, would you blame them for it?"

"of course not."

At this point, Tamamo Cross was really confused and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"While I don't know what your purpose is in asking these questions, is it really necessary to ask them?"

"Of course it's necessary."

Shinji Kitahara turned his head and looked at her as he spoke.

"Because of someone's behavior just now, I can't help but doubt her views on this kind of thing."

Tamamo Cross was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"You mean... about the apology I just gave you?"