I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

"The Emperor?" came Shinji Kitahara's concerned voice from the other end of the phone.

After a moment of silence, the Emperor of the East Sea clenched his fist.

"Sorry, Trainer, the signal is a bit weak here... Did you just say something?"

"The key? I've found it. I'll be back right away, don't worry..."

After chatting for a while, the Emperor of the East Sea hung up the phone. He stood there for a long time, then looked back at the image frozen on the remote camera before leaving the monitoring room without looking back.

It was only a lighthearted feeling when leaving that contrasted with the earlier moments.

Her steps seemed somewhat heavy.

Chapter 276: Fermentation

Despite some unexpected circumstances, the Emperor of the East Sea quickly returned to his car after obtaining the keys.

However, contrary to expectations, after getting into the car, she did not directly question the two about what she had just seen, nor did she make a scene. Instead, she acted as if she had left just as before.

He talked less frequently, and occasionally he would space out, as if he was thinking about something. His eyes would sometimes look empty, and his lips seemed to be silently murmuring something.

Normally, even though the East Sea Emperor appears to be quite normal on the surface, Rudolf should be able to detect something from her subtle actions.

Unfortunately, because of what happened before, Rudolph's mind is now in chaos. Let alone noticing the East Sea Emperor's subtle movements, even maintaining a calm demeanor is extremely difficult for her now.

However, although Rudolf made a rare blunder, Shinji Kitahara, who had experienced this many times before, quickly calmed down and noticed the Emperor of the East Sea's unusual behavior.

Although he noticed the Emperor of the East Sea's unusual behavior, Shinji Kitahara did not choose to say anything directly in the car. Instead, he waited until they arrived at the arcade. After the three of them played for a while, each with their own thoughts, he took Rudolf to touch up his makeup—his disguise had come off a bit while playing the game and he needed to redo it—and led the Emperor of the East Sea to a two-player co-op arcade machine. After inserting coins and starting the game, he slowly opened his mouth after playing for a while.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

Upon hearing Kitahara Shinji's sudden question, the Emperor of the East Sea froze, and the character's movements in the game instantly stopped.

And just as the character in the East Sea Emperor game stopped, the enemy who had just been beaten down by her combo and couldn't stand up got a chance to catch his breath, quickly got up from the ground, and then raised his blade at her character.

Swah——

With the sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air, Shinji Kitahara's character moved in a very tricky way to stand in front of the East Sea Emperor character, blocking the blow for her, and then took the enemy away with a counterattack.

"Oh, thank goodness I made it in time."

Shinji Kitahara stared intently at the screen, playing the game seriously, as if he hadn't said those words at all.

Then, because of the East Sea Emperor's stiffness, her character in the game remained frozen in place. Kitahara Shinji did not ask any further questions, but silently controlled his character, guarding the East Sea Emperor's character and protecting her with his weapon, repelling the invading enemies time and time again.

During this process, although Shinji Kitahara was very talented at games, it was, after all, a new game he was playing for the first time, and it was a doubles game that emphasized teamwork.

Therefore, in the process of protecting the character of the East Sea Emperor, Kitahara Shinji also had some difficulty fighting, with the character's health bar constantly decreasing and the number of wounds on his body constantly increasing.

Even so, Kitahara Shinji did not urge the East Sea Emperor, nor did he ask her any further questions or tell her to play the game properly. He simply stayed by her side silently, waiting for her reply.

As for the Emperor of the East Sea, he was stunned for a while after being questioned. After he came to his senses, he just stared blankly at the screen, looking at Kitahara Shinji who was desperately protecting him. He was a little confused for a moment.

After a while, as the health bar decreased, Kitahara Shinji's character began to teeter on the brink of death, while the Tokai Emperor's character, having been under Kitahara Shinji's protection, suffered almost no damage.

Just then, perhaps after most of the minions had been eliminated, accompanied by powerful music, the massive final boss slowly appeared and unleashed a barrage of attacks right at the start, instantly taking down the low-health Kitahara Shinji.

It wasn't until the character controlled by Shinji Kitahara fell that the Emperor of the East Sea finally came to his senses. He didn't bother to answer any questions and started frantically pressing the buttons.

But as mentioned before, this game emphasizes teamwork and is quite difficult. Even Shinji Kitahara has difficulty winning alone, let alone the Emperor of the East Sea.

As expected, after a short struggle, the East Sea Emperor character's health bar gradually emptied, and he finally fell to another round of bullets from the BOSS.

We lost...

As the character fell, the East Sea Emperor's head slowly drooped down, his previous joy of victory completely gone, replaced by disappointment and sadness, like a kitten abandoned by the roadside on a rainy day.

But before she could even feel sad for a few seconds, a hand landed on her head and gently rubbed it.

"Okay, okay, don't be sad anymore. It's just a game. I still have a lot of tokens. Let's play again?"

Hearing the gentle words in his ear, the Emperor of the East Sea felt a lump in his throat.

If she lost, it would be fine if it was just a game...

"Trainer, I..."

Driven by his emotions, the Emperor of the East Sea slowly opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat.

What is she going to say? What is she capable of saying? Or does she even have the right to speak?

She was the one who wouldn't let Kitahara Shinji be her trainer, she was the one who acted capriciously and unreasonably, and even now, knowing that Kitahara Shinji is a blockhead and doesn't have those kinds of feelings for her, she's still the one who hasn't expressed her feelings to him.

Although the East Sea Emperor could not confirm her suspicions based on that video alone, what could she do even if there really was something between the president and her trainer, Sang?

Sad, confused, helpless...

The Emperor of the East Sea stood still, head bowed, and fell into silence.

Seeing her like this, Kitahara Shinji didn't press her for details. He simply put two more coins into the game machine, patted the machine in front of the East Sea Emperor, and smiled as he spoke.

"One more game?"

After a moment of silence, the Emperor of the East Sea nodded, and the game began again.

Because of the experience from last time, Kitahara Shinji's performance was much better this time. Although Tokai Emperor's skills weren't very good, at least he didn't go AFK anymore, which relieved a lot of pressure for Kitahara Shinji.

Under these circumstances, the two easily cleared the first chapter, successfully defeated the final boss, and then cleared the second and third chapters in one go.

Although he had cleared the level, the Emperor of the East Sea did not seem very happy.

This was partly due to what had happened before, and partly because, although she had cleared the level, she found that her strength was actually insufficient to pass it; she was basically just carried by Shinji Kitahara.

Along the way, they not only caused him all sorts of trouble and required him to save the day, but also consumed most of his resources, yet the damage they inflicted was less than a fraction of his.

Then, it was precisely because of the East Sea Emperor's poor performance that the two of them eventually fell to the boss of Chapter 4. And similar to before, Kitahara Shinji once again died taking a bullet for the East Sea Emperor.

This time, after the game ended, before the Emperor of the East Sea could react, Shinji Kitahara spoke first.

"We lost again..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the Emperor of the East Sea.

"What, do you think I'll think you're bad, or that you're dragging me down?"

In the usual course of events, the Emperor of the East Sea should, after a moment's hesitation, nod in agreement with Kitahara Shinji's words.

But after a moment of silence, when asked by Kitahara Shinji, the Emperor of the East Sea slowly shook his head.

When he saw her shake her head, Shinji Kitahara smiled and reached out to pat her head.

"That's right. If you really think I would look down on you because of something like this, then I would really be angry."

"While I do have to admit that you're a bit bad at the game, I care more about the experience of playing games with you than about skill level or winning or losing."

"Or rather, it's you I care about."

"Similarly, if you don't want to talk about what happened to you, I won't ask any more questions. But I want to tell you that no matter what problems or difficulties you encounter, I am willing to stay by your side and face them with you."

"Just like before."

Before the Emperor of the East Sea could react, Kitahara Shinji suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Trainer-san..."

The sudden embrace startled the East Sea Emperor, but before she could react, Kitahara Shinji placed her in his arms, took her hand, and gently placed it on the console.

"Alright, Your Majesty, it's alright. I'll teach you how to play, and you'll get it in a bit..."

As he spoke, Kitahara Shinji held the Eastern Sea Emperor in his arms and began to teach her, step by step.

In his arms, the East Sea Emperor, who was facing away from him, was extremely flustered, but he did not show any intention of resisting. Instead, he let him do as he pleased, but his face grew redder and redder.

Will he always be by her side...?

Recalling Kitahara Shinji's words, the East Sea Emperor blinked, feeling the temperature around her and the warmth of her hands. After the teaching continued for a while, she slowly spoke.

"Um, trainer, could you come here for a second...?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Shinji Kitahara lowered his head.

"that is......"

The Emperor of the East Sea pretended to say something, and after Kitahara Shinji lowered his head, he suddenly leaned out and kissed him on the cheek.

Feeling the soft warmth on his cheek, Shinji Kitahara was stunned for a moment, but after realizing what was happening, he didn't flinch. Instead, he looked towards the distance where Rudolf had been AFK for quite some time.

In fact, Rudolph had already finished touching up his makeup and came out, but at Shinji Kitahara's signal, he did not approach, but simply stayed on the sidelines and watched from a distance.

Seeing the East Sea Emperor's little tricks, Rudolf didn't react at all. Instead, after Kitahara Shinji looked over, he raised his eyebrows, shrugged, and looked like he was watching a show.

Although Rudolf knew in his heart that the purpose of the East Sea Emperor's little move was probably not very pure.

The problem is that the East Sea Emperor poses far too little of a threat. Their version is practically ready to go to a developer conference, but the East Sea Emperor is so hesitant and timid even when it comes to a simple kiss...

How should I put it...

It's like when facing a powerful beast, such as a tiger, its bared teeth and claws can make you feel nervous or even afraid. But if it's just a kitten baring its teeth and claws at you, then forget about feeling nervous or afraid. Even if you know it's threatening you, you'll just think it's cute.

Especially now that the two of them had just done *that*, and now they were accompanying the East Sea Emperor to the arcade together, even if the East Sea Emperor made some subtle moves, Rudolph would find it difficult to feel any jealousy or danger. In fact, he would even find the atmosphere of this family of three rather warm and cozy...

In response to Rudolf's detached amusement, Kitahara Shinji didn't hold back and gave him the middle finger. After the Emperor of the East Sea finished kissing her and shyly withdrew his head, he didn't think much of it and continued to teach her step by step.

This time, however, during the teaching process, because of Rudolf's performance, Shinji Kitahara couldn't help but recall the situation in the lounge earlier, and muttered a few words to himself.

He was acting like that just a moment ago, but now he's all tough and acting like a big shot again...

To be honest, before what happened in the lounge, Shinji Kitahara really didn't expect that Rudolph, who always appeared so excellent and even perfect in public, had such a different side in private.

Although Shinji Kitahara already knew that Rudolph performed exceptionally well in front of others, he was suspected of being a bit of a slacker in private.

But he still didn't expect that it wasn't actually her final form.

After he broke through his defenses, the being named Rudolf lost all trace of his 'emperor' demeanor and instead acted like a child, sulking and acting spoiled with him, clinging to him without any regard for his image, completely unlike his usual self.

Furthermore, while his personality underwent a drastic change, this guy's combat ability in certain aspects was also extremely weak. In fact, if he hadn't reacted quickly and stopped in time, the East Sea Emperor might not have seen the two of them in an awkward situation when he returned, but rather an awkward him and Rudolf slumped on the sofa, twitching... Oh no.

Perhaps because he was too engrossed in the memories, Kitahara Shinji's body subconsciously produced certain physiological reactions, and he was quite certain that the Emperor of the East Sea must have noticed.

But to his surprise, after sensing something, the Emperor of the East Sea only stiffened slightly before quickly returning to normal, even wiggling his little bottom, but he didn't seem to care about asking any questions.

Then, after a while, seeing that the conversation on this side had ended, Rudolf, who had been AFK for a long time, finally 'finished his makeup' and came back with a smile.

As for the Emperor of the East Sea, although Kitahara Shinji's comforting words eased his emotions somewhat, he was especially unable to harbor any hostility towards him.

But when she saw Rudolf approaching, a dark look flashed in her eyes. Although it quickly disappeared, Rudolf still noticed it.

However, Rudolf did not dwell on the fact that the East Sea Emperor was hiding his identity. Instead, he gave her a slight smile, and the East Sea Emperor, as always, greeted her happily.

Seeing that the Emperor of the East Sea had returned to normal, Shinji Kitahara breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

And so, the three of them, each with their own thoughts, laughed, looking at each other and calculating their own schemes.

What they didn't know was that while they were smiling, somewhere else, the responses made by the Emperor of the East Sea...

It is slowly fermenting.

Chapter 277: What on earth is going on here...?

Information cocoon refers to the phenomenon where people's attention to information is habitually guided by their own interests, thus confining their lives to a "cocoon" like a silkworm's cocoon.

For example, there's Treson. Because it's an academy exclusively for Uma Musume Girls, and with the guidance of certain hidden forces, people's attention is usually focused on Uma Musume Girls-related fields or things happening within the academy.

While this approach ensured a positive environment within Treson Academy, allowing the horse girls in their 'unstable period' to be in a benevolent environment as much as possible, it also limited their understanding of the outside world.

For example, the fact that Shinji Kitahara was being attacked online has been widely discussed in the outside world, but not many people in Tresene know about it. Not to mention the horse girls who are students, even the trainers don't know much about it.

As for the horse girls under Shinji Kitahara's name, it's partly due to the situation at the academy, and partly because Shinji Kitahara didn't want them to worry.

So apart from people like Ali Digital and Grasshopper, who have powerful subordinates and are well-informed, no one else knows anything about Kitahara Shinji's situation outside. This is also the main reason why the East Sea Emperor mistakenly thought that those horse girls wanted to join their team and gave those answers.

What she didn't know was that shortly after her answer, her words spread through the mouths of the horse girls who had asked her questions, and gradually gained traction.

It is worth mentioning, however, that although those horse women asked the Emperor of the East Sea questions, they also spread her words.

However, they did not embellish the facts, but simply repeated the East Sea Emperor's answer. They did not have any ill intentions, and even sighed that she had indeed won because she had put in enough effort, and she accepted her defeat wholeheartedly.

The problem is that while they may not have any bad intentions, the listeners may not.

Moreover, even disregarding those who instigated the attacks behind the scenes, Kitahara Shinji's public image was already poor due to his previous tolerance of the attacks.

Even those who can't be called bad people, after hearing too many rumors about him, can't help but feel that he's not a good person.