I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

The little pony girls hid behind the not-so-tall or-wide Tamamo Cross as if facing a formidable enemy, their expressions ranging from fear, curiosity, anger, to confusion as they sized up the Tengzheng March.

The one with the fiercest expression was Xiaomei, the leader of the children. If you ignored her legs shaking like a leaf, her expression was quite intimidating.

Why am I being treated like some kind of villain? What's going on?

Fujimasa looked at the little brats with a puzzled expression, while the little pony girls who met her blood-red eyes all let out a mournful cry before their bodies went limp on the tatami mats.

Watching her companions fall one by one, the leader of the children, Xiaomei, finally couldn't bear it any longer.

She reached out and grabbed Tamamo Cross's ear, using her head to support her body, and shouted at the Tengzheng March, "I!! We're not afraid of you!! You can't eat us!!"

"You!! You have another partner, don't you?! Even if she can eat the moon, I won't allow you to eat us!!"

Fujimasa March: "?"

Looking at the agitated child, she asked in confusion, "Tamamo-senpai, what... what is this?"

Tamamo cleared her throat lightly, then scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "This... this, um, this was my mistake!"

"Because these girls are really noisy at night! So I told them about Oguri's exploits, cough cough, it's not my fault!!"

You've turned Oguri Hat into a demon who can eat the moon in one bite, haven't you?

Fujimasa rolled her eyes. She had originally thought that Oguri's roommate was a reliable senior, but now it seemed... sigh!

Seemingly sensing the red-eyed demon's disdain, Xiaomei forced herself to sit up, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "You! Your trainer must have poisoned our food! After we passed out, you'll let that monster come out and eat us!!"

"Sister Tamamo will protect us! We're not afraid of you!"

"I'm not eating tonight! I won't eat a single bite!! You can forget about eating me!!"

Chapter 176 It smells so good

"Wow, it smells so good!!"

Xiaomei held a bowl and chopsticks in her hands, a happy smile on her face.

Initially, she was the one who led the most fierce resistance.

However, after Nantian Longsan tapped her on the head with his fist, Xiaomei immediately became obedient.

What's more, the food served tonight was really delicious; it was a fragrance she had never smelled before.

She only took two or three bites before swallowing the entire poison, and even started eating a second bowl.

Komiyama Komi used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish, dipped it in the sauce, and then put it in her mouth to taste.

"Hmm! This tastes pretty good! The seasoning is delicious! It tastes just like miso soy sauce!"

"No! That's not right! This flavor is even stronger and richer! How did you make this sauce so sticky?"

Orn joked, "That's a trade secret, but why do you need to know all this, Komiyama? You can't cook anyway, so don't worry about it!"

Komiyayama's lips twitched, and she snorted coldly, "How dare you show such disrespect to your senior? I can at least cook some simple meals, you know!"

Orn didn't speak; he just watched her quietly.

Komiyama felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but she stubbornly retorted, "Me! I can definitely make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, okay?! Don't look at me like that! I'm telling the truth!"

"Hey! Xiaoyu! Isn't that right?"

Seeing that Orn and Uncle Nantian were looking at him with suspicion, Komiyama quickly rallied his reinforcements, hoping that his beloved horse would stand up for him.

But Tamamo Cross only showed a dead fish eye, and she complained, "Yeah, yeah, the first time they took me to the trainers' dorm they said they'd show me their cooking skills, and I was actually looking forward to it."

"So, Gu Mei, you just threw the uncut tomatoes and eggs into the wok. We won't even mention peeling the tomatoes, you didn't even cut them! And you call this 'stir-fried tomatoes and eggs'?"

Komiyama Komi blushed, stammering, "I...I was..."

The horse girl with the reeds kept opening and closing her mouth, and after six consecutive openings and closings, a deadly rhythm emerged from it.

She continued, "But compared to others, Gu Mei, you're already quite good. At least you can turn on the stove, and you can add oil and seasonings."

"If you hadn't poured in a whole bottle of oil and mistakenly poured in half a bottle of MSG instead of salt, you might actually be considered a good cook."

"Yes, the salt-baked calcium carbonate tomatoes I made were actually quite good."

"It doesn't look like something for humans to eat, nor does it look like something for horse girls. If it were Oguri... she probably wouldn't eat that lump of stuff either, right?"

Lies won't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife!

The unadorned yet powerful blows from the character were like sharp swords, piercing Komiyama Komi's chest.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she seemed to shrink back a bit. She huddled in the corner and began to eat her food in silence.

The people at the table seemed oblivious to Komiyama's regretful departure. After enjoying the meal, the children were no longer as resistant to Orn and the Fujimasa March as they had been at the beginning.

Although they didn't understand the concept of "he who eats another's food is bound to him, he who takes another's money is bound to him," based on their instincts, they felt that someone who could cook delicious food couldn't be a bad person, right?

After dinner, Fujimasa and Orn wanted to help Nanada Ryuzo and the others wash the dishes, but this time the uncle refused. Instead, he adopted the air of a host and told the two guests to rest on the ranch.

The children were indeed lively and active. They had barely finished eating when they rushed to the playground and began playing in small groups.

Orn and Fujimasa walked to a somewhat secluded corner, under the shade of several large trees, and he asked, "What do you think of this ranch?"

"A ranch..."

Fujimasa looked down at the somewhat dilapidated running track and said softly, "The facilities here are probably even older than the ranch where I lived in Kasamatsu when I was a child, but the variety of food here is much greater."

"I just asked the leader of the children's group, and she said that every child gets a glass of milk and an egg every morning, and there's an ample supply of bread, buns, and steamed bread,"

"Lunch and dinner are very lavish every day, with at least one meal including meat. This is a menu that many ranches wouldn't even dare to dream of, let alone considering the harsh environment here,"

"It's like... they don't seem to care about making a profit or recruiting the next batch of kids anymore."

Orn nodded. Among the four, Fujimasa March possessed the strongest observational skills regarding their surroundings, and he and she shared similar thoughts.

The playground facilities are dilapidated, the teaching environment is outdated, and the number of faculty and staff is decreasing day by day; it has now become a family-run business.

However, in terms of food and nutrition, they provide virtually unlimited supplies. Apart from the central and local Tressen, Orn has never seen any other institution adopt such a confident approach of "unlimited" supplies.

The kind of supply that Wild Brocade Ranch provides without regard to cost is inconsistent with ranch economics. A ranch, by definition, is a place that supplies good seedlings to local or central Teresin areas.

However, judging whether a female horse is a "good prospect" cannot be based solely on whether she is well-fed. The horse's physical condition and preschool training are also important factors to consider.

Completely abandoning the upgrading of training facilities is practically equivalent to giving up on improving the physical fitness of ponies, which puts them at a significant disadvantage in competition with other ranches.

Looking at the horse girls frolicking on the playground ahead, Orn sighed and said, "Sigh, they seem more like they've given up on themselves..."

Standing next to her trainer, Teng Zheng asked, "So you want to help them?"

"Help them... but that depends on whether they're willing to let me help them,"

Orn smiled wryly, "These stubborn old men are all the same. To help them, you need to come up with a clever excuse, maintain their pride, achieve your goal, and do it perfectly. There's no such thing as a flawless situation."

"Besides, Tamamo might not even want our help."

Fujimasa turned her head in confusion and asked, "Oun, what does this mean? Tamamo-senpai... isn't she... isn't Oguri's friend?"

"It's precisely because she's a friend, even a close friend, that she doesn't want us to help her."

Orn stroked his chin and continued, "Judging from what Uncle Nanshan and I were saying just now, it seems that Senior Komiyayama has been kept in the dark by them. She has no idea about the situation at Nojin Ranch."

5 2 6 6 5 2 2 5 1

"Even Tamamo Cross herself probably doesn't know."

Fujimasa frowned, looking at the children chasing each other under the streetlights in the distance, and asked, "If it were Komiyama-senpai who didn't know, I could guess some of the reasons, but how could Tamamo-senpai not know? This is her home!"

"Yes, that's her home."

Orn explained, "The reason is simple: Tamamo-no-Mae spent two years in the Central Region, but she's been here for even longer."

"She was used to every blade of grass and every tree here, used to the dilapidated facilities and outdated training methods, used to the somewhat desolate yet still warm atmosphere, so even if she sensed potential problems with the ranch, those uncles could easily fool her,"

"As for Komiyama-senpai, she studied trainer training at the University of Tokyo and went directly to the central government after graduation. She had no idea what the local areas were like, so she couldn't perceive the intricacies of it all."

Fujimasa suddenly realized, "The reason you and I were able to sense the impending disbandment of the ranch is because we both once stayed in Kasamatsu Tressen and know what the real place is like!"

Chapter 177 Staying Overnight

Even though he understood the reasoning behind it, Teng Zheng still frowned.

She asked, "But if that's the case, why would they hide the academy's situation from Tamamo-senpai?"

"If we tell them about the current situation, not only Tamamo-senpai, but also Trainer Komiyama and we will help!"

Ornn shook his head; instead of answering that question, he changed the subject and asked a different one.

"March, what's the date today?"

The girl was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "July 20th."

"In less than two months, starting in September, the Sankei Prize, the Kobe Shimbun Cup, and the Saint-Léon Memorial Tournament—these G2 pre-tournament tournaments—will begin,"

"And in October, the peak season for the year's competitions will arrive. Under such circumstances, why would they tell Tamamo and the others about this?"

Orn said softly, "Telling this to Tamamo Cross will only add to her anxiety. It's better to keep it a secret from the beginning than to make her uneasy."

"As long as we conceal it well enough, she won't find out. Once everything settles down in October or November, we can tell her part of the truth."

Fujimasa couldn't help but purse her lips. Summer nights in the countryside were usually cool and comfortable, but now she felt the air around her had become unbearably hot.

Sweat soaked her clothes from the inside out, making her feel sticky all over, as if the cool breeze blowing in her face had become scorching hot.

After a long while, she exhaled a breath of stale air from her lungs and suddenly laughed.

However, no matter how you look at it, that smile reveals a hint of bitterness.

"Relax, don't think too much about it,"

Ornn suddenly said, "Just take this as my guess. After all, what I've said is nothing more than speculation without any conclusive evidence, so it shouldn't be taken seriously."

He reached out and flicked his boss's straight, erect ear, and laughed, "You don't need to worry too much. Things will always be resolved eventually. Maybe it will be resolved overnight?"

"Or perhaps all our current assumptions are wrong? Stop frowning so much, it'll give you wrinkles!"

Seeing that Orn was about to reach out and flick her ear again, Fujimasa quickly dodged backward.

Her grey-blue ears slapped Ornn's groping hand with some displeasure, then she complained, "Since it's all just guessing, why don't you just guess your own? Why tell me?"

"If I wake up feeling sleepy tomorrow morning, it's all your fault, Orn!"

Orn shrugged and laughed, saying, "Sigh! It's because I'm so frustrated inside that I need a friend who understands and can confide in me."

"The rest of Doran's squad is nowhere to be found, and Tamamo and Komiyama are suspects, so I had no choice but to tell you, March~~"

As he spoke, he stretched and yawned, "Ah! It feels so refreshing to talk about it like that. I'm sure I'll get a good night's sleep tonight!"

Fujimasa, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, stepped forward and grabbed Orn's soft flesh at the waist. She sneered, "Hmph, you're using me as an emotional dumping ground, aren't you? I'll tear your flesh off!"

Orn quickly begged for mercy, "No! March! I was wrong! I was wrong! Let go! The children over there are looking over here!"

Just as he said, perhaps because their voices were a bit loud, the children playing on the playground in the distance gradually moved closer to them.

The leader was the child queen with dark red fur. Although she tried hard to remain calm, her erect ears and stiff, upright tail still betrayed her inner fear.

She stood five meters away from Orn and Fujimasa's March, puffed out her chest, and said, "Hmph! Your... cooking is delicious! But I won't fall for it!"

The horse-riding woman behind her muttered, "Big sister, you ate the most! You even ate five bowls of rice today!"

Xiao Mei blushed, but she stubbornly retorted, "Urusai! I was just testing him!"

"You're probably planning to take us all away and eat us tonight! To be eaten by your white moon-devouring beasts!"

Orn pondered for a moment, then deliberately threatened, "Yes! That's right! Now that you've discovered my evil plan, I have no choice but to arrest you all!"

As he spoke, he lunged at the girls in front of him.

The pony girls scattered immediately, but before they could run even a few steps, Ornn's claws had already grabbed them by the back of their collars.

He picked up the two little ponies in each hand, then gestured towards the dormitory building and shouted, "Hey! Uncle! I'm bringing them right back!"

Uncle Nantian, who was on the second-floor balcony, waved and said, "Alright! I'll have to trouble you, young man Orn!"

The girls tried to struggle, but after Fujimasa's March joined in, their resistance became futile, and they were all dragged back to their dormitory in no time.

Uncle Nantian said with a smile, "Thank you all for your hard work today. I've already cleaned the room. Please make do here for the night."

"My humble abode is simple and unadorned; I hope you two will forgive my shortcomings!"

Orn waved his hand and said, "Uncle, you're too kind. A place to stay for the night is fine. Neither I nor my partner are materialistic people. Thank you for your hard work!"

"Hehe... In that case, I won't disturb your rest any longer."

Nantian Longsan nodded, and after leading Orn to a guest room on the third floor, he turned and left.

Fujimasa's room was next to Orn's, and Komiyayama and Tamamo Cross's rooms seemed to be on the same floor.