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

'Speaking of which, it seems like Tamamo-senpai and Komiyama haven't shown up since dinner.'

Fujimasa turned on the lights in the room. Just as Nanta Ryuzo had said, the room's furnishings were quite simple.

Aside from the necessary floral curtains, a small wooden bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, there was nothing else.

It was already 10 p.m. The girl lay in bed, then took out her phone and started chatting with the other three members of Dolan's team.

Of course, both she and Orn only said that due to the long journey, they would have to stay overnight, without mentioning the Wild Brocade Ranch.

Looking at the selfie of the brand-new Radiant Glow on the hospital bed, and the pile of food bowls on Oguri Hat's bed, Fujimasa's anxiety gradually dissipated.

Although his trainer often uttered some surprisingly insightful remarks, he always managed to calmly resolve those troublesome situations.

This is how I obtained my trainer certification, how Oguri participated in the Japanese derby, and how I solved the problem of finding an activity room and developing a training plan.

This time... perhaps he'll be dealt with by Ornn just like before?

Fujimasa yawned, plugged her phone in to charge, and then turned off the chandelier in the room.

Chapter 178 Toilet Q&A

In Hokkaido during the summer nights, the temperature drops dramatically compared to usual.

Orn was wandering around the dormitory building. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't some pervert trying to peep into other rooms; he just wanted to find a toilet.

The food we ate tonight was a bit too watery, and some of the older men even brought out several bottles of strong-flavored liquor, constantly urging him to drink.

Ornn couldn't refuse and ended up having a few drinks, and now, karma seems to be coming back to bite him.

'The toilet...I think it's outside the dormitory building?'

'With the toilet so far away, it's no wonder those pony girls were scared by the horror stories Tamamo Cross made up. Even now, walking alone through the school late at night wouldn't be an easy task!'

Due to limited space, the toilets at Wild Brocade Ranch are not as plentiful as those at Central Treson. The only place where people can relieve themselves is between the dormitory building and the teaching building.

Orn walked out of the stairwell, looked up at the playground not far away, and saw a figure standing there.

More accurately, he was Uncle Nantian patrolling the night with a flashlight.

Orn approached the middle-aged man who seemed to be deep in thought and asked, "Hey, it's so late, still on patrol?"

"Uhhhhhh!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Nantian Longsan's mouth, sounding so piercing in the empty, silent night.

He turned around, still shaken, and then wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

"Oh, it's Ornn, little brother! You really scared me to death!"

"Speaking of which, it's so late, aren't you asleep yet?"

Orn shrugged and said, "I got up to find the toilet, and I just happened to see you standing on the playground, sir."

"How about we go to the bathroom together?"

Nantian Longsan burst out laughing: "Going to the toilet together? I didn't expect little Orn to be so childlike."

"Hehe, when I was still in school, the boys in my class would also ask me to come along. Looking back now, that was more than forty years ago!"

"I wonder how those guys are doing now. It's a pity! I've completely lost contact information for most of them!"

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and sighed softly, saying, "Let's go, the toilet is over here."

In the quiet campus, apart from a few cicada chirps, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

Following behind Uncle Nantian, Aoun looked at a platform that resembled a lecture hall not far from the playground and asked, "Uncle Nantian, there must have been many students studying here at the same time, right?"

"Based on my estimate, the largest number of people may have been close to three hundred?"

Nantian Longsan was taken aback upon hearing this, then he nodded.

"Yes, at its peak, there were close to three hundred children, including faculty and staff, but that was more than ten years ago."

"Right now, there are only about twenty children left. The number has been reduced a long time ago!"

At this point, the vice director of Yejin Ranch said with a sigh, "We used to have teachers who came from the local Teresa to work here. About one-fifth of the children we trained could go on to work in the local Teresa. It was a really great place!"

"Speaking of which, ever since Tamamo went to the Central Region, no other child from the ranch has been able to go there,"

"Little Tamamo... she was the last glory of Nojin Ranch, and we were all very proud of her!"

A kind smile appeared on Nantian Longsan's face; he was genuinely happy for the glory that Tamamo Cross had finally achieved.

The two went into the restroom, and soon the sound of running water came from the urinal.

Orn stared at the white ceramic tiles in front of him and asked, "Uncle, I just don't understand. With a score that allows you to enter the top five in the regional Tereson area, this Nojin Ranch is already considered one of the best ranches in Hokkaido. Why is it now... so desolate?"

Nantian Longshan closed his eyes, sighed, and said, "I think it's because of bad luck."

As if to make his words more credible, he repeated, "It's because of bad luck... so there's nothing we can do about it."

After saying this, the vice dean fell into complete silence. Apart from the sound of running water and the chirping of cicadas coming from outside the toilet, the two fell silent once again.

About fifteen seconds later, Nantian Longsan shook his hand, pulled up his belt, and smiled at Orn: "It's already very late. I heard from Tamamo's trainer that you and that light blue-haired horse girl should have training tomorrow, right?"

"Get some rest early, and leave after breakfast tomorrow. Thank you so much for helping Brother Tianzhu this time..."

"Uncle Nantian, will the Wild Brocade Ranch be completely closed down at the end of this year?"

Nantian Longsan froze at the restroom doorway. Orn didn't ask any further questions, simply waiting quietly for his answer.

"........."

"Of course not, Brother Orn. ​​As long as we have the energy, we will continue to run the ranch. Why would we close it down?"

Nantian Longsan didn't turn around. After saying those words, he took a step forward and stepped onto the dim concrete road illuminated by the streetlights.

"Is it because you don't want this news to affect Tamamo Cross? But Uncle Nantian, have you ever thought about this? You can fool her today, you can fool her tomorrow, but can you fool her forever?"

"If she finds out the truth, how will she feel? How will you ever have the face to appear in front of her again?"

Faced with Orn's questioning, Nantian Longsan's body tensed up.

But he still didn't turn around, only saying in a muffled voice, "No... If she finds out the truth, the outcome will be bad, so as long as she doesn't know, isn't that enough?"

"Keep it from her for a lifetime... then for her, that's the truth."

Although he did not agree with Ornn's speculation, his current answer undoubtedly proved the prophecy that the ranch was about to close down.

Orn sneered and said, "Horse Girl's perception in this area is extraordinary. Since we can all sense it, there's no reason why she can't."

"Not only her, but even Senior Komiyama may have sensed it. However, she and Tamamo had an agreement not to interfere in each other's private affairs, which is why she didn't come to ask you."

"I don't want to face an opponent with an unstable mentality after this. Even if I win, it would be a very dishonorable thing."

Nantian Longsan turned his head to the side; his eyelids were drooping, but his eyes were quite sharp.

He said in a low voice, "We just... didn't want to involve her in such a sad situation."

Orn retorted, "But you didn't even ask her for help, did you? How would you know it wouldn't work if you didn't try? Are you just going to let tragedy happen?"

Upon hearing this, Nantian Longsan's expression turned strange.

His lips first curled into a bitter smile, then fell back down in a somber tone.

His vision blurred; although he was staring at Orn's face, his gaze seemed to be directed behind Orn.

He closed his eyes, the wrinkles on his forehead layered together, undulating like a mountain range.

His thoughts began to struggle fiercely. Yoshinoda had told him everything the young man in front of him had done, and had also revealed the young man's character to him.

Calm, brave, humble, and generous.

At the same time, they possess a strong sense of responsibility.

After a long period of contemplation, Nantian Longsan finally opened his eyes again.

He looked at Orn and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "A tragedy... perhaps it has already happened."

"The director of Wild Brocade Ranch doesn't have much time left."

Chapter 179 Two Colors Intertwined

Tamamo Cross is very envious of Oguri Hat.

This feeling was very new to her. In the past, whether it was when she first arrived at the Wild Brocade Ranch and was bullied by the local bully, or when she first entered the Central District as a special recruit and was mocked by those so-called "upper-class" horse girls,

Or even when she was criticized for her poor performance in subsequent competitions after her debut, she didn't feel this way.

She firmly believed that others' opinions and hostility were merely due to their prejudices, and that she only needed to do her best; right and wrong would be judged in its own way.

This was also the most valuable lesson the principal of Yejin Ranch taught her.

Under this kind of education, Tamamo Cross, who came from a poor family, understood self-love and self-respect better than others.

Every instance of hostility and ridicule became a cornerstone of her strong character, ultimately building a high wall around her.

It not only defended against the invasion of foreign enemies, but also blocked the care of others; everything was locked outside the city walls.

While other classmates were holding various designer handbags, showing off the latest designer phones, and wearing expensive clothes, chatting and laughing,

Tamamo Cross simply sat quietly in the corner of the classroom, studying diligently.

Unlike some of the girls who struggled with academics, she consistently ranked among the top students in her class.

She didn't crave the symbols of "class" and "status" that other students possessed, nor did she wish to have them herself. Naturally, she didn't envy them at all.

Instead of spending a fortune on luxuries, it would be better to save more money and send it back to the children on the ranch.

But after Tamamo Cross met Oguri Hat, she felt envy for the first time.

"Xiao Li, you squeezed out too much toothpaste at once! That will make your mouth foam a lot!"

"It's alright, it's just that Na is also very crowded."

"Xiao Li, I'm sorry! I accidentally got your clothes caught on a nail... Huh?! Your clothes are so sturdy! There's not a single tear?"

"It's alright, this garment was a gift from Tuoleina's friend, it's very durable."

"Kuri! You're going to gain weight if you eat so much tonight! Won't your trainer scold you?"

"It's alright, Na shouldn't say anything about me... he shouldn't."

Tamamo Cross looked at Oguri Hat, who had inadvertently looked away, and her lips trembled as she said, "Even if that guy is incredibly magnanimous, he wouldn't allow you to sneak in extra food, would he?"

"Eating so much while secretly having an extra meal, no wonder you're gaining weight!!"

With a slightly aggrieved expression, Oguri placed a bucket of rice crackers on the bedside table. Then, she lay down on her pillow, pitifully turning her head to look at the rice crackers, before looking up at Tamamo-no-Mae standing by the bed.

"Sigh... Fine! I give up! Eat whatever you want! We don't care anymore!!"

Hearing her mother's permission, Oguri's drooping ears perked up again. She happily picked up the bucket of senbei (rice crackers), then took out a handful and handed them to Tamamo Juji.

"Here, it's for you."

Tamamo Cross looked at the handful of senbei (rice crackers) in front of her with some hesitation, then at Oguri Hattori's earnest expression, and finally sighed before accepting the sinful snack.

Watching Oguri Hat scoop up potato chips from the snack bin like a robot vacuum cleaner, Tamamo Cross took a bite of the senbei in her hand.

"Oguri, why... even if that guy comes up with some ridiculous training methods, don't you guys have any questions?"

"Splitting rocks with bare hands, underwater breath-holding training, skating on grass in roller skates... these training exercises look so ridiculous!!"

Oguri Hat placed the twelfth senbei on her nose and replied matter-of-factly, "Because it was Torena who said it, I will listen to him."

"Ah... But Glorious does question him, though her questions always fail."

Tamamo sighed. There was something else she didn't say: of the three in Dolan's team, she actually felt that the one with the newfound radiance was the rare exception—a truly normal person.

If Komiyama Komi suddenly asked her to do grass-eating training, she would absolutely not do it before receiving a positive response.

But Little Gourami will do it anyway. Not only will she do it, but if her trainer doesn't stop her, Little Gourami will chew the grass bare.

This level of execution and cooperation is so high that even Tamamo Cross finds it quite perplexing.

Even after two years in the central government, she had rarely encountered such a trustworthy mentor and trainer.

At the central level, any trainer who has led a cohort always experiences a sense of estrangement from their assigned trainees.

Komiyama Komi feels the same way. Tamamo Cross considers herself to have spent two years with her trainer, but it seems difficult for her to truly call herself a "close friend" with her trainer.

Tamamo Cross knew nothing about Komiyama Komi's past or her personal relationships, while Komiyama Komi also knew little about Tamamo Cross's hometown, only that her family was not wealthy.

Both seemed to respect each other, maintaining a certain distance between them.

They are both partners and mentor and student.

The friendship exists, but it is not a deep and intimate one.