Half of a Umamusume

As he spoke, the tea host drew aside the curtain and walked into the innermost room, leaving Fujiwara Shirayuki sitting on the sofa in a daze.

Am I... traveling through time?

Isn't this the laboratory of Airi Tako? Why has it suddenly changed?

As if isolated from reality, the classroom that was originally filled with experimental equipment suddenly opened up into another world.

Fujiwara Shirayuki's eyes fell on the music box on the table.

Was this thing there just now?

Fujiwara Shirayuki raised an eyebrow.

The half-open music box seemed to have magic, attracting her, just when Fujiwara Shirayuki was about to reach out and touch it.

Snapped!

Her wrist was held by someone and a dark figure stood beside her.

"Teahouse Senior, you're back."

"Don't touch it," she said, "otherwise, something bad will happen."

"Bad things?"

Before Bai Xue could continue to ask questions, Tea House turned around and left the room.

"Senior, where are you going?"

"Awaited."

A soft voice came from the inner room, and a dark figure holding coffee reappeared.

"I made some milder coffee... I hope you like it."

Looking at the teahouse person walking out of the house and then looking at the door that had just closed, Fujiwara Shirayuki's eyes widened.

Chapter 92: Becoming Someone Different Than Yourself

"Senior Tea House...I seemed to see you leaving from the main gate just now?"

"Huh?" The tea host tilted his head, "No, I just finished making coffee."

As she said this, she put the coffee on the table and accidentally saw the half-open music box.

"This thing... I clearly packed it up, how come it came out again?"

What do you mean it ran out again? Will this thing run around everywhere again?

After closing the music box, the tea host took out a rope from the drawer and wrapped it around the music box.

After tying it up, she stuffed it into a wooden box.

"Sorry, this happens sometimes." Tea House sat down next to Bai Xue, "These things will run away if you're not careful. You didn't run into any of them, did you?"

"No."

"That's good."

The teahouse breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior Teahouse..." Fujiwara Shirayuki was sweating, "Could that thing be some evil thing?"

"No, it's just a running music box, but sometimes, it attracts annoying things."

Hearing the other party's mysterious words, Fujiwara Shirayuki shuddered, and she hurriedly drank some coffee to calm herself down.

The mellow flavor filled her mouth, but she was in no mood to taste it.

There are so many questions that I don’t know where to start.

"Chazuo-senpai, I'm here to look for Suzuko-senpai. I remember she was in this room...right?"

"As for Speedy, it's on the opposite side." Teahouse pointed to the wall that looked like a galaxy. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was actually a curtain that divided the room into two parts.

"Shirayuki, you were not forced by her to look for Souko, were you? This is not the first time she has done this. She has tricked many students into her room... to do experiments. If you were forced or threatened by her, you can tell me and I can help you."

"No, she's not threatening...well, she's still a little threatening."

"Speed..."

The tea host stood up angrily, looking like he was going to argue with the other party.

"Wait a moment, Senior!"

Seeing that the other party was about to rush over aggressively, Fujiwara Shirayuki hurriedly stopped her.

"I did threaten you, but it's all resolved. Elly Soko won't force me to do anything like that anymore."

"That kind of thing?"

"Something... hard to talk about."

The tea table sat down again.

"Shirayuki-san," she said, "Don't give in to Airi Souko's demands. If you always give in to her ideas, she will only push them further. Besides, Airi Souko is annoying, but she won't really carry out her threats. At most, she'll just talk about it. If she does something next time, just ignore her."

This is the conclusion that Chazuo and his classmates have reached over the years.

"Yes." Fujiwara Shirayuki nodded in agreement. After finishing her coffee, she stood up and said, "I'll be leaving first, Senior. Great coffee."

"Welcome...come again next time."

Fujiwara Shirayuki pulled aside the curtain and walked through, and a reagent sparkling with colorful liquid appeared before her eyes.

Who would have thought that these two rooms were actually connected.

On the left is science, on the right is mysticism. It’s a good thing these two didn’t fight.

A girl in a white lab coat stood in front of the lab table. When she saw Fujiwara Shirayuki coming over, she looked a little surprised.

"Trainer? How did you get out of there?"

"You knocked on the wrong door."

The thick cloth curtains had a good soundproofing effect, and Airi Suzuko could not hear any sound coming from the other side.

Fujiwara Shirayuki took out her glasses.

"Tachyon, this thing is out of power."

She raised an eyebrow.

"As expected, the capacity is not enough... Got it, I'll take a look later." Alice took the glasses and looked at Bai Xue back and forth a few times, "By the way, trainer, did you encounter anything strange in the tea room?"

This question sent a chill down Fujiwara Shirayuki's spine.

"Yes, yes." She whispered.

"I saw the tea-chair walk out of the room and then come out again."

"Is that so..." Elissako looked as if she had expected it. "It's best not to enter the tea room casually, otherwise strange things will happen."

"Why do you say that too? Don't you believe in science?"

"Yes, so I was researching the strange physique of the tea seat. Last time, I accidentally touched the vase in her room, and my precious research materials were burned. More than three months of hard work were burned to ashes. I cried for a long time."

The corner of Fujiwara Shirayuki's eye twitched.

Who on earth is the teahouse that can make Elissako cry?

"A lot of inexplicable things will happen when you're around Tea House. If you don't want to be affected, it's best not to irritate her. Otherwise, an angry Tea House can be very scary."

As she said this, Airi Suzuko shuddered.

"I feel like you're the only one who could make her angry..."

The other party was noncommittal.

"By the way, trainer, I have something for you."

As if remembering something, Airi Hayako took out a black box from the drawer. After opening it, a silver ring was found inside. The familiar shape instantly brought back memories for Fujiwara Shirayuki. She asked in an uncertain tone, "Wedding ring?"

"Hmm...? You can understand it that way if you want."

"For me?"

"of course."

"No, no, no, I've only been your trainer for less than a week. Isn't it weird for you to propose to me so abruptly?"

"Does the trainer want to develop a relationship first?"

"Isn't this the premise for a marriage proposal?"

Alisuko smiled and said, "Just kidding, this is not a wedding ring, it's my experimental sample."

"sample?"

"That's right." Alishoko asked Bai Xue to stretch out her hand, and then put the ring on her finger, "This thing can help you confirm your identity."

It was as if a switch was turned on, and a warm feeling came from the ring.

"Trainer, if you still use the old method of identifying yourself, you will be exposed sooner or later. You cannot ensure that everyone who sees you calls you by your name. Especially when communicating, saying something that only one of you knows may cause you trouble. This ring can help you."

Elly Hayabusa held her hand.

"From now on, the one who has this feeling is Bai Xue, and the one who doesn't is Qian Ye. You are two completely different individuals. Of course, it is not enough to just tell them apart. You also need to develop different habits for the two bodies, otherwise people who are familiar with you will still notice something strange."

Fujiwara Shirayuki touched the ring: "What habit?"

"Your body is like the two hands of a human being. You use your right hand when writing and your left hand when cooking. After long-term training, your two hands will gain different adaptability. What you need to do now is to cultivate different feelings in your two bodies."

"I see. You want Shirayuki to be a completely different individual from 'me', is that so?"

"You understand it very quickly, trainer." Airi nods and says, "Although your minds are connected, your bodies are completely different. Over time, your mind will change according to your body's habits. Shirayuki will have Shirayuki's way of thinking, and Qianye will have Qianye's way of thinking."

In this way, no one except Alice could discover her abnormality.

"Is this part of your experiment?"

"No, it has nothing to do with my experiment." Airi Suko shook her head, "These are just ways to disguise you. If your identity is discovered by others... I will be embarrassed."

"Didn't you threaten me to be exposed?"

"Because that is the most efficient way." Elissa pinched her chin, "I know my methods may be too extreme, but I don't know how long it will take to cultivate a relationship with you from scratch and get you to come and sign a contract. After all, my reputation is not good, and the original experiment has made no progress. So, it is better to use my bad reputation to make you surrender faster."

Those dark red eyes seemed to have seen through everything.

"Think about it carefully, trainer. Without any evidence, no one will believe you even if you tell them your identity. Just like the tea host, she kept saying that she could see strange things, but how many people really believed it?"

Airihaku laughed happily a few times.

"Even if you don't say anything, I can't do anything to you. The most I can do is to stay in your room every night."

"So you came here with the intention of defrauding me from the very beginning."

"Yeah, I'm such a bad guy."

Airihakuko admitted her shortcomings without hesitation.

Such a frank attitude left Fujiwara Shirayuki speechless.

"In short, for you and for me, I hope the trainer can remember the touch of the hand. This ring will indirectly provide an electric current signal, so that your hand will always feel like wearing a ring, just like a sign, proving that you are Fujiwara Shirayuki. And today is the last time I call you trainer. From now on, I will call you Shirayuki-san. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Fujiwara Shirayuki was still touching the ring.

"Um... Tachyon, I can't seem to take this thing off?"

"Call me Senior Speedmaster. Yes, to prevent it from falling off, this thing will automatically adjust its size. Even though it's just a ring, the structure inside is quite sophisticated."

"It's so amazing, but... why can't I take it off?"

"Why should you take it off? It's waterproof and dustproof, it won't get in the way, and it can help you remember your identity. There's no reason to take it off."