The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

What the hell is that sound...?

Hungry from not having eaten enough the previous day, Ping Xin, currently operating at low power, hadn't reacted yet. His mind was still unclear, as he struggled with the monster known as the quilt within him. However, this quilt felt a little different...

Ping Xin lifted the quilt and saw——

"Yeah, it's Neloo... I must be opening it wrong!"

Close it, open it, and look again.

"...That must be because I haven't woken up yet. Good night——"

Pingxin gave up thinking.

"Well...what's going on...so early in the morning...ha~~it's so noisy...ah——" After hearing the quarreling of Le Yi's family downstairs, Meganilu finally woke up from her sleep.

Ping Xin, who was pretending to be asleep, felt Meganelle's death gaze, but the strange thing was that she didn't make any subsequent movements while lying on him. She didn't punch him and yell at him for being a pervert like in the anime, or lie down and continue sleeping in a half-asleep state.

Pingxin could feel that Nilu's gaze was still focused on his face. She kept one hand on his chest, and then her other hand moved all the way down - hiss~!

"...Nilu, when did you come?"

Ping Xin pretended to have just woken up, rubbed his eyes and yawned, then stood up calmly, picked up Nilu, who was on the verge of being beaten, and put her on her own bedding beside him.

"Hey, Pingxin! You got up a little late. Did I wake you up? But why was there something inside you when you were sleeping? It just hit me..."

“It’s a cell phone (instant answer)!”

As he said that, Ping Xin fumbled out his cell phone from his bed, which was not there three seconds ago. Only at this moment did Ping Xin feel that it was great that the stand he got was "World", although it felt... not as useful as Ripple.

Praise the ripples, the wave gate!

"Okay, wake up and let's go have some fun! What's the plan for today?"

"I'm planning on visiting the ranch today. Interested in riding horses?"

"Horseback riding? Let's see who's faster then! I'll go ahead~"

Having won the Wake-Up Cup, Nilu wanted to be one step ahead of Pingxin, so she waved by the door and walked downstairs in her pajamas. Sure enough, she was still as competitive as ever.

"...But this is a good thing. Looking so dejected doesn't suit her at all." Now that Nilu had left the room, Pingxin could finally move his body out of the quilt. He smiled.

Swah——

"By the way...I'm not a child anymore~"

Unexpectedly, Meganil suddenly opened the door and came back, saying something that made Pingxin confused. Then she immediately disappeared with the sound of "pia~pia~pia~" running on the wooden floor.

Ping Xin couldn't fully understand what this sentence meant for the time being, but he knew that even if he imitated the Triceratops and "leaned forward slightly", it would be useless because he could no longer cover up this huge Tower of Babel!

Maybe Ping Xin can do a lot of things, many, many things, but now he just wants to see if there is a time machine in the drawer!

Because Pingxin pondered for a long time before going downstairs and even considered jumping out the window to escape, the actual departure time today was a little later than planned. After bidding farewell to the Leyi family, whose expressions varied but all contained some deep meaning, Pingxin and Nilu took a taxi to their destination for today.

"Welcome to Tomakomai Ranch, Mr. Asuka. I didn't expect you to be so young. You're truly promising!"

"No, no, I don't deserve that. Trainer Katsuichi Nishiura, you're a well-known figure in the industry. I think you're more capable than someone like me who relies on connections to accomplish small things. Just call me by my name, Hei Xin."

*The author couldn’t find the name of the ranch, so he made up the name Tomakomai Ranch… Anyone with more knowledge is welcome to add to it!

After arriving at the ranch with Meganelu in the car, Pingxin greeted a plainly dressed man. The man, known as Xipu Trainer, was very respectful. While seniority was highly valued in the East Country, as long as you possess sufficient skill, even elders and those in high positions will use honorific language.

"Mr. Yabe has important matters to attend to and is unable to come today, so he asked me to convey his apologies. So, let me show you around today, Mr. Hirashin. Please feel free to ask for anything I can do."

"Well, thank you very much, Nishiura-san. Let's go, Nel."

"Hey, this is a pretty nice place. So who are you targeting today?"

"Beigang Volcano, to sum it up in one sentence, is a very powerful mud racehorse."

*Strictly speaking, the owner's original intention should be translated as "北工樽前", but everyone calls it that way and it's easy to say, so this article uses the translation "北港火山"

As Nero emerged from behind Hirayobu while talking, Mr. Nishiura finally caught sight of the petite girl. If she were Hirayobu's sister, they wouldn't look alike, but there was absolutely no resemblance at all. But if she were Hirayobu's girlfriend, she might as well be...

Forget it, don't worry too much about the affairs of rich people. He was just called in to cover for the shift today, why should he worry so much!

Ping Xin, who was led by Xi Pu, didn't know that his reputation had been damaged again. At this moment, he was looking around with Nilu. Although he had been to the Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu City, the prototype of Tresen Academy, this was his first time to actually come to a ranch where horses were grazing.

When I arrived at the pasture outside, someone was already waiting with a horse. Its dark wine-red fur was shiny and glossy, and its four thighs were powerful. Such thick legs supported such amazing strength. I knew at a glance that it was a strong racehorse. Bliss?

Beigang Huoshan, held captive by a leash, stood obediently, a striking white diamond-shaped flying star adorning the center of its head. Pingxin noticed that while its body was shiny black, a small area above its hoof was white. This was true for three of its four legs, with only its right front leg being the same color as its body.

I see. No wonder when I played that prison simulator game in my previous life, Ma Musume had a black glove on her right hand and a white glove on her left. She's truly that crazy researcher...

However, the game is still in jail, but Ping Xin is also determined to be more careful when remaking it here and not inherit other people's ideas, and the second generation will be worse than the first. In that case, he can only come up with something like the Will of Fire to keep up appearances.

Seeing Nilu approaching the Maerbeigang Volcano impatiently, Pingxin hurriedly grabbed her and said -

"When approaching a horse, approach it slowly from the side and front. Never approach it from behind. Because horses, in the wild, are very sensitive to threats from behind due to their body structure, and they will kick you hard at the slightest sign of trouble."

"Haha, Mr. Pingxin is right. Horses are very timid and sensitive animals. It's best to make some noise when approaching a horse. You can call its name or talk to it to get its attention.

"Beigang Huoshan is a very steady horse. He didn't move even when being touched by a child while grazing. "This lady can extend her hand over to him and let him lick and smell you. Once he gets familiar with your appearance, clothing, movements, and smell, you can slowly build trust, making training much more efficient."

"Mr. Nishiura is indeed a professional. Nilu, did you hear that? Beigang Volcano will not bully children, okay?" Pingxin winked at Nilu.

"I'm so annoyed, why do you care? Besides, I'm already 17 this year, even though I haven't had my birthday yet (whispering)..."

Perhaps to avoid disturbing the horse before her, Meganelu gave Hironobu a light blow before letting him go. Using the technique she'd learned from Hironobu at Lake Utunay, Meganelu harnessed the power of the ripples to transmit her emotions to the Hokuko Volcano.

Sensing Nilu's kindness, the horse lowered its head for her touch. Under the guidance of her trainer, Nilu excitedly touched the area above the nose of the Beigang Volcano. Horse racing has a profound influence in the East Country. Meganilu often heard her father excitedly talk about horse racing, while her mother often complained about her father's loud shouting while watching TV or listening to the radio.

Meganelle's knowledge of horse racing was limited to her father's childhood education. She only knew that his favorite horse, Chestnut, and the legendary horse emperor, Rudolph, symbolized these extremely popular racehorses. She never thought that she would one day be able to touch a horse, and a racing horse in action. If her father knew, he would definitely be envious...

Horses are very human-like creatures. Beigang Huoshan twisted his head and licked Nilu's palm, then her face. His thick tongue, tinged with the horse's warm breath, stifled her tears. It's easy to break someone down, but sometimes all it takes is a tiny bit of warmth to cheer them up again.

The trainer had originally wanted to explain how to quickly improve a horse's favor, but after seeing this, how could he interrupt? So the two grown men stood by and watched over Meganelle until she had calmed down.

"Mr. Nishiura, could you please... tell me about this child?"

"Of course, it's my honor!" After learning about Nilu's age, the trainer was obviously relieved and became more relaxed than before.

"I wonder how much this young lady knows about horse racing in the East Country?"

"I don't know much about horse racing, but... I've heard a little bit from my father before, so I know a few famous races, the classic Triple Crown, the Emperor's Prize, and so on."

"I see... Let's talk about the past two years. On December 2014th, 12, Kitako Volcano won his second consecutive championship at the Tokyo Grand Prix. Thanks to this performance, Kitako Volcano won the Special Award for the Dirt Track category at the end of the year, was named the JRA Award for Best Dirt Track Horse, and was named Tomakomai City's Tourism Ambassador at the beginning of last year (29)."

"I see. Does that mean this kid is really good at mud racing? Tourist ambassador... no wonder you're here."

“In fact, this is related to the origin of its name [Beigang Volcano (Beigong Tarume)]—

"Hokko is the name of the horse's owner, Yabe Koichi/Yabe Michiaki/Kitakyu Shoji Co., Ltd. (Note), taken from the characters "北" (north) and "工" (industry) in the name, Hokkaido Kenko Co., Ltd., where Yabe Koichi served as president. Meanwhile, Tarumae is a reference to Mount Tarumae, a scenic spot in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, where the owner is from. "Hiroshi added,"

"Mr. Hirayuko knows a lot. Could it be that he's also into horse racing?"

"No, no, since you've decided to pursue this kind of work, you have to prepare seriously. My knowledge is far inferior to that of the Xipu trainers. It's like showing off my skills in front of Guan Gong."

The two of them praised each other's business, and although it seemed a bit awkward, friendship is built up little by little. If it were a woman, Ping Xin would probably have become withdrawn on the spot...

“今年（2016）的1月27日，北港火山以第一人气在川崎纪念取胜。此战过后，北港火山成为日本赛马史上第一匹获得10个GⅠ/JPNⅠ冠军的赛马，同时也成为继30年前的カウンテスアップ后第二匹达成川崎纪念三连霸的赛马，更是日本史上首匹累计赏金超过10亿日元的泥地马（比北港火山还要多出1个一级赛冠军的小林历奇也仅累积有9亿多日元赏金）。

On March 3th, Beigang Huoshan competed in the Dubai World Cup for the third consecutive year, but unfortunately, his performance was not satisfactory. Currently, his owner, Mr. Yabe, is considering retiring him at the suggestion of his stablemate. In addition to his stud career, Beigang Huoshan may become a promotional ambassador for Tomakomai.

In Hirashin's original world, Kitako Volcano was scheduled to retire after the Tokyo Grand Prix on December 12th, with his retirement ceremony scheduled for the Oi Racecourse. However, after training on November 29th, Kitako Volcano was found to be lame in his left forelimb, forcing him to retire early. Since he ultimately did not compete in the Tokyo Grand Prix, Kitako Volcano's planned retirement ceremony was also canceled.

But since we have come here, we have to do something. Moreover, Ping Xin is now planning to try to grasp [Destiny] with his own strength. However, don't go too far. Just inject a little ripple so that it can finish the Tokyo Grand Prix in the best condition and retire well. It would be too lonely if there is no retirement ceremony.

Furthermore, once Hirayuko's improved Uma Musume is released, Hokko Volcano will undoubtedly attract a surge in popularity, which will in turn boost Tomakomai's tourism industry. Sales of local specialties like Hokki clams and blue indigo fruit products will likely increase two or threefold. Some souvenirs could even see sales increase tenfold or even ninefold.

By then, the rat will be able to catch a lot more rice. Even for this, we have to work harder for it!

As if sensing the grinning face of the conspirator who represented the monster of capital, Beigang Huoshan raised his hind legs and kicked Pingxin, who was not sure if he was trying to flatter him (physics). Under Mr. Nishiura's surprised and worried eyes, Pingxin rolled on the ground twice and then stood up as if nothing had happened.

How could a mere horse compare to his well-trained body?

Ping Xin clearly understood that relying too much on external objects like the Stand would most likely lead to failure in an unexpected place and turning into dust like DIO. Therefore, he focused on developing the potential of Ripple from the beginning. Sooner or later, he would be able to fight Star Platinum with his own body!

*Are the skill points a bit off...?

Chapter 24: The Sweet Tomakomai Travelogue Part 7

"Don't be fooled by Beigang Huoshan's relaxed appearance in the stables. He also appears relaxed during the pre-race demonstrations, and even relaxes quickly after warm-ups. But he actually gets into shape as soon as a rider gets on board. He's completely different in private than during competition, so be sure to sit tight once you're atop!"

The Xipu trainer said to Meganilu seriously that after all, no matter which of these two people got into trouble, he would definitely be in trouble. If anyone was to blame, it should be him who got drunk after receiving the good wine that day.

But how can the imagination of ordinary people reach the well-trained body?

Meganelle can easily reach a spiritual consensus with the horse through the power of ripples. With a little training, she might even become one of the best riders. After all, she is lighter than the average male rider, which strictly speaking gives her an advantage when running.

As for falling off the horse? That's out of the question! If Nilu fell off the horse today, I'd eat this right there and then... ahem, Pingxin thinks it's better to be safe. Flag is bad civilization!

*Just a ripple guy.

"By the way, can I take a picture, Nishiura-san?"

"Of course you can, just don't scare the horses with the flash. There's a rumor, too, that Beigang Huoshan seems to know that if he wins a race, people will come to take his picture, so he looks forward to every race. Maybe he just likes having his picture taken."

Trainer Nishiura was leading the horse, while Meganelu sat on Beigang Huoshan's back, looking around with apparent delight. Previously, due to her size, she couldn't properly use the harness, so Mr. Nishiura had been reluctant to let her ride, fearing an accident. After all, she wasn't as tough as Heishin, and a fall from her smaller 146cm frame would definitely be a serious problem!

Polite letter: You?

After some negotiation, the trainer at Xipu agreed to let Nilu sit on it for a few photos. After all, you couldn't let them come here and do nothing, right? Nilu made a V-sign on the back of the Beigang Volcano and smiled. As if not satisfied yet, she even stood up and struck various poses.

Because Nilu was so light, she didn't put much pressure on the Beigang Volcano beneath her. But she seemed a bit high-spirited today, perhaps because the two days of travel had really relaxed her. However, the Xipu trainer's blood pressure did rise significantly.

Hirayukoshi, who was standing nearby, suggested taking Nero for a walk on the horse, but Nishiura hesitated and didn't agree. However, when Hirayukoshi suggested riding the horse himself, Nishiura immediately agreed to the walk, but only asked to accompany him the whole time. It turns out that people always compromise (laughs).

*The scumbag who tortures the workers (sure)

While taking Nilu for a walk with Beigang Huoshan, Pingxin chatted a lot with trainer Xiura, and learned a lot of little-known facts about horse racing in the East Country and even the secrets circulating within the horse racing world. These would be very helpful for his future horse racing girl project, so he decided to give him a return gift afterwards.

The two chatted about the decommissioning of the Beigang volcano and the future of Tomakomai, a city of 20 people for which it serves as a tourism ambassador.

A population of 100,000 or 200,000 isn't a small place in the "Eastern Kingdom." Even though it's smaller than a county town, it's the inevitable result of the Eastern Kingdom's urbanization reaching a certain stage. Even young people in the Yan Kingdom tend to move to cities; it's the same in any world.

"Tomakomai is a pretty good city. Although it's in Hokkaido, it has less snowfall due to its proximity to the sea. Although it's very cool in the summer, as an industrial city, there aren't many places to visit..." Mr. Nishiura hesitated to speak. Although he didn't finish his words, his pessimism was evident.

"Public transportation is also underdeveloped. Generally speaking, like other industrial cities in the East, it's not a city suitable for tourism or living (retirement). In short, it's just an ordinary industrial city and port city in the East.

Just like everyone imagines, the buildings are all square and white. Even the striking red, black, and yellow combination of Don Quixote has been reduced to white in Tomakomai. Simply put, it's just unremarkable!

"What's Tomakomai relying on for publicity? Are things like hokki clams and blue indigo berries available elsewhere? Coming all this way here just to eat them seems a bit empty. So, is it Hokkaido's biggest red-light district? It can't be relying on its official mascot, the one that's so ordinary it doesn't have any special features, right?" Hirayuko added, his words rather pointedly.

*After all, Tomakomai is the northern port of the virtual East Country, and it is a world-class port. After drifting on the sea for half a day, there are only a few things that the crew can do after getting off the ship (

"Sodayo."

While it might be a bit harsh to say such things, Ping Xin was the big boss who was here to have fun, so it was his responsibility to make him happy. Furthermore, there was nothing wrong with what Ping Xin said; it could be said to be a very fair assessment.

"But it will definitely get better, whether it's the rusty guardrails and aging buildings on the empty streets in the city center, or the city itself that is gradually aging due to the large-scale exodus of young people, it will definitely get better.

I will make it better, starting with finding it a 'new' ambassador."

Ping Xin's voice was neither loud nor soft, and even his tone lacked any ups and downs. Yet, even such simple, direct, and unfounded words could still make people feel the will within, and could convince them!

It wasn't just the fact that Uma Musume from the previous game company cy had consistently boosted the local economy that gave him confidence, but Ping Xin wanted to do it, to make everything within his reach better!

He is changing, he is starting to become proactive, he wants to take the initiative to fight for his own happiness and take that pure [destiny] into his own hands, and at the same time he wants to bring more good changes to more people and even the world!

I know you're anxious, but wait! Getting anything done in Yan Country is incredibly difficult. Firstly, even if it's just a simple letter, without his father's connections, he'd have to bow and toast to everyone. Secondly, you have to test things out before you do anything. Thirdly, you never know when you might hit a sensitive spot, so even if you do, it's usually brushed aside.

After riding with Nel for about an hour, it was almost noon on June 6th. After saying goodbye to trainer Nishiura, Pingxin prepared to take her away. As mentioned before, public transportation in Tomakomai is not well developed, so the two of them rode the bicycles they had prepared in advance and set off.

Chapter 25 Where’s My Melon?!

As the second largest island in the East, Hokkaido boasts a wealth of natural landscapes including mountains, rivers, lakes, flower fields, forests, volcanic hot springs, and more. The colorful scenery makes Hokkaido a destination for domestic and foreign tourists. The best time to visit is summer and winter, which are the two most distinctive seasons in Hokkaido.

At this moment, Hirashin and Miganello were riding their bikes along the road, enjoying the natural beauty. Hokkaido's summer (June to August) is when lavender blooms. Lavender blankets the mountains and earth, its dreamy purple dominating the landscape.

After racing their "violent bikes" back to the city, they found a restaurant with good online reviews and had a hearty meal. Afterward, they grabbed their luggage, which they had left with the Le family, and said goodbye to the welcoming family. After receiving the final message from Uncle Le, their victory was complete.

After buying a lot of necessities in the city, the two set out on their journey again. At this moment, Pingxin and Nilu were carrying large and small bags and riding while pulling suitcases.

The two of them, galloping across this beautiful land, relied on the uniquely long range of the ripple to overtake countless leisurely self-driving cars, making the middle-aged men with families and heavy loads envious. Who hasn't dreamed of unleashing the exhilarating and liberating feeling of speed? But now they were burdened with more important things.

The traffic on the road gradually thinned, indicating that Pingxin and Nilu were gradually approaching their destination, the only place they had to go. As the two of them rode closer to the end, Migan Nilu could feel the weight of her blood more and more. Now she was like an asteroid caught by the "gravity" of a star, about to meet her own destiny without knowing it.

Beside a small stream, Pingxin and Nilu were soaking their bare feet in the water while resting and eating the food they brought with them. They looked like they were out for an outing, although in reality, their luggage consisted of nothing more than a change of clothes and some daily necessities, and nothing more than a bunch of food.

"Here, a garbage bag."

"Ah... um..."