At Tracen, Doing Time Is My Specialty

Air Groove stared in astonishment at Zhou Yuang, who had been injured helping her. Even if she borrowed someone else's brain, she still couldn't have figured out why he would say that.

"What are you talking about?"

"I should be asking you that!"

I'd also like to ask what you were thinking.

Seeing Air Groove's dumbfounded expression, Zhou Yuang wanted to spread his hands, but the pain of a broken bone shot through his arm.

The Three Goddesses had certainly made a good game. A fully immersive suffering experience.

That meant the Uma Musume would suffer when he did, too.

"So you're saying I should've just stood there and watched? Watched you push that Uma Musume away and get crushed?"

No decent trainer could have done that.

"What else? You're a trainer. Look what happened to you when you tried!"

Looking at Zhou Yuang's condition, Air Groove couldn't possibly claim she didn't care.

Yes, she was the sort of Uma Musume who seemed cold, but that didn't mean she had no heart.

She cared when the people around her got hurt.

"But it's better for me to get hurt than you."

Zhou Yuang looked at Air Groove.

"Why would you say that? I already told you, as an Uma Musume, I was the best person to handle it."

Why do you have to be so stubborn?

Air Groove pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation, wanting to lecture Zhou Yuang.

But she seemed unaware that she was just as stubborn herself.

"All right, I get it. Talking to you like this won't work. Let's try a different approach. Air Groove, why did you push that Uma Musume away?"

Zhou Yuang changed tack, certain this approach would help them understand each other.

"To keep her from getting hurt, of course."