The campus scenery was identical to the Glitch World—peaceful, vibrant, and perfectly rendered. Even without Logan, the Horse Girls followed their scripted routines flawlessly.
But Logan didn't want to be a passive camera. He wanted to be a player.
In the previous world, he had tried everything to break their scripts. He had run around naked. He had tackled students in the hallway and... forcefully interacted with them.
The result? They would stand up, dust themselves off, and continue walking as if nothing happened. Maybe stumble a little.
The more spirited ones might lock him in a leg hold, refusing to let him leave.
Afterward, their Affection would tick up by 5 to 7 points.
Through rigorous "testing," Logan had reverse-engineered the Affection algorithm:
Greeting: +1 point (every 5 days)
Headpat: +1 point (every 3 times)
Helping a struggling girl: +2 points
There was a daily cap. Grinding was slow.
Frustrated by the slow pace, Logan had discovered a... brute force method.
Stimulating sensitive zones to induce arousal: High yield. The higher the arousal, the higher the points.
In the Glitch World, high Affection meant nothing. No new dialogue trees unlocked. No behavioral changes.
But here, the difference was stark.
0 Affection: A polite nod or total indifference.
10 Affection: A verbal greeting.
20 Affection: Active approach.
And 100 Affection?
Tokai Teio hadn't let go of his hand since they left the office. She puffed out her cheeks, glaring like a possessive puppy at any other girl who dared to drift too close.
"Trainer Logan, heading out?"
At the main plaza, Logan encountered the green-clad guardian of Tracen Academy—Tazuna Hayakawa.
In the lore, fans debated whether she was a retired Horse Girl. In the Glitch World, Logan had confirmed it. She was.
Her modest green secretary uniform did a heroic job of hiding a body that was far more explosive than it appeared. Logan had measured it personally.
She approached them, her black stockings outlining perfectly sculpted legs that shimmered under the sun. She looked twenty-something, the same age as him, but her skin had the texture of a teenager's—supple and flawless.
"Going to buy horseshoes for Teio," Logan replied, scanning her face for any cracks in the mask.
"Have a safe trip, Trainer Logan. Call me if you need anything."
Her expression was unchanged. Professional. Polite.
Strange. She's at Max Affection too. Why is she different from Teio?
"Let's go, Trainer!" Teio tugged at his arm.
Despite her petite frame—small enough that Logan could easily pick her up—she possessed the torque of a race car. He had no choice but to follow.
In the other world, he dragged her. Here, she dragged him.
The wheel of karma turns.
As Logan was pulled away, Tazuna Hayakawa watched his retreating back. She clutched a hand to her chest. A flush crept up her neck, staining her cheeks red. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and her small, pink tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.
Beyond the Wall
Stepping out of the school gate, Logan gasped like a country bumpkin seeing the big city for the first time. For three months, he had been trapped behind an invisible wall at this exact spot.
He had tried everything to glitch through it. Rubbing against the collision box. Strafing sideways. Crawling. Using objects to clip through the geometry. He had tried every speedrunning trick in the book.
Nothing worked.
But now... he was outside. The background texture was a real city.
He felt high. He rubbed his temples, dizzy with freedom.
"Trainer?" Teio watched him, concerned.
Usually, her Trainer would freeze at the gate, terrified to step out. Now he looked like he was about to cry tears of joy.
He really is like a kid, Teio thought, giggling. Scared to go out, but super excited once he does. So cute.
A sudden urge washed over her. She wanted to hug him. Rub against him. Lick him. Suck on him.
Since this morning, Teio had been fighting these intrusive thoughts. Her Trainer looked... delicious. Like a dessert she wanted to devour.
"Teio, where are we going?"
It was his first time on this map. He decided to let the NPC guide him.
This is an Open World. No invisible walls. No 'This area is not yet available' messages.
"To the sports shop, obviously," Teio said, squeezing his hand. "But first—that!" She pointed to a yellow food truck in the park.
The sign read: Honey Drink.
It was in Japanese, but Logan's brain auto-translated it instantly.
Universal Translation active. If he ever quit being a Trainer, he could make a killing as an interpreter.
Wait. Do I have money? Or do I have to pull a Grand Theft Auto?
He patted his pockets and pulled out a wallet. Inside were several crisp 10,000 yen notes.
I'm rich!
In the Game World, the Chairwoman said he was paid monthly, but he never found the cash. He assumed the system deleted it because there were no shops. So, every payday, he would "collect" his payment from Yayoi Akikawa's body instead.
Turns out, the money was depositing here. A cross-dimensional direct deposit.
My bad, Chairwoman. Next time, you can use me.
"Here." He handed a bill to Teio.
"Trainer, that's way too much."
"Keep the change. Buy whatever."
In the other world, money was useless paper. Here, he was flush with cash and free from the grind. He had speedrun the poverty arc.
"You need to carry small change, silly! My treat this time." Teio ordered a Super Size cup.
"We're sharing?"
"Yeah! Super Size is the best value." She took a sip, then eagerly offered the straw to Logan, watching him with anticipation.
Logan wasn't a shy teenager anymore. Teio might not remember, but they had shared fluids plenty of times. In the Glitch World, the "Teio Unit" would instinctively swallow whatever he fed her.
He took the straw.
"How is it? Amazing, right?"
"Mmh."
Tracen vending machines only had generic sodas. This was his first taste of the famous Honey Drink. It was thick, viscous, and incredibly sweet.
Teio really loves thick, sticky fluids, he noted.
They finished the drink and headed for the sports shop.