Staring at Agnes Tachyon's intense gaze and feeling the lingering softness at the corner of his lips, Kitahara Sota remained silent for two seconds before responding.
Bonk—
With the clear sound of a forehead flick, Agnes Tachyon immediately squatted down, clutching her head with tears brimming in her eyes.
"That hurts! Couldn't you have gone a bit easier...?"
"So you can do it again next time?"
Kitahara shot her a sideways glance.
"And what's with this 'it's been so long'? Haven't we been seeing each other every day on the training grounds?"
"But I haven't come out in forever…"
She mumbled, looking genuinely wronged.
"You make it sound like you're not Agnes Tachyon."
Pausing, Kitahara's expression turned puzzled.
"Speaking of which, why are you suddenly acting like this again? Did you secretly drink some potion behind my back just now?"
"How could I? We've been chatting non-stop since entering the lab—how would I even get the chance to drink something secretly?"
"Then why have you turned back into this again..."
As he spoke, Kitahara suddenly realized something. His voice gradually trailed off, and his gaze slowly shifted down toward his palm, still shrouded in that purple-pink glow.
Wait. Could it be...?
"Yes," Tachyon confirmed gently, as if reading his thoughts. "Though there's no absolute proof yet, I suspect the 'energy' you described is what put me into this state."
Saying that, Agnes Tachyon leaned closer. Under Kitahara's confused gaze, she bent forward, slowly bringing her mouth toward his fingers.
"...What are you doing?"
"Checking," Agnes Tachyon replied, her tone entirely straightforward. "Didn't you say Oguri Cap swallowed your energy like this before? If we want to confirm things, isn't this the most efficient method?"
"...You sure this is purely for the sake of checking?"
"Nope," Agnes Tachyon raised her head, shooting him a playful smile. "I admit, I'm definitely using this chance to take advantage of you a bit. But that doesn't conflict with getting the job done, does it?"
With a provocative glance, Agnes Tachyon lifted Kitahara's hand and gently took one of his fingers into her mouth, earnestly beginning to lick and suck it.
To be honest, if he had a choice, Kitahara absolutely wouldn't let her continue this nonsense.
But the problem was exactly as Tachyon said: compared to other methods, experiencing it personally was indeed the most effective way to investigate.
Moreover, after briefly thinking it over, Kitahara concluded that while letting her lick his finger wasn't exactly proper, it was still somewhat within his acceptable range.
Thus, he didn't object further and allowed her to continue.
But reality quickly proved one thing: perhaps in other areas—especially serious ones—Kitahara's knowledge and abilities were exceptionally robust.
Yet, when it came to more…improper matters, he was still far too naive.
Though Oguri Cap had behaved similarly not long ago, at that time, she had entirely lost herself, purely eating by instinct.
And even though Oguri's "Humble Girl Power" had somewhat increased due to the Humble Girl Cup, she still needed remedial classes on certain indecent knowledge and techniques.
But Agnes Tachyon was an entirely different matter.
As a theoretical expert, even though she'd never actually practiced before, she knew quite a bit about those indecent things.
Currently, she wasn't just awake—she'd also entered an almost lust-driven "Love-Desire Tachyon" state due to that mysterious energy, significantly enhancing both her offensive and defensive abilities.
What was the consequence of this?
It meant that despite Tachyon and Oguri essentially doing the same thing—simply licking or sucking his finger—their performances were worlds apart.
Oguri's earlier actions had certainly been inappropriate—but only slightly so.
Compared to some strange kind of play, Oguri had felt more like a hungry predator devouring her meal.
Rather than erotic, Kitahara had genuinely worried he might literally get eaten in a physical sense.
But Agnes Tachyon was entirely different.
Far from devouring him, her licking and sucking was so gentle that his fingers tingled slightly from her delicate touch.
Though her movements were a little clumsy, the soft, meticulous sensation compensated for any lack of skill, even creating an unexpectedly comforting feeling.
Yet even that wasn't the most outrageous part.
The truly absurd part came after she'd been sucking for a while. Possibly finding her previous posture uncomfortable, Agnes Tachyon simply slid down from the sofa and knelt right on the floor before Kitahara.
Honestly…
Although Agnes Tachyon claimed it was purely for "checking," Kitahara increasingly felt something was seriously off.
Especially after she'd licked for a bit—who knew what Tachyon was thinking—she began to ask him how it felt, even asking whose licking felt better, hers or Oguri Cap's…
Seriously, it was just licking a finger—did this really have to turn into a competition? Was she three years old or something?
Kitahara found her behavior utterly incomprehensible. Instead of replying, he just gave her another forehead flick as his answer.
He had to admit, the forehead flick was incredibly effective against Agnes Tachyon.
After receiving it, she immediately became obedient, seriously focusing on licking his finger without making further unnecessary moves.
After a while, Kitahara felt they'd probably checked enough. He withdrew his finger from Agnes Tachyon's reluctant mouth.
"Well? Did you discover anything?" Kitahara asked.
"I did," Tachyon replied honestly.
Although she still eyed Kitahara's finger longingly, Agnes Tachyon clearly understood the priority of the situation. She didn't attempt to push further, instead immediately sharing her findings with Kitahara.
"It was just as you described. Though I'm unsure if it's exactly your so-called 'energy,' after 'eating' just now, I genuinely felt like I consumed something…"
"As for the taste specifically, I can't quite describe it clearly, but it's like a starving person tasting food after days of hunger, or like someone stranded in the desert finally getting a sip of water. It's genuinely amazing—no wonder Oguri Cap loved it so much…"
"The only problem is...the quantity is far too little. It's as if a hungry person had a large bowl of rice placed before them, but was only allowed a few grains each time. Or like a traveler discovering a tiny spring in the desert, only able to sip the water drop by drop using the tip of their tongue…"
As she said this, Agnes Tachyon licked her lips lightly, eyes staring at Kitahara openly, intentions completely unconcealed.
"No way," Kitahara decisively shook his head. "We haven't fully understood Oguri Cap's situation yet. Nobody knows what will happen if too much of this energy accumulates."
"Although she seems perfectly fine for now—even having improved somewhat—we still need more observation. Until it's proven safe, I won't allow you to take any unnecessary risks, even if it's for research."
"Fine, fine, I get it. You're just worried about me~"
Agnes Tachyon appeared deeply satisfied with his response, dropping the subject without further argument. Instead, she prepared to continue the investigation using other methods.
"In that case, since you don't want me repeating Oguri's experience, just focus on continuously gathering the energy in your hand, alright? I'll try observing it more carefully this way…this should be acceptable, right?"
"That's no problem," Kitahara answered immediately.
Hearing such a normal suggestion, and noting that Agnes Tachyon seemed unlikely to lose her reason due to the glowing energy like Oguri had, Kitahara relaxed slightly. He closed his eyes, stretched out his hand, and cooperatively began gathering the energy once more.
When Agnes Tachyon saw Kitahara close his eyes, leaving his defenseless face exposed, certain emotions surged strongly within her heart.
However, recalling her previous promise to him, she eventually restrained herself. Despite her reluctance, she refrained from sneakily attacking him again. Instead, she fetched several instruments and began conducting more detailed tests.
Given the unprecedented nature of the situation, Tachyon wasn't entirely sure how to properly investigate. She simply dragged out every single testing device she owned, determined to try everything available.
With so many tests to run, naturally, time wasn't short either.
After a full hour and a half, Agnes Tachyon had only managed to get through about a third of her testing equipment, and had yet to make any meaningful progress at all.
In order to cooperate with Tachyon's examination, Kitahara kept channeling that peculiar energy into his hand. With time, both the glow and its attraction steadily increased.
After about an hour, feeling that it was more than enough, Kitahara stopped increasing the output. But by now, after an entire hour's accumulation, the glow and allure had reached unprecedented heights.
Even Eclipse—who normally wasn't affected—grew curious enough to come over and give it a few tentative licks, though the result was still no reaction.
If nothing unexpected happened, this examination might have continued straight into the night, ending only with Tachyon's minor whims and another forehead flick from Kitahara.
But just as both Kitahara and Tachyon thought things would go on like this—
Because they were deeply focused on their research, combined with the ambient hum of the examination machines, neither of them heard the sound of tiny footsteps approaching, not until the door swung open.
"Tachyon-senpai, good afternoon—"
With the door opening, Daiwa Scarlet's bright, energetic voice rang clearly into the room.
At that very instant, the expressions of both people in the lab drastically changed.
Normally, Daiwa Scarlet showing up wouldn't be any problem. Even if Kitahara was also present, it would just be two people entertaining a child—which, frankly, would be easier.
The problem now, though, was that the glow from Kitahara's hand had expanded tremendously.
Agnes Tachyon herself already held certain improper feelings toward Kitahara, and she seemed to handle the energy's effects rather easily. So for her, it wasn't too problematic.
But Daiwa Scarlet was different.
Even though she'd undergone about a month of rapid growth, clearly trending toward becoming a genuinely grown-up Scarlet, right now she was still just a kid needing care and protection—in both Kitahara's and Tachyon's eyes. There was absolutely no way they'd allow her to see this unusual glow.
So, the instant Kitahara realized this, his first instinct was to immediately hide his hand behind his back.
Simply putting it into his pocket was no longer feasible. The glow had intensified to such an extreme extent that Kitahara feared even a thin pocket wouldn't be enough to hide it. Therefore, he urgently chose to keep his hand behind him.
Meanwhile, Tachyon had reached the same conclusion.
But Tachyon—always a theoretical genius but notoriously clumsy in practice—completely panicked in the moment. Despite mentally forming the correct idea, she was so flustered that she lost control of even the most basic movements.
Moreover, while Tachyon's "Love-Desire Tachyon" state granted her an advantage in improper matters, her practical abilities in everyday situations dropped significantly, even below her usual clumsiness.
In this situation, although Tachyon genuinely wanted to find something to shield Kitahara's glowing hand, her panicked fumbling caused a slip-up, throwing her body off-balance. And then—
Thump—
She suddenly felt herself sitting down onto something, causing her mind to blank for a moment.
And it wasn't just Tachyon—after being abruptly sat upon, Kitahara himself froze briefly, reflexively starting to pull his hand away.
But halfway through, seeing Daiwa Scarlet already glancing over, Kitahara immediately halted his movements. Tachyon also quickly reacted, reaching down and tightly gripping his hand, terrified he'd accidentally expose Scarlet to the energy.
"Hmm? Trainer Kitahara is here too?"
Thanks to the oversized lab coat blocking her view, Scarlet didn't notice the hidden movements beneath. Spotting Kitahara, she showed a delighted expression.
"Good afternoon, Scarlet."
"...Good afternoon, Daiwa-san."
Considering the child's mental well-being, Kitahara and Tachyon both simultaneously stopped their actions, pretending everything was normal as they dealt with Daiwa Scarlet.
"What brings you here today, Scarlet?" Tachyon asked warmly.
"Ah, it's nothing much..." Scarlet played with her hair, murmuring shyly as she approached. "It's just that idiot Vodka messed up again, so I wanted to hide out here for a bit, Tachyon-senpai..."
Saying that, Scarlet naturally climbed into Agnes Tachyon's lap.
Normally, Tachyon would've been delighted to accept Scarlet's affectionate closeness. But given Tachyon's current abnormal state, the instant Scarlet sat down, far from delight, Tachyon's mind went completely blank again.
And right afterward, due to previous rescue incidents and through Tachyon's connections, Scarlet had also grown familiar with Kitahara.
After settling into Tachyon's embrace and briefly acting spoiled, Scarlet—perhaps feeling not quite satisfied—turned toward Kitahara.
Continuing to comfortably sway in Tachyon's lap, Scarlet started ranting to Kitahara about Vodka's latest mistakes, her tone filled with deep frustration at Vodka's apparent lack of improvement.
Faced with Scarlet's complaints, although Kitahara genuinely wanted to listen closely and give her mature advice or comfort, the sensations from his hidden hand and the expression gradually changing on Tachyon's face—unseen by Scarlet—made it utterly impossible for him to concentrate.
While forcing himself to maintain a composed facade, Kitahara struggled internally, trying to come up with a way to quickly defuse the current situation.
"Scarlet, actually, Tachyon and I are currently conducting a very important experiment. Could you perhaps come back a bit later? It won't take long—just about ten minutes or so..."
"Ah! Did I interrupt you?" Scarlet asked, startled, immediately apologizing and beginning to rise from Tachyon's lap.
But just as Scarlet stood, preparing to leave—
A pair of arms suddenly reached out from behind, gently yet firmly pulling her back into Tachyon's embrace.
"It's okay, Scarlet," Tachyon whispered softly into Scarlet's ear, voice gentler than ever before. "The experiment isn't urgent at all. Besides, you haven't come to visit me in so long—I missed you a lot. Why not stay here a little longer…?"
"...Is it really okay?" Scarlet asked meekly.
"It really is," Tachyon answered gently, stroking Scarlet's hair affectionately.
Then Tachyon turned her gaze meaningfully toward Kitahara, though her next words were still aimed at the child in her arms.
"Oh right, Scarlet—just now, when you were sitting on my lap and swaying around like that…I liked that feeling very much. If possible, I'd love for you to act spoiled like that a little more often…"
"I—I wasn't acting spoiled!"
Scarlet protested aloud, but after being praised by Tachyon, her body instinctively resumed gently swaying.
The two continued chatting affectionately for a bit longer until, unable to fully suppress her expression anymore, Tachyon pretended to embrace Scarlet closer, carefully covering Scarlet's eyes. Meanwhile, Tachyon's cheeks visibly flushed bright red.
"Tachyon, you—"
Witnessing Tachyon actually insisting Scarlet stay and even actively encouraging her to sway around, Kitahara's eyes twitched slightly. Lowering his head, he leaned close to Tachyon's ear, preparing to whisper something to her.
Yet the instant Kitahara moved closer—before he could even utter a full sentence—Tachyon suddenly turned her head toward him, leaning in abruptly.
Sensing movement from the person hugging her, Scarlet tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"Tachyon-senpai, you...?"
"I-I'm just whispering something private to Trainer Kitahara. Good kids definitely shouldn't—mmph... shouldn't eavesdrop."
"I'm not a little kid anymore!"
"Yes, yes, considering you're almost as tall as me now, you're certainly no longer—mmnnphh...!"
"Tachyon-senpai?" Scarlet asked, puzzled.
"It's fine, Scarlet, nothing's wrong," Kitahara's steady voice sounded calmly.
"She just choked a little, that's all."
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T/NL WIHFIAHIFHAISHFIAHFILASFLKANFLASHFHSAF