After a long time, Luo Cheng had entered a random event again.
He remembered being invited to the Mejiro family home before. That person was... McQueen? Luo Cheng recalled that he had met McQueen in Tokai Teio's support card story, and she had invited him to a birthday party. Later, he met Mejiro Dober in Seiun Sky's support card story, and she also invited him to attend.
Strange.
Support card stories shouldn't be interconnected, and the game world and the support card stories shouldn't be interconnected either. Why could the same event happen simultaneously across three worlds?
Luo Cheng checked the time and called Agnes Tachyon, inviting her to meet him in the research lab.
"Good evening, Guinea pig-kun. Calling me so late—are you 'wanting it' again?" Her dark red eyes looked at Luo Cheng, and a faint smile appeared on her frighteningly pale lips.
"I just wanted to update you on recent events. It might help your research."
"What have you encountered this time?"
Luo Cheng briefly explained his experiences to Agnes Tachyon. She lowered her head, pinching her chin in thought for a moment.
"I have a rough understanding. For now, whether or not your 'support card world' is truly an independent world remains debatable. It's like a stage play: the same stage can be set with different scenes, and the same actors can wear different costumes."
"Does that mean everything is interconnected?"
"I said it's debatable. Next time you enter a support card story, remember to leave a mark of some kind. Check for it when you return. If it's there, it proves the stage is still the same stage."
Right! Why hadn't Luo Cheng thought of something so simple? He was suddenly enlightened by Agnes Tachyon's reminder; she truly was his strategist.
"And you've entered a story now?"
"Yes, that's why I can talk to you all."
"I haven't detected anything unusual on my end. Of course, that doesn't rule out the possibility that my perception was modified the moment you entered the story." Agnes Tachyon recorded everything Luo Cheng said, then sat on the sofa and brewed herself a cup of black tea.
"Oh, and about the items you mentioned, let's test them now to see if they have special effects. I'm very interested in this."
"Okay, but I need to find an injured horse girl..."
"No need." Agnes Tachyon picked up a knife from the workbench. "A wound will heal in about two weeks. If the item is effective, it should heal very quickly." Saying this, Agnes Tachyon prepared to make a cut on herself.
"Stop!" Luo Cheng shouted, immediately preventing her.
"What is it, Guinea pig-kun? Are you suggesting you try it?"
"The item has no effect on me. I can't test it."
"Then I will..."
Luo Cheng walked forward and snatched the knife away.
"We're in no rush for the item test. The opportunity isn't right, and there's no need for you to experiment on yourself."
"Oh my... are you worried about me getting hurt, Guinea pig-kun?"
"Something like that."
Agnes Tachyon laughed. "To maintain your sanity in a world like this, Guinea pig-kun, you're not an ordinary person."
"My sanity might have dropped to zero a long time ago."
"That's not bad either. It sounds highly valuable for research. If your sanity is zero, you consider me your property, and that's why you're stopping me from doing this. That explanation is also quite logical."
"Perhaps."
Luo Cheng put the knife back.
"Thank you for your trouble, Tachyon, calling you here so late."
"No, you've shown me many interesting things." Agnes Tachyon's eyes flickered. "But there is something I must tell you, Guinea pig-kun. You think I am your property, but I believe you are mine."
"...Huh?"
"Yes, that's the truth. Faced with the absolute power of the horse girls, humans have no capacity to resist. It's far more realistic for a horse girl to take ownership of a human than the reverse. Even if your identity is special, Guinea pig-kun, your body fundamentally remains within the bounds of a human being."
"So... you intend to take ownership of me?"
"Heh~" Agnes Tachyon curled her lips, stood up, and closed the door. "After that day, I replaced the sofa with a foldable sofa bed. It's big enough for one person, or two, right next to each other."
"Which day?"
"The day I ingested a sufficient amount of protein." Agnes Tachyon licked her lips.
"The one that was very, very exaggerated? Was it the first time or the second?"
"The second one," she said, unfolding the sofa into a bed. "Guinea pig-kun, are you going to be proactive, or would you prefer I force you?"
"Proactive. Also, I haven't showered."
"It doesn't matter. Wouldn't the scent be even better that way?"
Agnes Tachyon then took off her jacket, exposing her fair skin. Her dark red eyes glowed faintly in the dim room. "Guinea pig-kun, let's see what kind of development you've had as my guinea pig."
The next morning, the sound of footsteps outside was noisy. The sun beat against the heavy curtains, and faint light penetrated, illuminating the various colored liquids on the cabinets, casting a dim glow across the room. Sweet black tea, bitter heather flower, and laboratory chemicals—countless smells mixed together, filling the research lab with an indescribable, strange odor.
Opening his eyes, Luo Cheng stared at the ceiling. He moved his arm and felt something resting on it. Turning his head, Luo Cheng saw the shoulder-baring girl, Agnes Tachyon. She was curled up, her arms around Luo Cheng's waist, her chest squeezed into two inviting curves.
Seeing Agnes Tachyon sleeping so soundly, Luo Cheng reached out and pulled her into his embrace. Occasionally, the horse girls would display an overwhelming, forceful side, but fundamentally, they were still beautiful girls. Their physical size, only having distinctions between small and very small, made them soft and comfortable to hug. Like Agnes Tachyon, Luo Cheng was more than a head taller than her, and holding her was sweet and soft.
Stirred by Luo Cheng's movement, Agnes Tachyon opened her eyes, her dark red pupils looking up at the man holding her.
"Guinea pig-kun..."
"Good morning, Tachyon."
"Is it morning already... that's the drawback of excessive dopamine secretion; it makes time feel faster..." Agnes Tachyon yawned. Her two pale, soft thighs clamped around Luo Cheng. Leaning on his chest, Agnes Tachyon murmured, "The concentration is decent. Guinea pig-kun should supplement his nutrition. I'll write you a meal plan later."
"Tachyon, it sounds like there are a lot of people outside."
"It's fine. They're just students heading to class. No one will enter..."
Before Agnes Tachyon could finish, the door slammed open. A figure in black walked into the room, golden eyes staring at the two people lying on the sofa bed.
"I knew it... that's why I smelled Trainer in the hallway. It was you, Tachyon."