Platinum.
Ahh, Platinum. Platinum, the light of my life, the fire of my desire. My sin, my soul. Platinum. Say it. Let your tongue follow three simple steps: rise up, press against the palate, then fall gently behind the teeth. Pla… ti… num.
Agnes Tachyon, just about to head out, took one look at Agnes Digital's delirious state and could only gaze at her with her usual affectionate indulgence, slowly closing their dorm room door.
She was used to it.
Trembling, Agnes Digital reached out and hit replay on the recording of the Hanshin Debut Race playing on her screen.
Just one more time, one more time…
Ohhh, everyone's performance was just so perfect, truly the world's greatest treasures! Look at Leap of Faith, her control over her breathing and positioning is as flawless as ever, just like she's practiced it tens of millions of times—As expected of my fave!
Look at Fuji Kyoji, those cool eyes, that warm-looking light chestnut short hair, the way she's clinging so fiercely to Leap of Faith's tail—As expected of my fave!
And then, and then, the one who shocked Agnes Digital the most was still Platinum.
Look at those powerful hind legs! Look at that dead-serious, all-out stance right from the start! Listen to that silvery, bell-like laughter she lets out so freely while running!
—————As expected of my fave!!!
Agnes Digital felt her heart was about to melt.
'I'm really, truly, deceased with adoration.'
Apart from not participating in the Winner's Stage in the end, every smile, every frown, every single movement from Platinum… struck Agnes Digital right in the heart.
Look at those jet-black pupils.
Look at that slender, delicate waist.
Look at those impossibly long, perfectly proportioned legs.
And her entire body, clean as sculpted plaster, without a single trace of blemish. From her ears to her hair down to her toes… a pure white Uma Musume.
That such an Uma Musume truly existed…
Where was this? Was this heaven? This must be heaven, ahhhhh!
Praise the Three Goddesses! We live just to watch Platinum race, ohhhh!
But what Agnes Digital wanted was more than just this.
Whose little filly was she? Why had she never been seen at Tracen Academy before? What? She's actually not a student at Tracen Academy?
A sudden, phantom-like assassin on the racetrack.
She took first place with an indisputable performance.
And then, she quietly vanished before the Winner's Stage, leaving behind only a glimpse of her retreating back…
Oh no, I'm feeling things…
Agnes Digital clutched her chest. Why did it feel like her heart was going thump-thump?
'Miss Agnes Digital, that's just the warning sign of impending death from staying up all night.'
Although Agnes Digital's love for all Uma Musume was equal… she maintained the same level of passion and praise for every single one of her faves.
But, just as the Three Goddesses couldn't create a perfectly equal world…
Even if Agnes Digital didn't want to admit it… a tiny bit of favoritism always existed in her heart.
And now, that tiny bit of favoritism was starting to quietly shift towards Platinum.
Mhmm… Is she a prized horse breed that came here from Poland? Hailing from such a beautiful country, it's no surprise she could produce a filly like this…
She's not very good at speaking Japanese yet? That's a moe point too! Don't you think it makes your heart go doki-doki, watching a princess from a foreign land stumbling her way through learning the language?
She hates the starting gate? Well, nobody likes the starting gate, right? For such a noble little princess to so openly show her dislike and fear—how awful, it's so cute!
And so, Agnes Digital hungrily scoured the internet for anything and everything about Platinum.
One question remained. Although she had found her dream fave, this wasn't entirely Agnes Digital's original goal.
Where was the [Emperor], Symboli Rudolf? The other crucial lead in this script?
Agnes Digital had found Platinum by tracing Symboli Rudolf's movements, yet there was no sign of Symboli Rudolf at the Hanshin Debut Race venue.
When it came down to it, how did these two, the people Agnes Digital was most focused on—one, the undefeated Emperor who had ruled Tracen Academy for years, and the other, a beautiful princess who had just arrived from a foreign land—how did they even know each other? How were they connected?
Not knowing this made Agnes Digital feel as if a kitten was scratching and clawing at her heart.
'More crossovers like this, please! I love to see it!'
Could it be that after the Emperor witnessed the foreign princess's brilliant race, she couldn't help but develop feelings, and thus went to the Hanshin Racecourse in person, using her authority to forcefully bring Platinum back to Tracen Academy…?
It was possible. Forcibly acquiring little fillies? Symboli Rudolf had a prior record for that. She was the kind of overlord who wouldn't stop until she achieved her goals!
As a quick aside, the rumor that Symboli Rudolf liked to strong-arm little fillies into coming to Tracen Academy was also started by Agnes Digital. As for what the person involved, Oguri Cap, thought about it, we can only guess.
This would also explain why Platinum missed the Winner's Stage.
It wasn't that Platinum didn't want to perform… On the contrary, she was so eager to showcase her singing voice in a foreign land…
However, just as she was meticulously preparing in the waiting room, the door was rudely flung open…
Standing outside was—Symboli Rudolf, her eyes filled with five parts forcefulness, three parts appreciation, and two parts tenderness!
Symboli Rudolf gently lifted a lock of Platinum's nearly translucent white hair, whispering into her ear, "Become my woman. Dance for me, and me alone."
Aiyayayaya! Symboli Rudolf, Symboli Rudolf! You can't do this, you absolutely cannot do this!
Platinum belongs to everyone, she's not your personal Platinum———
All on her own, Agnes Digital bit down on a handkerchief, tears streaming down her face, cursing this unfair fate on Platinum's behalf.
All without Platinum's knowledge.
Wait, wait, wait. What if that's not what actually happened… We need to look at a problem dialectically.
Biting her handkerchief and crying, Agnes Digital started scrolling through various school forums. She had posted threads using different accounts on every forum related to the school and Uma Musume.
[Has anyone seen the new Uma Musume? She's pure white, www, feels really rare. Does anyone know that kid?]
[Ooh, this one has seen her! In the hallway of the Ritto Dorm.]
[OP, are you talking about Oguri Cap?]
[Oguri Cap isn't pure white, is she?]
[Then it must be Curren Chan.]
[Curren Chan isn't white either, right?]
[Then it's definitely Biwa Hayahide!]
[Hey, listen to what people are saying!]
As she scrolled, one message caught her eye, snagging her attention.
[My friend said that while she was helping out at the student council, she definitely saw a transfer report for Tracen Academy these past couple days. Seems like an Uma Musume from the Symboli family. If you think about it, she might be the President's distant relative.]
This is it, this is it! Agnes Digital had finally found the answer she was looking for. Licking her lips with excitement, she switched to another account and posted a new thread on the school's anonymous forum.
[Have you all heard…]
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.