"If I may ask… what exactly is your relationship?"
Daiwa Scarlet's trembling finger pointed back and forth between them, her eyes darting nervously.
Agnes Tachyon gestured toward herself with her free hand. "What's our relationship? Isn't it obvious? You should be able to tell at a glance."
The truth was, Agnes Tachyon had been thoroughly convinced by Platinum.
She was neither the most beautiful Uma Musume in the world, nor the most qualified to pursue beauty.
Those lively, precise footsteps, elegant as mathematical formulae—she could no longer perform them herself.
And now, her successor, her replacement, had appeared.
In that moment, her consciousness had been captivated, conquered by that will-o'-the-wisp figure. Those were the legs that truly held the promise of ultimate beauty—the very legs she had always yearned for.
Stronger than Agnes Tachyon, stronger than Tokai Teio, stronger than Symboli Rudolf.
She would become her support, the wind beneath her wings—well, that summed up their relationship, didn't it?
Agnes Tachyon felt she'd explained things perfectly clearly.
After all, in her mind, thinking something was the same as others understanding it. Such was the logic of a genius.
"No, no, no! I'm asking precisely because I can't tell!" Daiwa Scarlet clutched her head.
Maintain your composure, Daiwa Scarlet.
"What exactly did you explain?" Platinum shot Agnes Tachyon a sidelong glance, thoroughly unimpressed by her communication skills.
Well, since she crossed paths with Daiwa Scarlet regularly anyway, she supposed she should bother to clarify things.
Better not let any misunderstandings linger. Although Platinum doubted girls their age would have those kinds of... wild imaginations.
"My relationship with Agnes Tachyon..." Platinum rolled her eyes thoughtfully.
It wasn't something easily explained, and for a moment, she found herself stumped.
"Let's just say I need a favor from her."
It was true—she needed her help. If Platinum was being honest, her desire to win races wasn't particularly strong.
What did it matter who came in first? Why bother putting in all that effort? Except for the special case of the Satsuki Sho, Platinum generally maintained a laid-back attitude.
As for Agnes Tachyon's pursuits... well, she'd deal with those later.
The top priority right now was seeing whether this Speed-o'-Sound Sonic could actually solve her Soul Dissolution Syndrome.
"And... Agnes Tachyon needs me too."
Whether she actually felt like running was another matter entirely. Platinum pursed her lips.
"Um... sorry to interrupt..." Daiwa Scarlet raised a trembling hand. "This... 'need'... what exactly does it refer to?"
"Probably... legs, body, things like that," Platinum answered after a moment's thought.
See? She was explaining things perfectly clearly. She'd neatly covered Agnes Tachyon's interest in her legs and her own need for treatment.
"Of course..." Agnes Tachyon's hand wandered restlessly to Platinum's shoulder as she gazed obsessively. "This is truly the most perfect body I've ever seen..."
"...I understand completely." Daiwa Scarlet stopped trembling, her face now pale as stone. She had realized everything.
She stood up, legs tense, then jumped slightly, hands clutching her head.
"—This is exactly the kind of relationship I imagined!"
Abandoning all decorum, Daiwa Scarlet screamed.
Agnes Tachyon, what on earth has made you like this?
Preying on a freshman who just arrived a week ago.
Finding someone's weakness and sweet-talking them into your grasp.
What's next? Dragging her back to your lab, and then what?
Senpai, it's not that I don't want to believe you, but the evidence is overwhelming.
You're not even bothering to hide your desires anymore? You're proud of them?
In that case, there's only one option left—
"I'm telling Manhattan Cafe about this!"
Only Manhattan Cafe had ever been able to curb Agnes Tachyon's various misdeeds. She was essentially Agnes Tachyon's natural predator.
Daiwa Scarlet didn't know what had gotten into Agnes Tachyon to make her act this way, but she believed this wasn't her normal self. Today's Tachyon was just... off.
As for Platinum... the victim was obviously innocent, especially since she was just a lamb that had arrived only a week ago.
This called for some serious correction via Manhattan Cafe!
Yet, faced with this threat, Agnes Tachyon simply looked blankly at Daiwa Scarlet.
"Go ahead. And while you're at it, ask her how the last batch of experimental products worked out."
"If possible, have her bring some more compressed rations too. The lab's running low."
Daiwa Scarlet felt like she was trying to grip a slippery eel, left speechless and frustrated.
"Alright," Agnes Tachyon said, finally satisfied that she'd pacified Daiwa Scarlet. She stretched her shoulders and slipped on that yellowish lab coat. "We should get started now."
As she spoke, she made no attempt to hide the greedy gleam in her scarlet eyes, which roamed freely over Platinum's body.
...So magnificently trained. What kind of creator could have fashioned such a form?
She practically itched to dissect it inch by inch, to examine every strand of muscle fiber, every tendon attachment, every pulsing blood vessel...
She loved it to the point where she wanted to preserve it as a specimen, placed by her bedside for constant admiration.
Platinum couldn't help but click her tongue, feeling like she'd become Agnes Tachyon's lab rat.
...Damn, didn't she call me her new guinea pig earlier?
Talk about a lamb walking into the slaughterhouse.
As for Agnes Tachyon's gaze, Daiwa Scarlet interpreted it quite differently.
"Fine, let's begin." Platinum resigned herself to her fate.
She'd been the one desperate to convince Agnes Tachyon, after all. However scared she felt, she couldn't back out now. "What should I do?"
Agnes Tachyon looked her over. "Undress."
"...Wait, what?"
"Undress."
"...Is it possible not to?" Platinum asked with clear discomfort. Taking her clothes off in front of others—this was a first since her transmigration.
"Are you joking?" Agnes Tachyon retorted. For a detailed medical examination, obstructive clothing like this simply couldn't remain.
While a full-body checkup at a hospital would yield better results, Agnes Tachyon had promised to keep Platinum's condition confidential. Moreover, she was itching to get firsthand data.
Unable to argue further, Platinum sighed. "Alright."
Having overheard their entire conversation, Daiwa Scarlet felt her very soul leaving her body. She stood rooted to the spot, watching dumbly as Agnes Tachyon ushered Platinum toward the inner room.
"Ah, right." Agnes Tachyon glanced back at Daiwa Scarlet. "Coming, Scarlet?"
"This is a rare opportunity, you know."
...What kind of invitation was that? Was Agnes Tachyon setting her sights on her now too?
A chill ran down Daiwa Scarlet's spine. She bolted out the door, locking it behind her.
Agnes Tachyon scratched her head, then dismissed the matter. She had more important things to attend to.
As for the subsequent event where Daiwa Scarlet led Symboli Rudolf to storm the laboratory in a counter-terrorism-style operation, pinning down an utterly bewildered Agnes Tachyon—well, that's a story for another time.
--+--
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.