"Aren't you doing this on purpose to get back at me?" Platinum's arm trembled slightly.
"I admit my needle technique is a bit rough, but I never learned it properly. The fact that I worked up the courage to stick it in you at all deserves some credit, I think." Agnes Tachyon nodded earnestly, watching the dark blood slowly filling the vacuum tube.
"You..." Platinum barely held back a curse. "You've never learned, and you still tried? No wonder it took you three stabs to get it right!"
"But I succeeded on the third try, didn't I? My hands are quite steady. Maybe I'm well-suited to be a doctor." Agnes Tachyon preened.
Holding the cotton swab as she watched Agnes Tachyon pull out the needle, Platinum couldn't help but warn, "Be careful. This illness is contagious."
"Didn't you say that after taking the medication in the first stage, it's no longer contagious?" Agnes Tachyon examined the dark red blood in the vacuum tube with a satisfied nod.
"Telling me now is a bit late anyway. If I was going to catch it, I'd have caught it already."
Hearing this, Platinum's ears drooped dejectedly. "Now I feel like I was out of my mind when I agreed to Symboli Rudolf's deal."
"If you're feeling guilty, just remember you're a minor. You don't have the capacity to exercise such rights. Symboli Rudolf essentially tricked and coerced you. She should bear all the consequences. Doesn't that make you feel better?"
"Is that how you comfort people?"
"Alright, that's pretty much all the tests we can do for now..." Agnes Tachyon pulled a chair over and set it opposite the sofa, straddling it and resting her arms on the backrest.
"My place is small, after all. We can only run basic checks. I'll contact a friend later. This weekend, you'll go to Tokyo University, to their medical department, for a full examination."
"Don't worry, I'll make arrangements beforehand. I'll go with you too. Not a single piece of your information will leak."
"Also, your medication... give me a few pills. I'll reach out to a research institute to have them analyzed."
"Fascinating. When did the Americans develop a drug like this... I didn't have a clue..."
Agnes Tachyon narrowed her eyes, letting out a low, ominous chuckle.
"Now, let's get down to business. Although these are just preliminary tests, I can give you a basic hypothesis."
"First, you need to steady yourself. Because everything I'm about to say might shatter your understanding of common sense."
Agnes Tachyon's long white lab coat sleeves draped down to the floor as she rested her head on the chair back.
"Go ahead. I've seen it all," Platinum said with a dismissive pout.
"In my opinion, the cause of your illness isn't physical." Agnes Tachyon pointed one sleeve towards Platinum's head. "It's in here."
"...My ears?"
"S—O—U—L—" Agnes Tachyon enunciated each syllable slowly. "Soul. Your soul. Do you understand?"
"Your body is perfectly healthy. Exceptionally healthy. It's as healthy as a freshly stamped piece of Grade A meat straight from the inspection line."
"I truly can't think of any other cause. Combined with your description of the symptoms for each stage of Soul Dissolution Syndrome, it only reinforces my theory."
Stage One: Coughing blood, occasional fainting, vomiting—though these are all complications.
Stage Two: Sensory disruption. The five senses function normally but cannot process information correctly.
Stage Three: Complete vegetative state, lying in bed, even the brain slipping from one's control.
At this point, the full danger of Soul Dissolution Syndrome is revealed. But—all the symptoms are centered on disrupting and confusing perception. There are no diseases that directly attack the body.
See? All the symptoms seem like phenomena caused by the erosion and damage of something more fundamental.
Dig deeper. What exactly is hidden beneath it all?
And the hypothesis Agnes Tachyon proposed was:
The soul. It's not the body that's infected, but the soul that's been polluted.
Here, Agnes Tachyon deliberately paused, giving Platinum time to process. But Platinum just looked back at her calmly.
"Your body is perfectly healthy. Exceptionally healthy. It's as healthy as—"
Platinum raised a hand to stop her. "I heard you the first time. No need to repeat it."
"Aren't you even a little surprised? My very first hypothesis already veers into the metaphysical."
"The existence of Uma Musume and the Three Goddesses is pretty metaphysical already."
Not to mention the ghost hanging around Manhattan Cafe, Matikanefukukitaru's divinations, the sister Admire Vega always dreams about...
The point was, sometimes you just had to stop questioning and feel it in your heart.
Platinum had braced herself for shocking statements from Agnes Tachyon before even coming here.
After all, she'd had check-ups before, and the results always came back normal. Coming to see Agnes Tachyon was, frankly, a step towards seeking answers in the metaphysical from the start.
"Uh, right." Agnes Tachyon stared blankly at Platinum for a moment before continuing. "Then I'll keep going."
"This is why I asked for those pills—if the illness is truly caused by damage to the soul, then the mystery of its transmission method might also be solved... This disease isn't spread through droplets or bodily fluids, but through a more fundamental means..."
"But that raises even deeper questions." A trace of confusion appeared on Agnes Tachyon's face.
"Namely, those suppressant pills you have. How... how do they manage to suppress damage to the soul?"
"It doesn't make sense... No, wait, this is actually a good thing."
"It means we at least don't have to run around like headless chickens searching for clues. Perhaps we can uncover some secrets directly from the medicine you're taking."
Agnes Tachyon didn't ask Platinum where she contracted the disease, nor how many others might be infected, nor where the fully-developed suppressants came from.
Asking would be pointless—Platinum wouldn't answer. She'd only talk when she had no other choice.
This was precisely why Platinum had chosen to tell Agnes Tachyon about her condition instead of Symboli Rudolf. If it were Symboli Rudolf, she'd undoubtedly press for every last detail relentlessly.
As for Agnes Tachyon, she honestly didn't care much about Platinum as a person. She fully respected Platinum's own will—if Platinum wanted to die, that was fine.
Though Agnes Tachyon would probably suggest she run herself to death instead.
What Agnes Tachyon cared about was Platinum's fascinating body... or more precisely, her legs.
She was interested in the limits Platinum could reach. If Agnes Tachyon truly couldn't cure her, she might very well coax Platinum into running through these first three years of Stage One anyway.
It was a somewhat despicable thought, but it was a fair transaction.
Platinum, likewise, didn't take Agnes Tachyon's ambitions to heart. The two of them were simply whipping each other forward, urging one another to run faster.
--+--
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.