Just as expected, Agnes Tachyon quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, we'll have to wait for more test results before drawing any conclusions. All my hypotheses are just that—hypotheses. Until we have solid evidence, we can't act recklessly."
"Right now, there's something more important I need to discuss with you."
Agnes Tachyon patted her lab coat and stood up, pulling over a whiteboard and uncapping a marker.
Watching Agnes Tachyon carry on entirely on her own terms, Platinum couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Do I even have a choice?"
Besides, Platinum was genuinely curious about Agnes Tachyon's theories.
After all, Agnes Tachyon was someone who, through relentless research, had pushed her own physical limits to the extreme.
The upcoming Satsuki Sho was a precursor to the Derby—though only a G2 race, it was no less demanding than a G1. To win, she'd have to improve in every way possible.
Based on her recent run alongside Tokai Teio… she could hold her own on the straight, but the moment they hit a curve, she'd be left in the dust.
Tokai Teio was the top of their generation—the fact that Platinum could even keep up with her spoke volumes about her ability… but what she wanted was to be number one.
If Tokai Teio was also running in the Satsuki Sho, would she have to start all over again?
Looking pleased, Agnes Tachyon pulled the whiteboard closer and turned to Platinum. "Do you know who the world's currently recognized strongest Uma Musume is?"
Platinum thought for a moment, chin in hand. "Eclipse?"
"...Well, you're not wrong," Agnes Tachyon paused, momentarily thrown. "But putting aside legends like Eclipse from centuries ago, the one currently acknowledged as the strongest Uma Musume in the world is none other than Secretariat."
Secretariat—the emperor of American Uma Musume racing, standing atop the sport with dazzling, indisputable achievements. Compared to her, even Symboli Rudolf seemed like a novice.
A true revolutionary among Racing Uma Musume. She reigned over American racing with records no one could break, looming over everyone like an everlasting storm.
They say the doctor who delivered the newborn Secretariat was stunned by the infant in her swaddling clothes, declaring, 'She is the most perfect foal I have ever delivered. She will undoubtedly change the history of American Uma Musume racing.'
And when Secretariat's trainer first laid eyes on her, he was mesmerized by her flawless physique. In his later writings, he described Secretariat as 'the ultimate evolution of the Uma Musume, a truly perfect body.'
She was genuinely celebrated by all as one of the greatest Uma Musume in history.
"As for the murkier, more ambiguous rumors—there are even more of those," Agnes Tachyon narrated slowly, her eyes burning with intense emotion—somewhere between desire and obsession.
"They say Secretariat's bones are harder than steel, that she can lift a small car weighing a ton."
"They say Secretariat's lung capacity is extraordinarily large. The trained human record for holding one's breath underwater is 24 minutes and 3 seconds, but Secretariat can hold hers for over thirty minutes."
"They say Secretariat's stamina seems limitless. She once swam across the English Channel, all the way from England to France."
"There's even a rumor that Secretariat has two hearts, and when she runs at top speed, people nearby can hear the sound of blood rushing through her body."
Oh, come on.
Seriously, now.
This time, Platinum was truly dumbfounded. She hadn't been this shocked even when Agnes Tachyon suggested the cause of her condition might lie in her soul.
"Wait… are you sure we're still talking about an Uma Musume? This sounds like Captain America."
This feels like she's from a different universe, fam. Listening to this, I'd think Secretariat wandered out of a fighting manga.
Agnes Tachyon shrugged. "Like I said, they're just rumors."
"But not long ago, Secretariat's detailed physical data was declassified. I pulled some strings and bought it at a sky-high price from the American Uma Musume Racing Association."
"Guess what?" Agnes Tachyon laughed heartily. "While those rumors turned out to be baseless, the words of the doctor who delivered her and her trainer weren't exaggerated in the slightest."
"Secretariat's legs are long, extremely long. At the same time, her lower body strength is exceptional. That means an enormous stride and formidable speed."
"Her lungs are indeed very large, and her heart is twice the size of a normal person's."
"Secretariat also has a huge appetite, really huge. But she maintains her weight perfectly. The Triple Crown is an exhausting series—I don't need to tell you how grueling it is. And after running the Triple Crown, Secretariat's weight hardly changed at all."
"She truly is a revolutionary, a divine mare. Secretariat exists to show everyone just how perfectly an Uma Musume can evolve."
As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon waved the sleeves of her lab coat, her expression animated. But then, her face shifted immediately into a sly, sinister grin.
"But what if I told you that even a Secretariat like this might very well be grappling with illness right now?"
Platinum scratched her head, desperately racking her not-so-bright brain to keep up with Agnes Tachyon's train of thought. "You mean… you suspect Secretariat is currently ill?"
"Of course." Agnes Tachyon brought a finger to the tip of her pen, maintaining that eerie smile. It wasn't schadenfreude—just Agnes Tachyon's unique brand of mischief.
She relished slowly unraveling others' secrets, stripping them bare.
"Don't you think it's strange? Secretariat may have retired, but she's a once-in-a-lifetime Uma Musume. For someone like her, retirement should be when life truly begins."
"Yet Secretariat has rarely appeared in the media lately. According to journalists, she now lives in seclusion, almost completely cut off from the world."
It's almost as if she's hiding something—
Agnes Tachyon's tongue flicked over her sharp teeth, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Ha ha ha ha! But it's all just speculation! It's just my own twisted curiosity, like those tabloid reporters always hounding celebrities." Abruptly, Agnes Tachyon burst into uproarious laughter. "Ah, if only I could see Secretariat in person just once…"
Wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, she wrote Secretariat's name on the whiteboard.
"And a Secretariat like this hasn't just vanished without a trace."
Drawing an arrow on the whiteboard, Agnes Tachyon pointed downward and wrote another name below.
"Secretariat's student, Flightline, is now stirring up a fresh storm in American Uma Musume racing. Some newspapers are already calling Flightline the new emperor of the United States."
--+--
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.