A new day, and Tokai Teio was up bright and early.
"Alright! Lady Teio is full of energy today!" Standing before the mirror, Tokai Teio smoothed her bangs and grinned widely at her reflection.
Fully dressed in her school uniform, Tokai Teio was, as always, bursting with vitality.
Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Tokai Teio closed her dorm room door and dashed out.
On the other side of the room, Mayano Top Gun shifted positions in her sleep, settling comfortably back into her dreams.
Hey, let a kid sleep in a bit longer, what's the harm?
Instead of heading straight out, Tokai Teio went up a few flights of stairs—she had to wake Platinum first.
Platinum was a lazybones. If no one woke her, she could sleep until five minutes before class started.
At that point, there'd be no time for breakfast, not even for washing up.
Then Platinum would have to sit through morning classes on an empty stomach, and by noon, Trainer Okino's heart would be twitching in distress again.
Ever since that one time she'd dragged Platinum to the cafeteria for a meal, Tokai Teio had taken it upon herself to wake Platinum every single day.
It wasn't that her trainer or the President had asked her to do it. Platinum herself hadn't requested it either. This was entirely Tokai Teio's own initiative.
As an older sister, it was her unquestionable duty to keep an eye on her little sister and make sure she had a full belly every morning!
After that race with Platinum, something in Tokai Teio's mindset had shifted subtly.
Platinum's sudden appearance had initially left Tokai Teio feeling a bit unsettled. But after talking with her and hearing Symboli Rudolf's advice, the knot in Tokai Teio's heart loosened. And then, the way she looked at Platinum became... well...
Full of doting affection and kindness.
By all accounts, Tokai Teio was undoubtedly Platinum's senior. Right now, Platinum was just too shy to admit it.
And as her senior, taking care of her was only natural!
Platinum never could have dreamed that she'd somehow awakened Tokai Teio's maternal instincts. She just felt the way Tokai Teio looked at her was getting more and more... off.
"Platinum—Platinum—time to get up!" Tokai Teio knocked on Platinum's dorm room door. No response.
That was pretty normal; usually, Platinum was still dead asleep at this hour, and even if she did wake up, she'd be groggy for a good while.
But today felt different. Tokai Teio paused, her ears twitching slightly.
It sounded completely silent inside... Not that Tracen Academy's dorms had poor soundproofing, but an Uma Musume's ears were sharp enough to roughly tell if someone was in there or not.
Strange... So early... Where could Platinum have gone?... She couldn't have stayed out all night, could she?
Thinking this, Tokai Teio sent Platinum a message, then went to the cafeteria for breakfast before heading to the training track unusually early.
Sigh... And here she'd been determined to drag Platinum to the track for morning training today no matter what.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, dawn arriving gradually later now, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Tokai Teio took a deep breath of the slightly chilly air on the training field.
Alright then, today's training starts right—
Just as Tokai Teio raised both arms to psych herself up, a figure dashed past her.
White bangs, wearing workout clothes, tongue lolling slightly out of her mouth, a look of utter despair on her face as she ran forward.
"—Platinum? What are you doing here?"
The question might sound strange, but Platinum never came to the training field in the morning. This was the first time Tokai Teio had ever run into Platinum here.
To put it simply, the underlying meaning of Tokai Teio's question was this: Platinum, if some ghost has possessed you, blink twice.
It was like the sun rising from the west.
Hearing Tokai Teio's call, Platinum felt a wave of speechless despair wash over her.
If she had any choice in the matter, who wouldn't want to sleep in?
Just like who wouldn't want to stay up all night.
"Too slow, too slow, too slow—Platinum, what are you doing? What kind of speed is that?"
In the distance, a figure with a megaphone was shouting loudly.
"You still have energy! I gave you a full check-up yesterday, don't try playing pitiful in front of me. I know your limits are far from reached."
"If you keep going like this, forget about competing with the likes of Flightline or Secretariat, you'll struggle to even win the Triple Crown. Don't forget our agreement."
"Oh, I'm not rushing you, or pushing you, just reminding you. It's not like it matters if the contract gets torn up, right? Just keep it in the back of your mind, that's all."
Hearing the voice from behind her, Platinum squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears streaming down her face.
Damn it all, why?
Why did she have to listen to that damned fortune teller and go find Agnes Tachyon, and even go and beat her?
Now Agnes Tachyon was latched onto her and wouldn't let go!
The figure with the megaphone in the distance drew closer to Tokai Teio.
Tokai Teio could see clearly now: it was someone riding a bicycle just outside the track, speeding along, one hand on the handlebars, the other holding a megaphone, incessantly urging the runner on the track.
A lazy, drawling voice—crimson eyes that looked like shutters—it was none other than Agnes Tachyon herself.
Riding up to Tokai Teio, Agnes Tachyon dismounted, grabbed Tokai Teio's hand, and shook it vigorously.
"Hello, hello, I'm Platinum's pharmacist. Looking forward to working with you."
"Oh, oh..." Stupefied, Tokai Teio watched as Agnes Tachyon let go of her hand, remounted her bike, and sped off after Platinum.
She looked down at her own palm, then back up at the two figures disappearing into the distance.
What in the world is going on?
Let's just say, every bully meets their match.
Platinum had finally met her natural predator, and she'd practically invited the wolf into the house herself.
Agnes Tachyon hadn't been lying in the slightest—she was willing to do anything to make sure Platinum could win her races.
Including sneaking into Platinum's dorm room with a copied key—she'd taken Platinum's original to make a copy—and slipping in at the crack of dawn, timing it perfectly so the moment the morning bell sounded, she blasted a suona right next to Platinum's ear.
Jolted awake, Platinum saw Agnes Tachyon standing by her bed and initially thought she was still dreaming.
After blinking several times and confirming that Agnes Tachyon was indeed still standing there, looking down at her with that inscrutable smile, a cold sweat instantly broke out all over Platinum's body.
Waking from a nightmare, only to find yourself still in one.
"How did you get into my room?" Platinum clutched her blanket tightly. "Picking locks is illegal."
"Good morning, darling." Agnes Tachyon leaned in, gently patting Platinum's cheek. Platinum broke out in goosebumps instantly.
"Time to get up. We have a long, long day ahead of us. Plenty of time for us to... get accustomed to each other."
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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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.