Platinum sat at the desk, cold sweat pouring down her back as Agnes Tachyon slowly closed in on her.
It wasn't that she wanted to order Agnes Tachyon around—it was just that the aura radiating from the other girl was downright terrifying, leaving no room for refusal.
"Care to see today's breakfast?" Agnes Tachyon smiled cheerfully as she set the tray down in front of Platinum and lifted the lid.
Platinum trembled uncontrollably, staring in disbelief at Agnes's grin before shifting her gaze to the contents of the tray. Her teeth began to chatter.
"Are you serious?"
"Two slices of whole wheat bread, one fried egg, a cup of barley tea, and a bowl of vegetable salad. It's better to eat light in the morning, especially since training is about to start... There'll be another meal after training, so don't worry about going hungry." Agnes patiently explained each item.
"Since we don't know how well your digestive system handles things yet, we'll start with this and adjust based on your body's response. Oh, and by the way, I got all of this from the cafeteria—I didn't make it myself. So you can eat without worries."
"The cafeteria is actually open all day for a reason—to encourage us Uma Musume to plan our own meal schedules. Sadly, most trainers don't take advantage of that. From now on, don't stick rigidly to three meals a day. Try to eat smaller portions more frequently."
"It's also a good idea to keep some carbonated drinks and protein beverages in your dorm room. They'll come in handy."
Platinum raised her hand. "Forget how barebones this meal is, and never mind that you just barged into my room without asking... There's something even more important."
She pointed at the pile of blue, green, and red tablets sitting beside the salad and let out a shriek.
"What in the world are these?!"
"Alanine, various vitamins, and here—some protein powder mix... Anyway, it's no use explaining in detail since you wouldn't get it. They're basically supplements."
Agnes reached out, pinched a few of the pills between her fingers, shook them lightly, and then dropped them back onto the plate with a series of sharp clinks.
"They're to maintain your health, adjust your muscle composition, and specialize your body for racing—reshaping you into a form better suited for running."
"Come on, eat up. I even bought the children's version, worried you might find them hard to swallow."
"This isn't about how they taste!" Platinum cried out, frantic. "Aren't these against the rules? And just looking at them is scary enough!"
Are you sure this is safe?
Agnes snorted. "You think nobody else takes them? What do you think those expensive doctors hired by the Symboli and Mejiro families are for?"
"Besides, these aren't drugs—they're supplements, got it? They're meant to maintain your health, ensure you can keep training, and improve your efficiency. Unless you're planning to use actual stimulants, I can't imagine you failing a drug test over these."
Uh...
Even after all that, Platinum picked up her chopsticks and stared at the pills rattling on the plate, swallowing hard.
This is seriously terrifying!
Seeing Platinum still hesitating, Agnes gently reached out with her left hand and patted Platinum's back in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry, I've taken all of these myself before. I promise they're completely safe..."
As she said this, her right hand shot out like lightning, snatched the supplements from the table, and shoved them straight into Platinum's mouth.
"Down you go."
"Mmmpgh!!"
Platinum clutched her mouth, groaning in agony. Agnes had thrown them with such precision—right into the back of her throat—that she couldn't even cough them up and had no choice but to swallow.
It was hard to imagine how many people had fallen victim to Agnes's methods for her to perfect such a skill.
Agnes continued patting Platinum's back affectionately and placed the protein drink in front of her. "Something to wash it down?"
Platinum shot her a fierce glare, indignantly took the drink, and gulped it down with the same shame as losing ten matches in a row in Shadowverse.
"Agnes Tachyon, I have rights too, you know."
"Don't act so ungrateful. These aren't cheap—I paid for them out of my own pocket." Agnes shrugged.
"Other family pharmacists get to lounge around all day, but here I am, not only waking you up but having to coax you into taking your supplements. And you're not even paying me."
"I never asked you to," Platinum retorted between gags, sticking out her tongue.
"Hurry up and eat. We're heading to the training ground now."
Ignoring Platinum's miserable groans, Agnes fixed her with a gentle yet unyielding stare—a look as immovable as Mount Tai, one that wouldn't take no for an answer.
--+--
Back to the present.
Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, Mejiro McQueen, and Tokai Teio stood in a row, staring blankly at the two figures sprinting across the field.
Mejiro McQueen rubbed her eyes. "Teio, is that...?"
"I was about to ask the same thing," Tokai Teio said, massaging her temples. "Scarlet, you know Tachyon-senpai pretty well, right? What's going on here?"
Daiwa Scarlet covered her face with her hands. "I wish I knew how it came to this..."
"Stop chasing me!" Platinum yelled as she raced across the field, feeling like she'd sweated more in this one morning than the entire previous day. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
Bitter sweat dripped into her eyes. Gasping for air, she wiped her face, tears welling up from the sting.
All she felt was regret—deep, overwhelming regret.
Though she'd lost count of how many times this thought had crossed her mind, today it hit harder than ever.
"Run faster! Training is pointless if you don't push your limits!" Agnes Tachyon pedaled hard on her bicycle, chasing close behind and sweating buckets herself—a true display of mutual suffering.
"I know your stamina better than anyone. You could run like this until class starts and you'd be fine. Now move!"
"Control your stride! Watch your breathing!"
Wheezing heavily, Tachyon pulled to a stop in front of the group, swung her leg off the bike, and took the hands of Mejiro McQueen, Vodka, and Daiwa Scarlet one by one. "Pleasure to meet you all. I'm Platinum's pharmacist. Looking forward to working with you."
Mejiro McQueen stared blankly for a second before replying on instinct, "Uh, hello. Nice to meet you too."
Daiwa Scarlet clenched her fists. "Tachyon-senpai... what are you doing...?"
But Tachyon wasn't finished. She reached into the bushes beside Daiwa Scarlet, rummaged around for a moment, then grabbed something and pulled hard.
With a soft pop, Agnes Digital was lifted out of the shrubbery by her wrists.
"Pleasure, Digital. Starting today, I'm Platinum's pharmacist."
Still not done, she dropped a flustered Agnes Digital and reached back into the bushes. Another pop, and this time it was Leap of Faith who got plucked out in the same manner.
"Pleasure to meet you."
With that, Agnes hopped back on her bicycle and took off after Platinum, leaving Leap of Faith and Agnes Digital staring at each other in stunned silence.
--+--
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.