Uma Musume: Slacking Professionally

Chapter 260 260: Uma Musume: Slacking Professionally [260]

To be honest, Kitahara had hesitated over whether he should tell Agnes Tachyon about what had happened last night.

Originally, he had wanted to explain the situation to Karai Risa instead. After all, Karai Risa was a Trainer, and a former ace of the Umamusume Research Institute to boot. In terms of both status and reliability, she seemed better suited for this than Agnes Tachyon.

But now, even though he still could not say for certain that Karai Risa was definitely a problem, there was no way he was going to walk right up to her and hand himself over.

And once Karai Risa was out of the picture, there was really only one person left who might be able to help him with this.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to come clean to Agnes Tachyon.

Faced with Kitahara's sudden statement, Agnes Tachyon stood there blankly for nearly a full minute. Then, once what he had said finally sank in, her expression grew increasingly strange.

"You mean... you Umapyoi'd with someone else?"

"Not that far," Kitahara said. "But close enough. Other than actually Umapyoing, we more or less tried everything else there was to try..."

Since he had already decided to come clean, Kitahara had no intention of beating around the bush.

"Oh, and just so we're clear, I didn't agree to it. I did try to resist. I just... failed."

This guy can fail to resist?

Agnes Tachyon glanced at his hands, then very quickly pieced it together.

"Eclipse?"

"Yeah, that..."

He paused, then slowly nodded.

"She was one of them, yes..."

One of them?

Agnes Tachyon froze again.

"What do you mean, one of them? There were others too?"

"Yeah, well..."

Kitahara let out a sigh, then gave Agnes Tachyon a brief account of what had happened the night before.

As she listened, Agnes Tachyon's expression changed again and again—from confusion, to shock, to a frown, until finally she could not help muttering under her breath,

"So it really was that pervert..."

Originally, Kitahara had expected a much stronger reaction. After all, she had only confessed to him last night, and laying hands on the girls on his team was hardly something he could be proud of. He had even braced himself for her to look down on him.

But to his surprise, after hearing him out, Agnes Tachyon did not seem angry in the slightest. If anything, the corners of her lips had curled up a little, and she even seemed to be in a rather good mood.

"Um, Tachyon, about this—"

Kitahara was about to explain further, but Agnes Tachyon cut him off immediately.

"All right. I understand the situation now."

Although someone else had gotten there first, Agnes Tachyon did not seem especially upset about it. If anything, she was almost pleased.

Don't get the wrong idea—this was not because she had any strange tastes. It was simply that this blockhead had been infuriating beyond belief these past few days. Otherwise, things never would have escalated to what happened last night in the first place.

And now that she had heard he had finally gotten his just deserts, even if she had not been the one to do it herself, she still could not help feeling that some of her frustration had been vented. The look in her eyes naturally carried a bit of so you finally got what was coming to you.

Besides, while things had happened, Kitahara had also emphasized that there had been no Umapyoi. Which meant that even if someone else had already gotten the first taste, the main course still had not been touched.

She was not out of the running yet.

"Now tell me exactly why your condition improved after that."

As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon pulled out a notebook and looked entirely serious.

How had it improved...?

Kitahara thought for a moment, then slowly began.

"I can't really explain the exact mechanism, but after all that happened, I felt like some kind of 'connection' had formed between me and them. Those strange energies also seemed to spread outward a little... almost like they had entered their bodies."

"But the strange part is, they themselves didn't seem to sense any of it at all. On my side, though, even after that energy left my body, I could still guide and control it. I could even draw it back from a distance and use it to replenish what I'd lost."

"Also, even though the total amount increased, maybe because the amount inside my own body went down, it felt more stable and easier to control than before. When I fall asleep, there's no more overflow, either. So in that sense, it really did ease my problem..."

Though it had created a whole lot of new problems too.

Across from him, Agnes Tachyon listened to his explanation while scribbling in her notebook. After he finished, she pretended to think for a while, then let out a light sigh.

"Hm. In that case, this is going to be rather difficult..."

"What do you mean?"

"What else would I mean?"

Agnes Tachyon shot him a glance and tapped the notebook lightly with her pen.

"Your description is far too vague. Without concrete data, research can't be done on guesswork alone."

"Especially when this is only your side of the story. You say that energy entered their bodies, but whether it had any effect on them—or even whether it might be harmful—is still completely unclear..."

The instant he heard the word "harmful," Kitahara's expression stiffened.

"Then what do we do? Should I go get them right now so they can tell you what it felt like on their end? And while you're at it, could you examine them too and see whether there's any danger—"

As he spoke, Kitahara started to rise, but before he could get to his feet, two feet landed squarely on his thighs and pinned him back into the chair.

"What's the rush? If it really is harmful, a few seconds won't make any difference. Besides, I only said it was possible. When I saw them training this morning, they looked even more energetic than everyone else. If anything, maybe this stuff is actually beneficial to them..."

Leaning back in the chair opposite him in a half-reclining pose, Agnes Tachyon rested her feet on his legs, amusement in her expression as a curious gleam slowly lit her eyes.

"And besides, their accounts might not be accurate either. Back when people saw those halos of yours, everyone experienced them differently. If we get this wrong, it could cause all sorts of trouble..."

Hearing that, and seeing her assume that familiar posture she always took when she was about to start messing with him, Kitahara felt a bad premonition creeping up on him.

"So what are you planning to do?"

"What do you think?"

Agnes Tachyon looked at him, the corners of her lips curving upward slightly. Then she edged forward, wound her legs around his waist, rose from her seat, and settled herself in his lap. Still wearing that mischievous expression, she placed both hands on his chest and slowly traced the shape of a heart there.

"The best method, of course, is firsthand experimentation."

"This is for everyone's safety. You won't refuse, will you?"

As she said that, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes, an unreadable light flickering there.

"My dear Guinea Pig-kun."

...

Walking toward Agnes Tachyon's lab, Daiwa Scarlet carried two bags of pastries she had made herself.

During that afternoon's cooking class, Daiwa Scarlet had made several batches of sweets.

Most of them had already been wiped out by her classmates, but she had deliberately set aside two portions for Agnes Tachyon and Kitahara, so they could have a taste of her handiwork as well.

So after dinner, Daiwa Scarlet took the pastries and headed straight for Agnes Tachyon's lab, thinking along the way about what she ought to say once she got there.

Before long, she arrived at the lab door. She reached out and gave it a push, only for confusion to appear in her eyes.

Hm? That's strange. Why is it locked?

In Daiwa Scarlet's memory, Agnes Tachyon's lab was rarely ever locked.

It was true that there were a lot of expensive things inside, but this was Tracen Academy. People were generally decent.

Besides, Agnes Tachyon's reputation preceded her. Normal people did not dare go near that mad scientist to begin with, so under ordinary circumstances, there was simply no need to lock up. Whenever Daiwa Scarlet came by, she usually just pushed the door open and went in—she did not even need to knock.

But today...

Just as Daiwa Scarlet stood there staring at the lock in thought, perhaps because of the noise she had made trying the door, some strange sounds suddenly came from inside the room, along with a few somewhat suppressed noises.

"Hah... I... want to see... how you deal with this..."

That sounded a lot like Tachyon-senpai's voice. Was she running some strange experiment again...?

Thinking that, Daiwa Scarlet knocked on the door.

But for some reason, instead of stopping after she knocked, the sounds from inside only grew louder.

Even so, Daiwa Scarlet did not get impatient, nor did she call out.

Because she knew that sometimes Tachyon-senpai needed a great deal of concentration during her experiments. Daiwa Scarlet was a very considerate girl—she would never do something so inconsiderate as distract her senior at a critical moment and cause her trouble.

So she simply stood where she was and waited.

Perhaps whoever was inside had assumed the person outside had already gone away, or perhaps it was for some other reason, but the sounds from within gradually died down.

After waiting quite a while longer, figuring that Agnes Tachyon's experiment was probably over by now, Daiwa Scarlet raised a hand and knocked again.

This time, she heard something hit the floor inside, followed by a helpless sigh.

Then, after another stretch of faint rustling, footsteps finally sounded within, followed by the click of the lock being undone.

"May I ask what you—... Daiwa?!"

When he opened the door and saw Daiwa Scarlet standing there, Kitahara's expression blanked for a moment in surprise.

And behind him, Agnes Tachyon—who had just been grinning as she waited to see how he would handle what came next—froze too the instant she heard that name.

"Ah, Trainer Kitahara."

Daiwa Scarlet blinked at the sight of him: his clothes somewhat rumpled, his scent an odd mixture, with a few strands of Agnes Tachyon's hair still clinging to him. Yet she did not suspect much. After all, Agnes Tachyon was always messing with Kitahara, and Daiwa Scarlet had already walked in on that sort of thing more than once.

"Is Tachyon-senpai here?"

Kitahara glanced over at Agnes Tachyon in the distance, sprawled on the bed and desperately trying to tidy herself up. The instant he looked at her, she shook her head and blinked at him frantically.

Then he turned back and gave a slight nod.

"She is. Do you need something?"

"It's nothing big. I made some pastries in cooking class this afternoon, and I wanted Tachyon-senpai and you, Trainer Kitahara, to try them..."

As she spoke, Daiwa Scarlet lifted the pastries in her hand.

"Then I'll pass them on for you. She's in the middle of a somewhat dangerous experiment right now and can't get away just yet. Once she's finished, I'll tell her to eat them."

It was a little disappointing not to see Tachyon-senpai in person, but Daiwa Scarlet was a good girl. Since Kitahara had said so, she did not insist and obediently handed the pastries over to him.

"Then I'll leave them with you, Trainer Kitahara. I hope you'll like the flavor too..."

"Daiwa, so this is where you were."

Just as Daiwa Scarlet was about to leave, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

"Vodka? Didn't you go back to the dorm?"

Turning to look at the newcomer behind her, Daiwa Scarlet raised an eyebrow.

"I forgot my dorm key."

Vodka strode over casually, only noticing Kitahara behind the door when she got close.

Hm? Trainer Kitahara's here too? In that case, maybe she could hang around here for a bit...

Probably because too much of her attention had been drawn to Kitahara, when Vodka came up beside Daiwa Scarlet, she failed to notice the broom lying across the floor at her feet.

And so—

Bang—!

Quite naturally, Vodka tripped right over it. Because of how close they were, she toppled straight into Daiwa Scarlet.

And since Daiwa Scarlet was facing away from her and had no time to brace herself, the impact made her lose her balance as well, sending her pitching straight toward Kitahara.

Seeing Daiwa Scarlet about to fall, Kitahara instinctively shoved the door open further and moved to catch her. But while he had prepared himself for Daiwa Scarlet's weight, he had completely forgotten about Vodka behind her.

He reacted in time in the end, but only by taking a step backward to steady himself. That step carried him fully back into the room—and pulled both Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka in with him.

"Vodka! You idiot, watch where you're going!"

Daiwa Scarlet snapped that over her shoulder first, then turned to thank Kitahara.

But halfway through turning her head, the sight that came into view made her stop dead, her eyes going blank for a moment.

"...Tachyon-senpai?"

Looking at Agnes Tachyon on the bed—her clothes in disarray, breathing hard, her body marked by all sorts of indescribable traces as she frantically tried to find something to cover herself with—

Daiwa Scarlet blinked.

And her expression gradually turned to shock.

---

T/N: O_O

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