"HUFF!! HUFF!!"
"McQueen, take a rest for ten minutes. We'll start the next set after that."
"Yes, Air Shakur!!"
"Teio, keep that position for another thirty minutes. You could listen to a YouTube video if you like. We need to increase your flexibility."
"Alright, Shakur!!"
"The drinks and meal are here, okay~~ I make sure to brew them with a hundred percent protein liquid!!!"
"UUugghh… Tachyon's drinks aren't tasty!! Urara hates it!!"
"A medicine shouldn't taste delicious, Urara. They're not meant to be taken after every single meal, or it would cause an overdose."
With Arima Kinen in sight, Team Minaz enters their state of flow. Agnes Tachyon handles the meal and supplements, Air Shakur oversees the physical training, and Manhattan Cafe watches over the 2 assistants. Watching the 2 assistants working diligently in their field, Cafe wondered if the young man had planned this entire thing from the beginning.
"Ugh… Even I'm repulsed by that drink, Tachyon. Could you not put something to lessen its hideousness?"
"Unnecessary ingredients could react with the contents of the drink and food, which could produce poison, Shakur."
"On second thought, can you not brew poison and have them taste it, Tachyon?"
"It only has the potential to be poisonous, Cafe. Just like how apples can be deadly if you eat a truckload of them. The cyanide in the seeds will kill you."
"I think the cyanide is the least of your worries if you're eating a truckload of apples."
"Hey!! I'm just doing what I was paid for, and sadly for all of you, that bastard didn't pay me to cook your dessert."
"Sigh… I suppose I could eat desserts after this…"
With a heavy heart, McQueen grabbed a glass full of thick, vine-green liquid. She closed her eyes as she brought it close to her mouth, and finally let the contents pour into her mouth.
"GUHK!! MMHH!!!"
"McQueen… You don't need to push yourself."
A taste and texture so disgusting assaulted the young lady's mouth that a tear physically rolled down her cheeks. Even Goldship was feeling guilty for preventing her from eating her desserts before this.
"GAH!! Ah… Ah… I won…"
"Congratulations!! Fun fact: the consistency is the same as a man's sperm, so you could think of this as training for when That Bastard lost his mind."
"PFFFFTTT!!! TACHYON!!!!"
"What? It's a fun fact. Why are you getting angry at me?"
"Define fun, you Crazy Scientist. Your value isn't shared by anyone but yourself."
"You're one to say, Edgy Programmer"
The 2 assistants throw insults at one another even when they're supposed to be on the same team.
"Say, Tachyon, do you think I could win against Rice Shower in the Arima Kinen?"
"...
Truthfully, I have no idea.
Hey, Programmer. What did you find about that assassin?"
"That her performance in the Kikuka Sho was nothing short of a miracle."
"Huh?"
"I have gathered every single piece of data before and AFTER her race. Everything told me that it should be impossible for her to win the Kikuka Sho."
"But she did win?"
"I know!! I know she won!! I just don't get how!!" Shakur's voice is heightened by annoyance. She had spent 3 sleepless nights running all sorts of simulations to explain Rice Shower's performance, but she found nothing.
"Did Tachyon feed her something before the race?"
"How rude of you, McQueen? I was participating in the race, remember? If anyone in that race would be doped, it would be me."
"Can you not confirm my fear that easily?"
"Anyway, if we're going by her Kikuka Sho performance, then it would still be hard to defeat Rice Shower. Although, she should be the last of your worries considering who else will be running in the Arima Kinen.
Orfevre and Gentildonna are the ones you should be worried about most. A Triple Crown and a Triple Tiara champion."
"Hmmm… Guess so… But I want to settle things with her!! She was the one who destroyed my dream!!! I wouldn't die peacefully if I couldn't cross the line first before her!!"
"The one who destroys your dream is yourself, Teio. It was me who got her Triple Crown attempt shot down."
"Stop being selfish, McQueen."
"..."
"..."
"...come here."
"AAHHH!!! AAAAHHHH!!! STOP CRUSHING MY SKULL!!!!!! AAAAAHHHH!!! HHHEEEELLLLPPP!!!!"