Inside Tracen Academy, in Agnes Tachyon's lab, Fujiwara Shirayuki sat across from the so-called "mad scientist," the two staring at each other.
"It's not working. The affection values are way off. It's like everyone has some special bond with me. It keeps jumping over ninety."
"That shouldn't be the case…"
Tachyon frowned slightly, replaying the footage recorded by the glasses.
Her algorithm was built from tens of thousands of facial models, processed through AI. There should not be such a large deviation. Even if it was slightly inaccurate, the margin of error should only be around four or five at most.
So why was Shirayuki seeing differences of ten, even twenty?
Watching the footage of Rice and the others interacting with Shirayuki, Tachyon narrowed her eyes.
"Wait. The one wearing the glasses here… isn't you, is it?"
"That's right. It's my trainer. I asked him to test it. The more subjects you have, the more accurate your results should be."
"…That's true."
She fast-forwarded to the scene in the chairwoman's office, then paused, carefully observing the expressions of everyone on screen.
"Well? Something wrong?" Shirayuki asked. "If their affection toward me was really that high, I'd be ruling Tracen by now. Instead, I'm still just a trainee under a trainer."
"You can't judge something like this so simply—wait a second. What did you just say?"
"Huh?"
"If I heard correctly, you said 'their affection toward you.'" Tachyon tapped the screen. "But the one wearing the glasses here isn't you. It's your trainer."
Shirayuki's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no… I slipped up.
Whether it was Chiya or Shirayuki, it was fundamentally the same "self" to her. That was why she had instinctively phrased it that way.
"That was a slip of the tongue! You told me to test it, so I just spoke from a first-person perspective. I meant my trainer. It's their affection toward him!"
"Hmm."
Those dull crimson eyes studied her for a moment, as if trying to see through her, before calmly looking away.
"I see."
Tachyon didn't press further.
"There is room for improvement in these glasses. I'll refine the algorithm later and have you test them again. As for those people with affection above ninety… there's a very simple way to confirm whether it's real."
"What way?"
"Make requests that a normal person would immediately refuse."
"…For example?"
Tachyon smiled faintly.
"Go to Hayakawa-san and say, 'Could you give me a pair of your unwashed underwear?' If she refuses, then her affection isn't actually that high, and the machine is wrong. If she doesn't refuse, then it means she's simply hiding how much she likes you."
"You're kidding me!?" Shirayuki's face went pale. "I'd get killed on the track! Even if the affection really is ninety, saying something like that would make it drop instantly! That's just being a pervert!"
"At ninety-six, someone is practically willing to fulfill any unreasonable request you make. At that level, affection has already passed a certain threshold. It doesn't drop easily anymore. Someone at seventy or eighty might react differently, but over ninety… trust me."
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"Well, it doesn't have to be underwear. Any excessive request works. Asking to smell someone's scent, or lick their armpit would also do."
"No, no, no, that's way too much!"
"Otherwise it wouldn't count as excessive. If it's just a small favor, even sixty is enough. The higher the affection, the more extreme the request they're willing to accept."
The more extreme the request…
Shirayuki suddenly thought of Rice, whose affection had also exceeded ninety.
Does that mean… I could ask Rice to do something like that?
No, absolutely not.
She grabbed her head.
Rice is such a good girl. I can't take advantage of that just because she likes me.
"In the end, it's your decision," Tachyon said calmly. "Personally, I don't believe the machine's error is that large. If you want accurate results, you'll have to set aside your hesitation and explore every possibility."
There's no way I'm saying something like that to Hayakawa-san or the chairwoman… I'd be expelled from Tracen on the spot.
Seeing Shirayuki's unwilling expression, a faint glint passed through Tachyon's eyes.
"Well, if you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll call you again next time I have an experiment."
"Wait. I already helped you once. At least fill out my recruitment form."
"Oh my, Shirayuki-san. If I remember correctly, that form was only meant to show you that not all of my research is dangerous. If you want me to fill it out, you'll need to assist with more experiments."
"What? You're making me work for free!?"
"That was the agreement from the start. Since you want compensation, I'll give you something."
Tachyon took out a small, round black box with a button and handed it over.
"It contains a type of incense that helps with sleep. Training every day must be exhausting, so you can use this to relax and recover. Press this button to light it."
Looking at the finely made box, Shirayuki nodded and accepted it.
Well… it's better than nothing.
"As for the remaining experiments, I'll come find you again. If you don't refuse next time, I'll fill out your form."
"You said that."
"Of course."
After getting her promise, Shirayuki left the lab.
Sitting back in her chair, Tachyon watched the door slowly close.
"How interesting…"
Her expression turned intrigued as she replayed the footage again.
From earlier, she had been naturally speaking to Shirayuki as if she were addressing the trainer in the video. And yet, Shirayuki responded without the slightest sense of discomfort.
Fujiwara Shirayuki… and her trainer.
What exactly is your relationship?
A bold, almost absurd idea began to form in Tachyon's mind.
I need to find out why she said those things…
In that case… I'll start with the trainer.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki examined the incense in her hands.
The student dorm wasn't a suitable place to use it. She shared the room with Mejiro Dober, so she needed to be considerate. In the end, she decided to leave it in her office instead.
When she reached the door, it opened. Without looking, she handed the incense forward. Chiya took it casually, his finger brushing against the button.
A sweet fragrance slowly spread into the air.
So this is the incense…
Smells pretty nice.
Chiya turned and placed it on the desk. As he continued working while breathing in the calming scent, there was another knock at the door.
A brown-haired girl stepped inside.
"Excuse me, Trainer Chiya."
It was Mejiro Dober. She gave a polite bow, holding a lunchbox in her hands.