Chapter 24
After hearing Kitasan Black's summary, Yasui Makoto sent Tokai Teio a quick message and set up a meeting time.
He really didn't like mixing work into his days off, and from her short reply it didn't seem like she was in any rush either.
So it wasn't until Monday afternoon that he finally headed to the student council office.
The moment he stepped inside, he immediately stepped back out.
Behind the desk sat Tokai Teio, wearing her usual pair of plain glasses.
Beside her was a horse girl with short brown hair and striking red eyes patterned like window blinds.
She wore an oversized white lab coat, the sleeves so long they practically begged to be tied into knots.
Her hands were completely hidden inside those sleeves as she held a steaming cup of black tea.
She had been chatting with Tokai Teio, but the second she noticed someone enter, her eyes lit up.
"Hohoho... Long time no see, Yasui-kun..."
Before she could finish, Yasui Makoto had already backed out the door.
He glanced up at the nameplate.
Yep, definitely the student council office.
So why was Agnes Tachyon here?
Inside the room, Agnes Tachyon's lips curved into a smirk at his hasty retreat. She turned to Tokai Teio.
"Am I really that scary?"
"Ahaha, well..."
Tokai Teio gave an awkward laugh and adjusted her glasses with a small cough.
"Trainer Yasui, please come in. Doctor Tachyon has a rather good suggestion, and I think you should hear her out."
Yasui Makoto had already stepped back inside.
He still had no idea what Agnes Tachyon was doing here, but walking out would have been far too rude.
Even if the rumors about her human experiments weren't completely baseless, with the student council president right there, surely she wouldn't suggest anything too outrageous...
Probably?
"Good afternoon, both of you."
Still a little confused, Yasui Makoto asked, "So the one who wanted to see me today wasn't the president... it was Doctor Tachyon?"
"Pretty much."
Before Tokai Teio could answer, Agnes Tachyon's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"I happened to catch Kitasan Black's race the other day. What an outstanding victory.
"Congratulations... Winning on your very first race with your very first horse girl... Yasui-kun really is no ordinary trainer."
..."Happened to catch"? You've clearly been watching ever since the check-up, haven't you?
And "no ordinary trainer"...
So you really do want to do all sorts of weird things to me, huh?
Yasui Makoto kept those thoughts to himself and grew even more puzzled.
It had already been a month since the hospital visit, and during that time he had barely been in contact with Agnes Tachyon at all.
The last time she examined him, she had said his health was perfectly fine and never asked him to come back for a follow-up.
So why had she been keeping such a close eye on him and Kitasan Black? Did she really have some strange ulterior motive?
Then again, all he had done was train himself from a young age, so his physical condition was just above average for a human.
Compared to that, a horse girl with Kitasan Black's absurdly strong physique should be far more interesting to a doctor, right?
While he was still thinking, Agnes Tachyon suddenly changed the subject.
"I have a consultation soon, and I'm sure you have training to get back to, Yasui-kun, so I won't waste time with pleasantries."
She took a sip of her tea, her voice turning playfully enticing.
"I took a quick look at the public race entries. You've placed Kitasan Black on the Classic route, haven't you?
"Winning the Triple Crown isn't easy at all. I'm sure you've already planned out plenty of special training, right?
"For example... paired running?
"I asked Teio about it, and she said you haven't submitted a partner request yet.
"I actually have a candidate in mind. Would you be interested, Yasui-kun?"
Yasui Makoto wasn't surprised that Agnes Tachyon knew so much about the upcoming schedule and training.
Kitasan Black's race entries were all public, so anyone could look them up.
As for her knowledge of the training side, that was simple enough.
Agnes Tachyon wasn't just any horse girl—she had been an active racer and even won the Satsuki Sho.
From debut to the Satsuki Sho, she had gone four-for-four, and before the race she had nearly 60% of the public support, easily the most popular horse girl of her time.
Her incredible winning streak and overwhelming speed had earned her the nickname "Superluminal Particle" in the racing world.
So when she talked about Kitasan Black's training, she wasn't guessing—she was casually sharing the exact experience of someone who had already conquered the Classics.
Just as she said, Yasui Makoto had indeed planned several special training sessions for his horse girl, and paired running was one of them.
As the name suggested, it involved training together with another horse girl. It was perfect for building race awareness and figuring out the best running style.
Normally, an experienced trainer with many horse girls under their care could easily arrange paired sessions, or even invite famous racers.
But Yasui Makoto didn't have that kind of network yet. He could only go through the academy's official request process.
The partners available that way were usually average at best—sometimes even weaker than Kitasan Black.
Stronger horse girls rarely had the time to help others when they had their own training to worry about.
Still, something was better than nothing. Since the debut race had gone according to plan, he now needed to focus on her preferred running style, so paired training was definitely necessary.
He had already written the request form; he just hadn't submitted it yet.
He also didn't like changing plans once they were set, and he still couldn't figure out what Agnes Tachyon's sudden kindness was really about.
After thinking it over, he shook his head.
"Thank you very much, Doctor Tachyon, but if I may be frank... the request form is already written, and I don't really like changing plans I've already decided on. Besides..."
"Daiwa Scarlet."
"...But then again, for Doctor Tachyon to take time out of her busy schedule to help me and Kita-chan like this, it would be far too rude to refuse outright. I'm actually very interested in the paired-running partner you're offering. Please pretend I never said any of that earlier. I'm incredibly grateful for your kindness and meant nothing else by it."
Yasui Makoto changed his answer without missing a beat.
"Oh? Looks like Yasui-kun has accepted after all..."
Agnes Tachyon raised an eyebrow with clear amusement, the corners of her mouth lifting into a grin. She stood up and stretched lazily.
"Well then, I won't keep you two any longer. I still have that consultation. Excuse me..."
True to her word, the horse girl left as soon as she finished speaking. In moments, the office was left with only a stunned Yasui Makoto and Tokai Teio.
"President... what exactly was that about with Doctor Tachyon...?"
Yasui Makoto hesitated before turning to Tokai Teio.
Noticing the look in his eyes, Tokai Teio thought for a moment.
"Honestly, I was surprised too.
"The night before last, Tachyon suddenly called me and said she wanted to offer a paired-running partner for Trainer Yasui.
"When I asked why she suddenly decided this, she only said she was very interested in both the trainer and Kita-chan.
"You've probably heard the rumors about Tachyon... um, some rather strange ones.
"But I can guarantee you as president that none of her experiments have ever caused any real harm.
"Besides, when I heard who she was suggesting, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for both you and Kita-chan.
"After all... that's Daiwa Scarlet we're talking about.
"You already know how strong she is, right, Trainer Yasui?"
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