A sterile white room flickered into view as the sharp, biting scent of disinfectant rushed to meet Sugar Lights.
The harsh glare of the fluorescent lights reflecting off the bleached walls forced her to squint instinctively.
"So... you're here."
It was Agnes Tachyon's voice, laced with an indescribable exhaustion. Just hearing that tone sent a wave of dread through Sugar Lights, her mind spiraling toward every worst-case scenario.
"Didn't bring the others? No, never mind."
Always clad in that white lab coat, Agnes Tachyon blended perfectly into these surroundings—as if all her previous eccentricities had been a mere costume leading up to this very moment.
Looking at Tachyon's eyes, which were nearly drooping shut from fatigue, Sugar Lights felt her throat tighten. She forced out a raspy, low whisper.
"Dream... how is she?"
Agnes Tachyon met her gaze with a silent, heavy shake of her head.
"I see. So that's how it is. Honestly, this was the one time I didn't want my intuition to be right."
Sugar Lights let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. She quickly pinched her own arm, using the sharp sting to snap herself back together. Now was not the time to fall apart.
"Where is she?"
Tachyon didn't answer immediately. Instead, she walked with slow, heavy steps toward a chair and collapsed into it as if her strength had vanished. Only then did she point toward a white curtain at the back of the infirmary.
"In there."
"Right... thank you for everything."
Sugar Lights didn't say more. She offered a brief, steadying pat on the other's shoulder before pushing her wheelchair toward the curtain.
As her palm touched the fabric, she hesitated even more than she had at the door. It felt as though that flimsy white sheet weighed more than a mountain.
She took a deep breath. The medicinal air tasted bitter, and a primal urge to flee took root in her chest. But she pushed through, drawing back the curtain with slow, steady resolve.
Dream Weaver lay on the hospital bed. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy color, looking for all the world as if she had simply drifted off into a peaceful nap.
Sugar Lights swallowed hard, maneuvering her wheelchair to the bedside. Facing the sleeping girl, she felt a sudden, clumsy helplessness, unsure of what to even do with her hands.
After a long silence, she finally spoke to the slumbering Dream Weaver.
"Do you remember that mock race of ours?"
"A race with no winner. A textbook definition of a double-loss."
"After that, I'd actually given up. I stopped thinking about the Mechanical Uma Musume project altogether. I just wanted to drown in the quiet peace that alcohol brings."
"If you hadn't been watching over me, I probably would've turned into one of those cliché washed-up scientists you see in the movies..."
She reached out, tracing the warmth of Dream Weaver's palm as she whispered.
"I didn't get a chance to say 'congratulations' after the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, did I?"
"Congratulations, Dream.You finally won the Arc. Seeing you shine out there on the turf... it reignited my resolve to continue the research."
"But why... why did this have to happen just when everything was heading toward a happy ending...?"
Heavy tears began to splash onto the bedsheets, blooming into dark circles on the fabric. Her voice cracked, thick with sobs, but she refused to let go of Dream Weaver's hand.
After a long moment, Sugar Lights set her jaw and spoke with newfound steel in her voice.
"I'm going to keep researching... for your sake. As long as your consciousness remains, I will find a way to bring your spirit back to this world with a transfer device!"
"So... so until I finish my work, I won't allow you to just fall like this!"
"I hear you, but I'm not really sure I want to be stuffed inside a robot. Even if it does sound kind of cool."
The voice came out of nowhere, making Sugar Lights freeze.
For a second, she thought she was hallucinating from grief, but the sudden squeeze from the hand she was holding told her it was very real.
Sugar Lights looked up to find Dream Weaver wearing a sheepish, slightly guilty smile.
"Sorry. It was supposed to be a little prank. I didn't realize Dr. Lights liked me that much."
"I know the timing is bad, but I'm actually really happy to know I'm that important to you!"
Sugar Lights opened her mouth, but the words were stuck. A tidal wave of complex emotions erupted in her chest, and a flush—hotter than volcanic ash—surged into her cheeks in an instant.
"This is exactly what I wanted to see—"
"That look on your face!"
Right on cue, Agnes Tachyon came scurrying over with a mischievous grin, clearly wanting a front-row seat to the drama.
"I didn't think you had it in you to say such things!"
"Dr. Lights, you have such a sensitive soul, don't you?"
Exploding with embarrassment and rage, Sugar Lights grabbed Agnes Tachyon's head and began shaking it violently.
"You! It was you! You egged Dream into doing something this cruel, didn't you?! I'll never forgive you for this, waaah!"
"It wasn't me! This prank was all Dream's idea!"
"As if I'd believe a word out of your mouth!"
"It's true! Maybe Dream is just the kind of Uma Musume who loves seeing the people who like her cry!"
"Repent, Agnes Tachyon! Repent for your sins!"
The two of them squabbled and pulled at each other for a while until Dream Weaver, laughing, finally called a truce. She explained that she had only suffered a minor fracture and had come up with the prank to help cheer Tachyon up.
"You're still defending her? Dream, you're far too kind to this woman."
Sugar Lights, perhaps blinded by her own bias, refused to believe it. She remained stubbornly convinced that Tachyon was the mastermind.
Besides, if it weren't for Tachyon's dramatic overacting, she never would have feared the worst while Dream was just lying there. It was definitely Tachyon's fault.
"Fine, fine, I'll be the mastermind," Tachyon said, rubbing her cheeks while casting a sly look at Sugar Lights. "But are you really okay being the only one with this kind of embarrassing history on the record?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Don't you want to see how pathetic Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle look when they're in your shoes?"
Her dignity as an adult warred with the memory of her recent breakdown. It was a short battle. Being a "sensible" adult, Sugar Lights didn't hesitate for a second.
"I understand. Things like this... it's only fair if everyone goes through it once."
Emitting a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a villain who had finally snapped, Sugar Lights looked ready to drag everyone else down with her.
Given her credentials, one might call her a "Mad Scientist" at this point.
Watching Sugar Lights transform into a vengeful spirit determined to pull Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle into the deep end, Dream Weaver opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out.
Partly, she knew she couldn't talk Sugar Lights out of it now.
But deep down, maybe—just maybe—she quite liked seeing how much she truly mattered to them.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.