A person spends their entire life tangled up with fame and fortune; this so-called existence is built upon nothing else.
The incompetent are crushed by reputation and wealth, chasing after them their whole lives yet never grasping them.
Those who pursue fame and fortune get sucked into the whirlpool, never to escape again.
And then there are those aloof souls who couldn't care less about such things, yet spend their lives pursued by reputation and wealth, never knowing a moment's peace.
"So that's why you've hidden yourself away in my lab, is it, Nearl?"
Agnes Tachyon shook a test tube in her hand, a teasing smirk on her face as she looked at Nearl, who sat rigidly upright—the biggest idol in all of Japan right now.
"Mmm. It's just too troublesome outside. While everyone's enthusiasm makes me happy, there can be too much of a good thing. I can't even maintain a normal routine anymore."
"That's your own fault!"
Agnes Tachyon pointed a finger hidden in her sleeve accusingly at Nearl, though from the outside it just looked like her sleeve was flapping in the girl's direction.
"If you'd just steel yourself and refuse them, or even give them a good scolding, all of this would stop right away."
"…"
How could Nearl not know that? But she simply wasn't the type of person who could do such things.
"Ah, forget it. I'm just rambling. You can stay here as long as you like. Getting a universal assistant for free? I'm over the moon."
She casually pulled out a chair for Nearl, but in truth, Agnes Tachyon was absolutely thrilled.
"But if you're planning to stick around here, you know what's expected of you, right? Hehehe… Whoa!"
Tachyon's arrogant, gleeful laughter didn't last long before it was cut off by a somewhat firm head-pat from Nearl.
"Act normal. The reason your reputation is so poor, Tachyon, has a lot to do with you carrying on without a care in the world."
After thoroughly mussing up Tachyon's soft, neck-length chestnut hair, Nearl carefully smoothed it back into place.
Throughout the whole process, Tachyon wore a strangely content expression, like an orange cat basking in the sun.
"Have you been washing your hair properly lately? Last time you said you were too busy with your routine and didn't have the time."
"Mmm, once every couple of days. Bathing is still such a hassle. I wish someone would invent a one-click solution to clean your whole body. Oh, maybe that should be my next research project."
The ears atop her head swayed with her thoughts, occasionally batting against Nearl's hands as they tidied her hair.
"No. You are going to take proper showers yourself."
Hearing Tachyon's lazy reply, Nearl playfully increased the pressure of her pats, making the smaller girl's head wobble.
"Bathing isn't just about staying clean. The rest during the process and the refreshed feeling afterward are the real points. You expend so much mental energy every day on research and memorization; you need to give yourself a break, don't you?"
As she spoke, Nearl's intention shifted from just tidying Tachyon's hair to giving her a proper massage.
"Mmm~~don't stop~~"
The expert technique had Tachyon completely captivated, her voice growing faint and dreamy.
The atmosphere in the research room instantly grew peaceful, broken only by Tachyon's occasional, soft murmurs.
A tingling, numbing sensation spread from the pressure points on her head, her eyelids growing heavy.
Agnes Tachyon suddenly felt it would be perfectly fine to take a little nap.
After all, when she woke up, that reliable golden Uma Musume would surely be right by her side.
"Don't run off halfway… you still have to help with the reagent experiment… just a little nap… zzz…"
"Sleep. I won't go back on my promise to you."
Looking at the Uma scientist who, in sleep, bore none of her usual manic or intimidating aura, Nearl gently laid her down on the nearby sofa.
While the head massage had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, making Tachyon fall asleep was not.
Nearl planned to use this time to do something for this nominal senior of hers, this child in her heart who needed looking after.
During their time together these past days, while not exactly sharing every secret, Agnes Tachyon had revealed most of herself in front of Nearl.
Well, that was only natural.
Though Tachyon's mind was sharper than most Uma Musume's, in her daily life she was far too careless, leaving research materials and experiment records strewn about everywhere—especially after Nearl started coming by every day to tidy up.
So Nearl had a pretty good idea what it was that Tachyon, with her single-minded dedication to research, was trying to solve.
'Tachyon: No, you don't.'
"I'm sorry. It's my lack of ability. If you were competing a year from now, Tachyon, your leg injury wouldn't be troubling you at all."
"If you could just wait one more year, I could completely change the rules of this world."
Thinking this, Nearl's self-reproach grew even deeper.
But this guilt would be buried deep within her heart, sealed away where no one could glimpse it… for now.
Light shimmered, flowing like liquid as Nearl guided it, wrapping Agnes Tachyon's legs securely. Visually, it looked almost as if they were coated in honey, though far more translucent.
"It will probably take three, maybe four more times, and then your legs should be able to run as they once did. Don't be too surprised when it happens, alright?"
With a caring tap on the forehead of the sleeping Agnes Tachyon, Nearl granted herself a brief moment of respite.
Though calling it a rest wasn't quite right, as she still had another urgent matter to attend to.
Settling into a chair, she stirred the mental energy within her mind.
The ripples this created were equivalent to an incredibly irritating ringtone—an obscure little trick Nearl used for communication between herself and Platinum.
Yes, just like a phone call.
"Moshi moshi~~~ who is this?"
A familiar voice, deliberately drawn-out, sounding like the type of person who loves to cause trouble and then hide nearby pretending innocence.
"Rea, even though this way of talking does resemble a phone call, you don't actually have to mimic that part, you know."
"Just a joke."
The tone on the other end quickly turned flat. Nearl could almost picture Platinum's eyes, looking like 'a fish that's dead but not quite.'
"So what is it this time?"
"Nothing, really. Just checking on how you're holding up. Are you alright, taking on the burden of covering the world's consumption?"
"How could I possibly be fine? But there's no other way, right? Your activities over there can't stop, but Spe-chan's training on my end has reached a lull, so it's just a matter of time."
"And is Spe-chan and that… auntie worried?"
"It's fine. I pretended I hurt my back. So using a wheelchair is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"All I can say is thank you."
"In that case, wire me some money. Right now I'm relying entirely on Spe-chan's family for food and shelter; it's really quite troublesome… Wait, Spe-chan, don't look at me like that, I'm just venting a little!"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 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.