The bell chiming the end of morning classes rang out, but Platinum paid it no mind. She was sprawled over her desk, fast asleep.
The sky was her blanket, the earth her bed, and this hunched position was as good as any for a proper nap.
Her sleep schedule was ambitiously aligned with American time zones—asleep by day, awake by night, surfing the web and trading insults with quality netizens until dawn, honing skills once tempered in the trenches of the online battlegrounds.
That was Platinum now. Early bedtime? Unthinkable. Falling asleep before sunrise was nothing short of blasphemy against the night.
Especially after Agnes Tachyon had dragged her out of bed for a sudden training session that morning.
She was completely drained. During the morning assembly, her eyelids had already been at war, and when first period—Japanese—rolled around, the teacher's gentle, earnest lecturing was all it took for Platinum to tilt her head and drift off into a deep slumber, one that lasted the entire morning.
A loud BANG! like a gong exploded beside Platinum's ear, jolting her upright. "Earthquake!? Is it an earthquake!?"
Agnes Tachyon set the noisemaker and mallet aside casually, then shook Platinum's shoulder. "No earthquake. Wake up."
Bleary-eyed and disoriented, Platinum stared blankly at Agnes. "Huh? Wha…?"
"Did you drink the shake I gave you this morning? I specifically told you to finish it by the end of first period."
"…What period is it now?"
Seeing Platinum's soul-seemingly-departed expression, Agnes let out a soft sigh. She already knew there was no point pressing further.
Agnes would've bet anything that if Platinum had actually followed her instructions, she'd eat her own hat—or maybe even Platinum herself.
"Well, what's done is done. Let's eat first." Grabbing Platinum by the scruff of her neck, Agnes marched her out into the hallway, drawing curious stares from everyone they passed.
"Hey, hey—let go… I can walk on my own…"
--+--
At the lunch table, Daiwa Scarlet and Manhattan Cafe exchanged glances, each seeing sheer disbelief reflected in the other's eyes.
Agnes set a tray down in front of Platinum. "Eat. All of it. Don't leave a single bite."
Platinum stared at the food, then at Agnes, her Adam's apple bobbing nervously. "Just to be sure… tell me I won't have to eat this every day from now on?"
"This is the optimal combination," Agnes declared, oozing confidence. "Paired with supplements, it provides exactly what your body needs to perform at its peak."
"Trust me, you'll prefer this over choking down nothing but dry, heavy meat at every meal."
"I don't like either option…" Platinum whined, her face a picture of misery.
[Senpai, what's… going on with Tachyon-senpai?]
Under the table, Daiwa Scarlet discreetly texted Manhattan Cafe.
Manhattan Cafe squinted slightly, observing how Agnes's attention was entirely fixed on Platinum, and typed a reply.
[Let her have her fun.]
--+--
Time flew by. The sun had risen in the east, and before long, it was already beginning to set in the west.
Gasping for air, Platinum came to a stop, feeling ready to just collapse right there on the grass.
"Good. Not a bad time today." Agnes stopped the stopwatch. Nearby, Trainer Okino watched her, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his temple.
Just who's the trainer here, me or her?
"Maintaining that pace through the final three furlongs is quite impressive… Hehehe… It seems your late kick still has plenty of room for development."
"However, a bow too tightly strung will snap. Let's call it a day for now."
Hearing this, Platinum didn't even have the energy to cheer. She just flopped sideways onto the ground.
'Overly rigid and prone to break'? What Platinum had endured today was nothing short of brutal.
Ever since coming to this world, Agnes Tachyon was the only one who had managed to make running feel like pure torture.
Platinum knew her own stamina was nothing to scoff at—considerably better than most of her peers.
So, Agnes had tailored the training to precisely match that stamina, seemingly determined to wring out every last drop of energy she possessed.
Letting Agnes examine her was definitely the biggest mistake of her life…
Agnes walked over and sat down beside Platinum.
"For the first day, your performance was acceptable. Keep it up—I'm counting on you to win some graded stakes." Agnes handed Platinum a towel, all the while chattering away.
Whatever you say, Platinum thought, feeling only a profound sense of relief.
"Also, make sure you get to bed early tonight," Agnes instructed. "Aim for 9 PM, and absolutely no later than 10."
"Staying up late is terribly damaging to your body. It affects your condition, so don't take it lightly."
Platinum just rolled her eyes.
If I go to bed early, how am I supposed to make up for the lost time?
Every extra minute spent sleeping at night is a minute of life wasted.
Platinum had always believed in cherishing every moment.
"Hehe…" Seeing Platinum's reaction, Agnes didn't press further. She simply watched her with an inscrutable smile. "Have some water. You've worked hard today." She handed Platinum a water bottle.
Platinum propped herself up and drained the bottle in one go.
Agnes watched the motion of Platinum's throat, her smile growing wider and more pleased.
--+--
"Why is Agnes Tachyon so quiet tonight…"
Changed into her pajamas, Platinum lay sprawled like a starfish on her bed.
"What an exhausting day… If every day is going to be like this, it's going to be pure misery…" Just thinking about Agnes gave her a headache.
Whimper. In this materialistic world, only the internet could offer her any solace.
Time to start surfing the web!
The night life was just beginning. True living only started after dark!
Long live staying up late! The night owl reigns supreme!
As for Agnes's instructions… Platinum had no intention of following them.
It's not like she could watch her twenty-four hours a day, right?
Humming a tune, Platinum flipped open her laptop, ready to bestow her wisdom upon the online world, when she was suddenly hit by a massive, jaw-cracking yawn.
"Huh…? That's weird, why am I so tired already?" She rubbed her eyes, but couldn't seem to shake off the drowsiness.
In fact, she only felt sleepier by the second.
"Was the training really that intense today…?"
Yawn after yawn forced its way out. She shut down the computer, turned off the light, and crawled under the covers, pulling out her phone instead.
If she was this tired, she might as well scroll while lying down.
But lying down made it even worse. Within minutes, her head lolled to the side, her phone dropped onto the pillow beside her, and she sank into a deep, heavy sleep.
Meanwhile, back in her own dorm room, Agnes Tachyon was watching the clock.
"Right about now… it should be taking effect…"
She sent Platinum a message.
[Asleep yet?]
No reply. It was normal for Platinum to leave her on read, but this time, the message remained unread even after several minutes.
Agnes couldn't help but chuckle softly. It looked like someone would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for class tomorrow.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.