Platinum was actually quite meticulous by nature.
There'd been one time she overslept and, in her rush, forgot to take her medicine.
Though her Soul Dissolution Syndrome didn't flare up, it gave her a real scare.
If she ever infected even one person, Platinum felt that not even dying would be enough to atone.
So she decided then: if she ever showed symptoms of moving from the first stage to the second, she'd leave Tracen Academy immediately—preferably for some deserted place where there wasn't a soul in sight.
As for now? Waking up early was out of the question, unless Agnes Tachyon decided to blast a suona right by her ear.
But to prevent another slip-up like that, and because that American-made medicine came in such a bulky jar, Platinum took a few tablets out and put them in a smaller pillbox.
That way, if something similar happened again, she could fix it right away.
At first, Agnes Digital didn't pay much attention to those little white pills.
Supplements—vitamins and the like—everyone took them. They were just for regulating your health. Carrying them around might seem a bit over the top, but it wasn't a big deal.
But soon enough, she realized these small tablets weren't something like calcium pills or creatine.
Back during her own active days, she'd taken plenty of similar stuff, and rooming with Agnes Tachyon had rubbed off on her enough to tell the difference.
Of course, you couldn't tell much from a tiny pill, and Agnes Digital was no expert—that was about the extent of what she could figure out.
Watching Platinum's chest rise and fall evenly as she slept deeply, Agnes Digital shook her head hard, as if trying to fling those nagging thoughts right out of her mind.
She laid Platinum flat on the bed, turned off her computer screen, and then quietly slipped into bed beside her.
Might as well take a nap while she had the chance. Strangely, not a single improper thought crossed Agnes Digital's mind—not even something like taking a sneaky close-up photo.
Next time… next time they went out together, she'd take a picture of Platinum then.
Agnes Digital closed her eyes. But thoughts kept buzzing around her head like mosquitoes, churning up her mind until all drowsiness was gone.
What were those pills, really?
Agnes Digital was an Uma Musume with a strong curious streak. Even so, she knew where to draw the line—what was okay to do and what wasn't, what was public and what was private.
But those pills… those pills… she just couldn't let it go.
Ugh, why worry? Besides, Agnes Tachyon was Platinum's pharmacist…
Agnes Digital rolled over, her eyes snapping open.
Agnes Tachyon!
Now Agnes Digital really couldn't sleep.
What kind of person was Agnes Tachyon? Well, everyone knew.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Tachyon—it was that she trusted her too much.
Take the stuff Tachyon brewed up… even a normal person could run as fast as an Uma Musume after downing one of her concoctions.
And if a drug like that… was used on an Uma Musume?
No… Tachyon wouldn't do something like that. Agnes Digital knew her well enough—beneath that mad scientist exterior was a person who held firm to her principles. That was part of her charm.
But still…
Agnes Digital thought again of those white pills in the little transparent container.
Didn't they look just like some unregulated, sketchy product? The kind… that came straight out of Tachyon's lab.
And how did those two get so close, anyway? Tachyon used to be such a slacker—sometimes she wouldn't even get up before sunset.
Now, for Platinum's sake, she was going to bed early and waking up early, suddenly transforming into Platinum's personal pharmacist. She even followed behind Platinum like a little tail when they came to Hong Kong. Unthinkable in the past.
It was as if, overnight, Platinum had captured Tachyon's heart, leaving her utterly smitten and devoted.
Not even Daiwa Scarlet or Manhattan Cafe had managed that. Daiwa Scarlet with Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe with Tachyon—Agnes Digital had once really rooted for those pairings.
She turned over again, now face-to-face with Platinum's sleeping visage.
Platinum's face in sleep was serene and lovely, like a sculpture freshly polished from marble.
Her silvery-white hair cascaded over the mattress like a glacier on a snowy peak melting under the sun, turning into spring's sweet showers.
Looking further down, there was her slender neck, her delicate, willowy frame.
It held a budding allure—youthful, with a dreamy, sweet-and-sour quality, like unripe fruit hanging heavy on the branch.
Further down still were those impossibly long, beautifully proportioned legs.
Those very legs could unleash an unbelievable final kick in a race, securing victories by overwhelming margins—ten lengths or more. And at the very end of her gaze, dainty pink toenails were neatly lined up like little seashells arranged carefully by a child.
Agnes Digital's eyes returned to Platinum's face. But more than any of that, what left the deepest impression on her were Platinum's eyes.
The first time Agnes Digital saw Platinum up close was the day she ran alongside Tokai Teio.
Dressed in her tracksuit, Platinum stood alone on the track, sweat steaming off her, yet her face was completely expressionless.
When Platinum's gaze swept across the sidelines, Agnes Digital saw those eyes for the first time.
Pitch-black pupils, like bottomless pits, like whirlpools, like black holes—sucking in all light, from which nothing could escape.
Eyes that could make the sun seem shrouded and the sky turn dim.
—What was Platinum always thinking about?
Agnes Digital had wondered about that from the very moment she saw her.
The mysteries surrounding Platinum seemed to unravel from a distance, but up close, it felt like she was still wrapped in thick mist—and within that mist, a black hole that devoured everything.
—Ah, that explains it.
It wasn't that Tachyon gave Platinum the pills—Platinum was forcing Tachyon to make them for her.
She'd bewitched Tachyon, body and soul, made her obedient, willing to do anything. And then Platinum made Tachyon create drugs to make her run even faster, using this stolen, unfair power to destroy herself and corrupt the races.
Agnes Digital froze.
Now that she thought of it… Platinum had come to see her today for no obvious reason.
Agnes Digital bolted upright in horror.
Oh no… am I next?
If even Tachyon couldn't resist falling into that tender trap, Agnes Digital didn't like her own chances.
Damn, this is even darker than the Nocturnal Emperor of Tracen… no, this is the one who truly deserves to be called the Nocturnal Emperor!
Agnes Digital quietly slipped out of bed, sneaked out of her room, and just then, spotted Tachyon in the hallway fetching water.
Tachyon was used to Agnes Digital's odd behaviors by now, so she just looked on with an almost fond expression as Digital emerged.
Agnes Digital hesitated, then asked, "What does Platinum mean to you?"
"Why ask so suddenly?" Tachyon tilted her head and answered without a second's pause, "She's my everything, of course."
All her hopes were riding on Platinum now.
Agnes Digital's face instantly filled with terror, and she scrambled away from Tachyon as if fleeing for her life.
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.