After Fujiwara Chiya explained his problem to Agnes Tachyon, she only gave a few indifferent hums.
"I understand. It's easy to solve."
"As expected, even you... wait, what?"
"What's wrong, guinea pig? It isn't that difficult."
"How could it not be difficult? I'm almost losing hair over it."
"Hahaha. If something like this makes you lose hair, then doing research would probably turn you bald." Agnes Tachyon let out her peculiar, rising-and-falling laugh. "If Shirayuki can only run short distances, that would be quite troublesome for my research too. Sit there and wait for a moment."
Fujiwara Chiya sat beside her and watched Agnes Tachyon busily working at the experimental table. She did not seem like an ordinary Uma Musume at all. The bookshelf was filled with highly specialized theoretical books, all of which were beyond Fujiwara Chiya's current knowledge.
Agnes Tachyon took out a catalogue and compared the numbers on it with the bottles on the shelves. Then she selected several solutions. She mixed them together, and the colour inside shifted through four or five different changes.
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was seriously watching the strange reaction inside the test tube, Agnes Tachyon suddenly sniffed lightly.
"Guinea pig, did you use perfume today?"
"No. I just washed my face normally."
Cafe had said something similar earlier too, saying there was a pleasant scent on him.
"I see..." Agnes Tachyon glanced at him, then ignored it. A few minutes later, she evenly spread the solution in her hand onto a sheet of paper. After finishing, she poured herself a cup of black tea and began drinking.
"Is it done?"
"Wait a little longer." Agnes Tachyon said. She also poured Fujiwara Chiya a cup of tea, and the two sat together and chatted.
"By the way, Tachyon, aren't you afraid of damaging your body by putting that much sugar in your tea all the time?"
"If I don't replenish this much sugar, my brain will become sluggish. This summer training camp was basically a wasted trip for me. My precious experimental results were all pushed onto the floor by Doto's hand, so I have to start over."
Fujiwara Chiya laughed dryly a few times. After all, he was the one who had brought Agnes Tachyon there to do her experiments.
"What medicine were you making?"
"A medicine that greatly increases bodily sensitivity."
"What?"
"After drinking that medicine, even a slight touch would produce a strong reaction. Even the friction of clothing would become hard to ignore. Isn't that quite remarkable?"
"What are you making that kind of medicine for!?"
"I simply wanted to test what effect increased bodily sensitivity would have on an Uma Musume's running. Unfortunately, it ended before I could try it."
Thank goodness.
Fujiwara Chiya did not want to see someone accidentally drink that medicine and then be unable to walk normally or wear clothes without trouble. Rather, once Agnes Tachyon finished making that medicine, the first person she would test it on would probably be him or Shirayuki. In a way, Meisho Doto had indirectly saved his life.
After beautifully enjoying her tea, Agnes Tachyon looked at the clock on the wall. Feeling that the timing was about right, she got up and picked up the paper coated with the solution. By now, the liquid had become a semi-solid gel.
"Here you go, guinea pig."
"What is this?"
"Try sticking it on your body."
Hearing her, Fujiwara Chiya attached it to the back of his hand. Instantly, he felt a chill like ice, continuously drawing heat away from his skin. Fujiwara Chiya widened his eyes, then looked at Agnes Tachyon.
"It's that simple, guinea pig." Agnes Tachyon curled her lips. "Step outside the mindset of a trainer and solve the problem in a simpler way. If the body cannot release heat well enough, then rely on something else."
"Is this a cooling patch? It doesn't feel quite the same."
"The principle is similar. I added a few other things to make the effect stronger. I'll make a few more for you later, but I need larger sheets of paper. Go buy some for me, guinea pig."
"I'll note down what size you need."
Fujiwara Chiya reached into his pocket. When he took out his pen, a rolled-up, damp object fell out. Agnes Tachyon's nose moved slightly. She looked at the thing on the floor and instinctively picked it up.
"Don't pick that up!"
"Socks?" Before Fujiwara Chiya could finish, Agnes Tachyon had already unfolded them. After seeing the shape, she murmured, "Hm. Shirayuki's socks."
Agnes Tachyon's expression became strange.
"Listen to me first. I don't have a habit of putting socks in my pocket, especially not ones that were just worn. At the time, I was helping Shirayuki cool down after training. There was grass and dirt around, so I was afraid the socks would get dirty and casually put them in my pocket. Then Mejiro Dober interrupted me, and I forgot about them. By the time I noticed something felt off, we had already split up. You understand what I mean, right? I don't have any strange attachment to my own female body's clothing."
"Now, now, don't get so worked up, guinea pig. I hadn't even said anything, and you already explained everything yourself." Agnes Tachyon brought the socks closer and examined them.
"Tachyon!? What are you doing?"
"This should be sweat on them, right?"
"What else would it be? My saliva?"
"Strange... where is this scent coming from?"
Agnes Tachyon looked at the damp socks in front of her. There was a faint pleasant scent coming from them. It was somewhat like flowers, somewhat like fruit. In short, it was a scent that made one feel strangely comfortable. Agnes Tachyon had never smelled anything like it before.
"Guinea pig, do you feel anything when you smell this scent?"
"What else could I feel? When I go back, I'll quickly make Shirayuki take a bath and see if there's any deodorant or antiperspirant she can use. As a man, I must evaluate this fairly and impartially: Shirayuki is good in every way, but after exercise, her sweat smell is too strong."
In Fujiwara Chiya's view, the idea that beautiful girls naturally smelled sweet was a complete lie. He wanted to use Shirayuki as a real example to criticize those who spread such rumours.
"I see. So the scent you smell is different from the scent I smell."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"A scent that can affect one's mood is not common. Normally, you wouldn't run around outside covered in sweat. You would definitely bathe immediately. If it mixed with the scent of body wash, it might not be easy to distinguish. Interesting. I've never encountered something like this before... Guinea pig, I'll keep this for now."
"Hah? Are you joking, Tachyon? What do you want Shirayuki's socks for?"
"Research."
She took out a sealed bag and placed the knee socks inside. Fujiwara Chiya watched in stunned silence.
Thinking of the sensitivity medicine Agnes Tachyon had just mentioned, Fujiwara Chiya now seriously suspected that she was conducting some very unhealthy experiments. He strongly condemned this.
"If you get any results, tell me."
"Don't worry, guinea pig. Once I find something, you'll be the first to know."
"Then I'll go buy the paper."
"Go and come back quickly."