"Your reflexes have gotten faster…"
At his trainer's comment, Agnes Tachyon brought a hand to her chin.
Her dark-red eyes fixed on the black-haired man before her, sharp and intent, like she was staring at a particularly suspicious lab specimen.
After a moment, she said, "Let's run a test, guinea pig-kun."
She produced a grip strength meter from somewhere.
"Until now, I've been using Shirayuki as my main test subject and completely neglected guinea pig-kun. A fatal oversight, really. I forgot that while you influence Shirayuki, Shirayuki is also influencing you."
By "influence," Agnes Tachyon was not talking about thoughts or emotions.
She meant the body.
A man and a woman.
A human and an Uma Musume.
A cross-species connection like theirs could very well transmit changes through the nervous system, causing alterations in both bodies.
Fujiwara Chiya took the grip strength meter and squeezed it casually.
The display showed ninety-three kilograms.
"Uwah."
Agnes Tachyon's eyes widened with genuine surprise.
"That's far higher than I expected. Guinea pig-kun, have you been specially training your grip?"
"I do barbell training pretty often."
"Normally, an adult male's grip strength is around forty-five to fifty kilograms. Guinea pig-kun, you're nearly double that."
Agnes Tachyon's expression brightened with interest.
"Your body may truly have been affected by Shirayuki. Bit by bit, you're growing stronger."
"Is there a chance I'll turn into an Uma Musume?"
"That would be difficult. At the end of the day, guinea pig-kun is still operating with a human body. That places a hard limit on your upper ceiling."
As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon picked up the grip strength meter herself and gave it a light squeeze.
The meter instantly maxed out.
"This one is made for humans. Uma Musume require specialised grip strength meters. Otherwise, we would break them after a single use."
Agnes Tachyon released her hand.
Even with that tiny amount of force, the handle had bent out of shape.
Those pale, delicate hands had produced well over a hundred kilograms of pressure. Judging from the way it looked, she could probably tear through an entire deck of playing cards without much trouble.
The gap between species was not something hormonal influence could bridge.
Even if a human removed every limiter in their body, they still could not reach the realm of an Uma Musume.
It was not merely a difference in strength.
It was a difference in durability.
A human body could not endure the burden created by superhuman power. Their own muscles would tear them apart from the inside. Uma Musume, however, were different. Their bodies possessed a special mechanism modern science had yet to fully explain.
Their muscles looked soft, almost delicate, but their ability to withstand force was several times higher than even a professional boxer's.
At that point, it had already gone beyond existing biological understanding.
Calling Uma Musume extraordinary beings, something above ordinary organisms, would not be unreasonable.
"This influence should only be improving your physical constitution. Also…"
"What?"
Agnes Tachyon took out a mirror.
"Have you noticed, guinea pig-kun?"
She held the mirror up in front of his face.
"You've become fairer. Cleaner-looking too."
Fujiwara Chiya narrowed his eyes and studied his reflection.
"I don't feel any different."
"If you look at yourself every day, you won't notice gradual changes. In truth, compared to half a year ago, you've changed quite a bit."
Agnes Tachyon placed a photo beside the mirror.
"This is you from back then. Can you see it now?"
When they were placed side by side, the difference was obvious.
His skin had become much fairer and smoother. The lines of his face had softened slightly. It was as if his phone had quietly applied a beauty filter and polished away the rough edges.
After more than half a year, Fujiwara Chiya actually looked somewhat younger.
"Your body simultaneously controls a human and an Uma Musume. That has caused special hormones to be produced inside you. Under that subtle influence, changes have begun to appear."
Agnes Tachyon tapped the photo lightly.
"Your reflexes. Your physique. Your appearance. All of them are changing."
Fujiwara Chiya examined himself seriously.
"Then does that mean Shirayuki's side is also being affected by me?"
"Correct. However, Shirayuki is an Uma Musume in the middle of puberty. Her hormone secretion is already extremely active. The influence caused by you can essentially be ignored."
Fujiwara Chiya's gaze moved between the old photo and the mirror.
Looking at it this way, his face was actually not bad.
"In that case, I won't have to worry about my body being pushed past its limit by an Uma Musume until I lose consciousness again…"
"Well, not necessarily."
Agnes Tachyon smiled.
It was not quite a smile.
"As Shirayuki's influence grows stronger, your face may become even better at stirring up their desires."
"What!? How did you—"
Fujiwara Chiya swallowed the last words.
Know that?
Agnes Tachyon's lips curved with clear mockery.
"It's far too obvious, guinea pig-kun. The atmosphere between you and Hayakawa Tazuna is completely different from before. Did you truly think the two of you were hiding it well?"
Yes.
Fujiwara Chiya had, in fact, thought exactly that.
But just as his relationship with Shirayuki could not escape Agnes Tachyon's eyes, the matter with Hayakawa Tazuna was no different.
With those eyes of hers, eyes that seemed capable of absorbing light itself, she had probably noticed within two days.
"To think things would turn out this way. Guinea pig-kun is rather popular, isn't he?"
Listening to Agnes Tachyon's teasing, Fujiwara Chiya wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.
Why did she always manage to hit his weakest spots with surgical precision?
"Although I have no intention of interfering too much in your private affairs, guinea pig-kun, you had best be careful."
Agnes Tachyon's voice softened.
"An Uma Musume's jealousy can be rather intense. The only difference is whether she shows it openly or hides it in her heart."
Her unreadable face was reflected in Fujiwara Chiya's pupils.
He swallowed.
For some reason, those words from Agnes Tachyon carried a strange weight. Heavy enough to make him feel like he was walking on thin ice at Tracen.
After hurriedly finishing his black tea, Fujiwara Chiya said goodbye and left the room.
He still had something to do today.
After being promoted to intermediate trainer, he could receive a set of formal Central uniform, meant for official occasions where he would represent Central externally.
In simpler terms, it was the outfit he would need to wear when visiting the European racecourse.
It was a symbol of status.
Proof that he represented Tracen.
Of course, if he failed the selection race, the uniform would become nothing more than decoration.
Fujiwara Chiya walked out of the school gate.
At that moment, he spotted a black luxury car parked outside.
The bodywork shone like a mirror. Just from the way the car reflected the sunlight, it was obvious the person inside was no ordinary passerby.
Fujiwara Chiya walked past it.
Click.
The car door opened.
A bespectacled man dressed like a butler stepped out from the driver's seat.
"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Fujiwara Chiya?"
"I am."
"Our master wishes to travel with you."
"Your master? Who is that?"
"Mr. Nase."
Fujiwara Chiya looked toward the back seat in confusion.
The window rolled down.
Inside sat the man he had once seen at the sushi restaurant.
A middle-aged man of around fifty.
Nase Hideto.
His sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto Chiya, and Fujiwara Chiya immediately felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"Come sit inside, Chiya-kun. My car has air conditioning."
That commanding tone did not sound like an invitation at all.
Fujiwara Chiya swallowed.
He still remembered the conversation between this man and his father at the restaurant.
Could this guy have come to kill me?
Considering that he was Nase Fumino's father, Fujiwara Chiya could not exactly shake his sleeve and walk away.
So, after secretly calling Shirayuki over, Fujiwara Chiya got into the car.
The vehicle drove toward the Central building.
Fujiwara Chiya glanced at the rearview mirror.
A white figure had appeared on the street at a ridiculous speed.
She followed the car from a distance that was neither too close nor too far.