After overcoming the initial chaos of training, everything that followed became far smoother and simpler.
Once Oguri Cap received the new running method and training schedule, she progressed rapidly thanks to her solid foundation.
Besides needing Kitahara Sota's guidance on the first morning, she mostly trained independently afterward, only occasionally needing small corrections on minor details.
Special Week, however, faced more difficulty. As her training progressed, her movements grew increasingly awkward.
By the third day, she wasn't just struggling to walk—her hands trembled even while holding cutlery.
Thankfully, on the second day of training, a petite, carrot-haired Uma Musume—her close friend Silence Suzuka—had arrived to help her, supporting her while walking and even feeding her during meals. The two appeared exceptionally close.
Though, for some reason, Grass Wonder—who had been lingering quietly nearby—looked rather lonely ever since Suzuka arrived.
As for Eclipse, she was as unchanged as ever.
In fact, as time passed, more and more people mistakenly assumed she was the trainer for their group. Recently, others had even started asking around for this mysterious "trainer's" name, puzzled about why they couldn't find her listed on the staff roster.
Tokai Teio, meanwhile, had been acting a bit odd lately. Kitahara noticed she seemed to be chatting with him more frequently, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly why he felt this way.
On second thought, they'd known each other for quite some time, even if he'd deliberately avoided raising her favorability. They often talked casually, and she was naturally outgoing anyway, so perhaps it wasn't strange that she'd chat more frequently now.
Thus, Kitahara didn't dwell on this minor detail.
But Agnes Tachyon, on the other hand, proved troublesome.
Though Kitahara had plenty of recovery items at his disposal, they were mainly suited for restoring stamina or healing recent physical injuries. Old injuries or chronic issues were another matter entirely—his items could temporarily boost physical condition to ease discomfort, but that was the limit.
Agnes Tachyon's problems had accumulated slowly over years, deeply embedded within her body. His items' effectiveness would be significantly reduced—using them might even backfire.
"Your main priority right now is fixing your daily habits," Kitahara said patiently. "Eat regularly, preferably at the cafeteria—no more of that instant-ramen-and-nutrient-drink nonsense. Avoid staying up all night. Follow the training schedule I gave you, and also—"
He lectured at length before Agnes Tachyon calmly shook her head.
"I can't do it."
She was being completely honest.
Though mysterious and seemingly all-powerful to outsiders, Agnes Tachyon was, in reality, hopelessly incompetent at everyday life.
If it weren't for her friend lending a hand occasionally and the student council reluctantly looking after her from time to time, she might have already starved herself to death.
"Well, how about you take care of me, Guinea Pig-kun?"
She tilted her head, smiling, her crimson eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion.
"If you find the lab too far, I wouldn't mind moving into your dorm room, you know?"
"In your dreams."
Kitahara shot her a flat look.
He knew exactly what she was scheming.
If she actually moved in, every drop of water he drank would probably contain a hundred percent Agnes Tachyon-made potion. By the time of his autopsy, there wouldn't even be a single drop of actual water left in his body.
More importantly, caring for someone in such intimate detail was essentially the fastest way possible to raise her favorability.
Such methods might be harmless for a naive kid, or airheaded gluttons like Oguri Cap and Special Week—but with Agnes Tachyon, it was too dangerous.
He'd promised to help resolve her issues out of a trainer's obligation, but that didn't mean he intended to put himself at risk. After all, in some ways, this woman might be even more troublesome than Symboli Rudolf herself.
Fortunately, he hadn't deliberately raised Agnes Tachyon's favorability yet. Their relationship was strictly limited to a mad scientist and the curious guinea pig she observed from a safe distance.
As long as he maintained this careful balance, things should remain stable.
"I'll find someone else to help you," Kitahara decided promptly. Having someone in mind, he began wandering around campus, searching.
Not here... not there either… over there, perhaps… hmm?
After some searching, Kitahara spotted his target crouched in the shadow of a thick shrubbery.
"Hehe...so many cute Uma Musume... small, soft, adorable…"
The pink-haired, blue-eyed Uma Musume hidden in the bushes—Agnes Digital—murmured fragmented nonsense, drooling unconsciously as she filmed with an obviously expensive camera.
Then, in the next moment, the camera was abruptly plucked from her hands.
Though it was a familiar scenario, this perverted Uma Musume didn't immediately flee this time. Realizing what had happened, she lunged for the camera instead.
She didn't usually share these photos publicly, but some images inside were somewhat explicit. She couldn't let them leak and trouble the girls involved.
Unfortunately, the person who took her camera easily dodged her attempts, as if he'd anticipated them. Standing still again, he calmly greeted her:
"Good afternoon, Agnes Digital-san."
Seeing clearly who it was, Agnes Digital paused, surprised.
"Kitahara-san?"
Kitahara wasn't surprised she recognized him. After all, she'd recently stalked and secretly photographed him.
Since she knew him already, he skipped self-introductions and went straight to the point.
"I need your help—or rather, I need you to help care for an Uma Musume."
Tracen Academy Common Sense No. 5:
Pink is a safe color—even though she might occasionally behave in indescribable ways.
Whenever you encounter danger or difficulty involving Uma Musume, you can safely seek help from the pink-haired one without worrying about payment.
But if accepting help without compensation makes you uneasy, presenting her with an item related to Uma Musume—particularly personal items carrying their scent—will always please her greatly.
This rule specifically referred to Agnes Digital.
After Kitahara briefly explained Agnes Tachyon's situation, Agnes Digital immediately nodded without a second thought, agreeing to his request.
After all, she already enjoyed helping other Uma Musume—often approaching them herself even if they didn't ask. Plus, Agnes Tachyon was her roommate, making it an even easier decision.
However, although she quickly agreed, Agnes Digital had one condition of her own:
"In that case, let me transfer into your team, Kitahara-san."
Unlike other Uma Musume, Agnes Digital already belonged to another team, hence her use of "transfer."
Private transfers, especially without consulting the trainers involved, were usually seen as poaching and could create resentment. Kitahara would ordinarily hesitate to accept.
But this was Agnes Digital.
Aside from her notorious perversions, Agnes Digital was also well-known at Tracen for being a perpetual "roaming teammate."
In pursuit of her beloved Uma Musume idols, she openly ignored all unwritten team transfer norms, switching teams multiple times a month. Her record was transferring three times in a single week, finally irritating Chairwoman Akikawa Yayoi into issuing Tracen's only unlimited-transfer permit to avoid further hassle.
Besides, in Kitahara's eyes, Agnes Digital was among the safest Uma Musume he knew—he'd even briefly considered assigning her as his Tantou at one point.
Currently, she'd join purely as a nominal team member—similar to Grass Wonder—solely to care for Agnes Tachyon. It wouldn't deepen their relationship at all, so after brief consideration, he agreed.
"Then, let's cooperate well, Agnes Digital-san."
"Happy to cooperate, Kitahara-san."
After exchanging friendly smiles and a handshake, they parted ways.
However, after Kitahara had walked away, Agnes Digital lingered behind, pondering thoughtfully as she watched his departing figure.
Speaking of which, when exactly did Tachyon move into her laboratory?
She vaguely remembered it happening after Tachyon caught her late one night sniffing other Uma Musume's thigh-high socks and earmuffs. After that night, Tachyon had quietly moved out.
Since then, Agnes Digital suddenly realized—
Tachyon-chan hasn't slept at the dorm even once since then, huh…?