The barrier had shattered.
Throughout the day's activities, as one thing happened after another, Agnes Digital's emotions had already swelled to a terrifying degree. Her mental barrier had been teetering on the brink.
Then, just now, when she witnessed that dreamlike scene, she was thoroughly stunned.
And when she discovered the source of that dreamy spectacle, the intense emotions inside her exploded like a bomb, instantly smashing through her already fragile barrier.
Excitement? Surprise? Joy?
Agnes Digital had no idea how to describe what she was feeling right now.
The barrier collapsed in an instant, allowing a tidal wave of unfiltered emotion to flood her mind.
By her past standards, with emotions running so wild in her mind, she would've at least been spurting blood dramatically, or fainted on the spot.
But strangely, right now she didn't feel the slightest urge to faint, nor did she start spurting blood.
Emotions surged within her, but her usual reactions didn't occur.
So, purely on instinct, she stepped forward, embraced that person, and began to pour out her feelings in the most primitive way possible.
What was she doing?
She had no idea.
What would happen next?
She didn't know either.
All she knew was that, right now, this was the only thing that could express her feelings toward him and soothe, if only briefly, the overwhelming emotions that flooded her heart.
Their intimate embrace continued in the darkness.
As for illumination, Eclipse had quietly turned off the flashlight the moment the hug began and hadn't turned it on again since.
She just stood there silently in the dark, listening to the intimate sounds without making even the slightest noise.
Because one's perception of time is dulled in the darkness, Kitahara Sota had no idea how long the embrace lasted, only feeling that it went on even longer than that one with Oguri Cap.
Even after it ended, the slender arms holding him didn't loosen their grip.
After a brief pause, he felt a soft warmth at his neck again, along with a gentle nibbling sensation—not painful, but ticklish.
Though gentle, the nibbling moved restlessly, from left to right, top to bottom, even briefly reaching his ear, as if she wanted to leave marks all over him.
After who knows how long, the playful "biting" finally stopped, though the small arms holding him remained. Something seemed to nestle deeply into his chest.
No bleeding, no fainting.
All her previously exaggerated reactions had now transformed into pure attachment to her beloved senpai.
This wasn't merely the effect of one dose of Tachyon's potion but the result of Agnes Digital's long and persistent efforts.
Ever since the last potion incident, she'd realized something crucial.
Even if she had no desire to become the heroine, she knew she couldn't keep fainting or spurting blood every time she got close to Kitahara-senpai. Even if he was willing to bear with it, she herself couldn't accept constantly causing trouble for him.
So for a long time now, she had been experimenting, trying hard to control herself, searching for ways to avoid trouble whenever she got close to Kitahara.
In the beginning, she'd failed countless times—forget fainting, sometimes she'd even spurted blood onto Kitahara himself, causing tremendous trouble and almost driving her to give up entirely.
But Kitahara's patience and encouragement had given her strength. Gradually, through painstaking attempts, she began to discover little tricks to stay calm.
This time, thanks to her past efforts, lingering potion effects, and just a tiny bit of mysterious "assistance," she'd successfully restrained her instincts and expressed herself in a different way.
Yet even now, after calming down from the initial outburst, although her face was burning bright red, she didn't let go, silently burying her head deeper into his chest.
Silence.
With a gentle sigh, something warm wrapped around her, softly patting her back. A warm sensation gently stroked her head.
After comforting her for a while, a voice laced with helpless concern finally spoke.
"Feeling better now?"
Agnes Digital's ears twitched slightly. She nodded timidly, softly whispering, "Mmm."
Another sigh.
"Next time, maybe don't drink potions that haven't been properly tested, okay? If you really want to try, just let me test it first to make sure it's safe—"
"…It wasn't that."
Her quiet voice interrupted Kitahara's words.
He paused, looking down in the darkness at the girl in his arms.
Then came her soft yet determined voice again.
"This isn't because of Tachyon's potion. It's my own reason."
"I like you, Kitahara-senpai."
The hand gently rubbing her head froze.
But Agnes Digital wasn't stopping now.
Unlike other Uma Musume who had ample "loser-girl power," before today she'd been fine secretly liking him without anything happening. But now that things had reached this point—
Though she knew she could just play along and blame everything on Tachyon's potion, easily fooling Kitahara, she didn't want to.
She couldn't let Tachyon take blame for something that was purely hers, nor could she deceive him.
Even though she understood clearly that the possibility of him reciprocating was practically zero.
Even though this might cause him to distance himself or exclude her entirely from the "Kitahara Cup."
She still chose honesty.
And after saying it aloud, despite her face steaming with embarrassment, she gathered her courage, lifted her head again, tiptoed, and once more offered her soft warmth, proving her sincerity to him.
A long while passed before their lips parted.
They stood silently gazing at each other in the darkness.
Agnes Digital had expected the warmth holding her to vanish after confessing.
Yet after some time, the gentle patting resumed, the tender caress on her head returned, and the slightly exasperated voice spoke again.
"I truly feel your sincerity."
"But Digital, you must know clearly—I can't respond to your feelings."
"I'm an adult, your trainer, and you're still a child—a student and active Uma Musume racer."
"Whether morally or thinking of your future, I can't respond to your confession."
"That doesn't mean I dislike you. On the contrary, I admit I like you very much."
"Just—not romantically."
"I've always thought you're an incredibly wonderful girl—honestly, almost too wonderful."
"You're cute, extraordinarily talented as a racer, and proficient in countless other skills."
"Compared to my empty reputation, you're closer to a genuine 'Uma Musume wishing machine.'"
"Your optimism, your selfless kindness, your genuine love for all Uma Musume, especially racers…"
"You're truly incredible. I really admire you for all that."
"But precisely because of this, I can't respond positively now—it would harm who you are right now."
"And currently, though I genuinely like you, I can't see you romantically yet."
"If you insist on these feelings, I won't stop you, but please restrain yourself."
"I can promise you, if after a year and a half, once you've completed your racing career, you still feel this way—"
"At that time, I'll no longer see you as a child. I'll seriously consider your feelings and give you a proper answer."
"Until then, as long as you restrain yourself, our relationship won't change. I'll keep my promises and continue taking care of you."
"Nothing will change because of today."
"It's just that right now—I can't respond to your feelings or accept your confession. Please understand."
After he finished, a deep silence descended in the darkness.
Finally, Agnes Digital's soft voice broke the silence:
"Um, Senpai, you seem to have misunderstood—I wasn't planning on dating you..."
Kitahara: "...?"
Before he could even display his confusion, she continued speaking.
"I've already thought about everything you said. It's exactly why I like you, and I know you'd never agree to date me..."
"But actually, I never even considered dating you. As long as you don't dislike me, don't push me away, and let me stay near you, that's enough."
"And if someone else confesses or you find someone you love, please don't hesitate because of me."
"If you need help with such things, please come directly to me without worry—I don't mind that either..."
"In the future, unless you permit it, I'll try to control myself and avoid doing weird things."
"But...if possible, though I don't dare dream of dating, when I perform well, I'd appreciate a little reward..."
"Just a hope of mine—it's completely fine if you're unwilling."
"But if you reward me, I promise secrecy—I won't trouble you."
By halfway through her speech, Kitahara was completely covered in question marks. By the end, question marks practically covered his face, his expression complicated.
This kid…
After a long silence, he gently let go of her head, cupped her face, and stared deeply into her eyes.
"Senpai...?"
She blushed even more fiercely, thinking he was about to do something intimate—
But she quickly realized she'd guessed wrong.
With an incredibly serious tone, he finally spoke:
"Digital, regardless of your feelings, I don't really like this attitude of yours."
Agnes Digital flinched nervously.
"Did I do something wrong? I'll fix it..."
"No, nothing wrong." He looked at her with exasperation. "But don't you think your attitude just now was too self-deprecating?"
"You're an amazing girl. You've achieved things others can't dream of. Have more confidence. Don't degrade yourself so much—have some self-respect."
"So—do you understand now?"
She blinked, hesitating, then nodded slowly.
"I understand, Senpai."
"Then please let me confess again."
"I like you. I hope you'll start an Uma Musume harem and include me in it."
After a pause, she timidly asked:
"…Was that right?"
Kitahara: "…"
Yeah, like hell it is!