(What's that scent... a little... fragrant?)
The dark-haired girl, Manhattan Cafe, was the first to react, catching a whiff of something strangely alluring.
Since when do infirmaries smell like perfume?
As she lifted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes, and looked at Lin Anran standing before her...
Her pupils abruptly constricted the next second, hit by a sudden, inexplicable sense of familiarity and excitement.
'It's like... I saw this in a dream?'
'Is it just my imagination?'
She had had this bizarre dream before. In it, a version of herself was lying on a hospital bed, being treated by an incredibly passionate young doctor.
But in the end, that young man vanished mysteriously. The dream-her searched desperately but couldn't find a single trace, could only throw herself into training, striving to one day, upon meeting him again, properly repay his kindness.
'This Doctor Lin... he seems very reliable. He must be a good person.'
Even though it was their first meeting, Manhattan Cafe couldn't help but make her own judgment about this young doctor in her heart.
"Cafe came with me."
Interestingly, the current Lin Anran, acting as the school doctor, was wearing a white lab coat. Agnes Tachyon, also in a white overcoat, with her more mature demeanor, exuded a decisive air somewhat like a female doctor's.
They almost looked like a pair of doctors in the infirmary, with Manhattan Cafe resembling their nurse.
Agnes Tachyon smiled slightly, her hands tucked into the pockets of her white coat, and made a request to Lin Anran.
"Dr. Lin, could you send me the research papers on tendonitis you got the other day?"
Just as Lin Anran had expected—
Lin Anran nodded directly, immediately pulling out his phone. He had already downloaded and prepared it beforehand.
"Sent, Miss Tachyon."
After speaking, Lin Anran moved his arm, making as if to take off his white coat.
Obviously, it was time to clock out. Lunch break had arrived.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Agnes Tachyon, snapping back to attention, nodded with a light smile. She was also rather eager to return and delve into the more detailed information on tendonitis.
"Mhm, let's go then, Tachyon."
"Dr. Lin, thank you for your help!"
--+--
A short while later.
Agnes Tachyon was walking back to her lab when she seemed to remember something. She turned to look at her friend, Manhattan Cafe, walking beside her.
"Cafe."
"Hm?"
"After you entered Dr. Lin's office... did you smell anything?"
The things Agnes Tachyon was interested in weren't limited to just tendonitis, or even just Platinum. They also included Dr. Lin!
So it was hardly strange for her to ask this now.
"Yes..."
Manhattan Cafe nodded.
"I smelled a fragrance. It's the first time I've smelled something like that in an infirmary."
In her understanding, shouldn't an infirmary smell of medicinal herbs or bitter potions?
Could it be that another Uma Musume had visited not long ago, leaving behind a strong perfume scent that hadn't fully dissipated yet?
"Just as I thought—!"
"It wasn't just my imagination. Uma Musume can all smell it."
The expression on Agnes Tachyon's face turned serious.
Back when she first met Lin Anran, she had caught that scent too. At first, it was faint, almost elusive, but now it was noticeably stronger.
"It seems Dr. Lin's... constitution... is indeed special."
"That must be the legendary—Horse Mint?!"
--+--
Inside the room, a silvery-white Pegasus girl had suddenly appeared!
Platinum, making her entrance!
Not long ago, the cautious, sly young doctor had specially prepared a new phone and a new account for his transformed Platinum self to use.
He couldn't very well use the same phone before and after transforming; his identity would be exposed in no time.
The account application from that Student Council President, Symboli Rudolf, had finally been approved.
And that Student Council President, immediately after being added, brought up one thing.
[Symboli Rudolf: Platinum, you don't have a Victory Outfit yet, do you?]
[Platinum: Huh? A Victory Outfit?]
[SymboliRudolf: Yes. It's the special outfit worn when standing atop the highest G1 races, when offering brilliant duels on the track or beautiful performances on stage.]
[No matter how flashy or heavy it looks, even if it has swords, guns, or even bows hanging from the waist, it won't affect racing or stage performances one bit. Those items also won't actually function on the track.]
[In short, they're special garments blessed by the Three Goddesses!]
[Forget just participating in G1s—you, who've already won a G1, should go prepare one. It helps better showcase your charm.]
The current Platinum, from her debut race to her overwhelming victory with a look-back in the Oaks, had still been wearing the same outfit she first transformed in.
She truly hadn't prepared a special winner's circle outfit for G1 races yet.
"Ah, no wonder..."
The Pegasus suddenly recalled that in the anime, the foreign champion horse girl, Montjeu, ran while wearing a cloak that looked as thick and heavy as a cotton-padded jacket.
That cloak probably weighed more than a kilo or two; under normal circumstances, it would definitely significantly impact speed.
And some horse girls, like Taiki Shuttle, carried pistols on their hips, while Rice Shower wore a dagger, yet they all passed URA inspections and stood on the racing track.
She had wondered at first. Wasn't the URA supposed to be very strict? How could they allow horse girls to carry weapons?
Wasn't the URA afraid a horse girl, lagging too far behind and getting furious, might just hurl her weapon and turn the race into an item-based competition?
So it was all because of the special nature of the Victory Outfits, the blessing of the Three Goddesses?
Instantly, Platinum's interest was piqued.
She suddenly remembered that right after she first transformed, she had also been equipped with a... bow!
And that bow was still stashed under her bed, untouched.
"A blessing from the Three Goddesses? Even weapons can be considered part of the outfit and carried freely?"
"How fascinating!"
The increasingly intrigued Pegasus curved into a slight smile.
The next second, she looked down and typed a reply on her phone.
[Platinum: Okay, understood.]
[Platinum: I'll go get a Victory Outfit today. I won't forget it for the next Derby.]
Shortly after Platinum sent the message.
A reply from Symboli Rudolf appeared immediately.
[Symboli Rudolf: Mejiro Dober and her friends, Narita Brian and Mejiro McQueen, happen to be just outside the Tracen campus right now.]
[Symboli Rudolf: I'll contact them to wait. How about they accompany you to pick out your winner's circle outfit?]
Brian? McQueen and Dober?
Seeing Symboli Rudolf's enthusiasm, the Pegasus smiled faintly and muttered to herself.
"Looks like I have to make this trip out today."
Alright, time to go pick out a winner's circle outfit!
"This is getting interesting. What will my outfit look like? Will I have a weapon too?"
--+--
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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.