"Condensed… What do you mean?"
"Bingo! We're going for the same thing. Kukuku!! This is wonderful!! Come, Vice President. Let us make haste to the laboratory. I have a business proposal that will benefit both of us."
"..."
Air Groove was sketchy, since it was THE Agnes Tachyon who invited her, but she still followed the Mad Scientist to her lair regardless. The Mad Scientist had hit Air Groove where it matters the most. Air Groove hasn't reached the stage of addiction where she needs something more powerful, but it's better to be prepared for when that stage happens.
"Welcome~~ Welcome~~ Sorry about the place, my fellow dweller has been grumpy because she has to wear an ankle monitor."
"What has this place turned into?"
Air Groove remembered when the laboratory was still used for learning. Tidy, squeaky clean, and bright. It used to be the poster boy that Tracen used in the pamphlet to lure in new students. It's now a hoarder's house. Stacks of paper, books, and documents filled the table and floors. Vials and beakers of all shapes and sizes that are filled with all manner of liquids are scattered around the countertops.
"You really… turned this into your own kingdom…"
"A neat book is a book that is never read. The Laboratory was nothing more than a statue before I came. I simply put it to what it was created for."
"That doesn't mean you should leave it like this. It's like a shipwreck in here."
"I'll force Trainer Igo to clean everything later."
"What a bitch…"
"You should see when he gets all pissy. It's kinda cute. Whatever, the thing I want to show you is right here."
Tachyon led Air Groove to a countertop at the corner of a room. On it was a burner, beakers, and a condensation kit with several holes, which would allow a scientist to extract the concentrate at different percentages. Air Groove notices that it only has holes for 10% and 50%. There seem to be hints that the tube may extend much further, but it has clearly been broken intentionally, and let the condensation drip into one big bucket.
"Give me your wrist."
Air Groove mindlessly extends her arm toward Tachyon and turns it around. Tachyon then grabs a perfume bottle and sprays a little bit onto Air Groove's wrist.
"Give it a sniff."
Air Groove brings her wrist close to her nose and cautiously sniffs it. She instantly recognized the smell. It was the smell of the young man.
"So this is what you're aiming for…"
"And you have the materials. Let's make a deal, you'll provide me with the water residue of the wash, and I'll give you the ten-percent and fifty-percent bottle."
"For what reason are you making these bottles, Tachyon?"
"Let's not act so innocent, shall we? We both know why. I'm just giving you a chance to get a benefit without putting your neck under the blade."
"Will you only be making these perfume bottles from it?"
"Yep! A considerable amount of it with your help."
"..."
Air Groove stays silent and looks at the perfume bottle in Tachyon's hand. If she has that, she doesn't need to sniff 5 clothing items at once to satisfy her need. One spray would suffice for half a day. And she can also do it outside of her safe area. She would receive weird stares if she were to sniff the young man's clothes in public, but no one would bat an eye if it were from a perfume bottle.
"Or I could make them into inhalers instead? I can see the path, just need to do some trial and error."
"Tch!! You slimy bastard."
"Do you forget who my boss is?"
"..."
"There's no one more selfish than that bastard. If he were in your position, he would take it as it benefits him the most. He doesn't care about what happened to his fellow trainers as long as he is safe. That's the kind of man Igo Heita is."
"Yeah… That's just like him."
"So? We have a deal?"
"I just need to give you the water from the wash, right?"
"Bingo! And you need to use this detergent."
Agnes Tachyon opens a drawer under one of the countertops and brings out a plastic bag full of suspicious pink powder.
"It's a powerful detergent that will pull all the stains from the clothes. Plenty of umamusumes bought this to clean their clothes, bedsheets, and pillows after having some fun times with their trainers."
"Tracen Academy isn't some kind of matchmaking institution, you know? Gah! Whatever! I'll do it. I'll wash his clothes with your detergent, then you can have the water."
"It's nice to be working with you, Vice President. Here are the bottles as an early payment and a sign of trust from me. I do hope this is a start of something bigger."