But then again

After hearing Kitasan Black's account, Anjing Zhen sent a message to Tokai Teio to arrange a meeting time.

He truly disliked involving himself in work-related matters on his rest day, and judging by the brief text reply, Tokai Teio did not seem to be in any particular rush either.

Therefore, it was not until Monday noon that he arrived at the Student Council Office.

The moment he stepped into the office, he backed right back out.

Behind the desk, wearing a pair of eyeglasses, was Tokai Teio.

Beside her was a Horse Girl with brown short hair and red eyes featuring shutter-like patterns.

This Horse Girl was wearing an oversized white trench coat, with sleeves so long one couldn't help but want to pull them over and tie them into a knot.

Her hands were hidden by the sleeves, and through the fabric, she cradled a steaming cup of black tea.

She had been chatting with Tokai Teio, but upon noticing someone enter, she glanced over, her eyes lighting up.

"Ho ho ho, long time no see, Anjing-kun..."

Before she could finish, Anjing Zhen had already retreated outside the door.

He looked up at the nameplate on the door.

It was indeed the Student Council Office.

So, why was Agnes Tachyon here?

Inside the room, taken aback by his retreat, Agnes Tachyon curled the corner of her lips and looked at Tokai Teio.

"So, am I really that scary?"

"Ahaha, well, about that..."

Laughing awkwardly and pushing up the eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose, Tokai Teio gave a dry cough.

"Trainer Anjing, please come in. Doctor Sovetsky has a rather good suggestion, and I think it's worth hearing out."

Anjing Zhen had actually already stepped back inside.

Although he wasn't sure what was going on with Agnes Tachyon, leaving abruptly would certainly be too rude.

Even if the rumors about human experimentation weren't entirely baseless, with the President, Tokai Teio, present, he assumed Agnes Tachyon wouldn't actually propose anything outrageous...

Probably?

"Good afternoon, you two."

Filled with doubt, Anjing Zhen asked:

"So, the one who wanted to see me this time wasn't the President, but Doctor Sovetsky?"

"More or less."

Before Tokai Teio could speak, Agnes Tachyon's eyes shimmered as she said:

"I happened to pay attention to Kitasan Black's race the other day; it was a truly outstanding victory.

"Congratulations. To secure a win in a Horse Girl's very first race—Anjing-kun, you are truly no ordinary person."

...What do you mean "happened to pay attention"? You've definitely been watching since the day of the consultation, haven't you?

And "no ordinary person"...

Does that mean you want to do even stranger things to me now?

Muttering to himself, Anjing Zhen felt even more suspicious.

A month had passed since that visit to the hospital, and in that time, he had basically had no contact with Agnes Tachyon.

During her final diagnosis, the Horse Girl had even stated that his physical condition was quite healthy and had never asked him to return for a follow-up.

So, if she really had been keeping an eye on him—or rather, on him and Kitasan Black—could she truly have some messy, ulterior motives?

But truthfully speaking, he had simply been training himself from a young age, and his physical fitness was merely considered quite good within the human range.

By comparison, a Horse Girl with such powerful constitution as Kitasan Black should be the one worth paying attention to, right?

As he pondered this, he heard Agnes Tachyon shift the topic.

"I have a consultation later, and I assume Anjing-kun has training work to attend to, so I won't beat around the bush."

Taking a sip of her black tea, the Horse Girl said with a hint of temptation:

"I took a brief look at the public race registrations, and I see that Anjing-kun has chosen the classic route for Kitasan Black.

"Winning the Triple Crown is no easy task; Anjing-kun must have made quite a few training arrangements, right?

"For instance, partner training?

"I asked Teio earlier, and she said Anjing-kun hasn't applied for a partner yet.

"I happen to have a candidate in mind here; I wonder if Anjing-kun might be interested?"

Anjing Zhen was not surprised that Agnes Tachyon was so well-informed about the follow-up race schedule and training.

Like all other active competitors, Kitasan Black's race schedule was public information, visible to anyone who cared to look.

As for her knowledge regarding the training, the reason was simple.

Agnes Tachyon was not only a former active Horse Girl, but also the champion of the Satsuki Sho.

From her Debut Race to the Satsuki Sho, she remained undefeated in all four of her races, and before the Satsuki Sho began, she had garnered nearly 60% of the support, making her the undisputed favorite.

Due to her astonishing winning streak and the immense speed she displayed in her races, the industry dubbed her the "Faster-than-Light Particle."

For such a Horse Girl to speak on Kitasan Black's training schedule was less a matter of guessing and more a casual sharing of her own championship-winning experience from back in the day.

Just as she had said, Anjing Zhen had indeed arranged quite a few training tasks for his Horse Girl, one of which was "side-by-side running."

As the name suggests, this type of training requires coordination with other Horse Girls, which is very beneficial for cultivating racecourse awareness and can be used to explore the Most Suitable running style.

Generally speaking, experienced trainers have many Horse Girls under their name and can even invite famous Horse Girls, so finding a partner for side-by-side running is not an issue.

Anjing Zhen, however, lacked that kind of accumulation; he could only apply through the academy's official procedures.

It was hard to say what kind of Horse Girls one could invite through this method; in most cases, they were of average ability, sometimes even inferior to Kitasan Black.

After all, stronger Horse Girls had no time to help others with side-by-side running, as they had their own training to attend to.

But having someone was better than having no one, and since the Debut Race had successfully fulfilled the initial plan, he had to consider her specialty running style for the follow-up, so side-by-side running was definitely not something he could give up.

Anjing Zhen had already prepared the application, though he had yet to submit it.

He was not accustomed to changing established plans, nor could he figure out the true nature of Agnes Tachyon's sudden goodwill.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head.

"I am very grateful, Doctor Sovetsky, but if I may be blunt, I have already written the application, and I am not fond of changing plans that have already been set. Furthermore..."

"Daiwa Scarlet."

"...But then again, for Doctor Sovetsky to take time out of her busy schedule to help Little Kita and me resolve our troubles, refusing so abruptly would be far too rude. Besides, I am very interested in the partner you have provided. Please, by all means, pretend I said nothing before. I have no other intentions regarding your kindness, only endless gratitude."

Anjing Zhen changed his tune without batting an eye.

"Oh? It seems Anjing-kun has agreed."

Raising her eyebrows with interest, Agnes Tachyon curled the corners of her mouth, stood up, and stretched.

"Then I shall not disturb the two of you any longer. I have a consultation later, so farewell."

The Horse Girl left as soon as she spoke, and soon, only the surprised Anjing Zhen and Tokai Teio remained in the office.

"President, what was that about... Doctor Sovetsky?"

After hesitating for a moment, Anjing Zhen looked toward Tokai Teio.

Noticing the meaning in Anjing Zhen's gaze, Tokai Teio pondered for a moment.

"Actually, I am also very surprised.

"The night before last, Tachyon suddenly called me, saying she wanted to provide a partner for Trainer Anjing's side-by-side training.

"I asked her why she suddenly made this decision, and she only said she was very interested in the trainer and Little Kita.

"Trainer Anjing has probably heard that Tachyon... er, has some strange rumors surrounding her.

"However, I can guarantee in the name of the President that her experiments... er, have never caused any real harm.

"Besides, having heard the candidate she provided, I believe it is a good thing for both the trainer and Little Kita.

"After all, that is Daiwa Scarlet.

"The trainer should be very clear about her strength, right?"