A short while later, Agnes Tachyon sat comfortably inside Kitahara Sota's dorm, facing both him and Eclipse.
"This is Eclipse—she's my family, we grew up together. She's also one of my current tantou," Kitahara briefly introduced Eclipse before turning toward Agnes Tachyon, his tone resigned.
"And this is Agnes Tachyon—a well-known figure at Tracen Academy and someone I… became acquainted with recently. I guess you could call her my… friend."
He forced out the last word with visible reluctance.
Agnes Tachyon had no objections to his hesitant introduction. Her eyes traveled back and forth between Kitahara and Eclipse, growing steadily brighter with intrigue.
Then, ignoring Kitahara's warning glance, she beckoned Eclipse close and began whispering in her ear.
Kitahara strained to hear, but Agnes Tachyon spoke too quietly. He could only observe Eclipse's expression shifting subtly—starting from calmness, turning slightly doubtful, then astonished, and finally settling back into calm again.
Although Eclipse's face returned to normal by the time they separated, it was clear her attitude towards Agnes Tachyon had notably warmed. She now looked at Tachyon without suspicion, and somehow even accepted a vial containing a green potion from her—
Wait, a potion?
"What is that?"
An uneasy feeling surged through Kitahara.
Eclipse turned her head slightly away, carefully pocketing the potion, while Agnes Tachyon spoke up cheerfully.
"Oh, nothing special—just an ordinary stamina-restoration potion. Great for quickly replenishing energy after prolonged exercise. If you're interested, I can sell you one at a special friendship price~"
Only an idiot would buy that!
And isn't that potion obviously suspicious? Eclipse, why did you accept it so casually? You're seriously worrying me here!
Kitahara felt a deep sense of regret—immense regret.
If fate ever granted him a second chance, returning him to the day of the attack, he would gladly take that beating rather than have anything to do with this dangerous individual again.
With a long, gloomy sigh, Kitahara looked at Agnes Tachyon helplessly, finally asking,
"So, what exactly do you want?"
Seeing him cut straight to the point, Agnes Tachyon skipped formalities and swiftly pulled out a pre-filled application form and a pen from her white lab coat, placing them neatly in front of Kitahara.
"I already have two tantou. Honestly, I don't think I can handle another—"
Kitahara instantly rejected her the moment she produced the form.
Yet Agnes Tachyon's expression didn't waver one bit. Her smile remained pleasant.
"Oh, I know. That's why this is simply an application to join your team."
After a brief pause, she added:
"As you're aware, my reputation at Tracen isn't exactly stellar. Trainers are generally scared of me, so very few teams or trainers are willing to take me in."
"And besides, I'm already halfway through my prime. If I don't start competing soon, I'll enter my decline without achieving anything notable. I don't want my precious three years as an Uma Musume to go to waste—but the rules state clearly that an Uma Musume without a trainer can't participate in races. Therefore…"
She lifted her gaze, meeting Kitahara's eyes with a faintly pleading look.
"Trainer-san, please."
Hearing this, Kitahara fell silent.
But it wasn't that he was moved by her appeal. Rather, he was stunned that Agnes Tachyon could lie so convincingly, even managing to appear genuinely pitiful.
Admittedly, she wasn't lying about already being halfway through her peak. Kitahara himself had observed as much.
But claiming no one wanted her was clearly nonsense.
Agnes Tachyon's bad reputation among trainers was certainly real—but no matter how questionable her reputation, her strength was undeniable.
The strong always held a privileged position, regardless of their quirks.
She was hardly the only eccentric or problematic Uma Musume at Tracen; there were even worse cases with weaker abilities who still easily joined teams or found dedicated trainers.
Kitahara was sure that Tachyon wouldn't even need to approach him personally—one simple post on the academy forums about wanting a trainer would instantly become the hottest topic of the day. Plenty of reckless trainers would line up eagerly, making it utterly impossible for her to remain trainerless.
And frankly, with her resources—virtually monopolizing the academy's underground scientific community—joining popular teams or acquiring a veteran trainer would be trivial.
Yet despite knowing all this, Kitahara couldn't outright expose her lies; after all, she still had leverage over him.
After pondering a moment, Kitahara decided it would be safer to reject her from another angle. Offending her too bluntly risked provoking retaliation—and he definitely didn't want those sensitive details leaked.
He cleared his throat, feigning hesitation.
"Um, Tachyon-san… It's not that I don't want to accept, but since we're a team, it's only fair to ask the others their opinions first—"
"I already asked them," Eclipse interrupted casually, waving her phone slightly. "They all agreed."
Kitahara: "…?"
Eclipse turned away, avoiding his gaze.
"Special Week and Oguri Cap both think having more team members would be livelier. Tokai Teio didn't have any objections either."
As for Grass Wonder, everyone understood her actual situation. She was essentially just a nominal member, so her opinion wasn't relevant here.
"…What about you?"
"I think…she seems nice."
Nice, my foot!
All our years together, and you're seriously siding with her just because of a stamina potion?
Honestly, he'd long wanted to complain about this: Other Uma Musume desperately want their trainer's exclusive attention, so why exactly is it completely reversed with you? Do you want me torn to pieces by an entire herd?
"I…"
Kitahara opened his mouth again, attempting to voice another protest. But before he could even finish his sentence, Agnes Tachyon shoved the application form and pen directly into his hands. Her crimson eyes sparkled dangerously as she smiled sweetly.
"Well then, guinea pi—ahem—Trainer-san. I look forward to working together."
Seeing that inexplicable gleam in her eyes, Kitahara paused briefly before sighing in resignation, reluctantly accepting the form.
Whatever. Just accept your fate already.
"Well… Tachyon-san, I look forward to working together as well."
As the pen tip touched paper, the devil's contract was sealed.