"Hmm… These need to be in the centrifuge for five minutes."
In a particular corner of Tracen Academy, one could find a particularly large room filled with multiple scientific instruments. The lab is a Tracen Academy facility that the students can use under proper permission, but it has become a private room for a particular Uma.
"Oh my~~ It seems that I ran out of bread. Manhattan Cafe?"
"..."
The Uma with short brown hair that bounces with each of her steps, tousled just enough to suggest she's been deep in thought—or perhaps sprinting through an experiment gone awry. Two horse ears peek out from the top of her head, twitching subtly as if attuned to sounds beyond human perception, searching for an answer from her friend. A matching tail sways behind her, its movement rapid and instinctive, hinting at a primal energy beneath her composed exterior.
Her eyes are a striking red, sharp and inquisitive, glowing like flame from her never-ending curiosity. She wears a long white lab coat. But this isn't just for show—test tubes and scientific instruments dangle from its pockets and loops, clinking softly as she moves. Each item tells a story: breakthroughs, failures, and questions still unanswered. Beneath the coat, a warm yellow sweater adds a touch of softness to her otherwise clinical ensemble, paired with black leggings and pristine white shoes that seem to defy the grime of the lab.
This Uma is the infamous Agnes Tachyon, the phantom triple crown, and the mad scientist.
"Hmm? Did she leave for something?"
*Grumble*
"Well, might as well buy some on my own."
The scientist hops out of her gaming chair and carefully strides from her chair to the door, trying not to make a much bigger mess of the lab than it already is. Many scientific papers and books littered the ground, a clear scene that she isn't hogging the lab for no good reason.
*Ssshhkkkk*
"Oh? It's evening already…?"
The fact that she was taken aback by the orange hue raining the hallway tells a story of dedication. She had been doing nothing but experimenting in the lab, so she didn't notice that time had gone by.
Everyone who knows the story of Agnes Tachyon will understand why she made the lab her second dorm room. With the title of 'Phantom Triple Crown', one can already learn of the ability that the scientist has as a racing Uma. So why only a phantom? Why hasn't she become a true 'Triple Crown' winner?
It was because of her glass-like legs.
It was a story many Umas have heard. A potential to rival the strongest, only to be brought down by bad genes. An equivalent exchange. Great potential that comes with great detriment. Tachyon's story has basically become the poster child for said rumor.
During her earlier days, many hailed her as the second coming of the Emperor. The strongest reborn to go toe-to-toe and challenge the throne. Yet, fate decides otherwise. The next thing people know is that Agnes Tachyon decides to take a hiatus from the racing world, citing her glass-like legs as the reason.
Many wails. Many cried. Many lament the fate of the prodigy. But no one is devastated more than the girl herself. She had told herself that she didn't care. She had said to herself that she would still run once in a blue moon.
And yet, she had locked herself in the lab from that day. Trying to figure out a way to fix her legs.
"Mmhh… An anpan sounds nice. Oh! They serve hot tea too!"
Tachyon pushes coins down the vending machine and presses 2 buttons. A pack of anpan bread drops down first before a can of hot tea follows behind it.
"Ouchie… Hot…"
So why is an Academy student researching a way to fix her glass-like legs? Surely, other Uma scientists before her had found a way to cure it.
Well, truth be told, there is. But to fix glass-like legs requires invasive surgeries or the still-controversial CRISPR, and those aren't cheap at all. A student like Uma has basically zero chance of being able to pay the bills. She didn't come from some rich family. Her racing career was still in its infancy when she decided to take a hiatus, so she hasn't built up any kind of wealth. No one wants to put their money in an upcoming Uma when the real one is still there. She had no one but herself. Which is why she had been spending her days researching and experimenting. She wants to fix herself.
"Munch… Munch… Gulp… Aaah…"
What potions should I be making next? The black market is scheduled for next week.
Her research and experiment require money. Although Tracen Academy provides chemicals and equipment, she can't fully depend on them. She knows that the Tracen Academy's board is looking at her suspiciously. She should be running more, as Tracen is a racing Umamusume academy, so her existence is an anomaly. That's why she can't put more burden on Tracen Academy's scientific spending than she already did, or she'll run the risk of getting kicked out.
To help lighten the burden, she had been participating in Tracen Academy's legendary black market, where students and even teachers gather to sell and buy illegal stuff. Agnes Tachyon has been known to be a reliable supplier of dangerous potions, and she has been raking in money from her black market sales and personal commissions.
But like her race, the black market also happens once in a blue moon. To avoid the eyes of the Tracen Academy Private Investigator, the black market is done in extreme secrecy, and sometimes the location isn't even in the Tracen Academy.
I need to brew more of the highest-selling potions so I can have enough money until the next race.
*Ssshhhhkkkk*
"Manhattan Cafe? Are you back?"
"..."
"You… Who are you?"
There was no answer from her friend, but Tachyon knew that she was not alone in the lab anymore. A silhouette was standing with its back against the covered windows at the opposite side of the door. The light from the sun tried to illuminate the figure, but since it was standing in front of a curtain, Tachyon could only see its silhouette. It is without a doubt a man. Wide chest and shoulders, muscly built, and short spiky hair. In his hand is an open book, one of Tachyon's many personal notebooks.
Is he here for revenge? For the potions that I give to his Uma?
"Agnes Tachyon, The Phantom Triple Crown."
The man's crimson eyes defy the natural way of the world as they shine brightly, creating an intimidating figure of all black except for his corneas. Even the white part of his eyes seems to turn pure black.
"Who are you?"