But saying that was one thing—little Agnes Tachyon didn't wait for the future at all; she was already calling Nearl "assistant" right now.
"So, anything else you wanna try? It's getting pretty late, so I can take you for one more ride at most."
After handing Agnes Tachyon an ice cream cone, Nearl held up one finger as she made the promise.
"Hmm… doesn't feel like there's much else fun to do. Assistant, let's head back."
Agnes Tachyon, already worn out from the whole afternoon, looked pretty drowsy. She glanced at the remaining attractions but didn't seem interested in any of them.
"Alright, if we go back now, we'll have plenty of time. Should I cook you a meal? I was originally planning to take you out to eat again."
That perked Agnes Tachyon right up.
"Yay! You can cook, assistant? How good are you? Is it tasty?"
"I learned from the head chef at Kasamatsu Tracen's cafeteria—I won't disappoint you."
Nearl patted Agnes Tachyon's head proudly, feeling a warmth inside as she recalled her exchanges with that respectable old man.
"Not bad, assistant. Seems like you're just as skilled as I am. Let's hurry back then—I'm really looking forward to it."
With that, Agnes Tachyon zipped ahead, already quite far off. Just from that, you could tell what she'd be like when she grew up.
But halfway there, she suddenly turned back, her expression serious as she looked at Nearl.
"Oh, by the way, you know my rule when it comes to meals, right, assistant?"
"Balanced nutrition."
They said it in unison. That little moment of tacit understanding made them both break into happy smiles.
What followed was a simple but cozy dinner.
Since open flames weren't allowed in the dorm, Nearl found a place nearby where she could rent some cooking equipment and whipped up several dishes, big and small.
The food might've looked plain, but the taste was absolutely spot-on—Agnes Tachyon was so busy devouring everything that she didn't even try to speak.
Soon, dinner was over, and by then, Tachyon was already swaying on her feet.
"Aah… haa, I'm kinda sleepy. Is it 'cause my stomach's too full, so not enough blood's getting to my brain?"
Drowsiness is probably the hardest thing for anyone to fight—even someone tough enough to endure a blade wound can't hold out forever without rest.
Let alone Tachyon, who was just a kid right now. Though she tried hard to stay awake, her wide-eyed efforts were already growing vacant.
"No good… sleeping right after a meal is bad for… your health… I gotta… zzz…"
She was out.
By the time Nearl finished cleaning up and came back, this was the scene that greeted her, making her smile fondly.
"Just a kid after all, huh?"
Gently, she lifted little Tachyon onto her back and carefully, slowly started making her way back toward the dorm.
"How should I explain this kid to my roommate when we get back? Wait, no—there's still a lot of mystery around her, and it seems like she doesn't want outsiders to know."
After a moment's thought, Nearl made a decision.
"Looks like I can't go back tonight. I'll find a hotel outside and get Tachyon settled properly."
"Tomorrow morning, I'll ask her again what she wants to do. If she still doesn't say anything, no matter what, I'll take her to see the president."
--+--
A few hours later, Agnes Tachyon jolted awake. She stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling, her heart still racing.
"What's going on? Why did I dream about a Golden Pegasus prince?"
Shaking her head to clear it, she pushed herself up with some effort. Her eyes scanned the room—everything looked strange.
"Weird, how did I end up here?"
Rubbing her head, Tachyon felt completely lost.
"I remember I was supposed to go knock on the neighbor's door, and then… I think I said something after that?"
Tapping her head lightly with one hand, Tachyon felt uncharacteristically slow. Just then, a white note by the bed caught her attention.
"Tachyon, if you wake up and don't see me, don't worry. I just went back to return the dorm key to the dorm manager. Relax, I'll be back soon. —Assistant"
"?"
Agnes Tachyon narrowed her eyes, her expression puzzled.
"Since when do I have an assistant? Who even left this note? Wait!"
Memories suddenly flooded her mind—a massive stream of information left her consciousness blurry for several seconds.
The memories of the past few hours together came back like vivid, immersive photographs.
"…"
Shock. Speechlessness. Bewilderment.
Embarrassment. Embarrassment. Embarrassment.
An overwhelming wave of emotions washed over Agnes Tachyon. Everything she'd just been through was too much even for someone as usually unflappable as her.
"What the—what did I do?!"
She pressed her hands hard against her face, then tugged fiercely at her hair. The heat of her embarrassment made her feel like her scalp was about to peel off.
"Acting spoiled, being open about my feelings, showing affection—was I really like that as a kid? Unbelievable!"
She thrashed the blankets angrily, clutching a pillow and practically wrestling with it.
There was no trace of the mad scientist in Tachyon now.
But then again, maybe the wilder someone acts on the surface, the more deeply buried another side of them lies.
Once she'd vented enough, Tachyon collapsed limply onto the bed, her brown ears drooping weakly.
"This damn side effect!"
She gritted her teeth, cursing. Now that she'd calmed down, she understood exactly what had happened to her.
"The drug I was trying to make was supposed to revert leg cells—or maybe whole-body cells—back to their earlier state. But because of a mistake, the effect went into overdrive, making my whole body regress to childhood, and my brain wasn't spared either."
"But…"
Agnes Tachyon looked down at her hands, then clenched them.
"The experiment failed… This kind of transformation only lasts a short time—nowhere near long enough for the healing effect I wanted. And the reverted body shows no signs of training, so it's useless for pushing limits."
"I'd guess the effect will wear off in about five more hours. Before that…"
Before she could finish, her alert ears twitched toward the door. Sure enough, the sound of a key turning came the next second.
It was Nearl—she'd returned after giving back the key.
"Oh, Tachyon, you're awake already? Sleep well?"
"Huh? Y-yeah, well enough."
Facing Nearl's question, Agnes Tachyon was evasive and hesitant. Such a different attitude naturally made Nearl pick up on it instantly.
'Her attitude's changed? I see… so she's back to the Tachyon from this morning, huh?'
But even thinking that, Nearl showed no intention of prying.
What someone else went through was their own private business—not something she should dig into.
Offering whatever help she could was her only goal right now.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.