"Oh—right. And this."
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Tachyon turned around, set down her backpack, and pulled out two thin, film-like sheets from inside. Bending over, she attached them to the soles of her shoes.
"This is a special friction-reducing sole film. With this, you can actually glide on a slope with this kind of curvature."
"Here I go."
With that, her gauzy white jacket billowed up from the force of her powerful leap.
In the blink of an eye, her brown hair vanished from everyone's sight, leaving only her high-spirited laughter echoing through the mountain valley.
"Ahahahaha!"
Nearl and Manhattan Cafe quickly leaned out to look.
Within their line of sight, Tachyon—her coat fluttering—bent her knees, lowered her center of gravity, and adopted a posture as if she were skiing.
"Tachyon seems really happy," Manhattan Cafe murmured, her eyes fixed intently on the figure speeding down the slope.
The fire in her gaze grew fiercer, a dangerous trait buried deep within her since birth gradually surfacing.
Manhattan Cafe had always been different from normal Uma Musume, even from a young age. It wasn't about any exceptional running talent, but rather an abnormal, shared ability that shouldn't exist.
Namely, eyes that could see "ghosts."
A different world, bizarre encounters—these past experiences shaped Cafe into a quiet yet clingy personality.
And that was with SS's guidance.
Yes, when Cafe was little and could see ghosts, one day she saw SS, who became her friend and even took on a motherly role.
SS comforted Cafe's lonely heart, protected her from the strange phenomena she shouldn't approach, and taught her how to live like a normal person.
That warm companionship nurtured Cafe's anxious, fearful heart, allowing her to grow up relatively normally. The dangerous personality born from certain stresses was buried as a result.
But that didn't mean it was gone forever.
That so-called dangerous personality was born alongside her unique talent, a mechanism of self-protection.
Deep in Cafe's heart lay a relentless pursuit of danger—so much so that she would risk her life for it. The more perilous the situation, the more it excited her.
Fortunately, SS channeled this dangerous pursuit onto the racetrack. In those all-out moments fighting for first place, Cafe could barely experience that thrill, serving as a good outlet.
But the craving for stimulation remained constant. If not for SS's guidance with normal values, the world might have seen its first Uma Musume criminal.
Now, here on Celestial Peak, within these extraordinary peaks, facing a path fraught with danger, Cafe felt excitement like never before.
"Let me go second."
Watching Tachyon leap smoothly and safely to the other side, Cafe could no longer restrain her impulse and volunteered to go next.
"Are you sure? Cafe, this is your first time," Nearl asked with concern, but Godolphin stepped over to reassure her.
"It's fine. Little Nearl, have you forgotten? Age-wise, Manhattan-san is older than you. She's a veteran now, she can take care of herself."
And Godolphin leaned in closer, whispering in Nearl's ear.
"Besides, no matter what, we're here as the safety net. Nothing will go wrong, I promise."
That was the clincher. Nearl was convinced. She just gave Cafe a look and stepped aside.
"Cafe, be careful."
"Mhm!"
Taking the sole film from Nearl and following the steps Tachyon had just demonstrated, Cafe eagerly jumped down.
This was her first time attempting something so dangerous, but the burning in her heart urged her on, sharpening her focus, her palms warm with tension.
Mimicking Tachyon, she lowered her center of gravity. The sole film provided an unexpectedly smooth glide, almost like ice skating—partly due to the unusually flat surface of this section of rock.
The force of the descent gradually transformed into speed and momentum. The wind rushing past whipped Cafe's long, dark hair like a sail.
"Now."
The path ahead was ending; it was time to leap. The legs that embodied the essence of an Uma Musume's strength tensed.
"Ho, what a beautiful jump. That figure soaring across the ravine is like a black eagle in flight."
"But that child is dangerous. There's a dark turbulence deep within her, a poison from her talent. Godolphin, this is your mistake, isn't it?"
Facing Byerley's pointed question, Godolphin fell into a rare silence. This indeed was her oversight—there was no denying it.
The specifics were hard to detail now, but the gist was this: she, who bestowed upon Uma Musume the potential for mental advancement, had made a slip. Manhattan Cafe's uniqueness stemmed from that.
But this was no blessing; it was an affliction. Damage to the mind was far harder to heal than physical wounds.
"Little Nearl, from now on, you'll need to keep a special eye on this child too. Consider it a favor for your big sister."
Godolphin pursed her lips, looking at Nearl, her eyes tinged with worry.
"Cafe is my friend. I'll do everything I can to help and look after her. But you might be underestimating her. Like you said earlier, Cafe is already a mature Uma Musume. She can handle it."
"Perhaps. Your big sister trusts your judgment. But you're not quite getting my meaning. I'm saying you need to be careful too."
"Huh? I agreed to pay attention, didn't I?"
Nearl couldn't understand what her sister was hinting at at all, but the strange look in both their eyes made her profoundly uncomfortable.
"Hey, assistant! Hurry up and get over here!"
Tachyon's shout from the other side carried across the distance. Though faint, the meaning was clear, so Nearl and the others temporarily set the topic aside.
"We're coming!"
Nearl called back and prepared to follow Tachyon's example. But as she rummaged for the sole films provided by the staff, she caught sight of her two sisters' movements from the corner of her eye.
They weren't searching for anything at all. Instead, they were each starting to warm up.
"Sister?"
Before Nearl could even voice her question, Byerley and Godolphin simply charged forward, maintaining a full sprinting posture.
"!?"
It wasn't just Nearl; Tachyon and Cafe on the other side felt their hearts leap into their throats.
"They're sprinting downhill? On a slope this steep? Are they out of their minds!"
Instinctively, Agnes Tachyon's hands flew to her own knees. Putting herself in their place, imagining sprinting downhill like that, a sudden chill ran through her legs.
'Impossible. My legs would absolutely snap. A hundred thousand percent, they'd break. Sprinting downhill like this is simply not possible. Even if you dragged the Emperor here, she wouldn't dare try it.'
"Absolute lunatics. I bow to their madness. Are they really that confident in their bodies? Now I'm starting to wonder if there's something in that family's genes. Can such absurd physical prowess really be inherited?"
Agnes Tachyon felt she'd stumbled upon something huge.
She shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to dismiss the wild speculation.
"No, can't go around saying things like that. It'd cause nothing but trouble for Nearl and the others later."
--+--
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.