After realizing further investigation wouldn't yield any results, Kitahara Sota decisively paused his plans and returned to his usual idle routine.
Time slipped by quietly, and soon it was Agnes Digital's turn to race.
During this period, Kitahara had been remarkably tranquil, neither guiding training nor investigating Black Forest matters. He simply wasted time on his phone or slacked off, completely reverting to his earlier lethargic self.
Though he remained peaceful, the period wasn't entirely without incident.
One such unexpected situation involved Agnes Tachyon.
After the first day's treatment, Agnes Tachyon behaved exactly like she had after the Basic Race—not just similar, but identical.
Although she didn't refuse Kitahara's care, she hadn't spoken a single word to him since.
Kitahara intentionally eased his touch during the treatment, even gentler than before. Oddly, however, Agnes Tachyon's reactions grew even more intense, leaving him perplexed.
Normally, the initial treatments were most stimulating, and reactions should have calmed as the subject became accustomed.
He'd initially planned to slowly increase pressure once she adapted. But seeing her exaggerated responses even with this gentle approach, he realized intensifying the treatment might seriously affect her mental state—a risk he wasn't willing to take.
An incident occurred on the fourth day.
Kitahara was conducting her usual care when he noticed Agnes Tachyon's behavior had changed.
She no longer blushed or trembled slightly. Instead, upon catching his gaze, she offered a mild smile and twitched her ears playfully.
"Guinea Pig-kun, my ears feel exceptionally good today. Want to try touching them?"
Kitahara's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"You… took that potion again?"
Agnes Tachyon smiled, nodding lightly before continuing.
"I briefly mentioned the potion's effects online yesterday, and unexpectedly, people reacted enthusiastically. Many are already begging to buy it, so I figured I'd test it again today. If it goes well, I'll sell it alongside a sensitivity enhancer—I bet it'll be a bestseller."
Kitahara: "…"
Turning pleasure into affection wasn't enough—she planned to sell it with a sensitivity booster too…
He vividly imagined the chaotic scene about to unfold on campus.
After considering how overwhelmed Akikawa-san and Rudolf already were, he decided to persuade her away from this hazardous idea.
But Agnes Tachyon insisted she'd already received deposits, so backing out wasn't an option. Today's test was simply to confirm the potion's efficacy once and for all.
However, she added that if he strongly opposed, she could disclose where the batch was stored, allowing him to confiscate it—though that would require a small "reward," perhaps…
She ran a finger lightly across her soft lips, a faint anticipation gleaming in her crimson eyes.
Kitahara rejected instantly; he hadn't reached the level of sacrificing himself to save other trainers from pelvic fractures.
During the rest of their session, despite failing to secure a kiss, Agnes Tachyon didn't give up entirely. While she didn't take any concrete actions, she took other approaches—
"Guinea Pig-kun, do you prefer boys or girls?"
"Guinea Pig-kun, what should we name our first child?"
"Guinea Pig-kun, what clothing style do you like—"
"Shut up, or I'm leaving."
At his breaking point, Kitahara finally spoke up. Agnes Tachyon instantly behaved obediently and remained quiet until the potion's effects ended, feeling no further fear.
Because even without false emotions induced by the potion, genuine feelings had already filled those empty spaces.
She was no longer purely artificial. All she needed now was patience.
Yet despite these optimistic thoughts while under the potion's influence, once it wore off, she reverted spectacularly.
Due to her repeated behavior, Kitahara was increasingly convinced she wasn't genuinely shy, merely throwing a tantrum.
Think about it—if she really felt shy about it, how could she willingly subject herself to it again?
Clearly, she didn't see it as a big deal, perhaps even wanting to use the opportunity to tease or retaliate against him.
Comforted by this thought, he departed easily, leaving Agnes Tachyon curled into a ball on the bed, tail repeatedly smacking against the mattress, face so flushed it looked ready to drip.
The second unexpected event involved Symboli Rudolf.
Previously, Rudolf had often appeared at the training grounds, sometimes training herself, other times watching Tōkai Teiō.
Yet, during those times, Rudolf usually stood far away, occasionally greeting Kitahara but rarely engaging in conversation beyond that.
But after returning from the hospital, perhaps feeling closer to Kitahara, Rudolf began gravitating toward him whenever she appeared, not even deterred by Nice Nature's presence.
She didn't merely stand beside him; now she frequently chatted, mostly about Tōkai Teiō, but occasionally discussing campus events and asking for his opinions.
Kitahara regretted deeply, extremely deeply—thinking he'd have been better off calling for outside help from the start.
But it was already too late; regrets wouldn't change reality.
Moreover, future investigations might require relying on "The Emperor," making it impractical for him to intentionally sabotage their relationship as he once would have.
Additionally, due to that "empathy" he previously mentioned, whenever discussing Tōkai Teiō, Kitahara involuntarily slipped into his professional mode, offering Rudolf parenting or teaching advice from his perspective.
Still, Kitahara wasn't overly concerned.
Even though Rudolf had moved closer, their interactions resembled two parents exchanging parenting tips rather than friends. Their relationship remained relatively stable.
Tōkai Teiō herself was delighted by Rudolf and Kitahara's improved rapport—it meant less worry about Kitahara being targeted by the Student Council President.
But…
Glancing at the two distant figures watching her, Tōkai Teiō felt an inexplicable pang.
Weren't they getting a bit too close?
Thankfully, she quickly dismissed this peculiar feeling and refocused intently on training.
As for Rudolf's thoughts—
She wasn't particularly concerned.
Indeed, although known publicly as the "Undefeated Triple Crown Legend," the impeccable "Emperor," Rudolf privately wasn't quite as flawless—particularly due to a small habit few knew about.
She loved slacking off.
Yes, precisely. While externally, the legendary Rudolf appeared extraordinarily competent, efficient, and diligent, privately, she adored laziness.
She never neglected official duties and always completed necessary tasks promptly. But outside of these responsibilities, she'd seize every chance to slack off.
Recently, for example, with many transfer students enrolling, Student Council workloads skyrocketed.
She didn't refuse to work, but once finishing her own substantial portion, she disliked staying overtime.
However, her high efficiency meant that every time she finished, Air Groove and Narita Brian were still buried in paperwork.
She couldn't just sit idly watching them work, but also didn't wish to assist further—after all, she'd handled nearly 60% alone, surely earning a rest?
After contemplation, she found a valid excuse—visiting Tōkai Teiō at the training grounds became her frequent escape.
This attitude extended even to the racetrack.
In the race's final stage, once certain no rivals could catch up, she immediately slowed down, winning with minimal effort.
The public perceived this as the Emperor's merciful kindness toward her opponents. But, truthfully, she simply didn't want to run anymore.
If victory was assured, why push so hard?
Her enjoyment in chatting with Kitahara partly stemmed from this attitude.
Raised in the strict Symboli family, Rudolf had essentially no childhood, leaving her inexperienced in dealing with children.
As for Air Groove and Narita Brian—one was overly stern, even more awkward with kids than herself.
Although Narita Brian was decent at interacting with children, she generally appeared more as a leader among kids. Rudolf, however, needed to maintain her dignity as "The Emperor," making it impossible for her to imitate that kind of behavior.
But Kitahara Sota was different.
Rudolf had no idea how he accumulated such extensive experience dealing with children, but she didn't mind borrowing some of his advice…and directly copying his methods.
If you can copy the right answer, why waste energy thinking it up yourself?
Most importantly, due to her own childhood experiences—or lack thereof—Rudolf found children's emotions completely baffling. Rather than blindly guessing, it was clearly wiser to follow an expert's advice.
Unlike Symboli Speed, that stubborn old fossil, Rudolf genuinely valued others' opinions when she was in her usual state of mind.
However, she wasn't visiting Kitahara purely for child-rearing advice.
There was another reason. After several exchanges, Symboli Rudolf had discovered that she and Kitahara Sota actually got along surprisingly well.
Though their first encounter had been somewhat unpleasant, in their subsequent conversations, she'd felt…well, perhaps not instant friendship, but certainly a remarkable sense of compatibility.
Whether it was in their thought processes, logic, style of handling things, or even their high efficiency—they matched so perfectly that working together felt effortless.
As for his laziness, Rudolf didn't mind in the slightest.
After all, she herself was the type who would slack off after finishing her tasks. Not only would she never despise him for that—she actually found his idleness comforting. If he's already lazing around like that, surely it wouldn't hurt for me to take a quick break too, right?
Furthermore, there seemed to be some mysterious connection between Kitahara and the Symboli family. Although Rudolf rarely contacted her family after entering Tracen Academy, her Symboli bloodline meant she couldn't entirely detach herself from her family affairs.
Based on this, she'd started forming a theory about Kitahara's true identity—he might be an estranged relative of the Symboli family, perhaps something like a distant cousin.
This would explain everything. His link to the Symboli family, that uncanny familiarity, even the suspicious information blockade around him.
Because he was family, naturally he'd be connected to the Symbolis and give her that inexplicable sense of familiarity.
And as for his estrangement—perhaps he or his parents had some kind of falling-out with the Symbolis, leaving with a secret that could embarrass the family if exposed.
If Rudolf ever learned of such a thing, she'd surely investigate. And given her fame, a thorough investigation might draw media attention, potentially exposing the shameful secret and even humiliating that old hag, Symboli Speed.
With that thought, everything neatly fell into place.
And the more Rudolf considered it, the more logical her theory seemed, until eventually, her gaze toward Kitahara softened noticeably.
In her eyes, Kitahara Sota was practically confirmed as her cousin.
Not just family, but that extremely rare kind—a genuinely good person untainted by the Symboli family's harsh upbringing, competent, and delightfully compatible with her.
If she didn't show him kindness now, actively drawing him closer, was she supposed to let him struggle alone in the Symboli family's den of wolves?
Both emotionally and rationally, Rudolf felt it necessary to maintain a good relationship with him.
I just hope our awkward first meeting didn't leave too bad an impression on him…
A touch of regret passed through Rudolf's heart.
Fortunately, Rudolf was tactful enough to realize that overly enthusiastic behavior early on might scare him off.
Thus, she mostly stuck to discussing Tōkai Teiō or trivial campus matters for now—both to subtly strengthen their relationship and to discreetly gauge his abilities.
Once their relationship deepened and his abilities were confirmed, she intended to draw him firmly onto her side.
As for the Chairwoman…
Though poaching a trainer from another stable was strictly taboo, if Kitahara really was Rudolf's cousin, that would make it a Symboli family matter, something even the Chairwoman couldn't interfere with.
Thus, Rudolf quietly but proactively gravitated toward Kitahara Sota. Thanks to her impeccable control, a certain someone had yet to notice anything unusual.
And so, amidst all these hidden thoughts and subtle maneuvers, time quietly passed.
Finally, it was Agnes Digital's turn to step onto the racecourse.