CRACK—
A crisp sound rang out as the grip strength meter in her hand was crushed into pieces.
Picking up the shattered fragments, her fingers traced the broken edges. Agnes Tachyon's eyes widened slightly.
"No signs of cutting, no change in metallic properties, and no chemical reaction either… In other words, it was purely crushed by brute force…"
Shifting her focus back to the black-haired girl standing before her, Tachyon spoke.
"No skeletal structure to speak of, and it's not mechanical either. Just how is such immense power generated?"
A grip strength meter designed specifically for Uma Musume had been crumpled like a sponge in the other's grasp, its spring sent flying.
Even for an Uma Musume—and not just any ordinary one—shattering a specialized grip meter was an incredibly difficult feat, even for a professionally trained Uma Musume.
If the strength in her upper body was already this unimaginable, then what kind of power must her legs possess? Agnes Tachyon was deeply intrigued.
"No wonder she can reach such absurd speeds…"
Tachyon let out a sigh of amazement as she watched the instruments continuously refresh record after record.
The gap between her and other Uma Musume might very well be as vast as that between Uma Musume and humans.
Every measurement exceeded the maximum values of the equipment. With the current tools available in the lab, it was impossible to gauge her full capabilities—new experimental instruments would have to be purchased.
But equipment that could meet these demands likely wouldn't be available on the general market. Tachyon would have to pull some strings within her family.
That meant a significant amount of time would be wasted yet again.
Apart from strength metrics, even the girl's height and weight took Tachyon by surprise.
She was identical to Manhattan Cafe in every physical aspect.
Height and measurements were one thing, but how could her weight be exactly the same too?
This was something Tachyon couldn't wrap her head around.
The girl's arms and ankles were just as soft and slender as Cafe's.
Yet, based on the abilities she had displayed, her muscle density had to be at least three times greater than Manhattan Cafe's. So, logically, her weight shouldn't match Cafe's at all.
That led to a pressing question:
What exactly was her body made of?
Was it carbon-based, like an ordinary human's? Or was it composed of some unknown substance yet to be discovered…?
If possible, Tachyon would have loved to slice off a bit of the girl's skin and examine it under a microscope. But doing that would probably drive Cafe into a frenzy—and she might just return the favor.
To ensure her own personal safety, Tachyon had to find another approach.
"So, how did I do?" The girl set down the crushed grip meter.
"Hmm… You seem to be in better form than usual today?"
"Maybe."
After all, it wasn't every day she faced a real challenge. Her spirits were unusually high.
"'Maybe,' huh…"
Jotting down a string of data on her chart, Tachyon looked at her with dark red eyes. "Fascinating. The deeper I dig, the more mysteries I uncover."
To science, her body was nothing short of an untapped treasure trove. Every strand of hair, every fingernail—all held impeccable research value.
"Marvelous… absolutely marvelous!" Tachyon exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.
"I've never seen such a perfect creature—no, I mean… such a perfect being."
Centuries ago, humans had already put forward the hypothesis of the soul.
The endless debate between science and religion continued even now, and humanity still had no definitive explanation.
And now, with a living sample right before her, Tachyon found that current imaging technology couldn't properly capture the girl's body—only a faint, fog-like silhouette reluctantly showed up.
Older film cameras performed slightly better than modern digital ones, but even they couldn't clearly capture her features.
Even X-rays bent when passing through her body, producing blurred, unrecognizable images.
Was there some fundamental difference between how the human eye perceived her and how instruments attempted to capture her?
Tachyon hadn't yet figured out the underlying principle.
But she wasn't in a rush.
This was long-term work. Rushing wouldn't yield answers. Solving a mystery that had remained unsolved for millennia—even with a sample right in front of her—would take years of research and calculation.
Tachyon planned to take it step by step, setting aside a fixed amount of time each day. But while she had the patience for such painstaking exploration, not everyone shared her mindset toward the unknown.
"Still no progress today?"
Standing behind her, watching Tachyon's every move, Manhattan Cafe spoke up.
"Cafe, my dear, research is a time- and energy-consuming endeavor," Tachyon replied, resting her chin on her hand.
"How long have we studied the human body? Years? Decades? No, no—based on existing records, scientific research on the human body has been going on for centuries. Yet even in this age of advanced technology, we still can't fully explain the specific causes of aging and death."
"And modern science's exploration of Uma Musume has only just begun. Researchers still haven't figured out where the Uma Musume's superhuman strength and speed come from, even though their physical structure is similar to that of humans."
What Manhattan Cafe was asking about involved challenges far more complex than those posed by ordinary Uma Musume.
An unexplainable soul, and the barely charted territory of Uma Musume.
"Will it really take that long…?"
"Hahaha~ Cafe, my dear, pioneering a completely uncharted field is an extremely difficult task. Never mind anatomical structure—we may even have to reevaluate the basic composition of her body." She let out a rhythmic laugh.
"Or could it be… that you have so much faith in me, you believe I can find a solution in a short time?" Tachyon couldn't resist teasing.
Based on past experience, it could take dozens, if not hundreds, of experiments before even one succeeded.
Science advanced through repeated trial and error. There were no shortcuts to speak of.
"Actually, I do think… if it's you, you might just find the answer sooner rather than later."
"My, my…"
Hearing such an honest reply, Tachyon made a slightly surprised sound.
No matter how many bizarre or outlandish stunts Tachyon pulled, Manhattan Cafe couldn't deny it—in her eyes, Agnes Tachyon was the most brilliant person she had ever met.
Then Cafe recalled what Tachyon had initially promised: that she was capable of delivering results. But she'd never mentioned how long it would take.
Cafe had a feeling she'd been played. A sense of gloom settled over her.
Narrowing her eyes, Tachyon turned toward her.
Even so, some things were simply beyond anyone's power. Tachyon wasn't an all-knowing, all-powerful god—just a researcher who had dedicated all her energy to the study of Uma Musume.
She would keep the promise she made to Cafe, no matter how many years it took.
"If you really can't wait, I do have some… interesting things here to pass the time. For instance, this special dye—through capillary action, just a few drops can change the color of your clothes, and it evaporates completely within minutes. How about it? Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
She proudly presented her latest experimental creation.
Manhattan Cafe had absolutely no desire to touch any of Tachyon's dubious concoctions. Her expression was one of clear refusal.
"What a shame. It's really quite amusing…" Muttering under her breath, Tachyon turned her attention back to her experiment records.
"Ah, that reminds me… 'Miss Friend.'"
Noticing the blank entries under speed-related metrics, Tachyon spoke up.
"On the day of the [Tenno Sho], I'll be there at the venue."
I'll be counting on you… to hold nothing back.
The response she received was a fiercely arrogant smile.
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T/N: Classroom of the Elite Fanfic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.