Platinum had woken up uncharacteristically early today. Tossing that baseball Golden Sixty had mangled in her hand, she sat on the front steps staring blankly at the sunrise.
"What's got you up so early today?" Agnes Tachyon asked through a yawn as she opened the door and stood beside Platinum.
Agnes Tachyon was a pretty lazy person herself.
For her to wake up early every day and make it to Platinum's window to blast that suona horn took some serious willpower.
Their relationship had always been a strange, yet somewhat harmonious one.
On the surface, it seemed like Agnes Tachyon was constantly pushing Platinum to train harder, but in reality, Platinum's condition was also driving Agnes Tachyon to solve the mystery behind the illness.
The pressure weighed on both of them equally. They were like comrades-in-arms, shouldering some shared mission together.
Platinum, her mind still foggy, stared at the rising sun before her. Faint dark circles were visible around her eyes. "Too nervous to sleep, obviously."
When she'd agreed to Symboli Rudolf's request back then, she'd been quick to say yes.
She hadn't thought much of it while boarding the plane, and even during these past days of training, it never felt fully real. She'd treated this trip to Hong Kong as little more than an all-expenses-paid vacation.
That is... until the night before the race.
Platinum had climbed into bed much earlier than usual, pulling the covers over herself ready to drift into dreamland.
One hour passed. Then two. Then three.
In the darkness, Platinum's eyes snapped open. Her pitch-black pupils were veined with red.
She couldn't sleep... She just couldn't, no matter what!
Right now, Platinum felt like a student whose vacation was about to end. She'd enjoyed a fantastic summer holiday, making wonderful memories, but hadn't touched a single page of her homework.
She kept telling herself: 'There's still plenty of time, I can do it later.' But before she knew it, tomorrow was the first day of the new semester.
And now, faced with that reality, aside from hoping some magical snail spirit would sneak in and finish all her homework, there was nothing else to be done.
Platinum was feeling something very similar.
...Wait, huh?
She was really about to step onto the racetrack? It felt like only yesterday she'd agreed!
Had she prepared enough? Could she run properly tomorrow?
Even though she'd said she'd be happy just to finish, the thought of actually plodding along the track like she was taking a leisurely after-dinner stroll...
Just imagining that scene made her cheeks burn with shame, as if stung by a hornet.
Ugh, enough thinking. Just go to sleep. She'd trained until she was half-dead for so long... Surely that had to count for something, right?
Platinum yanked the covers over her head, curling herself into a tight ball.
It was warm under the blankets, cozy like soaking in a hot spring. She could hear the sound of her own breathing.
Anxiety.
She was deeply anxious.
The mere thought of tomorrow's opponents made her heart pound so hard she couldn't calm down at all.
Golden Sixty, Urban Sea, Sham, Agnes Digital. Every single one was a Uma Musume far beyond her current level.
They were all superior to her in every way, seasoned winners who had been tempered through numerous high-stakes races.
She was just a rookie who'd won a single G3 race. In their eyes, that record was nothing worth mentioning.
...Why on earth had she agreed to Symboli Rudolf's request? This race was simply unwinnable!
If things got really bad, she could always pull a 'Leap of Faith' and just drop out... Got it! She could say she had a stomachache.
...Forget it. That would be way too embarrassing. She was already here.
To suddenly say she didn't want to play right before the race? She'd be infamous.
"Right now, I'm just full of regret. So much regret," Platinum said, her face blank as she stared vacantly at the sun. "I wish I could go back in time and slap my past self silly."
"I don't even remember when I fell asleep. It's like I never really slept at all... I think I had a nightmare where Golden Sixty and the others took turns beating me up, but now I can't tell if that was a dream or reality?"
Platinum's dry lips trembled as she stretched them into a weak semblance of a smile. "Anyway, after who knows how many times of opening my eyes, the sky was just... light."
Agnes Tachyon scratched her head in thought, then plopped down right next to Platinum.
"You're such a mess. Your mental fortitude especially needs work," Agnes Tachyon said, curling her lip in a merciless jab.
"I can't really give you any advice, because I've never felt this way myself. Every race I've ever run in, victory was already a foregone conclusion."
Platinum rolled her eyes dramatically. "Ha—Ha, sorry for having such poor mental fortitude!"
"I'm not blaming you," Agnes Tachyon said, reaching out to gently pat Platinum's head. The motion was so soft it hardly seemed like her.
"You've done really well these past two weeks. We've both done our absolute best. Now, it's time to see the results of that work."
"Think of it this way. The reason you're so nervous is precisely because you're facing unprecedentedly strong opponents—that's an experience I've never had. My own career was just too short."
"However, I do have some experience I can share." Agnes Tachyon's fingers slid upward, caressing Platinum's ears with a feather-light touch.
Platinum's ears twitched a couple of times, like shy mimosa leaves.
"Only running in predetermined, guaranteed wins is boring."
"As a challenger, having these feelings is both normal and something to be happy about."
"—Because it means you're still thinking about [winning]. That's why you're feeling so restless, right?"
Platinum was taken aback for a moment, feeling the gentle touch on her head and seeing what could almost be described as a kindly expression on Agnes Tachyon's face...
Hesitantly, she asked, "Are you really Agnes Tachyon? You haven't been body-snatched or something, have you?"
Even someone with Agnes Tachyon's impressive emotional control nearly laughed in exasperated disbelief at that—Symboli Rudolf truly had the patience of a saint.
If she were Symboli Rudolf, dealing with this little brat who never knew when to shut up, she'd have to... well, first do this, and then do that, guaranteed to teach her a proper lesson she wouldn't forget.
Show her the authority of the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf!
Agnes Tachyon's hand gradually tightened, pinching Platinum's ear. Platinum immediately grimaced in pain. "Ow, ow, ow...!"
'I'm such a fool,' Agnes Tachyon thought, 'for even trying to reassure this blockhead.' With a little brat like this, only one thing was necessary—
"I've told you all the tactics. I've put you through all the training. Your ability is absolutely sufficient. According to my calculations, you have what it takes to win the championship."
Agnes Tachyon pulled on Platinum's ear, drawing her face close to her own. Her icy breath sent shivers down Platinum's spine.
"Win for me. If you lose, I'll kill you."
Every hair on Platinum's body stood on end. That look in Agnes Tachyon's eyes... it was the look she'd give a corpse!
"I-I'll get it done, I promise!" Shivering, Platinum stood stiffly by the doorway, the fire of sheer survival instinct blazing within her bloodshot eyes.
It was a fighting spirit born from the immense pressure of simply wanting to live.
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.