For an Uma Musume, besides mental health, the most important thing is naturally physical health, especially as individuals who run frequently; their legs are constantly threatened by pain.
Therefore, another school-wide physical examination began.
Since they were all girls, the examining doctors were all female. Also, after male staff like Trainers were temporarily given leave, there were no humanoid male creatures left in the entire school.
Of course, even though there were no classes, Rei Bo was still a student and naturally had to come for the physical examination, but… Rei Bo's state at this moment was a bit off.
It was nothing, just some everyday occurrences.
Although Rei Bo mostly didn't reject contact with others now, only during large-scale events with many people gathered together would her social anxiety more or less be triggered, so she would absolutely avoid participating if she could. Therefore, some time ago, Rudolph specifically entrusted Air Groove to create some personality-altering drugs, and they were actually made. Mainly, there was no other way; as a student, she had never participated in a school-wide physical examination, and this time, she absolutely had to be brought in.
The effect of the drug, rather than changing personality, was to bring out the user's most essential personality. It was unclear if others would become more cooperative, but for Rei Bo, it was unusually effective. Why? Because those who had known Rei Bo for a long time knew a little about her quirks.
Don't let Rei Bo's usually mature appearance fool you; deep down, she yearned for contact with others more than anyone else. When that yearning erupted, it could even override her own rationality.
Once, Suko used a drug to make Rei Bo want to hug everyone she saw in the academy, which brought out that accumulated desire. This time, it simply reversed her inner and outer self.
The final result was Rei Bo, in her Charm Max state, currently straddling Chaza on the sofa, rubbing her face against her, acting like a spoiled kitten.
Even the usually calm Manchester Cafe couldn't help but stroke Rei Bo's little head with a "=▽=" expression, finding her incredibly endearing.
Rudolph, on the other hand, looked at Air Groove speechlessly.
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Oh my~ It seems this child has accumulated too much usually~" Suko, meanwhile, was keenly recording the current state.
Seeing Suko's expression, Rudolph Symbol also helplessly covered her eyes. In Rei Bo's current state, she absolutely couldn't be taken for the physical examination. Otherwise, she would probably charm a bunch of Uma Musume and in turn affect the progress of the examination.
She shook her head, about to leave, when she suddenly felt a tug on her skirt. Turning around, she found Rei Bo, who had approached her at some point, looking aggrieved.
"Are you leaving? QΛQ"
Her eyelid twitched. Rei Bo, who usually treated her without any politeness, now looked so soft and cute that she found it a bit too much.
However, she still had important matters to attend to. Just as she was about to tell the other party to let go… "(Teary-eyed)" It seemed she was really about to cry. Chaza, beside her, was staring at her with an extremely fierce gaze. The meaning of that gaze was probably a threat like, "If you make her cry, I'll spread Air Groove's medicine all over the school."
"Be good, I still have things to do. I'll come back to play with you later, okay?" Helpless, she leaned down slightly, gently rubbing the other party's little head while asking softly. Even Teio probably hadn't seen Rudolph like this. Suko's smile grew increasingly strange.
"Ugh… You have to come back, okay?" After a slight thought, Rei Bo said pitifully, just like an affectionate little kitten waiting for its owner to return.
At least she was just extremely affectionate now; her general mental faculties were still intact.
After Rudolph left, Rei Bo sat next to Chaza and rested her upper body on her lap.
"So, what now?" Chaza asked Suko while stroking Rei Bo, who was acting like a kitten.
"Heh, how can I miss out on such an interesting thing." Suko also tried to stroke her, but Rei Bo suddenly bristled and dodged away.
Seeing Rei Bo suddenly jump away and timidly stare from the other side of the sofa, Suko's hand, which she had extended to try and calm her, froze in mid-air.
Seeing her friend's discomfited look, Chaza couldn't help but laugh.
"Ahem, it seems she's not just more affectionate, is she?" Suko cleared her throat, withdrew her hand, and then stated her speculation.
After all, if she were just affectionate, she should stick to anyone she knew. It seemed something unexpected had also happened.
For example… had she simply turned into a soft girl?
Anyway, for Air Groove, this unexpected development was a good thing. At this moment, she had already turned to concocting new medicines.
Manchester Cafe looked at Suko, who was intently mixing medicine, and Rei Bo, whose tail was standing straight up. After a moment of thought, she decided to take her out for a walk.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she ran into Daiwa Scarlet, who happened to be coming over.
"Ah, Manchester Cafe-senpai, is Suko-senpai in there?"
"Yes, she's inside. Is something wrong?"
"Ahaha, not really. I just wanted to visit more often." Daiwa gave an embarrassed laugh and then noticed Ling, who was hugging Manchester Cafe's arm and leaning against her.
"Huh? Rei Zai? Wait a minute? Something seems off?" Just as she was about to greet her, she suddenly noticed that Ling's expression was not her usual one.
"Daiwa~" Ling suddenly showed a smile she wouldn't normally display, then opened her arms and hugged Daiwa Scarlet, who was too slow to react and was directly embraced.
"Hehehe~"
Even Daiwa was a bit startled, looking at Ling, who was rubbing against her and acting spoiled. She questioned Manchester Cafe with a look of alarm.
"Suko's medicine was a little too strong."
"Ah, this..." Daiwa Scarlet naturally knew how potent Suko's medicine was, and at this moment, she could only helplessly hug Ling.
"How long will this last?" Instinctively, she reached out to pet Ling, who had turned into Rei Bo. She didn't know why, but Daiwa was very good at taking care of children.
"Suko said it would probably last until the afternoon, but she wasn't sure of the exact time." For some reason, Manchester Cafe-senpai's gaze seemed a bit displeased. Did I do something wrong?
After a while, Daiwa went into the laboratory, while Manchester Cafe took Ling to a garden she often visited.
In the center of the garden were several sets of tables and chairs, used by some refined Uma Musume for tea parties. However, currently, most Uma Musume were queuing for their physical examinations, except for those who finished early, so there was no one here.
"What would you like to drink?" After motioning for Rei Bo to sit down, Manchester Cafe prepared to buy some drinks.
"The same as Manchester Cafe!" She seemed very excited, swinging her little feet on the chair, unable to reach the ground.
Nodding, Manchester Cafe went to the vending machine on the other side to buy drinks. However, as soon as she bought the drinks and turned around, she spotted a familiar little sprout.
At this moment, Ling was hiding behind a flower bush, secretly peeking her little head out and staring at her.
"What's wrong?" Manchester Cafe, who enjoyed horror movies, naturally wasn't scared by this cute sight.
"It's been too long since we came..." She seemed a little displeased, puffing out her cheeks.
It hasn't even been three minutes, has it...? A drop of cold sweat ran down. Manchester Cafe walked over and shook the canned coffee in her hand.
"Shall we go?"
"Mm!" Her gloomy mood instantly vanished, replaced by a smile.
Manchester Cafe suddenly didn't want Ling to change back.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!
