"Huh? W-What happened?" The moment Daiwa Scarlet saw Agnes Tachyon being carried back on Xingyun Liuge's back, the color drained from her face.
She knew perfectly well what kind of horse girl Tachyon was. Her self-care was abysmal, her daily routine a disaster, and the idea that she might suddenly collapse somewhere at some unknown hour was entirely plausible. The miracle was that she had managed to stay safe for this long.
But what Scarlet had never expected was that Agnes Tachyon would carefully make her plans, head out with Xingyun Liuge—and then still end up in trouble anyway.
Was this really the same Agnes Tachyon? The same bizarre but actually frighteningly capable schemer?
If Scarlet had known it would turn out like this, she would never have listened to Tachyon's arrangements. She would have shadowed them in secret instead. If she had, then when Tachyon ran into trouble, she could at least have helped Xingyun Liuge instead of leaving everything to this senior she admired.
Though that raised another question. How had the two of them stayed out for so long?
Had they gone all the way to Epsom Racecourse?
The moment that possibility occurred to her, Daiwa Scarlet could not help thinking, Honestly, this Tachyon-senpai is so lame.
This would not just cause trouble for Xingyun Liuge—it would also give British horse girls something to laugh at. Just imagining that scene made Scarlet's head ache. Instinctively, she wanted to protect Liuge's image and help Tachyon recover the dignity she had thrown away.
Xingyun Liuge had only just established herself as an overwhelmingly powerful horse girl. Scarlet did not want all that effort to go to waste.
At this stage of history, Japanese horse girls occupied an awkward place internationally. Forget overseas success—even in their own backyard, they had struggled to defend the Japan Cup.
Japanese horse girls had been beaten one after another by rivals from the United States and Ireland, shut out from the winner's circle. There had been Katsuragi Ace rising unexpectedly, and then Symboli Rudolf standing proudly before foreign horse girls with all the majesty of an emperor, but…
The year after Rudolf won the Japan Cup, the Union Jack was raised above Tokyo Racecourse. Stanerra's hooves shattered Japan's dream of a third straight victory and sang the glory of the Queen.
The year after that, All Along arrived draped in the French tricolor and trampled Tokyo beneath her feet.
It was no exaggeration to say that foreign horse girls had swept across Japan's turf, and the two banners of resistance Japan had managed to raise were broken on the spot.
If Xingyun Liuge had not gone abroad and made such a name for herself, very few people overseas would probably have had any confidence in Japanese horse girls at all.
The thought of Liuge being looked down on because Tachyon had embarrassed herself filled Scarlet with a fresh wave of irritation. She wanted to go challenge British horse girls herself and win back the face Tachyon had lost.
But before that, she had to settle this utterly incorrigible senpai down first.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be easier said than done. Scarlet tried to help Tachyon down off Liuge's back, but Agnes Tachyon clung tightly to Liuge's shoulders and refused to let go, as if she had been welded there.
That made Scarlet's face turn from pale to green.
She knew Tachyon could be strange at times, but that had always been something she heard about more than personally experienced. This was the first time she had seen Agnes Tachyon act so shamelessly.
The way Tachyon was behaving looked almost like she had gotten into catnip.
But Xingyun Liuge did not smell strange at all. There was no odd scent on her—certainly nothing that should make a horse girl excited or agitated.
And since the one lying all over Liuge was Agnes Tachyon, Scarlet felt completely powerless. She could not just pry her loose by force. What if she hurt Xingyun Liuge in the process?
Sirius Symboli had far less patience.
After circling Xingyun Liuge twice, she abruptly reached out and pinched Tachyon's nose shut. She had noticed that Agnes Tachyon was sniffing Liuge's scent, and as far as Sirius was concerned, Japanese horse girls simply could not afford to lose face like this. More than that, she was worried Tachyon's behavior might upset Liuge or make her misunderstand something.
"All right, enough. Get down already. Aren't you both drenched in sweat? Your lab coat's covered in bits of grass and dirt, and the smell is terrible. Down. Go take a bath."
As a horse girl from a noble family, Sirius had very little tolerance for this kind of disheveled behavior.
But while she might not have meant anything by it, the listeners immediately started drawing conclusions.
The moment Sirius mentioned grass and mud on Tachyon's clothes, Latifa's expression changed.
What kind of activity left a lab coat in that state?
Had they seriously gone all the way and gotten intimate out in the open? Was that not a little too wild? What if someone had seen them?
Latifa was not the only one whose thoughts took a dangerous turn. Daiwa Scarlet did the same.
So Tachyon had specifically warned Scarlet not to follow because she wanted to get intimate with Xingyun Liuge in private?
Scarlet's face went from green to bright red.
She had to admit, this senpai of hers was formidable. To think she had managed to get the apparently uninterested Xingyun Liuge so thoroughly overwhelmed that she could not even stand on her own.
At the same time, Scarlet also thought Tachyon was being shameless beyond belief. They had only known each other a short while, had they not? How had things progressed so quickly? Was this some attempt to deal with a declining birthrate through early marriage and childbearing?
She blushed harder and harder until she looked like she was about to start steaming like a cartoon character.
Then Tachyon flicked her forehead.
Agnes Tachyon casually extended a hand and gave Scarlet a firm thunk on her smooth brow. "When I'm not around, your way of thinking seems to get awfully barbaric, Daiwa. Though I suppose Xingyun does prefer the Yamato Nadeshiko type, doesn't she?"
"Huh?" Scarlet instinctively glanced at Xingyun Liuge, then snapped her eyes right back to Tachyon and shouted, "Huh?! Where did that come from? That has nothing to do with your situation, Tachyon-senpai!"
Deep down, Daiwa Scarlet had a stubborn streak, but she was fundamentally a kind-hearted horse girl. If Tachyon really did want to be with Xingyun Liuge, Scarlet would respect that choice as her junior.
Tachyon looked at her and spread her hands, deliberately speaking in an offhand tone. "Oh, nothing. I just thought you should know."
But the sly curve of her lips made it obvious she was teasing Scarlet on purpose.
She wanted to see that flustered expression.
For a senpai, Agnes Tachyon had a truly wicked streak.
Sirius Symboli, on the other hand, had no interest in whatever was going on between the senior and junior pair. She waited for her chance, then firmly peeled Agnes Tachyon off Xingyun Liuge's back.
Symboli Rudolf had carefully selected someone exceptional for this role. This was only meant to be a tentative introduction, a cautious attempt at social contact. It did not matter whether it succeeded or failed.
But Sirius Symboli did not see it that way at all.
In her mind, every act of diplomacy deserved a full-force effort. What if it worked?
Rudolf had already paid too much in her attempts to win Xingyun Liuge over. Some stakeholders were already unhappy with her. Sirius wanted to help Rudolf produce actual results—results so decisive that those people would be forced to shut up completely.
When they were offending Xingyun Liuge in the first place, why had none of them stopped to consider that she might become a world-class horse queen who could shake the world?
Now they were panicking?
Sure, Rudolf herself had not initially taken things seriously either, but at least she had recognized the mistake and immediately started pushing for reforms to the entry system the moment she returned to Tokyo.
What had those other people done?
Dragged their feet, insisted on clinging to the old JRA attitude, and only when Xingyun Liuge won the 2000 Guineas—only when their arrogance stopped working—did they suddenly "improve efficiency" by increasing the number of office fax machines from two to three.
The whole thing was so absurd it was almost admirable.
Then, week after week, the fire crept closer to their feet until the entire JRA was abolished and had to be rebuilt virtually from scratch as a new institution. By that point, nearly every former executive had been turned away by all sides and forced to swallow the bitter result. Even so, some people still complained that Rudolf had gone too far and lost the elegance expected of a noble family.
To people like that, Sirius Symboli had only one thing to say:
Serves you right.
If they were so capable, why had they not stayed proud to the very end? When Xingyun Liuge refused to mention Japan at all, who had been the most terrified? And when enraged public opinion started battering the JRA building, who had been hiding in bathroom stalls, trembling in panic?
Now that things seemed calmer, they had fresh opinions again?
Even Sirius knew this was not peace. It was the calm before the storm. The struggle over Xingyun Liuge had not even really begun yet. If Japan lost her, domestic opinion would explode all over again.
Sirius did not want Rudolf's efforts to end in complete failure. She wanted to help her, using her own methods. She wanted Rudolf to win.
So if Agnes Tachyon genuinely liked Xingyun Liuge and wanted to be with her, then Tachyon would just have to wait her turn. Rudolf's chosen candidate would go first.
If that succeeded, everyone would be happy. If Xingyun Liuge was willing, Tachyon could try whatever she liked afterward.
And if it failed, then Agnes Tachyon would go next. Sirius would do everything in her power to bring out Tachyon's appeal and let her attract Liuge instead.
And if even that failed…
Then Daiwa Scarlet would join in as well.
By the time they got to Tachyon's turn, the approach would no longer be one by one, but two at once. As long as Xingyun Liuge had not clearly refused, then as horse girls, they obviously ought to move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Many: no unnecessary hesitation—send several horse girls in at once.
Fast: skip the romance and jump straight to intimacy. If they liked her, then they should just make their move. Who had time for a slow-burn love story?
Good: show off their best qualities with everything they had, so Liuge could see their strengths clearly.
Efficient: most importantly, keep Xingyun Liuge from running off with foreign horse girls.
That, in short, was Sirius Symboli's core strategy.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 80
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57
The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I'm Definitely Not the King of 60
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 35
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34
I, the Elden Sword Saint 27
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24
No One Knows Pokémon Better 18
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 20
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