By the morning, I had managed to get most of the work done. The real estate contract had no problems, and the administrative paperwork had gone through faster than I expected, so I somehow managed to put together a lunchbox and make it to Tachyon’s lab.
“You’ve arrived much earlier than expected. Hmm, perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave a specific time—say, about twenty-three hours earlier!”
Tachyon’s voice was incredibly charming. Just listening to that distinctive, lilting tone made me feel as if I’d been put under a spell, leaving me dazed and quiet.
I held out the carefully packed lunchbox to her. From how quickly she opened the container, it seemed like she was really hungry.
“Hmm... I’m afraid your sense is lacking.”
Tachyon looked over the contents with a strangely wistful expression.
“Study up on how to make octopus sausages.”
“Sure, sure.”
“And it’s better to keep the dressing separate. If you pour it on beforehand, all the vegetables will die.”
I wrote down Tachyon’s picky, detailed requests on a memo pad and tucked it into my chest pocket.
“It’s been a while...”
Tachyon stared at the lunchbox, taking several deep breaths in front of it. Since I’d prepared a meal that was absurdly large by human standards but about the right amount for an Uma Musume, I’d gotten carried away and made quite a lot.
“For the record, I don’t eat like Oguri and gorge myself mindlessly, so don’t overdo it. If I eat this much, I might lose my snack time!”
“You eat snacks too?”
“Thanks to someone, I’ve been keeping up with them faithfully. Rather than one big meal, I prefer to supply my body with nutrients little by little at regular intervals, so there’s no need to prepare this much.”
Even as she said that, Tachyon neatly emptied the lunchbox.
“How is it?”
“It’s terrible!”
Tachyon answered with complete confidence. For some reason, I didn’t hate it.
“What should I improve?”
“The problem is your overall cooking skill. It looks like you rushed through it after glancing at a cookbook.”
Her exact analysis left me with nothing but a bitter smile.
“But it has the taste of happiness, so I’ll give it a score. What do you think it is?”
“Seventy points?”
“One hundred points.”
Tachyon giggled. After rinsing my mouth with the black tea she poured for me, I got straight to the point.
“Mormot-kun, give me the materials.”
I took out the analysis and training materials on Oguri that I had worked on late into the night before and carefully handed them to Tachyon. Feeling like I was being evaluated in front of a professor, I unconsciously straightened my back.
“Hmm... mm...”
Tachyon flipped through the pages, nodding or shaking her head from side to side a few times.
“First of all, why did you print this on paper?”
“I thought you’d like it.”
Tachyon gave a faint smile. It seemed to be an answer she liked very much.
“Not bad. Yes, not bad at all. You seem to have made heavy use of the materials I gave you. Hmm? No, no. Calm down. I’m not trying to scold you or criticize you. I’m only saying this because I want to tell you that you did well, so don’t be embarrassed.”
Tachyon laughed, waving the stack of papers. She looked like a professor seeing a student with good grades, or like someone who had just discovered a promising graduate student.
“First, spread your arms.”
It was a sudden request, but I obediently opened my arms. Tachyon sat down on my lap without the slightest hesitation. I reflexively tried to get up, but she had braced herself firmly by gripping the underside of the chair, so all I could do was twitch in place.
“Why are you so stiff, Mormot-kun? Shouldn’t you be focusing on the lesson right now?”
She took a red ballpoint pen from the front pocket of her lab coat and drew an X on the chart.
“The very first mistake is drawing data from only two measurements. Statistics are important, yes, but how you gather them is just as important. Of course, since Oguri and I showed such absurd specs, you may have glossed over that part. But verification must be obsessive and precise. Shouldn’t you be checking humidity and temperature here as well?”
Like she was teaching a child how to walk, Tachyon spoke with relentless detail about measurement and statistics. She brought up soil dryness, the condition of the turf, the trainer’s resistance to heat, and divided the possibilities with near-obsessive thoroughness.
I had learned about those things in college, during exam prep. But I had forgotten. My face grew hot for no good reason.
“You might think that such fine-grained detail isn’t necessary for a simple measurement. Usually, these things are checked in between training sessions, after all.”
Run the same course the same way all week. Repeat the same test all week. In theory, it was correct, but Uma Musume were not machines. They needed the right amount of stimulation and variation so it wouldn’t simply become repetition, a routine.
“It’s a hard road, yes. But there are people who start from there. You need the ability to see the big picture—where to begin and where to end, and all the steps in between... Of course, even if you make that effort, what you gain will only be a tiny result.”
A tiny result. Compared to the effort, there was almost nothing left over. No, it was the kind of thing where, compared to other people, you might only get a few extra coins in change.
“It’s an incredibly, incredibly subtle difference. But isn’t a race decided by that difference?”
Tachyon said it as if it were nothing. Even if the result was only a few coins more than a standard training method, if there was a hunger for victory, that was where it began. I could agree with that.
“Of course, if you keep doing that, there’s a high chance your charge will get sick of it and run away!”
Leaning against my chest and looking up at me, she laughed as if she found the whole thing terribly amusing.
“But if they don’t have that much effort, that much passion, or that much talent, then they’re simply not worth making that effort for. Still, rest easy, Mormot-kun. The girls who will become your charges are extremely capable and strong. Strong enough that even I have to keep my guard up!”
At Tachyon’s words, I tightened my hand around the one she was holding.
“You seem to know all the answers.”
“Fufu, I’m grateful that you think so highly of me, but unfortunately I’m full of flaws too, so I need your help.”
Tachyon interlaced her fingers with mine and tugged. My arms moved naturally, as if I were about to pull her into an embrace.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Of course. I’m an extremely troublesome woman, just as Fine-kun said. I like having other people cook for me. I adore lunchboxes. And I adore people who keep coming back. That includes calling me before bed so I don’t stay up all night, massaging my shoulders when I’m tired, brushing my tail, and needing to be held like this.”
What a troublesome Uma Musume. I said that, and Tachyon covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
“There’s nothing new in what I’m teaching Mormot-kun. Inspiration and creativity ultimately come from the foundations you’ve steadily built. You’re prepared, and I’m only telling you that. Brace your waist and straighten your shoulders. That’s the posture that suits you.”
I adjusted my posture as she told me to. As she leaned in slightly and rested her cheek against my chest, her hair carried a wonderfully pleasant Earl Grey scent.
“...Wouldn’t you normally explain things through riddles and hints about direction, Tachyon?”
“If the result you’ll reach in the end is the same, then I don’t think telling you the shortcut in advance is cheating or underhanded. Of course, if you do something foolish in the middle or take a wrong turn, then since you’re my Tachyon, I’ll kick your ass a little. Now then, it’s time for our delightful question session!”
With my hands still interlaced in hers, Tachyon continued the lesson. It was a problem I understood in theory. But we talked about how, in reality, one could clearly measure the condition of a living being with concrete indicators.
Should I call it madness? In her answers, I felt a concentration so relentless that obsession seemed the better word. If what she said was true, then it was the kind of effort that would require pouring out an entire life for training. No—love.
As I listened to the methods she proposed, I could only wonder what kind of person had taught her such a brutal, absurd way of doing things.
There was no doubt that this person was extraordinary, enough for Tachyon to call them someone she respected. I found myself wanting to pay my respects to that unknown person as well.
“Unfortunately, that will be all for today’s lesson.”
“That’s it?”
“If I give you everything I have, won’t the time I get to spend alone with Mormot-kun like this grow shorter?”
“You say embarrassing things so casually.”
Tachyon was still leaning against my chest.
“Mormot-kun may not understand, but I’m... I’m making a great deal of courage right now. Whether you believe me or not.”
At her far too serious words, I shifted my legs a little.
“Could you get up now? My legs are starting to go numb... I might suffer necrosis.”
“I can’t let our cute Mormot-kun suffer a disability, so I suppose I’ll yield.”
At my ridiculous whining, Tachyon rose from my lap and stretched grandly.
“What score will you give my lesson today?”
“It was absurd and difficult, but...”
Tachyon looked at me with a faint smile, as if she already knew the score.
“One hundred points.”
“Then tomorrow’s lunchbox should be one hundred and twenty points.”
At Tachyon’s shameless reply, I let out a small laugh.
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