Seiun Ryoka trusted the two girls, so she asked the obvious question right away:
"What exactly happened?"
It might not have been the nicest thought, but she did enjoy watching girls squabble a little.
And Tachyon and Daiwa Scarlet were not just random girls, either. They were senior and junior within the same lineage. A clash between them was automatically far more thrilling than an ordinary argument.
Ryoka's gaze immediately turned playful as it drifted back and forth between the pair. Scarlet, caught under that look, quickly grew embarrassed.
Tachyon, on the other hand, remained perfectly at ease. She even leaned back and lightly bumped Scarlet's chin with the back of her head, as if to say, What are you doing?
She looked completely innocent.
If it had been anyone else, Scarlet could have just blurted out the truth. But this was Agnes Tachyon—her respected senpai. How was she supposed to say what she knew?
If she did, how would Ryoka see Tachyon after that? What kind of punishment would Tachyon face?
If the one standing here had been the famous Emperor, Rudolf Symboli, Tachyon would probably have been sent straight back to Japan, locked in a room to reflect for several years, and then handed over to Ryoka for judgment.
Even Sirius Symboli would have come down on her hard.
Yes, Scarlet had stopped Tachyon before she could do anything outrageous—but that alone would never count as grounds for leniency.
Daiwa Scarlet was sweating bullets. Still holding Tachyon pinned in place, she desperately racked her brain.
Cold sweat soaked through her back almost instantly. The thin, breathable fabric clung to her skin, making her feel even more awkward.
What was she supposed to do now?
"Well, um, it's just…" Scarlet's red eyes darted everywhere, searching for some explanation that would both protect Ryoka and spare Tachyon.
Ryoka watched the flustered Scarlet with amused interest. Propping up her cheek with one hand, she tilted her head and smiled.
If an outsider had seen the scene, they might have thought this was all part of Ryoka's plan—that she and Tachyon had coordinated everything in advance just to tease Scarlet.
But there had been no time for that.
Scarlet had no idea Ryoka was enjoying herself. She was wholeheartedly trying to protect Tachyon.
That, from Ryoka's point of view, was wonderful. Since she and Tachyon had never actually coordinated anything, it meant Ryoka truly had no clue about Tachyon's plan—she had honestly assumed Tachyon only meant to give her a massage.
After agonizing over it for a while, Scarlet finally forced out:
"Senpai…"
Then her tone abruptly shifted into one of righteous indignation.
"Ryoka-sama, she was making a really strange face just now! I think she needs time to cool her head!"
The more Scarlet spoke, the redder her face became.
Part of it was guilt. She was lying to Ryoka. She did know what Tachyon had been planning, but she was hiding it because she wanted to protect her senpai.
The other reason was Ryoka herself. Wrapped in only a bath towel, she was showing far too much smooth, pale skin for Scarlet's peace of mind. Scarlet no longer knew where she was supposed to look.
"I see." Ryoka rose in one smooth motion, readjusted the towel around herself, and walked toward Scarlet.
Then she gently touched the side of Scarlet's face and said softly,
"It's probably fine, though, right? Agnes has always been a strange person. As her junior, you should know that better than anyone."
Tachyon loudly protested that she was a perfectly serious racehorse girl with clear goals in life. But she went quiet at once when Ryoka lightly added:
"Since Agnes went to the trouble of wanting to massage me, let's just let her try. With Daiwa here watching, she definitely won't cross any lines."
That touched Tachyon far more than Scarlet expected. The intense, obsessive air around her softened a little—but only a little. In its place, a hotter, more earnest feeling welled up in her eyes, as if she were thinking:
Ryoka, you really are too good a woman.
Scarlet, meanwhile, had almost relaxed—until Ryoka finished speaking. Then her heart leapt straight back into her throat.
Normally she would have been grateful that Ryoka trusted Tachyon.
But not now.
Scarlet had just heard Tachyon saying all kinds of suspicious things. Scarlet herself no longer trusted her senpai in the slightest. How could she let Ryoka approach Tachyon defenseless like this?
Something terrible was absolutely going to happen.
After a moment of silence, Scarlet blurted out:
"The oil! It's the oil! I think that oil is suspicious!"
And then she launched into a rapid-fire explanation: there had been no proper equipment, no raw ingredients, no time. So how on earth had Tachyon produced such massage oil in the first place?
Ryoka was the pride of Japan's racehorse girls. Scarlet refused to let her be endangered by anyone's weird schemes.
She spoke so passionately that she nearly convinced herself.
But Tachyon's response was completely unexpected.
Instead of panicking, she covered her mouth and started shaking with suppressed laughter, as though Scarlet had just said something utterly absurd.
Feeling Tachyon trembling under her grip, Scarlet grew more and more confused.
What kind of reaction is that? I'm trying to clean up your mess here, Senpai!
Scarlet was beginning to get seriously annoyed.
Then Ryoka asked, puzzled,
"The oil? That was mine. Agnes said she wanted to study it, so I gave her a bottle."
Scarlet froze.
There was almost an audible cracking sound, like a stone statue splitting down the middle.
What did Ryoka mean, it was her oil?
Wasn't that the bottle Tachyon had described as a bizarre concoction with "sensitivity-enhancing" effects?
Scarlet moved like a rusty wind-up doll as she turned her head bit by bit to stare at Tachyon, silently demanding the truth.
Tachyon, still covering her mouth, was very obviously trying not to laugh.
Her expression practically screamed:
Come on, Daiwa. There's no such thing as massage oil that magically boosts sensitivity. Your imagination is really something. Or should I say… your head is full of some very strange ideas?
Scarlet's face instantly turned green.
Agnes Tachyon! You made all of that up just to trick me?! That's awful!
Her mental state shattered on the spot.
She wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
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 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 45
Honkai: Schicksal Media 53
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 30
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