Chapter 177: Time to Prepare to Say Goodbye to the Twinkle Series
Standing together with Air Groove as they looked over the medical report, Makoto's thoughts raced. He quickly connected the dots—Duramente's training camp had been held by the seaside.
Purines, as organic compounds, are present in very high amounts in seafood. Combined with the situation at hand, it was highly likely that her training diet had included a lot of fish and shellfish.
That was extremely common during seaside training camps, but developing inflammation because of it was far less so.
From this, it seemed that Duramente's constitution was somewhat special.
The medical report mentioned this clearly. Not only that, there was also an explicit medical order stating that seafood and other high-purine foods must be strictly prohibited going forward.
Those were recommendations that were easy to understand and easy to accept.
However, when Makoto read the next item, he couldn't help frowning. A sense of worry rose unconsciously as he glanced at Air Groove beside him, then looked toward the desk ahead.
The two of them were currently in the orthopedics consultation room of the Tracen Academy Affiliated Hospital. The ceiling lights were stark white, and a large anatomical diagram of skeletal structures hung on the wall.
Under the harsh lighting, Air Groove would periodically stare at the report, then occasionally lift her gaze to the skeletal diagram on the wall. Her hand was visibly trembling, and her brows had long since knit into a deep furrow.
On the other side of the desk sat a middle-aged doctor in a white coat, also holding the examination report.
His expression remained fairly composed. As he flipped through the pages, he was speaking quietly with a certain Umamusume beside him.
When Makoto's gaze shifted to that Umamusume, his brows jumped in surprise.
It was Agnes Tachyon.
She, too, held a medical report in her hands and appeared to be discussing its contents with the doctor.
Yet while speaking softly, she occasionally glanced over, and within her crimson eyes—alongside caution and contemplation—there was also a trace of something difficult to grasp, an almost playful, inscrutable interest.
After the diagnosis she had given earlier this year, then meeting again in the Student Council office, Makoto had barely had any further contact with Agnes Tachyon.
She also seemed to have forgotten about him entirely—she hadn't even followed up on recommending Daiwa Scarlet, nor had she reached out again.
And if his memory served him correctly, she was supposed to be a neurologist.
So what was she doing in orthopedics now?
It couldn't be that she had come here specifically because of me… right?
"Air Groove-senpai, I think it would be better to reduce the training volume."
As Makoto was thinking this, the discussion among the doctors seemed to come to an end. Agnes Tachyon picked up the black tea on the desk and looked over.
"I can roughly understand Duramente's longing for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and I can also understand how she must feel upon learning this…"
"No—rather, I should say that among everyone here, only I can truly understand."
"After all, being forced to give up because of inflammation or something like that…"
She lifted the teacup and took a slow sip. In her red eyes, it was as if time itself began to swirl backward. She bared her teeth in a crooked, half-smile.
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
That last sentence was spoken very softly, yet it made both Air Groove and the middle-aged doctor turn to look at her at the same time.
Makoto, too, couldn't help but fix his gaze on Agnes Tachyon. Suddenly, he understood why she was here—perhaps even why she worked at this hospital at all.
After her debut, she had cut through competition after competition, winning four consecutive races, including the opening race of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho.
Each race had been like autumn leaves swept away in a storm—her overwhelming explosive power leaving the entire field stunned. At that time, Agnes Tachyon could truly be called a dazzling meteor.
And she really had been a meteor.
After the Satsuki Sho, she developed tendinitis.
For an Umamusume, this was an incurable condition. And so, she left that blood-boiling race track behind.
Such cases were far from rare in the racing world—on the contrary, they were all too common.
Perhaps she had become a doctor precisely to make up for past regrets—and at the same time, to do something for juniors who might one day face the same fate.
"Tachyon…"
Air Groove's gaze trembled slightly for a moment. She soon shook her head, gratitude and helplessness mingling on her face.
"You may have misunderstood. It's not that I refuse to accept reducing her training, it's just…"
She rubbed her temples and gestured toward the door.
"You probably don't know this, but Duramente… that child can be quite stubborn at times."
"She had a big argument with her parents not long ago, and yesterday was actually… her sneaking out."
"If we hadn't happened to run into Makoto-san, I don't know how much effort it would have taken to drag her back."
"I'm just thinking about this… about how I should explain it to her."
Just as Air Groove and Agnes Tachyon had said, aside from restricting high-purine foods, the middle-aged doctor's other recommendation was to reduce training and focus on recuperation.
In terms of time alone, it wasn't particularly long—about three to four months. However, that period landed squarely in the latter half of the year's racing schedule.
If they truly followed this medical advice, then not to mention the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe or even the Kikuka Sho, Duramente wouldn't be able to compete in any races for the time being.
"Explain it however it needs to be explained."
Agnes Tachyon lifted her teacup and took a sip, her gaze faintly indifferent.
"I'm not the type to sugarcoat things. To be blunt, her current situation is already a lucky one."
"You of all people, Air Groove-senpai, should know how troublesome inflammation can be."
"Let me be even more direct—if that child continues being stubborn, then not only is a fracture practically guaranteed, even if she recovers properly, next year, in her senior season, she might fracture again."
"And if it happens one more time…"
She took another sip of black tea. A flicker of danger and resentment flashed through her eyes.
"Then she should prepare to say goodbye to the Twinkle Series."
At those words, agreement and difficulty surfaced on Air Groove's face, while the middle-aged doctor nodded silently.
Makoto, meanwhile, couldn't help casting a sidelong glance at Agnes Tachyon.
What this Umamusume had said was exactly what had happened in his memories.
In another timeline, Duramente had indeed recovered after fracturing during her Classic year.
But in the following year's Takarazuka Kinen, she fractured again—and that time, it directly led to the tragedy of permanently losing her ability to compete.
Makoto couldn't know what Duramente, as a racehorse, had thought back then.
But he was certain that if such a turn of events befell the Umamusume in this world, she would find it incredibly difficult to accept.
Of course, he could think of this because of foreknowledge. Agnes Tachyon, on the other hand, was likely speaking from experience and medical reasoning.
Given the current situation, Duramente's inflammation had been discovered quite early—early enough to completely avoid a worse outcome.
If, on the contrary, it hadn't been found now, or if it were ignored going forward, then next year's tragedy would undoubtedly repeat itself.
So perhaps she really had become a doctor for the sake of her juniors—and had come here deliberately for that reason…
As Makoto was thinking this, a look of resolve suddenly flashed in Air Groove's eyes.
"I understand. I'll explain things properly to Duramente."
"And while we're at it… Tachyon, could you help me persuade her as well?"
"Well now~"
Standing up from behind the desk, Agnes Tachyon stretched lazily and gave a slow smile.
"Coincidentally, I've been working on a project related to this condition. Let's call it expanding my case studies."
"Come on, Air Groove-senpai."
"Oh, right…"
As she walked over to Air Groove, Agnes Tachyon turned a half-smiling look toward Makoto, as if only just noticing him.
"Please have this gentleman wait here for a moment. I'll come back later, and then we can talk about Kitasan Black's condition."
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