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“If I mix in this reagent, then perhaps… Hm. A failure, then…”
I poured the reagent, which had reacted in a way different from what I had predicted, into the waste container beside the sink. All sorts of colors had mingled together in it until the contents were completely murky. It was almost full, so I closed the lid and set it in the corner of the clubroom. When I happened to glance at the clock, I saw that it was just about noon. The moment I registered that fact, my stomach let out a loud growl. Come to think of it, I had not eaten anything since morning…
“Trainer-kuuun. It is about time for lunch…”
As I said that, I turned without thinking toward the chair where she always sat, but no one was there. You were not there.
“Ah… that’s right… You’re already…”
I gazed at that empty sight with a trace of loneliness and took the photograph tucked into my breast pocket. In it were Trainer-kun, smiling gently, and myself, smiling like a flower.
Two days had passed since Trainer-kun suddenly disappeared. When I asked Tazuna-san and the president about it, they only looked away awkwardly. From that reaction, I more or less understood.
It seemed I had depended on Trainer-kun more than I expected. With her gone, it felt as if a great hole had opened up in my heart. I could not put any effort into training, and the meals I made by imitating what I had seen her do were not very good. The method should have been the same, too. After Trainer-kun disappeared, Cafe’s trainer took over for her, but perhaps out of concern for how listless I had become, she limited me to some light self-training I could manage on my own for a while and otherwise told me to rest.
During that break, I had thought I would finish the experiments that had been piling up… but the drop in my performance caused by Trainer-kun’s absence was apparently worse than I had imagined, and I kept failing. I used the wrong reagents, could not measure exact amounts, and in the end could not even manage the most elementary data recording.
“To think it would be this bad…”
I happened to look in the mirror. I looked awful. My hair was a mess, my cheeks had hollowed a little, and dark circles had formed beneath my eyes. I had at least washed my uniform, but it was all wrinkled. How much had I depended on her in my everyday life…?
There was no point dwelling on it, and I was hungry, so I temporarily set the experiment aside and went to the simple kitchenette attached to the lab. I picked up a few portable food items and a viscous liquid from the refrigerator.
I sat down and brought what I had gathered to my mouth. The taste made me grimace despite myself. Even so, I had no choice but to drink it. To think I used to drink things like this… I took my time and somehow managed to finish it, then washed the container.
“I really do miss your cooking… Trainer-kun.”
After that, I did not feel like experimenting at all, so I went outside for a walk to clear my head. As I walked, I passed many trainers and uma musume, and each time I looked beside me, you were not there. It felt so empty and sad…
I kept walking in a daze, and before I knew it, the sun had begun to sink and a beautiful sunset had spread across the sky. I gave a wry smile at the thought that I had been walking so aimlessly for that long. Then I returned to the lab and stared at the picture I had taken with Trainer-kun. Drop after drop fell onto it.
“Trainer-kun… I’m lonely without you… Trainer-kun…”
Tears spilled from my eyes, and sobs slipped out of me. All I could do was raise my voice and cry alone in the lab where you were no longer present.
“I’m baaack!! Tachyon, I’m home!”
The laboratory door flew open along with that bright voice. Trainer-kun stood there, holding large bags in both hands. I threw myself at her with all my strength.
“Trrraaaiiiner-kuuuun!!”
“Whoa!? Don’t just jump on me all of a sudden! That’s dangerous!”
“Why did you suddenly disappear!? I couldn’t reach you on your phone! You ignored my emails!”
“Well… I forgot my phone… Sorry?”
“Sorry is not enough! What was I supposed to do about my meals!? You left me a note that only said ‘business trip’! Do you have any idea how hungry I was for these two days!?”
“I wrote on the back that there were boxed lunches in the freezer!”
“Huh? Ah, so you did… But you should write that sort of thing on the front! And you didn’t tell me where you were going on this business trip, or who you were going with! When I asked Tazuna-san and the president, they turned me away at the door!”
“Because the last time I went on a business trip, you showed up at the site! That really startled me, you know…”
“That is because you have made my body unable to live without your food, and taking care of me is your duty! Besides, if I am not at your side, some strange riffraff might start swarming around you! You are my guinea pig alone!”
“You worry too much, Tachyon… It’s not as if I would go anywhere besides by your side, right? Well, unless you told me you wanted me replaced.”
“As if I would ever say that! I have no intention of being cared for by anyone but you anymore!”
“Is that a proposal?”
“Don’t tease me! More to the point, I already did that, didn’t I?”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’m not going anywhere and leaving you alone, Tachyon. We’ll be together forever, okay?”
“…Mm. More importantly, I’m hungry… Make me something, Trainer-kun.”
“Okay, okay. I understand. I bought souvenirs too, so eat a little while you wait.”
“Mm, all right.”
“Now then, what should I make… What do you want?”
“Anything is fine, as long as you made it.”
“Okay, then I’ll make a bunch of things. Wait right here.”
I told her I would, loosened my uniform a little because it was hot, and drank the black tea Trainer-kun had brewed for me. Ah, this taste. It really did put me at ease…
Frustrating as it is, I truly seem to be hopeless without you. So please, do not leave me behind, all right? My beloved Trainer-kun.
As an aside, I heard a noise outside and went to look, only to find Scarlet-kun there with her face bright red. The moment she saw me, she ran off somewhere. I wonder what that was about?
Fin