During her coma, Rudolf had experienced a spiritual journey known only to herself.
She felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless, dark pit filled with seawater, like a slowly sinking drowning person, with no strength left to struggle, to escape this dark abyss...
No, it was better to say that at that time, she herself had no desire to resist at all.
This situation, for the now-recovered-her-past-memories Rudolf, was not unfamiliar. On the contrary, it was as if everything from her past life was being re-enacted—to fulfill his last wish, to cultivate Tokai Teio into an "undefeated Triple Crown horse girl" and let her grow up healthily, was the last value left in her life. She had poured all her heart and soul into their only "child."
For this wish, after his death, while juggling the affairs of the student council president, she had also, at a very fast speed, completed the transfer of the position of head of the family from her grandmother. And at the same time, she had registered for the position of a JRA central trainer. All of this was to do her best to gather the most resources to cultivate Teio.
But Rudolf, who held several positions, while investing countless resources in her, was naturally also subjected to the endless backlash of so many creatures—the pressure of responsibility, duty, and so on... but she had held on.
With the belief that she must realize the "last wish left by her only light," she had held on. Her spirit was like a thin thread hanging several heavy objects, but had been struggling to hold on without breaking. But she could not collapse, at least not at that time...
So much so that at the moment Teio finally fulfilled his wish, with the moment she let go of all the pressure with a sigh of relief, the string in her mind that had been struggling to hold on without falling finally broke.
After that, even though she was in a coma, she knew what had happened. She knew she was not dead, but her spirit, her will, made her unwilling to wake up.
Several years ago, the only light that had supported her had shone on others. She had already found it hard to accept. But at that time, she could still continue to maintain herself with the remaining warmth of this light and the brilliance that would occasionally shine on her.
And the moment this light disappeared from her world forever... her heart had already died. What was supporting her now was just a walking corpse named "Symboli Rudolf." If not for the last bit of obsession supporting her, she would probably have collapsed on the day that light had left her.
Compared to death, this feeling of her heart no longer being able to feel warmth, of having to return to that endless life without hope and love, was even more unbearable for her.
Let her sleep forever like this... until her heartbeat and thoughts stop.
Perhaps, if she is lucky... in the next space-time, she can meet him again.
Once again falling into the endless darkness, she couldn't help but think so in her heart. And compared to dying in endless loneliness in her previous life, this time, she even had a hint of expectation for death...
She knew that the next time she opened her eyes, she might forget all of this again. She would experience a life without him again. And whether she would be so lucky to remember all of this next time was also an unknown.
"But maybe this... is not bad either."
"If in my perception, I had never had him for a moment, then I could still endure this loneliness... as long as I had never experienced the feeling of light, I could still endure the darkness, and even think that all of this is a matter of course."
"Don't let me have had him once, and then watch him gradually lose him... this is too cruel, too cruel."
"—Oh? But if he has never left you for a moment, would you change your mind?"
However, just as she was about to give up her thoughts again and escape into this endless darkness, quietly waiting for her death, suddenly, a beam of light that was dazzling in the darkness, and a voice so loving that it made her subconsciously open her eyes, immediately attracted all her attention.
Under that slightly dazzling light, she could not see the figure in front of her clearly, but she could tell that it was a horse girl—a horse girl exuding a compassionate kindness, who, from the first moment she saw her, made her feel at ease from the bottom of her heart.
"You are... a goddess?"
Almost instinctively, she recognized the identity of the horse girl in front of her and blurted it out with some surprise. And the other party did not deny it, but continued to say to her:
"It's not okay to give up now, Symboli Rudolf. Do you want to abandon him and enter the cycle before him?"
"You have to think carefully. Once you enter the cycle, whether you can remember him again next time is an unknown."
"...So what? What difference does that make to me?"
And faced with the goddess's question, which was full of concern even though it was a question, a bitter smile uncontrollably appeared on her face. Her body did not seem to be sinking anymore, but it still could not change her disheartened mood. She answered the goddess in front of her in a tone that was flat to the point of despair:
"For him... I've probably become a normal existence... he's gone through so many reincarnations, so many charges... where is there a place for me?"
"I haven't helped him, I've even hindered him... I can even be said to be the culprit that delayed his life extension. What am I... in his heart?"
"Goddess, compassionate goddess, if all the reincarnations are in your hands, please listen to my request, okay?"
Saying this, she also slowly closed her eyes, her tone with a pleading sob as she said softly:
"Let me not remember him in the next life. This way, I can still walk to the end strong on my own."
"Oh... is that so?"
And her answer made the goddess at this moment also nod curiously. And in the next moment, she only heard the goddess answer with a slightly cheerful tone:
"If this is your wish, I will naturally respect your choice."
However, in the next moment, she only heard the goddess's tone change, her tone had a hint of a strange, wicked smile, just like the laughter of Maruzensky in the student council when she wanted to play a "very novel prank" on her when she had just become the president. This made her subconsciously feel uncomfortable...
But how could the three goddesses, who had created the pure and innocent horse girls, show such a wicked smile? It must be that I misheard, right?
And just as she was thinking this, and was about to thank the goddess for her generosity, in the next moment, she only heard that goddess say, word by word, with a laugh:
"But unfortunately, I can't grant this wish now."
"The person you thought of before, who regarded you as an insignificant existence, is now desperately trying to save you... he is using his own life to save you from the cycle."
"What?!"
And the moment the goddess's words fell, Rudolf, whose brain had been slightly frozen for a moment, but who had reacted and violently opened her eyes, almost immediately changed from her original state of letting her body sink to a state of being ready to swim to the surface at any time.
But to her words, the goddess did not give any answer. She only saw a long rope like a vine silently appear in the goddess's hand. That long rope seemed to have its own will and immediately wrapped around her waist.
And it was also at this time that she noticed that this vine was not woven from green roots... but was a dark red color as if condensed from flesh and blood, and even seemed to have just been smeared on the vine, and was still constantly seeping out undried blood.
And at this moment, Rudolf, whose mind was a blank, instantly abandoned all her views. In her mind now, there was only one thought—
She had to wake up. No matter what, she had to wake up as soon as possible! She would absolutely not allow that person to use his little remaining life to save her again!
"Go, swim to the surface, and you will return to the original world."
And watching her anxiously swimming upwards alone, the goddess, who could not interfere in this matter, also quietly added a hint of firmness and solemnity to her smile, and murmured in a voice only she could hear:
"Everything you have changed will, in the future, become the miracle needed to save the one you love."
"The power of miracles is gathering bit by bit, so now, let him change everything. All this effort will soon be rewarded, soon..."
And now, Rudolf, who was deaf to the goddess's murmur, her anxious and panicked emotions filled her heart. She desperately swam upwards, and nothing else could hinder her mind. This was the only thing she could focus on now.
That fool! That fool!
Why are you saving me? You clearly have so many people you care about more. Why are you still consuming your own life to save me?!
She wailed in her heart like this. Her tears were falling uncontrollably from her eyes, but she held on tightly to the vine woven from his life, desperately climbing upwards, her hands and legs were working frantically, just to save even a fraction of a second...
I won't let you die. I won't let you die to save me.
So, so...
Please, let me never be separated from you again... please don't abandon me again... don't leave Luna alone again...
Please, be with me forever. I don't want to lose you again.
...
"Mmm?"
And back in reality, Kitano, as well as Tachyon and Cafe, did not know what kind of struggle Rudolf had gone through before she finally returned to reality from the cycle under the vine woven from his flesh and blood.
They only noticed that the awakened Rudolf, the teardrops that were falling uncontrollably from her eyes, and her hand that seemed to have exhausted all her strength, was still tightly gripping his hand.
"You... where are you going..."
The sobbing Symboli Rudolf, at this moment, showed a vulnerability that made even Tachyon and Cafe feel astonished. The proud and powerful "Emperor" in the hearts of all horse girls was now crying like a vulnerable child, and even her voice seemed to have instantly turned into a child's spoiled whimper.
"Don't leave me... please... just for a little while, a little while is fine..."
"Don't leave me alone here... please... I... I'm so scared..."
"...Rudolf?"
The moment her words fell, the just-awakened and still-weak Rudolf actually slowly sat up from the hospital bed under the gaze of him and the others. Her hands were tightly clutching his arm, like a sick child unwilling to let go of her most dependent pillar. Her spiritual vulnerability made her make this instinctive retention.
"Please, stay by Luna's side... I hate being alone... I hate being scared."
"...I understand."
He vaguely seemed to understand everything in front of him. Was it that the just-awakened Rudolf was showing the vulnerability deep in her heart? He had heard that some overly strong people would also, in an environment they considered completely safe, shed all their burdens and show a lazy, willful side that was completely different from their public persona.
This was just their way of venting in retaliation after shedding their disguise... Perhaps Rudolf's heart was still the her of her childhood. From beginning to end, all her growth was just a disguise of pretending to be strong.
Thinking of this, he also chose to sit down peacefully. Faced with the weak Rudolf in front of him, he placed his hand on her hand that was holding him back, and with his usual gentleness, said softly:
"I won't go, Ru... no, Luna."
"So, you just rest well. Don't worry, I will always be by your side."
"..."
As expected, his comfort quickly had an effect. Although Rudolf did not let go of his arm, she also slowly lay back on the hospital bed. Her breathing became steady, and her tears were also controlled. Everything finally returned to peace.
And at his signal, Tachyon and Cafe also silently chose to leave the hospital room. And before leaving, Tachyon did not forget to say to Cafe beside her, with a rare look of astonishment:
"I never thought... the president would have such a side... maybe we can use this as a threat in the future to get her to increase our funding?"
"Whatever you want."
And Cafe did not care about her thoughts. But she also knew that she was not greedy for that little bit of funding. She just needed more money to study his blood, so that in the future, she could realize the plan that might save him.
It's just that... before leaving the hospital room, she couldn't help but turn her head slightly and look at the action of Rudolf, who was still restraining him on the hospital bed. Under a strange silence, a strange thought arose in her heart...
—Could it be that all of this is going according to her plan? That the president... is deliberately showing this side to them just to keep him by her side?
-------
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