"Air Groove-senpai, here's the cafeteria expense report. I've already reviewed it; you can take a look."
Even after two or three days on the job, Nearl still showed no signs of fatigue.
She handled every matter with decisiveness and precision, keeping everything in perfect order—even more efficiently than when President Rudolf was around.
"Nearl, this should be my responsibility. You don't need to review these internal school applications."
Taking the document, Air Groove skimmed through it briefly. The detailed explanations and reasons for rejection made her feel inadequate in comparison. Convinced, she stamped it with her seal.
Of course, documents approved by the acting president didn't require the vice president's seal. But Nearl, insisting she was only the acting president, had handed the official seal to Air Groove, leaving the final decision to her.
"And you should take the seal back. I trust completely that you won't use it for personal matters."
"No, it's better to follow the rules this way. We should keep public and private affairs separate."
"Sigh."
Faced with Nearl's gentle smile, Air Groove withdrew her hand.
"Fine, let's leave the seal aside. But there's no need for you to take on all of my tasks too, is there? My workload is only half of what it usually is. Aren't you exhausted?"
Air Groove looked at Nearl with concern as she continued writing busily.
"It's alright. You know my track record, Senior. With achievements like mine, my physical endurance matches them. This workload isn't too much for me."
"You… ah, never mind. I'll get going now. Keep up the good work."
Unable to persuade Nearl, Air Groove stood up.
She had her own training to attend to—after all, she was still an active Uma Musume. She'd been so bogged down with work lately that her training time had suffered.
"Take care."
Nearl smiled as she saw Air Groove out. In an instant, the room was silent again, leaving her alone.
"So quiet."
"But at least Air Groove-senpai finally has enough time to train now. President Rudolf really didn't consider this when assigning workloads, did she? Making an active Uma Musume spend so much time on work could seriously hinder her progress."
As she spoke, Nearl picked up her fountain pen.
"So it's better if I share some of the burden. Luckily, I can still spare a bit of time from my own training."
Just then, a voice tinged with worry sounded from the doorway.
"But doesn't that mean your training time is reduced too? You're sacrificing yourself for this, aren't you?"
Nearl didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"Ardan? Are you here at the student council for assistance?"
Glancing over, sure enough, Ardan stood politely by the door in her casual clothes. Yet her face held a hint of concern and displeasure, though Nearl didn't seem to notice.
"Please have a seat for a moment. This document will just take me two more minutes."
"…"
Ardan's ears drooped back slightly, but she sat down quietly and waited.
"There, that's done for now. Ardan, would you like some black tea? If there's something you need help with, you can tell me directly."
Finally free from her work, Nearl turned to ask Ardan what she needed.
"Mmm~"
Ardan shook her head.
"I just heard you became acting president and wanted to check on you. I don't need any help."
"Is that so? Well, Ardan, while the student council doesn't restrict students from visiting in principle, using that as an excuse isn't really valid. Please don't do it again."
"Then let's say I'm here for help. Acting President Nearl, I'm feeling particularly lonely right now. As a friend, could you help me shake off this feeling?"
With her hands neatly folded on her knees, Ardan smiled warmly at Nearl.
"Sigh, you can't use that reason a second time."
Nearl covered her face in resignation but didn't refuse.
"Just this once—I mean it."
"Understood."
--+--
"Nearl, now that you've taken over the president's duties, are you very busy?"
"More or less, but I can handle it. I just need to shorten my afternoon training a bit."
"May I ask what your current schedule is like?"
"Sure. I wake up at 5 a.m., wash up, and head out by 5:30 for a morning workout that lasts an hour and a half."
"At 7, I go to the cafeteria to help the staff prepare breakfast."
"After breakfast ends at 9, I help a friend with her morning routine—she's usually still asleep from staying up late."
"At 10, I head to the library to study."
"Then at 11:30, I go to the cafeteria again, finishing by 1 p.m. when I come to the student council to handle official duties."
"Work ends at 5 p.m., and I start my daily training until 6:30, then go to the cafeteria to help with dinner prep."
"After 8, I train again until 11, then return to the dorm to tidy up and get ready for bed."
After laying it out, Nearl shrugged.
"That's roughly the routine. But sometimes unexpected things come up, so the schedule changes here and there."
Ardan was nearly speechless. She knew Nearl kept a tight schedule, but she hadn't imagined it would be so monotonous and demanding.
No breaks, no entertainment, not even a moment to relax. And wasn't too much of that time spent on others?
Who was this friend anyway? How could they shamelessly burden Nearl like that?!
But beyond shock, what spread through Ardan's heart was a pang of sorrow.
'Margaret Nearl—whether it's life skills, knowledge, character, or racing results—she's practically flawless. But what supports this perfection? The thought makes my heart ache.'
'For this friend who is gradually no longer seen as human.'
"Nearl, out of all these tasks, how many are actually for yourself?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing the question, Nearl looked over, seemingly puzzled.
"Ardan, what do you mean? Everything in this schedule is for myself."
"Really? But working in the cafeteria, the student council duties, and taking care of a friend—none of that seems like it's for you. After all, you don't need the meager pay from a part-time job anymore, and you don't need the acting president role for fame either, do you?"
"But when I do these things, everyone is happy. The classmates who eat my meals are happy, and the president and Air Groove-senpai are happy to have their responsibilities lightened."
"I believe it's the right thing to do. Seeing them move toward their goals makes me happy too."
"But in that case, where is Margaret herself in all of this?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.