"Hah... huff..."
Country roads were never planned properly.
Cement roads were already considered good, asphalt was nowhere to be seen, and most places only had rough gravel paths, just barely solid enough to walk on without sinking in—completely unusable when it rained.
Still, even these gravel paths were far better than dirt roads.
Unfortunately, Special Week's farm, seeking more space, was located far from any settlements, so naturally, decent roads were out of the question.
"Darn it, I never want to run on mud again!"
Feeling the exhausting cycle of her feet sinking in and pulling free with each step, Special Week grumbled inwardly.
"My breath... can't quite catch up... Even though Master trained me for long distances, I never imagined mud would drain my stamina this much. Maybe I should focus more on... huff... pacing my energy from now on?"
"Master, hang in there!"
As she spoke, Special Week instinctively hitched Platinum higher on her back.
"Hey, that's against the rules. Careful, or I won't let you have any carrots today."
A familiar voice came from behind her, but oddly, it lacked its usual icy edge when making threats.
"Master!"
Overjoyed, Special Week skidded to a halt, about to turn her head.
But a hand pressed firmly against the back of her skull, stopping her with undeniable force.
"Don't look back. Just listen."
"Okay."
With her immediate panic eased, Special Week stopped running like before, but she kept walking. Worried about aftereffects, she still intended to take Platinum to a clinic.
"Spe-chan, I don't know what you were thinking earlier, but here's some good news."
"What news?"
"That barrier you could never break through before... it's finally cracked. The first step is always the hardest. It seems you're not far from breaking through completely."
"Master, right now I'm just worried about your health. Do you know why you fainted?"
"How should I know? Wait—stop fidgeting with your hands!"
"But you're slipping. I can't keep you up otherwise."
"Put me down. When did I ask you to carry me? Do you even know what respecting your teacher means?"
Even as she said this, Platinum didn't stir.
Instead, she relaxed, letting her cheek rest against Special Week's shoulder.
With each of Spe-chan's rhythmic steps, a cozy warmth spread through her.
'This actually feels pretty nice. Maybe I won't confiscate her carrots tonight after all. A little more meat on her would make a better pillow.'
--+--
"Everyone, I'm back."
Pushing the door open calmly, Symboli Rudolf walked in wearing her school uniform.
"President?"
"President Rudolf."
Nearl and Air Groove both stood up, though the emotions in their voices differed slightly.
"Thank you both for your hard work these past few days."
"Not at all. Nearl has been extremely capable. With her here, I barely felt any strain," Air Groove replied with a smile, a thought flashing through her mind.
'If only the President never came back... Work has been so much easier with Nearl around. Compared to when President Rudolf was here, it's almost half the workload.'
"President, these past few days—"
"Wait, Nearl. Could you come with me for a moment?"
Before Nearl could hand over the brief report from the past few days, Rudolf took her by the wrist and led her straight out the door, leaving Air Groove utterly bewildered.
Outside, Nearl was pulled along for a stretch before Rudolf led her up the stairs to the rooftop.
"President, even if there's something important to discuss, coming to the rooftop seems overly cautious."
"…"
Rudolf didn't respond. She leaned heavily against the parapet, her face clouded with distress.
"Nearl, I think... I messed up."
"President, what do you mean?"
"Sigh..."
Scratching her head in frustration, Rudolf looked at the figure before her—someone much younger, yet remarkably dependable—and found herself confessing.
"Nearl, I think I made Mr. C.B. angry."
Hearing this, Nearl paused. She showed neither confusion nor surprise.
"...Please elaborate."
"After entrusting the work to you, I went straight to find Mr. C.B. It went smoothly at first—everyone at the URA knows me, and when she first saw me, she didn't seem upset at all. She was even happy when I said I came to help."
"That sounds positive."
"It was. But then things went downhill. Now she's actively avoiding me."
"President Rudolf, could you describe what happened in between in detail?"
Pursing her lips, Rudolf began recounting the scenes from the past few days.
--+--
"Junior, thank goodness you're here~~"
Mr. C.B. wrapped her arms around Rudolf from behind, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.
"Please don't cling, Senpai."
Though inwardly pleased, Rudolf habitually pushed Mr. C.B. away.
"And this is your work. I only came to check and already found so many oversights. Senpai, you're the head of the Inspection Department now. The futures of many Uma Musume rest on your shoulders. Whether for the sake of—"
Rudolf launched into a lecture, commenting on the documents on the desk while her words flowed incessantly.
This was their usual dynamic back in the student council.
"Tch!"
Mr. C.B. had initially smiled because Rudolf came to help voluntarily, but after that speech, she just wanted to kick this "tyrant."
'Forget it. She's doing your work right now.'
"Whew~~ I'm going to get lunch. Do you want anything?"
The clock on the wall chimed. Noticing it was noon, Mr. C.B. asked Rudolf casually.
"Yes. Bring it here, please. There's too much work; I don't have time to go out."
"Fine, fine. I'll bring you something."
Twenty minutes later.
"Why is it burgers and fries? Senpai, you really shouldn't eat this junk food often. Even if you're retired now, you don't want your weight and health to crash in just a few years because of this, do you?"
"Rudolf, you're not my mother. Even my mother never nagged me like this. Cut it out!"
"Wait, Senpai, let's be reasonable. What I said is true."
"Get lost!"
"Stop it, this is the office! Don't pinch my ears! I'll fight back!"
Clatter crash bang!
"Rudolf, you jerk!"
"You started it, Senpai!"
--+--
"That was roughly the first day."
Rudolf concluded her account for the moment. Beside her, Nearl bowed her head in thought.
--+--
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.