"President..."
Nearl let out a silent sigh, covering her face with her hand. She hesitated, at a loss for words.
"Actually, it's quite understandable. Everyone has things they aren't good at handling. You can't demand perfection from yourself. It's normal for you to feel this way."
"But... that was supposed to be my first real date, wasn't it? The earlier ones don't count because I hadn't realized my feelings for my senior yet. And I messed up the very first one. Isn't it said that a good start is half the battle? Mine... feels like a complete failure already."
"Don't be so hasty, President. That's just your own perspective. Maybe Mr. C.B. doesn't mind at all?"
"Impossible. I've barely seen her in the last two days. The few times we did cross paths, she hardly even looked at me."
Symboli Rudolf's expression grew even gloomier, her ears drooping so low they almost brushed against her hair.
'She must think I was just going through the motions, that I wasn't taking it seriously. She's quietly angry with me.'
Rudolf firmly believed her deduction was spot-on.
--+--
A few nights earlier, after their meal together, Mr. C.B. was curled up in her tiny rented room.
"Mom, you saw it, right? There's no way Rudolf likes me. She barely said a word the whole dinner. That cold face of hers looked like I owed her money. Even when I tried to start a conversation, her replies were totally half-hearted."
Mr. C.B. flopped onto her bed, hugging a pillow handmade by Nearl and rolling around in frustration. Spotting the life-sized Rudolf doll by the bed, a surge of irritation made her kick out at it.
The innocent doll was no match for an Uma Musume's leg strength. Obeying the laws of physics, it traced an arc through the air before landing in a heap in the corner.
Chuckle. "But I don't see it that way, my dear."
On the phone screen, C.B. Queen clearly held a different opinion.
"What kind of person is Symboli Rudolf? You should know better than I do, dear. After all, she's the opponent you faced head-on three times, who fought you with everything she had."
"Ah, I suppose. Though she was a bit more... likable back then than she is now."
"Actually, I don't think the Emperor was being perfunctory like you said. On the contrary, I believe she took this meeting very seriously. She even changed her clothes, after all."
"Huh? She did?"
Mr. C.B. was utterly confused.
Sigh. "Well, it seems you're not in a position to criticize others either, my daughter. You were the one who initiated the invitation, yet your outfit was no different from usual. Meanwhile, the Emperor consciously changed into something softer."
"Ah! So that's why Rudolf seemed so... subdued. It threw me off completely, like I was meeting her for the first time. I couldn't even figure out how to act around her like I usually do."
"What a comedy of errors. Poor Emperor is probably questioning her life choices right now."
"Well, there's nothing to be done about it now..."
"Daughter, remember to apologize. Not for anything else, but simply because you didn't treat that dinner with the same seriousness the Emperor did."
"Urk!"
In the end, the words just wouldn't come out.
The next day, seeing the Emperor's face, colder than ever before, Mr. C.B. suddenly found herself unable to bring it up.
"Argh! What's with me, getting all tangled up over a single Rudolf? Screw it, I'm outta here! Time for fun!"
And so, Mr. C.B., who never made things hard for herself, made a free and easy escape.
The result? Symboli Rudolf's mission was a complete failure. (Meaning her objective was utterly unachieved)
--+--
"Forget it. I never really expected to succeed in the first place. This can't even be called a defeat."
With Nearl's company and consolation, Symboli Rudolf's heart settled back into peace. For her, this was just a minor incident.
Alright, perhaps not entirely minor.
But in any case, she had moved past it. A cause for celebration.
'After all, my senior still doesn't know I like her. So this date doesn't count. I haven't even started yet.'
Rudolf convinced herself in this rather twisted way, granting herself a temporary peace.
Now she could finally turn her mind to other matters, like the upcoming race for the person before her.
"Nearl, let's talk about you now. With the rule changes, you'll presumably be participating in the classic races. And since you've declared for the Satsuki Sho, you probably aren't considering the Oka Sho or the Shuka Sho, right?"
"Mm. I've already discussed the upcoming schedule with my trainer. We've decided on following the Classic Triple Crown route."
"Is that so? Although I had a feeling, it's only now that it's truly settled. But I doubt you'll be satisfied with just those three races this year. Any other plans?"
"Mm. I'll try to maintain a pace of one G1 race per month."
Though stated lightly, the sheer audacity of it wasn't diminished by her soft tone.
"I had a feeling, but I can only say 'as expected of you.' For a normal Uma Musume, participating in five or six G1 races a year is already an incredible feat. It takes a body beyond ordinary to withstand such a workload."
"Well, my body is just a tad stronger than most."
Nearl gently touched her own thigh, a gesture that filled Rudolf with exceptional envy.
Sigh "If only I had a healthy body like yours. But I suppose that's fate."
Shaking her head, Rudolf brought this session of venting and chatting to a close. Now she could once again throw herself wholeheartedly into her work.
"Nearl, thank you for your help these past few days. You performed excellently as acting president. If you're willing, you're welcome to join the student council when you enter your older years."
"Thank you, President Rudolf. I'll consider it."
They shook hands, and the heavy responsibility was formally returned.
Now Nearl was once again just an ordinary student, free and unburdened. With that, the only thing demanding her focus now was a single point.
The Satsuki Sho was less than three days away.
And those three days passed in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the first leg of the classic Triple Crown series stood before them.
At the crossroads where countless hopes and prayers converged, the victor who would claim the glory would be decided.
No matter what, this was an unavoidable war.
Stake your will, move your legs, and race toward your destiny beneath the buffeting of the fierce wind.
--+--
"Mr. Kazumi, thank you for the racing silks. With their help, I'm sure I'll be like a tiger that has grown wings for this Satsuki Sho."
Holding the set of formal attire, white-based and adorned with glorious accents, Nearl expressed her gratitude to the gaunt-faced man before her.
Just from the dark circles under his eyes and his sallow complexion, one could tell how much he had sacrificed, racing against time to complete this outfit.
"Haha, these silks are the pride of my life. Their quality surpasses all the racing silks I've made before. After all, what pairs with the strongest shouldn't be anything less than the strongest."
His proud laughter didn't last long before weakness reclaimed him.
Cough, cough, cough!
"I can't, I'm truly exhausted. While it was an honor to make racing silks for you, Miss Nearl, please don't cut it so close next time."
--+--
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.