[Chapters were short so I have to put them together]
After leaving home, Kuroha glanced up at the time on his wristwatch. Then he changed direction and headed straight for the student council building at Tracen Academy.
Back when he had been testing the red sigil at the public training grounds, he had already made a promise with Rudolf.
When Teio's Satsuki Sho came around, they would go watch it live together.
Since he had plenty of time today, he could swing by the student council and pick her up on the way.
And while he was there, he could also keep his earlier promise by helping her deal with that mountain of paperwork, then wait for Bourbon to finish class.
When he arrived outside the student council office, Kuroha raised a hand and knocked as usual.
"Come in."
A familiar, cool voice quickly sounded from inside.
Once he got permission, Kuroha pushed the door open and walked in.
Sure enough, in the spacious room, Rudolf was the only one there, miserably facing the towering mountain of documents on her desk.
As for Maruzensky and Mr. C.B., they were probably off somewhere again, either going for a drive or wandering around slacking off.
Looking at Rudolf, who seemed on the verge of being buried alive in paperwork, Kuroha could not help muttering to himself inwardly:
"By that logic, before Air Groove showed up, wasn't I basically the only one who could help Rudolf with her paperwork...?"
The moment she saw Kuroha come in, the tension on Rudolf's face, which had been drawn tight from staring down the mountain of files, softened at once.
"You finally made it. If you'd come any later, the only thing you'd be seeing would be my corpse."
It was a rare joke from her.
"You're just too dedicated."
Kuroha laughed, shook his head, walked over to the water dispenser, and poured himself a cup. Then, with practiced ease, he pulled over a chair and sat down on the other side of the desk.
No more words were needed.
He directly picked up a thick stack of documents from the paper mountain and began flipping through and checking them at high speed.
The two worked together in perfect sync. The office soon fell quiet, leaving only the scratch of fountain pens across paper and the occasional crisp rustle of pages turning.
Time slipped away unnoticed in the middle of all that busy work.
With Kuroha's help, the pile of paperwork on the desk started shrinking at a visible pace.
After some time, a steady set of footsteps came from outside the door.
Knock, knock.
The door was tapped.
"Come in."
Rudolf answered on reflex.
The next moment, the door was gently pushed open.
A chestnut-haired, expressionless cyber-girl stood in the doorway and spoke in an even tone.
"Master, Bourbon's class is over."
"Mm, that's about time."
After checking the time, Kuroha nodded, stacked the papers he had already reviewed into a neat pile, then stood up and stretched.
"Let's go. We're heading to the training grounds."
Rudolf finished tidying up as well and rose to her feet at the right moment.
The three of them left the student council office together and headed side by side toward the academy parking lot.
On the way there, Kuroha walked in front, while Rudolf's eyes gleamed as she looked at the chestnut-haired girl beside him, who was carrying her schoolbag in front of her and following her trainer with meticulous precision.
Bourbon tilted her head.
"President, do you need something from me?"
Rudolf smiled and waved a hand.
"Nothing. It's just my first time seeing you after your True Blooming, Bourbon, so it feels a little novel."
Mm... in reality, at least. Seeing it through qualifications did not count.
The chestnut-haired girl froze for a moment at that, then lowered her head and looked at her own noticeably fuller curves before thinking it over.
"My current physical condition has indeed changed greatly compared to projected expectations."
"Having received questions from Teio-senpai and President, I will spend this period adjusting my physical condition more proactively, so I can achieve perfect stability and control over my body."
"...I see..."
Rudolf forced out a polite but awkward smile.
She had not expected this child, who had already been rigid and serious when she was younger, to become even more hopelessly like this after growing up.
Up ahead, Kuroha looked at the slightly deflated Emperor and let out a soft laugh.
If someone was not used to Bourbon's personality and way of speaking, it really could be a little hard to adjust.
Still, looking at the chestnut-haired girl quietly following half a step behind him, Kuroha suddenly found himself missing the well-behaved little girl from back then, the one who had always held his hand.
After her True Blooming, she seemed much more mature than before. Mihono Bourbon was no longer nearly as clingy with him as she had been when she was little.
That took away quite a bit of the fun.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the parking lot.
Soon after, a black sedan smoothly drove out of Tracen Academy.
Its engine noise gradually faded into the gentle breeze as it headed in the direction of the Mejiro training grounds.
Next, it was time to pick up today's star of the race.
...
Mejiro Training Grounds.
On the track, a short-haired girl was currently holding up a crescent-banged Umamusume by the armpits, lifting her high into the air.
Teio dangled there like a salted fish, swaying in midair as she pressed her palms together and begged, "Aoi-neesan, just one more lap. Just one more, okay?"
"Dame. You've got a race this afternoon, so today's training has to stay moderate."
Aoi shook her head with a serious expression.
"...Once sensei gets here, you'll need to rest a bit and head for the track. Don't be stubborn, Teio."
As an Umamusume participating in the Satsuki Sho, Tokai Teio did not need to go to class this morning.
That gave her enough time to get herself into peak condition.
"Oh..."
Her attempt at acting cute having failed, Teio drooped in disappointment.
But the very next second, the moment a familiar engine sound rang out, the girl's eyes lit up.
"It's Trainer!"
She nimbly jumped down from Aoi's hands and ran lightly toward the parking lot.
Before long, at the edge of the training grounds, three figures slowly approached.
Only, the young man in the very center currently had a dog-faced hugger latched onto his head.
"Sensei."
Aoi came forward and handed the notebook in her hand to Kuroha.
"Teio's condition was excellent in this morning's test items."
"Mm."
Moving the face-hugger that was blocking his view from the front of his face to behind his head, Kuroha took the notebook and gave it a rough once-over.
It was more or less exactly what he had expected.
Still, even if her condition had been a little lower, it would not have mattered.
With numbers like hers in this classic invincible year, no one, absolutely no one, could possibly stop her.
In the next instant, a pale blue system panel unfolded before Kuroha's eyes.
A set of unbelievably luxurious data immediately came into view.
[Tokai Teio]
[Track Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt A]
[Distance Aptitude: Short F, Mile A, Medium S, Long S]
[Strategy Aptitude: Front Runner A, Pace Chaser S, Late Surger D, End Closer F]
[Unique Skill: Ultimate Teio Step Lv. 5]
[Domain: Dream Throne Beneath Crimson Feathers]
[Skills: Prudent Positioning, Lightning Step, Soft Step, Technician, Preferred Positioning, Concentration, Wet Conditions ×, Corner Adept, Keeping the Lead, Mountaineer, Long Straightaways ○...]
[Speed: 1093, Stamina: 1047, Power: 1141, Guts: 1132, Wit: 946]
(End of Chapter)
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