…Is this guy serious?
Rudolf Symbol stared at the man in front of her. In his eyes, she couldn't see the slightest trace of insincerity—it really looked like he meant every word he'd just said.
But to Rudolf, Su Luo's accusation made absolutely no sense!
Come on.
Even Central Tracen couldn't constantly keep track of the condition of every single horse girl across the entire country…
It was perfectly normal for some horse girls to end up overlooked.
That was something no one could help!
"Mr. Su Luo, do you have a better way to handle it, then?"
"Since you're saying Central Tracen has problems right now, that means you must have some kind of countermeasure in mind. If that's the case, wouldn't it be much easier for you to join Central Tracen and implement your ideas here?"
Rudolf Symbol was unwilling to give up. Even after being turned down over and over, she still kept extending an olive branch to him.
Unfortunately, what she didn't know was that the man sitting in front of her had already made up his mind from the very start that he would never join Central Tracen, no matter what.
Su Luo sat on the sofa opposite Rudolf Symbol with a look of total composure, as if everything was in the palm of his hand—and that, in turn, put a lot of pressure on her.
But despite how calm he looked, Su Luo was actually panicking like crazy inside.
Come on, I was just casually badmouthing Central Tracen for a bit, to emphasize that I want to stay in the local circuits. How did this suddenly turn into an interrogation?
Countermeasures?
What countermeasures?
Since when do I have countermeasures?
He had no idea about anything~
Anyway, he just needed to bluff his way through this.
Time to switch on his "riddler mode."
"Heh heh heh, Miss Luna—since you're the one saying I've got countermeasures, how do you know my countermeasures have to be implemented here in Central?"
"Please don't joke around, Mr. Su Luo. Are you saying the local circuits have somewhere suitable for you to implement them?"
"Don't look down on the local circuits, Miss Emperor!"
"When it comes to horse girls with real talent, the gap between Central and the local tracks isn't nearly as big as you think! As long as the local side gives them a chance, they'll climb their way up—just like Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross—and sock everyone in the face with reality!"
"Can you really say with certainty that something like that will never happen?"
"…"
As their conversation went on, the air between them gradually froze.
Rudolf Symbol held Su Luo's gaze for a long moment, then finally let out a long sigh.
She understood now—this was a difference in ideology.
This kind of conflict wasn't something that could be resolved with a few casual lines of persuasion.
It seemed there was no way for this conversation to continue.
"Since you're so unwilling to stay in Central, Mr. Su Luo, then I won't force you any further."
"But, Mr. Su Luo, if you ever change your mind someday, Central will still welcome talents like you with open arms."
With that said, Rudolf Symbol closed her eyes.
The stiffness on her face made it obvious she was frustrated at failing to reach an agreement with him.
But Su Luo didn't care.
Seeing that Rudolf seemed ready to let him go, he was cheering at the top of his lungs in his heart.
Yesss—time to bail!
Keeping his expression neutral, Su Luo rose from the sofa and walked out through the student council office door.
Just as he was about to leave Central Tracen like this, a girl's voice called out to him.
"U-Um… Mr. Su, could you please wait a moment!"
Su Luo turned around and saw that it was Maruzensky.
"Is there something else? My conversation with President Rudolf should already be over."
"Ahem… N-No, that's not it. What I want to discuss has nothing to do with what the President was talking about. I'm not trying to make you stay in Central either…"
"It's just—do you still remember Oguri Cap's opponents in the Japanese Derby the other day?"
"Of course I remember. What about them?"
The Derby had only been a few days ago; of course Su Luo still remembered Oguri Cap's rivals.
"Sakura Chiyono O… one of my juniors. After the Derby, she hurt her leg from overuse…"
"I heard from the President that your technique is very effective, Mr. Su, so I was hoping you could help her…"
…?
Excuse me?
That damned Emperor lady is out there spreading rumors about me!
All I can do is give massages, okay?
A massage can't actually cure an injury. If you're sick or hurt, you go to a hospital—what are you coming to me for?
Thinking that, the corner of Su Luo's mouth twitched.
"Miss Maruzensky, you know I'm just a run-of-the-mill masseur. I only run a no-name little foot-bath parlor. I don't know why you and Miss Luna think so highly of me, but when it comes to injuries like a hurt leg, you really shouldn't be coming to me. I don't think I can be of much help."
At that point, his words paused. It seemed he felt that turning her down so bluntly was a bit too harsh, a bit too cold.
So Su Luo cleared his throat and ran a few polite lines through his head.
"Of course, you're always welcome to come to the Kasamatsu foot-bath parlor. If you do, I don't mind giving you some free care then."
"That's that, I'll be taking my leave first."
Leaving those words behind, Su Luo turned and walked away without looking back.
Maruzensky watched his retreating back, feeling a tangle of emotions.
She hadn't finished what she wanted to say.
She hadn't even explained Sakura Chiyono O's exact condition yet, and Mr. Su Luo had already rejected her request…
No—in a way, it was more accurate to say he had seemed to reject her.
After the Derby, Sakura Chiyono O had developed tendon sheath inflammation. The medical treatment at the hospital was more or less done; what was left now was the rehabilitation and care.
It wasn't a particularly severe injury, but it would still require a long period of rest.
If someone highly skilled could take care of her during that recovery, her healing would go much faster.
That was why Maruzensky had thought of asking Su Luo for help.
With Rudolf Symbol's endorsement, Su Luo's skills—at least when it came to caring for legs and feet—were undoubtedly first-rate.
Yet Mr. Su Luo had first insisted he couldn't treat illnesses, then turned her down.
But at the same time, he'd also agreed to give Sakura Chiyono O free care…
Is it because he doesn't want me to feel like I owe him a favor?
Hmm…
With Mr. Su Luo's eye for detail, he'd probably already noticed the state of Chiyono O's legs right after the Derby, hadn't he?
That must be why he chose such a roundabout way to help her…
Even though he was clearly helping them, he refused to admit it, insisting on framing the whole thing as a business matter.
But if it were really just a simple transaction, then why wouldn't Mr. Su Luo accept money for it?
So what is Mr. Su Luo doing this for…?
Maruzensky wracked her brain trying to figure it out…
Suddenly, the conversation between Rudolf Symbol and Su Luo in the student council office echoed through her mind.
Even though Mr. Su Luo had ended up arguing with the President, the concern he showed for the horse girls in his words couldn't possibly be fake.
Maybe…
Maybe he just wanted to help them.
And that was all.
They'd really gone in one big circle just to get here…
"Mr. Su Luo really is such a gentle person."
Looking at Su Luo's distant back, Maruzensky couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart.
....
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