A/N: I stg I ain't doing this again. Why tf did I try to write something serious when the starting point of the fic is just me goofing around.
Anyways, daily check-ins...
_______________
Knock! Knock!
"Come in–" Symboli Rudolf began, already lifting her gaze from the documents spread neatly across her desk.
The door to the student council swung open before Rudolf could finish her sentence.
Rudolf set the document down on her desk, expression composed, though her eyes sharpened the moment she saw who had entered.
Silver Tear stepped inside, raising the newspaper without a hint of hesitation.
"Care to explain this, Ms. President?" She said coolly.
"Or should I call you Emperor?"
After the brief confrontation at the mock race when she first entered the school, Silver Tear had learned about the two figures at that time, Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky. It was hard not to know it since they often partake in the school activity.
Oddly enough, neither of them had sought her out after that. Silver Tear, for her part, made no effort to cross paths with them either.
That was until today.
Rudolf's eyes caught the bold headline splashed across the front page.
[OGURI CAP EXCLUDES FROM THE CLASSICS DUE TO LATE REGISTRATION]
Her gaze lingered for a brief moment before lifting to meet Silver Tear's. She straightened, composure settling back into place as if it had never wavered.
"What is there to explain?" Rudolf replied evenly. "It is exactly as reported. The registration deadline has passed. You already understand the implications."
She rested her cheek against her fist, legs crossed beneath the desk, returning Silver Tear's stare with eyes just as cold, unimpressed by the intrusion.
Silver Tear felt her jaw tighten.
"You mother–"
Even though Silver Tear meant to keep the conversation calm and civil, standing before her was the one person who could still change the outcome.
She remembered Rudolf's words in their first encounter, that she stood for the dreams and hopes of the other Uma Musume.
Yet when that said person still acted nonchalant about this made it hard not to lose her shit.
Silver Tear took a deep breath, steadying herself, and forced the rising frustration back down before it could spill over.
"So that's it?" She said sharply.
"She wins with an unprecedented record, and it still isn't enough because the timing of her registration was slightly off?"
The newspaper in her hand was already crumpled from her grip, yet Rudolf made no move to interrupt, allowing her the space.
When Silver Tear raised her head, her tone had settled back into control and deliberate.
"…Fine."
Silver Tear stopped in front of the desk. "Then say it plainly. You're telling me a runner like her doesn't even get the chance to stand on that stage because of this stupid rule."
Rudolf folded her hands. "Watch your words. The Classics are governed by fixed deadlines. They become prestigious races because of the very rules you are talking about. No one can override the procedure just to make an exception for an individual."
A short, dry laugh escaped Silver Tear. "Procedure. Right. Funny how that word only ever shows up when it's convenient for you guys."
She leaned closer, eyes sharp. "You call this place a stage for dreams. You stand in front of everyone and talk about legacy. And when someone actually lives up to it, you hide behind a shield called 'procedure'."
"How convenient of you." Silver Tear added, the words spilling out with open mockery.
Rudolf's gaze hardened. "I'm warning you. You're crossing a dangerous line."
"Oh? I know exactly where I'm standing." Silver Tear shot back.
"Right now, I'm standing right in front of the person who gets to decide which dreams are 'valid' and which ones get buried under the procedure."
Rudolf rose from her seat, meeting her gaze head-on. "And from where I'm standing, it looks like you're asking me to undermine the very system I represent."
The tension heightened, old friction resurfacing between them.
Rudolf continued. "This system exists precisely so dreams don't collapse into chaos. If I bend the rules here, I betray every runner who follows them."
"And if you don't, you're telling them their results and effort mean nothing." Silver Tear countered.
"All that matters to the board is whether the paperwork was perfect. Not the will of the crowd. Not what the Uma Musume themselves want. Just their rules."
"That is not what I'm saying!" Even Rudolf couldn't keep her composure anymore, her voice rising despite her not wanting to.
"Then what are you saying?" Silver Tear pressed.
"That Oguri Cap should've known better? That she deserved it because no one bothered to tell her how this whole stitch worked?"
She took another step forward, the distance between them shrinking to nothing.
"I'm asking you as one Uma Musume to another." Silver Tear said, voice tight.
"Strip away that ridiculous title, the rules you hide behind."
Her eyes locked onto Rudolf's. "Does any of this justify it?"
Rudolf drew in a slow breath, the tension in her shoulders easing as she forced herself back into composure.
When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, steadier. "What is even the point of this farce?"
She met Silver Tear's gaze without flinching. "You're mistaken if you think I haven't considered that. Even if I bring this to the board, it may not change anything."
"The deadline violation is clear. Even I can't change a thing."
"So in the end, you're still unwilling." Silver Tear let out a slow breath, her voice laced with a flicker of disdain.
Rudolf frowned. "This isn't a matter of unwillingness. It's the reality of how decisions are made at that level. Stop twisting my words."
Her gaze settled, firm but no longer sharp. "I can raise the issue. Sure. But even I cannot promise you the outcome you want."
The moment Rudolf finished speaking, Silver Tear took a step back.
"Name your price."
Rudolf paused.
For the first time since the confrontation began, she looked genuinely caught off guard.
"Price?" She repeated, her brow slightly raised. "This isn't a transaction."
Silver Tear met her gaze without flinching. "Everything has a price, dear Emperor. I don't have your influence, and I know how outrageous it is to ask you to stake your name and authority against the higher-ups. I'm just asking what it takes to make you move."
Rudolf stayed silent. Her fingers rested against the edge of the desk, tapping once before stilling.
She studied Silver Tear with a look that wasn't judgmental so much as careful, as if she were considering Silver Tear's motive behind this proposal.
"…Very well." Rudolf said at last.
She leaned back slightly, gaze drifting toward the window before returning. "I don't have a clear need for you yet. Just remember that you owe me a favor."
Silver Tear grimaced. She could already tell that this would come back to bite her in the future. If it were money or effort, she could make it up because she could measure it. But a favor? It was clearly a risk.
…Still, it was a risk she was willing to take.
"...I accept." Silver Tear nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. Her ears flattened on instinct, betraying her current mood right now, though her expression remained carefully neutral.
"Don't worry, I won't force you to do anything out of bounds."
Before Silver Tear could respond, Rudolf continued. "And until this is resolved, you'll assist the Student Council. The workload is already heavy, and this case will add more to the pile. I need someone to help me handle these paperworks."
"Understood. Happy cooperation." Silver Tear extended her hand.
"Likewise." Rudolf took it without hesitation.
As Silver Tear was about to leave the room, Symboli Rudolf's voice sounded from behind her.
"There's something I want to ask, Silver Tear-san. It's just my curiosity, so you can treat it lightly."
Silver Tear stopped.
"You could have ignored all of this." Rudolf said.
"Focused on your own race. With Oguri Cap out of the Classics, your path would be far clearer. Why involve yourself in another Uma Musume's business?"
Silver Tear didn't turn around right away. Her shoulders rose and fell with a small breath, almost a shrug.
"I could've." She said. "Yes, that much is true."
She paused, fingers tightening briefly at her side. "But Oguri-san is a Star. But she isn't an ordinary one. No, no… She is the one that's burning bright for all the world to see."
Silver Tear glanced back, deliberately avoiding Rudolf's curious gaze. She let out a soft chuckle. "...Haha, I'm not some hero chasing justice. I don't have that kind of ambition or the energy to do it."
She continued. "Most of the time, I just drift along, take things as they come."
Her voice dropped slightly. "But even someone like me knows better not to smear a Star with my own filth."
She turned toward the door again. "What she needs to think about is running. I'll deal with whatever mess exists behind the scenes. Even if I have to gamble with everything down the line to make that long shot."
"I won't hesitate to sit at the same table as my enemies with a smile on my face."
With that, Silver Tear left the council room, the door closing softly behind her.
Rudolf remained where she was, eyes fixed on the space Silver Tear had occupied moments ago. The echoes of her words lingered in her mind longer than usual. It was unglamorous, yet beneath it lay a sincerity she rarely encountered.
After a moment, she exhaled.
"…Your conviction." Rudolf murmured to the empty room.
"This Emperor has witnessed it."
Her gaze lowered to the stack of documents on her desk, already on her way to proceed to the next document as if the confrontation earlier hadn't happened in the first place.
_________
A/N: Took too much time to get the conversations feel right because I have to portray both sides have a point and not the usual Good vs Bad type shii.