Sakura Baimu felt a little flustered. She felt that it wouldn't do to remain silent, so she slightly changed her tone and answered in a timid voice.
"I...I'm just practicing here for a bit. I'll leave."
"Give me your name and let me see your face."
Rudolf Symboli clearly wasn't going to let Sakura Baimu go so easily.
Sakura Baimu's lips twitched as she listened to Rudolf Symboli's words.
Let alone letting Rudolf Symboli see her face, Sakura Baimu felt that even letting them see her tail now carried the risk of exposure.
After all, her black hair was actually dyed later, but the ends were her original light blue hair color.
If Rudolf Symboli were to compare each of the blue-haired Umamusumes one by one, she might actually be able to trace it back to her.
Sakura caused quite a stir at the Tenno Sho back then and she clearly remembers that Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky were both watching the Tenno Sho that year.
"There's never anyone running on campus before, why is it like this today..."
Sakura Baimu was extremely agitated. She couldn't guarantee that if the student council president discovered that her human identity was fake, she would still be able to stay in the school.
"It seems you're not planning to speak," Rudolf Symboli said, walking towards Sakura Baimu.
Maruzensky stood there alone, her gaze toward Sakura Baimu filled with undisguised curiosity.
She was very curious about who this person was who could run at least 3,500 meters continuously and still maintain the initial speed.
But as Sakura Baimu pulled up her hat brim and secretly glanced at Rudolf Symboli getting closer and closer, she subtly exerted force with the soles of her feet on the grass, her heels already sinking into the mud.
Sakura Baimu pointed behind Rudolf Symboli and exclaimed, "Umm... Oguri Cap!"
Rudolf Symboli was taken aback upon hearing this. She turned around to look in the direction Sakura Baimu was pointing.
"No way..."
But before she could finish speaking, she heard a loud "bang" behind her, and then felt someone rush past her.
Taking advantage of the few seconds that Rudolf Symboli was stunned, Sakura Baimu sprinted a distance of forty or fifty meters.
Rudolf Symboli suddenly realized she had been tricked and quickly chased after Sakura Baimu in the direction she was running.
Just as Sakura Baimu was about to run away, a figure suddenly blocked her way.
That was Maruzensky, with a blue bow earring on her right ear and flowing brown curly hair.
At this moment, Maruzensky's face showed no sign of panic or shock, only a mixture of amusement and curiosity.
This umamusume's starting speed really caught her eye.
"Little one, your nose will grow longer if you lie!"
"My goodness, are you an old lady? What era are you using this kind of joke from?"
Sakura Baimu was startled when the "Hotrod" Maruzensky suddenly appeared in front of her, and at the same time couldn't help but loudly criticize her remarks.
Maruzensky had been waiting at the exit from the beginning, and her body reacted the instant she saw Sakura Baimu launch out.
Sakura Baimu glanced at the "Emperor" who had caught up with her and the "Hotrod" blocking her way. She felt that this time was really going be GG.
But just as Maruzensky was about to reach out and take off Sakura Baimu's hoodie with a sly look in her eyes, a voice that everyone present knew all too well suddenly rang out in the night sky.
"Gentlewomen!"
Upon hearing that incredibly clear and powerful voice, all three of them involuntarily looked towards the direction from which the sound came.
Then they saw Akikawa Yayoi standing at the very top of the entrance, looking down at them from above. She had the appearance of a young girl and striking orange, hip-length hair.
Above the blue and white wide-brimmed hat on her head, a black and white calico cat was perched. It seemed to be annoyed by the noise at night and opened its mouth to "meow" at the three people below.
"Chairman?!"
"Chairman Akikawa!"
Maruzensky and Rudolf Symboli were both incredibly surprised to see the chairman of Tracen Academy appear there in the middle of the night, and quickly greeted her.
"It's so late, haven't you gone home to rest yet?" Rudolf Symboli greeted her.
"Ha ha!"
Once again, Yayoi Akikawa uttered those two classic words, and under the bright moonlight, she flicked open the fan in her hand that read "Chairman" and gently fanned herself twice.
However, perhaps because of the slightly bleak weather at the end of April, she shivered along with the little cat on her hat after fanning herself a couple of times.
"Luna, Skzy, you two have met Ogura-chan, right?" Akikawa Yayoi called out to Rudolf Symboli.
"Ogura?"
Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky both looked at Sakura Baimu, who was clutching her hood tightly, with some confusion on their faces.
"Ogura is my friend's daughter. She said she wanted to go for a run tonight, so I let her in. However, Ogura is from the countryside. She is rather introverted and not very talkative. She doesn't know how to handle strangers, so you two might have misunderstood."
As Akikawa Yayoi spoke, she walked down step by step, passing Maruzensky and arriving beside Sakura Baimu. She reached out and patted Sakura Baimu on the back, speaking in a tone befitting an elder.
"Ogura, say hello to Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky. They are both your seniors, and they are both Umamusumes with top-notch strength in the academy."
"You…hello, Rudolf Symboli, Maruzensky…" Sakura Baimu appeared flustered, still clutching her hood tightly, and bowed to Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky in a timid voice.
"Oh, it's nothing, it was just a misunderstanding." Rudolf Symboli waved her hand. "Ogura, are you transferring to Tracen Academy?"
"No…no." Sakura Baimu quickly shook her head.
"Hey? Why not come? Tracen Academy is the largest Umamusume training institution in all of Japan, especially the Central Tracen Academy in Tokyo. Here you can receive the best training and education. I believe there is no better place for you to showcase your talents."
Upon hearing that Sakura Baimu had no intention of transferring, Rudolf Symboli was immediately inspired to admire her talent.
She frequently travels throughout the country, and after discovering the exceptionally talented Umamusume, she invites them to the central Tracen Academy.
"Rudolf, Ogura will consider it. I'm also trying to persuade her," Akikawa Yayoi suddenly said.
"Ah! How rude of me." Rudolf Symboli then remembered that "Ogura" was the child of Chairman Akikawa's friend, and it didn't seem to be her place to invite "Ogura" to join Tracen Academy.
"I'm sorry, I mistook you for a suspicious person." Rudolf Symboli said, approaching Sakura Baimu and extending a hand.
"N-nothing…" Sakura Baimu murmured, reaching out to shake hands with Rudolf Symboli's fair hand.
Rudolf Symboli smiled. She could tell that Sakura Baimu was "shy," so she didn't prolong the physical contact with her. After a brief handshake, she quickly withdrew her hand.
"Luna, you and Ski should go back and rest early too. It's so late and you're still here," Akikawa Yayoi said with a smile to Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky.
"Chairman Akikawa, it's so late, why are you still at school?"
"Ogura said she wanted to go for a run, so I did some chores," Akikawa Yayoi said, pulling Sakura Baimu along as they headed upstairs. "Goodnight!"
"Good night, Chairman."
"Good night, Chairman Akikawa."
Maruzensky and Rudolf Symboli both waved goodnight to Yayoi Akikawa.
After watching Akikawa and Sakura Baimu leave, Maruzensky smiled.
"Rudolf, what's wrong? You're smitten with the outstanding junior Umamusume again?"
"It's a bit of a shame that such an outstanding Umamusume isn't training in Central," Rudolf Symboli shook her head. "By the way, she's quite tall, so why is she so shy?"
"Who knows?" Maruzensky said leisurely. "Perhaps someone from the countryside would be terrified to see the urban Umamusume."
"Never mind, Chairman Akikawa will definitely persuade her to join the central government anyway, so we don't need to worry about it."
Rudolf Symboli glanced a few times at the small hill where Sakura Baimu had been running before, then looked away.
"By the way, don't you feel like there's something familiar about her? I feel like I've seen her running somewhere before."
"I think so too~ There will definitely be a chance to meet again in the future," Maruzensky said with a smile.
"Speaking of which, I have a question," Rudolf Symboli began.
"What's the matter?"
"Why do you think she shouted 'Oguri Cap' when she first tried to distract me?"