The moment she heard the invitation, 鲁道夫 was quietly delighted.
Watching fireworks was secondary.
What mattered was that 永恒流星 had initiated something like this.
For Rudolf, that alone was proof that their relationship was tightening—moving closer, becoming real in a way that wasn't just "roommates" or "president and student."
Meteor wasn't the type to invite people out.
Not first.
After the last race, Rudolf had told the Symboli family's psychologist that Meteor had finished the competition with a hairline fracture—and the man's furious yelling had nearly ruptured her eardrums. He'd demanded she "increase the intensity" of her supervision immediately.
Rudolf had done that.
And now—this.
It felt like sleep deprivation meeting a pillow at exactly the right second.
Still… New Year's night she had to show her face at the Symboli family gathering. It was mostly greetings and small talk, but politics was politics. If she wanted to solidify influence and keep moving toward her dream, she couldn't simply disappear from these obligations.
But she could leave early.
She would leave early.
This was Meteor's first invitation.
There was no world where Rudolf refused it.
"Sure," Rudolf said, keeping her voice steady. "I might just be a little late getting back that day."
After she said it, she watched Meteor's face carefully—too carefully. Like a student waiting for exam results.
"It's fine," Meteor replied, lightly swaying her head. "I'll wait for you in the dorm."
Her tone was casual, and Rudolf could tell it wasn't forced. Meteor genuinely didn't mind.
If anything, it made sense: the fireworks wouldn't start until midnight anyway. Going early would just mean killing time and wandering through the stalls.
"Then… good," Rudolf exhaled, tension finally leaving her shoulders.
"Cake, cake," Meteor urged, already reaching for the box.
"Dinner first," Rudolf snapped back immediately.
"Just a bite—test it!"
They bickered like that all through the meal—laughing, nudging, stealing tiny victories from each other—both quietly looking forward to New Year's night.
New Year's Day
东海帝王 had been in a ridiculously good mood lately.
Sure, her invitation to go to the shrine with Meteor had been rejected.
But over the past few days, she could visit Meteor almost daily using "delivering class notes for the teacher" as an excuse.
And every time—
If she pretended she didn't understand the homework, she could stay late under the banner of "tutoring."
It was perfect.
Today, though, she had plans with everyone to visit the festival. No sneaking off to Meteor's room.
Teio felt a tiny sting of disappointment… but then she remembered Meteor's ears fluttering wildly when she got flustered during tutoring, and her own ears popped back upright, swaying happily.
I wonder if Meteor's napping again.
Meanwhile, in the dorm…
"Damn it—why is this another clickbait title?"
Meteor flipped over in bed, irritated, and kept searching on her phone for the best spot on the back mountain to watch the fireworks.
She'd been at it for two hours.
X finally couldn't resist.
"You're this invested… don't tell me you've fallen for Rudolf."
"Yeah," Meteor replied.
X had been gearing up to laugh.
Instead it froze—like it'd been struck by lightning.
"W-wait… you're shy so you can't admit it—...what?"
Meteor didn't even look up, thumb still scrolling.
"No. You heard me. I do like her."
X's voice scrambled.
"I—You—Me—Huh?!"
Meteor snorted internally.
"What's so shocking? Someone treats you with that much kindness every day—feeds you, worries about you, takes care of you when you're hurt—and you don't develop feelings? That'd be the weird part."
They had argued before, sure.
But that argument came from concern over her body, and even if Rudolf's "concern level" had recently gone a bit too far… it didn't change the fact that Meteor liked her.
X sounded almost offended.
"You can say that so casually? Aren't you embarrassed at all?"
"Because I'm saying it to you," Meteor replied.
After that, X went silent.
Meteor waited a beat, mildly confused by the lack of comeback, then returned her focus to the phone and tapped a promising post titled:
"Best Fireworks Viewing Spots"
Want to know the best places to watch Tokyo fireworks every year? Keep reading!
Meteor scrolled.
A wall of fireworks photos.
She scrolled faster.
The editor wants to know too—why not just enjoy other people's pictures?
Meteor stared.
Then she wanted a blue pill—not to calm down, but to crawl through the internet cable and throttle whoever wrote that post.
She tossed her phone aside, aggressively ruffled her hair until she looked like a puffed-up cockatiel, then collapsed into bed like a deflated blob.
She couldn't exactly ask Teio where the best spot was.
Teio would drown her in question marks.
So Meteor stopped searching entirely and just stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts drift, wishing the hours would move faster.
How's Rudolf doing right now…?
"You mean… what?"
Rudolf's expression actually shifted—rare for her—when she heard the report.
Across from her, 天狼星 looked equally resigned.
"You heard correctly," Sirius said. "速度象征 just landed. She's on her way home right now."
Rudolf's stomach sank.
Sirius let out a long breath.
"If I'd known earlier, I would've found an excuse to not come back today."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
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