"All finished already?"
Seeing the neatly packed folders containing the competitors' information on the desk, Rudolf asked Air Groove, who was tidying up some books.
"Yes, it's done. They just need to be sent to the Central office."
"I see." She nodded and returned to her seat. "Thank you for your hard work."
"The Central's review process has been stricter this year than any before, or is that just my imagination?"
After arranging the recent documents in alphabetical order, Air Groove couldn't help but comment.
"They even require the students' ID numbers now. Before, a photo was sufficient."
Not only that, but the deadline for submitting documents to Central had been moved up by two or three days. Air Groove doubted Central wanted the files earlier just for the fun of it.
"Well, Central had to put considerable effort into containing the fallout from that incident at the [Japanese Derby]. They're even pushing reporters to cover regular races more, trying to drown out the talk about that affair. It's a shame, though…"
"A shame it's impossible to erase it completely, right?"
"Naturally. No matter how hard they try, they can't silence the tens of thousands of spectators who were there. And they can't monitor everything in real-time; talk about that black Uma Musume still circulates online."
Rudolf sighed helplessly. "Perhaps, as people say, her identity and her story are an unsolvable mystery. Information about her still pops up from time to time, with no clear source."
"It's hard to tell truth from fiction online. It's best not to believe everything you read," Air Groove cautioned.
"I think so too."
Rudolf agreed. "However, I happened to come across a thread on the Tracen website discussing a story about a black Uma Musume. It was quite intriguing."
"A story?"
"Not about the one seen on the track, but a folk tale. It also features a mysterious Uma Musume with long black hair. I found it quite interesting. Would you like to hear it?"
Rudolf interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them, wearing an expression that clearly said, 'Whether you want to or not, I'm telling it.'
Air Groove's cheek twitched slightly.
"I'd… like to hear it."
"I knew it."
She nodded with satisfaction and began her tale.
"Actually, the story is quite short. It tells of an Uma Musume who, after hearing the legends of the Three Goddesses, began striving relentlessly to reach their level, ultimately attaining the absolute pinnacle of speed."
"Like many fables, the protagonist trained day and night, pushing herself to the limit, forgetting sleep and food. When people asked her what her goal was, why she was so obsessed with reaching the Three Goddesses—"
Rudolf's voice was calm, as if speaking to Air Groove, or perhaps to herself.
"She said nothing."
"Nothing at all?"
"It wasn't for competition, nor for victory. Her reason for running was purely to reach that realm of speed no one else could touch."
"Running for the sake of running?"
"You could put it that way, but I feel her actions can't be summed up so simply."
"Both simple and complex…"
Air Groove seemed to understand what Rudolf meant.
Just as Air Groove thought this work-irrelevant topic was about to end, Rudolf blinked, her purple eyes gazing at Air Groove with deep meaning.
"…"
"…"
"Air Groove."
"Huh?"
"Aren't you curious about how the story ends?"
"I…"
Rudolf blinked again.
Air Groove massaged her forehead.
"Yes, I'm incredibly curious. What on earth is the story's ending?"
As if relieved to finally say it, Rudolf explained, "The ending is surprisingly varied; different places have different versions."
Some say she, with her Uma Musume body, reached the divine realm of the Three Goddesses and eventually became a figure spoken of in the same breath as them.
Some say she became an unmatched powerhouse in the world, yet failed to achieve her wish, remaining distant from the Three Goddesses.
Others say that upon touching the domain of ultimate speed, her soul transcended her physical body, turning into light itself, becoming an existence within the Uma Musume world that could never be surpassed.
All sorts of endings abound, with no single definitive version.
"As for who originally wrote the story, it's been too long, and the author is lost to time. Plus, after all sorts of adaptations, the original tale is unrecognizable. It's a shame there's no initial version to be found."
"Hmm…"
Air Groove nodded, though not entirely convinced.
"But no matter how it's changed, it's still just a common fable, right? Like other fables, it's meant to teach current Uma Musume that hard work pays off."
Why was the Student Council President so fixated on this particular story?
"Indeed, placed among the vast sea of books, this kind of fable seems very old-fashioned. However…"
Rudolf's tone shifted. "Every time I think of that black Uma Musume, I can't help but recall this fable."
"On the racetrack, that figure who didn't chase victory, didn't crave glory, but ran purely for the sake of running itself."
"This feeling has been building up inside me. I've been wanting to share it with someone…"
"President Rudolf."
Air Groove frowned.
"Haven't you been a bit too busy with work lately?"
"Hm?"
"To promote the race winners, Central specifically invited you to award them. Before this, aside from a few select GI races, such a thing never happened."
Even though Rudolf's resilient nature prevented her from easily showing fatigue, Air Groove, having worked with her for years, could tell that Rudolf was exhausted.
Training time, Student Council work, Central duties, regular basic classes, sometimes even having to make time for mock races with Teio… On top of that, she constantly had to keep an eye on student issues within the academy.
Add to that Rudolf's incessant inquiries to Central about the investigation progress and reports, which consumed huge amounts of time and energy.
Just listing it out sounded like a terrifying workload, and it had been going on for a full half-month.
Even an iron man would struggle to bear it.
Air Groove would rather she relieved stress with bad puns than see her become neurotic.
"I might be a bit busy, yes." She straightened her back. "But all this work is necessary."
"Even so, you don't have to carry it all alone. Whether it's me, or Brian, we are both members of the Student Council. Your work is our work. Don't push yourself too hard."
Rudolf needed rest.
Just as Air Groove was speaking, the Student Council door opened after three knocks.
Narita Brian walked in, a small twig held between her teeth.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Brian, finished with your training already?"
"Just a light warm-up. The proper training session is later."
Though she said that, just by being near her, one could feel the faint heat radiating from Brian's body.
She had clearly just finished a fairly intense training session, but she dismissed it as merely a warm-up.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" she asked.
"Not for the moment. We thought you'd be training until late."
"That was the plan, but I've been thinking of easing up on the training intensity lately."
She walked over to stand near Rudolf.
"So, what were you two working on?"
"The documents for the [New Zealand Trophy], preparing to send them to Central."
"The one Amazon is competing in."
"Right. She's a key participant in this race. Not just her, Belno Light is also competing."
"Biko Pegasus…" Narita Brian searched her memory. "The student who, in the [Keisei Hai], overtook Hishi Amazon despite being the third favorite."
"Also full of potential," Rudolf praised.
"Seems like it'll be a matchup worth looking forward to."
The three of them fell into discussion about the upcoming race. The relaxed atmosphere finally began to ease the tension Rudolf had been holding.
Fables are called fables precisely because their truth cannot be verified, and their stories are exaggerated to the point of romance.
Applying a fable's narrative to a real, existing character… that was perhaps too far-fetched.
As Air Groove said, she had been overworked lately, without time to rest, leading her to fantasize about strange things.
To even make such an absurd connection… really, what am I thinking?
Rudolf tapped her forehead ruefully.
Better to focus on preparing for the next race.
In less than a week, the [New Zealand Trophy] would begin.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.