Pushing open the door, Rudolf stepped into the student council room.
A girl with brown hair sat prominently in the central chair.
It was the acting student council president, Maruzensky.
After Symboli Rudolf announced her departure from the presidency, no election had been held to choose her successor.
Coupled with the overwhelming task of revising the school's rules and regulations, there simply wasn't any time. So, Kashimoto Riko simply appointed Maruzensky, who had prior experience with student council work, as the acting president to manage affairs temporarily.
Air Groove, Narita Brian, Manhattan Cafe, and others retained their original positions, assisting from the sidelines.
In the beginning, Maruzensky managed to cope, more or less.
But as Kashimoto Riko continuously introduced new regulations, the pressure on the student council grew heavier and heavier.
The day's tasks could no longer be completed, inevitably pushed to the next day.
Which, of course, meant the next day's work also couldn't be finished.
As time went on, the backlog of unfinished tasks grew larger and larger.
Even with Air Groove operating at full throttle, it still wasn't enough.
Now, the student council was severely understaffed.
So even though Manhattan Cafe didn't have extensive work experience, she too had to dive into the student council's management projects.
"I'm sorry, Cafe, having to rely on you like this," Maruzensky said apologetically, seeing Manhattan Cafe at her desk, already reviewing trainer forms.
"This is what I should do as a member of the student council," Manhattan Cafe shook her head.
It was Rudolf who had recruited her into the student council in the first place.
Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, Rudolf would be gone.
One could say that without Rudolf, the student council had lost more than half of its vitality.
Even the normally steady Air Groove was sighing all day long, which was rare for her.
It seemed Rudolf's departure had hit her pretty hard.
But truly, it was only after Rudolf left that they realized the immense pressure their former president, who sat in that office day in and day out, had shouldered.
High-intensity work on top of high-intensity training.
An ordinary Uma Musume simply couldn't handle it.
During this period of managing the student council, Maruzensky's training efficiency had almost plummeted exponentially.
Her trainer even urged her at one point to leave the student council and focus her energy on training.
But she had been personally entrusted by Rudolf.
Asked to help manage the student council properly.
So even under the dual pressures from her trainer and her races, Maruzensky still didn't give up.
Inside the student council room, everyone worked in silence.
Manhattan Cafe's eyes moved quickly across the pages, lines of text imprinting themselves in her mind, rapidly sorted into useful information.
Strange…
She swiftly annotated and corrected the documents.
It was the same feeling she had during class now.
Cafe clearly sensed that after spending a night with her 'friend,' her thinking had become more agile.
She had thought it might be a sensory illusion, brought on by her changed mood.
But it seemed this was simply the reality.
She was changing, subtly and gradually.
Was this fate?
Cafe couldn't help but wonder.
She and her 'friend' were so perfectly matched.
It was as if the two of them had been one from the very beginning.
This made her incredibly happy.
She felt a sense of destiny in her connection with her 'friend.'
The two of us…
We are meant to be together.
"I can't do this anymore…"
After who knows how long, a voice broke the student council's silence.
Maruzensky was slumped over the desk, looking utterly drained.
True, she had often helped Rudolf with official business in the past.
But when all that work landed squarely on her shoulders alone, the situation was completely different.
She felt like a turtle, crawling across her desk, dragging heavy files along at a snail's pace.
Slow.
Painfully slow!
She was a supercar with extraordinary speed! She should be swift and decisive in everything she did. How had she ended up in this state?
"Take a little break," Air Groove said from beside her.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If it really can't be done, just leave it for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow…"
Maruzensky's eyes instantly dimmed.
"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow again. If this goes on, I'll never finish before graduation!"
Could it be that my future would be spent like this?
Wasting my whole life in the student council.
No, I don't want that kind of life.
Maruzensky immediately stood up.
"I'm going to call Rudolf…"
She could handle this workload effortlessly.
Both in ability and experience, Rudolf was far superior to her.
"Rudolf." Air Groove's ears twitched. "Is that a good idea?"
"What's wrong with it? As a friend, I'm just asking her for a little favor. Just a tiny favor. It's not like I'm breaking any student council rules."
"Well…"
Air Groove hesitated.
Non-members of the student council were not allowed to casually view internal documents.
They contained detailed records of trainers and Uma Musume, information that could not be made public.
However…
If it was Rudolf, she probably already had the contents memorized by heart.
"Then… maybe just ask her for a little help."
After all, Air Groove also felt like it had been ages since she'd experienced the atmosphere of working alongside Rudolf.
"Alright!"
Action now.
Maruzensky dialed the number.
After a few rings, Rudolf's voice came through.
"Maruzensky? What's up, calling so suddenly?"
"Rudolf-chan, what are you doing?"
"Training," Rudolf replied.
"Alone?"
"Hmm… no, I'm training with Teio."
"How is she?"
"Completely unrecognizable from the crying, tantrum-throwing mess she was before."
"Really."
Maruzensky smiled.
She remembered when Teio heard the news that Rudolf was stepping down as president—she practically sprinted over immediately, clinging to Rudolf, asking why she wasn't going to be president anymore.
Not only that, she'd wailed like a child, crying and shouting, "Tracen is finished!"
Thankfully, after some comforting from Rudolf, Tokai Teio's emotions finally stabilized.
During this period without official duties, Rudolf had been by her side almost constantly.
Now, Teio had almost forgotten the whole business about Rudolf not being president anymore, thoroughly enjoying herself every day.
"Children are so fickle."
"I think she's alright," Rudolf chuckled warmly. "But did you call just to chat? I actually have something to discuss too. Want to go out tonight?"
"Sounds nice, but I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you."
Maruzensky gathered her resolve.
"Rudolf-chan, I really can't handle the student council work. Could you come back and help me, please…"
If this goes on, I'm going to die from overwork!
"Is it that complicated?"
Dying from overwork seems a bit exaggerated.
"Exaggerated? Without you, the student council is like a race car without a steering wheel!"
We're just flooring the gas pedal, and who knows where we'll end up.
Listening to Maruzensky's incessant pleading, Rudolf fell silent for a moment.
She wanted to help, but Central had warned her again and again—she was absolutely not to interfere with student council affairs.
Not even assisting from the sidelines was allowed.
Central knew that the title of student council president meant little to Rudolf.
What truly carried weight was her title of 'Emperor.'
As long as she remained the 'Emperor,' even if she wasn't the student council president, her voice would still hold considerable sway.
"I'm sorry, Maruzensky. I can't."
Not only that, but Rudolf also had worse news to deliver to Maruzensky.
"The student council president from Tracen America contacted me. They said the exchange student program will be starting soon."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.