Tracen America?
At a time like this?!
Upon hearing Rudolf's description, Maruzensky felt her vision go dark for a moment.
Why did something like this have to happen during her tenure as acting chairman? Was it still possible to call for an election for a new student council president now?
"According to Tracen America, Central has been delaying again and again, and this is the final deadline now."
Any later, and it would conflict with the [Japan Cup].
Multiple national champions would be competing there.
Tracen America didn't want to handle an exchange student program while preparing for the [Japan Cup] races.
Waiting until after the [Japan Cup] would be a waste of too much time.
Tracen America was already beginning to suspect that Central had never truly intended to promote exchanges between the two academies, given how they kept postponing.
So if they waited until after the race, the exchange program would be completely scrapped.
Thus, Central had no choice but to pick this rather awkward timing.
Not long after the [Kikuka Sho] had just ended, while the entire racing world was in an uproar over the 'Phantom.'
"Think about it, if I'm in charge of the academy exchange program now, what if all sorts of problems arise after the new president takes over… Any oversights on my part would mean the new president has to clean up the mess…"
Maruzensky said tactfully.
"Indeed, having different people in charge can easily lead to that situation."
Rudolf nodded.
"In that case, Maruzen, why don't you just become the new president yourself?"
Rudolf suggested.
"Since the acting chairman is letting things slide, you should run in the election, win everyone's support, and become the new student council president."
I believe the students would support you.
It could be said that as a senior making a comeback, Maruzensky still enjoyed considerable popularity among the students.
Not only did she often mentor the juniors in training, but her formidable strength also earned her the admiration of many.
No one was more suited to be student council president than her.
"Rudolf-chan… you're really giving me a tough problem here."
Maruzensky sighed helplessly.
"I can't compare to you. I'd probably make every mistake in the book."
"No one is perfect when they take on the role of president. Even I made plenty of wrong decisions."
The ability to turn mistakes into experience is more valuable than 'being right' itself.
Maruzensky hesitated.
Finally, she let out a long sigh.
"I really can't win an argument with you. Fine then, but if I accidentally make a complete mess of Tracen before you return, you're not allowed to get angry, okay?"
"Haha, it's fine, Maruzen. Go ahead and do your best. If necessary, you can even bring my name into it."
At last, having completely dispelled her concerns, Maruzensky hung up the phone.
In the student council room, Air Groove looked up.
Every word of their conversation had clearly reached her ears.
To think the workload hadn't decreased at all—in fact, it had increased significantly.
"The exchange program… I heard about it from Rudolf during that league meeting."
But later, due to Central's interference, the plan was temporarily shelved.
Now it was the final deadline.
"Should we start taking action too?"
"Indeed, we should." Maruzensky nodded.
"In three days, representatives from Tracen America will arrive as the first batch of exchange students."
As for Tracen's side, a survey had already been conducted after that league ended.
Those with excellent results and an interest in going to Tracen America had been selected as this batch's exchange candidates.
As for their families, they had been notified well in advance.
The follow-up arrangements were relatively straightforward.
"What we need to do is properly welcome the students from Tracen America."
Help them arrange accommodations, trainers, and familiarize them with life at Tracen.
Everything else was manageable. The only real trouble was the trainers.
Currently, most senior trainers already had a full roster of trainees.
The less experienced ones lacked the necessary capability.
The racing environments overseas and domestically were different, requiring different training approaches.
One could say the trainer needed to master this transitional process to help these foreign champions adapt properly.
If they forced them to rigidly follow Tracen's training methods, it could easily backfire.
Imagine if the exchange students coming to Tracen ended up with terribly poor results… Just the thought was enough to ruin one's reputation.
Afterwards, they would inevitably face accountability from Central.
So they had to handle this properly.
"A trainer suitable for foreign champions…"
Even Air Groove rarely showed a troubled expression.
It was indeed a difficult problem.
"Is it a shortage of trainers?"
Just then, Manhattan Cafe, who was nearby, spoke up.
"It's not exactly a shortage…"
It was just that there were too few suitable candidates to train the exchange students.
Forcing them into already full teams would place a significant burden on the trainers.
Tracen was currently implementing a comprehensive management system.
Something that clearly went against the acting chairman's intentions would never get approval.
On one hand, there was Central's accountability; on the other, the academy's regulations wouldn't allow it.
One could say the student council was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
"No suitable trainers…"
Manhattan Cafe murmured to herself.
Suddenly, she lifted her head, her ears giving a quick twitch.
As if struck by a thought, she said, "If one trainer isn't enough, what about having several trainers co-manage?"
What did she mean?
"One person could have the theoretical foundation for training overseas, while another has practical experience. Together, the two should be enough to handle the training duties for foreign champions."
That was an interesting approach.
Having trainers who individually lacked full capability share the responsibility.
But…
"Someone with the theoretical foundation… Cafe, do you perhaps have a suitable candidate in mind?"
Maruzensky asked.
Tracen's trainer certification exams didn't cover this kind of content.
"Well…"
After hesitating for a few seconds, Manhattan Cafe nodded.
Not knowing exactly what would be tested, she had memorized all the knowledge a trainer might need.
In terms of theory alone, she had surpassed the vast majority of trainers at Tracen.
And the reason she did all that was for just one person.
That's right—for me.
Manhattan Cafe felt a surge of emotion.
But on the surface, she maintained a calm, unaffected demeanor.
"I was lucky enough to chat with her a few times. Back then, she mentioned training methods for foreign champions to me, discussing the pros and cons of various approaches in detail."
Manhattan Cafe explained.
"I believe that person has done in-depth research on training overseas."
"Who is it?"
Maruzensky asked.
"She's a trainee assisting trainer Toujou Hana. Her name is Silence."
Silence?
Air Groove raised an eyebrow slightly.
She hadn't expected to hear that name from Manhattan Cafe.
"A trainee?"
Maruzensky pondered.
"But trainees are far less knowledgeable than certified trainers. Even if she has some theoretical understanding, it probably wouldn't be of much use, right?"
Maruzensky shook her head, dismissing Manhattan Cafe's suggestion.
"On that point, I have a different opinion."
Air Groove suddenly spoke up.
"Rather than trusting trainers with no relevant experience, a trainee who has researched this area would actually be more reliable. We shouldn't assume she's incapable just because of her status!"
Air Groove spoke with conviction, startling Maruzensky.
--+--
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.