"Eh… it's not that serious, is it?" Mr. C.B. said with a grin.
If it were any other Uma Musume, Symboli Rudolf's presence alone would have been enough to make her tremble. But Mr. C.B. had known Rudolf for a while now—she wasn't about to be intimidated.
Rudolf also knew the pressure tactic wouldn't work, so she sighed again.
"I'll be frank. You really should find a trainer."
The industry had become skewed. The number of trainers kept shrinking. But for a top-tier talent like Mr. C.B., running without professional guidance was like leaving a jewel buried in the dirt.
In Rudolf's eyes, Mr. C.B. had the same potential she did—strong enough to claim the title of a Triple Crown Umamusume.
And yet, no matter what anyone said, this girl simply refused to sign with a trainer.
"Rudolf~ you know it. I'm not interested in trainers," Mr. C.B. said, still relaxed and breezy.
Every trainer she'd met—every single one—was the same. They wanted her to change her running style "for the sake of victory."
And that was precisely what clashed with Mr. C.B.'s stubborn devotion to freedom.
Trainers needed their Uma Musume to win so they could build achievements. So they pushed her to run in a way she didn't believe in.
A dead end.
That was why Mr. C.B. didn't like those trainers.
No… not exactly.
There was one exception.
A figure holding a mobility cane flashed across her mind, and heat rose to her cheeks. She pretended nothing had happened and dropped her little white hat over her face.
"…I understand how you feel," Rudolf said again, her voice softer this time. "Being forced to change into a style you hate is genuinely infuriating."
"So then you can stop trying to talk me into it~" Mr. C.B. replied.
"But I still need to say one thing."
Rudolf's expression turned serious.
Mr. C.B. immediately straightened, sitting properly for once.
Rudolf looked directly into those turquoise eyes and spoke with steady clarity.
"If you meet a trainer who makes your heart move… do not let him go. Understand?"
The words were calm on the surface.
But Mr. C.B. could hear the tidal weight underneath.
It sounded like advice from someone who had lived it—and a warning from someone who had failed.
"…Is that because of your trainer?" Mr. C.B. asked quietly.
She'd heard stories about Symboli Rudolf, and she'd heard about the legendary trainer whose name was never left behind.
Mr. C.B. hadn't enrolled back then. She'd never met him.
And even now, among the academy, people who claimed to have truly seen his face were vanishingly rare.
Still, one thing was undeniable:
That trainer had left a light in Rudolf's life that could not be erased.
Rudolf lifted her teacup. In the rising steam, her violet eyes looked blurred, distant.
"Yes," she said softly. "The thing I regret most… is that when he chose to leave, I wasn't able to hold on to him."
The sorrow in her voice slipped through despite all her control.
Mr. C.B. pressed her lips together, feeling something tighten in her chest.
She couldn't stop herself from imagining—
If she and that man ever reached a day like that… what would she feel?
Mr. C.B. had never experienced anything like it. She'd always believed she wouldn't be able to relate.
And yet a sharp, inexplicable ache pricked at her anyway, enough to make her frown.
Silence settled into the room.
After a long while, Mr. C.B. lifted her teacup and forced a smile.
"So what you're saying is… don't miss a good man, right?"
Rudolf finally laughed, the tension easing.
"And you, Mr. C.B.? Have you met someone like that?"
"…Me…"
Mr. C.B. went quiet.
Just that hesitation—only a heartbeat long—was enough for Rudolf to understand.
Rudolf had asked this question many times before, and every time Mr. C.B. answered immediately: "No."
But this pause?
It meant something had changed.
"So~ you did meet someone," Rudolf said, her tone turning teasing.
Mr. C.B.'s cheeks reddened. She mumbled, "I… wouldn't say that. I'm just… kind of paying attention to him."
"For you to say that," Rudolf replied, amused, "he must be an exceptional trainer."
"Mmm he's okay heh heh~"
Mr. C.B. couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from lifting. Rudolf shook her head with a smile.
But in her heart, she still added one thought:
Of course, he can't compare to my trainer.
"Regardless," Rudolf said, returning to business, "you need to take the matter of signing with a trainer seriously. Understood?"
"Yeah, yeah I got it"
…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Inside the academic building, the sound of a mobility cane striking the floor drew attention from every direction.
Most blind people used a cane with quick, frequent taps.
Wu You didn't.
In his hand, it was less a mobility cane and more an English gentleman's walking stick.
The unhurried rhythm, paired with those crisp taps, was strangely magnetic—people found themselves watching without meaning to.
But as Wu You walked, he realized something felt off.
The one behind him…
Had been trailing him for a long time.
By scent alone, he could tell it was the same Uma Musume who had followed him yesterday.
But why?
He couldn't recall having any connection with her at all.
What really made him struggle to keep a straight face, though, was the emotion she was radiating.
It was a very specific kind of intensity.
An appetite so dense it practically exploded.
He was used to being stared at because of his looks.
But being stared at because someone's appetite locked onto him?
That was a first.
With that in mind, Wu You quickened his pace, trying to reach the Chairwoman's office as quickly as possible.
At the stairwell corner behind him—
Oguri Cap stood with her head slightly tilted, staring at Wu You's back with blank, wide eyes.
She looked… impressively blank.
"Mm…"
Her cheeks puffed a little. Her horse ears drooped softly against her head.
A clear sign of a downcast Uma Musume.
"Did he… really forget me…?" she whispered.
She was following behind him the way she used to when she was small…
Why couldn't he recognize her?
Should she go up and talk to him again?
But he hadn't recognized her last night either…
Thinking of last night, complicated feelings rose on Oguri Cap's usually expressionless face.
She'd been doing her usual after-school run outside the academy when she suddenly caught that familiar scent.
The scent from the big brother she'd met when she was little.
Sweet. Warm. Like the most delicious carrot in the world.
Honestly, the reason she'd even started running in the first place was because of that mysterious big brother named Wu You.
But he'd only stayed a few days before leaving to travel.
He'd said he might go to Tokyo someday.
She'd told him that if he went to Tokyo, she'd go find him there.
Years passed.
At last, she found him.
And he didn't know who she was.
Oguri Cap shook her head hard, sweeping away her disappointment.
If that's the case—then she'd just have to go talk to him herself.
She stepped forward, ready to catch up to Wu You.
And then—
"Waaah—! Move, move, move!"
A panicked voice echoed down the hallway.
From around the corner, Tokai Teio came sprinting full speed toward the Student Council office, shouting as she ran.
Right in front of her—
Was Wu You.
"!!!"
In the next instant, all the surrounding Uma Musume heard a single heavy boom.
Oguri Cap vanished from where she'd been standing.
All that remained was a gray afterimage—launching like a missile straight toward Wu You.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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