"Are they… gone? Or what's the situation?" Rudolf asked, already braced for the answer. Even so, the thought of prying open this child's old wounds made her teeth ache.
"No. I've never seen them—not since I was little." Eternal Meteor's expression didn't change at all. She answered with the same bright mood she'd had while eating.
"I see…" Now Rudolf didn't just have toothache—her head started to hurt too.
At least it wasn't a case of abandonment. But there was no way Rudolf could just toss this kid back onto the streets again.
And if she sent her to an orphanage… judging by that "escape the hospital room" stunt, Rudolf could practically see it: the very first night, the kid would scale the wall and vanish.
…Wait.
Rudolf suddenly recalled the speed Eternal Meteor had shown when she bolted out of that hospital room. Sure, Rudolf had frozen for a moment in shock—but this girl had just woken up from fainting, and still ran off so fast Rudolf hadn't even reacted.
With that in mind, Rudolf lowered her gaze and studied Eternal Meteor's legs closely.
As expected.
Those calves were thin, but the muscle lines were already there. With Rudolf's experience as a Triple Crown horse girl, she could tell at a glance—these were legs built for explosive power.
Only the ankles looked a little too delicate.
Malnutrition, maybe?
Rudolf's talent-scouting instincts stirred.
She was already tempted. If she could probe carefully, draw the girl out, and bring her to Tracen for proper training…
Maybe this would be another future G1 horse girl.
Pulling her gaze back up from the legs, Rudolf put on the gentle air of a friendly older sister and asked casually:
"From your reaction… do you know who I am?"
"Of course!" Eternal Meteor answered instantly. "The undefeated Triple Crown horse girl—Symboli Rudolf! You're my idol! Because I want to become a top-class horse girl like you!"
She shamelessly pulled out the same worshipful expression she'd used earlier on X—ears swaying, tail flicking, eyes wide and sparkling with little points of light.
"That takes talent," Rudolf said, her tone warm but steady, "luck… and an enormous amount of hard work."
She briefly thought of her first meeting with Tokai Teio. Teio's debut was coming soon, too.
Rudolf pulled her focus back and continued trying to "recruit" the gray-haired horse girl in front of her.
"How about enrolling at Central Tracen Academy? I can tell you have exceptional potential."
"Huh?"
Eternal Meteor had to admit—she was stunned. She'd been steering the conversation in that direction, sure, but she hadn't expected Rudolf to put the invitation on the table so easily.
"Don't want to?" Rudolf asked, already confident from Eternal Meteor's expression—but still wanting to tease her a little.
"No, no, no—of course I want to! I really want to!" Eternal Meteor shook her head hard, then lowered it. Her lips parted slightly, but for a moment no sound came out.
"But…?"
"What is it?" Rudolf lifted a hand and patted Eternal Meteor's head.
Soft—like a little furball.
And weirdly comforting.
"I… I don't have money," Eternal Meteor whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible. "I can't pay the tuition…"
Rudolf's hand paused for the tiniest moment—then unconsciously pressed a little more firmly, like she was trying to anchor the girl there.
"Don't worry." Rudolf's voice softened. "I'll sponsor you."
"Let me be your luck."
"All you have to do is work hard."
Then, thinking about Eternal Meteor's earlier behavior, she added:
"But you will pay me back after you start winning races. With five percent interest."
Anyone could tell that was just Rudolf's way of protecting the girl's pride.
"I'll pay it back. I will pay it back!" Eternal Meteor's voice came out stronger than usual—firm, almost fierce, like she wouldn't allow anyone to doubt it.
"Mm-hm. I believe you," Rudolf murmured.
She pulled Eternal Meteor into a hug—one hand still patting her head, the other gently rubbing her back—then leaned in and spoke softly near her ear.
Eternal Meteor's eyes were turning red. She felt like she might actually start crying in Rudolf's arms, and hurriedly opened a mental channel to X just to distract herself.
"What is this emotion? Why do I feel like I'm about to cry?"
"Probably because you scammed a young girl's sympathy," X replied coldly, "and the last microscopic shred of conscience in your trash-human soul is finally screaming."
"F—off!!" Eternal Meteor snapped.
The next morning, Rudolf brought Eternal Meteor—now wearing clean, freshly washed clothes—to the front gate.
Rudolf had planned to buy her new clothes, but Eternal Meteor resisted so strongly Rudolf gave up.
"President! Why didn't you come see me yesterday?"
The voice arrived before the person did.
Even without looking, Eternal Meteor recognized that sweet, syrupy tone immediately. While she and X were privately debating how instantly identifiable Teio's voice was, she turned with Rudolf toward the sound.
A small, cute figure—only a bit taller than Eternal Meteor—came sprinting toward them with quick, nimble steps.
A white "moon" bobbed above her brown hair as she ran, calling out "President!"
When she reached them and saw Eternal Meteor hiding behind the president she adored, Tokai Teio's eyes went wide. She trembled and slowly raised a finger, pointing.
Eternal Meteor hurried to explain—cutting in before Teio could say something outrageous right at the school gate.
"Yesterday I fainted on the roadside from hypoglycemia. Thanks to Rudolf-senpai getting me to the hospital, nothing bad happened."
Rudolf glanced down at Eternal Meteor. She had no intention of hiding the truth, and was about to correct her—
when she felt her skirt hem tugged.
Looking down, she saw Eternal Meteor—at an angle only Rudolf could see—press a finger to her lips in a quiet shh.
Something tightened in Rudolf's chest.
Such a considerate kid… and yet she'd been drifting out there alone.
I'll investigate properly once we're back in the student council room.
Rudolf gently pulled Eternal Meteor out from behind her and introduced her to Teio.
"This is Eternal Meteor. She'll be enrolling at Tracen. Teio, you have free training today, don't you? Could you show her around the academy and introduce her to the place?"
"No probleeem~!" Teio beamed like sunlight and extended a hand. "I'm Tokai Teio. Nice to meet you!"
Eternal Meteor matched the smile and took the offered hand.
"I'm Eternal Meteor. Nice to meet you too!"
Join here to read ahead.
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