Time passed, so long yet so short when that day arrived. Rudolf didn't even realize it, and the end of their contract had quietly come.
She thought she could use her authority as the student council president to solve this small problem. However, the resistance they faced was much greater than they had expected. Who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, Rudolf didn't want to think... and didn't dare to think...
Because she had a feeling she knew who was pressuring them. And that person... was the one she respected and loved the most.
But in the end, the first one to give in to the pressure was not Kitano Ryuichi, but her.
Yes, she had been holding on, and he had been supporting her all along. But in the end, perhaps she was tired, or weary, or perhaps reason had regained the upper hand, or perhaps the exact opposite. But in the end, she was the first to say goodbye.
Rudolf would remember that day for the rest of her life. If she hadn't been agonizing over the words she was about to say, it would have been an ordinary, fulfilling day. He was, as always, helping her with documents on the sofa.
He was silent, as if he knew what was about to happen. And beside her, Air Groove and Narita Brian, who had joined the student council, were also very quiet, as if they had leaked something.
The silence lasted for a long, long time, as if it would crush everyone in the room. But finally, she spoke.
"...Trainer-kun."
"...Mm." He didn't even lift his head, just responded faintly, as if he knew nothing.
"The contract is about to expire. You should know about this," she said calmly, or at least pretending to be calm. She kept her head down, processing documents, while saying those cruel words, not noticing that her signature on the documents had become an illegible scrawl.
"Mm." He replied, still unnaturally calm.
"...The Symboli family will not allow their designated next head to remain by the side of an ordinary trainer forever."
"So, Trainer, when you come back to find me one day, I hope to see a man who has already achieved fame and success, full of spirit... I hope you will not dishonor the title of 'Symboli Rudolf's Trainer'."
This was the last thing she said that day. She said a lot, but she knew it wasn't what she really wanted to say.
She just wanted to say... Please, be sure to come back and find me. You must.
But now, even saying those words was so difficult, because she knew the resistance, she knew that with her trainer's qualifications, it would be difficult to gain the family's approval.
But she still held onto that hope. She hoped that one day in the future, her trainer would come find her. It might take a long time, until she took over as the head of the Symboli family. By then, perhaps no one could stop her anymore.
And this sentence was a warning to him, and also... a deeply hidden confession.
Yes, she admitted it. She was completely inseparable from him. She no longer wanted to live a life of winning alone. She needed his company.
But... now was not the time. Just a little while longer. As long as she outlived that old woman and became the family head, she could! She could make all the decisions!
In response to her words, he was silent for a long time. Finally, he put down the documents he was working on. After a long pause, a gentle smile, as always, appeared on his face, just like when they were still together.
"...We will meet again, Rudolf. Don't be sad. I understand everything."
"I've always been holding you back. Before we meet again, I will work hard to become a trainer you can approve of."
"Don't worry. It might be a long time before we meet again... but, if possible, don't forget me, Rudolf."
"...Of course not."
She looked at his smile. After a long moment, an equally warm smile appeared on her face.
But for some reason, the relief in his smile, that sense of satisfaction and contentment, made her feel uneasy.
At that time, Rudolf would never have imagined that this would be the last time she would see him in this life. Everything that followed was like a runaway train, unstoppable.
That day, Rudolf stormed into the Symboli household at noon. She rushed straight to Speed Symboli. If a few family members hadn't stopped her, the hysterical Rudolf might have even punched her own family head.
"Speed Symboli! Where did you hide my trainer?! Tell me! Tell me!"
"Why! Why?! Why did you take away my only one! Answer me!!"
That day, Speed Symboli did not see her. The hysterical Rudolf got no answer, no denial from the family. And all this deeply stimulated her, as if the largest piece of flesh had been torn from her heart.
"I curse you! I curse you to hell!"
"Give me back my trainer! Give him back!!"
"Aaaaahhhhh—!!"
The final, furious roar, she didn't know if it was directed at the family or at herself. She regretted it, regretted it to the core.
Why did I say that? Why didn't I tell him how much I couldn't bear to part with him, how much I loved him?
Perhaps then, he wouldn't have left. Perhaps they would have had a chance...
But such thoughts could no longer be salvaged. She never found him again. No matter how many years passed, the Rudolf who had long since become the family head never saw him again.
And on the day she became the head, she finally learned the truth. In a small box belonging to Speed Symboli, there was a phone, with the chat records between her and Kitano Ryuichi.
On it, Speed Symboli had explained the stakes to him. The family head had clearly told him of Rudolf's love and feelings for him, and had offered a handsome sum for him to leave her side, to give the future head of the Symboli family her true freedom.
And when he asked how the family would explain his departure to Rudolf, the only answer he got was "we will handle it properly." He took ten minutes, and replied with only two short sentences.
"I will not give you this opportunity. Before you hurt Rudolf, I will stop you."
"I would rather none of this had ever happened. I would rather she never remember me again. I would rather next time... I am no longer in her way."
And under that phone, there was a report... a death confirmation report.
The day after that chat record, the day Rudolf last spoke with him.
He committed suicide.
Sigh... why is everything before my eyes starting to distort? It's as if... my memory, and this world... are all rewinding...
No, I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget... This is my everything.
"President? President?"
"Why did you fall asleep here? It's already morning. Were you here all night?"
Air Groove's voice came from her ear. Rudolf woke up in a daze. She was a little confused about what was real and what was a dream.
"I... I fell asleep? Was all that just a dream?"
"Yes, President. Yesterday you told us to go back, that you would finish up quickly and go back to the dorm. But why were you here all day? Working like this will only do more harm than good."
Air Groove helped her support her sore back from sleeping sitting up all night. At that moment, Rudolf noticed that a coat had been draped over her at some point.
"...Air Groove, this coat, did you put it on me?"
"Hm? It wasn't me, President. I just got here. Brian is probably still sleeping in."
Air Groove found this a bit strange. She glanced at the documents on the side and sighed. "I should say, I'm glad you knew to cover yourself with a coat, turn up the AC, and finish the documents before you fell asleep? But you can't sleep here no matter what."
"...Documents?"
Rudolf subconsciously glanced at the documents. She picked them up one by one and looked them over—the handwriting on them, if you didn't look closely, she would have really thought she had written it herself.
If she didn't clearly remember that she hadn't had time to deal with these documents before she fell asleep, she would have thought she had done it then.
Someone who would help her with documents, who could imitate her signature, and whose work met her standards... Rudolf only knew one person. One person she had already seen here.
"...President, what's wrong?"
Air Groove seemed a little startled by her strange behavior. Rudolf found her expression a bit too odd and asked back, "What's wrong with me?"
"...You're crying, President. Didn't you feel it?"
I... am crying? Her words made Rudolf subconsciously touch her eyes. And, just as she said, two streams of clear tears were falling.
Belatedly, Rudolf wiped away her tears and gave Air Groove a warm smile.
"No, Air Groove, I'm not crying... I'm just shedding tears."
"These are tears of joy, Air Groove. I'm really... so happy."
I finally found him. After waiting for so long, I finally found him.
Three Goddesses above... thank you for letting me remember. This time, I will absolutely not let go. No matter what...
-------
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