"Name."
"Ha... Hakki Byakku..."
"Year, dorm, roommate."
"First-year, Ritto Dorm, Deep Impact..."
In the student council office, lit by a single desk lamp, Symboli Rudolf sat with her legs crossed. The lighting made her face seem even darker. Hakki's fingers trembled as she stared fixedly at the ceiling.
Rudolf found the name in the freshman roster. She showed a flicker of surprise when she saw the guardian's name, then her gaze moved to Hakki. "Why were you hiding in the roadside bushes at night instead of resting in your dorm? And what is the situation between you and Oguri Cap?"
The air of an emperor, a pressing tone of interrogation. Hakki coughed lightly and presented the excuse she had concocted on the way. "Because... because I was shooting a short video! For my Horse-tter! The President should know about those. Oguri Cap is my idol, I ran into her in the cafeteria... I wanted to ask her to shoot a short drama with me called [Central Ash-Hair Horror Night], and then, then I got caught by Representative CB and you, President..."
"Oh? A short film? Central Ash-Hair Horror Night? Can I join?" Mr. C.B. leaned in with interest, but was pushed back by a single glare from Rudolf. Hakki swallowed and wisely put her phone away.
"This doesn't look like you were shooting a film. Furthermore, we do not permit horse girls to be outside their dorms at night without authorization," Rudolf said sternly, her fair and just demeanor almost making Hakki believe she was a truly righteous emperor.
"I'm a new student, I didn't know the rules... President, could you... let me off just this once...? It won't happen again. I want to go back to sleep." After sleeping all day, saying she wanted to sleep was obviously a lie. She actually wanted to see if she could stream from her dorm room.
"There won't be a 'this time.' However, where is Oguri Cap? I just asked Tamamo Cross, and Oguri isn't in her dorm either."
"Uh... I don't know either. I parted ways with Oguri Cap at the cafeteria. How would I know something like that?! I'll just send her a message on Horse-tter..." Hakki said, then stood up. Seeing that Rudolf wasn't stopping her, she pushed the door open and fled the student council office.
A few seconds later, the door opened again. An ash-white head peeked out, its voice trembling. "Representative CB... could you come out for a second...?"
Mr. C.B. initially thought she was in some kind of trouble, but after hearing Hakki's explanation, she leaned against the wall, one hand clutching her stomach which ached from laughing. "So you were afraid... afraid Oguri Cap would stuff you in a sack? Hahaha! She must have learned that from Gold Ship!"
"Representative CB! This isn't funny! This is a serious matter concerning my physical safety..." Hakki still didn't dare mention her streaming, so she concocted a lie about having a small conflict with someone in the cafeteria. She couldn't be sure if they would confiscate her streaming equipment if they knew the truth. It was better to keep a low profile.
Mr. C.B. walked behind Hakki, the smile on her face hard to suppress. She knew Oguri Cap would never have a conflict with another horse girl. It was partly due to her own dense personality, but more importantly, no one would ever pick a fight with Oguri Cap. It was clear there was something between the two they couldn't talk about, and Mr. C.B. wasn't going to pry. She had a feeling this new horse girl, Hakki Byakku, would bring a lot of amusement in the future.
After all, a normal freshman wouldn't choose to hide in the bushes outside the training grounds on their first night. That was no different from a newlywed couple deciding to go fishing on their wedding night.
Mr. C.B. escorted her all the way to her dorm building before leaving. But one thing Hakki didn't know was... Oguri Cap's dorm was also in Ritto.
Hakki walked with a light step to her floor, but on the staircase leading up, she saw a familiar ash-grey figure. Thankful she hadn't been humming, Hakki bolted back to her own dorm, locking the door behind her.
Deep Impact, who was munching on a carrot as a midnight snack, turned to see Hakki's panicked state and the hand that was locking the door. Her ears twitched in confusion.
"Did you... see a ghost?" Deep Impact asked, offering her a washed carrot. Remembering her words from the morning, Deep Impact wanted to help Hakki from the bottom of her heart, to reignite her passion for the dream of running.
Hakki's heart was deeply shaken. She accepted the carrot without ceremony, took a big crunch, and sat back on her bed to catch her breath before answering. "No, but I met a horse girl who's basically the same as a ghost... almost got caught. Sigh, my bed is the safest place... maybe I should just spend the next few years in bed."
Hakki flopped back onto her bed, still munching on the carrot. All Deep Impact could see was the carrot bobbing up and down with Hakki's chewing.
Deep Impact looked down at the team application form under her hand, then at the exhausted-looking Hakki. "Hakki-san... have you decided which trainer's team you want to join?"
"Team? Huh? A horse girl trainer... I'm not picky. In other words, I'd be satisfied if anyone would take me." Hakki's words were mumbled through a mouthful of food. But she knew one thing for sure: she would not join Nishizaki Ryu's team. Without some real talent, joining Team Spica was a dead end.
"I'm going to join Ms. Nase's team... would you like to try out, Hakki-san?"
"Nase? Yutaka Take doesn't have a... wait, there's no way I could get into her team!" Hakki almost blurted out a famous meme about the jockey Yutaka Take, but then she realized there was no way she could get into a team run by such a trainer.
Who was she? That was Nase Fumino! The daughter of the legendary Nase Hideto!
"How do you know if you don't try? A horse girl can't sell herself short, Hakki-san!"
"No, no, no, no, I'll pass. I don't think I could handle trainer Nase Fumino's team..." For Hakki, Nase Fumino herself wasn't the main issue. The crucial point was that she had a "motherly" horse girl on her team named Super Creek! A horse girl so gentle she could drown you in her warmth... Just thinking about it terrified Hakki.
She had no desire to become a degenerate horse girl who only thought about lying on a warm, comfortable pillow all day! She was a horse girl who would achieve financial freedom through her own efforts!
"Well, what about other trainers?" Deep Impact was surprisingly invested in her roommate's choice of trainer, a sign of her special concern.
The carrot disappeared into Hakki's mouth with a crunch. After a moment, just as Deep Impact thought she had fallen asleep, Hakki suddenly sat up, bumped her fists together, and answered, "Kitahara!"
"Kitahara... Hakki-san, are you referring to that horse girl trainer, Kitahara Jones?"
"Right, that's the one, Kitaha—... wait? Horse girl trainer? Kitahara... Jones?" Hakki suddenly felt like the world was a strange and alien place, as if blue cheese had just fallen from the sky.
"Isn't Kitahara a man!?"
"Trainer Kitahara Jones has always been a horse girl, hasn't she?" Deep Impact was deeply shaken. Seeing Hakki's reaction, she started to wonder... could it be that, as Hakki said, Kitahara really used to be a man and then became a horse girl?
"Oh. My. God." Hakki pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and fell back onto the bed like a feather.
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