"That senpai, she's done it again, just as expected."
Symboli Rudolf felt helpless, yet somehow, she had seen this coming all along.
"But whatever, it's not like this is anything new. Sooner or later, I'm going to fire her."
With a thump, she slapped the documents in her hand aside, a rare display of exhaustion in front of others.
"I really need to find a new vice president soon, or this job is going to wear me down."
"Rudolf-senpai, is there really no one helping you at all?"
Seeing Rudolf so swamped, Nearl suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her.
"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing."
After finishing another stack of documents, Rudolf finally found a moment to catch her breath.
She leaned back, sinking into the comfortable chair.
"Even though there are two seniors in this student council who are older than me, why are they all such slackers?"
"Maruzensky-senpai is nowhere to be seen all year round—I hardly ever get a glimpse of her. And C.B is even worse. She shows up often enough, but it's almost better if she didn't. Every time she comes, she just piles more work on my desk."
Rubbing her temples, Rudolf lamented her misfortune in working with such people.
"Then, President Rudolf, would you like a shoulder massage?"
Seeing the president on the verge of collapse, Nearl raised her hands and made a gentle grasping gesture to offer.
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
Rudolf gladly accepted Nearl's initiative.
She asked proactively, "Should I lie down on the sofa?"
"That would work too. It'll let me reach more muscle groups."
So Symboli Rudolf quickly slipped onto the sofa, lying face down as she enjoyed Nearl's massage.
"Mmm, you're quite skilled, Nearl. Have you studied massage before?"
Feeling the varying pressure on her back, Rudolf occasionally couldn't hold back soft murmurs.
Every press of Nearl's knuckles sent a tingling, electric sensation through her.
"When I was little, I used to watch Aunt Komori working tirelessly for us, always exhausted. I wanted to do something for her, but I was too young back then—this was all I could manage."
"Having that kind of thought is already remarkable. Compared to you, I feel ashamed."
Symboli Rudolf chuckled and shook her head, then let out a quick, sharp gasp.
"Ah! A little softer, please…"
"Of course."
The sounds from inside the room weren't anything unusual given the context—neither ambiguous nor suggestive.
After all, not a single piece of clothing had been removed, and Nearl was simply leaning over to massage her while standing.
But from outside the door, it could easily be misinterpreted.
Take Maruzensky, for instance.
"!!!"
She clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, her usually playful face now flushed with excitement.
"How could this be… What is Rudolf doing in there?"
Maruzensky tiptoed closer to the student council's thick door, carefully pressed herself against it, and slapped her ear against the crack with a thud.
"Mmm… ah…"
What she heard were these ambiguous, muffled sounds.
'Rudolf! What are you doing?!'
Maruzensky wailed inwardly, not daring to imagine what kind of steamy scene was unfolding behind the door.
'I know you're at that age, but doing this in the student council room is just too much! Did you think no one would be outside?!'
'And why are you the one moaning? The great Emperor herself prefers to be on the receiving end? You've got some tricks up your sleeve!'
Pulling her ear back, Maruzensky fell into deep conflict.
She debated whether she should burst in or just slip away quietly.
Torn between the two options, she began pacing back and forth.
But even as the sounds inside gradually faded, she still hadn't made up her mind.
The door creaked open, and a fully dressed Nearl carefully stepped out, closing the door softly behind her.
Then she turned and saw Maruzensky, whose expression was… indescribably strange.
"Maruzensky-senpai, so you were here after all."
Nearl looked somewhat surprised at Maruzensky's oddly suggestive smile, not quite understanding it, but she politely reminded her,
"President Rudolf has been very tired lately and has fallen asleep. Please keep your voice down, Maruzensky-senpai, and try not to wake her."
Watching Nearl act so serious and proper, Maruzensky was internally throwing psychic punches.
'Worn out and asleep? Just how intense were you two?! And you're telling me not to wake her? As if I'd dare! She's probably still naked in there!'
Despite her inner turmoil, Maruzensky managed to force a strained smile on the surface.
"I understand. Is there anything else, Nearl-chan?"
"No, that's all. Thank you, Maruzensky-senpai."
Though puzzled by why Maruzensky had called her "-chan," Nearl didn't think much of it and let it slide.
She nodded to the other and then left, leaving Maruzensky alone, staring troubled at Nearl's retreating figure.
"Is this kind of relationship really okay? Or should I just pretend I didn't see anything?"
She pondered the situation.
"Actually, when I think about it, maybe it's not such a big deal. I don't really get why Rudolf likes being on the bottom, but if both parties are willing, it should be fine."
"Forget it, I'll let them figure it out themselves."
In the end, Maruzensky gave up overthinking it. She crossed her arms and leaned against the student council door.
"Besides, I'm not planning to go in anyway. If I accidentally see some… clothing or a scene I shouldn't, Rudolf would probably tear me to shreds."
She shrugged and stood her ground.
"Consider this my good deed for the day—I'll keep watch here for you, and ward off any unwanted visitors to the student council."
--+--
Putting the student council misunderstanding aside for now, outside, Obey Your Master was still pushing hard with her special training.
"This still isn't enough. I can't catch up to the speed I envisioned for Nearl."
Looking at the timing device beside her, Obey Your Master spoke with frustration.
"The data I collected earlier suggested that Oguri Cap doesn't have a Domain, but that intel can't be trusted anymore. I have to prepare for the worst."
"And the strategy of pressuring her through positioning to make Oguri Cap impatient, causing her to misjudge her acceleration timing and waste stamina too early—that probably won't work either."
"If Nearl has been acting as Oguri Cap's training partner all this time, that huge gap in distance would've taught her all about staying calm."
Her hand unconsciously tugged at her long hair. Obey Your Master was still in her disguised state—or perhaps the persona she showed in public was the real disguise.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.