In the end, Air Groove and Rudolf managed to reach an agreement, shifting the focus of their conversation to the so-called sister Nearl had mentioned.
"So, a blood relative reaching out to you on their own?"
After hearing Nearl's explanation—which was mostly a jumble of improbable details—Rudolf's expression grew much more serious.
As the Student Council President of Central Tracen Academy, her earlier remark about "my power being absolute" was certainly an exaggeration, but not by much.
Especially now, with the academy chairman willingly delegating authority, Rudolf was practically the undisputed "Emperor" of Tracen.
With that came the responsibility of external communication and negotiation—after all, power and duty went hand in hand.
During her tenure, burdened with both authority and obligation, Rudolf had gained a deep understanding of the shadows and compromises lurking beneath the surface.
The innocence typical of an Uma Musume had steadily washed away, and these days, she tended to assume people's motives were complex.
"Nearl, while I trust your judgment, a family that only seeks you out now, after you've gained fame across Japan—can they truly be sincere?"
Rudolf frowned deeply, and her words drew a nod of agreement from Air Groove beside her. Clearly, Air Groove shared the same concern.
"In the world of Uma Musume, strength is everything. The rise and fall of every distinguished family depends on it. Don't underestimate your own worth. Right now, your individual value alone rivals that of the Symboli family."
Symboli Rudolf sighed, fixing a serious gaze on the junior standing ramrod-straight before her. Nearl's expression was equally earnest, without a hint of carelessness.
Faced with such sincerity, Rudolf suddenly wondered if she was overthinking things. With a mindset like Nearl's, no matter what happened, surely any challenge could be overcome.
"Just be cautious in all things. I don't need to say more. If you need help, contact me. Tracen and the Symboli family will have your back. I approve your leave."
"President?"
Air Groove was taken aback by the sudden shift in tone.
"It's fine, Air Groove. My mind is made up on this. Prepare the leave form."
"...Yes."
Approving leave was a simple matter—no formal procedure was needed, just a word from Rudolf. In about two minutes, Nearl was walking out with the approved form in hand.
Only after Nearl had left did Rudolf's gentle demeanor shatter abruptly, revealing her usual imposing and formidable presence.
"Air Groove, looks like I've got something else to attend to. You know what that means, right?"
"Sigh~~ Covering for you again? Well, I'm used to it. Nearl's matter is in your hands now."
"Leave it to me. I'll mobilize every resource to uncover the truth about Nearl's real family—whatever their intentions are, whether they're genuine or not, I'll get to the bottom of it."
Setting aside her current tasks, Rudolf followed shortly after Nearl and left the student council room.
She planned to contact her family first; after all, based on Nearl's description, a family that wealthy couldn't possibly be completely unknown to the Symboli Family.
--+--
Nearl didn't follow her usual routine of looking for Kitahara on the track. The overcast sky, heavy with clouds, had convinced every trainer to postpone outdoor training for the day.
While a light drizzle was nothing to an Uma Musume, a downpour was another matter.
Never mind catching a cold—how could you train when your vision was completely obscured?
Sure enough, when Nearl pushed the door open, she found Kitahara lounging on the sofa, happily munching on fries, while Oguri Cap stretched on a yoga mat, working on her flexibility.
"Ah, Nearl, you're here. Congrats on another G1 victory. Is there anything you'd like? Consider it a gift from me."
Seeing Nearl walk in, Kitahara instinctively tried to hide the fries behind his back. But he quickly realized it was Nearl, not Oguri Cap, and relaxed, pulling the fries back out.
"How unusual, Trainer. You're eating in front of Oguri. Has she already been fed?"
Nearl chuckled lightly at Kitahara's series of actions. Though her schedule was always packed, she got along well with everyone in the team.
"No way! My meager salary could never fill Oguri Cap. It's just that her competition ban was lifted, so the excitement of running is temporarily outweighing her appetite for now."
Scratching his head, Kitahara Jo gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Even the doctor was shocked. She's fully recovered, as if she was never injured, even though the estimated healing time was over a month away. Hard to say if it's her tough constitution or modern medicine's miracles."
"Maybe she's eating well—all that energy going into recovery."
"Somehow, I suddenly agree with you. Anyway, Nearl, you still haven't answered me. Any reward you'd like?"
As he spoke, Kitahara took out his wallet, opened it, and glanced inside.
"Where's my money?!"
A cry of despair filled the training room.
Disbelieving, he turned the wallet upside down and shook it, but only a few restaurant coupons fluttered out—and they were for places Oguri Cap was banned from entering.
"Oh, the money? Didn't you tell me to go buy food to celebrate my discharge, Kitahara?"
Oguri Cap, who was doing a full split on the floor, twisted her remarkably flexible body to look back at her trainer with an innocent expression.
"But I put the money in an envelope! I specifically reminded you to take it from there."
"But there was a wallet in the drawer with the envelope. Money should be in a wallet, right? If there's a wallet, who needs an envelope?"
"That's not the point…"
Kitahara covered his face in agony.
"The money in the envelope was a planned amount, but my whole month's salary was in that wallet."
Seeing her trainer's sorrowful look, Nearl thought for a moment and pulled out her own wallet.
"Trainer, how about using mine this month—"
"No, absolutely not. What kind of trainer borrows money from his own Uma Musume? Not even Okino would do that."
With tremendous willpower, Kitahara firmly refused, though for some reason, he was clutching his left hand tightly, as if stopping it from reaching out on its own.
"Let's change the subject. Nearl, are you planning to take a few days off? You just finished a G1 race—it's good not to overdo it."
"That's what I came to talk about, Trainer. I'd like to request leave—a long leave, around two weeks."
"Huh?"
At that, both Kitahara and Oguri Cap reacted with exaggerated surprise, staring at Nearl as if she'd just announced something bizarre.
"Leave? Over half a month? I thought that word didn't exist in your vocabulary."
"Mhm, can't imagine Margaret slacking off."
Facing their indescribable expressions, Nearl sighed and began to explain the situation.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.