WebNovels

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

What's everyone's favorite racetrack?

For me, it's absolutely Arao Keiba.

It was a local racecourse that's gone now, but that beautiful track facing the Ariake Sea…

You could feel the sea breeze and watch the racehorses run with the ocean at their backs—it was, to me, the most beautiful racetrack in the world.

When it closed down, I was still in elementary school, and since no one in my family or relatives followed horse racing, I never got the chance to visit it myself.

But after discovering Uma musume, the nostalgia and the frustration of losing something from my hometown came rushing back stronger than ever.

If you've never seen it before, please look up photos of it online. I'm sure you'll fall in love with it too.

Ah… I wish I could've seen the Arao Derby...

It's been eleven years, but congratulations on your victory, Lily.

"The Emperor—Symboli Rudolf."

A legendary, undefeated Triple Crown horse and the very first to achieve seven major titles in Japanese racing history.

"There may be no absolutes in racing, but there is an absolute in this horse."

That line from the JRA commercial sums her up perfectly.

A person of great virtue who wishes for the happiness of all Uma musume, and someone willing to face any hardship to make it happen.

As the Student Council President, she dedicates herself to promoting and supporting Uma Musume racing as a whole.

That's the Symboli Rudolf I knew.

But the Rudolf now, the one in front of me with her ears pinned back and hooves scraping the floor in irritation, still with a trace of immaturity—

I wish I could tell myself she was someone else.

(Yikes… she's got that whole "I'm very displeased" aura going on.)

After Monte Prince left, she at least let me into the room—probably because standing in the hallway would've been awkward—but now we were stuck in complete silence.

She'd shown me which bed and luggage space were mine, and I tried to distract myself by unpacking, but it was really uncomfortable.

I mean, she's been standing behind me this whole time, arms crossed, ears flattened, hoof tapping against the floor—pure, visible irritation.

(HowdoIeven startaconversation…?I can't affordto get onbad termswith herthis early.)

Right now, Ten Point is the Student Council President, but Rudolf is practically guaranteed to be the next one.

If she and I start off on the wrong foot, it could cause major problems later.

Besides, considering how much she's helped me in the Uma Musume game, I really do want to get along with her.

"You are…"

Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality at the sound of her voice behind me.

When I turned, she was standing the same way as before—but this time, her ears weren't flat and she wasn't stomping the floor anymore. Maybe her angry mode had ended.

"Ah—Nice Nature, right? Um… could you tell me why you were late?"

She sounded hesitant, almost awkward.

That's when I realized—we hadn't actually introducedourselves yet. Monte Prince had done all the talking.

Sure, I knew all about Symboli Rudolf from my past life, but to her, I was just some new student she'd never met.

No wonder she didn't know how to talk to me.

Alright. I'll introduce myself properly, explain why I was late, and hopefully patch things up before bedtime.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Nice Nature, just enrolled today. I look forward to being under your care, senpai."

I bowed deeply to show respect—and maybe a little apology too.

"I'm Symboli Rudolf. Um… you can raise your head now. It's hard to talk like this."

She sounded confused, probably because I was bowing at a perfect ninety degrees like I was at some public apology press conference.

Honestly, I expected her to sound cold or strict, so that soft tone threw me off.

When I lifted my head, I could see her expression was gentler than before.

"Um, if you don't mind… could you tell me why you were late?"

"I went to the Student Council."

"What? The Student Council?"

"Yes, the Student Council."

Her ears shot straight up.

"Did you already cause some kind of trouble? That's bad, you know! Once you're enrolled here at Tracen Academy, you must uphold good conduct and balance both academics and athletics.

Especially since President Ten Point is notorious for being strict with troublemakers!

If she's already noticed you, that reflects poorly on me as your roommate too."

"Um, actually, I was talking with Ten Point-san—"

"Wait, you already inconvenienced Ten Point-Sama? That's terrible! Don't worry, as your roommate, I'll accompany you tomorrow to apologize. If we both show sincerity, I'm sure she'll forgive you."

I just stared at her. She said she was listening, but her imagination was sprinting off in a totally different direction.

(Wait a sec… was Symboli Rudolfalways this muchof a ditz?)

I'd always imagined her as calm, confident, and regal.

But right now, she's acting more like Tokai Teio in that episode where she gives Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond a tour of the academy—trying to act mature but totally flustered.

Even her gestures remind me of Teio.

(Even withoutbloodlinesin this world, the parent-child resemblanceisuncanny…)

I couldn't help but think that, and honestly, it was kind of heartwarming.

"So anyway, before it comes to that, I'll come with you to Ten Point-sama tomorrow and—hey, are you even listening?"

"Ah—yes, I am—"

I started to answer, but that's when I noticed it.

Now that the tension had eased, I could finally take in the details of the room.

There were handmade decorations—colorful paper chains like the ones kids make for celebrations, origami hanging on the walls…

And from the closet, a corner of a large sheet of paper was sticking out, the kanji "入" barely visible.

Curious, I tugged it free.

"W-wait! Don't take that out!"

Ignoring her protest, I pulled the big sheet from the closet.

It was made from several pieces of printer paper glued together, with words written across in thick, determined strokes of a black marker:

"Congratulationson yourenrollment!"

I remembered what she'd said earlier—offering to come with me to apologize, awkwardly trying to act like a dependable senior…

"…You were worried about me, weren't you?"

Her shoulders twitched violently. Her ears and tail puffed up, trembling.

"Wha—!? What are you suddenly saying!? I-I wasn't—"

"Rudolf senpai?"

"!?"

The moment I called her senpai, she froze.

"...It's just… this is the first time I've ever had a junior. I wanted to… do something for you as a proper senpai…"

(She's adorable!)

She mumbled shyly, almost sulking.

Apparently, in elementary school she'd been the perfect student—beautiful, talented, unbeatable in races—and because of that, other kids had envied and bullied her until she stopped attending.

So I was the first junior she ever had. And being roommates made her so happy that she'd gone through all this effort to welcome me.

Her earlier panic about my lateness? That was just genuine worry that I'd gotten in trouble or been hurt.

Seeing her deflate like that was too much—I couldn't help it.

I, the junior, ended up hugging her.

Because really, how could I not?

"Rudolf-senpai, thank you. I'm really happy.

And I'm sorry for worrying you. Let me explain properly."

She fumbled for words for a second before returning the hug gently.

"…I see. I'm glad."

I told her everything—how I went to greet the Student Council, met Ten Point, and even shared tea with her.

Rudolf blinked at the "tea" part and went, "Why would you do that?"

But when I mentioned telling Ten Point my dream of becoming a trainer and getting fired up, she burst out laughing.

Seeing that kind of bright, carefree smile from her—one I'd never seen in the anime or the game—was priceless.

Apparently, my dream overlapped with hers a bit too, so she said she'd support me as a fellow dream-chaser. She even shook my hand, promising to cheer me on.

"'Symboli Rudolf' is kind of long to say, isn't it? You can just call me Rudolf, Nice Nature."

"Then please call me Neicha, Rudolf-senpai."

And just like that, the awkward tension from before vanished completely.

We made up for lost time by chatting the night away—taking a bath together (redacted), grabbing dinner at the dorm cafeteria, and talking even after lights-out.

So much that Monte Prince ended up catching us and giving us both a light scolding.

"Neicha."

"What is it, Rudolf-senpai?"

"…Good night."

"…Good night, senpai."

And so, my chaotic first day at Tracen Academy came to an end.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but feel excited—

wondering what tomorrow would bring.

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