Tap, tap, tap.
"Is that Teio? Come in."
Hearing Rudolf's voice from inside the student council room, Tokai Teio opened the door. But the moment she stepped inside, she felt a residual tension in the air that made her nerves stand on end, and her steps faltered.
"What is it? Teio, come on in."
"Um... President? Are you really okay?"
What made Teio even more nervous was the invisible pressure radiating from Rudolf. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar. Since enrolling at Tracen Academy and becoming a regular visitor to the student council, she had occasionally witnessed the president erupt with this suffocating "Emperor's Aura" when angry.
But who met with her earlier and made her so angry that she's still fuming? Before Teio could figure it out, Rudolf, realizing the problem, quickly reined in her unrestrained aura and forced a kind smile, just like usual.
"It's fine, nothing's wrong. Come in, Teio. I want to talk to you."
"Is it about my trainer problem?"
Teio already knew the purpose of her visit from Rudolf's message. She also knew that for some reason, the president had wanted to recommend her to Kitano's team.
At the time, she hadn't understood why the president would recommend her to such an unhealthy trainer. However, the Tokai Teio who had initially been so resistant to Rudolf choosing a trainer for her had now had a subtle change of heart.
Maybe... training under Trainer Kitano wouldn't be such a bad thing? After all, he was very responsible and extremely protective of his charges. Even though he already had four of them, Teio believed that with her talent, she could definitely surpass everyone and become the star of the team.
Especially with her classic year approaching, Teio was confident that even alongside strong rivals like Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa, she could still stand out and become the most dazzling star among them.
In that case, I should naturally become the most "important" person in Kitano's heart, right? That's not so different from my own criteria for a trainer, is it?
Should I perhaps let go of my baseless stubbornness for now? After all, even if she found a genius trainer completely devoted to her, she would still retire one day, and that trainer would have to find a new charge. If she couldn't even allow that, wouldn't she be too unreasonable?
Aside from not being "completely devoted to her," Kitano met all her standards in terms of ability, character, and even spirit. So maybe lowering her standards a little wouldn't be so bad.
"But—ah, it's so hard to admit I've changed my mind," Teio thought. Her childish pride was the last obstacle. But looking at Rudolf, she immediately beamed, thinking, "Even if I don't say it, the President will definitely bring it up. If she mentions me joining the team again, I'll just play a little hard to get before I agree."
"Yep, that's the plan. Then it'll be the President who persuaded me, not Teio-sama going back on her word, heehee~"
As Teio schemed, a smile spread across her face, and her tail began to wag happily. With her "plan" set, she smiled at Rudolf.
"Heehee, if the President wants to talk about Trainer Kitano again, Teio-sama will ab-so-lute-ly not join"
"—No. While I do intend to talk about that, let's put it aside for now."
However, the eagerly anticipating Teio, who was ready for a little "back-and-forth" before being "reluctantly convinced," was caught off guard when Rudolf changed the subject. Instead of the expected conversation about Kitano, Rudolf pulled a large gift box from under her desk and placed it on the table.
After her argument with Mr. C.B., Rudolf had indeed been in a slump for a long time. But, true to her name as the "Emperor," after experiencing the collapse of her sole spiritual pillar twice, she had regained her senses. After carefully considering Chigiri's words, she felt they weren't without merit.
Her top priority now wasn't to dwell on who Kitano loved more, but to ensure his life continued. Otherwise, if he entered the cycle of reincarnation again, they might not be so lucky next time and could truly never remember.
The point where Rudolf and Chigiri were stuck was that neither of them believed Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship could be a match for Tokai Teio. And if Teio achieved the undefeated Triple Crown, Kitano would likely be long dead...
If Rudolf could convince Teio to join Kitano's team, this dilemma could be broken. But her previous attempts had all failed...
This time, however, Mr. C.B.'s reawakened memories and their explosive argument had given Rudolf an idea. If, as Chigiri said, they were just one part of Kitano's infinite cycle, then there must be other horse girls who would also regain their memories in the future.
So... what if she could stimulate Teio and make her regain her past memories too? Then getting her to join Kitano's team would be completely unopposed!
To this end, Rudolf had spent some time preparing items she believed would absolutely trigger Teio's memories. Once Teio showed clear signs of remembering, she would bring up the matter again, and Teio would surely agree.
Thus, completely unaware that Teio's mindset had already undergone a dramatic change, Rudolf smiled and opened the box.
"Teio, take a look. This is a gift I prepared for you."
"This is..."
The fact that Rudolf didn't bring up Kitano made Teio a little anxious. As she impatiently stepped forward, she saw that the box contained a brand-new uniform, blue and white, resembling a military-style outfit.
"My victory outfit?!"
Upon seeing the clothes, Tokai Teio instantly forgot her minor annoyance and cried out in surprise. She eagerly lifted the exquisitely crafted outfit, her eyes filled with undeniable joy and excitement.
"President! Did you prepare this for me?!"
"You could say that... I designed it with another person who cares about you the most, Teio."
At this moment, Rudolf deliberately let a detail slip. Her goal was to stimulate Teio's memories of the past, so her every action was intentionally geared towards their shared cycle with Kitano.
To that end, she had revealed a little about Kitano and presented this victory outfit she had prepared long ago, just to see if Teio would react.
"Well? Teio, what do you think of this victory outfit?" Rudolf asked, her heart pounding with anticipation, desperately hoping for some feedback.
This victory outfit had appeared much earlier in her and Kitano's cycle. Not long after Rudolf recommended Teio to Kitano, he had called her over to design a victory outfit for Teio together, saying he wanted to leave something for the child.
Actually... if Rudolf thought about it, Kitano's state had been off even back then. He had probably sensed his time was running out, which was why he was in such a hurry to leave something for Teio... If only she had noticed earlier, perhaps this endless cycle would never have happened.
But regardless, she and Kitano had designed the victory outfit together. And amazingly, their design was highly consistent with the one she had her craftsmen prepare for Teio in this life.
It was as if it was destined to be Teio's victory outfit... The only difference was that when it was designed, Kitano had suggested embroidering a sentence he insisted on adding to the cape in a thicker red thread—a message for Teio.
"The undefeated genius is gone, the indomitable emperor is born"—Rudolf still remembered the words Kitano had left for Teio.
Unfortunately, Rudolf hadn't had time to embroider that sentence on this outfit, nor was she skilled at such needlework. After all, she remembered in her past life, when Teio learned that she and Kitano had designed the outfit together, she was already in tears...
So the key should be the outfit itself, right? If Teio can remember, this outfit must be able to stimulate her memories.
However, to Rudolf's disappointment, Teio showed no sadness or daze upon seeing the outfit. She just nodded excitedly.
"I really love it! I love you the most, President!"
"Oh, oh! Can I try it on here? I want to see if the victory outfit you prepared for me fits!"
"...Go ahead."
Seeing that Teio wasn't reacting as she had expected, a shadow of disappointment crossed Rudolf's eyes. But she quickly rallied—she still had a secret weapon.
This item would definitely make Teio remember the past. Even if she couldn't remember everything, it would certainly stimulate her and make her feel the same familiarity with Kitano that she did!
Come on, Rudolf, you can do this! Teio is your and Kitano's "daughter." You have to believe her feelings for him can transcend time, just like yours.
Under Rudolf's gaze, Tokai Teio took off her school uniform and eagerly changed into the victory outfit, which seemed somewhat similar in style to Rudolf's own. After feeling the comfort of the clothes and taking a few high-stepping strides, she said with unconcealed excitement:
"It's amazing! It fits perfectly, President!"
"That's good."
A fond smile appeared on Rudolf's face. She subconsciously pushed her swivel chair back a bit, and Tokai Teio, getting the hint, immediately bounced over and sat down on Rudolf's lap, like a daughter on her mother's, acting cute and spoiled.
"Heehee, President~"
"—Teio, I have one more small gift for you."
And at that moment, Rudolf finally brought out her "ultimate weapon." Under Teio's expectant gaze, Rudolf fumbled in her pocket and slowly revealed the object in her palm.
—It was a necklace with a red pendant. Unquestionably, it was an identical copy of the token she and Kitano shared.
To test if Kitano had their past memories, Rudolf had previously asked Air Groove to specially order this necklace. Now, to stimulate Teio's memories, she had contacted Air Groove again and had her rush-deliver an identical one.
And finally, it seemed to be working just as Rudolf had hoped. After the victory outfit failed to resonate, the sight of this pendant made Tokai Teio's whole body tremble violently. Her pupils constricted as she stared at the cheap but familiar pendant, lost in a daze for a moment...
And Tokai Teio's emotional change was all seen by Rudolf. She was certain her plan had succeeded!
-------
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