While Dream Weaver and Chizuru Haibara were chatting on the training field, the very student council they had just mentioned was now wrapped in an atmosphere of solemn tension.
The door to the student council office was tightly shut, the air thick with unease.
Symboli Rudolf sat in her chair, her back turned to Mr. C.B. as she gazed out the window at the campus grounds.
"C.B…"
"If you just come clean, I'll do my best to ensure you're treated leniently."
Mr. C.B., who was handcuffed to the sofa with restraints of unknown origin, lifted her head.
Her eyes held a deep nostalgia for the past, as if the Uma Musume before her was no longer the Symboli Rudolf she remembered.
"Rudolf, must you be so ruthless? Have you truly forgotten all our shared history?"
"Shared history… shared… What exactly are you referring to…?"
Symboli Rudolf's tone was hesitant. She massaged her temples, memories of her past with Mr. C.B. flooding her mind.
Covering for Mr. C.B. when homeroom teachers came looking to drag her back to class, helping her evade searches by the instructors, enduring Mr. C.B.'s disruptions during critical work, and that skyrocketing blood pressure whenever she found Mr. C.B. napping in a tree during student council event preparations.
"You have the nerve to bring up our shared history with me?!"
Bang!
Symboli Rudolf spun around sharply, her palm slamming onto the desk with enough force to leave several cracks.
"C.B.! I'll let all your past antics slide! Just tell me honestly if you went looking for her today, and I'll let you go!"
"No! I, Mr. C.B., have always conducted myself with utmost purity and integrity! How could I possibly go around casually flirting with and teasing a junior!"
"And how did you know it was a junior?!"
Symboli Rudolf had keenly seized a loophole in Mr. C.B.'s words with a single, precise strike.
Mr. C.B. clicked her tongue in frustration. She hadn't expected her carelessness to give Rudolf such an opening.
But though she disliked attending classes, she was clever by nature. With just a quick roll of her eyes, she immediately formulated a counter.
Facing the aggressive Rudolf, Mr. C.B. didn't continue explaining. Instead, she shifted tactics.
"Then, Rudolf, why were you on that train today? Could it be you were annoyed that I got there first?!"
Symboli Rudolf let out a cold, disdainful laugh.
"Hah. As Student Council President, it is my duty to understand the circumstances of all students. Dream Weaver is a rising star of this generation, yet to this day, she has no trainer. Is it not fitting for me, as President, to show some early concern?!"
"Concern that follows her all the way to her commute?! More importantly, how did you even know she'd be on that specific train?!"
"As Student Council President, my authority is limitless!"
In response to Mr. C.B.'s question, Symboli Rudolf merely puffed out her chest and declared with pride.
As Student Council President, and having had prior interactions with Dream Weaver, she had mobilized her authority to gather all relevant information the very day she had that dream.
The dozen or so dangerous Uma Musume within the school who were eyeing Dream Weaver covetously went without saying.
Rudolf had even noticed Mr. C.B.'s unusual behavior during her commute these past two days.
That's why she had staked out the train today, lying in wait to catch Mr. C.B. red-handed and confirm her suspicions.
And indeed, just as she had guessed, she wasn't the only one with memories of another world.
This scoundrel Mr. C.B. clearly had them too, which was why she had the shameless audacity to go hit on Dream Weaver.
And as Student Council President, Symboli Rudolf would never permit such dissolute behavior—preying on a young, inexperienced junior—from Mr. C.B.!
However, for the sake of their past camaraderie as comrades-in-arms, Rudolf was willing to give Mr. C.B. one more chance.
So, she strode over to Mr. C.B. and clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"C.B., if you're willing to cooperate properly, without slacking off, and work with me to bring Dream into the student council, I'll wipe the slate clean on all your past violations of school rules and discipline!"
Upon hearing this, the corner of Mr. C.B.'s mouth twitched. 'So Rudolf is still as domineering as ever,' she thought. 'If she wants something, she'll stop at nothing to get it.'
It was the same when she defied the European racing world in that other life, and it's the same now.
The rumors on the forums from interested commentators definitely aren't made up—this woman truly has issues with her methods!
But… the condition Symboli Rudolf proposed was genuinely tempting for Mr. C.B.
Not only would her past disciplinary record be cleared, but if they brought Dream Weaver into the student council, she'd have more time to spend with her.
That would mean more opportunities to tease—no, to deepen her bond with Dream.
What to do? Should she agree for now?
Just as Mr. C.B. was lost in rapid-fire thought, a sound came from the firmly locked door.
Both their gazes instinctively snapped toward the source, only to find Mejiro Ramonu standing before them.
"Ramonu?"
Symboli Rudolf frowned. She hadn't expected Mejiro Ramonu to appear at this moment.
"I was just passing by, but I seemed to hear something quite interesting."
Mejiro Ramonu's eyes were slightly narrowed as she leaned against the doorframe, a mysterious smile playing on her lips as she looked at the two.
"What do you mean?"
Seeing that mysterious smile, Symboli Rudolf grew even more puzzled.
She replayed the conversation she'd just had with Mr. C.B. in her mind. While the wording had been a bit loose, they'd only been discussing recruiting a promising Uma Musume.
What about that could possibly be interesting to Mejiro Ramonu?
Mejiro Ramonu let out a soft chuckle. She walked leisurely over and sat down on the sofa opposite them before speaking.
"After all… Dream is an Uma Musume of our Mejiro family."
"As her elder sister, of course I must oversee her school life."
Symboli Rudolf and Mr. C.B. exchanged a glance, each reading profound shock in the other's eyes.
'Dream is actually from the Mejiro family in this world? Then why doesn't she use the surname Mejiro?' Mr. C.B.'s eyes asked Rudolf.
'How should I know?!' Rudolf's eyes shot back.
'Didn't you say the Student Council President's power is limitless? How come you didn't even check the most basic family information? So you just looked up her home address?!'
To be fair, this wasn't really Symboli Rudolf's fault. Dream Weaver's connection to the Mejiro family had only been established yesterday, and the news was confined to that hospital room.
No matter how much authority Rudolf wielded within the school, it was impossible for her to have learned of it so quickly.
However, Symboli Rudolf had no mental bandwidth to dwell on that now. The implication in Mejiro Ramonu's smile was making her think a bit too much.
Remembering the few individuals Dream Weaver had previously asked her about, Rudolf felt like pieces of a puzzle were clicking into place.
"Ramonu… you seem to be implying something?"
Facing Symboli Rudolf's probing, Mejiro Ramonu simply smiled lightly, her eyes still half-lidded as she replied.
"Who knows?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.