After dreaming of a tale from another world, Symboli Rudolf immediately launched an investigation.
As she wielded the authority of the student council president to look into matters, a memory from the recent past gradually surfaced in her mind.
To call it a memory might be an overstatement—it had only been a week.
One early morning, after handling some investigation documents, Rudolf was just about to rest when an unexpected guest arrived at her office.
The visitor was, of course, Dream.
Having just returned from her second journey into the scripted world, she was eager to know how her companions were faring in reality.
Instinctively, she sought out the person she deemed most reliable for answers.
To maintain the dignified aura of a student council president in front of a promising new talent, Rudolf pushed through her exhaustion from an all-nighter and retrieved the files on the Kasamatsu group for Dream.
The incident itself seemed ordinary enough, but after Rudolf's dream of that other world, it took on a strange significance.
Having investigated Dream' social connections, Rudolf knew that those Uma Musume and trainers from Kasamatsu had no prior relationship with Dream whatsoever.
"Where there's something abnormal, there's always a reason," as the saying goes.
Dream seeking her out early in the morning to ask about these people definitely had a cause behind it.
Rudolf was clever.
Connecting her own dream, the group of Uma Musume surrounding Dream, and that odd conversation that took place that morning, she had already formed a hypothesis.
And today, cornering Mr. C.B. on the train was the next step in verifying that hypothesis.
Through Mr. C.B., Rudolf finally confirmed that others besides herself had also received memories from another world. This made the suspicion in her heart feel increasingly real.
However, this alone wasn't enough to fully confirm her theory. Rudolf needed more evidence to solidify what seemed an almost mad conjecture.
It was at this moment that Mejiro Ramonu arrived at the student council office, her words laden with hidden meaning.
Behind her mysterious smile and cryptic speech, Rudolf keenly sensed an opportunity to test her hypothesis.
"I recall Dream was so desperate to participate in her debut race back then to win the prize money for her mother's medical bills, correct?"
"Since she's a descendant of the Mejiro family, why did the Mejiros stand by and do nothing at the time?"
Rudolf narrowed her eyes, attempting to pierce through the facade of smiles Ramonu had constructed.
"Auntie hadn't been found and brought back by grandmother yet," Ramonu replied without hesitation.
There was no need to hide such things—Rudolf could easily verify it later with a little investigation. After all, beyond being student council president, she was also a successor candidate of the Symboli family.
"Not yet…"
Rudolf pondered for a moment, doing some quick mental calculations before speaking.
"The debut race was barely half a month ago. The Mejiro family couldn't have found Dream's mother any earlier than that. No, wait—Dream also participated in the Niigata Junior Stakes to raise funds for the medical bills."
"Which means—"
"The Mejiro family couldn't have made contact more than a week ago."
"And in just one week, you've managed to establish a relationship with Dream, even positioning yourself as her 'sister' to manipulate her school life?"
Rudolf looked up, her tone challenging as she addressed Ramonu.
The imposing aura cultivated from her long tenure as student council president erupted in that moment.
Most Uma Musume would crumble under such pressure, spilling everything they knew almost immediately.
But Ramonu was unfazed.
As a Triple Tiara winner and a future successor candidate of the Mejiro family, she possessed a spirit no less formidable than Rudolf's.
Known on the track as the 'Demonic Flower,' she didn't retreat an inch before Rudolf's imposing presence.
Maintaining her mysterious smile, she replied softly to Rudolf, "Perhaps it's the so-called bond of blood? The moment I saw Dream, I was ready to become her sister."
"Blood?" Rudolf countered. "That doesn't add up. According to you, the Mejiro family sought out Dream's mother. The Mejiro bloodline belongs to her mother…"
"But I recall Dream was adopted, wasn't she?"
Though Rudolf hadn't uncovered the changes in the hospital room within a single day, other information about Dream wasn't difficult for her to obtain.
The moment Ramonu mentioned 'blood,' Rudolf immediately spotted the contradiction.
Whether it was a subconscious slip influenced by her memories or a deliberate move, Ramonu's expression didn't change in the slightest upon hearing this.
"Then it must be a connection carved into the soul. Regardless, Dream is a Mejiro Uma Musume, and she is my sister. That is something no one can change."
Rudolf narrowed her eyes slightly. She knew Ramonu wasn't one to speak without purpose.
The air in the office grew almost solid with the tension of their standoff.
Mr. C.B., who had only grasped fragments of the conversation, glanced between Rudolf and Ramonu, utterly confused about what these two were actually discussing.
"Whatever you're trying to do, could you just spit it out already?"
"I, Mr. C.B., still want to get back to class, you know."
In an atmosphere that would intimidate ninety-nine percent of Tracen Academy's students, Mr. C.B. remained perfectly relaxed.
She waved her cuffed right hand, which was tethered to the sofa, at the two of them.
The two locked in the standoff immediately turned their gazes toward Mr. C.B., their looks of disbelief seeming to ask, 'Since when do you attend class?'
But with this interruption, Rudolf and Ramonu couldn't return to their earlier cryptic exchange.
Rudolf glanced at the unruffled Mr. C.B., then back at Ramonu before her, and let out a resigned sigh.
"Let's set aside for now just how much you actually know."
"Ramonu, you didn't come here today just to tell me Dream now has the Mejiro family behind her, did you?"
Ramonu cast a sidelong glance at Mr. C.B., who was lounging casually on the sofa with her legs crossed, and decided to drop the roundabout talk.
"I came to propose an alliance with the student council. Or perhaps… to establish some rules."
"Rules?"
Ramonu nodded and continued.
"Don't you think there are rather too many Uma Musume gathering around Dream?"
"Among them are even dangerous elements like T.M. Opera O, Orfevre, Gold Ship, and Narita Brian."
Hearing Narita Brian's name, Rudolf coughed softly and interjected, "Narita Brian is also a member of our student council. Let's not make baseless accusations."
Ramonu smiled slightly but didn't refute the point, instead continuing,
"Regardless, with so many Uma Musume revolving around one person, something is bound to go wrong eventually."
"To minimize accidents and potential damage, don't you think we should use rules to contain the scope of any… conflicts?"
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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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.