As the morning light filtered through the curtains, birds chirped outside, and the sounds of doors opening and closing echoed from neighboring apartments.
Inside a modest one-room apartment, a man slept peacefully amidst a collection of neatly organized clutter.
The room was small.
The living space, bedroom, and kitchen were all connected into a single area, with only the bathroom standing apart.
Despite the limited space and the various belongings scattered around, the room remained surprisingly tidy.
Far tidier than most would expect.
Then, suddenly—
A loud beeping shattered the silence.
And the alarm clock had begun its daily assault.
Its harsh tone filled the room and instantly disrupted the once peaceful atmosphere.
On the futon, the sleeping man slowly stirred.
"Huh..." he grabbed his phone.
"Morning already...?"
He then blinked at the thin ray of sunlight peeking through the curtains.
Then, with practiced familiarity, he sat up.
The day had begun, and first he stretched.
Not long after, he folded his futon and stored it neatly inside the closet.
Then came the rest of his routine.
Brushing his teeth.
Taking a quick shower.
Getting dressed.
A crisp, collared shirt with a neatly tied tie.
Smart trousers, and finally, a brown blazer.
After finishing, he picked up his briefcase and stood before the mirror.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Well... Let's hope today is another uneventful day."
Meanwhile, the reflection staring back at him looked exactly like an ordinary salaryman.
The sort of person one might pass on a train without a second thought.
Yet his destination was far from ordinary.
Because the man was heading toward the one and only...
Tracen Academy.
And without further delay, he opened the door and off he went.
Toward the academy that was...
...
...
...
Sometimes later...
He finally arrived at the academy gate, and he was greeted by none other than Tazuna, who was standing by the entrance as usual, welcoming students and staff arriving early for the day.
The moment their eyes met, they exchanged their customary greetings.
"Good morning, Mr. Ishida," Tazuna greeted politely.
"Good morning, Tazuna," the man replied with a nod.
With that, he continued through the gates and into the academy grounds.
The campus was already bustling with activity.
Students ran past him toward their classrooms.
Others gathered beneath trees or near the training grounds.
Some even noticed him as he passed.
"Good morning, sir!"
Several bowed.
Others waved enthusiastically.
In return, he greeted each of them with a gentle smile, a nod, or a wave.
Soon, he stopped by his office to leave his briefcase and organize a few documents.
Only afterward did he begin making his way toward his classroom.
As he walked through the campus corridors, his gaze wandered across the lively morning scenery.
A smile naturally appeared on his face.
"What a beautiful day to start the morning."
Then—
The smile twitched slightly as his expression shifted, and he sighed.
"Unlike yesterday..."
"Two students somehow failed to arrive on time on the very first day of school."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Then one of them proceeded to sleep through the entire class..."
"Even after I repeatedly asked her to stay awake."
Another sigh followed.
"What a troublesome class I've been assigned..." the man muttered as his shoulders slumped slightly.
Then he shook his head.
"But never mind that."
Almost immediately, his usual vigor returned.
"As a homeroom teacher, I should expect such things to happen."
"It isn't an excuse for me to pretend those students don't exist simply because this is an elite institution."
"In fact, it's my responsibility to guide them."
"To help cultivate them into more responsible students."
He nodded to himself, confidence returning.
Yet a moment later, an image of someone with pink hair flashed before his mind, and his smile faltered again.
"But for some reason..."
"That pink-haired girl makes my skin crawl just thinking about her..."
A long sigh then escaped him.
"Whatever..."
After that, he quickly patted his own cheeks.
"No worries. No worries."
"There's nothing you can't handle, Kai."
"After all, you've already hung up your cap and settled into a more stable profession."
"And sooner or later, life will start treating you better..."
With that, his smile faintly resurfaced.
His name was Kai Ishida.
More specifically, he was a teacher at Tracen Academy.
And even more specifically, the homeroom teacher of a particular class.
Like most instructors at the academy, his duties were primarily academic.
He supervised students, maintained discipline, and ensured their studies remained on track.
Unlike trainers, he held no authority over their racing careers.
There were exceptions, however.
Some trainers also served as teachers.
But those individuals usually acted as substitute instructors or specialized subject teachers.
Rarely did they take on the role of homeroom teacher.
And Kai was no exception.
Despite his current position, Kai had once been a notable trainer himself, at the regional level, to be precise.
Except...
Things had become complicated, for reasons he never disclosed.
Besides, he was not eligible to serve as a Trainer at Tracen Academy in the first place, since he had never taken the notoriously harsh certification exam that many trainers underwent.
Not that he aspired to.
As a result, he chose to settle into a more stable profession: a common teacher at Tracen Academy.
In the meantime, Kai continued his walk through the corridor.
Only a few more steps remained before he reached his classroom.
Then suddenly—
Something entered the corner of his vision and immediately caught his attention.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the source of the commotion.
Standing among the gathered students was one particular Umamusume.
A figure whose mere presence kept others at a distance.
Where they simply watched, whispering among themselves.
And at the center of it all stood none other than Symboli Rudolf.
Seemingly lost in thought, she stared blankly at the class Ishida had assigned.
At first, Kai was caught off guard by her unexpected presence.
"What's she doing here?" he muttered to himself.
Still, he decided to approach her.
As he drew closer, he offered a casual smile.
"Good morning, Rudolf."
Instantly, Rudolf turned to face him with a faint smile, too.
"Good morning, Mr. Ishida," she replied.
"How's the day treating you so far?"
"About the same as always," he replied.
"I see. That's good to hear," Rudolf said.
Then she turned her attention back toward the classroom she had been observing.
Out of curiosity, Ishida followed, trying to unravel what she had been looking at.
"So what brings you to my class, Rudolf?" he casually asked.
"Nothing much," Rudolf answered.
"Just making sure everything is running smoothly."
Ishida raised an eyebrow.
"That's rather unusual for you."
"Considering how busy you usually are."
Rudolf chuckled softly.
"Well, perhaps it isn't so bad to walk around the academy from time to time."
"Since I've been trapped in my office for far too long."
"Yet no complaint was filed," Ishida replied dryly.
Rudolf smiled.
"Noted."
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Until—
"Do you happen to know when Urara arrived in your class?"
"I've been standing here for quite some time, and I still haven't seen even a glimpse of her."
"Urara...?"
Ishida tilted his head.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he searched through his memory.
After all, it had only been a day.
He was still struggling to remember every student's name.
Then—
"Oh."
"Haru Urara, was it?"
"Yes, Haru Urara," Rudolf confirmed.
At that, Ishida sighed.
"I suppose... judging from her arrival time yesterday..."
"You may need a little more patience."
"What?" Rudolf blinked, slightly caught off guard.
"But we have already been lingering here five minutes beyond the start of class."
"Well..." Ishida replied.
"You'll probably see her in about..."
Kai then raised his wrist and checked his watch as he trailed off his sentence.
Almost immediately, a commotion erupted down the corridor.
Instantly, Rudolf turned toward the source.
Several students seemed to rush aside in alarm, while others hurried out of the way.
Two figures appeared at the far end of the hallway, racing toward them.
Or more accurately...
One was running.
The other was being dragged.
The pair rapidly closed the distance between them.
Somehow, even from this far away, Rudolf already had a sinking feeling she knew exactly who one of them was.
Before either Rudolf or Ishida could properly react, in just a few seconds, the two figures skidded to a halt directly in front of them.
"...now," as Ishida casually finished.
Then, as the dust cleared, one of the figures immediately snapped into a salute.
"Report for duty!"
The declaration came from none other than the pink-haired gremlin herself, Haru Urara.
Meanwhile, beside her—
"S-Sorry for... for being late again... sir..." another voice wheezed.
King Halo was on all fours, completely out of breath after dragging that pink creature all the way to the academy.
Meanwhile, Rudolf blinked in surprise.
"Urara...?"
Only then did Urara notice Rudolf standing there.
"Whoa!" Her eyes widened.
"Rudy, you came to visit us?!"
"R-Rudolf?!"
At the mention of her name, King immediately scrambled back to her feet.
Rudolf, however, simply shook her head.
"No... it's just..."
She paused.
"You're late."
"Well!" Urara replied without a shred of concern.
"I had a really good dream last night!"
"And because of that, I couldn't wake up on time!"
"But thanks to King, I managed to make it here eventually!"
Rudolf blinked.
"That's..."
She let out an awkward chuckle.
"That's certainly a reason, I suppose."
Meanwhile, Ishida turned toward the two students and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday not to be late again?"
"I-I'm sorry, sir!" King quickly apologized.
"I-It was just that—"
"It's alright, you two."
Before King could continue, Ishida gently cut her off.
"Just do your best to be more punctual next time, okay?"
King immediately straightened up.
"Yes, sir!"
"Roger that!" Urara added from beside her, snapping into an even keener salute.
And that somehow made Ishida sigh again.
"Now, you two, please head inside. I'm about to start the class soon."
Before Haru Urara could add another word, King Halo quickly grabbed her by the wrist once again.
"You, come!"
With that, King irritably began dragging her toward the classroom.
Meanwhile, Urara offered absolutely no resistance, and she simply waved over her shoulder.
"Bye-bye, Rudy!"
"See you again next time!"
Almost instinctively, Symboli Rudolf raised a hand and waved back.
With that, the two students gradually disappeared into the classroom...
Only after they had settled into their seats did Rudolf let out a small sigh.
Then she turned toward Ishida.
"I suppose... that's something."
"Honestly, I never imagined they would somehow manage to be late two days in a row during their very first week here," Ishida replied while shaking his head.
"I suppose they're still adjusting to the academy schedule," Rudolf suggested.
"I hope that's all it is," Ishida replied.
He then glanced through the classroom doorway as his eyes landed on Urara.
Who was already enthusiastically talking to someone nearby despite class being moments away from starting.
A brief silence then settled between them.
Until—
"So," Ishida said, turning back toward Symboli Rudolf, "you're here because of Urara?"
"You two were... close?"
"Well..." Rudolf replied before shaking her head.
"Not particularly."
"More like..."
She paused briefly, choosing her words carefully.
"I was hoping you could spend a little more time helping her."
"Helping her reconsider the path she wishes to pursue."
Ishida blinked.
"Help her reconsider?"
"Perhaps encourage her."
"Or at least guide her toward a less difficult path."
"Especially the academics."
"What... why is that?" Ishida asked.
Rudolf's expression softened slightly.
"So she can have another chance within this institution."
"Another... chance?" Ishida repeated, confused.
Rudolf remained silent for a moment.
Then she shook her head.
"I believe that is all I can disclose, Mr. Ishida."
She offered him a polite bow.
"As for the rest..."
"You will understand soon enough."
"When that time comes, I shall leave it to your judgment."
"For whatever decision you make," Rudolf continued,
"I will respect it."
"Farewell, Mr. Ishida."
With that, she turned and began walking away down the corridor.
Leaving Ishida standing there, completely bewildered.
"Wh... what?" He stuttered as he watched Rudolf's figure gradually disappear into the distance.
"What was that supposed to mean...?" he added as he scratched his head.
"My decision to help her...?"
"Help her reconsider...?"
"I... I don't get it..."