The first thing Symboli Rudolf saw upon waking in her lavish private dorm that morning was the beautiful visage of Mr. C.B.
Yes, she'd been sleeping on her back.
The Mr. C.B before her eyes was merely a painting. An incredibly lifelike one, but a painting nonetheless.
The Emperor stared blankly at the scene for a long moment before finally pressing a hand to her forehead in anguish. She felt she was at her breaking point.
'I don't even need to think about who's responsible for this absurdity. I wonder if this kind of conditioned reflex is a tragedy in itself.'
A weary Rudolf rolled over in bed, feeling unusually out of sorts today, deeply wounded both physically and mentally.
'Don't wanna get up…'
Pressing her face into the pillow, Rudolf was experiencing a rare desire to laze in bed. Lately, she truly felt targeted.
Her duties were endless, her senior Mr. C.B was actively sabotaging her efforts, and her senior Maruzensky had been treating her with a distinctly complex attitude.
Moreover, many teachers and students at the academy were looking at her with inexplicable gazes, their expressions seeming to hold a kind of forbidden amusement.
'Aaaaah~~'
But she was the student council president. She was the 'Emperor'. Her words and actions set an example, so she couldn't indulge her desires.
'Sigh. This momentary relaxation is the limit. Time to get up.'
So saying, the Emperor slid out from her covers and stood up on her mattress. Her first order of business was dealing with the painting of Mr. C.B above her.
"Wait, this texture!"
As she pressed her hand against the ceiling, Symboli Rudolf discovered something.
"Damn it, she drew it on this time?!"
A roar of fury instantly filled the room. Staring at the massive image of Mr. C.B now painted directly onto her ceiling, Rudolf trembled with rage.
"Does she have any idea how much of a pain this is going to be to clean?!"
Just thinking about the cleanup process made her blood pressure skyrocket. A vein throbbed at her temple.
"There's no way I can hire someone to repaint this! What would the workers think of me? What would happen to my image? I'd probably get labeled online as some creep secretly pining for her senior!"
Hiring help was out of the question. She'd have to repaint it herself.
But painting was a skilled trade. Rudolf felt she'd at least need to do some research first.
"The paint, the drips, the wasted time... Mr. C.B., you've really outdone yourself this time!"
There was no help for it. Though the painting was deeply irritating, it was already getting late.
Rudolf could only choose to quickly freshen up and hurry to the student council room. The ceiling artwork would have to wait until evening.
But in her rushed morning routine, Symboli Rudolf missed a few details.
For example, she usually double-checked that her door was locked. Today, she just let it swing shut behind her as she hurried off.
Unfortunately, this time, the door didn't latch properly.
Now, an unlatched door usually wasn't a big deal. The Uma Musume were good girls; they wouldn't steal or invade others' privacy.
But the world is just full of surprises, isn't it?
"Rudolf, are you in? I think we still need to talk about the Nearl situation."
A chestnut-maned figure appeared at Rudolf's door. Her voluptuous figure and beautiful, flowing chestnut hair immediately identified the visitor.
Maruzensky.
She had come today with the intention of finally clearing the air.
These past few days hadn't just felt off for Rudolf; Maruzensky had been suffering too.
She couldn't meet Rudolf's eyes. She couldn't hold a conversation with her. She couldn't stay in the same room with her for too long.
Even when Rudolf called her name, Maruzensky would flinch instinctively.
This was completely unlike her. She'd had enough!
'Calm down, Maruzensky. Success or failure hinges on this move!'
"Inhale... Exhale..." Steeling herself with a deep breath, she finally mustered the courage to knock.
"Huh?"
Her knock wasn't forceful, just normal, yet the door swung open before her.
"Rudolf, are you in there?"
Seeing this, Maruzensky cautiously peeked inside and called out, but only the sound of the wind answered. The room was empty.
Seeing the neatly made bed and the indoor shoes placed by the door, Maru understood everything.
"It seems Rudolf has already left. Am I too late?"
Realizing this, Maruzensky prepared to leave. But the moment she turned, she caught sight of something unbelievable.
"Wait, did I just... see something?"
The person appearing there was so out of place that Maruzensky couldn't believe her eyes.
"Haha, I must be seeing things. Nothing to see here. This is Rudolf's private room after all; I'm already peeping. I should leave quickly."
She forced a dry laugh, trying to twist her body away, maintaining a wide, stiff smile as she moved jerkily.
But her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, uncontrollably drifting upward.
This curiosity waged a tug-of-war with her conscience, causing her pupils to dart back and forth frantically.
'No! Mustn't look! Stop, my curiosity! Now is not the time!'
Maruzensky wailed internally, but her curiosity firmly held her gaze captive.
Finally, her resistance proved futile. She saw it—the absolute, forbidden sight that should never have been witnessed. Her pupils dilated sharply.
"Why... is there a painting of Mr. C.B. on the ceiling?"
It was baffling, but the feeling that followed was fear.
Plain old fear.
The implications of this painting's presence here sent a chill down Maruzensky's spine as she thought about it.
'If it was just a portrait of Mr. C.B., that would be one thing. But why the ceiling? Is it so she can look at her when she falls asleep and wakes up every day?'
"Eeeek~~"
She hugged her own arms, shivering.
"Was Nearl not enough? Now Rudolf has her sights set on Mr. C.B. too? That's terrifying. Is this the Emperor's way? She must have been planning this for a long time."
Thinking this, Maruzensky hurriedly pulled the door shut and swiftly beat a retreat.
"I have to warn Mr. C.B.," she muttered as she hurried away. "I have to make her wary of Rudolf, so she doesn't fall into her clutches."
--+--
"Haa-ACHOO!!"
Symboli Rudolf, halfway to her destination, sneezed violently, completely caught off guard.
"Strange. Is someone talking about me?"
She rubbed her nose, puzzled.
But then, a newsstand in the distance caught her attention, pushing all stray thoughts from her mind.
"Is that... Nearl?"
Rudolf stared grimly at the cover of the reported magazine.
"This doesn't look like good news."
--+--
T/N: Classroom of the Elite Fanfic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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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