Symboli Rudolf had a dream.
To create a world where every Uma Musume could find happiness.
Where each could chase their own ideals and goals upon the racetrack.
Love, friendship, kinship—against the backdrop of fierce competition, the bonds between people grew stronger than ever before. The sweat they shed and the burning tears they cried on the field were all buried deep in the earth, taking root and sprouting.
She felt that the Uma Musume represented embers of hope. Watching their figures was like seeing dazzling sunlight, nurturing all things.
Joy, sorrow, frustration, determination.
These intense emotions, constantly washed over by surging tides, grew ever more solid, polished to a smoother finish.
How beautiful were those Uma Musume, who in race after race, kept breaking through their own limits.
Rudolf adored them. She loved seeing this world of Uma Musume brimming with such vibrant life. She wished to use her own body to push them to higher, better places.
For this goal, Rudolf, even at the peak of her brilliance, at the very summit of her life, chose to retire without a second thought.
She shifted her life's focus to guiding students, using her own status and influence to continuously expand Tracen Academy's reach.
All Uma Musume, come to Tracen! This is the place where dreams are realized, where you can show the world your most radiant self!
One star Uma Musume after another was born here.
Their names spread through every street and alley.
It could be said that Tracen's current glorious achievements owe much to Rudolf's contributions.
Yet, despite being so dedicated to the cause of the Uma Musume, Rudolf encountered the greatest enemy of her life last night.
That unidentified black Uma Musume.
In her, Rudolf could not see any of the qualities an Uma Musume should possess: the thirst for victory, the tenacity for dreams, the yearning for the future.
In her, Rudolf saw none of these beautiful, persistent aspirations that should belong to an Uma Musume.
Her appearance seemed solely to tell Rudolf: what you pursue is but a fleeting illusion, shattering at a touch; your efforts are merely self-indulgent sentiment, utterly meaningless.
Victory... glory?
What use are they?
Dreams, hope.
Hah, utterly boring.
Those eyes—Rudolf still couldn't forget them.
Her gaze was full of mockery aimed at Rudolf herself.
Her voice was filled with scorn for ideals.
She made Rudolf feel that her own actions were but a faint lamp lost among a sky full of stars, insignificant and boundless. She made Rudolf feel that the respected status she held in the world was meaningless.
From that pitch-black figure, not a single ray of light shone through...
Nothing could be seen.
Rudolf unconsciously clenched the documents in her hand, only snapping back to reality when she heard a rrrip—she had torn a corner off.
How... utterly unbecoming.
To think I'd be so unsettled by that race.
On her way back to her dorm, Rudolf kept questioning herself. If her shoe hadn't broken, could she have caught up to that figure? If she had used that running form from the very start, what would the result have been?
Her mind replayed every detail of the race over and over. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't see a clear outcome through the chaos.
Who is she...
And who is she to me?
A challenger to the 'Emperor'? An intruder at Tracen? An unruly, arrogant upstart?
Rudolf clenched her fist.
No.
She told herself.
In that black-haired girl, Rudolf distinctly sensed a philosophy that ran completely counter to her own.
The victory she pursued held no meaning.
It was as if she simply wanted to tell the world—
'I am here.'
A natural enemy...
Yes, that was the only word for it.
She was her natural enemy.
Her very existence was to negate everything Rudolf had done up to now.
That's why she felt so agitated. That's why Rudolf was so desperate to... uncover her identity.
Faced with the vice-president's questioning, Rudolf fell silent.
It was true that the student council was composed of like-minded comrades, all striving for the world of Uma Musume, even willing to sacrifice their own time.
But...
Rudolf shook her head.
This was a challenge issued to her. If she relied on others, wouldn't it seem as if she wanted to escape, afraid to accept the challenge?
Preposterous!
Even in retirement, I am still Symboli Rudolf, still the 'Emperor'.
Moreover, I am the student council president of Tracen.
I will not allow you to trample so recklessly upon my ideals.
Thinking this, Rudolf set down the documents in her hand and said calmly,
"I am merely doing what the student council should: observing the students, maintaining order, checking for oversights. Is there something strange about that?"
"Forgive my poor perception, Student Council President." Air Groove gripped the files in her hand tightly. "It's just that I have a feeling you are clearly searching for someone. Someone who isn't a student, a teacher, or a trainer..."
As the vice-president and having been with Rudolf for so long, she could tell at a glance that the other was deeply preoccupied.
Normally, when reviewing documents, Rudolf's gaze was exceptionally focused, as if nothing from the outside could affect her.
But today, Rudolf's eyes kept glancing outside, intentionally or not. Sometimes she would even stare blankly out the window, not moving for over ten minutes.
Even during meetings, she would unconsciously prop her chin on her hand, sinking into thought, unable to hear even when called.
Clearly, Rudolf was deeply troubled by some problem.
If it were a school-related issue—be it event planning or race adjustments—she had been involved in all of them from start to finish.
None of them held any problems worth such deep contemplation.
This inevitably made Air Groove recall that last night, the dorm head from Miho had contacted her, informing her about Rudolf's late-night excursion.
The dorm head said the president had important business to attend to and, for safety's sake, had notified Air Groove.
Near the end of the school day, Rudolf had said that remaining tasks would be finished the next morning.
If that was the case, why choose to go out in the middle of the night?
What was Rudolf hiding from her...
If she had to think of anything recent, Air Groove could only recall the successive reports of unidentified individuals, claiming to have seen outsiders on campus.
Just as Air Groove was preparing to handle the matter, Rudolf suddenly said that she would take responsibility for it.
And until now, Rudolf had not mentioned it again.
Watching the silent Rudolf, Air Groove paused before continuing, "President, could it be that you are looking for someone... whose identity even you yourself are unsure of?"
"Is that it?"
Hearing this, Rudolf's ears twitched involuntarily.
'Truly worthy of being called the 'Empress'. What terrifying perception.'
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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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