One large and one small person walked side by side.
Their destination was Maruzensky's house.
Or rather, a house?
For Rudolph, it made no difference, after all, she was just there to find Maruzensky.
But, compared to that.
Rudolph was more concerned about...
With a slight sidelong glance, Rudolph saw her walking beside her.
Her name had not yet been told to Rudolph, but Rudolph already knew it.
Tokai Mochizuki...
Rudolph, thinking of this name, merely returned her gaze to straight ahead.
"By the way, Aunt Luna, you're the Student Council President, aren't you?"
"I suppose... I am."
"You suppose?"
"The Tracen Academy Student Council President system is quite special.
Generally speaking, the better one's track record, the more likely one is to become the Student Council President.
Currently..."
After a slight pause, Rudolph continued,
"The Rudolph who was President before me is currently swamped with coordinating the Climax Cup, so..."
"I can only be considered a temporary Student Council President."
After concealing many things, or rather, putting them on herself,
Rudolph continued,
"I came here this time also because of some matters entrusted by President Rudolph, so..."
The unnaturalness in Rudolph's words made Mochizuki turn her head to look at her.
She stared at Rudolph.
But she didn't know what Rudolph was hiding.
After all, no matter how sensible she was, she was still a child,
and it was very difficult to know so much information.
"It's adult business, then..."
Saying this, Mochizuki retracted her gaze.
"It's mostly adult business, but next week is Tracen Academy's Open Day,
you can go in and take a look."
Rudolph blinked as she said this.
She, of course, knew that Tracen Academy's Open Day was only for Uma Musume and Trainers.
But... for her daughter, it wouldn't be bad to make a small exception, right?
"Can I go in? I remember the Open Day is only open to Uma Musume, right?"
"Hmm, if you want to go in, there won't be much of a problem,
as long as you have the relevant visitor pass given to you by the Student Council."
After fabricating something that didn't exist, Rudolph Symboli continued,
"If you need it, I can also prepare it for you, but it's only valid for that period of time."
"Won't it cause you trouble? You're just an acting President, aren't you?"
Mochizuki's words revealed a bit of worry.
Although she didn't know how much power Tracen Academy's Student Council President had,
but... if it was just an acting President...
Mochizuki's worry was well received by Rudolph.
So, she just shook her head:
"It's fine, even as an acting Student Council President, I can handle such a small matter."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Rudolph, responding to the other party with the gentlest tone possible,
uttered a line she would never normally say:
"Consider it a reward for you taking me to see Maruzensky, how about that?"
Rudolph's words put Mochizuki at ease.
Looking at Mochizuki, Rudolph didn't continue speaking.
She tightly closed her mouth.
She was enduring.
Mochizuki was right beside her.
If Rudolph just spoke, she could get news of Shizen,
but... Rudolph was still trying her best not to think about that,
because she knew that even knowing Shizen's news wasn't very necessary.
Anyway, Rudolph would never meet Tokai Shizen again.
Rudolph didn't continue speaking, seemingly because the question wasn't brought up.
Just like that, Rudolph and Mochizuki arrived at Maruzensky's door.
Standing at the entrance, Mochizuki turned her head to look at Rudolph.
Rudolph only paused for a second, then understood her daughter's thoughts.
"Your relationship with Aunt Maruzen is quite tense. Do you want to hide somewhere?"
There were no words, but her eyes conveyed this meaning.
Shaking her head in denial, she then nodded at Mochizuki.
Her body language was simple, but it conveyed a lot.
Mochizuki, realizing this, remained silent for a few seconds before raising her hand to knock on the door.
Not long after the knocking sound, the door opened.
"Oh, I was just wondering when little Mochizuki..."
Before she finished speaking, she saw Rudolph Symboli standing behind Mochizuki.
Maruzensky stared at Rudolph Symboli for a second, then spoke,
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you about something."
Rudolph Symboli said, pausing briefly, then glanced inside the room.
The interior furnishings were the same as years ago.
Rudolph remembered that it was in this very place that she drove Shizen out of the shelter.
Maruzensky, staring intently at Rudolph, merely furrowed her brow.
Of course, Maruzensky didn't welcome Rudolph, but... Mochizuki was still here.
So...
"Come in."
"Thank you."
Maruzensky, without responding, just looked at Mochizuki:
"Come on, let's go in together."
The meaning was clear: I'm letting you in because Mochizuki is here.
So, Rudolph didn't say much; she just followed behind Mochizuki and entered the room.
As Rudolph walked into the room, she felt as if her past actions were replaying before her eyes.
Rudolph Symboli's expression didn't change much as she witnessed this scene.
She simply watched Mochizuki sit on the sofa, then walked towards the dining area.
After settling Tokai Mochizuki, Maruzensky then walked to the dining room.
"You..."
"Let's go upstairs."
After interrupting Maruzensky, Rudolph turned to look at Mochizuki.
She didn't want Mochizuki to know these things, so she made a judgment.
The proposal was not rejected.
So, both of them walked upstairs together.
After entering an empty room on the second floor, Maruzensky finally spoke,
"What do you want to do?"
Before asking the question, Maruzensky had already made up her mind:
no matter what Rudolph proposed, she would not agree.
"In a year, I will voluntarily leave the Student Council due to issues with the Climax Cup series
and apply for withdrawal from school."
Rudolph Symboli said, looking at the other party,
"I hope you or Representative Chiaki can temporarily serve as Student Council President
before others have grown up."
Rudolph's words exceeded Maruzensky's expectations.
But Rudolph wasn't finished; she continued,
"In exchange, I can agree to anything you and Representative Chiaki propose."
Rudolph's words made Maruzensky unsure how to interpret them.
However, after a few seconds, Rudolph continued,
"Refusal is also an option."
After saying this, Rudolph turned around.
She had no right to demand anything from others, so she didn't say anything superfluous.
Although she still wanted to spend as much time with Mochizuki as possible,
the dream had to end.
-------------------------------
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