Was this guy serious?
Symboli Rudolf looked at the man in front of her. There was not a trace of falsehood in his eyes. It truly seemed as though that was what he honestly believed.
And yet, to Symboli Rudolf, Sakuraba's accusation made no sense.
It wasn't as though Tracen Academy could monitor the condition of every Umamusume across the country at every moment.
It was only natural that some talented girls would slip through the cracks.
That was simply unavoidable.
"Sakuraba-san, do you have a better way of handling it?"
"Since you've pointed out flaws in Tracen Academy as it currently stands, I assume you already have some sort of solution in mind. If so, wouldn't it be easier to join Tracen Academy and put that solution into practice here?"
Unwilling to give up, Symboli Rudolf extended an olive branch to Sakuraba once again, even after being turned down again and again.
What she didn't know was that the man sitting across from her had long since made up his mind that, no matter what happened, he would never join Tracen Academy.
On the sofa opposite Symboli Rudolf, Sakuraba looked perfectly composed, and that alone put a great deal of pressure on her.
But while he looked steady as a rock on the outside, he was panicking like crazy inside.
Wait, all I did was take a couple shots at Tracen Academy and casually say I wanted to stay local, so why am I getting interrogated now?
A solution?
What solution?
I have a solution?
I don't know a damn thing~
Whatever. I just need to bluff my way through this first.
Time to switch into riddle-speaker mode.
"Ho ho ho, Luna-san, since you say I have a solution, what makes you think that solution has to be carried out at Tracen Academy?"
"Sakuraba-san, surely you jest. Is there really any place on the regional side more suitable for you?"
"Don't disrespect the Regional Circuit, Emperor!"
"When a truly gifted Umamusume is standing right in front of you, the gap between Central and the Regional Circuit isn't nearly as big as you think! As long as the Regional Circuit gives them a chance, they'll claw their way up just like Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross and punch everybody in the face!"
"Can you honestly say something like that could never happen?"
"..."
As the exchange continued, the atmosphere between them gradually froze over.
In the end, Symboli Rudolf stared into Sakuraba's eyes, then let out a long sigh.
She understood now.
This was a divide at the level of principle.
It was not the kind of conflict that could be resolved with a few words in a short conversation.
It seemed this discussion could go no further.
"If you are truly that unwilling to stay at Central, Sakuraba-san, then I won't force the matter."
"But Sakuraba-san, if you ever change your mind someday, Central will still welcome talented people like you."
With that, Symboli Rudolf closed her eyes.
Her expression had stiffened slightly, clearly because the conversation with Sakuraba had not ended the way she wanted.
But Sakuraba didn't care.
Seeing that Symboli Rudolf finally seemed ready to let him go, he cheered wildly inside.
Hehehe!
Now I can finally make a run for it!
Without changing expression, Sakuraba rose from the sofa and walked out through the door of the student council office.
Just as he was about to leave Central behind like that, a woman's voice called out to stop him.
"Um... Sakuraba-san, could you wait just a moment?"
Sakuraba turned around and saw that it was Maruzensky.
"Is there something else? I thought my conversation with President Rudolf had already ended."
"Ahem... n-no, it's not that. What I wanted to talk to you about isn't related to what the President was saying, and I don't mean to make you stay at Central either..."
"You still remember the girls who raced against Oguri Cap in the Japanese Derby, right...?"
"I remember... what about them?"
The Derby had only been a few days ago. Of course Sakuraba remembered Oguri Cap's opponents.
"Sakura Chiyono O... she's one of my kouhai's, actually. After the Derby, she injured her foot from overuse..."
"The President said your techniques are extremely effective, so I was hoping you could help her..."
?
Wait.
That damn Emperor's been spreading nonsense about me behind my back!
All I can do is give people a massage, okay?
Massage doesn't cure injuries. If someone's hurt, go to a hospital. Why are you coming to me?
At that thought, the corner of Sakuraba's mouth twitched.
"Maruzensky-san, as you know, all I can do is some ordinary massage, and all I run is an obscure little foot-massage parlor. I don't know why you and Luna-san think so highly of me, but for something like a foot injury, you really shouldn't be looking for me. I don't think I can help much."
At that point, Sakuraba paused, as though he felt that turning her down so bluntly might be a little too cold.
So he cleared his throat and ran through a few polite phrases in his head.
"Of course, you're still very welcome to visit the foot-massage parlor in Kasamatsu. When the time comes, I don't mind giving you all some complimentary care."
"That said, I'll be on my way now."
After tossing out that line, Sakuraba walked off without looking back.
Maruzensky watched his retreating figure, her feelings complicated.
The truth was, she hadn't even finished what she wanted to say.
She hadn't yet explained Sakura Chiyono O's condition before Sakuraba had already refused her request...
No, that wasn't quite right.
It would be more accurate to say that he had seemed to refuse her.
After the Derby, Sakura Chiyono O had developed tenosynovitis. The hospital had already handled most of the medical treatment, and what remained was aftercare.
It wasn't an especially serious injury, but it still required a long period of rest.
If someone highly skilled could help care for her during that time, her recovery would be much faster.
That was why Maruzensky had thought of asking Sakuraba for help.
With Symboli Rudolf vouching for him, Sakuraba had to be exceptionally good at this kind of foot care, at the very least.
But Sakuraba-san first said he couldn't treat illnesses, and then he turned me down.
And yet he also said he was willing to provide Chiyono with complimentary care...
Was that his way of making sure I wouldn't feel indebted to him?
Mm...
With Sakuraba-san's eye for things, he must have noticed the state of Chiyono's foot the moment she finished the Derby.
So that was why he chose to help me in such a roundabout way...
He was helping us in practice, and yet he wouldn't admit it, treating it as business instead.
But if he really saw this as nothing more than a business deal, then why wouldn't he take any money?
Then what exactly is Sakuraba-san doing this for...?
Maruzensky racked her brains over it.
And then, all of a sudden, the conversation between Symboli Rudolf and Sakuraba in the student council office echoed through her mind again.
Sakuraba-san may have argued with Rudolf, but the concern for the Umamusume in his words couldn't have been fake.
Maybe...
He just wanted to help us.
That was all.
He really went in a huge circle about it...
"Sakuraba-san really is a gentle person."
Watching Sakuraba's figure disappear into the distance, Maruzensky couldn't help sighing in admiration.
---
T/N: yes! our ryo is a very gentle person