…This is bad.
Looking at the high school girl in front of him wearing her racing uniform, Kato Akira smiled on the surface, but inwardly, he was already tense.
The undefeated Triple Crown winner, seven time G1 champion, Tracen Academy Student Council President, the Emperor.
Each title was stronger and resonated louder than the last.
The seemingly gentle high school girl standing before him was exactly that powerful and domineering.
The current Symboli Rudolf was completely different from the gentle Student Council President Akira remembered from the game and his documents.
That proud head, that perfectly straight posture, and those deep, piercing eyes proved that this was Symboli Rudolf at her absolute strongest and most commanding peak.
She had just taken office as the Student Council President this year, boldly implementing multiple internal reforms within the academy.
Shifting from the original group training and mass drills, she transitioned the system into a strict one on one selection process between trainers and Uma Musume.
They discarded the old, battle hardened racing style and restricted Uma Musume to running only in the most valuable, highest tier races to minimize risk.
She claimed all of this was to allow the horse girls to compete better, arguing that years of reckless racing inevitably led to fractures and fatal risks.
But in Akira’s eyes, all these actions looked like a rigorous filtering process.
Whether it was elite one on one training or a select few highly refined races, the goal was to pick out the most perfect, flawless uncut gems worthy of the absolute highest level of competition.
Yes, Symboli Rudolf was currently one of the organizers and participants of the vibrant Dream Trophy league.
At the young age of 20, she had masterfully leveraged the regrets of countless Uma Musume and fans, using her prestige as a seven time champion to forge the ultimate dream of a grand tournament.
No one in the industry dared to question this high school girl.
This modern day legend, this seemingly gentle girl, was standing right in front of him.
However, Akira wasn’t worried about her presence for those reasons, but rather because she was the pioneer of the “Staff-Student Separation” policy.
Minimize interference with the horse girls.
Keep the school staff and the Uma Musume as separate as possible so as not to affect their internal training.
Everything was done to properly select the best Uma Musume.
To outsiders or proper staff members, this policy was perfectly normal and flawlessly logical.
After all, Uma Musume have fragile, easily swayed lives.
The less outside interference, the better, and everyone understood that.
But Akira himself was just a school janitor.
Taking two bottom tier horse girls out to chat and do gate training might not seem like a huge deal, but the person standing in front of him was the creator of those very rules.
Moreover, this seemingly gentle woman was famous for not tolerating a single grain of sand in her eyes.
If she really found out what he was doing, it would cause massive problems.
(Damn it, weren’t you just training with the new horse girls outside?
Why are you suddenly in this junk yard?)
Staring at the smiling Emperor, Akira’s mind spun rapidly, and he quickly put on an awkward smile.
“I’m not sure what you mean?
Aren’t there rules against them being here?
I’ve pretty much finished cleaning up, so I was just fixing this gate to see if it was still usable.”
“Is that so? Find the original chapter at g.com.
I apologize, it seems I’m the one who interrupted you.
But I didn’t expect a place like this to actually exist here.”
Symboli Rudolf smiled and nodded.
Her gaze swept over Akira, who was scratching his head and laughing foolishly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the starting gate dragging on the ground.
The massive gate looked like it weighed tons.
It was scattered on the dirt due to damage, yet it was still wide open.
Although it looked worn out, there were no heavy signs of weathering from wind or rain, nor were there any patchy rust marks.
Even the design of this gate was somewhat unfamiliar to Symboli Rudolf.
This strongly suggested it was an old fashioned gate that had been here since the founding of Tracen Academy.
Gently rocking the old gate, Rudolf looked calmly at Akira, who was standing beside her with a simple, honest smile.
“During the mock race, I felt like there were a few kids over here.
Was it just my imagination?”
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
Akira honestly shook his head.
“When I got here, I just saw this thing lying on the ground.
Maybe some horse girls noticed it and snuck back here to play.
I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
“Alright, then I’ll help you move it back right now.
Meeting here is a stroke of fate.
It must be hard for you to move this all by yourself, right?”
“Then I will gladly accept your offer.
It’s my honor to have a connection with President Rudolf.”
“Hehe, there’s no need for that.
I’m just an ordinary high school girl.”
Without any of the absolute dominance or arrogance she showed on the turf, Rudolf smiled gently.
Without putting on any airs, she rolled up her sleeves, lifted one end of the gate, and walked it into the open scrap yard.
An Uma Musume’s strength far exceeds that of a human.
To Akira, this massive gate was impossible to move, no matter how hard he tried.
But to an Uma Musume, with just a slight angle adjustment from the person behind her, she could move it freely.
And a smart Uma Musume like Symboli Rudolf instantly calculated the correct angle and put the gate back in its original place, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“It seems there are still many things I don’t know about Tracen Academy.
Looking at this small scrap yard shed, Rudolf nodded symbolically and flashed a charming smile at Akira, who was already exhausted just from moving his one corner.
“Please establish your footing and make your living without fear or anxiety, Janitor-san.
For the sake of the girls’ future, I believe this place will definitely be put to good use.
Now then, it’s about time I take my leave.
Excuse me.”
“Ah, haha, goodbye.”
(What exactly was this person here for?
Just to help me deliver a gate?)
Watching Symboli Rudolf bow her head and leave without any hesitation, Akira’s mind was completely filled with question marks.
He truly had no idea what her goal was in coming here.
Maybe she sensed someone wasn’t present on the turf, went looking for the missing kids, and just happened to stumble upon this place.
Jokes aside, that was Symboli Rudolf—how could she possibly do something meaningless?
He knew she loved telling cold puns, but when it came to anything related to Uma Musume, she held nothing back.
Meaning…
maybe she was just keeping it a secret for him?
After confirming that Symboli Rudolf’s figure had completely vanished from the woods, Akira let out a heavy sigh of relief.
But in the very next second, a light, teasing voice echoed from directly above his head.
“Hey there, Janitor.
Why are you lying to people?”
“…?!”
(Since when was I being watched?!)
“Let me guess what you’re thinking.
You’re thinking, ‘Since when was I being watched?!’ right?” (TL:Is that a jojo ref~?)
An emerald green figure descended from the sky and hooked an arm casually over Akira’s shoulder.
The most free spirited Uma Musume in the world was staring at Akira with eyes full of anticipation, looking exactly like she had just found a fun new toy.
“Don’t worry, I’m not the type to lightly expose other people’s secrets.
But in exchange, could you tell me your secret?
I’m incredibly curious about your situation.”
“…”
The worst case scenario had happened.
He had been discovered.
And by the most difficult person to deal with in all of history.
Staring at the grinning face of Mr.
C.B., Akira felt like his entire master plan was crumbling to pieces.