Inside the detention room, Tazuna still hadn't shown up. There was no lecture, no follow-up, no dramatic return of the Green Devil. The three of them stayed inside anyway, leaning back in their seats and continuing their conversation like the clock didn't matter much. Two hours passed without anyone noticing, and eventually they just let themselves out.
The moment Tsutsumi stepped into the hallway, he was met with a familiar face and a very familiar look.
"Tsu…" Oguri started, stopping right in front of him. She looked up with wide, worried eyes, her ears drooping slightly. "Have you gotten a medical check-up?"
Tsutsumi blinked, a little caught off guard.
Behind her, Super Creek and Tamamo were standing off to the side, both looking tired in that specific way people get after dealing with a crisis that didn't technically happen but felt like it did.
Apparently, when Oguri saw him jump off the fourth floor, she'd fainted on the spot. After she came to, Super Creek had calmly informed her that her sister was fine and had simply walked herself to the detention room. That explanation did very little to help.
Oguri had tried to run over immediately. Super Creek and Tamamo had physically stopped her, reminding her that she'd just passed out and that charging across campus wasn't helping anyone. After a lot of convincing and some very visible panic, Oguri finally agreed to walk calmly and wait outside the detention room instead.
Tsutsumi smiles. "No need, I-"
He didn't get to finish as Oguri suddenly stepped forward, lifted him clean off the ground, and took off at a full sprint.
"Let's get you checked up first!" she said firmly and rushed directly toward the infirmary.
Tsutsumi stared blankly at the ceiling as the hallway rushed past.
...
"Her legs seem… perfectly fine."
The nurse stared at the chart in her hands, then back at Tsutsumi, then down at his legs again, as if the answer might suddenly change if she checked a third time.
She had just finished a quick medical check-up, and the results made absolutely no sense to her.
An Uma Musume had jumped off the fourth floor. Not slid down a wall, not broken the fall, not landed in a way that could be generously described as "lucky." He had jumped. And then walked it off.
Even for an Uma Musume, who were, on average, three times stronger than a regular adult human, that should have resulted in something. A fracture or a strained joint. At the very least, lingering pain.
But there was nothing. No swelling, microfractures, or internal damage.
Which left the nurses exchanging confused looks, quietly whispering to one another, while Tsutsumi sat on the infirmary bed, swinging his legs slightly like this was all routine.
To him, it wasn't too surprising. He was able to throw fists with Ultimate Kuuga with only his base form ride and came out alive. Facing a punching power of 80 tons, he managed to walk out of it alive.
Although he still suffers from injuries from that clash, it wasn't anything serious, and he has recovered from it.
Compared to that, a four-story drop barely registered.
"I didn't know you were hiding such an intriguing physique from me... roommate."
The infirmary door burst open without warning.
Agnes Tachyon stepped in like she owned the place, eyes gleaming as they locked onto Tsutsumi with frightening intensity.
"You managed to outrun the Green Devil and suffer no injury from a fall that would disable many." She said, her crimson eyes locking onto his legs before shifting toward his face.
"Would you be interested in becoming my guinea pig, Tsutsumi-chan?"
The room froze. Several people visibly flinched.
Tsutsumi tilted his head. "What do I gain from it?"
That single question caused more shock than it should.
Unlike most trainers and other Uma Musume, who refuse almost instantly upon hearing Agnes Tachyon's request to be her guinea pig. Since her potions usually have some side effects, and many trainers has suffer because of her selling stamina, truths, and love potions to their Uma Musume, which caused them to end up in the hospital.
Tsutsumi didn't know her reputation at Tracen Academy, so he asked, which only made Agnes Tachyon look like she'd just won the lottery.
"Oh my, oh my~!" she said excitedly. "First off, you'll get a special discount, exclusive bonuses, and first access to any and all of my potions! In exchange, you'll help test my formulas and assist with my other experiments!"
Agnes Tachyon explained with a smile, while Tsutsumi noticed the pale faces' head shaking of the others behind Agnes Tachyon.
Tamamo was making a very clear X-shape with her arms, shaking her head as hard as she could, her expression screaming do not do this.
Super Creek looked deeply concerned; he still didn't know who she was.
He could clearly see they are warning him to refuse, but since Agnes Tachyon is his roommate, and Build Genius could clear any negative effects inflicted on him. He wasn't exactly afraid; just how bad can her potions be?
"Sure," Tsutsumi said calmly. "I don't mind."
The room collectively stopped breathing.
Agnes Tachyon's grin stretched wider.
"But," Tsutsumi added, raising a hand, "this goes both ways. I'll be using your equipment too. Deal?"
Agnes Tachyon didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Deal!"
She grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically, already lost in whatever horrifyingly exciting ideas were forming in her head, while everyone else in the infirmary silently mourned his future.
After the partnership between the two was formed, they walked out of the infirmary. Oguri immediately turned toward Tsutsumi, eyes bright with expectation.
"Tsu, can you cook for me?" she asked without hesitation, just the thought of her next meal was enough to cause her stomach to growl.
Tsutsumi was about to answer, out of habit more than anything, when movement from the corner of the hallway caught his attention.
An unexpected figure stepped into view.
She was an Uma Musume with light brown hair that reached her waist, darker at the front, with a long streak of white swept neatly to the left along with her bangs. Her posture was straight, her steps unhurried, and her presence alone was enough to quiet the surrounding chatter.
Tsutsumi blinked, clearly not knowing who she was. While everyone else recognized her instantly. The student council president, Symboli Rudolf.
"Hello, Oguri Tsutsumi," Rudolf said. Her tone was calm, but her expression was serious. As she spoke, a portion of her aura as the Emperor was released.
The pressure spread through the hall.
Several Uma Musume stiffened. A few instinctively stepped back, while others froze in place, feeling the weight settle on their shoulders.
Tsutsumi, however, found it more amusing than anything else.
"Just call me Tsutsumi."
He let a part of his own aura leak out in response, carefully controlling its intensity so it wouldn't overwhelm her outright. Just enough to meet her presence head-on.
After all, Rudolf was only a horse girl, while Tsutsumi was a future Destroyer of Worlds. Overpowering her wouldn't be difficult.
But that would be boring.
Wasn't a clash more interesting when both sides had to push and try to gain the upper hand, rather than one simply crushing the other?
Rudolf noticed immediately.
As the Emperor, who could command attention simply by standing still, seeing this younger Oguri calmly facing her, unmoved, unfazed, was impressive.
The elder sister had once stood her ground against her in the previous year. Now the younger sister was doing the same.
After a brief pause, Rudolf retracted her aura.
Tsutsumi lowered his as well.
Around them, a few weaker Uma Musume had already collapsed or slumped against the wall, overwhelmed by the brief but dense pressure created by the two.
"Interesting," Rudolf said, crossing her arms. "To think a hidden monster like you managed to remain unnoticed… until today."
Truthfully, Rudolf had noticed Tsutsumi long before today's incident with Hayakawa Tazuna.
Oguri Cap's rise had been impossible to ignore, sheer effort and persistence dragging her from obscurity into becoming a monster on the racetrack.
But the younger sister shows no visible ambition or notable results. No signs of talent worth focusing on. Just a quiet girl who consistently placed dead last in mock races.
So Rudolf hadn't paid her much attention.
Until today.
Provoking the Green Devil. Being chased across the entire campus. And jumping off the fourth-floor building without any injuries.
Acceleration to top speed in an instant suggested strong, reliable ankles. Sharp braking followed by clean ninety-degree turns showed exceptional balance and control. Even breathing throughout the chase pointed to impressive lung capacity.
And the way she broke and turned, leaving deep imprints in the ground, slamming down and immediately springing back, suggested bones of remarkable strength.
A body capable of enduring pressure and rebounding from it effortlessly.
That is not something a regular Uma Musume could achieve. Not even the professional ones.
Even Hayakawa Tazuna, after running that much, had been visibly exhausted.
Yet according to Air Groove, who witnessed Tazuna cornering her at the end, Tsutsumi showed no signs of fatigue at all.
And that was the most terrifying part.
Symboli Rudolf realized something she didn't particularly like.
Oguri Tsutsumi Ryoko had been lying. Not openly, not maliciously, but deliberately holding back.
The Uma Musume who always placed dead last in every mock race had been pulling a Gold Ship this entire time, never taking any of it seriously.
What kind of monster had been hiding right under her nose?
Once that thought settled in, Rudolf felt a strong desire take root.
To nurture this talent.
To pull this hidden monster into the spotlight and let the world see what Tracen Academy had been unknowingly harboring.
Talent like this shouldn't stay buried, slowly fading into nothing more than campus rumors.
That would be far too wasteful.
It was like realizing you'd owned a tier-zero character card all along, only noticing its value after far too long.
"Tsutsumi. Come to the Student Council Office. We need to talk," Rudolf said calmly.
Her voice was even, controlled, but the chill in it was unmistakable.
Tsutsumi showed no reaction at all. He just stood there, hands in his pockets, expression neutral.
Oguri Cap, on the other hand, reacted instantly. She stepped forward and dropped into a fighting stance, eyes locked on Rudolf, ready to throw hands the moment she sensed anything off.
Behind them, the remaining weaker Uma Musume and staff had already retreated to a safe distance. Sure, they loved gossip. Drama was basically fuel for daily conversations. But no one was stupid enough to get caught between two Oguris and the Student Council president.
That was where self-preservation kicked in.
...
Now seated inside the Student Council room, Tsutsumi leaned back slightly and shifted his gaze toward the clock on the wall.
1:42 PM.
He let out a quiet breath.
He had skipped morning classes, skipped breakfast, skipped lunch, landed himself in detention, gotten dragged into the infirmary for a health check, and now, ended up in the Student Council room.
What a productive day.
"Cookies?" Symboli Rudolf asked, placing a large plate of cookies on the table in front of him.
"Thanks," Tsutsumi replied casually. He picked one up and examined it for a moment.
Air Groove raised an eyebrow.
Those were the cookies she had baked for the Student Council. She had tried making something nice for everyone. But after each of them took exactly one bite, the entire plate somehow ended up being pushed toward this troublesome junior instead.
Air Groove narrowed her gaze at Symboli Rudolf, Maruzensky, Mr. C.B., and Narita Brian in turn. She could feel that they didn't like them. But she can't prove it.
Tsutsumi placed the cookie on his thumb and flicked it into the air. He tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth, letting the cookie drop neatly inside.
Everyone: "..."
No one commented on his eating habits. After all, this was Oguri Cap's twin sister.
He chewed slowly. The cookie was bad. Plain, slightly burnt, and whoever baked it had clearly used salt instead of sugar.
Still, Tsutsumi hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and even skipped lunch. Plus, sprinting across the entire campus to escape the Green Devil, he hasn't eaten anything yet.
And due to him messing up his own tastebud, he wasn't exactly picky.
He swallowed and reached for another.
"How are they?" Air Groove asked, watching him closely.
Tsutsumi flicked another cookie into the air, caught it in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, then repeated the motion.
"Not bad," he said plainly. "But the baker used salt instead of sugar, and baked them on high heat instead of medium."
"Oh… I see," Air Groove said, ears drooping slightly.
She felt embarrassed. Worse, watching him continue to eat them without complaint made her feel even more awkward.
"If you actually wanted salted cookies, you should sprinkle the salt right after taking them out of the oven. That way it doesn't mess with the dough."
"I'll keep that in mind." She replied.
"Ahem."
Rudolf cleared her throat, deliberately. Tsutsumi's purple eyes shifted back toward her. Seeing that his attention was now on her, she smiled.
"Now that I have your attention again, let's get down to business."