The cold moonlight shone on the racetrack, and only a few scattered lights shimmered in the silent stadium.
Symboli Rudolf walked alone on the track, her light footsteps gently pressing into the soft turf.
With her eyes slightly closed, she comfortably and leisurely felt the lonely yet reassuring sensation of the track.
Tomorrow, she would stand in this very place, giving her all, sprinting with all her might, and then claiming victory.
This was the first step she needed to take, and the beginning of everything.
Over a year of preparation, one could say, was all for this moment.
She walked quietly, as if already able to see tomorrow's warm sun, the cheering crowds, and the wide track where everyone would contend for that one championship.
She kept walking.
Touching the track's railing, Symboli Rudolf couldn't help but think of the figure standing far away from her. She was still chasing her, and one day, would she be able to stand by her side or even surpass her—
She kept walking.
This was her first race exactly one year after meeting Tojo, an end and a beginning.
She kept walking.
Stepping on the moonlight, Symboli Rudolf couldn't help but stop.
At this moment, a person standing opposite her was staring at her, motionless.
A girl with chestnut-colored pigtails stared solemnly at Symboli Rudolf, her eyes filled with intense emotion.
The fact that someone else was still in the stadium at this hour made Symboli Rudolf slightly startled, as she herself had obtained permission from the staff to stay a little longer before closing.
Although every contestant had familiarized themselves with the track during the warm-up, when she clearly saw the girl's face, her pupils couldn't help but contract slightly... The appearance of this person—it brought back her memories.
At the G2 Yayoi Sho, a Satsuki Sho preliminary—
"The last two hundred meters!! Symboli Rudolf is catching up from the outside, Symboli Rudolf!!! She's bursting out!!! Bizen Nishiki, Bizen Nishiki is still desperately trying to pull away!!! But it's no use! Symboli Rudolf's incredibly powerful running style! Last fifty meters, neck and neck!!! Finish line!!! It's Symboli Rudolf! It's our Symboli Rudolf!!! She takes this preliminary race, ending Bizen Nishiki's winning streak!!!"
The sounds from that time still seemed to echo in her ears, and the memories evoked gradually overlapped with the figure from that day.
Looking at the girl in front of her, Symboli Rudolf also straightened her posture.
"...Bizen Nishiki..."
"...Shut up, I'm no longer your classmate... Symboli Rudolf."
The girl's attitude was full of defensiveness and an indescribable loathing.
Indeed, disgust was written all over her face.
One could even say it was a feeling of animosity and hostility.
"..."
Symboli Rudolf was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.
The girl's departure from Tracen Academy was, in fact, more or less inextricably linked to her.
But—
"In tomorrow's race, I will truly defeat you! I will prove with my strength that you and Trainer Tojo are wrong! I will prove that Trainer Tojo's... choice at that time was wrong!"
The girl's trembling voice conveyed emotions that had been suppressed for a long time. Listening to her words, Symboli Rudolf silently shook her head and said, "Are you still holding a grudge about what happened then? Actually—"
"Shut up!!"
Her emotions suddenly flared up, "You don't understand anything at all! You're not the one who was abandoned!!"
The things she spoke of had all happened around this time a year ago... But—
"...Tomorrow, I will definitely defeat you in the race, end everything about you, and take away what you want... Symboli Rudolf, this is my revenge—"
After saying this, the girl turned directly and walked towards the contestant's aisle.
Leaving Symboli Rudolf alone, standing in place as if deep in thought.
.
"Sure enough... she's still bothered by what happened back then..."
Standing in a corner of the spectator stand, Toujou Hana silently watched all of this unfold. If she had appeared at that moment, it would undoubtedly have made the situation even more complicated.
However, choosing to observe was also a tormenting feeling for her.
Because the current situation was something she had caused herself.
"That's obvious, isn't it? Although she had her own problems—but as a Trainer, you were the one who chose to let her leave and made that decision, right?"
A calm voice with a hint of playfulness suddenly came from behind her. Then, an Uma Musume with long black hair and a small top hat walked directly beside her, also looking at Symboli Rudolf standing on the track in the distance.
"Is it… for you to be the team leader for the Branch School?"
Toujou Hana turned her head slightly to look at the somewhat sharp-witted girl beside her.
Even in the dark of night, she shone like a bright star; this was how everyone referred to her.
"No, no, no, how could that be? I'm still just a student, you know. It's just that I don't have a race myself, so I wanted to come and witness the so-called birth of a new king."
The girl chuckled, but her gaze never left the Emperor.
"Mr. CB…"
Toujou Hana closed her eyes and softly murmured her name, and the girl simply nodded in response, "Hmm… Indeed, this race is still up in the air. Although I also favor Symboli Rudolf, our Academy's Bizen Nishiki also has the strength to pull the Emperor off the throne, you know?"
"Heh, how lively it is! I didn't expect to meet an old acquaintance in this place!"
At this moment, the appearance of a third person made Toujou Hana's expression stiffen, and her brows furrowed instantly.
This voice was etched in her memory, a presence she absolutely did not want to recall.
"Tsk."
"Don't you agree, old classmate?"
A teasing voice, followed by light footsteps, bounced over to Toujou Hana's side. She looked at the impatient Toujou with a mischievous, impish smile.
"Oh my, are you that… Yusas Academy's…?"
Toujou Hana completely ignored her, but Mr. CB stared curiously at the white-haired foreign woman—
Seeing Mr. CB look over, the woman stood still and bowed gracefully to her: "Pleased to meet you, Miss Mr. CB, I am Chloris Charlotte Sayus, the Chairman of Sayus Academy. I presume you are familiar with our Academy?"
Such a young Chairman, and with her saying so, Mr. CB also recalled previous reports.
It was about a German conglomerate taking over Japan and establishing an Academy for foreign exchange students. And the Chairman of the Academy, it seemed, was this conglomerate's heiress… right?
Now, the atmosphere suddenly became strange, especially when there were three women involved.
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