"A kid stuck in their own head, now that's a tricky situation."
As expected of Mr. C.B, an experienced senior—just from these few words, she could already vaguely piece together the whole picture.
"I'm not exactly the best at giving lectures either," she mused, crossing her arms and leaning back while the Everlamp behind Nearl fixed her with an unfriendly stare.
"Ah, got it!"
Suddenly, an idea seemed to strike Mr. C.B.
"Rudolf's here too, you know. She's the student council president—way better at heart-to-hearts and communication than I'll ever be. I'll go fetch her; that should do the trick."
She clapped a fist into her palm, as if a lightbulb had lit up above her head.
"I'll go find Rudolf then, Nearl. Wait here for a bit, alright?"
True to her nature, Mr. C.B was an Uma Musume who acted on impulse.
Without even a proper goodbye to Nearl, she turned and dashed off, leaving Nearl and the others behind with resigned looks.
"Gotta say, this Mr. C.B is exactly like the rumors describe—way too 'free-spirited'," Kitahara Jo finally spoke up, having been trying to make himself invisible until now.
To him, a central Triple Crown Uma Musume was just too lofty a figure, making him instinctively want to hide.
"True, but don't you think a friend with that kind of personality is rather nice, Trainer? Straightforward, simple-minded yet full of passion—I believe Ms. C.B and I could become good friends."
Nearl replied with a smile, finding a certain charm in Mr. C.B's temperament.
Beside her, Everlamp quietly clung to Nearl, burying her face in her back without a word.
"Alright, now that Mr. C.B is gone, I can take a breather too. Nearl, I'll head to the spectator stands. I'll be watching your race from there—do your best."
With that, Kitahara made to leave.
But before he could take a step, Nearl's voice called out to him.
"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere just yet, Trainer."
"Huh?"
"I think I see Trainer Musaka rushing over here like the wind."
"Oh crap, Uncle Roppei!?"
Kitahara felt his nerves fraying.
Meanwhile, back in her seat, Mr. C.B found a different scene awaiting her.
Symboli Rudolf stood there with an imposing aura, while three trembling Uma Musume cowered before her.
Moving closer, she could hear Rudolf's furious scolding.
"You're still students! The sea of learning is boundless—how can you skip class so casually? And sneaking out of campus without telling anyone? That's just reckless..."
The reprimands went on and on. A large empty circle had formed around her, with visitors unconsciously avoiding a two-meter radius centered on Symboli Rudolf.
Seeing this, Mr. C.B felt it was her duty to rescue these three young fillies from Rudolf's clutches.
So she sauntered over casually and plopped herself down right beside Symboli Rudolf.
Noticing that Rudolf was ignoring her and continuing her lecture, Mr. C.B decided to escalate her efforts.
She rummaged through her bag, pulled out some snacks—specifically choosing crunchy chips—and began munching on them noisily.
Crunch, crunch.
The sharp sounds tore a hole through the stern atmosphere.
"..."
Symboli Rudolf's brow furrowed, but she said nothing and tried to continue.
But just as she started again, Mr. C.B had another trick up her sleeve.
She fished her phone out of her pocket, opened her music app, and started playing some festive tunes, completely disrupting the mood and shattering the aura Rudolf had worked so hard to build.
"Senpai! What do you think you're doing?!"
Finally, Symboli Rudolf could no longer endure Mr. C.B's antics.
"Huh? I'm just amusing myself. Don't mind me, carry on."
Seeing Rudolf's angry expression, Mr. C.B remained unruffled, even calmly opening a bottle of green tea.
Sip... exhale...
Fuming to the point of dizziness, Symboli Rudolf took deep breaths, trying desperately to lower her blood pressure.
'No, after this, I must find a new vice president! If I keep partnering with C.B senpai, I'll lose years off my life!'
Once she'd calmed down a bit and looked back at the terrified young fillies in front of her, Symboli Rudolf suddenly found them rather endearing.
Skipping class? A minor issue. Hadn't she already given them a talking-to? Best to let it go.
With that thought, Rudolf relaxed and waved a hand at the three, signaling that the matter was closed.
"Fine. Just remember this lesson from now on, understood? Don't do it again."
Sakura Chiyono O and Dicta Striker exchanged glances, then nodded vigorously, their attitudes more earnest than ever.
"Consider this matter over. I hope my words won't ruin your mood for watching the race. You're here for Nearl too, right? If you don't mind, we can watch together."
With her official duties concluded, Symboli Rudolf was no longer the stern student council president. She became noticeably more approachable.
"Wow, switching into 'senpai mode' now, are we?"
Mr. C.B couldn't resist a snide remark.
"Quiet, C.B. We'll settle this back at school!"
Rudolf shot her an annoyed glare, still clearly irritated.
"Have you already seen Nearl?"
"Yep, Nearl-chan's just as adorable as ever."
At this, Mr. C.B suddenly remembered why she'd returned.
"Oh, right! There's a support Uma Musume with little Nearl too."
"So what?" Rudolf sounded puzzled. "It's perfectly normal for a support Uma Musume to be with her. Why mention it specifically?"
"Normally, yes. But this support Uma Musume has real talent."
To emphasize her point, Mr. C.B gestured animatedly.
"Even I could see her potential at a glance—that's pretty impressive, right?"
"Now that you mention it, if even you can recognize her talent, she must be truly exceptional."
Thinking it over, Rudolf glanced back at Mr. C.B. "So you want me to persuade her to become a Racing Uma Musume?"
"Exactly!"
"Hmm..."
Rudolf fell into thought, and the scene quieted down temporarily.
But one person present was already growing impatient.
"Um, C.B-senpai, you know where Nearl is, right?" Ardan asked urgently, yet politely.
"I do indeed. Are you planning to go see her, Ardan? Nearl's right over there."
Mr. C.B pointed toward the direction she'd just come from.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.