"Rudolf?"
The moment Sirius recognized her, her brows snapped together and her voice turned sharp.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Sota Kitahara was still recovering from the violent entrance. When he did, his expression shifted into open disbelief.
"Rudolf, why… are you here like this?"
To be honest, after her talk with Symboli Speed, Rudolf's head was still a complete mess. She didn't even know how she'd gotten here—she'd moved on instinct alone.
Now that she was being questioned, her awareness crept back. Her thoughts were still sluggish under the weight of crushing embarrassment, but she realized one thing right away:
She might've… acted on impulse.
"I… have something urgent to discuss with Trainer Kitahara."
The excuse came out first. Then she looked between them, frowning harder.
"And you two—why didn't you answer when I knocked? And now you're like this… Sirius, I'm the one who should be asking what you think you're doing."
"How is that any of your business?" Sirius shot back, making no move to release Kitahara.
"Besides, weren't you the one who told him to stay in my room? Then go sit in yours. Whatever we do has nothing to do with you."
"How is it not? He—"
Rudolf blurted it out, then caught herself mid-sentence and forced a turn.
"He's my most important assistant at Tracen Academy right now, and he's Teio's Trainer. By every standard—personal and professional—I have a duty to ensure his safety. And I have something important to discuss with him. So let him go."
Kitahara didn't notice anything odd about that sudden pivot.
Sirius did.
She knew Rudolf far too well. That half-beat hesitation stank of trouble.
And as the seconds passed, Sirius finally registered the unnatural flush on Rudolf's face. Her doubts deepened.
What is wrong with this woman? Tonight she practically shoved Kitahara into my arms—now she's breaking down doors to drag him back out…
"If it's urgent, say it here," Sirius said coolly. "I'm not a kid. Maybe I can help."
The more frantic Rudolf looked, the less Sirius wanted to give her an inch.
Still, for the sake of being responsible, she asked—because if this was real, she didn't want to be the reason it got delayed.
The problem was: Rudolf didn't have any business at all.
She'd run here with her mind half-blank. Coming up with that excuse had already been her best effort.
And now Sirius wasn't Kitahara. Cheap lines wouldn't fool her.
"Anyway," Rudolf said, forcing her voice steady as she pointed at Kitahara, "it's not something you should know. I need to speak with him in private."
Oh, sure. Go sell that to Sunday Silence.
Sirius clicked her tongue. She saw through it immediately.
Even so, she didn't call Rudolf out. After a brief pause, she studied Rudolf's red face and asked, slowly,
"Rudolf… did you drink?"
"…No."
"Then why is your face that red?"
Sirius was genuinely asking.
In all the years she'd known Rudolf, she'd almost never seen her blush—let alone look like she wanted to evaporate on the spot.
So Sirius's first thought wasn't she's here to steal him.
It was she's out of her mind and starting fights.
Except Rudolf barely drank, and there wasn't even a trace of alcohol on her.
Which made it even weirder.
Less than an hour had passed since they returned to the Symboli estate—since Rudolf herself had pushed Kitahara into Sirius's hands.
And in that short time, Rudolf had flipped from handing him over to kicking down doors to take him back.
Sirius didn't know what happened in between, but she had no intention of letting Rudolf walk off with him now.
After all, she'd just "lost" to Rudolf once tonight. She wasn't giving up again.
"Honestly, Rudolf, whether you have something urgent or not, you should go back, sleep it off, and come back when your head's clear," Sirius said. "In your current state, even if it is urgent, you'll just mess it up."
As she spoke, she felt Kitahara shift under her hands. The block of wood clearly hadn't realized Rudolf was lying—he was probably about to go "discuss" this so-called emergency with her.
Sirius pressed him back down. Then she raised a finger, touched it lightly to his lips, and made a quiet shushing gesture.
Kitahara didn't fight it. He just looked… helpless.
Rudolf saw it—and the irritation already simmering beneath her shame flared hotter. Her gaze darkened.
"Sirius," Rudolf said, voice tight, "I'll say it again. Hand him over."
"And why should I listen to you?" Sirius met her eyes. Noticing the shift in Rudolf's mood, she narrowed her own.
"Wow. You're actually serious. Looks like you're not backing down, huh? Then let's settle it the way we used to."
By "the way we used to," Sirius meant the method they'd relied on most often back when they were both still in the Symboli family—simple, direct, and effective.
They fought.
In a normal household, a single harsh word would earn you a lecture—let alone a brawl.
But in the Symboli family—especially with a certain old woman who lived for entertainment and violence—you were lucky if she didn't fan the flames.
After entering Tracen, as they grew older and gained experience—and with that old woman no longer stoking every spark—physical clashes between them became rare.
But Rudolf clearly wasn't going to back off, and her temper was running inexplicably hot.
And Sirius, after everything during the day and that miserable Q&A tonight, was already in a foul mood. Rudolf's whiplash only poured gasoline on it.
This wasn't going to end with words. And since they both needed an outlet—
Following the old rules was the cleanest answer.
"Fine," Rudolf snapped. "I'm in."
"Do we go to the dōjō, or do we do it here?"
"I think your room would be best," Sirius said, flicking her eyes to the debris under Rudolf's feet, her tone laced with mockery.
"You just kicked my door to pieces. By the rules of courtesy, I should go smash something of yours."
"Then the dōjō," Rudolf said flatly, ignoring the bait.
"I'll have someone prepare it. But until it's ready, you'll let him go."
"Whatever."
Since they'd agreed to settle Kitahara's custody the old-fashioned way, Sirius finally loosened her hold and let him breathe.
"But if you lose," she added, "I don't have a second door for you to kick down."
"No problem," Rudolf shot back without flinching.
"You can kick my door as much as you want. Just don't cry about it."
---
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