With no more distracting incidents cropping up, Yayoi Natural's daily life became increasingly simple.
After all, the restaurant hadn't yet recovered its previous popularity, so Natural had plenty of downtime.
She had so much spare time now that her days mostly consisted of adjusting the simmering broth, watching TV, and refining dishes for the Mejiro Family's upcoming event.
Making broth was, fundamentally, about spending time and patience rather than effort.
For Natural, it was at least something to pass the idle hours.
As the TV broadcast meaningless advertisements and snippets of news in the background, Natural quietly adjusted the simmering broth.
This particular pot of broth was meant for the banquet between the Mejiro Family and China's Tracen Academy, so she needed to keep a careful eye on it.
But a certain voice from the TV suddenly caught her attention.
"May I ask, did you personally approve the decision to move forward with this race series?"
The voice was unfamiliar, and not interesting enough for Natural to turn around.
But then—
"Yes. I carefully reviewed the proposal for this racing series. Though certain elements aren't entirely appropriate, I believe that holding it for just one year can help identify these issues. Additionally, I will personally finance support and care for all Uma Musume injured during the events."
The familiar voice immediately made Natural turn her head sharply.
Then she saw the person on screen.
Or rather, the person who wasn't exactly familiar—yet had fundamentally altered the course of her life.
After Rudolf Symboli finished her statement, she smoothly continued, "Of course, the series will first run through a trial phase before official operations commence. Thus, I ask everyone to give their highest level of support to the Uma Musume participating in this new race series."
Rudolf spoke effortlessly, clearly well-prepared for this press conference.
But Yayoi Natural's eyes had already shifted elsewhere:
The news headline read:
[Interview Regarding the Upcoming "Climax Series"]
Natural's expression tightened slightly.
She remembered the Climax Series vividly—anyone forced to grind endlessly in the game would never forget.
Thinking about the Climax Series, Natural's expression darkened further.
Though the game didn't portray the reality behind it, she couldn't imagine that in this world, no one would try to exploit the races for maximum profit.
Thus, Natural's distaste toward Rudolf grew a little stronger.
After Rudolf Symboli's segment concluded, Akikawa Yayoi began speaking.
But Natural had lost interest.
She knew clearly she couldn't change Rudolf's decisions, nor interfere with the powerful people behind the scenes.
So, she simply turned a blind eye.
Ignoring it altogether was the best she could do—if she couldn't see it, she didn't need to think about it.
...
After finishing her press conference regarding the new race series, Rudolf Symboli finally relaxed a little.
Had she not quickly found Akikawa Yayoi immediately after discovering the submitted proposal, Rudolf really wouldn't have been able to do anything.
She fully understood the dangers hidden in this series.
That was precisely why she'd had Akikawa Yayoi hurriedly send out an additional document by fax—a document outlining the trial run.
Without this emergency measure, Rudolf had been prepared to immediately resign, shoulder all the blame, and pay personally for the care of every Uma Musume injured during the Climax Series.
Now, at least, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.
Unlike that time…
Rudolf Symboli raised her head slightly as she sat in a hallway chair.
Standing before her was Akikawa Yayoi.
"Chairwoman?"
"Thank you." Akikawa Yayoi opened her folding fan, quietly regarding Rudolf. "You spotted the hidden danger in this document. Although we couldn't completely prevent it, a year's trial gives us enough justification to cancel this series later."
"No, I was only doing my job. After all, this happened because I didn't review it thoroughly enough in the first place."
At Rudolf's words, Akikawa Yayoi continued to look at her silently.
But in the end, Yayoi didn't openly point out what she'd already realized—
Rudolf's personal stamp was clearly on that document.
Thus, she merely nodded: "The Academy will also allocate funds for supporting the injured Uma Musume."
Without voicing her suspicions further, Akikawa Yayoi turned and left.
Rudolf quietly watched the Chairwoman's departing figure disappear around the corner.
Now alone, Rudolf slightly adjusted her posture, leaning wearily against the chair.
From this position, she could see the towering wall blocking out the sky.
Even at this modest height, Rudolf felt suffocated.
But eventually, she stood up again.
"Time to go."
Saying this softly, Rudolf Symboli slowly left the press-conference venue designated for the announcement of the new series.
Stepping out from the suffocating space of concrete and steel, Rudolf walked along the street toward Tracen Academy.
By the time she returned to the Academy, it was nearly evening.
Lights were already being switched on throughout the campus.
After all, there was almost no one around at this hour.
Neither Uma Musume nor trainers had much reason to linger.
The dark, empty campus remained in Rudolf's gaze only briefly.
Instead, she turned to look toward the warmly illuminated shopping street near the Academy.
When Sirius returned the bank card, Rudolf realized that Yayoi Natural had come back.
Thinking of this, Rudolf slowly sat down on the curb just outside Tracen Academy's main gate.
But she wouldn't go to see Yayoi Natural.
Not ever again.
After all, past mistakes couldn't vanish simply through apologies or later compensation.
She could only try her hardest to prevent further mistakes.
Thus, Rudolf finally stood up again.
She withdrew her gaze and turned around.
She walked quietly toward the student dormitory area of Tracen Academy.
Tomorrow would be Friday, and she needed to continue diligently performing her duties as Student Council President.
And in a week's time, it would be the Academy's Open Day event.
Rudolf Symboli still had many preparations to make.
---
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