Chapter 16:

"Fumihiro-san, Rudolph's body can't take any more training.

Now isn't the time to force himself into race shape, it's time to rest!"

"Shut up, idiot! 

What do you think the 'Emperor' is?! You think Rudolph will collapse with just this much training?!"

Stop talking nonsense! Rudolph has already been through so much. Besides, the Arc de Triomphe is less than half a year away, and you're asking him to advance to the American leg early! He's held out up until now, but at this rate, he'll collapse in an instant!

Really?

Then let's ask Rudolph himself. How's it going, Rudolph? Is it difficult? You think you can't hold on?"

"I'm fine, Coach."

"Look, even Rudolph said he was fine! The 'Emperor' is the strongest. My Rudolph is invincible..."

"...A dream."

Painful memories and bitter stomach acid rise in his throat and torment his mouth.

Symbolically, Rudolph removed the blanket covering his chest.

People often assume that the lives of sports stars are glamorous. A luxurious mansion, expensive foreign cars, an interior filled with all sorts of antique furniture, and a private pool in the garden are basic. A huge aquarium and large carnivores like lions are a bonus, and a housekeeper always wakes them up in the morning.

Rudolph, who is called the strongest runner in Japanese history, fits squarely into the sports star category, but if you ask him if he lives the same glamorous life as other stars, well, well. Rather, he lives a life not unlike that of an ordinary person.

He doesn't even know how other sports stars live. He wakes up in the same dorm as the academy's other Uma Musume and eats in the same cafeteria. Although I was assigned a single room for being student council president, those are practically all the privileges I received as president.

Aside from standing out, my life is no different from that of any ordinary Japanese student. I wake up early, go for a short run, and then attend class with notes until the afternoon.

After class, I finish my training program and return to the dorm to rest. It's not that I lack the money to live this frugal life. In fact, my bank balance is so large it's difficult to manage. I can live comfortably on deposit interest alone.

So why am I so frugal? Well, perhaps my heart is too small for extravagance. Or perhaps it's because, if you subtract the races from my life so far, there's nothing left.The latter seems to weigh heavily on me. My past self, a fool who only knew how to run day and night, was exactly that.

I had abandoned friendships and love, focused solely on winning the race.

"Mmm, that's enough."

I comb my blow-dried auburn hair and look at myself in the mirror.

My face was clean, with long, shiny brown hair and a light touch of makeup. Rudolph stood up from the vanity, the corners of his lips slightly raised. He buttoned his tight school uniform to the top and left the room.

His neat, model-like appearance subtly revealed Rudolph's obsessive nature.

"Hello, President."

"Good morning, Air Groove."

Rudolph waved to the familiar face he saw as soon as he opened the door. Her light brown hair and slightly red eye makeup caught his attention.

Her name was Air Groove.

She was a member of the student council, like Rudolph and the vice president of Tressen Academy.

"Having trouble getting around? Is there anything I can help you with...?"

"Thank you, but I decline the offer. My rehab is over."

"That's true, but..." "I'm fine, Air Groove."Perhaps he'd developed an addiction over the past few months. He pushed away Air Groove's hand, which was naturally trying to hold him, with a familiar phrase. Air Groove hesitated for a moment, then stood silently behind Rudolph.

"Look over there, there's the president and vice president." "Both of them are great..."

The crowd parted like a sea before Moses as the two walked down the aisle. Everyone made way for the student council president and vice president, the top brass of Tressen Academy. It wasn't uncommon to see them at the academy, but they received admiring glances, especially toward Rudolph. Whispers reached his ears, though he had no intention of eavesdropping.

"You did amazing at the Arima Kinen last year." "But it's a shame you missed the Shin Louis Ray S you competed in last time. That race in America."

"By the way, you switched teams recently, right? To Rigil."

"Rigil? That's the team with the vice president and that upperclassman, Narita Bryan?" "It's already a strong team, so wouldn't it be too unbalanced if the president joined?" The same praise and gossip he'd heard a thousand times.

And amid all the chatter, Rudolph barely managed to ignore some criticism.

"Doesn't it matter? I won't be able to race like I used to anyway?" 

"Huh... huh..."

One golden weekend, the sun high in the sky beat down on the sports field.

Perhaps because it was his first training session in a long time, Rudolph was breathing heavily, his body tiring faster than expected.

His entire body was soaked, as if he'd been hit by the rain.

He clutched his knees and stayed still, and soon a female trainer wearing silver-framed glasses and a silver suit approached him.

"You worked hard, Rudolph. It's okay to go back for today."

"Ah... already? But I still have more..."

"No.That's all for today.

Just go back quickly and rest."

It was harder than before, but that didn't mean his stamina had collapsed. His heart didn't feel like it was going to burst, and his legs were still strong. It meant he could run further.

He didn't want to end his training so early. Rudolph looked at the trainer, his heart pleading, but her expression was completely stern.

In the end, Rudolph had no choice but to lower his head in silence and accept the bottle offered to him.

Meanwhile, the other Uma Musume on the team watched them from afar. "What are you looking at? Come on, why aren't you keeping training?" Uma Musume, startled by the girl's scream, resumed her training. After a long, bitter moment, Rudolph forced himself to keep his feet together.

 "I understand you're worried, but I'm fine now."

After changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes and taking a quick shower, he trudged out of the athletes' locker room. He had no student council duties left, and nothing else on his agenda besides training.

In short, he was lost.

Rudolph was about to head back to the dorms, but then he thought,

 "...There's nothing to do anyway.

Maybe I should stop by the racetrack for a while." I turned slightly on my way back to the dorm and looked at the sun, high in the sky. There was still plenty of time left in the day. Thinking about it, it's been a while since I've seen a race.

After all, I've spent the last few months in the hospital, undergoing rehabilitation. Doing anything outdoors, whether running or anything else, feels like a distant memory.

"Time flies... isn't it too short, haha?" Anyway, it's been a long time since he's been to a racetrack. The nostalgic warmth brought a refreshing smile to Rudolph's face.

Author's Note: The Rudolph in this play takes place after the original character retired due to rheumatoid arthritis.

Like McQueen, he's supposedly recovered somewhat. And he plans to take a break this weekend.