Chapter 51: Let’s Go to the Student Council!

The Student Council President, Symboli Rudolf — the very image of admiration among all Uma Musume. A living legend who accomplished feats no one before her ever had.

And as for that very person herself…

"So, this gag works because it rhymes with the last phrase, you see—"

She had turned the entire student council room into a frozen wasteland!

No, I wouldn’t go so far as to say Symboli Rudolf’s jokes are completely hopeless. If you take each one in isolation, you could think, "Huh, that’s actually kind of clever."

In fact, many of them are drawn from well-known books, and if a professional comedian delivered them, they’d probably get some laughs.

"Hmm. Judging from that reaction, I take it this joke didn’t land either?"

But come on! Having the Emperor Symboli Rudolf say it with a perfectly straight face—there’s no way that works! I don’t even know if I’m supposed to laugh or not!

"Um, it’s not that the gag itself is bad, really. It’s just… the timing, maybe?"

"Hmm, but given the rhyme scheme, I believe that was the best moment to deliver it."

"That’s exactly the problem! You can’t just throw a dad joke right into the middle of a serious conversation!"

Air Groove nodded deeply from behind me.

I mean, think about it. You’re sitting across from the person you admire most, and out of nowhere she drops a dad joke. First, you’d doubt your own ears. Then, you’d assume it was some kind of coincidence.

"Hmm… perhaps I should’ve gone with one of the ‘100 Hilarious Jokes’ I read the other day instead."

"How about we start with not inserting gags into normal conversation at all?"

I understand that Symboli Rudolf is trying to study humor to come across as more approachable. But maybe she should start by working on the atmosphere first…?

"It seems there’s more to it than I thought. I’ll list this as a subject for further research."

Anyway, the reason I came to the student council room today wasn’t to critique Rudolf’s sense of humor.

"I was surprised when you suddenly called me over the school broadcast. I thought something serious had happened—especially on a day off."

"Ah, my apologies if it caused trouble. I did confirm with your trainer beforehand, you see."

Why didn’t you just have my trainer tell me directly!? Hearing my name echo across the school nearly gave me a heart attack!

"I thought it would be inappropriate to obtain your contact info from someone else without permission."

"Please weigh that against the fact that the entire school now knows I was summoned by the student council…"

Well, it’s not all bad to be known as someone with connections to the student council, I suppose.
But still, hearing your name over the PA system like that—it’s not good for the heart.

"Now then, the water should be boiling by now. Air Groove, could you bring the tea snacks?"

Before me, coffee and some sweets were neatly placed on the table.

Oh? These coffee beans are quite high-grade. Lately, I’ve learned to tell decent quality just from the aroma alone.

And these sweets… delicious! They go perfectly with the coffee. I’ll definitely ask where she got them later.

"Judging by your reaction, they seem to be to your liking?"

"Phew… yes, both the coffee and the sweets are exactly my taste. Could I ask where the snacks are from later?"

"Of course. It’s one of Air Groove’s favorite shops—ask her about it."

"It’s my favorite shop. The line’s usually long, so they’re hard to get, but I can put in a word for you."

"Really!? Thank you so much!"

The coffee and sweets vanished quickly from my plate and cup. The student council girls really are refined—not just in manner, but even in their choice of refreshments.

I’ve learned a lot about coffee beans lately, but when it comes to sweets, I’m still a novice. I’ve been exploring new shops in town, but honestly, I don’t have the know-how yet.

"Now then, the reason I asked you here today—it's about Teio."

"Ah… did something happen again?"

Uh oh. Is this another one of those troublesome situations? Was the coffee and sweets just an advance payment? I braced myself—but it seems that wasn’t the case.

"No, no, you can relax. I called you here simply to thank you."

"Thank me…?"

"Teio not only has a trainer now, but she even won her debut race. For someone who’s watched over her since she was young, nothing could make me happier."

As she spoke, Rudolf took a sip of coffee, her face warm with affection.

It was clear that Teio’s situation had weighed heavily on her mind. She’d never say it aloud, but you could feel it from her presence alone.

"These days, Teio talks a lot about you, Takion, and Manhattan Café. I’m truly glad to see her in such company."

"Haha… and I often hear about you, Student Council President Rudolf. She’s always saying, ‘Kaichō is amazing!’ with that big grin of hers."

"Heh, that’s just like Teio."

She poured me another cup of coffee.

"Ah, and I should also say this—congratulations on your victory at the Sprinters Stakes. I watched the race. ‘The Shooting Star,’ they call you—and you lived up to the name. A magnificent run."

Ugh… Being praised that much by Symboli Rudolf herself makes my back itch. It’s not that I’m not happy—it’s just… uncomfortable somehow.

How do you even describe this feeling?

"It was pretty close, though. If even one thing had gone wrong, I wouldn’t have been first."

"But you did win. To win a race, you need three things: talent, effort, and—"

"Luck, right?"

"As expected, you know it. You’ve been blessed with luck—and that, more than anything else, is invaluable."

“Luck” being the most important thing… Coming from anyone else, it might sound like a jab. But from her—someone who’s run as the ‘Emperor’ and watched countless Uma Musume as a leader—it carried genuine weight and sincerity.

"…Maruzensky wasn’t blessed with luck. She couldn’t even stand on the Derby stage. The same goes for Oguri Cap."

"That’s…"

"And Teio could have ended up the same way. Without a trainer, she wouldn’t even have been allowed to step on the track."

Thinking back, most stories in the app are all about walking a tightrope.

If the trainer hadn’t happened to find the girl…
If they hadn’t learned about her struggles by chance…
All of it—those small coincidences—piled up to make those stories possible.

"I truly am grateful to you. When Teio kept gaining and losing trainers, she was in such a state that I could hardly even speak to her."

When I first met Teio, she was training in a public park. Normally, that’s not recommended—whether grass or pavement, it’s much harder on the legs than a proper track.

Considering her legs are already fragile, it really was a close call.
In a way, you could say she was lucky.

"You’re blessed with good connections, good luck, real talent, and steady effort. No wonder you managed to win the Sprinters Stakes."

"I appreciate you saying that, though I still feel kind of awkward about it…"

"Heh. And I noticed you made good use of my racing style this time, didn’t you? That move you pulled in the final stretch—it even had a bit of Teio’s flair in it."

…No way. She figured all that out from a single race?

"You can tell that much just by watching once…?"

"You see, I’ve always been good at this sort of thing. You’d understand — I specialize in running while constantly using my head. That’s why I can’t help but analyze races in such a logical way."

It’s said that Symboli Rudolf once even ignored her jockey’s orders and still won a race. She’d win using only the minimum effort necessary — so overwhelmingly, in fact, that people started calling her victories boring.

And now, as an Uma Musume, that brilliance and dominance hadn’t dimmed one bit.

"To add to that, Teio’s debut race — I noticed traces of your running style in her performance. Quite a surprise. Teio imitating anyone’s style other than mine is unheard of."

"I’m pretty sure that was Takion’s doing…"

"Even so. The fact that Teio showed any interest outside of me is rare. I take it as a good sign."

"Well… yeah, I suppose so."

Naturally, my thoughts drifted toward Teio’s future.

In the original timeline, she’d gone from the Cyclamen Stakes to the Wakaba Stakes, and then on to the Satsuki Sho. But things here seemed to be taking a different route.

Her next race was the Hopeful Stakes — after that, she’d likely follow the Triple Crown path.

Looking over the list of new students, there were two Uma Musume who might end up as her rivals: Nice Nature and… Rice Shower.

Wait, so that’s where she’s been hiding instead of running alongside Bourbon!?

"What’s wrong? You’re making quite a range of expressions all of a sudden."

"No, it’s just… thinking about what’s ahead gave me a headache, that’s all…"

Why is it that everyone around me seems destined to get injured!?

At least Nice Nature’s the healing type — she never did win a G1, but she kept running for years, finally retiring to a calm and peaceful life. Just watching her brings a kind of comfort.

Maybe I should go check in on her sometime — call it “enemy observation,” but really it’d be for my sanity.

"Hmm, are you all right? I have painkillers if you need them."

"I’m fine… It’s not that kind of headache. More like an overload of thinking."

"If you say so. Would you like another cup?"

"Yes, please… and make it extra sweet this time…"

"My apologies, Air Groove — could you prepare one more? Your coffee is always better, after all."

"Understood, President."

With a heavy dose of sugar and caffeine, I managed to settle my nerves and reboot my brain.

As for Teio’s legs, leaving that to Agnes Tachyon should be fine for now. Rice Shower, though… what should I do about her? If I remember correctly, her injury happens in her fourth year, at the Takarazuka Kinen.

Maybe — just maybe — she’ll avoid it this time? No? Please?

"Phew… all right, enough overthinking! Between my own races and worrying about all this, I’ll burn out my brain!"

"I’m glad to see you’ve shaken it off. And… is that your real self, perhaps?"

"Ah—crap."

I messed up. My brain was overheated, and my usual polite act slipped.

Symboli Rudolf looked straight at me. Her gaze was calm, but sharp.

"I’ve actually been wanting to see your true self for some time. I could tell you’ve been putting on a front, you know."

Unable to withstand that piercing gaze, I sighed and finally spoke up.

"…All right, this better? Talking casually to the Emperor herself feels insanely disrespectful, though."

"It’s quite all right. Personally, I’d like you to speak to me more naturally — as a friend, even."

"Yeah, that’s… not exactly easy to do."

Rudolf chuckled as she took a sip of coffee.

Well, even in the original story, she might’ve been called the Emperor, but deep down she’s actually pretty playful — and a little lonely, too. I guess she just wants someone she can relax around.

"Ah, yes. I much prefer you like this."

"I swear, people have been seeing through me more often lately. Takion’s definitely noticed too — no, scratch that, she absolutely knows!"

Man, life never goes as smoothly as you’d hope.

"I can’t deal with this without another drink…"

"Then I’ll make you one more. Talking with you never gets boring."

"I… honestly don’t know how to take that."

The two of us sipped coffee together, chatting idly in the student council room.

Every now and then, Rudolf would toss out another terrible pun. From her desk across the room, Air Groove flattened her ears and pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.

Air Groove… you poor soul.

In the end, I spent my entire day off holed up in the student council room.

Still… now that I’ve got Symboli Rudolf’s contact info, what the heck am I supposed to do with it?

[Exclusive Interview] Symboli Rudolf Speaks on the URA Finals
September ○×, 22:00 JST — 102 Views

Winner of the Dream Series, Center Stage at the Live Show — Symboli Rudolf

The Dream Trophy Series serves as a gateway to the URA Finals. This time, we spoke with none other than “The Emperor” himself, Symboli Rudolf, to hear his thoughts on the URA Finals.

— The Dream Trophy Series is a relatively new event. What would you say is its purpose?

Symboli Rudolf: The career span of a Uma Musume isn’t particularly long. At best, they might remain active for six years, while some may retire after only three. But even after stepping away from the front lines, their passion for racing doesn’t fade. The Dream Trophy Series was created to give such Uma Musume a place to continue running. It’s held twice a year to reduce the strain on their bodies, and it’s scheduled during seasons without major GⅠ races to avoid overlapping with other events.

— And how about the URA Finals themselves?

Symboli Rudolf: The URA Finals were established to shine a light on Uma Musume whose strengths lie within narrower specialties. When it comes to titles like the Triple Crown, there are always those who must give up on them due to distance suitability. That’s why I think it’s wonderful that this race highlights Uma Musume who show unmatched strength within specific distance ranges.

— This year’s URA Finals — what should we watch for?

Symboli Rudolf: The participation of those from what’s often called the “Golden Generation.” That, without question, is the highlight this year.

Though the Dream Trophy Series and URA Finals may still be young in history, they’ve already established a clear purpose and significance. This year too, all eyes will undoubtedly be on how they unfold.

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