Chapter 277 387
"Congratulations, Kuroha."
As they walked, Symboli Rudolf turned her head slightly to look at the young man beside her.
For some reason, lately, whenever she looked at this old friend, someone she should have been more than used to by now, she kept getting this strange feeling.
Was he getting… more handsome?
No. It wasn't just looks. It was more like… some kind of growing, sacred aura.
It was hard to put into words, like a natural pull that made her instinctively feel close to him, comfortable around him.
Rudolf tilted her head, puzzled.
If Kuroha knew what she was thinking, he'd probably understand right away.
What she was sensing was the steadily strengthening Divine Authority inside him.
As it reinforced him, it also quietly shaped him, little by little, in the direction of something "godlike."
Just like how Horse Girls couldn't help but feel fondness the moment they met Godolphin.
Kuroha, walking that road toward divinity, carried an extra measure of affinity that worked on both humans and Horse Girls alike.
"Congratulations for what?" Kuroha asked with a smile.
"For lots of things."
Rudolf looked forward again, gazing at the academy road ahead, freshly decorated until it looked completely new. A bright smile spread across her face.
"Your triumphant return from overseas. Winning the Arima Kinen. Or," she added, "the one you want me to congratulate you on most is probably this, right?"
Rudolf turned her head again, and her beautiful face lifted with sincere warmth.
"Congratulations in advance. Happy wedding, Kuroha."
"Haha. I'll take that," Kuroha said, accepting the blessing without hesitation.
They continued down the road.
Every so often, they passed Tracen staff hanging up new banners, their bright fabric fluttering in the wind with promotional slogans for the "Third URA Tournament" coming in a few days.
"Speaking of that, Rudolf," Kuroha said, watching the banners sway. "Are you entering the URA Tournament?"
"Isn't that a dumb question?" Rudolf shot back, rolling her eyes. "If I don't enter, won't 'the Emperor' drive me insane?"
"This year's more of an exhibition than anything, but if I, as the 'Emperor,' don't participate, the tournament's authority just collapses."
"Fair enough," Kuroha nodded.
But then Rudolf's expression sagged, and she started grumbling.
"I'm about to die from how busy I've been!"
"Mr. C.B. is completely useless, and lately I can't even find Maruzen. I have no idea what they're running around doing."
"Right now I have to handle student council work and do recovery training for the URA Tournament. Do they think I'm made of steel?"
In front of a close friend, Rudolf let the "Emperor" mask slip a little, venting everything that had been building up these past days.
Kuroha couldn't help smiling as he remembered the way Rudolf's desk looked, the documents stacked higher and higher like they were trying to form their own tower.
"It's fine," he said. "Maybe the student council will recruit some reliable underclassmen someday."
"…That's way too far in the future to count," Rudolf muttered, casting Kuroha a chilly sideways glance.
"If I could choose, I'd rather have you and Maruzen come help me share the load right now."
"…"
After exactly one second of silence, Kuroha decisively changed the subject.
"Anyway, you have to come to the wedding in a few days, alright?"
As soon as he said it, he shoved the documents back into her arms and turned to leave.
But before he went, he casually reached out and tapped a finger against Rudolf's smooth forehead, the motion easy and natural.
"With that, you should have about ten minutes. Go work with some energy, Rudolf."
"?"
In the moment she froze, a nail-sized spark of rainbow light slipped from Kuroha's fingertip and sank into her forehead.
Rudolf reflexively touched the spot, then looked at Kuroha's retreating back, completely baffled.
Then, the next instant,
A hum.
A blinding streak of light erupted from deep within the "Emperor's" pupils.
Crimson radiance, like living flame, appeared out of thin air and coiled around her.
A terrifying, astonishing presence burst outward like a volcanic eruption, wave after wave, surging straight into the sky.
"This is…"
Rudolf went rigid.
Stiffly, she set the documents down on the ground. Then she raised her right hand and clenched hard.
Crack.
Her joints popped like muffled thunder.
That long-lost peak strength, something she hadn't felt in who knew how many years, flooded through her limbs like roaring magma.
Every cell in her body seemed to cheer. With every breath, she could feel that explosive power, restless and overflowing.
Run again.
Run again!!!
The urge hit so hard she almost couldn't stop herself from sprinting down the empty academy road on the spot.
Rudolf stood there for a full minute before she finally forced the impulse down.
The power of her Domain drew back in slowly. The red glow faded away. After a long moment, only a soft, lingering sigh remained in the air.
"Idiot, Kuroha…"
"If you do this… how am I supposed to endure only ten minutes?"
After a brief silence, Rudolf picked up the documents again and headed toward the student council, her steps light.
But still.
A desire that had been buried for a long time, one she didn't even fully understand herself, rose quietly inside her.
"Mm… if I have time, I'll go find Kuroha… no, I'll go find Maruzen and hang out for a bit."
"Yeah. Just Maruzen."
(End of Chapter)
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