I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

That's a matter of opinion.

Anyway, ever since Rudolf started running off to Kitahara Shinji's side, his spirits have been visibly declining, and even Narita Shirahito's absences from work have noticeably decreased.

What do the student council members get in return for all their hard work?

The answer is the rapid rapprochement between Rudolf and Shinji Kitahara.

Originally, because he had always thought Kitahara Shinji was his younger brother, and considering the situation with the Emperor of the East Sea, Rudolf had always deliberately kept his distance from him, even though he admired him and had a good relationship with him, in order to avoid any awkward situations that might arise from getting too close.

But now, having learned the truth from the speed symbol, Rudolf has abandoned the deliberate maintenance of distance. After that night's conversation, he has made up his mind to take the initiative to attack, and has achieved considerable success.

However, despite the remarkable results, after spending several months together, her relationship with Shinji Kitahara not only became closer than before, but they also got along better in conversation. Shinji Kitahara's trust in her also increased day by day, and it seemed that things were going well and she was on the verge of surpassing him.

But one thing hung like the Sword of Damocles over her head; no matter how smoothly her actions went or how remarkable the results, she could not be completely at ease.

As for the name of that sword, it was the name of the child in front of her.

"Trainer, President, we've arrived!"

Accompanied by Shinji Kitahara and Rudolf, the Emperor of the East Sea arrived at the Yayoi Sho arena in high spirits. As soon as he got out of the car, he started jumping around and looking around, looking full of energy.

Behind her, Rudolf watched her back with a smile, seemingly without any change in expression. However, after she turned her back, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Trainer, Chairman, let's go in."

The Emperor of the East Sea skipped and hopped ahead, leading the way, while Rudolf followed with a smile. His gaze subtly swept over Shinji Kitahara beside him before returning to the lively and innocent-looking Emperor of the East Sea in front of him, and he sighed softly.

Your Majesty, I apologize...

On this one matter, however, she would never back down...

Chapter 273: Kitahara, Trainer

Upon arriving at the venue, Shinji Kitahara and his group, as usual, went to the organizers to collect the key to the lounge, made some preparations, and then escorted the Emperor of the East Sea onto the field. No unexpected incidents occurred during this time.

After watching the East Sea Emperor enter the arena, Kitahara Shinji did not go to the trainers' reserved stands as usual. Instead, he and Rudolph found a relatively secluded corner and watched the arena from afar.

It's not that Shinji Kitahara wanted to be alone with Rudolph, but since she was there, he felt bad leaving her alone on the side of the stands.

If he were with her, given his undefeated three-time champion reputation, even though he had disguised himself before coming out, he might still be recognized, which could lead to other troubles.

Moreover, it's not just Rudolph; because he allowed the attacks against him to fester, his fame has recently begun to spread outside the country.

Unlike Rudolph, however, his growing fame is all infamy. If he were recognized in the audience, it might cause even bigger trouble than for her.

Therefore, Shinji Kitahara and Rudolf came to this secluded spot. Since there were no seats nearby, the two simply leaned on the balcony, one on each side, and watched the East Sea Emperor's match from afar.

Entering the stadium, warming up, entering the gate...

The most popular character, the East Sea Emperor, strode confidently through the gate. Before entering, she shook her head, seemingly searching for someone in the audience, but apparently didn't find anyone until she entered the gate.

"This kid..."

Noticing her subtle movements, Shinji Kitahara sighed helplessly.

"Now that you're on the field, focus on the game..."

"It's certainly hard to feel at ease, isn't it?"

Rudolf rested his chin on his hand, a faint smile on his face.

"But to be honest, she really likes you a lot. It's one thing to always stick close to you, but even on the field, she'll look for your spot..."

"It's as if she doesn't like you."

After spending so much time together and their relationship recently improving, Shinji Kitahara and Rudolf became more and more relaxed around each other. After glancing at her, he continued speaking.

"And if I had to say, that girl probably likes you a little more, since she likes to go to the student council room when she has nothing to do, but I haven't seen her come to see me that often. I guess she's looking for you more now..."

"Different."

Rudolf shook his head, interrupting him.

“That child’s affection for me is just the respect a junior has for a senior. But you are different. Her affection for you is pure and simple, without any other feelings mixed in.”

As he spoke, Rudolf turned his head, looked at the somewhat bewildered Kitahara Shinji, and sighed softly.

"Okay, to put it more bluntly, her liking for me is more out of admiration; she wants to become someone like me."

"My liking for you is purely for you personally, and ultimately it's not about surpassing you, but about being with you... that is, becoming your lover."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not joking anymore. Actually, I warned you about this a long time ago, and told you she likes you, but you seemed to have misunderstood..."

"impossible."

Shinji Kitahara looked at Rudolf with surprise.

"Aren't you overthinking it? I admit that the princess is quite clingy to me, but you also know she's just a child. She probably doesn't even understand what love is. She probably just sees me as a trustworthy elder..."

Although they've spent so much time together, and because he has a very good impression of the Imperial Palace, Kitahara Shinji isn't too worried about the Imperial Chamber anymore, but then he suddenly says that the Emperor of the East Sea likes him...

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Digital and Neicha are one thing, though I hate to admit it, he did do a lot to win their favor, but Dibao...

At least in his memory, he hadn't done anything to win her favor. In fact, because he wasn't in charge of her training and she always went to the student council room, the time they spent together was relatively less compared to the other members of his team.

Therefore, no matter how he thought about it, Kitahara Shinji did not believe that the Emperor of the East Sea could possibly like him.

Otherwise, given the situation of the other members of his team, wouldn't everyone have to be interested in him? That's just impossible.

As for Kitahara Shinji's thought process, Rudolf Symbol was no longer surprised, not to mention that her purpose in bringing up the East Sea Emperor's matter this time was different from last time, so he didn't dwell on it any longer.

"Alright then, regardless of the truth, let's make an assumption: let's assume she likes you and wants to be your lover... What do you plan to do?"

"What else can be done?"

Shinji Kitahara shrugged.

"How old is she? She's my child, how could I possibly agree to something like this..."

"Don't you like her?" Rudolf asked.

Is this a matter of liking or disliking?

Shinji Kitahara sighed.

"Rudolph, I know you've been at Tressen College for a long time, and your views on love may differ somewhat from those of normal people, but I must emphasize that, given the Emperor's age, this isn't a moral issue, but a legal one..."

"But I don't think you and she are that much older."

Rudolf looked at him and spoke with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Don't tell me you're an adult. I recently went through your file for work-related reasons, and along with some other information, I discovered some interesting things..."

"For example, someone might lie about their age when making their ID to get a job, and then, with that false information, they can swagger into Tresson at about the same age as the women, and they always call others 'kids'... Have they forgotten how old they are?"

"What do you think, little brother Kitahara?"

Upon hearing this title, several black lines immediately appeared on Kitahara Shinji's forehead.

The problem is that, although he felt very frustrated, Shinji Kitahara couldn't think of a way to refute her words for the time being—after all, what she said was indeed true.

"...Anyway, my records show I'm already an adult."

Unable to refute the argument, Shinji Kitahara prepared to change the subject.

"Alright, alright, stop worrying about this nonsense. The match is about to start, let's focus more on the game."

“I don’t think this is a trivial matter.”

As he spoke, Rudolf turned his head back to the field, his eyes gleaming.

"Besides, I don't think there's any need to pay attention to this competition. After all, we all know who the final winner will be, don't we?"

Although Shinji Kitahara wanted to say that the game was not over yet and the outcome was still uncertain, he couldn't bring himself to say it, recalling the recent performance of his team members.

Although his team's children had performed well in previous matches and were virtually unbeatable, their strength at that time could only be described as very strong, not completely invincible.

For example, during the first round of the Autumn Triple Crown competition at Ali Digital, when they were enjoying the autumn scenery, if they hadn't opened the domain, they might have been overtaken by the second-place finisher in that round and suffered a defeat.

But now, let alone overtaking, Aili Digital's remaining two autumn triple crown matches were crushing victories, and each one was won more easily than the last.

Furthermore, Alice Digital only joined his team in her second year, so she received relatively little training from him. As for those who received more training from him earlier, such as Oguri Hattori and Hayate, if they were to compete against other female mascots from the same period, they would easily be at least 20 or 30 horse lengths ahead, let alone have a large difference in skill.

As for the Emperor of the East Sea, although she didn't receive his direct guidance, she was still in his team, interacted with others a lot, and could enjoy various non-training benefits from his team from time to time, such as nursing care, special drinks, and some help from Rudolf.

In addition, she possesses top-tier talent among horse girls. While her current strength may not be comparable to that of the horse girls trained by Shinji Kitahara, it is not far behind. In a normal situation, as long as she doesn't encounter any major accidents, she can basically dominate the game.

Fortunately, Rudolf didn't seem to dwell on the topic. After speaking, he looked towards the arena, seemingly saying he didn't care, but actually still a little worried.

But just as Shinji Kitahara saw that she had calmed down and was preparing to watch the game in peace, Rudolf's voice rang out again.

"Kitahara, you just said you can't accept the emperor because of her age. What about other people? If they like you and are the right age for you, what would you do?"

Upon hearing her words, Shinji Kitahara raised an eyebrow. Considering her previous remarks, a strange sense of unease arose in his heart, and his expression gradually became subtle.

Wait, is this woman pressuring him to get married...?

Although he felt strange inside, at least on the surface, Shinji Kitahara answered her question normally.

"I can't answer that. After all, the concept of 'others' is too broad, and to be honest, I haven't thought much about it. Right now, I plan to finish taking care of these children first, and then consider this kind of thing..."

Although some unpleasant things did happen with some of the children under my name, and I have decided to live with them.

However, because he has never had such an experience and has too many things to do, Shinji Kitahara has not yet thought about the future properly, and naturally has no answer at the moment.

"Didn't you ever think of resolving this matter within the academy?"

Looking down at the East Sea Emperor who had already started running, Rudolf spoke as usual.

"I'm not exaggerating, but think about it yourself. You're a trainer, and your job involves dealing with horse girls all the time. Even after you retire, you'll most likely continue working with horse girls. If you hire someone who doesn't know anything about horses, they probably won't have much in common with you..."

"Furthermore, if, as you say, you wait until you've finished caring for these children before looking for a partner, it's hard to say whether the other person will mind your relationship with these children, and it might even hinder your future career..."

"Furthermore, although you feel your relationship with those children is normal now, there's still a long time left. Can you guarantee that they won't develop feelings for you or even have any ulterior motives in the future? What will you do then?"

If Rudolf had said these words a month ago, Shinji Kitahara would have denied them on the spot and been absolutely certain that he would not have any discord with his children during his tenure.

but now......

Recalling the various 'physical examinations' he had recently undergone, Shinji Kitahara couldn't help but sigh.

"You're right, there's still a long time left, and I really can't guarantee anything like that. Besides, the problems you raised are indeed valid..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, his tone helpless.

"But even so, I can't just lay a hand on those kids, can I? I admit they're all adorable and have great personalities, but I really just want to nurture them as a trainer, give them a fulfilling three years, and provide them with the right guidance..."

"Who told you it was those children? And at your age, can you really call them children? Some of them are probably older than you, aren't they?"

"...Anyway, I'm older than them according to the records."

Kitahara Shinji stubbornly continued.

"But if it's not those children... you mean the other trainers?"

After a moment's thought, before Rudolf could reply, Shinji Kitahara continued.

"To be honest, I know there are some really nice trainers, but we all work at Treson, and office romances don't feel right. Besides, I don't think there are any particularly suitable trainers among the ones I know..."

“Not a trainer,” Rudolf added.

Not a trainer?

Shinji Kitahara was taken aback, then his expression gradually became subtle.

Wait, he's neither a student nor a trainer, so could it be...?

After a moment of silence, Shinji Kitahara slowly spoke, his tone complex.

"Um, President, while I admit that Ms. Junchuan is very nice, and she does seem to be a bit of an older single woman, I really only see her as a very good senior, and I don't have any strange thoughts about her..."

"Neither is Miss Junkawa."

"......ah?"

Shinji Kitahara was taken aback, and was a little confused for a moment.

Not a student, not a trainer, and not Miss Junkawa... Could it be the chairman? That's unlikely, isn't it?

Seeing Kitahara Shinji's expression, Rudolf knew that it was unlikely that he would realize the answer on his own, so he didn't hesitate any longer, turned around and walked up to him.

Then, just as the East Sea Emperor crossed the finish line on the field, after her victory, she looked around happily, trying to find someone to share her joy.

In a secluded corner, two figures intertwined for quite some time before slowly separating.