The mediocre trainer doesn't want to reopen

Otherwise, if Rudolph from the first week said something like this... then, Kitano had to say, he would inevitably be a little disappointed.

He has been trying his best to change Rudolph's temper and perspective on things. He hopes that Rudolph can put the perspective of interests behind and think from the perspective of a person, instead of putting interests first in everything.

Sometimes, putting yourself in other people's shoes and weighing the pros and cons can make ordinary people trust you more. As the president, Rudolph cannot only look at the problem from one perspective, but also needs to understand more other people.

This is what Kitano has always wanted to teach Rudolph, and as Rudolph's former trainer, this is also the only thing he wants to criticize Rudolph about.

"Rudolf, if I really tell you that I like Aldan, then the reason why I like her should not be closely related to what you said."

"I like people, not the power or what they hold behind them. That's not 'liking', it's just a simple 'marriage'."

"Unfortunately, I'm not a noble son born into a wealthy family. I'm not worthy of marrying into any power. I'm just a person. I can only like a 'person', not what that person represents."

However, Kitano's simple answer made Rudolph suddenly wake up.

But, it was because she woke up and recalled the most important things that Kitano had taught her when Rudolph was with Kitano - she realized how wrong her answer just now was.

Slowly, a bitter taste appeared on Rudolph's lips, and she suddenly realized what was going on with the disappointment in her trainer's eyes.

She was actually... so useless... She had forgotten everything the trainer had taught her.

Chapter 269: If you were just Rudolph, how could I not love you?

"Kitano, your answer really makes me... ashamed."

Rudolph slowly closed her eyes. She didn't know what was going on deep in her heart when she said this. She was speechless and had nothing to say. Besides shame, she felt more bitterness in her heart.

She remembered it, she remembered it all now - if Rudolph, who awakened his memories that night, only recalled the little things she had experienced with Kitano, and the grief she felt when Kitano left her, then now, she really remembered all the missing parts.

That part, was part of why she liked him... She finally remembered.

No... maybe this cannot be called a memory. It can only be said that she has finally taken it seriously again.

"Time breeds love" isn't entirely accurate when used to describe Rudolph and Kitano's relationship in the first episode. After all, if you can truly fall in love with someone simply by spending time together, then Rudolph, who grew up in the Symbol family, should have loved her grandmother the most—but now she wishes she were dead.

Taking a step back, I haven't seen Rudolph like Qi Cao or Bai Ren. Well, this liking is not the same as that liking, but love grows over time, and it also needs the right way to open it.

Take the first episode of Rudolph and Kitano as an example. If Kitano was really a "pendulum of the emperor" who was of no help to Rudolph, would she still like Kitano, who was an old man at the time? Of course not.

The help and changes Kitano gave Rudolph were her most precious treasures. These helps were not just helping Rudolph to sort out her housework and trivial matters, but the changes Kitano gave Rudolph were the opportunity for her to fall in love with him.

Just like the day when Rudolph defeated Representative Chiaki, Kitano had taught Rudolph from a very early age to learn to respect his opponents. It was not until the day when Representative Chiaki was defeated by her that Rudolph truly heard these words in his heart.

In addition to this, Kitano taught Rudolph many other things... When Rudolph just took office and became the new student council president, the title she carried at that time, besides "Emperor", another title of "Tyrant" was even more resounding.

However, Kitano taught Rudolph to show a different side of herself and to tell everyone about her changes with a truly tolerant heart.

Rather than maintaining a spotless good person image, asking a bad guy to change is actually more surprising and easier to accept - Kitano gave Rudolph such a plan from the beginning to change himself.

Simply put, it means abandoning your side as the "Emperor" of Uma Musume, starting over as the student council president, and letting everyone get to know you anew.

Perhaps Rudolph's tyrannical image on the court is irreversible. But that doesn't prevent you from becoming a kind, tolerant, and impartial president. In fact, this former image is a perfect contrast to the latter role.

He said that she wants to empathize with the demands and wishes of every horse girl, and she wants to carry out the concept of "creating a world where all horse girls are happy" to the end.

Therefore, she cannot just focus on the top few geniuses. What she should see more is the masses, the more ordinary, but more numerous and the majority that cannot be ignored.

Rudolph once said that she could not learn, her nature was so irritable and quick-tempered, how could she be a good president?

But Kitano at that time rubbed her head and said softly: "Even if you have to pretend, you have to pretend to be a good president. As long as I am here, Rudolph, you must be a good president. I will help you maintain everything you have."

“When one day you feel like you can’t take off the mask you thought you were wearing, that’s when the mask has completely become one with you—not all masks represent hypocrisy, especially when you’re doing the right thing.”

"Besides, I believe in you. Your nature is not such a twisted person. Give it a try and find your true self, the true nature that Ludo symbolizes."

From that moment on, Rudolph's life really changed drastically. Before that, she had never thought that she would really become a good president.

I have never believed that... one day I would actually be able to see the so-called ordinary majority, and... the person who truly cares for this majority.

That was the opportunity for Rudolf to fall in love with Kitano. Kitano Ryuichi, who stood beside the "Emperor" but cast his eyes on everyone, was an indispensable existence to her and someone she... could not give up.

She loved this soul, but now... she had forgotten everything this person had taught her.

Could it be that she really couldn't learn? Was she a tyrant at heart?

But on the contrary... after being reincarnated several times, you are still the same you... Ryuichi Kitano.

Rudolph thought so and slowly closed his eyes. After a long while, he said softly, "I finally understand why you, Trainer Kitano, are so popular nowadays."

"Among all the horse girls who like you, I'm probably the one who leaves the worst impression on you, right?"

"How could that be?" Kitano didn't care. Rudolph had already spoken her true feelings. He knew that Rudolph had a good impression of him this time, but he couldn't respond to Rudolph. After all, he had his own things to do.

Furthermore, he didn't want to be too involved with the Symbol Family. He had already experienced enough in the first round, so there was no need to start over again.

There was no need... to make Rudolph like him and then lose him again.

"Why not? You're being too obvious." Rudolph smiled bitterly, his tone tinged with sorrow as he spoke, "Compared to Good Opera, Aldan, and the others, you're certainly not as close to me, are you? Back in the team room, during the few times we spent time together, you always favored the others."

"Although, I also know that I haven't done well enough. I only care about gains and losses, but forget to ignore other people's feelings."

"That's not a bad thing, Rudolph." Seeing Rudolph's gloomy mood, Kitano couldn't help but feel down as well. However, he still tried to comfort Rudolph, saying, "Without your rationality, how could we have managed the affairs of such a large institution like Tresen College? Rationality isn't bad; emotions can make mistakes too. It just depends on how we use them."

"I'm not infallible. I'm a dull person... I often fail to consider rational aspects and act emotionally, which only hurts myself and those around me."

"But you seem to be surrounded by people who echo your sentimentality while also using reason to persuade you." Rudolph shook his head gently, his tone filled with loneliness as he said, "After all... you don't really like me, right?"

"I'm a trainer, an ordinary person born into an ordinary family; Rudolph, you're the student council president and the next heir to the family." Kitano slowly closed his eyes and said calmly, "After all, there's a difference between us that's difficult to overcome."

"but."

"Hmm?" Rudolph opened his eyes slightly, with a glimmer of hope in his pupils.

"But Rudolph, if you were just Rudolph, why should I dislike you?"

The last sentence didn't seem to express any direct feelings, but it seemed to express all the feelings that Kitano had for Rudolph.

Although this sentence was full of helplessness, it did not completely deny the relationship between the two.

What separated the two was an unbridgeable gap called "class". This gap had hurt all of them deeply, but it could not sever Kitano's feelings for Rudolph.

Even though Kitano now believed that he was the only one who understood this feeling, he didn't think that Rudolph, who was trying to express his love to him based on the familiarity, would really understand the pain behind these words.

This can be considered as Kitano's "confession". It is both a confession and a way to stop thinking about him.

Because he never wanted Rudolph to really give up everything to like him. This would only hurt Rudolph. She couldn't do it, and Kitano never needed Rudolph to force himself to do it.

Finally, Kitano slowly opened his eyes, held back his tears, and smiled faintly at Rudolph, who looked dazed in front of him.

"Today's wine is delicious, Rudolph, thank you for telling me this."

"I hope we can have more conversations like this in the future. I also hope that by then, we can still have such a calm conversation, just as Rudolph and Kitano Ryuichi."

"Well...goodbye, Rudolph."

Leaving the sadness and guilt to himself and giving comfort and tenderness to others, Kitano drank the red wine in the glass in front of him, turned around and left without looking back.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would burst into tears on the spot. It would not feel good to have his past wounds reopened.

It was unknown how long Kitano had been gone before Luduo finally realized what was happening. When she raised her head, her cheeks, covered in tears, had already wet the small area in front of her.

Did her confession fail?

It seems not. The trainer... seemed to respond to her feelings. She knew that the trainer didn't dislike her, but... they just liked each other but couldn't be together.

She could have accepted the result if she knew it, but why... did she feel so painful?

She also drank the red wine in the glass, swallowing it along with Rudolf's tears...but she couldn't swallow her sadness, the mistakes, cowardice and guilt she had made.

They...were so close...just a little bit, just a little bit...

Why, she couldn't catch it, why, she always couldn't catch it...

"Woo?" The next moment, Rudolph, who felt a little more weight and warmth on her shoulders, raised her head in a trance. When she saw Sirius taking off his coat beside her, her pupils became a little unfocused.

"Let's go back, sister."

Sirius, for the first time in a long time, addressed Rudolph, who was so fragile, as "sister." She draped her coat over Rudolph's shoulders, and looked at her with a complicated expression in her eyes, but she didn't seem to blame Rudolph for his memory recovery.

After listening to her conversation with Kitano, it must be said that Sirius no longer even had the idea of ​​blaming her sister. She realized that her past accusations against Rudolph... seemed a bit excessive.

She also failed to put herself in Rudolph's shoes and think from his perspective. After all, she was different from Rudolph. The expectations she carried and the expectations Rudolph carried... were completely different.

This time, facing Sirius's comfort, Rudolph did not resist, but walked with his sister obediently.

On the other side, it took a long time for the Emperor of the East China Sea to slowly put down the earphones in his ears. Everything that had just happened... for a child like her, it would take some time to slowly digest.

And everything that just happened, the other side of Rudolf, will undoubtedly cause the emperor's image of Rudolf to undergo another earth-shaking change. And this time, is the change good or bad... perhaps, only the emperor knows the answer.

Chapter 270: Rudolph and Sirius's Final Deal

Rudolph was covered with a coat by Sirius, and with the help of his sister, they left here step by step. They came to a relatively quiet small park and stopped.

"Sit here for a while." Sirius supported Rudolph, who had been crying silently and now seemed extremely silent, and sat down on a bench in the park. Then he went to the beverage vending machine nearby and bought two cans of hot drinks for her.

"Here, you like this flavor of canned coffee, right?"

"I bought a hot cup specially for you. This one is sugar-free. I remember you don't drink coffee with sugar."

"..." Rudolph, with lifeless eyes, took the coffee that Sirius handed her and placed the can of coffee in his hands, silently warming himself. After a long while, he heard her say in a hoarse voice, "I don't like... sugar-free coffee, it's just... the bitterness makes me more energetic."

"I like sweet things too... As for Trainer-kun... he knows..."

"..." Rudolph's words left Sirius speechless at the moment. She certainly knew that it was extremely difficult for her sister to accept the huge blow she had suffered this time - this kind of thing had happened once before.

Sirius still remembered the day she learned that Kitano was missing, when she was cursing at Rudolph, Rudolph's face was dazed, and then his face was full of shame, regret and resentment. That was the first fight between Sirius and Rudolph after their breakup.

At that time, Rudolph was really roaring like a mad dog. The two horse girls, who were both hurt by the same person, vented all their anger and regret on each other. The final result was that the two women, who were evenly matched, beat each other all over.

Of course, Rudolph was more seriously injured, both physically and mentally, and Sirius had to admit that.

And it is still the same now. This fragile Rudolph is the image that Sirius used to be extremely angry about... But now, after listening to her conversation with Kitano, Sirius can no longer feel angry towards Rudolph.

"I'll go buy you a bottle of sweet."

Faced with the fragile Rudolph at this moment, Sirius made a rare compromise and was determined to help his poor sister have a good rest.

But just as Sirius was about to leave, Rudolph didn't even turn his head, but grabbed Sirius's hand. After a long while, he murmured, "No... Thank you, Sirius."

"It's bitter... well, it won't be any more bitter anyway."

Rudolph stopped Sirius from leaving. She didn't need any hot coffee now. She just needed someone to stay by her side to fill the void in her heart.

It's a pity that Sirius can't completely fill the missing piece in Rudolph's heart, but at least... it can make her heart feel a little less painful...

Sirius knew Rudolph was upset, so he sat down beside her. The two women wordlessly opened their cans of coffee and drank them sip by sip, remaining silent for a long time.

"Is that man so important to you?" After a long time, perhaps Sirius could no longer bear such silence, so he turned his head slightly and asked his sister who seemed to have lost everything in the world at this moment.

It took Rudolph a long time to react to Sirius' question. However, at this moment, her throat slightly moistened by the coffee, she replied with a trembling voice, "He is... the most important person to me."

"He taught me how to feel for others, how to understand others... and... how to love others."

"With him, my world is full of color. With him... I finally understand that there are things in this world that are more important than winning, more important than victory, things that I need to maintain and cherish..."

"Then why did you give up on him again?" Sirius' heart tightened slightly when she heard this, although she knew that her sister and her trainer had a very deep relationship, even to the point that no one else could interfere.

Otherwise, if Rudolph was truly worthless, a mere tool for the trainers, why would Kitano stay with her? And why did Kitano's supporters, including Chicao and Narita Shirahito, who also harbored a vague affection for him, remain content to suppress their feelings, afraid to reveal them?

If the source of all this is just that they are afraid of Rudolph, then it would be too much of an underestimation of them. Would Bai Ren, a "Queen" and a "blind monster" who is also a Triple Crown horse girl, give up her pursuit because of fear?

What made them give up was not the emperor's power, but the tacit understanding and feelings between them that no one could interfere with. It made them realize that they had no chance in front of Rudolf.

As for Sirius, she certainly understood this feeling, but she just wanted to give it a try - although part of it was because she wanted to challenge Rudolph, but more of it was because she was not always with Rudolph and Kitano.

She had limited knowledge of how the two interacted, and didn't know the specific extent of the relationship between Kitano and Rudolph. She could only get some information from some fragments of Kitano's interactions with her, and Rudolph's intimidating but not angry reactions.

In her eyes, she didn't know why Rudolph, who had "deep feelings" for Kitano, would give up everything in the end. Therefore, she naturally believed that Rudolph, who gave up their relationship and indirectly led to Kitano's suicide, was the one who didn't give the corresponding feelings.

But the emotions expressed by Rudolph now, and Kitano's last words, which revealed his uncontrollable feelings towards Rudolph... made Sirius doubt his own judgment again.

Rudolph, now so confused she couldn't think straight, couldn't answer anything except the most straightforward words in her heart. She didn't even notice the hint in Sirius's words that she knew about their past. She muttered, "Abandoning my family... and acting as a simple horse girl... I think... I want to..."

"But...will I be able to have him this way...and by doing this...will I not lose him?"

"What can a 'Horse King' with no one to rely on protect? Can this really be any better than the previous ending?"

Rudolph looked up blankly at Sirius, his gaze piercing Sirius's eyes. He spoke word for word, "Without the family's support, how could we have surpassed most horse girls from the outset? Without the family's support, how would we have steered public opinion when we achieved unprecedented success? Are we simply leaving all these challenges to my trainer?"

"And without the support of my family, won't the obstacles on my path be a hundred times more difficult than before? Do I have to put all my hopes on my trainer?"

"And my confidence, my dignity, my so-called 'emperor' arrogance—which of these isn't based on the support of the family I despise?"

"If I abandon all this...what do I have left...what do I have left..."