"Hehe~"

After lying together on the bed with Mizuno for a short while, Symboli Rudolf seemed to recharge some kind of internal energy. Her horse ears twitched happily, signaling she'd regained her motivation.

Smiling softly, Rudolf turned onto her side, looking expectantly at Mizuno beside her.

"Otouto, are you free tonight?"

Still inwardly lamenting gardener-san's cruel betrayal, Mizuno wasn't paying close attention and answered honestly without thinking:

"I'm pretty free, actually."

But just as the words left his mouth, Mizuno suddenly came to his senses, realizing he'd made a critical mistake.

The academy's senior trainers had once taught him:

If an Uma asks whether you're free—especially if the time mentioned is at night—you must immediately be on guard.

After all, an Uma inviting you out late at night would almost never be for extra training.

Therefore, when encountering such a situation, you must find a polite excuse to refuse—and it must be polite. Otherwise, you might not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.

But the words Mizuno had just spoken were like spilled water—impossible to take back.

Now all he could do was shrink further into the corner of the bed, anxiously watching Rudolf, desperately praying her intentions weren't to uma-pyoi (ambush) him.

"Wonderful." Fortunately, Rudolf didn't seem to have that sort of intention. Instead, she took out a stack of documents from her bag and handed them to Mizuno. "I was hoping you could help me review these files."

"This…" Mizuno stared at the documents, confused.

These papers contained various requests and applications submitted by Tracen Academy's Trainers and Uma, which needed approval or rejection by the Student Council. Each application had a small note printed clearly at the bottom:

Not to be reviewed or modified by anyone who isn't part of Tracen Academy's Board or the Student Council.

"Am I even allowed to read these?" Mizuno asked doubtfully.

He wasn't a board member—just an ordinary, rookie Trainer. Reading these files should technically count as breaking academy rules.

"It's fine." Rudolf nodded calmly. "While unreviewed documents can only be accessed by Student Council members, these have already undergone initial review and decisions have been made. As long as the external party is trustworthy to an insider, it's allowed."

As she spoke, Rudolf winked meaningfully at Mizuno.

Mizuno: "…"

He shrank back again slightly. For the first time in his life, he felt being trusted wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"But if they've already been reviewed, what's the point in showing them to me?" Mizuno asked, still not understanding Rudolf's intention.

"First, look at who conducted the reviews," Rudolf pointed to the reviewer's name at the bottom of the file.

Following Rudolf's instruction, Mizuno glanced down—and saw the reviewer's name clearly written there:

"Air Groove?" Mizuno exclaimed, astonished.

He quickly flipped through several more pages, discovering every single one had been reviewed by Air Groove.

Wasn't Air Groove supposed to be holed up in her room embroidering lately? How could she possibly have the energy to handle Student Council work?

As if sensing Mizuno's confusion, Rudolf explained softly:

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Honestly, I also thought Air Groove lacked the energy for such work. But after we visited her last time, she seemed to regain a little spirit and volunteered to help the Student Council with document reviews…"

Rudolf rubbed her chin, looking somewhat troubled as she continued:

"But Air Groove still looks very listless, often spacing out while reviewing files. I've suggested several times that she should rest, but she always refuses stubbornly, insisting she must keep working…"

"These documents were all reviewed by Air Groove. I'm worried that in her current state, she may have made incorrect judgments. As the saying goes, those involved can't see clearly, but bystanders can. Since I'm also an Uma, I might miss things Air Groove overlooked. That's why I'd like you—as a Trainer—to look at these applications from a different angle and help determine whether her decisions are reasonable."

"Is that so…" Mizuno stared down at the documents, hesitating. He felt reluctant to overstep his boundaries by meddling in things outside his authority.

However, this was also an opportunity to indirectly observe Air Groove's current mental state through the quality of her work.

In the end, Mizuno nodded slightly. "Alright, then."

He picked up the first application and started examining it.

———

[Tracen Academy Application Form]

Applicant: Uma A

Request: I request permission to marry my assigned Trainer immediately after graduating.

Air Groove's Decision: Rejected.

———

"No problem here!" Mizuno nodded firmly, internally giving Air Groove a thumbs-up.

This kind of absurd request should absolutely be denied! Allowing an Uma to marry her Trainer immediately after graduation—how could that ever be approved?

Clearly, Air Groove was still capable of making rational judgments. Her mental condition likely wasn't as bad as imagined.

Mizuno continued reading.

———

Applicant: Trainer A

Request: Requesting secret resignation!

…

Applicant: Trainer B

Request: Requesting secret resignation!

(More than ten similar forms follow)

Air Groove's Unified Decision: Pending.

———

"Am I allowed to change these approval results?" Mizuno lifted his head, eyes brimming with sympathetic tears.

Even though he'd never met these Trainers personally, Mizuno could keenly feel their pain from their desperate requests. He strongly wished he could help these fellow Trainers by approving their resignations immediately.

But Rudolf shook her head firmly. "No, only the original reviewer can change the approval results. In other words, Air Groove herself has to do it."

"Ah… alright." Mizuno slumped slightly in disappointment. It seemed these Trainers wouldn't be successfully resigning anytime soon.

However, on reflection, this decision was also reasonable. After all, approving every Trainer's request for secret resignation would lead to chaos. The academy needed to verify each situation carefully before making a final judgment.

Air Groove's decision made sense.

Mizuno continued reading.

———

Applicant: Uma C

Request: Requesting resignation for my Trainer, who has privately vowed marriage to me and has returned home with me for our wedding. He's currently too busy, so I'm submitting resignation on his behalf.

Air Groove's Decision: Approved.

———

Applicant: Trainer C

Request: HELP! [text erased] basement [text erased] being squeezed dry [text erased]!!!

Air Groove's Decision: Unclear request, rejected.

———

"Hssss…" Mizuno inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling he'd stumbled upon some massive, earth-shattering secret.

This Uma C and Trainer C… surely they weren't assigned to each other?

I sincerely hope that Trainer is alright.

Continuing downward, Mizuno found several familiar names.

———

Applicant: Trainer Kaneshiro Takeru

Request: Requesting annual leave. My assigned Uma isn't in a good mood, so I want to take her on a short trip.

Air Groove's Decision: Approved.

———

Applicant: Trainer Kiryuin Aoi

Request: Requesting access to an unused classroom to discuss training methods for Uma with colleagues.

Air Groove's Decision: Approved.

———

Applicant: Uma Delicious Fresh

Request: Requesting mandatory trackers on all Trainers. Too many Trainers mysteriously disappear nowadays. By installing trackers on Trainers and handing the receivers to their assigned Uma, we can prevent Trainers from being abducted by bad Uma.

Air Groove's Decision: Approved.

———

"WHAT?!" Mizuno's eyes widened in horror.

Placing trackers on all Trainers?! And handing the receivers to Uma? How could Air Groove possibly approve this?!

Could it be her obsession with finding that mysterious masked man had grown so intense that she'd blindly approve any request potentially helpful for locating someone?!

"Let me ask again—are you sure I really can't change these approval results?" Mizuno turned urgently toward Rudolf.

"No, only Air Groove herself can."

"…" Mizuno went silent, then showed Rudolf the application about installing trackers. "Luna, there's definitely something wrong here."

"This…" Rudolf carefully read the document, quickly frowning like Mizuno. "You're right, something is indeed off."

"Haa…" Mizuno breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Rudolf shared his opinion—that this request was completely inappropriate and shouldn't be approved.

But then Rudolf's next words stunned him:

"The academy doesn't have the budget for expensive trackers for every Uma. If we change this to have Uma pay themselves, there shouldn't be a problem."

"HAAAH?!" Mizuno jumped in shock.

That's not the point!

This isn't about budget! Trackers absolutely shouldn't be installed on Trainers!

Confused by Mizuno's sudden agitation, Rudolf tilted her head.

Did she say something wrong…or did Trainer Mizuno misunderstand?

"Trackers might indeed solve the ongoing disappearance issue, so I think it's acceptable," Rudolf calmly added.

Mizuno: "..."

Does nobody see that putting trackers on Trainers only increases the danger?! Original content can be found at NoveIＦire.net

Mizuno stared blankly at the ceiling, desperately praying his experiment would succeed quickly so Air Groove would recover soon enough to reverse this terrible decision herself…