A moment later...
Urara had settled onto the couch in front of the desk, humming softly as she kicked her legs.
Meanwhile, off to the side...
Air Groove's left eye twitched slightly as she leaned toward Rudolf.
"Isn't she… a little too optimistic for her situation?"
Symboli Rudolf chuckled softly.
"Well… everyone has their own way of handling negative emotions."
"Perhaps optimism is hers."
"I doubt that…" Air Groove sighed.
Rudolf cleared her throat, "Anyway…"
"Good evening, Haru Urara," she said, rising from her seat and walking closer.
Urara beamed immediately.
"Good evening! Uh—"
She greeted but paused midway, blinking.
As if she were trying to remember something.
Then—
Rudolf noticed.
"My apologies," she said smoothly, "My name is Symboli Rudolf, President of the Student Council of Tracen Academy."
She placed a hand lightly over her chest.
"And today, I will be conducting your interview, Haru Urara."
"Whoa…" Urara's eyes sparkled at the introduction.
Then, she tried.
"Nice to meet you, Sim… Symbal… Simbali… Samboli…" she muttered, rubbing her chin dramatically.
Before it could go any further—
Symboli Rudolf raised a hand gently.
"That's alright. You may just call me Rudolf."
"Whoa… Rudy, it is!"
"…R-Rudy…?" Rudolf blinked, slightly taken aback.
From the side, Air Groove stiffened.
"You—!" she began, clearly about to reprimand Urara.
But Rudolf stopped her with a small gesture.
"It's fine."
Air Groove exhaled, "As you wished..." reluctantly holding back.
Rudolf then cleared her throat once more.
"Now then…"
She turned back to Urara.
"Going past the pleasantries, we are here to better understand you, Urara."
"To ensure that our academy's standards are upheld, through candidates who are suitable both for us, and for themselves."
She paused briefly.
"So, Haru Urara… based on your report, your performance in both racing and academics has been... not ideal—"
"But!" Urara suddenly cut in, leaning forward.
"Did you see me finish it?!"
Her eyes shone brightly.
"Did you see me cross the finish line?! Wasn't it amazing?!"
"I can't believe I actually did it too!" she celebrated.
Caught off guard once again, Symboli Rudolf blinked in surprise.
So did Air Groove, who clenched her hands slightly.
"Please… behave, Urara," Air Groove sighed.
"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to cut you off!" Urara quickly apologized.
"But finishing on such a big track just makes me really excited!" she added, still glowing.
"This girl…" Air Groove muttered, her eye twitching again.
Meanwhile—
Rudolf chuckled softly.
"Right… right…"
Her tone then returned.
"Still—"
"Simply finishing a race is not something we would consider a grand achievement."
She stepped slightly closer.
"To conquer it… to outlast every competitor… to surge past the finish line with dominance—"
"That is what defines true achievement."
She looked at Urara.
"Don't you think so, too?"
"Whoa~!" Urara nodded eagerly, "You're right! I can't wait to beat everyone!"
Rudolf gave a small smile.
"That is precisely why institutions like ours exist."
"To prove that even someone deemed lesser… can transform into something far greater through proper guidance."
A brief pause.
Then, she looked directly back at Urara.
"So tell me, Haru Urara."
"Why do you wish to join Tracen Academy?"
"What is your ambition?"
"Your reason… for choosing us?"
Instantly, Urara beamed.
"Because I heard it's the best school out there! And it's the only way I can reach the world!"
"And by finishing my promise with my mom, by making the world a smilier place!"
"…Smilier?" Symboli Rudolf blinked, caught off guard by the response again.
Urara nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! Smilier!"
"That's… good to know…?" Rudolf replied, slightly unsure.
But she moved on.
"Anyway…"
She stepped aside, gesturing toward a canvas behind her.
"Our motto."
"Eclipse first, the rest nowhere."
She turned back.
"Do you know what it means?"
As expected—
Urara tilted her head, face scrunching in thought.
"Ecripse farst… da rast… nawhar…?" she murmured, struggling through the words.
Rudolf gave a small nod.
"It's alright if you don't know. It means—"
"Oh! I know!" Urara suddenly shot upright, startling Rudolf slightly.
"Oh…?" she raised an eyebrow before turning fully back toward her.
"What is it?"
"Well! Its... ITS...!" Urara enthusiastically replied.
"Yes...?"
"ITS..."
"I... I don't know...But I feel like I know!" But she failed to answer, slumping in defeat.
Yet, that effort earned a small titter from Symboli Rudolf.
"That's okay..." Rudolf continued, regaining her composure, "It means to be so dominant and vastly superior that you overwhelm all others, leaving them so far behind they are, effectively, nowhere to be seen."
"In short, it means you're so far above the rest that no one can rival you, let alone stand within your sight."
"Oh…!" Urara nodded, listening closely.
Then—
"It sounds stupid," she casually added.
"Wha—?" Both Rudolf and Air Groove reacted at once.
Urara tilted her head, completely earnest.
"Isn't the reason we race because we want to run with others? Grow with others? Have fun with others?"
"H-Have fun…?" Air Groove repeated in disbelief.
Urara nodded again.
"Yeah! Don't you think it'd be lonely if someone is always so far ahead? While everyone else is behind, racing together, improving together, having fun together?"
"But that one person…"
"She's just running alone at the front, all alone."
"It sounds sad..."
Rudolf's expression shifted.
"But racing isn't merely about enjoyment and connection, Urara," she said sternly, "It is about achieving sovereignty... about attaining undeniable victories."
Urara didn't hesitate.
"Then, Rudy—"
She pointed straight at her.
"You're wrong!"
And Rudolf fluttered again, "What—?" genuinely taken aback.
"To me," Urara continued, "racing isn't just about winning or being the strongest."
She placed her hands on her knees, leaning forward.
"It's not that I don't want to win, I'm eager for it!"
"But it's more about enjoying it while you're doing it!"
"Showing everyone that the track isn't just scary!"
"But a place where you can have fun while racing!"
"And you can't do that by running yourself! You must have friends to do it with!"
"F... friends...?" Rudolf repeated.
Urara nodded, then continued more gently.
"I mean, if winning is your only reason to race… eventually, you might forget how to enjoy it."
At that, Rudolf faltered slightly, her old memories surfacing, reminding her of her constant victories… and her constant loneliness because of it.
The faces of those she had defeated.
Their hollow eyes. Their shaken confidence.
Their fear of her presence.
But before she could sink any deeper, Urara added brightly.
"And for me, I want it to be a place where you can keep smiling, even when you might not finish first!"
"I want it to be a place where you can keep running, even when you might not be the fastest!"
"And I want it to be a place where you can keep growing, even when you win, and never stop because of it!"
Her voice then rose, filling with conviction.
"Of course, I want to win too someday!"
"But, I want it to be a place where you can write your own story without regrets, more!"
"And a place where you can show everyone—"
"That there's never a wrong time to keep enjoying it! To keep smiling because of it!"
"To keep running because of it!"