The next morning, Eternal Meteor woke up early and immediately sat up in bed, suspiciously scanning the room.
All night, she'd had the eerie feeling that someone was staring at her.
But no matter how she searched, she couldn't find where that gaze was coming from.
"…Weird. Am I getting jumpy lately?"
Her eyes drifted toward Rudolf, still asleep. Then she shook her head and dismissed the thought.
From experience, Meteor could tell Rudolf wasn't faking it—her breathing rhythm was too consistent.
And there was nobody else in the dorm room.
Besides, Meteor slept on the top floor. There weren't any anti-theft bars outside the window to hang from, either.
So… was it really just her imagination?
After confirming that the only sound was Rudolf's faint breathing, Meteor lay back down and started scrolling on her phone.
Not long after, the phone beside Rudolf's pillow vibrated—cleanly, insistently—waking her up.
Huh? That's early.
Meteor glanced at the time in the upper-right corner of her screen. Rudolf's wake-up time was usually fixed to the minute. She wasn't early. She wasn't late.
And yet… it was nearly thirty minutes ahead of schedule.
Curious, Meteor put her phone away, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep—only her ears twitching slightly, betraying the fact that she was still wide awake.
She listened carefully.
Slippers.
Sink.
Toothbrushing.
Changing clothes.
And then Rudolf quietly closed the door and left.
Everything was normal.
…Except for the lock noises.
Why does one door need that many locks?
Once Rudolf's footsteps faded down the hall, Meteor sat up again. The sound of running water made her realize she wanted the bathroom.
After she finished and returned to bed, she heard the door open.
Rudolf came in, set a bag down on the desk, and looked over at Meteor—who hurriedly tucked her leg under the blanket.
Rudolf's head started to ache.
Especially because the crutches she'd deliberately placed by Meteor's bed were still arranged exactly the way they'd been when she left.
"President—what's that?" Meteor asked, pointing to the opaque white plastic bag on the desk.
"It's hot breakfast."
Rudolf smiled.
For some reason, Meteor suddenly felt like crying—as if someone had punched the softest part of her chest.
She brought Rudolf breakfast sometimes, sure… but that was just her way of trying to "pay back" a tiny fraction of all the care she'd been receiving.
Rudolf, on the other hand, kept taking care of her like this—quietly, without asking for anything—and even woke up half an hour early just to do it.
Yesterday too. To make sure Meteor got back to sleep early, Rudolf had still been working on her phone even after getting into bed.
While Meteor was spiraling in her thoughts, Rudolf had already unpacked the breakfast and set it in front of her.
"Did you wash up?"
"I brushed my teeth earlier."
Meteor answered on reflex before her brain caught up with who she was talking to.
But Rudolf didn't seem to notice anything strange. She continued unpacking the food while explaining it.
Meteor's gaze wandered awkwardly, then landed on the crutches—and she abruptly understood.
Ah. So she didn't notice I didn't use them.
Relief washed through her. She refocused on the meal.
"You should still eat something light. I got rice porridge, and some pickled radish."
Unlike Tokai Teio—who would just fetch whatever Meteor said she wanted—Rudolf prioritized nutritional balance.
…These cursed radishes. I can feel them plotting to disgust me with that smell.
Even so, once Meteor remembered Rudolf had bought this breakfast, she obediently picked up a piece, shook off the excess liquid with a tiny flick of her chopsticks, and dropped it into the porridge before swallowing it down.
If I take a big enough bite and swallow fast enough, I won't taste it.
Watching Meteor eat in big gulps, Rudolf finally sat down with her own meal.
Outside, morning birds were chirping.
For once, the world felt quiet.
After they finished eating, Rudolf stood up to tidy the desk and asked, "Do you have plans today? Want to come to the student council room and play games again?"
If possible, she wanted Meteor in her line of sight as much as she could.
If Meteor was right there—nothing could happen.
"No, no. I promised a friend I'd go out for dessert."
The real purpose was picking up her custom wheelchair. She'd arranged delivery with Gold Ship last night—pickup this morning.
She was ridiculously excited.
"I see. That's good too. Going out is healthy." Rudolf paused, then added, "Just be careful with your leg. And message me when you're coming back."
Rudolf was disappointed, but she also knew it wasn't realistic to drag Meteor into the student council room every day.
As long as Meteor wasn't alone, it was still acceptable.
…Why does Rudolf feel kind of… mother-hen-ish now?
Meteor didn't say it out loud. She just nodded obediently.
"Okay, okay."
"By the way," Rudolf asked, still not entirely satisfied with a simple "message me," "who are you going with?"
If she knew the person, she could also ask them to keep an eye on Meteor—and even have them confirm when Meteor was safely back.
"Gold Ship."
"…Who?"
"Gold Ship. From Team Spica."
Now Rudolf was definitely not at ease.
Air Groove complained about Gold Ship often—usually while massaging her temples like she was physically in pain.
Just imagining that expression told Rudolf everything she needed to know.
"Just you and her?"
"Yes."
Meteor had no idea what she'd said wrong. She simply answered honestly.
Rudolf's gaze sharpened.
"Absolutely no dangerous stuff. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Meteor even snapped a little salute. Inside, though, she couldn't help wondering what Gold Ship's reputation looked like to other people.
How bad does it have to be for even Rudolf to react like this?
"When you go out, have Gold Ship come up and get you," Rudolf continued. "Don't try to do the stairs yourself. If you need to, call me."
Meteor nodded twice for every sentence.
Only after Rudolf finally left the dorm did Meteor exhale.
She flopped back onto the bed, grinning like an idiot while waiting for Gold Ship's message—her mind filled with anticipation for her new ride.
She had no idea that Rudolf still didn't feel safe at all.
Not only had Rudolf messaged Gold Ship—offering bonus points as "incentive"—she'd even notified Nishizaki Ryuu as well.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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