Chapter Text
…Consciousness
soaks in, causing magenta orbs to faintly peek beneath lids.
However,
that ended quickly when a blazing white surprised her.
A left arm swiftly shields her afflicted eyes.
…Now that feels better.
But why does the council room require that much light? Did Air Groove adjust the blinds again?
Rudolf grimaces at the familiar aching in her back and limbs, the kind that comes from sitting at the desk for too long, especially in a C position.
Shifting observation to elsewhere sounded like a more stimulating activity that fulfills some forming curiosity as to where she may be.
Plus, it’ll help wait out her eye recovery from the sudden assault…
A low humming that suggests airflow could be detected from somewhere in the room, followed by a cool climate that settled beneath.
This must be the dorms.
The student council doesn’t have any fans or air conditioners anymore.
But why at the dorms? Doesn’t Brian ignore her when she’s napping just to be respectful? And wouldn’t Groove mumble some disapproval before continuing to quietly work?…
Maybe CB and a worker are just playing around again? Would it be best —
“…Mmh…”
Huh.
Glancing downward, a Uma with cloudy-colored… messy? Hair, lies on her chest. Was she asleep?
Rudolf carefully scans the girl for noticeable injuries; when none is found, she quietly crosses off the idea of her being knocked out by assault.
Oguri’s white uniform was draped over the stranger, and to be honest, it accommodated well—a little too well in fact.
An arm was lifted to confirm something, and… of course, she had on her usual green race attire.
An audible yawn came from the gray uma, before straddling Rudolf in an attempt to stretch, only to slowly retract upon realization of the limited space.
Gaping lightly, sleepy blue topaz was exposed, confirming Rudolf’s theory about the stranger Uma.
“Oguri,” Rudolf calls out with a delicious tone, not too loud or quiet.
“…mmm, Rudolf?..”
“How was your nap?”
“Bad,” she slurs, “had a dream about croquettes, I couldn’t eat them all in time though...”
Oguri’s face fixtures into an adorable, sluggish pout, forcing an unexpected chuckle to escape the depths of Rudolf’s chest.
Who knew the beast was this uncouth and fatuous? It’s honestly refreshing to see for once instead of the usual intense or excessively serious ones she’s come across.
“…Hey, Rudolf?”
“Yes?”
“Where are we?”
Good question.
Brows cringed as Rudolf chews her bottom lip to hopefully support her focus on the surroundings.
Two connecting, snow-like, neon lines served as a roof at the top before sloping down on either side. The rows surprisingly didn’t illuminate the surrounding endless black, adding to Rudolf’s perplexity.
“It appearances that we may be in an shape of some sort.”
“Is it a triangle?”
“Perhaps…”
“…”
“So we’re stuck in an magical triangle domain?”
What.
“How did you draw that conclusion?”
“I ended up here after deciding to take a nap, you must have experienced the same—“
So she assumed. Not asked, assumed.
“So that means this magical triangle teleported us here, otherwise why else would we end up here?”
At this point,
Rudolf couldn’t contain it.
A full-blown guffaw bursts, causing lids to squeeze shut to prevent tears from forming. Her stomach tightens painfully with each giggle, forcing her arms to wrap around it. Oguri’s brows rise as her lips twist into a bewildered frown at the strange sight.
“What’s so funny?”
No answer was available for the poor girl since a sturdy laughing session had taken ahold of the other.
Sweat slides down the corners of Rudolf’s face while she slowly transitions to a series of wheezes and audibly gasps.
She hasn't had that kind of laugh in a good while. Probably never.
“….You, caught me off guard, that’s all,” Rudolf finally responds, still wheezing with laughter.
“Oh.”
Magenta finally opens— only to be caught by a glaring topaz.
For once, neither side was filled with intense opposition or inhospitality for the other.
But if it wasn’t that, was it then?
“…I’ll, buy some croquettes for you after this,” Rudolf awkwardly clears her throat before removing her gaze. “For now, do you have any idea of where we may be, outside of this triangle?”
“Maybe another magical domai —”
“You’re still residing on this magic idea?”
“If it’s not magic, what is it then,” Oguri asks with a slight Kasamatsu accent that Rudolf had yet to come across.
“Hopefully tracen dorms.”
“Hmm,” Oguri hums with narrowed brows, as if she's finally, properly deliberating the situation they’re in.
A gloved palm presses against the see-through wall; Rudolf’s palm taps against it while her mind begins to unravel.
Why are they in their race wear?
Why are they even trapped?
And why are they trapped together?
They shared no connection beyond closed doors, and even then, that was little.
She could’ve seen Tamano, Creek, or whatever person Oguri raced with in this position because they had fans who wanted them to win—
If that’s the case, was the culprit doing this because of bitterness about a loss or was this some sort of fetish—
“Rudolf?”
“What is it?”
“Do you think I can break the wall with my arm? I’ve seen it in an movie with Berno before.”
“Movies are not real, Oguri. Besides, what if it’s glass?”
“I’ll just be careful then, we wont escape if we don’t try.”
She does have a point, they might be able to escape. But at what cost?
“Let me do it. If I fail you can try after.”
She won’t fail; she’ll make sure she won’t.
Her lower arm positions itself besides the wall. A churning formed within her guts with participation. This might hurt.
With a steady exhale, the first thump was heard when Rudolf's arm collides with the surface.
A second thud sounds.
followed by another…
The delicate surface vibrates beneath her pounding; was it really going to break? It still sounds unrealistic.
“Do you think they heard us? Should I yell louder,” Oguri asks while wrapping her red scarf around Rudolf’s bleeding arm.
“Let’s give it a moment, I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
Rudolf somehow managed to put a decent hole in the glass, in exchange for getting a few glass shards stuck. Thankfully Oguri managed to get most of the glass out, and she wasn’t hurt, so Rudolf definitely considered this a glorious win.
However, Oguri didn’t.
"...Right," Oguri grimaces in sympathy for Rudolf. Whatever physical ideas Oguri had are basically dead from the result of this one, not to mention Rudolf’s terrifying willingness to try another…
Though, she is really kind, almost like the folks back at Kasamatsu.
“That’s kind of you to say, Oguri.” Rudolf replies to the unexpected compliment, causing Oguri’s cheeks to flush in embarrassment. She really did say that out loud, didn’t she?..
A hiss is earned from Rudolf at the sensation of the scarf being tightly tied around her open wound.
This is almost painful to watch…
“You know,” Oguri rambles as her eyes try to escape the sight of Rudolf, “back home, whenever I got hurt, a shopkeeper would always give me a strawberry themed bandage, with some crepes to help me feel better.”
“What was inside the crepes?”
“More strawberries. They were always so perfectly plump and flavorful— and the vanilla whipped cream always brought me to tears with how smooth and sweet it was.”
“That’s, a bit dramatic don’t you think?”
“Strange, Tamano always told me I was good at explaining food.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Huh?”
“I was talking about the part of you crying while eating whip cream.”
“Oh. But you do get the point Rudolf?”
“Yes, I certainly do.”
A chuckle leaves Rudolf, upon Oguri’s childlike, enthusiastic gaze and smirk.
She really is an adorable airhead…
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
“Am I really that unbearable?”
A pair of robust hands gingerly clasps Oguri’s face.
The two shared a look once more.
“No, it’s the opposite actually.”
Rudolf’s arms wrap themselves around the slightly taller girl’s waist as Oguri's eyes narrow with confusion at whatever the hell Rudolf is saying once again.
Just when Rudolf was about to further explain, a pair of lips captures hers in such unexpected timing that she couldn’t help but shut her eyes at the sudden sensation.
Oguri is slightly sloppy and inexperienced, compared to Rudolf, who’s been moving deliberately to balance out the kiss.
Abruptly, Rudolf pulls away, gaining a whine of disappointment due to the loss of contact.
However, before another complaint could escape Oguri, her bottom lip was caught between Rudolf’s teeth. She nibbles on the plump flesh, forcing an audible moan from the beast.
Their bodies pressed against each others as Oguri’s tongue dips into the other girl’s mouth.
Rudolf’s tongue was surprisingly soft to the point where Oguri was afraid it may melt in her mouth like shave ice.
Occasional moans or whimpers would slip from either side as they explore the inches of each other’s mouths.
‘Am I that unbearable?’
Yeah, you truly are.
“What the…”
The sudden voice made Rudolf jerk away. The two glance to their side.
The once pitch-black environment was replaced with the typical Tracen dorm, which was a big relief.
On the other hand…
Air Groove holds a crying Digital by the back collar while glaring at two with a secondhand embarrassment that goes beyond words.
Tachyon stood beside Groove with a disappointed scowl, and Rudolf could not help but be curious as to why.
How long were they here for?…
“So this was the ‘project’ you and tachyon were working on?…”
“IT WAS FOR RESEARCH—“
“No EXCUSE will change the consequences for this…”
“We should’ve rented a basement for this,” Tachyon grumbles in irritation.
Groove and Digital engage in a heated discussion regarding the justification of this weird project, while Tachyon just stands there and writes whatever odd thoughts she has in a brown notepad….
“How did you find us,” Rudolf finally asks, grabbing Grooves' attention.
“We had several complaints of ongoing disturbances coming from this dorm. Not to mention an recent report on Oguri’s and yours absence… I tried to investigate the noise while Brian went looking for you two but —“
“I CAN EXPLAIN!1!1”
“FORGET IT.”
A forced exhale is released as Air Groove massages her temples.
“Look… Do we need to give you two some time?..”
Before Rudolf could respond, Oguri already beat her to the punch with a rapid nod of approval.
Wait, she approves?
That easily after all of that?
Spilling saliva is brushed off the corner of her mouth before a smushed rice ball is crammed inside, causing her cheeks to protrude. Her jaw moves for a few seconds before coming to an abrupt end as the food clears.
She gently sweeps rice ball wrappers off the desk, letting them fall into the void of the shaded trash can.
…How much longer will she be?
Besides Oguri, a lamp with a luscious orange hue cast out a good majority of the surrounding darkness from the room, but it was still outnumbered.
She undoes another wrapper of a rice ball, edging it closer to her mouth.
Rudolf was bound to come back, this is like her natural environment, isn’t it?
Oguri’s ear twitches at approaching footsteps.
Her gaze shifts towards the door, meeting the sudden glare of the emperor standing before her.
Welcome back.
“Rudolf.”
“Oguri.”
“Is your arm alright?”
“Of course, I’ll make a note to thank the infirmary for their hard work,” Rudolf rotates her arm, examining the basic structure of the white wrap.
“…”
“Did I, did I throw you off back there?”
“Huh?”
“The whole kiss, Oguri… And everything else,” Rudolf replies with an awfully straight tone that made Oguri’s head tilt in confusion.
“If I made you feel uncomfortable or forced, forgive me and forget about what happened—“
“I don’t get it.”
How.
“If I liked it, why would I feel bad?”
Oh.
“I.. I thought you were in a hurry because I may have came down on you too quickly—“
“I thought we wanted to leave the triangle though.”
…Sigh.
She really is an airhead, isn’t she?