After Dream Weaver had been on leave for a week, Symboli Rudolf slumped over her desk and let out a deep sigh.
A few days prior, representatives from both the Northern and Mejiro families had arrived at the same time, demanding to take Dream Weaver away.
Just mediating the tensions between them had taken a tremendous amount of effort on Rudolf's part.
Who would have thought that not even a few days later, a leave extension request from Northern Starlight would land on her desk, the stated reason being that she wanted to take her daughter out to see the world.
With Dream Weaver's Japanese Derby right around the corner, it was unthinkable that a parent could do something so absurd.
The thought made Rudolf sigh once more.
But it was, after all, a family matter, and she had little standing to object.
Besides, Dream Weaver herself had already agreed, so Rudolf had even less room to argue.
What Rudolf didn't know, however, was that Dream Weaver hadn't wanted to agree either.
But the moment she looked like she might refuse, Northern Starlight would immediately put on an expression like she was about to burst into tears.
She simply couldn't bring herself to refuse someone, especially not a request from her own mother.
Besides, given her current stats, even taking a month off wouldn't affect her ability to win the Japanese Derby.
With that thought in mind, Dream Weaver stopped resisting and went along with Northern Starlight.
But Dream Weaver wasn't the only Uma Musume giving Rudolf headaches these days.
There was also Tokai Teio.
Since the Satsuki Sho, Teio had grown increasingly withdrawn. Even when Rudolf went to see her personally, she could barely muster a smile.
According to the information Rudolf had gathered from her trainer, Teio had been undergoing hellish training these past days, its intensity and harshness even several times more severe than before.
Rudolf wanted to advise her, but the moment she saw the stubborn look in Teio's eyes, the words died in her throat.
"Eclipse First, The Rest Nowhere."
That was the motto of Tracen Academy, and also a favorite saying of Rudolf's.
What reason could she possibly give to persuade Teio not to strive to become the most brilliant Uma Musume on that stage?
Rudolf couldn't even convince herself. The only thing she could do was arrange for more medical staff to monitor Teio's physical condition in real-time, ensuring no accidents happened.
Just as Rudolf was worrying over this, the student council door suddenly burst open. Air Groove hurried into the office and rushed up to Rudolf, saying,
"An elderly lady just came to the school asking for help. She said she's the manager for the apartment Dream Weaver rented. She got worried because Dream Weaver hasn't been back for so long and thought something might have happened."
On that day, Dream Weaver's schedule had been so tight she'd completely forgotten to inform anyone.
After returning to Northern Farm, she'd been swept up in Northern Starlight's whirlwind of activities and had forgotten all about it.
Rudolf was silent for a long moment after hearing this, before finally sighing and saying helplessly,
"Reassure her first. After I finish work today, I'll go and explain things to her personally."
Air Groove nodded and left the office, quickly hurrying back to the reception hall.
Left alone in the office, Rudolf held her head in one hand while dealing with her work. By the time she had finally finished the day's tasks, it was already nearing afternoon dismissal time.
After making a phone call to confirm with Air Groove that the dorm manager had returned to the apartment, Rudolf tidied herself up a bit and called for the Symboli family car to take her to her destination.
Although she had investigated and knew where Dream Weaver lived through documents, Rudolf had actually never been there before.
Around New Year's, she had thought about taking the Uma Musume to pay a New Year's visit, but she had shelved the idea, thinking that suddenly showing up at someone's home without a word might be a bit startling.
She hadn't expected that 'shelved' would turn into three months later.
Rudolf gazed out the window at the scenery flashing by, thinking to herself.
Before the Northern and Mejiro families had found Northern Starlight, Dream Weaver's financial pressure must have been immense, which was why she lived in that rundown apartment near the hospital, whose tenants were mostly patients.
But what Rudolf couldn't quite understand was, now that Dream Weaver had returned to the Northern and Mejiro families with her mother, why was she so insistent on staying in that apartment?
Even living in the student dorms would be a better environment than there.
The information she had gathered was all clear data on paper.
Things like the relationship between Dream Weaver and her neighbors weren't so obvious to investigate, and were too private, so Rudolf hadn't looked into them specially.
And she had never really talked with Dream Weaver about this aspect, so until now, Rudolf wasn't entirely clear why Dream Weaver insisted on staying there.
But the arrival of her dorm manager gave Rudolf a reason to seek the truth.
Explaining the situation could be done anywhere. The reason Rudolf specifically came to the apartment herself was to find out why Dream Weaver always wanted to stay there.
And, if she had the chance, she also wanted to get a little glimpse of what Dream Weaver's room was like.
Time always flies when you're thinking. Before long, the Symboli family car had brought Rudolf to the front of that rundown apartment.
Given Rudolf's fame, the dorm manager grandmother waiting at the entrance naturally recognized her at once. She quickly shuffled over and asked urgently,
"How is Dream really? No word for so many days, did she go abroad for a competition?"
Seeing the genuine concern in the other's eyes, Rudolf immediately stepped forward a few paces to support her and replied in a gentle tone,
"It's alright, Grandma. Dream just went home for some family reasons. Things were too rushed, so she forgot to let you know. There's no need to worry so much."
Hearing this, the dorm manager grandmother breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest thankfully.
"That's good, that's good. Hearing that, we can all rest easy."
"'We'?"
Rudolf was a bit puzzled. She had thought only the dorm manager was worried about Dream Weaver, but it seemed there were others?
Seeing her confusion, the dorm manager grandmother calmed her nerves a little before explaining.
"Yes, everyone in the apartment was really worried about Dream. We were all thinking, what if something had happened to her."
Rudolf felt she might have found the reason Dream Weaver never wanted to move away.
Wanting to understand more, she quickly helped the woman back to her room and sat her down to speak slowly.
"Grandma, could you tell me more? Like when Dream came here, how long she's lived here, and how she gets along with the other tenants."
Finally, she couldn't help but add a justification.
"As the student council president, it's my duty to understand the home situations of the students. This is a perfect opportunity, so consider this a home visit."
Given Rudolf's reputation, the dorm manager grandmother had no reason to doubt her and immediately began to explain.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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