Perhaps because she hadn't overexerted herself much lately, Tokai Natural woke up after just one day this time.
As she opened her eyes, she stared blankly at the pure white ceiling.
"Mo… Mochizuki…"
"It's all right. Mochizuki's right here."
A soft voice gently reached Natural's ears.
Following the sound, Natural turned her head and saw Maruzensky holding Mochizuki in her arms.
Only when Natural laid eyes upon her daughter did she finally relax.
Seeing Natural's tension fade, Maruzensky also let out a sigh of relief.
She had worried that Natural would panic if Mochizuki wasn't immediately visible, possibly causing another collapse. It was for this reason that Maruzensky and Mr. C.B. had agreed to hold Mochizuki and stay beside Natural's hospital bed in shifts around the clock.
Once relaxed, Natural finally took note of her surroundings.
"I…"
"You fainted. Someone brought you to the hospital."
Upon hearing Maruzensky's explanation, Natural tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"I-I see…"
"Yes." Maruzensky looked at Mochizuki, then back at Natural. Finally, she gently raised another question. "Was it…"
"Was it Rudolf?"
Even though she had already heard from Symboli Sirius that Rudolf was involved, Maruzensky wanted to hear the truth directly from Natural herself.
At Maruzensky's words, Natural's expression shifted slightly. She raised her head, quietly meeting Maruzensky's concerned gaze.
"You… you already knew, huh…"
"Yes. It was Sirius-san who brought you here."
Maruzensky made no attempt to hide Sirius's contribution, plainly recounting the events of that day to Natural.
"So that's it. Sirius-san…" With a faint sense of relief in her heart, Natural fell silent for several moments before speaking again: "Did she…"
"She left right after bringing you here."
Maruzensky's reply dispelled Natural's confusion.
Hearing this, Natural's expression finally softened entirely, and she stared quietly up at the pure white ceiling again.
The soft hospital bed beneath her and the faint scent of disinfectant in the air reminded her clearly that she was still in the hospital.
Natural fell silent, causing Maruzensky to also quiet down.
After a moment, Maruzensky spoke again. "C.B.-san and I discussed something."
"Mm?"
"We want to send you abroad. Which country do you think would be best?"
The moment Maruzensky said this, Natural knew exactly why—Maruzensky didn't want her to meet Symboli Rudolf again. But…
Teio is still here.
Even if she never usually saw her, Teio was undeniably still in Japan. So…
"Just take Mochizuki and go. C.B.-san and I will handle the matter with Teio."
Those quiet words eased Natural's worries.
She understood.
Even though Teio was her own child, Natural was well aware that there was little she herself could actually do.
Still…
Natural gazed back at Maruzensky, concern shimmering faintly in her eyes. It was no longer Teio she worried for—after Maruzensky said that, her worry shifted entirely to Maruzensky and Mr. C.B.
Yet…
"Don't worry about us. C.B.-san and I will be just fine." Saying this, Maruzensky's gaze shifted slightly before she spoke again. "You have a few days to think about where to go."
"Mm…thank you."
Natural's weak voice prompted Maruzensky to rise from her chair.
"I'll take Mochizuki home first. You should stay here and rest."
Turning around, Maruzensky began to walk toward the door, cradling Mochizuki gently.
"Mm…"
At Natural's soft reply, Maruzensky stepped out, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Right after the door closed, another voice spoke up from nearby.
"You plan on sending Natural overseas?"
The speaker was Symboli Sirius. She had come to check on Natural's condition but unexpectedly encountered Maruzensky at the door.
Maruzensky fixed Sirius with a wary stare. "What do you intend to do?"
Her voice carried a hint of caution, as though she worried the Symboli Family member before her might pose some threat.
Facing Maruzensky's guarded gaze, Sirius understood that, from their perspective, she was part of the enemy camp. So, Sirius spoke calmly:
"I have no intentions of doing anything. I just wanted to suggest a possible place overseas."
"What exactly are you planning?"
"Let Yayoi-san go to France. I can provide a house there." Sirius met Maruzensky's gaze steadily. "And besides, there's someone there who can keep Rudolf away from her."
Maruzensky didn't particularly care about Sirius's earlier words. But the mention of someone capable of keeping Rudolf away instantly caught her interest.
Truthfully, even if they sent Natural abroad, Rudolf would eventually track her down. It was only a matter of time—by utilizing connections through JRA, Rudolf could access Uma Musume registration records and find Natural easily enough.
In other words, no matter where Natural went, Rudolf could inevitably find her.
Yet now, Sirius said she could prevent Rudolf from approaching Natural entirely.
Focusing on this crucial point, Maruzensky asked directly, "Who is this person?"
"I intend to ask Obaa-san—Symboli Speed—to look after her."
Hearing this name, Maruzensky immediately raised her voice angrily: "Are you kidding me? I refuse to let another Symboli anywhere near her!"
Maruzensky's anger was unmistakable. Her glare burned into Sirius fiercely.
However, in the face of this hostility, Sirius simply turned around and left without another word.
Sirius's unexpectedly decisive departure left Maruzensky momentarily at a loss.
She had expected Sirius to say something else.
But instead…
Realizing that Sirius genuinely had come just to offer a suggestion, Maruzensky glanced toward the small glass window set into the hospital room door.
Inside, Natural had already fallen back asleep.
Seeing Natural's peaceful rest eased Maruzensky's anxiety a bit.
She looked down quietly at Mochizuki in her arms.
Like her mother, Mochizuki slept peacefully, nestled securely against Maruzensky's chest.
After confirming Mochizuki's comfort, Maruzensky looked back up toward Sirius.
The figure of Symboli Sirius, now walking toward the far end of the hallway, gradually grew smaller.
Only after Sirius had completely disappeared from view did Maruzensky finally start walking again.
It was time to take Mochizuki home.
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T/N: this should be the last of the 5 chapter updates, it should start matching the others with 2, but also powerstone rewards are active now! so you can get bonus chapters depending on the powerstones.
Every 100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter
(100ps = 1 chapter, 200ps = 2 chapters, and so forth.)
also 25% discount code is available for patreon/wisetl
12DAYS active until dec 26 (PST)