As the Tokai Family gradually fell into decline, many of its hidden secrets slowly surfaced.
Following guidance from those who had previously lived with the Tokai Family, Symboli Rudolf arrived alone in this sparsely populated town.
After contacting Symboli Sirius once more to confirm the exact location, Rudolf left the town.
Beyond the town stretched mountainous terrain. Rudolf walked nearly twenty kilometers up the winding road, finally arriving at the enormous hidden facility once used to train Tokai Family's Uma Musume.
Staring at the locked wooden gate, Symboli Rudolf simply took out the key that Sirius had given her.
She unlocked it, and with a slight push, swung open the thick, heavy door.
Inside stood a traditional, classical Japanese-style building.
Following a stone-paved path, Rudolf crossed through the front courtyard, arriving at the building's main entrance.
She opened the traditional sliding door, revealing the interior of a classic Japanese residence.
But seeing this, Rudolf didn't remove her shoes, instead stepping directly onto the wooden floor.
She followed the directions provided by former servants, ultimately reaching the very center of the building.
Facing a room into which no natural light could penetrate, Rudolf took a deep breath, then slid open the door.
A room nearly devoid of any natural light.
Taking off her shoes, Rudolf stepped inside. She briefly glanced around, lowered her head thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and closed the sliding door.
Instantly, the room fell into absolute darkness. With no external light source, there was no way to tell day from night while living here.
Realizing this, Rudolf took out her cracked-screen phone and switched on the flashlight.
The faint glow illuminated the room.
The layout she'd briefly seen earlier appeared clearly before her eyes again.
Although she'd noticed it before…
Only now did Symboli Rudolf truly comprehend one other thing.
"It's suffocating…"
Sitting on the room's sole piece of furniture—a single bed—Rudolf struggled to imagine Yayoi Natural's condition back then.
In the end, she found herself unable to envision it at all.
She glanced around the room again. Other than this bed, there was no furniture.
"Not even a single book…?"
Realizing this, Rudolf stared quietly at the bed again.
She remained silent for several seconds before finally standing.
Yet she had no intention of leaving.
Instead, she sat down on the floor.
The tatami mats beneath her weren't overly dirty.
She switched off her phone and lay down flat on the tatami.
Immediately, darkness enveloped her.
...
The next day, Symboli Rudolf was woken by her phone.
"Strange, at this hour it should…"
Picking it up, her mind still hazy, Rudolf realized it was just the daily notification.
Seeing the notification's content, Rudolf casually tossed the phone aside and lay back down.
As she'd expected, after officially applying for leave, nobody would contact her. Thus, there was nothing left to worry about.
"My nose is blocked… Have I caught a cold?"
With breathing becoming increasingly uncomfortable, Rudolf couldn't fall back asleep. She picked up her phone again—and realized it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.
She recalled clearly what time she'd arrived here.
"I slept for twenty hours straight… No wonder I caught a cold."
A parched throat brought intense discomfort.
Aware she'd be in trouble without drinking something soon, Rudolf forced herself upright.
And… she needed the restroom too.
Driven by these physical discomforts, Rudolf stood slowly.
She knew it was time to leave.
As for this place…
Rudolf knew the Symboli Family would soon take over. The interior would likely remain exactly as it was now, with no changes.
What the future held for this place, she had no idea—nor was there any reason for her to know. She probably would never come here again.
After all, this one trip had nearly drained all the money she had on her.
Likely, she wouldn't have enough money to return.
Leaving the large house behind, Rudolf retraced her steps along the road. By the time she reached the Tracen Academy dorms, she'd completely exhausted all the money she'd carried.
"I need to find some cold medicine first…"
She'd previously stocked some medicine just in case.
Although, given an Uma Musume's constitution, medicine wasn't strictly necessary, Rudolf knew she'd need to return to work tomorrow, so…
After finding and taking the medicine with some cold water, Rudolf lay back down on her bed.
But unlike her experience sleeping in Yayoi Natural's old room, this time Rudolf found herself unable to sleep at all.
That was perfectly understandable. After all, even a heavily fatigued person would struggle to fall asleep again after sleeping so long.
Picking up her phone once more, Rudolf began thinking about what she needed to do next.
First was her Student Council work. That was something she absolutely had to handle.
At least until she could find another Uma Musume capable of replacing her, Rudolf would remain stuck in this position.
Then there was…
Ah, yes… getting a part-time job.
Thinking about this, Rudolf slowly opened her eyes wider.
Taking a part-time job was now unavoidable. After all, Rudolf currently had absolutely no money left.
The past few months, she hadn't had time to work at all. Without Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky, the Student Council workload had become overwhelming, consuming most of her day.
Only now, after finally adjusting to this increased workload, did Rudolf have a little time again.
"I need to find somewhere to work…"
Murmuring quietly, Rudolf turned onto her side.
Her head was still groggy, yet sleep seemed impossible. Guided by vague thoughts, Rudolf picked up her phone again, opened Twitter, and began browsing posts from France.
She'd always followed French Twitter accounts.
So naturally, she'd learned a little about Yayoi Natural's situation from a certain restaurant, recently exploding in popularity among Uma Musume.
Yet now, staring at that screen, Rudolf found herself without the courage to even view the post.