Five days after Tokai Shizen was discharged from the hospital, Rudolph Symboli still had not appeared at Tracen Academy.
Her official statement was that she was on sick leave.
But Sirius Symboli knew that Rudolph wasn't sick at all, but where she was now, Sirius Symboli didn't know either.
However, she could probably guess what Rudolph Symboli intended to do.
It's just... after glancing at Tokai Shizen's schedule, Sirius Symboli knew that Rudolph Symboli didn't have much time left.
——————
Looking at Tokai Roman, who was sitting opposite her, Rudolph Symboli just took a sip of coffee: "Is this the layout of the Tokai Family?"
"Yes, although there might be hidden passages and such, but..."
She pointed out the most crucial spot: "This should be it."
"Is it here?"
Looking at the simple structural diagram of the Tokai Family house, Rudolph Symboli was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Tokai Roman: "Thank you."
"No, it's nothing..."
Facing Rudolph Symboli's gratitude, Tokai Roman was a little overwhelmed.
But... looking at her, Tokai Roman still asked a question.
"Um, why are you doing this?"
"This..."
"It's fine, if you feel there's something you can't say, you don't have to."
Seeing Rudolph Symboli ponder whether she should answer the question made Tokai Roman realize that she might have asked an inappropriate question.
So, she immediately expressed that it was okay not to answer the question.
Tokai Roman's understanding made Rudolph Symboli silent for a moment, then she spoke again: "Don't go back to the Tokai Family."
...""Mm, I understand."
After saying this, Rudolph Symboli put down the coffee cup in her hand and stood up.
Looking at Rudolph Symboli, who was about to leave, Tokai Roman's face showed a hint of worry: "Are you okay alone?"
"I am the Emperor."
Saying this, Rudolph Symboli walked out of the cafe.
——————
Night fell.
There were four people at the airport.
Besides Tokai Shizen, who was about to leave by plane, the other three were Representative Chiaki, Maruzensky, and Sirius Symboli.
Because Rudolph Symboli, as the Emperor among the Uma Musume, held immense power,
Representative Chiaki and Maruzensky, after discussing with Tokai Shizen, agreed to Sirius Symboli's proposal.
The biggest driving force in this matter was, of course, Tokai Shizen's impression of Sirius Symboli.
Because Tokai Shizen had a very good impression of Sirius Symboli, Tokai Shizen agreed to Sirius Symboli's request.
Looking at them, Tokai Shizen, who had already reached the security gate, just turned around: "Alright, no need to see me off, you should go back and rest, right?"
Listening to Tokai Shizen's words, Sirius Symboli just nodded.
Representative Chiaki, on the other hand, looked at Tokai Shizen, thought for a few seconds, then walked forward: "Remember to change clothes when you get there; the temperature is different. If you don't pay attention to this, it will be very troublesome for your body."
Unlike before,
Representative Chiaki's words were a bit rambling at the time of parting.
Completely losing her usual carefree demeanor.
And after Representative Chiaki finished her instructions, Maruzensky walked up to Tokai Shizen.
Unlike Representative Chiaki and everyone else, Maruzensky just silently looked at Tokai Shizen.
After about ten seconds, Maruzensky finally spoke: "Take care of yourself."
"Mm."
Finally, Tokai Shizen shifted her gaze to Sirius Symboli.
As Sirius Symboli had been doing her best to ensure her well-being during this time, Tokai Shizen simply waited for her to speak.
Tokai Shizen's gaze was so calm, yet Sirius Symboli, being stared at, felt a bit subtle.
After being stared at by Tokai Shizen for almost a minute,
Sirius Symboli finally spoke: "Grandma Speed is over there, I've given you the photo too. After you arrive, Grandma Speed will take care of you for a while. As for whether you want to work or do something else, she won't interfere with you."
...""Thank you."
"Ah."
——————
The phone rang.
After a night of busyness, Sirius Symboli heard Rudolph's voice again.
"Rudolph, do you know what you've done?!"
"I just did what I should do, and you wanted me to do it too, didn't you?"
Rudolph's voice was as cold as ever, but Sirius Symboli couldn't refute Rudolph Symboli's words.
And... "Are you injured?"
"No."
Listening to the unusually different breathing, Sirius Symboli wanted to expose Rudolph Symboli's lie directly, but eventually stopped.
"Is Shizen still staying at that restaurant?"
Outdated information meant that Rudolph Symboli had not been in contact with Tokai Shizen's social circle these days.
Rudolph's question was answered by Sirius Symboli half a second later: "She's already gone."
Sirius Symboli, who did not disclose where Tokai Shizen had gone, simply waited for her response.
...""Long silence, then Rudolph Symboli responded: "Is that so..."
"Mm."
Then, the phone was hung up.
It was Rudolph Symboli who hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Rudolph Symboli finally let out her breath.
She could feel that at least two of her ribs were broken, and judging by the pain in her left hand, it might be broken too.
But for Rudolph Symboli, it wasn't a big deal; it was just the consequence she deserved for making a mistake.
It's just... looking at the baby with the long blaze, held in her arms, Rudolph Symboli fell into confusion.
She didn't know what to do anymore.
But... Rudolph Symboli, shifting her gaze back to her phone's contact list, looked at the phone numbers of Maruzensky and Representative Chiaki.
She knew that neither Maruzensky nor Representative Chiaki could help her.
But Rudolph Symboli's contact list was so small; she could hardly find more people.
But soon, she saw a number that had only been added a few days ago.
Rudolph Symboli looked at this number for a long time in silence, then made a decision.
She pressed the dial button.
Soon, the call was connected.
A voice she had met just yesterday came through the receiver.
Hearing the call connected, Rudolph Symboli spoke:
"Can you do me a small favor?"
Using a tone of request she would never normally use.
Listening to the voice, which was breathing unusually heavily, Tokai Roman, after a brief silence, gave an affirmative response.
"Mm."
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