She walked back home along the road.
Tokai Teio heard singing.
"Auntie, you're in a good mood today~"
Teio said, walking behind her aunt.
"Did something good happen?"
"Nothing good happened, but..."
Tokai Roman said, then simply reached out and ruffled Teio's hair before continuing,
"Your mother contacted me."
"Mother..."
The first thing Tokai Teio felt upon hearing that word wasn't joy or happiness, but rather a bit of...
"Auntie, is she... abandoning me?"
Tokai Teio's response made Roman pause for a moment.
She knew why Tokai Teio was saying this.
So, she explained:
"No, your mother just contacted me. As for more..."
Tokai Roman thought for a few seconds, then picked out a small portion of what she could say:
"Your mother sent us some money, and she'll send more later. Next, we're moving."
Roman's decision to move was actually Shizen's request.
Because from Roman's mental state, Tokai Shizen could tell that Tokai Roman had been harassed recently,
so she made this request to her older sister.
"Huh, so that means the upcoming training, and your..."
"Mhm, everything can be improved a bit."
Tokai Roman said, removing her hand from Teio's head:
"However..."
Tokai Roman looked at Teio and hesitated.
"What, what?"
After hesitating for more than ten seconds, Tokai Roman finally explained:
"Teio, do you want to go back to your mother's side?"
"No way! I don't want to see the one who abandoned me..."
"Teio!"
A loud reprimand stopped Teio from continuing.
She looked up at Tokai Roman and realized that Roman's face was already clouded with gloom.
"Teio, how many times have I told you? Your mother had to go abroad for treatment due to health reasons,
and the situation in Japan at the time wasn't suitable for her to stay. And..."
At this point, Tokai Roman paused for a moment.
"In short, your mother loves you very much."
Without mentioning the Tokai Family's affairs, Tokai Roman simply brushed it off with a phrase about how much she loved Teio.
"But, she doesn't even contact us..."
Teio's voice was full of grievance.
She didn't know why her aunt kept defending her mother.
After all, in Teio's opinion, her mother might have really left due to some unavoidable reason.
But even so, not a single phone call in so many years was too much!
Looking at Teio like this, Roman didn't know how to defend her sister anymore.
After all, communication these past years had mostly been through letters, which was indeed...
Thinking of this, Roman just sighed:
"Alright, alright, do you remember the question I asked you at the beginning?"
"I don't want to go back!"
"I know you don't want to go back, and your mother knows that too.
So she said, if you want to go back, then go back. If you don't want to go back, then stay with me."
Roman said, looking at Teio:
"Do you understand?"
"But, didn't you say..."
"It's precisely because she loves you that she gives you a choice.
Otherwise, she could have simply ignored your suggestions."
Tokai Roman, explaining her sister's actions, continued:
"However, Teio, there's one thing you need to pay attention to."
"What?"
"You have a younger sister."
"A younger sister!!!"
Her ears and tail perked up instantly, like a startled cat.
But, the relentless news continued to bombard the young girl.
"She's also a human."
"Eh!!!"
A sound that seemed to pierce eardrums came from Tokai Teio's mouth.
Grabbing Teio's shoulders and forcing her to calm down, Tokai Roman then continued:
"And, you two are twins."
This time, Tokai Teio didn't make another sound.
Because she had already crashed.
Tokai Teio's crash also stopped Tokai Roman from continuing.
She just let go, letting Tokai Teio continue to be shocked.
Anyway, by the time the girl's mind started working again, Tokai Roman could also announce the news of their move.
By the time Tokai Teio had fully recovered from her crash, about fifteen minutes had passed.
Recovered, Tokai Teio looked at Tokai Roman and asked a question.
"Auntie..."
"Hm?"
"Mom, why did she leave me here?"
A hint of sadness was revealed in Tokai Teio's words.
The question she raised was also a sharp one that Tokai Roman had always avoided.
But this time, Tokai Roman didn't avoid it.
She understood that if she avoided it again this time, then Tokai Teio and her sister would...
Thinking of this, Tokai Roman responded:
"Because my sister couldn't support you..."
"Couldn't support me?"
"She could support one person, and she could support one Uma Musume,
but if she was just by herself, she wouldn't be able to support an Uma Musume."
"Then, what about Dad?"
"Your father, she..."
Tokai Teio's father was Rudolph Symboli, which was a well-known fact among those involved in that matter,
but this fact couldn't be told to Tokai Teio.
So, Tokai Roman gave the same answer as Tokai Shizen:
"She died."
"Died..."
"Yes, otherwise how could your mother..."
Tokai Roman sighed at this point:
"Originally, your mother would have been able to support you,
but she fell ill before her debut race, so she couldn't become an Uma Musume."
"If she had become an Uma Musume, she might have stayed in Japan with me to raise you,
but your mother couldn't become an Uma Musume, and coupled with her own health issues, she could only go overseas."
Hearing this explanation, Tokai Teio opened her mouth.
She couldn't say a word.
But, finally, she closed her eyes slightly, preventing tears from flowing:
"What do you mean, I knew my mother wouldn't abandon me."
Tokai Teio's words made Tokai Roman pause for a moment.
Then, with a hint of bitterness, she spoke the next words:
"Yes, your mother would never abandon you. After all, she's my sister."
Her words carried a subtle, almost imperceptible bitterness.
She understood that Teio might be leaving her side.
-------------------------------
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