For another full week afterward, Mr. C.B. continued visiting Yayoi Natural, each time holding a bag of groceries.
Today, of course, was no exception.
But aside from groceries, today Mr. C.B. had actually brought one additional item:
Yayoi Natural's official identity documents.
Because this was an identity application for an Uma Musume—and due to Mr. C.B.'s persistent urging—the processing speed had been exceptionally fast.
After glancing once more at the identity papers belonging to Yayoi Natural, Mr. C.B. carefully put them away and pressed the doorbell.
She knew that after only a few seconds waiting at the door, the petite young mother would open it for her.
She silently counted a few seconds in her heart—
And the door opened.
Standing at the door was Yayoi Natural again.
Looking at Yayoi Natural, Mr. C.B. swung the bag of groceries lightly, then stepped into the house.
After placing the groceries into the kitchen as usual, Mr. C.B. quickly moved behind Yayoi Natural:
"Yayoi."
"Hm?"
The young mother turned around, and the dark circles beneath her eyes—indicative of her lack of sleep—had clearly worsened again.
The moment she turned around, Yayoi Natural immediately noticed the identity document in Mr. C.B.'s hand.
Seeing that document, Yayoi Natural naturally understood whose it was.
After all, there was probably only one possible thing Mr. C.B. would specially show her this way—her own identity certificate.
Yet even knowing this...
Yayoi Natural still asked softly, "Whose is that?"
"It's yours, of course. So, how was that for speed?" With those words, Mr. C.B. handed the identity papers directly to Yayoi Natural.
Carefully receiving the newly issued identity papers from Mr. C.B.'s hands—
Yayoi Natural's first emotion wasn't happiness, but rather a sense of relief.
The presence of the identity document meant Yayoi Natural finally had legal means to work. At the same time, it meant she could finally relax...
Thinking about this, Yayoi Natural felt as though the pillar that had held up her spirit until now had suddenly been pulled away.
"..."
She opened her mouth slightly, trying to say something, but nothing came out.
Her vision started to sway and blur slightly.
Having just handed over the identity document, Mr. C.B., seeing Yayoi Natural's silence, assumed the girl was still overwhelmed by happiness.
But the very next second, watching Yayoi Natural suddenly sway unsteadily, Mr. C.B. rushed forward to catch her.
"Yayoi? Yayoi!!"
She urgently shouted the girl's name—but received no response.
Only now did Mr. C.B. truly panic.
Several seconds later, she hurriedly pulled out her phone.
An ambulance arrived not long after.
And Mr. C.B. accompanied her the entire way.
The emergency treatment continued late into the night, and it was only then that Yayoi Natural was finally wheeled out of the emergency room.
"Her condition is very serious. Firstly, there's severe exhaustion caused by prolonged fatigue."
The doctor glanced briefly at Mr. C.B. before continuing, "This exhaustion triggered several other complications. The immediate trigger for her collapse was emotional stress, but most importantly…"
"Her underlying physical condition is very poor to begin with. Honestly, she doesn't even look much like an Uma Musume. If she continues to exhaust herself this way, next time she might—"
Stopping there, the doctor stood up. "By the way, about the medical fees..."
"I've already paid them." Saying this, Mr. C.B. looked directly at him before adding, "Can I see her now?"
Hearing this, the doctor nodded. "She probably hasn't woken up yet, but she's stable now, so there shouldn't be any issues with a visit."
With that, the doctor turned and left.
Only after he left did Mr. C.B. finally step into Yayoi Natural's private hospital room.
Inside, Yayoi Natural lay on the pure white hospital bed.
There weren't many instruments around her. Looking at Yayoi Natural like this, Mr. C.B. lowered her head slightly.
She felt relieved—relieved that she'd been present when it happened, that she'd personally handed over the identity documents herself. If Yayoi Natural had received them alone, never mind whether anyone would have found her, just covering the treatment fees would've been...
Releasing a long breath, Mr. C.B. stood up.
She needed to contact someone immediately.
Stepping out of the hospital room, Mr. C.B. dialed Maruzensky's phone number.
After a few moments, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"C.B., what's the matter?"
Maruzensky's voice sounded slightly cold, indicating her mood wasn't good. But Mr. C.B. understood perfectly well—after all, it was Maruzensky who'd ended up accompanying Rudolf everywhere.
After a few seconds of silence, Mr. C.B. finally spoke up, "Natural—"
She glanced back at the tightly closed hospital door behind her before continuing, "She collapsed. The trigger was the identity documents I delivered. She collapsed from excessive fatigue combined with emotional agitation."
"Wha— I'll come back right aw—"
The voice on the other end instantly turned agitated.
But hearing this, Mr. C.B. immediately interrupted, "If you return now, Symboli Rudolf will also…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but Maruzensky already understood exactly what she meant.
Turning her head slightly to look at Rudolf, who was sleeping in the other bed, Maruzensky steadied her emotions and spoke again, "Is Natural's condition stable now?"
"At the moment, yes," Mr. C.B. answered briefly. After a short pause, she added, "But where's your spare key? When I left the house, I didn't bring Mochizuki along. I'll have to take care of her for a while."
Hearing this, Maruzensky sat up, thinking for a few seconds before responding, "The key's buried in the flowerpot on the left side of the door, wrapped in a plastic bag."
"Got it. Also, when are you coming back? Natural can't keep pushing herself like this. She needs someone to take care of her, and Mochizuki does too. If Natural continues taking care of her alone, this kind of problem is bound to happen again soon, isn't it?"
Mr. C.B. didn't hesitate at all in turning directly to Maruzensky for help.
She knew clearly that this was something she herself couldn't handle, so there was no room for hesitation.
Faced with Mr. C.B.'s request, Maruzensky only glanced briefly at Rudolf, who was still fast asleep. Then she replied:
"We're already about one-third through our schedule. I'll try to get back as soon as possible. Or—"
After a slight hesitation, Maruzensky suggested another name: "You could try contacting Sakura Chiyono O. She should be able to help."
"Alright. Thanks."
Hanging up the phone, Mr. C.B. left the hospital.
She still needed to hurry back and care for Mochizuki, who'd been alone and unwatched for nearly ten hours already.
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T/N: THE BABIES BEEN UNWATCHED FOR 10 HOURS??? OH DEAR LORD oh and i should prob send pic of mr. c.b. nah you guys can look her up