At dinner, things seemed to have returned to normal between Tokai Natural and Maruzensky.
But…
Watching Tokai Natural, who sat quietly across the table, head lowered—
She's frightened.
"Natural?"
"Ah? Oh—"
Hurriedly raising her head, Tokai Natural met Maruzensky's gaze.
Facing Maruzensky's eyes, Tokai Natural quickly lowered her head again. "Is something wrong?"
"Natural, if we buy that storefront, what kind of shop would you open?"
Maruzensky deliberately avoided mentioning what had happened earlier, steering the conversation toward the future instead.
"That shop…"
Recalling the store she'd visited previously with Chiyono O, Tokai Natural paused briefly before replying, "If possible, perhaps a traditional Western-style restaurant would be best?"
She glanced up cautiously at Maruzensky.
Tokai Natural worried that she'd said the wrong thing.
But upon hearing Tokai Natural's suggestion, Maruzensky only nodded lightly. "True. A traditional Western restaurant does seem like the best option. Given its proximity to the Academy, there'll definitely be Uma Musume wanting to try flavors outside the cafeteria after training."
"A restaurant would indeed be a good choice, but why specifically a Western restaurant?"
Looking directly at Tokai Natural, Maruzensky posed this question.
"I visited with Chiyono O before, and the shop was originally a Western restaurant. Keeping it as one means we'd only need to replace some tables and chairs at most to continue business smoothly."
After giving her reason, Tokai Natural kept her eyes lowered, waiting anxiously for Maruzensky's decision.
Seeing Tokai Natural revert to the same cautious behavior as when she first arrived, Maruzensky considered for a few seconds before continuing gently, "Then let's go with the Western restaurant. With your skills, running it won't be difficult at all."
She spoke softly, moved slowly—
Doing everything possible to avoid frightening her further.
To be honest, Maruzensky herself hadn't expected that earlier, she would subconsciously say such frightening things.
Yet, simply imagining Tokai Natural leaving her side made her feel that her previous behavior wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
But…
Looking at Tokai Natural's tense and fearful expression, Maruzensky knew that, for now, it would be better not to push further.
Thinking about this, Maruzensky recalled another matter.
Something Chiyono O had mentioned.
"Oh, right. You're very interested in Tamamo Cross, aren't you?"
Looking at Tokai Natural, Maruzensky brought this up deliberately, hoping to ease her tension.
"Mm…"
Clearly, this wasn't very effective.
Seeing Tokai Natural still afraid to look up, Maruzensky hesitated for a moment, then spoke again carefully, "I checked her racing schedule. Tamamo Cross has another race coming up in July. Do you want to go watch?"
"…Can I?"
"Of course you can. Why would I restrict your freedom?"
Uttering words completely opposite to her earlier tone, Maruzensky stood up calmly and continued, "If you really want to watch, you certainly can."
Saying this, Maruzensky watched Tokai Natural carefully.
She wondered how she should explain things next.
Hearing Maruzensky's reply, Tokai Natural's expression didn't change much. Just like Maruzensky, she was also pondering how she should face her from now on.
Because of the afternoon's events, Tokai Natural knew she couldn't completely return to her original attitude toward Maruzensky—but she had no choice but to pretend.
So she carefully adjusted her expression, looking up at Maruzensky again. "That's wonderful."
Hearing Tokai Natural's forced enthusiasm, Maruzensky responded with equal gentleness: "Will you need to bring money?"
"Eh?"
"The racetrack is quite far. You'll probably need to bring some money. But going with Chiyono O-chan should also be fine."
Hearing this, Tokai Natural hesitated slightly. "You aren't going with me?"
"Of course not. If I went with you, that other person would certainly follow, wouldn't she? If that happened, you'd probably end up seeing Rudolf. But you don't want to see her, right?"
Saying this, Maruzensky paused briefly. A thought suddenly occurred to her as she looked carefully at Tokai Natural. "Oh, right—if you're traveling that far, we'll need to buy a stroller first."
"How about we go check them out tomorrow?"
Faced with Maruzensky's invitation, Tokai Natural quickly nodded.
When it came to requests from Maruzensky or Mr. C.B., Tokai Natural never had the option of refusal.
So, naturally, she agreed.
Seeing Tokai Natural nod, Maruzensky simply shifted her attention back to the meal in front of her.
She couldn't burden Tokai Natural with any more pressure.
After dinner, Maruzensky had to return to the Tracen dormitory due to dorm regulations, leaving Tokai Natural alone in the large, empty house.
After tidying everything up, Tokai Natural watched TV briefly, then returned to her room and fell asleep again.
Two in the morning.
There was no crying child, only perfect quiet.
Yet, lying on the bed, Tokai Natural's brows knitted tightly.
The next moment, she suddenly sat upright.
Her breathing was rapid; panic filled her eyes completely.
She'd dreamed that she'd been cared for gently by Maruzensky, but—
She reached up, touching her neck.
There was no jewelry, no marks of any kind.
"It's not there…"
A relieved whisper escaped her lips.
For Tokai Natural, it wasn't the act itself that frightened her.
After all, back when she'd married Symboli Rudolf, she'd already prepared herself mentally for the possibility of being imprisoned by the Symboli Family once her true identity was discovered.
Therefore, the thought of being confined by Maruzensky wasn't what scared her.
What had truly frightened her in the dream was something else...
Mochizuki and Tokai Teio had appeared in it.
That was what terrified Tokai Natural.
Recalling that scene, she quickly glanced toward Mochizuki.
The child still slept peacefully, completely unaffected.
Extending her hand to gently stroke Mochizuki's face, Tokai Natural's breathing gradually calmed down.
She didn't know if the words Maruzensky had spoken this afternoon reflected her true feelings.
But Tokai Natural had no choice—she had to stay here.
Thus, after taking a few moments to steady her emotions, Tokai Natural quietly lay down again.
She needed sleep; after all, tomorrow's life had to continue.
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T/N: YOU STUPID MARUZENSKY YOU STUPID STALLION!