On Friday morning, Symboli Rudolf didn't appear in the Student Council room.
She was sick, having requested a day's leave.
Taking sick leave wasn't unusual for an Uma Musume—this was simply the reality. After retiring from intense competitions, it was impossible not to carry injuries and lingering health issues.
Thus, retired Uma Musume regularly went for scheduled medical check-ups.
Likewise, due to the nature of racing, even minor illnesses required careful examinations.
So Symboli Rudolf taking leave wasn't strange at all.
But perhaps because such absences were common, or perhaps because Rudolf hadn't noticed Tokai Natural's circumstances for nearly a year...
Two people had overlooked a certain possibility.
Standing before the door of the house, now thoroughly confirmed by investigation—Symboli Rudolf didn't intend to force her way inside.
Instead, very politely, she pressed the doorbell.
The doorbell rang. Inside the kitchen, Tokai Natural—who had been gazing at ingredients, considering what to prepare for Chiyono O's celebration dinner—looked up toward the entrance.
"Is that C.B.-san?"
Because of Mr. C.B.'s extremely free-spirited manner, even Maruzensky's careful surveillance couldn't fully track when Mr. C.B. might suddenly appear at home. This was precisely why Maruzensky had given a spare key directly to Chiyono O instead of leaving it anywhere Mr. C.B. could access.
And yet, despite all this—Tokai Natural still felt completely at ease heading directly to the door.
Without checking first, she opened the door directly.
And then...
She saw the person she hadn't seen in almost two years.
"Ru... Rudolf… Symboli Rudolf…"
All the strength in her body vanished instantly, and Tokai Natural sank straight down onto the floor.
"Tokai… No, Yayoi Natural. Long time no see."
Her voice was calm, the same as ever.
But it was precisely this calmness that filled Tokai Natural with absolute terror.
If at first she had simply felt afraid facing Maruzensky, now Tokai Natural was genuinely terrified.
She knew Symboli Rudolf's power—knew exactly how she was regarded in the Central region. She understood very clearly that if the person standing before her truly wished to harm her, she would have absolutely no chance of resisting.
That's why she reacted this way.
"You have a daughter?"
"..." Tokai Natural raised her head slightly to glance at Rudolf, then quickly lowered it again. "...Mm."
Listening to Tokai Natural's voice, which had fallen silent for quite a while, Symboli Rudolf quietly scanned the entire room.
She saw the baby stroller she had glimpsed at the racecourse that day.
She saw every trace of Tokai Natural's life here.
Observing the room closely, Rudolf remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking again: "Looks like you're living well?"
There was a hint of concern in her voice.
That day, Rudolf had simply driven Tokai Natural away—nothing else afterward had been Rudolf's doing.
At the time, the Symboli Family needed to cooperate closely with the Tokai Family, so Rudolf had merely sent Tokai Natural back.
But just like celestial bodies—a massive star, with even the slightest movement, can easily disrupt the orbits of planets within its system.
Perhaps the outermost planets wouldn't feel it, but the planet closest to the star would inevitably experience enormous impact. Precisely because of this...
The Tokai Family's actions were completely logical.
They feared responsibility.
Yet, given the Emperor's name behind Rudolf, missing an opportunity to form closer bonds with the Symboli Family would be unthinkable for the Tokai Family. Therefore, they'd placed all blame squarely on Tokai Natural.
But more than Tokai Natural's current condition, Symboli Rudolf cared far more about another issue entirely:
"Her name is Yayoi Mochizuki, isn't it?"
"Yes." Without her earlier hesitation, Tokai Natural's voice was slightly steadier. Because she understood—if Rudolf had already come this far, openly speaking about her daughter, it meant she'd already thoroughly investigated everything.
Realizing this, Tokai Natural abandoned any further attempts at hiding.
Now she only hoped that Rudolf would quickly leave—that was all.
Hearing Tokai Natural's reply, Symboli Rudolf glanced toward the staircase.
"Can I go see her?"
An unquestionable request.
Tokai Natural opened her mouth instinctively, wanting to refuse, but—
"Upstairs, first room on the left… It's unlocked…"
Ignoring whatever response Tokai Natural might have had, Rudolf directly climbed the stairs. Though she sympathized with Tokai Natural's circumstances, right now, compared to sympathy, Symboli Rudolf was far more interested in seeing Yayoi Mochizuki herself.
Ascending quickly to the second floor, she opened the first door on her left.
Then Symboli Rudolf saw a room nearly devoid of decoration—utterly clean and white.
It was spotless, but precisely because of this—
After one quick glance at the floor, which showed almost no traces of dirt, Rudolf understood: Even though Maruzensky had allowed Tokai Natural to stay here, Natural still saw herself merely as someone being sheltered temporarily.
After just a brief look, Rudolf's attention shifted entirely to the bed.
On the bed lay an infant.
Without hesitation, Rudolf stepped forward swiftly, clearly seeing the child's face.
However, it was different from what she had expected—the child's condition appeared poor.
In the next moment, Rudolf seemed to recall something and sharply turned her gaze toward Tokai Natural, who had quietly followed upstairs.
Tokai Natural only lowered her head under Rudolf's questioning gaze.
Seeing Tokai Natural's expression, Rudolf finally remembered: Tokai Natural herself was sickly.
Moreover—
During the period after being cast out, she likely hadn't had proper rest or nutrition. Meaning: Her physical condition during pregnancy had inevitably affected her child.
Realizing this, Rudolf took another long look at Mochizuki, then stood up decisively.
"I'll be going now."
She paused briefly, then spoke again, her voice firm and emotionless: "I won't come again—but I want you to stay away from Maruzensky and C.B."
As the Student Council President, until a new star emerged, Rudolf couldn't allow the responsibilities of those two to be affected by Tokai Natural's presence.
Tokai Natural froze for a second.
She knew very well Rudolf's current status. Even if Rudolf herself took no direct action, others would surely help enforce her will.
And Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky had already done far too much for her.
She didn't want them to suffer trouble on her behalf any further.
Therefore…
"Mm… I will."
Tokai Natural lied quietly. With her head bowed low, Rudolf couldn't clearly see her expression.
But Rudolf didn't care to look further. She simply walked past Tokai Natural, exiting the room.
Eventually, after hearing the sound of the front door closing downstairs—
Tokai Natural sank to the floor once again.
Her expression was filled with pain, but she still desperately held back her tears.
"At least…"
At least… there's still a little time to hide this.
---
T/N: WAHTIAITHIAHIFHSAI RUDOLF U BASTARD!!!