Okinawa, Irabu Island.
Symboli Rudolf carried the last cardboard box into the room, kicking the door shut behind her.
This was Rudolf's new home on Irabu Island.
The place measured about five square meters in total, including a toilet and shower area, as well as a built-in stove and sink.
Thanks to the small loft upstairs that could serve as a bedroom, the overall space was sufficient for Rudolf's needs.
After all, no one was going to visit her. Such a place was appropriate enough.
After setting down the last box, Rudolf didn't rush to open it.
Judging from the furniture delivered so far, Rudolf was fairly certain it contained miscellaneous things she'd probably never use anyway.
Thus, there was no real need to unpack it.
The best outcome was to leave it as-is, neatly sealed in a box in some corner.
Having placed the final box aside, Rudolf sat down at the low table.
She didn't take out her phone—because even if she had, she didn't have time to do anything with it.
Right now, she had far more important matters to consider.
"First, about work…"
When Rudolf arrived here, she had roughly 200,000 yen left. Considering local prices, finding a job was becoming urgent.
Under normal circumstances, the local ranches would have been the ideal choice.
But Rudolf had no intention of working there.
Although Okinawa didn't have a proper Uma Musume racing industry, there was still a lingering awareness among Uma Musume themselves.
If she were to appear in such places, she'd likely invite unwanted trouble.
For the same reason, her options were severely limited.
Yet, after a moment's thought, Rudolf decided she still had some time left.
Not much, but enough.
In the little time she had left, Rudolf climbed the ladder to the loft.
The loft wasn't spacious at all; she could barely lie down flat.
As for sleeping in any other position—well, that was completely out of the question.
Lying there, Rudolf stared at the ceiling inches above her face.
But instead of worrying about employment or whether handing over Student Council duties entirely to Mr. C.B. would create problems—
The Rudolf who had stepped away from that position wouldn't concern herself with those issues at all.
Just like Symboli Speed, who after going overseas, never concerned herself with domestic matters again—
Rudolf, too, would no longer meddle with things beyond her role.
Compared to those people, Rudolf was more concerned with something else.
Something far more important.
Such as those Uma Musume she'd hurt.
The injured Uma Musume from the Climax Cup were fully supported by Rudolf's own funding.
Thus, her relationship with those Uma Musume wasn't exactly shallow.
In this situation, it was only natural Rudolf cared about them, since she was indeed responsible for their suffering.
Thinking this, Rudolf sighed quietly and rolled over.
But as she'd thought earlier—she cared deeply, yet that was all she could do.
After all, as the one who originally signed off on the Climax Cup, Rudolf no longer had the right to use those funds. All she could do now was worry about them.
After finishing these wandering thoughts about those Uma Musume, Rudolf's mind drifted toward others who'd also been hurt because of her.
Tokai Natural, and—
Mejiro Ramonu.
Tokai Natural required no explanation; the facts were already clear enough. But Mejiro Ramonu's situation was another extreme entirely.
Originally, both the Mejiro Family and Symboli Family had fully intended for Rudolf to marry Mejiro Ramonu.
Yet…
Recalling this, Rudolf felt a pounding headache.
Because at that time…
Well, her brain clearly hadn't been functioning properly.
Thinking about this, Rudolf fell silent for over ten seconds before turning over again.
Facing the wall, mere inches away, Rudolf sighed once more.
She remembered how Mejiro Ramonu had said nothing back then, simply accepting Rudolf's choice silently.
Afterward, the Symboli Family had provided significant compensation to the Mejiro Family—but remembering Mejiro Ramonu's reaction at the time still made Rudolf's expression change subtly.
Her thoughts drifted there a moment longer.
Then, she gave up entirely.
The reason was simple: even if she wanted to do something about it now, she couldn't.
So Rudolf chose to let go—because rather than torturing herself over problems she couldn't fix, it was wiser to focus on problems she could solve.
Like finding work, for example.
But after a short moment, her thoughts circled right back again.
Clearly, Rudolf would still need more time before she fully adapted to her new life here.
...
"Maruzen, can I leave this job to you?"
Mr. C.B., having openly declared her intention to slack off, presented this completely unacceptable suggestion to Maruzensky.
Hearing Mr. C.B.'s casual proposal, Maruzensky merely replied smoothly, "I heard Yayoi prefers people who work hard, you know~"
This lightly spoken comment instantly forced Mr. C.B.'s full attention back onto her work.
Watching Mr. C.B. so straightforwardly dive back into her tasks,
Maruzensky felt a twinge of guilt for exploiting Yayoi Natural's name like this.
But if she hadn't resorted to such tactics, Maruzensky was certain Mr. C.B. would've vanished within minutes, leaving her with a massive pile of unfinished work.
Thus, under these circumstances, Maruzensky had no choice but to use Yayoi Natural's name to prod Mr. C.B. into action.
Perhaps genuinely stung by Maruzensky's words, Mr. C.B. asked another question as she worked. "Natural comes back tomorrow, right?"
"…Mm. Today, Natural is probably confessing everything to Teio."
Maruzensky paused, pen hovering mid-air. "I wonder if Natural will successfully convince Teio…"
Concern tinged her voice.
Hearing that, Mr. C.B. simply turned her head: "Relax. Didn't Yayoi Natural manage to convince both you and me already? There's no need to worry at all~"
"…Maybe you're right."