Sitting beside Rudolf, Mejiro Ramonu stared at her intently.
"Then…"
Looking at Ramonu, Rudolf quietly waited for whatever she'd say next.
After a long pause, Mejiro Ramonu finally spoke. "I'll move in with you."
"No."
The immediate refusal, without even a second of hesitation, caused Mejiro Ramonu to glare sharply at Rudolf.
"The Mejiro Family still needs you there, and Mejiro Iris wouldn't approve anyway, would she?"
These casual words precisely struck Mejiro Ramonu's weak point.
Hearing Rudolf say this, Mejiro Ramonu silently turned away, avoiding Rudolf's gaze.
Seeing Ramonu's reaction, Rudolf continued, "Aren't the Mejiro Family and the Chinese Uma Musume Association planning a joint venture soon? Can you really afford to be away?"
"Ugh…"
Bombarded by Rudolf's precise remarks, Mejiro Ramonu let out a small groan.
Everything Rudolf mentioned were issues Ramonu currently needed to handle personally—issues she could only solve by staying with the Mejiro Family.
Thus, she had no way to refute Rudolf's words.
Seeing Ramonu's defeated expression, Rudolf softened her tone slightly. "But you can still visit in the future."
"Really? I can?"
The sadness in Ramonu's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a hint of joy.
Seeing her excitement, Rudolf turned her gaze aside slightly. "Have you booked a hotel?"
"Nope!"
"You planned to stay with me from the beginning, didn't you?"
"Yep!"
"Forget it, then," Rudolf replied flatly, her gaze shifting slightly away. "Go find somewhere to stay tonight, and head back to the Mejiro Estate tomorrow."
"Ehhh—"
"You can't ignore your responsibilities at the Mejiro Family, right?"
Struck once more in her weak spot, Mejiro Ramonu went quiet for several seconds before speaking again. "Um, one last thing."
Staring straight at Rudolf's face, Ramonu asked quietly,
"Did you find her?"
Ramonu knew exactly why Rudolf had broken off their engagement back then, and she hadn't protested at all.
Instead, she'd quietly signed the papers ending the arrangement between the Mejiro and Symboli families.
But ever since that day…
Mejiro Ramonu had secretly kept an eye on Rudolf from afar.
Yet most of the time, Rudolf had never noticed Ramonu's silent presence.
Which was why Ramonu needed to ask this question now.
Facing Ramonu's inquiry, Rudolf nodded silently without speaking further.
Seeing Rudolf's quiet affirmation, Ramonu remained silent for a brief moment before making another request. "Could you walk me out?"
She didn't continue pressing for details.
Mejiro Ramonu probably had already guessed what happened afterward.
After all, having closely watched Rudolf all this time, how could she possibly be unaware of everything the Tokai Family had done?
Thus, she asked Rudolf for only this much.
Rudolf nodded gently in reply. "I'll walk you out."
They left the apartment together.
It was nearly ten at night.
They walked along the deserted street, lit only faintly by a few streetlamps that pierced the darkness.
It felt like the quiet street itself was urging Mejiro Ramonu to do something, or perhaps say something.
Breaking the silence created by their footsteps alone, Ramonu finally asked:
"Am I really not enough?"
A sudden question, with no lead-up or context.
"You deserve someone better."
The question received an immediate answer—
An answer Ramonu had already anticipated yet desperately hoped never to hear.
After that, neither spoke another word.
Soon enough, Rudolf helped Ramonu find a capsule hotel for the night.
Standing by the hotel's entrance, Mejiro Ramonu turned around to face Rudolf directly.
Their heights weren't that different, allowing Ramonu to look directly into Rudolf's eyes.
The quiet gaze between them lasted for several seconds before Ramonu broke the silence once again. "I'll visit again someday."
"And I'll have learned how to cook by then."
As Rudolf said this, she turned away slightly. "Head back home first thing tomorrow."
Without waiting for Ramonu's reply, Rudolf started walking back the way she'd come.
Watching Rudolf gradually disappear into the distance, Ramonu took out her phone.
She looked at Rudolf's retreating figure under the flickering streetlights.
Quietly switching the phone's camera mode, she captured Rudolf's back.
Ramonu stared at the image displayed on her phone, softly murmuring, "Not enough, huh…"
...
Walking back along the quiet streets to her tiny five-square-meter apartment, Rudolf wasn't in a hurry to sleep or do anything in particular.
Instead, she boiled water and poured it into the instant noodles she'd bought earlier.
A faint fragrance soon filled the room.
Peeling back the cup's lid fully, the aroma became even stronger.
Yet, smelling this familiar fragrance, Rudolf's expression remained unchanged.
She simply recalled the words she had spoken earlier to Mejiro Ramonu.
"So, my first goal is learning to cook, huh…?"
As she murmured to herself, Rudolf grew quiet.
Cooking was something she'd never done before.
But having made a promise, she felt obliged to at least give it a try.
And besides, living alone while constantly eating instant noodles or convenience store bento was far from ideal.
Moreover, Rudolf genuinely needed something to occupy her idle time.
So, Rudolf stared at the cup noodles placed neatly on the table.
"This will be the last time."
With that declaration, Rudolf picked up a forkful of noodles and began to eat.
As for Mejiro Ramonu's intention to visit again in the future, Rudolf didn't feel troubled.
Quite the opposite; she felt somewhat glad.
After all, knowing there was still someone who cared enough to find her meant perhaps she wasn't entirely alone in this world.
Thinking this, Rudolf finished the last mouthful of noodles, drank the remaining broth, and tossed the empty cup into the garbage bag.
"There's still work to handle tomorrow. For now, I suppose I should sleep."
Having decided her next course of action, Rudolf flicked off the lights.
As the room returned to darkness, she carefully felt her way back to bed.
Yet, lying there, Rudolf found herself strangely restless.
Maybe it was due to the sudden visit from someone familiar.
Or perhaps Mejiro Ramonu's appearance had reminded Rudolf of her failed marriage plans from long ago.
Memories she had thought she'd stopped caring about suddenly resurfaced, bringing that person's image clearly back into her mind once again.
---
T/N: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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