Symboli Rudolf felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, from her daily routine of work and training.
Of course, if it had only been that, it wouldn't have been so unbearable for her.
What truly wore her out were the lingering injuries gradually resurfacing in her body.
All of those were remnants from when Symboli Speed had disciplined her.
Enduring these pains wasn't particularly difficult for Rudolf.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
"My speed's gotten so much slower compared to before..."
The injuries combined with a year-long absence had severely reduced her upper limits.
As a former top-tier Uma Musume, Rudolf clearly knew that winning the Dream Cup with her current speed was impossible.
So...
Should I increase the training intensity?
This thought kept circling in Rudolf's mind.
She knew that the current training intensity was already at the maximum level her body could handle safely.
Yet balancing against that bodily strain was Teio's wish.
She weighed this dilemma over and over.
Ultimately, she made her decision.
She would increase her training intensity.
Naturally, the increase in training intensity couldn't escape Symboli Sirius's notice, who occasionally dropped by to observe Rudolf.
Because of this, Sirius could see how thoroughly exhausted Rudolf was at the end of every training session.
Yet Sirius's expression remained largely unchanged as she watched Rudolf.
If anyone clearly understood Rudolf's physical condition, it was Sirius.
After all, she was the one who'd personally taken Rudolf to the hospital back then, and thus knew exactly how severe Rudolf's injuries had been.
Precisely because of this, Sirius recognized Rudolf's determination:
"Still going to fulfill that wish even like this, huh..."
Tossing the empty coffee can into a nearby trash bin, Sirius turned around and left.
She had no plans to participate in the Dream Cup herself. The Symboli Family had too many issues to handle, and entering the Dream Cup would mean investing significant time into training.
For that very reason, when Sirius turned away, she failed to notice that beneath a sky gradually losing its sunlight, Symboli Rudolf had collapsed onto the grass, staring up into the twilight painted in orange-red and deep blue.
She lay quietly, a subtle despair reflected in her eyes.
Then...
After recovering some strength, Rudolf finally stood back up.
Once again, she stood on the grassy training field.
The sun was steadily setting, its last rays about to vanish completely from Rudolf's figure.
The final light of the day touched Rudolf's face.
Her eyes captured the world around her, now slowly engulfed by darkness, yet what she saw wasn't anything real in this world—
Instead, each time she reached her limit, each time her body screamed warnings at her, each time her strength was completely depleted—
She saw fleeting hallucinations.
They were illusions of Tokai Natural. Images from years ago, when Tokai Natural had stood before her, protecting her daughter.
Thinking of this, Rudolf took a deep breath and once more raised her head.
Every single time she saw Natural's expression from that moment, Rudolf wanted to take another step forward—to reach out and grasp that ephemeral figure.
But each and every time, she failed to close the distance despite hitting her physical limits repeatedly.
At these moments, Rudolf felt something deep inside her slowly begin to fade.
Even subconsciously, she no longer believed she could salvage her relationship with Tokai Natural.
Realizing this, Rudolf looked upwards.
The sky now adorned with stars seemed to silently instruct her on what she should do next.
"...I'll... go to France."
Her body slowly lowered, curling tightly into a ball beneath the night sky.
...
Watching Tokai Natural as she returned home with Mochizuki, Symboli Speed, lying motionless on the sofa—looking little better than a corpse—just slightly turned her head.
Speed naturally kept an eye on Rudolf's condition every day, especially since Rudolf had resumed training.
After all, she had been the one responsible for Rudolf's injuries, and thus knew exactly how severe they were.
And watching Rudolf repeatedly push her body to the limits, Speed had considered intervening. After all, no matter how severely Rudolf had erred, she was still Speed's granddaughter. Once the punishment had ended, Speed continued doting on her as always.
"What are you thinking about?"
Pulled from her thoughts, Speed noticed a face looking down at her.
There was faint curiosity in Tokai Natural's eyes.
Gazing back at Natural, Speed remained silent for a long moment before slowly sitting up. "How's your health these days?"
She chose not to answer Natural's earlier question.
After all, Rudolf's current situation wasn't something suitable to discuss openly here.
Natural, seeing that Speed didn't respond, didn't press further. "My health has improved a lot, though I'm still a bit fragile…"
"But as long as I take my medicine regularly from now on, it should be fine."
Symboli Speed had observed Natural closely and thus had no reason to doubt her words.
She simply looked toward Mochizuki. "When do you plan on returning to Japan?"
"Hmm…"
Speed's question held a very clear implication.
After all, if Mochizuki returned to Japan only after elementary school, she'd likely have to learn another new language first.
Although Natural and Speed currently communicated in Japanese, Mochizuki's circumstances made it inevitable that she'd eventually have to settle back in Japan.
And besides, Teio was still there, waiting.
If they couldn't return…
After considering for a few seconds, Natural finally answered: "Once kindergarten finishes, I think."
"Then let's make plans for that."
Saying this, Speed picked up her phone, quickly sending messages to several people who had maintained close relationships with Natural.
Once done, Speed placed the phone aside.
By this time, Natural had already entered the kitchen.
Seeing the kitchen lights flicker on, Speed turned toward Mochizuki. "Mochizuki~ Come to great-grandma~"
Setting down her schoolbag, Mochizuki quickly trotted over to Speed's side.
"Grandma."
Hearing Mochizuki's noticeably improved speech compared to a year ago, Symboli Speed's expression softened just a little.
"Yes, grandma's right here~"
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl