After obtaining that information, Symboli Sirius didn't immediately seek out Tokai Natural.
Nor did she go straight to the Tokai Family.
For her, neither matter was that urgent yet.
She had an upcoming race scheduled in October, so preparing for that took priority.
Besides…
There were still a few things from this situation that she felt needed investigating first.
And so...
"Hello, Tokai Roman."
Facing the young woman who resembled Tokai Natural a little, Symboli Sirius began her questioning.
"Symboli Sirius, what do you want with me?"
She had arranged this meeting by using Tracen Academy's internal systems.
Because she'd contacted Tokai Roman directly through the school, neither the Tokai Family nor the Symboli Family would notice their discussion.
That allowed Symboli Sirius to safely speak about matters best kept confidential.
"I wanted to ask you about Tokai Natural."
"Are you still planning on holding someone responsible?"
"No, this is purely personal curiosity. After all…"
Remembering the restaurant's owner, Symboli Sirius shifted her gaze aside. "I'm just trying to understand a bit more."
Without revealing the possibility that Tokai Natural was alive, Symboli Sirius continued: "If you'd rather not talk about Tokai Natural, that's fine too. I won't investigate further."
Hearing this, Tokai Roman looked back at Symboli Sirius.
After a moment's hesitation, Roman—who had been about to leave—sat back down across from Symboli Sirius.
...
"Hmm, this apartment…"
"It has sixteen square meters of internal space, including a kitchen, private bathroom with bathtub, and enough room to move comfortably. Perfect for one person."
Listening to the real estate agent's pitch—
Tokai Natural didn't respond immediately.
She was still extremely careful about money. Although she'd secured at least 300,000 yen a month from her contract with the Mejiro Family…
For Tokai Natural, renting something expensive was out of the question.
Because she understood clearly—Mochizuki would require money in the future, a vast amount of money.
So the apartments Tokai Natural considered were always modest, similar to the one before her now.
Yet even a small place like this wasn't cheap.
The reason was obvious: this was Tokyo. Unless she went to the suburbs, cheap rent would always be difficult to find.
But at least this apartment was still within her affordability.
After a careful look around, Tokai Natural hesitated for a few seconds before speaking up: "Sorry, I'd like to think it over."
"Of course, we'll wait for your reply—but please reply soon. After all, it's Tokyo; apartments here go quickly."
Without further hesitation, the agent guided Tokai Natural back outside.
By the time she returned to Maruzensky's Tokyo house—Maruzensky and Mr. C.B. were already seated at the table.
"You're back?"
"I'll get started on dinner right away."
Ignoring Maruzensky's greeting, Tokai Natural headed straight to the kitchen.
Maruzensky watched her brisk pace without stopping her. "How did it go today?"
"About the same as yesterday. The rent's still acceptable, but…"
After some hesitation, Tokai Natural continued: "I'm worried Mochizuki will need more room later, so I want to keep looking."
"If nothing else suits you, you could always stay above the restaurant, right? You guys bought the second floor along with it."
Mr. C.B. didn't add anything, while Maruzensky responded instead: "Yes, we did buy it. There's plenty of room upstairs—enough for you and Mochizuki."
"But isn't it full of storage?"
"Mochizuki will require a lot of money in the future. Saving wherever I can is better."
As she said this, Tokai Natural placed the freshly prepared vegetables onto the cutting board. "And besides, if we tidy up the restaurant's second floor, it'll definitely be larger than any apartment I looked at today."
Tokai Natural's words prompted sighs from both Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky.
Clearly, the two were much more concerned about Tokai Natural's health.
But as Tokai Natural herself said, Mochizuki's needs were also a critical issue.
To Tokai Natural, Mochizuki was her absolute priority.
Both Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky had witnessed this firsthand in different situations.
So neither of them tried to persuade her otherwise, knowing Tokai Natural probably wouldn't listen anyway. But...
"Just remember to take care of yourself."
"I will."
After hearing Tokai Natural's reply, Maruzensky turned back to Mr. C.B.
No words were exchanged between them.
Mr. C.B. naturally understood what Maruzensky wanted to say but didn't voice aloud:
Just checking on Tokai Natural each day to make sure she didn't push herself too far.
And since Mr. C.B. had personally seen Tokai Natural collapse before, of course she had no reason to refuse. Mr. C.B. simply nodded her agreement.
...
"So, Tokai Natural was that kind of person."
Having listened to Tokai Roman's explanation, Symboli Sirius was now almost certain the restaurant's owner really was Tokai Natural.
The details matched up too perfectly.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"No, nothing more."
Hearing this, Tokai Roman stood up, ready to leave.
Watching her, Symboli Sirius paused for a few seconds before speaking again: "If it turns out Tokai Natural isn't dead, I'll let you know."
Tokai Roman froze momentarily.
Then she looked directly at Symboli Sirius.
In that instant, she clearly recognized the difference between Symboli Rudolf and Symboli Sirius.
Taking note of this, Tokai Roman faced her squarely and responded:
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Though I don't care for your family, it's still a mess we need to sort out. Just don't get your hopes too high—after all, Tokai Natural's constitution was always fragile, so…"
"Just knowing is enough. As for anything else…"
Tokai Roman paused for a few seconds before continuing softly: "I'm not asking for anything more."
Realizing Tokai Roman had already prepared herself mentally for her sister's death, Symboli Sirius quietly lowered her gaze to her coffee cup.
The dark liquid reflected the silhouette of Tokai Roman, already standing to leave.
Looking at Tokai Roman, clearly long prepared for the worst—
Symboli Sirius drank the rest of her coffee in a single gulp.
"I'll handle this properly."
"…Thank you."