On October 13th, Tokai Natural officially moved into the restaurant's second floor.
The formal opening was still a little ways off.
Right now was the preparation period.
Unlike the earlier soft opening, this preparation period involved quite a few tasks, but mainly just changing some internal décor, tables, chairs, and similar things.
All these needed to be new—using old furniture would give the restaurant a somewhat questionable image.
If Tokai Natural had been alone, it would've been too much work.
But fortunately, many people had come to help her, so everything went smoothly enough.
By the time she'd finished tidying up and sent off Maruzensky, Mr. C.B., Sakura Chiyono O, and Tamamo Cross, it was already 9 p.m.
Tokai Natural glanced at the wall clock, checked the leftover ingredients, and began thinking about what to cook for dinner.
But while she was deciding, the shop's front door swung open.
"Sorry, we're not open tod—"
Before she finished speaking, Tokai Natural froze upon seeing the person at the door.
Symboli Sirius.
Looking at Symboli Sirius, Tokai Natural's heart skipped. A faint, uneasy feeling rose inside her.
She remembered that she hadn't hung up the "Open" or "Closed" sign on the door. Since the restaurant hadn't officially opened yet, there'd been no reason to put it up.
Symboli Sirius stood at the entrance, glanced briefly around the newly renovated interior, and after a moment of consideration, chose the seat closest to Tokai Natural.
"Um, is there something you need?"
Symboli Sirius caught the slight tremble in Tokai Natural's voice as she forced herself to appear calm.
Meeting Tokai Natural's gaze, Symboli Sirius stayed quiet for a moment before speaking clearly:
"Yayoi…no, Tokai Natural?"
"You—you found out?"
"Relax. I'm not like Rudolf."
As she said this, Symboli Sirius stood and gently placed a hand on Tokai Natural's shoulder, steadying her to prevent her from falling.
But rather than reassuring her, Symboli Sirius's gesture only made Tokai Natural even more anxious.
Noticing Tokai Natural's body trembling even more visibly now, Symboli Sirius let go of her shoulder. "Careful, don't fall."
Saying this, Symboli Sirius returned to her stool.
Once she'd settled back onto the stool, Symboli Sirius spoke again: "That child the Tokai Family adopted—I believe she's called Tokai Teio, right? She's yours?"
No beating around the bush, she directly stated her reason for coming.
Tokai Natural didn't respond.
She didn't know whether she should answer Symboli Sirius. Given Symboli Sirius's connection to the Symboli Family, whatever she intended to do with Teio was unknown—and terrifying.
If something happened…
Tokai Natural's expression slowly shifted as these thoughts raced through her head.
Symboli Sirius calmly watched Tokai Natural's changing expressions without rushing her.
She knew exactly how badly Tokai Natural had been treated by both the Symboli and Tokai Families, so whether or not Tokai Natural replied was irrelevant to her right now.
She simply continued speaking:
"I've already spoken with Tokai Roman. She's very worried about you."
Saying that, Symboli Sirius stood up. She knew Tokai Natural wouldn't respond clearly to her questions tonight, so she had no reason to linger further.
But as she reached the door, Symboli Sirius turned and looked directly at Tokai Natural. "I'll be paying the Tokai Family a visit soon."
After that, Symboli Sirius opened the door and left immediately.
Tokai Natural stared at the closed door, unsure what Symboli Sirius had meant by those words. But if Symboli Sirius truly intended to do something, Tokai Natural knew she had only one choice left:
Escape.
She had no ability to resist, nor the right to choose.
All she could do was run.
Thus, after spending just a brief moment agonizing over Symboli Sirius's intentions, Tokai Natural pushed aside her worries and began cooking dinner.
Mochizuki still needed her care—she had to keep herself healthy.
And so, despite her anxiety, Tokai Natural went to sleep upstairs in the restaurant's second floor.
...
"Are you going to the Chukyo Cup tomorrow?"
On the way home, Mr. C.B. suddenly asked.
Hearing the question, Maruzensky simply glanced sideways at Mr. C.B.: "Why wouldn't I?"
"I don't really feel like going."
"Neither do I. But it's still work," Maruzensky sighed, tilting her head up to the sky.
Above, Tokyo's bright lights washed out all the stars, leaving only the moon visible. Maruzensky was long used to a sky like this.
But even so—
"If only she could be just a little softer."
Her words carried a trace of sadness.
Maruzensky understood why Tokai Natural pushed herself so hard, and knew clearly that her desperate efforts amounted only to a fragile castle of sand—easily destroyed by the slightest external force.
Tokai Natural herself understood this clearly as well.
Yet she continued building it anyway, piece by fragile piece, her own small sanctuary.
Anyone who saw her would inevitably feel a pang in their heart.
Hearing Maruzensky's lament, Mr. C.B. looked at her and quietly added: "Except when it involves her daughter."
Mr. C.B. wasn't wrong.
As she'd said, as long as Mochizuki wasn't involved, Tokai Natural genuinely didn't seem to care about herself at all.
"I think, if it weren't for Mochizuki, we wouldn't even be seeing her."
Straightforward and blunt.
Both of them knew clearly that Mochizuki was Tokai Natural's entire reason for living right now.
If Mochizuki hadn't existed, they probably would've never seen Tokai Natural again.
So...
"What's going to happen next?"
Mr. C.B. sighed, "I just hope she'll be alright."
Mr. C.B.'s words made Maruzensky fall silent briefly.
She turned around.
This place was already far from the restaurant. The restaurant itself was no longer visible from here.
But the soft, flickering lights of the shopping street still shone faintly in the distance.
Staring quietly at those faint lights for a few seconds, Maruzensky eventually turned back:
"We still have work tomorrow."
"How about we just skip it?"
"Nice idea."
"No dreams allowed, huh?"