Tokai didn't know the reason for her mother's change.
Or rather, if she could know the reason, that would be a ghost.
Yes, truly a ghost.
But… she turned her head to look at Tokai Roman.
Tokai Roman, sitting in a corner of the dining table, had a slightly complex expression on her face.
It was as if she was simultaneously worried about something happening and anticipating something appearing.
Such a change in expression made Mochizuki completely unable to understand what the other person was thinking.
So she withdrew her gaze.
Although she felt that her mother's change wasn't very normal, but… sometimes her mother seemed to occasionally keep up with the pace of modern people.
So there's no need to worry.
In the past, her mother sometimes worried about love affairs.
So there's no need to worry.
This kind of mother is fine now… no matter how I think about it, I can't feel at ease!!!
After several internal struggles, Mochizuki suddenly stood up. She looked at Aunt Roman: "Aunt Roman!"
Mochizuki's voice was very loud. Tokai Teio, who was struggling with her homework beside her, was startled.
As for Tokai Roman, who had been deep in thought, she was so startled that her tail shot up.
But after realizing it was Mochizuki, she relaxed again.
"What is it?"
"What did Mom go to do?"
The direct, undisguised question made Tokai Roman quietly turn her head away.
To be honest, she had no idea how to answer such a question.
Because she couldn't possibly say that Shizen went to see their biological father, could she?
And it didn't seem right to tell a child something like that.
So Tokai Roman's eyes darted around, her mind racing, trying to figure out what excuse to use to make Mochizuki stop asking that question.
But what Tokai Roman failed to notice was.
While she was pondering the question, another voice, neither too loud nor too soft, came out:
"Could it be that Aunt Shizen went to find a boyfriend?"
This was Teio's suggestion.
Although she didn't know much about such matters, after all, her dream of becoming a Triple Crown undefeated left her no time to pay attention to it.
But she had at least heard about it, as she was a girl after all.
However, even this slight speculation made Mochizuki turn her head to look at Teio.
No, impossible… Mom has many Uma Musume pursuing her.
How could she abandon what's close for what's far?
No! If that were the case, why would Mom go to Okinawa, twice!
Could Mom have found a lover outside, and that's why… Mochizuki, whose mind worked very well, fell into a chaotic struggle of various thoughts the moment Teio proposed this possibility.
But after more than ten seconds of fruitless deliberation.
Mochizuki still turned her gaze to Roman. She looked at Roman, waiting for an answer.
But… looking at Roman, whose gaze was still flickering, a bad premonition arose in Mochizuki's heart.
This bad premonition urged her to speak:
"Aunt Roman?"
"…Huh?"
Seeing that it took Tokai Roman so long to react, Mochizuki could foresee that her ominous premonition had come true… The only possibility that could make her feel so concerned was probably just one.
Understanding this, Mochizuki just looked at Tokai Roman, who was some distance away from her, then walked over.
After reaching her side, Mochizuki quietly, in a voice Teio couldn't hear, spoke the possibility she had anticipated: "Is it, Dad?"
Mochizuki, having said this, did not wait for Roman's response.
And when she looked at her, Tokai Roman had already entered a frozen state.
This abnormality made Mochizuki silently walk back to the table where she and Teio did their homework. She knew the answer, but… was it really worth it?
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
While the Tokai Family descended into unimaginable chaos, Rudolph and Shizen, who had just finished dinner, simply looked at each other.
But they didn't know what to say.
There was only one reason for this: Rudolph's apartment had too few entertainment options.
With almost no electronics, there wasn't much Tokai Shizen and Rudolph could do.
Of course, horseplay might be one of them.
But both of them subconsciously avoided that choice.
After all, the current Tokai Shizen could probably only be considered an echo of the past, so both Tokai Shizen and Rudolph Symboli were very concerned about Tokai's feelings.
They couldn't let someone wake up to find themselves pregnant again… So, the two of them just looked at each other, in an extremely awkward state.
But, just as Lu X Fei could always make a bad joke, Tokai Shizen, who had been cooped up for twenty years, clearly had this talent too.
So… "Are we playing freeze tag?"
"Hmm… we could try."
"Hey, don't just agree with everything I say!" Tokai Shizen, correcting her, just turned her head slightly annoyed: "But you have to do that with Tokai."
"Yes, yes, I know."
After giving this response, Rudolph no longer looked directly at Tokai Shizen. She just shifted her gaze slightly: "Shizen?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"After we go back…"
"I'll drag you to a restaurant first, then tell Teio, 'This person is your father!'"
Tokai Nature, with a hint of mischief in her words, looked at Rudolph Symboli with a wicked grin.
"Teio…"
Rudolph, muttering the name, was clearly worried that Tokai Nature might actually say or do something.
After all, there were only slight similarities in their characteristics, so Tokai Nature was indeed capable of such a thing.
So, Rudolph shook her head: "Meeting Teio is fine, but…"
"As for telling her the truth, let's not."
Rudolph's gaze returned to Tokai Nature's face.
But Tokai Nature felt that Rudolph wasn't really looking at her, but rather through her at someone else.
Just like Maruzensky's gaze when she looked at her.
Tokai Nature, noticing this, wasn't angry; she merely leaned her face slightly closer to the other party:
"How about this? Can you see more clearly now?"
Looking at Tokai Nature, whose face was too close to her, Rudolph Symboli simply cupped Tokai Nature's face with her hands: "Hmm, I can see clearly. Regarding my matters, I still hope Tokai will decide; that would be better."
"This answer must have disappointed you, right?"
Tokai, whose face was cupped by Rudolph's hands, merely stared at her with dead fish eyes:
"…No!"
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