Early on the first morning of the new year.
Only after finishing a whole pile of traditional obligations did Mejiro Ramonu finally manage to slip away from the Mejiro Estate.
And then—she arrived at Yayoi Natural's restaurant again.
Yayoi Natural's place was the same as always: no signboard.
In other words, it had no name.
Standing at the entrance, Mejiro Ramonu didn't care how plain the storefront was.
What she cared about was whether Yayoi Natural was here.
The closed sign on the door made her sigh.
She'd come today because she couldn't quite wait anymore.
Golden Week was in May, and yes—by any measure that would be the perfect time.
But Mejiro Ramonu couldn't wait.
The closer hope sat, right within reach, the harder it was to press down the impatience.
Still…
Staring at the closed sign, Mejiro Ramonu let out another helpless sigh and turned to leave.
But the very next moment she turned—the door opened.
"Ugh, that was such a tight squeeze to sleep… huh? Is that a customer?"
A voice, and Mejiro Ramonu turned back.
Tokai Teio.
Tokai Teio resembled Symboli Rudolf.
And for that reason, one of the reasons Mejiro Ramonu came by Yayoi Natural's restaurant so often was Teio herself.
The moment Mejiro Ramonu turned, Teio recognized the familiar customer.
"Oh! It's Auntie Ramonu. Auntie Ramonu, are you here for breakfast? Sorry, we're still closed. We won't be opening for the next few days, so you can come back after that."
Teio's explanation ran long, but Mejiro Ramonu didn't interrupt. Only after Teio finished did she reply.
"I'm actually here to speak with Yayoi-san."
"Oh, you came to see Auntie Natural! Wait a second—I'll go wake Auntie Natural up."
With that, Teio pulled the restaurant door wider. "Auntie Ramonu, you can come in and sit for a bit."
"Mm. Thank you."
Mejiro Ramonu offered her thanks, stepped inside, found a seat, and waited for Yayoi Natural.
It wasn't long before Yayoi Natural came downstairs.
"Ramonu-san, what do you need me for?"
As she spoke, Yayoi Natural rubbed at her eyes, then walked slowly over to Mejiro Ramonu.
Looking at Yayoi Natural still half-asleep, Mejiro Ramonu paused, then answered, "It's about her."
With Teio nearby, she didn't say Rudolf's name.
Just "her."
Even so, Yayoi Natural sobered instantly.
And noticing Teio was still downstairs, Yayoi Natural spoke again. "Let's talk outside."
"We can, but, Yayoi-san… your clothes—"
Only then did Yayoi Natural realize she was dressed a little too lightly.
She hesitated for a beat, then said, "It's fine. Let's just talk like this. It shouldn't take long if it's about her, right?"
"Mm. It won't."
Mejiro Ramonu stood.
And the two of them left the restaurant, leaving Teio alone downstairs, staring at the door as it shut.
Once they were outside, Yayoi Natural was the first to speak.
Between the cold and how lightly she was dressed, she didn't last long before asking, "So what is it this time, Ramonu-san—about Rudolf?"
Mejiro Ramonu understood the urgency and didn't waste words. "It's about what I told you before—going to Okinawa."
"Mm. Is there a problem?"
"I want to move it up. Golden Week is still too far away."
"I see…" Yayoi Natural thought for a few seconds, then asked, "How much earlier are we talking?"
"Tomorrow."
"That's… four months earlier all at once," Yayoi Natural said lightly, and didn't continue.
Seeing she hadn't answered, Mejiro Ramonu pressed on. "I just can't endure it anymore. Hope is right in front of me—"
Yayoi Natural barely listened to the explanation. The reason she hadn't answered was because she'd been calculating recent foot traffic—whether taking a trip would hurt her income.
By the time Mejiro Ramonu finished, Yayoi Natural had finished thinking too.
She looked at Mejiro Ramonu. "How many days?"
"Three to five. Irabu Island is a fair distance from Okinawa's main island, and a round trip eats time."
Yayoi Natural nodded. "Going isn't a problem."
Mejiro Ramonu's face lit up with surprise.
With how much she'd moved it up, she'd already braced herself to be refused—only for Yayoi Natural to agree.
Seeing her so excited, Yayoi Natural added, "You're paying for it."
"No problem."
After answering, Mejiro Ramonu continued, "Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow, Yayoi-san."
"Here?"
"Mm."
With the meeting point settled, Yayoi Natural rubbed her arms. "If that's all decided… see you tomorrow?"
Mejiro Ramonu could tell the cold was starting to bite, so she didn't keep her. She only nodded. "Mm. See you tomorrow, Yayoi-san."
With that, the two of them parted, each walking back the way they'd come.
Back at the restaurant, Yayoi Natural found both her daughters already up.
They were standing there waiting for her, and after a few seconds of thought, she said, "I'm going on a trip tomorrow."
Teio reacted instantly. "A trip? You're not taking us?"
"No. I'm going for work."
As she spoke, Yayoi Natural looked to Mochizuki, who was watching her too.
Mochizuki silently added Mejiro Ramonu to her internal list of people to keep an eye on, then said simply:
"Be careful."
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