Unlike the drive up, the way down—Maruzensky drove smoothly and slowly, as if everything she'd just done had never happened.
At that gentle pace, they were back in no time.
Or rather—back at Maruzensky's place.
She parked in the garage, and the air between them felt like it had reset to how it was when they first left.
But…
"Do you want to stay the night?"
Very blunt.
Maruzensky asked it as Yayoi Natural stepped out of the passenger seat.
Yayoi Natural lifted her head.
She wasn't tall, but she was just tall enough that the top of her head cleared the car roof.
They stood on opposite sides of the car, facing each other.
Their eyes met—just barely.
Then…
"Yeah. Okay."
No hesitation. No refusal.
Yayoi Natural accepted.
Maruzensky shut the car door, went through the interior garage door into the house—and Yayoi Natural followed.
There wasn't much conversation.
Maruzensky understood what had brought them to this point.
After all, what happened earlier really had been…
Knowing that didn't tell her how to fix it.
So the silence held—it was stiff, and fragile.
In it, Maruzensky turned the problem over and over, searching for a way out.
Yayoi Natural, meanwhile, was thinking about something else entirely. She couldn't resist Maruzensky—not really—so in a situation like this, her thoughts drifted to her daughter.
A whole day without going back.
Even with Roman there, she still worried about Mochizuki.
With that thought, Yayoi Natural turned to Maruzensky. "Maruzen. I'm going to rest."
Maruzen opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't.
Seeing that, Yayoi Natural added softly, "I won't lock the door."
The meaning threaded through those words was something Maruzensky had once known by heart.
Realizing it, Maruzensky didn't know what to say.
Because if everything really went back to how it used to be… she couldn't tell whether that was good or bad.
Either way, Yayoi Natural didn't linger. She went upstairs and opened the room where she and Mochizuki had once lived.
It was the same as it had been years ago. Even the floor told a story—clean enough to make it obvious someone came in to tidy up from time to time.
Yayoi Natural let out a slow breath, then sat on the bed.
Nothing in the room had changed.
And after what happened today, it all made her feel like she'd been yanked back into the past.
But…
When she looked at the bed—empty, without Mochizuki curled up on it—she finally felt herself return to the present.
She took another deep breath, then slowly peeled off her clothes.
She should sleep.
She turned off the light and curled up under the covers.
Not long after, the door opened again.
Yayoi Natural knew who it was. But like she'd said, she'd left it unlocked on purpose—because she couldn't fight back. The only thing she could do was the simplest kind of defense.
Beyond that, she could do nothing.
The one who entered didn't hesitate. She slipped straight into Yayoi Natural's bed.
A corner of the blanket lifted—and then Yayoi Natural felt bare skin press against her.
How could she tell?
Because Yayoi Natural didn't have pajamas. Or rather, back when she lived here, she'd never bought clothes of her own—so of course she didn't have sleepwear.
So the instant their skin met, she understood the other person wasn't wearing much, either.
Yayoi Natural didn't speak.
She stayed still.
A moment later, the one holding her finally murmured, "Sorry…"
"…It's okay."
Then Maruzensky wrapped her arms around her.
It felt different from Mr. C.B.'s embrace. Their body heat wasn't so mismatched.
Back then, Mr. C.B. hadn't had any bedding—so her temperature had always felt lower, somehow.
So this was different, too.
And that small difference shifted the way Yayoi Natural held them in her mind—how each presence lingered.
"I'm sorry. Today, I meant to take you back to my hometown."
As she spoke, Maruzensky tightened her hold a little, drawing Yayoi Natural closer.
"Back home?"
"To a ranch."
"Yeah. A ranch. But then, all of a sudden…"
Maruzensky trailed off. She didn't know how to explain it.
Hearing the thick guilt in her voice, Yayoi Natural didn't answer right away. She worked herself around within Maruzensky's arms.
And then—In the thin spill of light, they faced each other.
Yayoi Natural looked at her for a long time before she finally spoke. "I know."
She lifted a hand and hugged Maruzensky back the same way, then continued, "I understand—your feelings, and Mr. C.B.'s too. I do. It's just…"
The same stall, the same pause.
When her words stopped, Maruzensky looked at her—and what followed made her hold her breath.
"Not yet. Mochizuki isn't grown, and Teio also…"
She stopped short, then let the rest slip past in a blur—too careful, too vague.
"They both need me. I need to spend time and energy taking proper care of them. So… not yet."
Maruzensky nodded. "I… understand."
After saying that, she lowered her forehead against Yayoi Natural.
She didn't leave marks on her the way Mr. C.B. had.
Maruzensky only pressed close—close enough to feel her there.
"Let me hold you," she whispered. "Okay?"
"Aren't you going to do anything?"
The blunt question made Maruzensky freeze for an instant. Then she answered:
"No. I won't do anything. Just… holding you is enough…"
---
T/N: MARUZENSKYYYYYYYYYYY YOU REALLY ARE FROM A DRAMAAAAAA ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SIT DOWN WITH HER AND APOLOGIZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YOU GUYS ARE UMAMUSUME YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT AGE YOU'RE LIKE ELVESSSS
maruzensky stocks going DOWN
mr cb going UP
rudolf is ???
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