Nearly a month had passed since Tokai Natural first moved into Maruzensky's house, and finally, her new documents were ready.
During this past month, Maruzensky had spent most of her free time here after completing her duties at Tracen Academy.
There was good reason for this. After all, Tokai Natural was now penniless and had a child to care for, so she'd grown heavily dependent on Maruzensky for daily needs.
And now…
Sitting in a wooden chair, Maruzensky stared down at the document in her hands, brows knitted tightly.
An Uma's identity required both paper and electronic documents as a double safeguard, and both versions would undergo rigorous inspections.
The photocopy currently in Maruzensky's hands was precisely the one she'd prepared for Tokai Natural.
Almost everything on the document had already been settled.
Except for the name section, which was still blank.
After all, deciding someone else's name without permission wasn't something Maruzensky felt comfortable doing.
Beyond that, she had another critical issue to consider:
How exactly to get these documents approved.
Identity papers would undergo several rounds of verification. The very first round was the administrative office's approval—specifically, an evaluation from Tracen Academy's central office.
And this was precisely Maruzensky's biggest headache.
Usually, matters like this were handled by the Chairwoman. But with the Chairwoman currently away from Tracen and no acting Chair appointed yet, only two people had the authority to review these documents.
One was Symboli Rudolf, current Student Council President. The other was CB-san, the current Vice President.
If Symboli Rudolf reviewed the file, she would surely recognize Tokai Natural immediately from the attached photograph.
Maruzensky didn't believe for a second that Symboli Rudolf would forget such a serious matter.
Thus, the only viable path forward was through CB-san.
But Maruzensky also knew that Chiyono Representative would definitely be curious about this application.
After all, Maruzensky had intentionally bypassed Rudolf and chosen CB-san instead.
Someone as shrewd as CB-san would instantly sense something suspicious.
And if CB-san truly became interested in the matter, things could become exceedingly complicated.
But if she could somehow make it past CB-san, the rest would be smooth sailing—such was Japan's bureaucratic nature.
Yet—
Staring at the documents in her hand, Maruzensky's frown only deepened.
Hesitation.
She found herself deeply hesitating over whether or not to proceed.
Maruzensky knew this was the right thing to do, that helping Tokai Natural gain a proper identity was for the best. And yet…
A strange reluctance quietly emerged in her heart.
Maruzensky didn't clearly understand where this reluctance was coming from, but…
Looking up, her eyes fell upon Tokai Natural, who was quietly working in the kitchen.
Maruzensky's tightly knitted brows relaxed slightly.
Tokai Natural wasn't someone who would bring tension into a room. Most of the time, it felt as if she wasn't even there. And yet…
Whenever she imagined Tokai Natural gaining a proper identity and possibly leaving her side, Maruzensky always felt as if something important would vanish.
It wasn't that Tokai Natural was particularly important to her, nor was she indispensable. But still…
When imagining a scenario where Tokai Natural no longer stayed by her side, Maruzensky consistently felt a vague sense of loss.
She didn't think Tokai Natural's departure would significantly impact her life, yet the thought of her absence gave Maruzensky a lingering feeling of emptiness.
"Maruzen-san?"
"Hm? Ah, is dinner ready already?"
"Yes… I just saw you spacing out, so…"
Hearing this, Tokai Natural's gaze drifted down to the document in Maruzensky's hands. She clearly remembered Maruzensky taking her photo a few days ago, so she could somewhat guess what the document was for.
But…
Recalling Maruzensky's intense expression while staring at the documents earlier, Tokai Natural felt it was wiser not to ask any questions.
If she carelessly said something that jeopardized the process, she'd truly become nothing but a kept woman in Maruzensky's hidden home.
Though, honestly, Tokai Natural wouldn't mind that too much. After all, her life had already fallen apart this much; getting worse wasn't really unimaginable.
But at the very least, her daughter deserved a proper identity. She couldn't let her child become someone without official records.
Seeing Tokai Natural hesitating to continue, Maruzensky simply placed the documents aside on another table before looking back at her directly:
"Natural—"
Seated on another chair, Tokai Natural timidly met Maruzensky's gaze.
Seeing Tokai Natural's overly cautious demeanor, Maruzensky frowned slightly.
After a brief hesitation, she finally spoke:
"The application for your new identity is essentially ready. The only thing left is the name."
"The name…"
"You'll need a surname at least." Saying this, Maruzensky paused briefly, then continued quietly, "Or do you plan to let someone else decide it for you?"
"Eh…? Actually, couldn't I just use your surname, Maruzen-san?"
Those words left Maruzensky momentarily stunned.
Of course, she understood precisely what it implied for an Uma to change her surname.
Although Uma typically didn't change their names after marriage, there were still cases where an Uma would drop her original stable's surname or family name in favor of her partner's.
At present, Tokai Natural had already lost the surname "Tokai." If she adopted Maruzensky's surname now, then…
Realizing this, Maruzensky's expression shifted subtly several times in quick succession.
After a single second's pause, she swiftly recovered herself and spoke calmly again:
"Maruzen Natural… It has a nice ring to it." Maruzensky's eyes focused intently on Tokai Natural, asking once more: "Are you sure about this?"
Repeating the question felt almost like giving Tokai Natural a chance to reconsider—but it also felt like Maruzensky was interrogating herself.
Facing Maruzensky's cautious inquiry, Tokai Natural's own expression shifted noticeably. She was suddenly keenly aware of the potential implications if she agreed here.
Thinking about the possible outcomes, Tokai Natural hesitated for just a few seconds before asking carefully, as if afraid Maruzensky might suddenly retract the offer:
"Am…am I allowed to decide?"
"..."
After another short silence, Maruzensky finally replied gently:
"Of course you can decide. After all, I'm not your real parent."
Maruzensky's words momentarily stunned Tokai Natural. A deep gratitude welled up from the bottom of her heart. With a slightly trembling voice, she responded softly:
"Thank you… thank you…"
By the time Tokai Natural had managed to calm her emotions, nearly half a minute had passed.
Her eyes were faintly red, as though on the verge of tears, when she finally asked quietly:
"Could I… have a day to think about it?"
"…No problem."
---
T/N: im eating popcorn rn teehee