Tokai Teio hummed softly as she walked along the road toward home.
"Auntie, you seem to be in a really good mood today~"
Saying this, Teio came up behind her aunt.
"Did something good happen?"
"Nothing special, just..." Tokai Roman gently reached out and patted Teio's head before continuing, "Your mom contacted me."
"Mom..."
The moment she heard that word, Tokai Teio didn't feel joy or happiness. Instead, she felt somewhat—
"Auntie... does she not want me anymore?"
Teio's reaction briefly stunned Roman. She knew exactly why Teio was asking this.
Thus, she quickly explained:
"No, your mom just got in touch with me. As for other things…"
Roman hesitated briefly, carefully choosing what to reveal: "She sent us some money, and she'll continue sending it regularly. Because of that, we'll be moving soon."
The decision to move was actually at Natural's request.
From Roman's worn-out state, Tokai Natural could tell that Roman had been constantly harassed recently, prompting her to make this arrangement for her sister's sake.
"Eh? Does that mean my training and your living situation will—"
"Yes, both will improve a bit."
Saying this, Roman withdrew her hand from Teio's head. "But…"
She paused, looking hesitantly at Teio.
"What is it?"
After a dozen seconds of hesitation, Roman asked cautiously: "Teio, do you want to return to your mother?"
"No way! I don't wanna see the woman who abandoned—"
"Teio!"
The harsh shout cut off Teio's words.
Teio raised her head and found Roman's face darkened with anger.
"Teio, how many times do I have to tell you? Your mother had health issues and had no choice but to get treatment abroad! And the situation here back then wasn't safe for her either. And also…"
Roman abruptly stopped there, hesitating.
"In short, your mom loves you very much."
She avoided mentioning the Tokai Family, glossing over it simply by emphasizing her sister's love.
"But… she never even contacted us..."
Teio's voice trembled with grievance. She couldn't understand why her aunt constantly defended her mother. Even if her mom really had no choice but to leave, not contacting her even once all these years was still too much!
Seeing Teio like this, Roman didn't know how to keep defending her sister either.
After all, their communication over the years had been mostly through letters—indeed, it was…
Thinking about this, Roman just sighed: "Alright, alright. Remember my first question?"
"I don't wanna go back!"
"I know you don't want to go back, and your mom knows too. That's why she said if you want to go back, then go. If not, stay with me."
Roman looked straight at Teio: "Do you understand?"
"But… you said—"
"Precisely because she loves you, she gave you the choice. Otherwise, she could've ignored your opinion entirely."
Roman explained further: "But, Teio, there's one more thing you need to know."
"What?"
"You have a younger sister."
"A younger sister?!"
Teio's ears and tail shot straight up, fluffing up like a startled cat.
But before she could react, another piece of news exploded into her brain:
"And she's a human."
"EHHH?!"
A shriek loud enough to burst eardrums escaped from Teio's mouth.
Roman grabbed Teio's shoulders, forcing her to calm down before delivering the final blow:
"Furthermore, you two are twins."
This time, Tokai Teio didn't make any more noise.
Because her brain had already crashed.
Seeing Teio's system freeze, Roman didn't continue. She released her grip, leaving the stunned girl to digest the shock. Once Teio rebooted, Roman could announce the moving plans.
It took almost fifteen minutes for Tokai Teio's brain to fully restart.
Finally, after rebooting, Teio looked at Roman and quietly asked:
"Auntie…"
"Hmm?"
"Why did mom leave me here?"
A faint sadness crept into Teio's voice.
Her question was sharp enough that Roman had repeatedly avoided it before.
But this time, Roman chose not to evade it.
She understood clearly that if she dodged this again, the distance between Teio and her sister would…
Thinking about that consequence, Roman gave a straightforward response: "Because my sister couldn't afford to raise you."
"Couldn't afford?"
"She could support herself, or even another human, but she alone had no means to raise an Uma Musume."
"Then… what about dad?"
"Your father…"
Teio's father was Symboli Rudolf—that was practically common knowledge among those involved back then—but Roman couldn't possibly say that directly to Teio.
So, Roman echoed exactly what Tokai Natural had once said:
"He's dead."
"Dead…?"
"Yes. Otherwise, your mom wouldn't…" Roman sighed deeply before continuing: "Initially, your mom could've supported you, but right before her debut race, she fell seriously ill, losing her chance to become an Uma Musume."
"If she had succeeded as an Uma Musume, she might've stayed with me in Japan to raise you together. But she didn't, and with her health worsening, she had no choice but to go overseas."
After hearing Roman's explanation, Tokai Teio opened her mouth slightly, unable to say a single word.
Eventually, she just shut her eyes tightly, forcing back the tears:
"I knew it… I knew mom wouldn't just abandon me…"
Teio's quiet words momentarily stunned Roman.
Then, with a bitter smile, Roman replied softly:
"That's right. Your mom would never abandon you. After all, she's my sister."
Hidden beneath those gentle words was an almost imperceptible bitterness.
Because Roman understood perfectly:
Sooner or later, Teio would leave her side.
---
T/N: your dad is dead
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