She raised her hand and pressed the switch.
The room plunged into darkness.
In the darkness, Mochizuki, after a brief adjustment, found her bed and Tokai's bed.
At this moment, Tokai was already asleep.
Mochizuki merely looked at her own bed for a few seconds, then shifted her gaze back to her mother's bed.
On the bed was Tokai, wrapped in bedding.
Looking at Tokai, Mochizuki didn't hesitate further; she walked to her mother's bedside and lifted a corner of the blanket.
"Eh?"
"I'm sleeping with you tonight."
Saying this, Mochizuki directly burrowed in, pressing close to Tokai: "Mom, about what we talked about during the day."
Shizen froze for a moment, then reached out and hugged her: "You still remember..."
"Of course."
Saying this, Mochizuki turned her head slightly, allowing Tokai to see her profile.
Looking at the other person, who, though still young, was already almost the same height as herself, Tokai merely opened her mouth, but then closed it again; she didn't know how to begin explaining this matter.
"Mom,"
"...Mm."
"Your hand."
It was only when Tokai spoke that Tokai realized she was holding on too tightly.
Noticing this, Tokai paused for a moment, then loosened her grip.
Once she felt Tokai relax slightly, Mochizuki spoke again: "Mom, can you explain what happened during the day, please?"
"...Good."
After a brief moment of thought, Tokai still made her choice.
Tokai, having responded, did not immediately begin to explain. She still needed time to decide what to say and what not to say.
Thinking about this, Tokai pondered for nearly ten minutes.
Only then did she speak again.
"Yes, it was before you were born."
Saying this, Tokai was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "At that time, my name was Tokai Shizen, and I was the second Uma Musume of the Tokai Family."
"Or rather, the Uma Musume who should have become the second Uma Musume, but due to health reasons, I also..."
At this point, Tokai fell silent for about ten seconds.
Finally, she spoke again: "But after that, it was probably about marriage. Due to some special reasons, the engagement was called off, but because the person I was supposed to marry was from a prestigious family among the Uma Musume."
"And I was pregnant, you see."
Not speaking Rudolph's name, Tokai merely pondered how to continue.
"As for what happened after that, I was transferred here, and that room also..."
Her words trailed off, everything came to a halt.
Only the breathing of the two people remained in the room.
Another long silence.
Tokai had already roughly guessed the rest of the story.
Tokai gave birth to her and her sister here.
And this was a result that only happened because the Tokai Family confirmed that Tokai Teio was an Uma Musume.
"For the next ten months, I never left that room. Everything was handled by someone specifically, until, after I gave birth to you, I was driven out."
A narrative of extreme simplicity.
But Tokai, who had been in that room, understood much more.
There was only one bed in that room, nothing else.
This meant that... Tokai spent ten months alone in that empty room.
"Then..."
Tokai, who was about to say something, suddenly stopped.
She didn't know what to say, because she suddenly felt her mother's hand, which had loosened, tighten with a bit more force.
And... the person behind her, it seemed... a slight tremor came from behind, as if telling Tokai that she was very worried about everything in the past.
The Tokai Family was finished.
This could be seen from the current situation of Teio and Roman.
But Tokai was still worried that the nightmares of the past would catch up to her.
Even if no one was chasing her anymore, it was still the same; the fear in her heart would not be erased so easily.
Everything would remain.
Feeling Tokai's trembling.
Tokai, however, didn't know what to do.
Because she had no experience dealing with such matters, she didn't know how to respond.
But... "I, I..."
Her breathing gradually deepened, and the faltering words made Tokai unsure how to react.
She could only wait for her mother to finish what she was about to say.
"I, I originally intended to tell Teio and you about this together, but..." At this point, Tokai's expression was not good. She just hugged Tokai: "I don't dare to say it anymore, I'm afraid Teio will..."
Hearing this, Tokai finally understood what her mother was worried about.
And she understood what she was afraid of.
But what was important was never understanding, but what was done after understanding.
So... "Mom, I'll explain it."
Saying this, Mochizuki, with great difficulty, turned around within Tokai's embrace.
Allowing herself to face Tokai directly.
Perhaps due to the "true form" transformation, Tokai looked like a child.
But that was only how she looked, as an Uma Musume's age could never be determined by her appearance.
And in such a situation, Tokai just looked at her mother, then continued: "I can explain it to Teio, she..."
Her words paused.
This meant that Tokai also couldn't determine Teio's true thoughts.
But, after a slight pause, Mochizuki continued: "I can make it clear."
Tokai's words made Tokai lower her head slightly.
Because this was something Tokai should have explained herself.
And looking at her mother's reaction.
Tokai just spoke again: "I will try to bring Teio over..."
"No."
A slight sound came from Tokai's mouth.
As she said this, Tokai raised her head.
She looked at Tokai: "No."
Her words emphasized again.
With a hint of tears in her eyes, invisible in the darkness.
She stared intently at her daughter, speaking the necessary lines: "I will make it clear to Teio."
"But..."
"This is not something you should be thinking about." Saying this, Tokai shifted her gaze slightly, then continued: "Although I am very afraid that Teio will not be able to accept such a fact, but..."
"I will not let a child say such a thing."
Listening to Tokai's words, Tokai opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But in the end, she could only manage to blurt out:
"Okay, Mom, you go say it."
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