The next day, the Tokai Family released a statement, clearly hoping to use this incident to get something out of the Symboli Family—perhaps another marriage arrangement or something similar.
After all, blatantly stealing someone's child was crossing the line. Making demands now wasn't particularly strange.
Then Symboli Sirius crushed their ambitions completely by throwing out the genetic test report, obliterating what remained of the Tokai Family's reputation along the way.
With the Symboli Family taking such a stance, it was natural the Mejiro Family would also act.
Between the two families' combined pressure, the Tokai Family's collapse was now only a matter of a few short years.
However…
With her left arm wrapped in bandages, Symboli Rudolf once again entered the Student Council room.
Inside the room sat only one person—Symboli Sirius.
Seeing Rudolf approach, her left arm in a cast and bandages wrapped around her body, one ear neatly sliced off, Sirius—currently seated in the President's chair—showed little surprise. She merely stamped a document with Rudolf's official seal and asked flatly, "What are you planning to do about Tokai Teio?"
She made no mention of Rudolf's injuries.
Rudolf didn't seem bothered by this at all. She merely stopped in front of Sirius and replied, "I tried contacting Maruzensky and Mr. C.B., but they both refused to pick up."
"Not surprising, considering…"
Sirius left the thought unfinished, making Rudolf turn away slightly.
She knew exactly why those two wouldn't take her calls.
So, after a brief pause, Rudolf looked squarely at the girl before her and said, her voice losing all traces of its former pride, instead becoming soft, with a frailty previously unseen:
"Could you bring Teio to her?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. And…tell her that this was your doing."
"Why?"
"I…"
After a long pause, as though making a weighty decision, Symboli Rudolf finally spoke again, quietly:
"I…I don't plan to see her anymore."
"Hah? You're certain?"
"Yeah, I'm certain. After all, if seeing me would just cause her pain all over again, then it's better if we don't meet."
Saying this, Symboli Rudolf remained silent for several more seconds before adding, "Teio is with Tokai Roman. Once she gives an answer, the rest is up to you."
After receiving such a response, Sirius finally asked the question she probably should have started with:
"What about your injuries?"
"They said it'll grow back. Just… it'll take some time."
Having given that answer, Rudolf moved beside Sirius. "Alright, thanks for covering my duties. You should go rest."
"You…"
"My right hand is still functional. It's more than enough to handle paperwork."
Her gaze shifted slightly.
The two seats nearby, which had once been occupied, had remained empty for some time.
Looking at those vacant chairs, Symboli Rudolf spoke softly again:
"Anyway, you still have unfinished business with the Tokai Family, don't you?"
"…"
Faced with Rudolf's determination, Sirius fell silent for a few seconds before finally nodding.
"Fine. Just take care of yourself."
She rose to her feet without lingering any longer in the Student Council room.
Only after Sirius closed the door behind her did Symboli Rudolf finally relax.
Her injuries weren't just superficial—a fact confirmed when she'd visited the hospital after handing Teio over to Tokai Roman that day. There had been many more wounds beneath the surface.
Though about her ear growing back—Rudolf hadn't lied about that.
Sitting back in the chair, Rudolf relaxed slightly.
Having worked in the Student Council for so long, she knew the stack of documents in front of her represented only a small fraction of the workload.
Besides, right now, no one else was around to help.
"Looks like it's time to recruit new members soon…"
Muttering that to herself, Rudolf sat upright again, put on her glasses, and started tackling the paperwork.
Just as Rudolf expected—
The sheer number of documents was staggering.
On top of that, there were older files accumulated over the past days—mostly documents Symboli Sirius hadn't been sure how to handle, or things that weren't urgent and thus got postponed.
Precisely because of this, Rudolf remained at her desk until two in the morning, managing to finish roughly three-quarters of it.
"I should eat something…"
She glanced around as she said this.
By now, Tracen Academy's cafeteria was closed. And normally, with fewer files piling up, there was never any food kept in the Student Council room.
Thus, Symboli Rudolf sighed, standing up.
The remaining documents could wait until tomorrow; they weren't particularly troublesome anyway.
But still…
"I wonder how Sirius's negotiations are going…"
Removing her glasses, she placed them carefully on the desk.
"Now then…"
After leaving the Student Council room, Rudolf didn't head back to her dormitory—instead, she quietly left Tracen Academy's main building.
She soon arrived at the nearby shopping street.
The unnamed shop on the street had already closed its doors.
With Tokai Natural gone, and thus the chef, the restaurant no longer had any reason to remain open.
Moreover…
Noticing a printed notice taped to the door indicating the restaurant was up for sale, Rudolf's expression changed slightly.
She could roughly guess why Maruzensky, Mr. C.B., and Sakura Chiyono O had decided to sell.
Symboli Rudolf briefly considered buying it herself, but quickly abandoned the idea.
She knew those two would never agree to that.
Thus, Rudolf simply lingered at the restaurant entrance for about ten seconds before turning away and heading elsewhere.
She didn't know where she was going. She merely walked aimlessly down the empty, dimly-lit street.
Normally, she might still have considered returning home, thinking perhaps there were matters awaiting her attention back at the family estate.
But now, the affairs of the Symboli Family had already been handed completely to Sirius.
And so, with things as they were now, Symboli Rudolf no longer knew where she belonged.
She couldn't find any place she could return to anymore.
---
T/N: hmph