〖これ以上何を失えば 心は許されるの〗
If I give up what little things I have left. Then will my heart find forgiveness.
〖どれ程の痛みならば もういちど君に会える〗
How much pain and sorrow do I have to face. Before I can see you again at last.
〖One more time 季節よ うつろわないで〗
One more time. Make the seasons stop their endless turning
Mixed into the music, a faint weather report played:
"Due to shifting air currents, rain is expected tonight. If you're working outdoors, please prepare accordingly."
The not-so-loud announcement made Symboli Rudolf glance up at the clock. She'd already been here for nearly an hour and a half.
Far longer than the brief twenty‑minute conversation she'd had with Maruzensky and Mr. C.B.
Given Rudolf's complete lack of resistance to any of the conditions they proposed…
Twenty minutes was arguably too long.
Which was why she was now standing in this convenience store, returning a magazine to the shelf while cheap background music blended with weather forecasts.
She had about a month of work left—two weeks, if things concluded quickly.
This was her final stretch in Tokyo.
Turning around and walking out of the convenience store, Symboli Rudolf lifted her head.
The sky was already swallowed by darkness—nothing could be seen.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she found Symboli Sirius standing not far away.
Looking at Sirius, Rudolf only asked, "Here for a late-night snack?"
"No. I just came to see you."
Sirius turned her head toward the opposite direction as she spoke.
Tracen Academy had its own convenience stores, but at this hour, only those outside the school were still open.
Walking to Rudolf's side, Sirius continued quietly, "Nee-chan."
"…It's been a while since I heard you call me that."
Rudolf glanced at her. "Come to think of it, ever since your honkaku, you stopped calling me that, didn't you?"
Sirius fell silent for several seconds.
She didn't know how to phrase what she wanted to say.
But Rudolf had already begun rambling softly, almost to herself: "Two, three more weeks… then it's time to go."
"You're… just going to leave like that?"
Sirius turned to Rudolf, disbelief coloring her voice.
She had never imagined Rudolf would let go so easily.
Yet the truth was laid bare in front of her, and Sirius had no idea how to react.
Rudolf tilted her head slightly, the corner of her lips lifting faintly. "Yes. Just like that."
After a few seconds of silence, she added, "You can look up where I move to later. But no following me, and no sending people to watch me."
Her voice sounded so relaxed.
It didn't sound like someone refusing a heartfelt plea—it sounded more like someone announcing she'd be out on a short trip.
But Sirius knew: once Rudolf left, she would not return.
Just like Symboli Speed.
She would almost certainly never return to mainland Japan again.
Seeing the look on Sirius's face, Rudolf continued:
"I met someone. Made a mistake. When I realized that mistake, I wanted to fix it. But when I finally faced her… I understood something."
"That mistake can never be undone."
Rudolf lifted her head again. The once-bright moonlit sky was now covered entirely by clouds.
"Mistakes like that cannot be repaired."
"All I can do is keep them from happening again."
"But then… I made another."
"A different cause. But the same kind of mistake."
Her voice trembled under the weight of everything she held back.
Sirius didn't know what to say.
She knew—if she hadn't stamped Rudolf's seal on those files herself, perhaps none of this would've happened.
But it had.
And by the time she realized the severity of the issue, Rudolf had already arranged everything—every follow‑up measure, every contingency.
Thinking of all this, Sirius felt utterly at a loss.
"This mistake also can't be undone. Even with the best arrangements… I can't push those injured girls back onto the track."
Rudolf turned her eyes to her younger sister.
"Mistakes that can't be fixed… can only be soothed. But wounds never disappear—they'll always remain. So…"
She didn't finish.
She didn't need to.
Sirius understood.
"…W‑What can I still do?" Sirius finally whispered.
"That's for you to decide."
Rudolf turned away.
"It's going to rain. Let's end it here."
Without hesitation, she walked past Sirius and left.
Sirius watched Rudolf's figure fade among the lights of the still-open shops along the street.
She understood.
Rudolf would never return.
With that realization, Sirius slowly turned and began walking in the opposite direction.
And in the shadow neither of them noticed...
Someone else had witnessed the entire exchange.
Symboli Speed had been standing there ever since Rudolf entered the convenience store.
Originally, she had planned to drag Rudolf out and give her a good "personality correction punch," then force her back to work properly.
But…
"Mistakes that can't be repaired, huh…"
Symboli Speed sighed, then slowly stood upright.
She walked off in the same direction Sirius had gone.
She rarely showed up within the Symboli Family these days, but since she was here, she might as well check things out.
Besides...
There was nothing more she needed to worry about regarding Rudolf.
Her remaining tasks were few: she only needed to confirm how the Symboli Family would be affected by this unfolding crisis.
...
At the other end of the street—Tokai Natural stood still, looking toward the opposite side.
Watching that scene, a thought struck her:
Maybe… this town isn't unchanged after all.
She could still find the street she remembered.
She could still find echoes of old pain.
But—across that familiar road, the orphanage that once sheltered her was gone.
As if to tell Tokai Natural:
Everything has changed.
---
T/N: FHAHGHAHFAFA
4 chaps meeting this weeks quota, i was too focused on something elseeeeeeeeeeeee ive been playing 7daystodieeeeeeeeeee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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This is a fan translation of 特雷森爱情保卫战 by D殇. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!