Bless the Moment stared at the test paper in her hand, falling deep into thought.
The paper's owner, Kitasan Black, sat across from her, watching with a visibly nervous expression.
…She'd braced herself for it to some extent, but seeing the result still left her feeling a little disappointed.
"Kita-chan—"
The moment the white-haired Uma Musume spoke, the dark-haired, handsome-short-cut Uma Musume across from her straightened her back abruptly, like a child caught misbehaving and about to be scolded.
"Let's set aside the other question types for now and start with your multiple-choice answers."
Bless the Moment flipped the test paper over, skimming from question six all the way to the final multiple-choice question. "From here to the last one—how did you manage to pick the wrong option for every single one?"
"Uh… well…"
"And question seven was just a variation of the example the teacher went over in class! Don't tell me you didn't recognize it at all?"
"Huh? Ah, hahaha…"
"Then there's this last question. Even if you just brute-forced it, you should've gotten the answer. Why on earth did you pick the least likely option?"
"..."
Under Bless the Moment's relentless questioning, Kitasan Black gradually turned ashen, as if burnt to a crisp.
Whoa… Bless isn't holding back at all.
Satono Diamond, who'd been quietly watching from the side, felt a wave of relief.
Good thing, good thing… My grades aren't as good as Bless's, but at least I'm a halfway decent student.
But Bless… don't you think you should ease up a little?
"Sigh… never mind."
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Bless the Moment stopped her lecturing, stood up, and walked halfway around the table before settling down next to Kitasan Black.
"…There's still some time before finals. If we start now, it should be manageable."
As she spoke, Bless leaned slightly toward Kitasan Black. "I'll point out all the questions you got wrong. Try solving them again yourself."
"If you get any wrong a second time, I'll walk you through how to solve them."
"..."
Kitasan Black stared blankly at the white-haired Uma Musume who had not only sat beside her but was now leaning halfway against her.
"Aren't you going to start?"
Noticing Kitasan Black sitting frozen, Bless the Moment glanced up at her and urged.
"Oh! Right!"
Snapping back to attention, Kitasan Black hurriedly looked down at the question Bless was pointing to and began to think hard.
"This one… is C!"
"Just guessing, are we?"
Bless sighed in resignation. As Kitasan Black let out an embarrassed laugh, Bless reached over, took the pen, and began tapping on the multiple-choice question. "You need to substitute this into here, then solve for what X actually is."
"Ooh…"
Whether she actually understood or not was unclear, but Kitasan Black drew out her reply and went back to puzzling over it.
"Um… I have a few questions I don't get, too."
Just as Bless the Moment was resting her cheek on one hand, waiting for Kitasan Black to come up with her third attempt, another figure sat down beside her.
The white-haired Uma Musume looked over to see Satono Diamond holding a book as she settled in next to her.
"Let me see… 'What thoughts and emotions does the blue curtain in this passage convey about the author's intent?'"
Bless the Moment skimmed the referenced section and answered almost immediately, "Dia, what would you say is the overall tone of this piece?"
"Hmm… sorrowful? Melancholy?"
"Just go with your gut and write that down. And, Diamond… could you scoot over a little? Give me some space?"
Sandwiched tightly between Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, Bless the Moment found it hard to even lift her arm.
What's going on? Why is Dia clinging so close to me?
I thought you were the one who wanted to get close to Kita-chan? Why stick to me instead of her? What good does that do?
"Sorry, sorry."
Though she said the words, Satono Diamond's face held a strange smile. "I'll just sit here for a bit… If I run into any more questions, I'll be counting on you, Bless."
"Uh… want to switch seats with me?"
After a few seconds of staring back at Satono Diamond, Bless the Moment came to a conclusion. As she spoke, she pushed herself up, intending to swap places with Diamond.
I get it. Dia's jealous.
Geez… If you'd just said you wanted to sit next to Kita-chan, I would've switched with you.
Tsk, tsk, tsk… Girls in love are something else.
"No, it's fine. Just stay where you are, Bless."
Satono Diamond shook her head, refusing the offer.
Seriously, girl, what's going on with you?
I'm trying to give you a chance with the one you like—why aren't you jumping on it?
Don't tell me you've got your sights on me instead? Isn't that a bit greedy?
"Alright."
Bless the Moment nodded and sat back down.
The room fell quiet again, save for the soft scratching of pen on paper.
"I've got it! It's A!"
With Bless the Moment's guidance, Kitasan Black quickly solved the problem and announced her answer.
"Correct. Next question."
Just as she was basking in the joy of solving it, the voice beside her poured cold water on her mood.
Ugh… so many more questions waiting for me.
Kitasan Black scanned the remaining problems, her heart sinking.
--+--
"Aah…"
An hour later, having moved on to the extended-response section, Kitasan Black opened her mouth and let out a vague, drained sound.
I can't do it…
She recognized every single character, but when they were strung together, they morphed into something completely unfamiliar.
"Looks like Kita-chan's reached her limit."
Noticing Kitasan Black staring blankly at the test paper, Bless the Moment gently pushed the paper aside and handed her a drink.
"Let your brain rest for a bit."
As she watched Kitasan Black lift the cup and drain it in one go, Bless subtly shifted away. "…I'll go downstairs and ask if Auntie can feed Kita-chan a carrot."
"What do you mean, 'feed'!"
Somewhat revived, Kitasan Black objected to the word choice. "I'm not a pet!"
"Well, you always get so focused when you eat carrots—it really feels like feeding a pet."
Bless the Moment extracted herself from between Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond and headed for the door. "Take your time chatting. I'll go keep Auntie company downstairs for a while."
Honestly, time to make an exit.
Having found an excuse to leave the room, Bless the Moment headed downstairs.
I never should've agreed to this in the first place.
Bless the Moment was filled with regret.
What was she even doing here today? Basically being a third wheel between Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond.
Diamond… this is the best chance I can make for you right now.
While I'm out of the room, use this time to get closer to Kita-chan.
--+--
T/N: Nah bless they just wanna be in a poly relation w u lil man
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.