Bless the Moment followed Maruzensky until they reached a familiar door.
"This used to be our team lounge, back when 'Venus' was active."
Stepping aside to make room for the white-haired Uma Musume behind her, Maruzensky raised a hand toward the iron door and explained, "Don't mind how worn the plaque looks—every one of us took good care of it."
"Is it because Trainer Nakatsuru Aya was the one who put it up?"
"Mhm, you're clever."
Maruzensky patted the white-haired girl's head and nodded in approval.
That plaque was put up by their trainer herself, right after she secured this team room.
As the first member to join the team, Maruzensky had watched her swing the hammer, driving the sign bearing their team's name firmly into the door. To this day, it hadn't loosened one bit.
Back then, it looked brand new, its surface perfectly smooth.
Now, it showed clear marks of time.
And the one who nailed it there was long gone…
Maruzensky sighed, then bent down and deftly retrieved a key hidden under a nearby rock. She brushed the dust off it and slipped it into the keyhole.
Creeeak—
With a grating sound, the tightly shut door was pushed open reluctantly.
Bless the Moment stepped inside and looked around.
Everything in the room was exactly as she remembered from the last time she'd left.
A few stools and a couple of chairs stood around the table, on which some papers lay scattered.
Though the stickers on the wall had yellowed with age, the clock on the wall was still ticking steadily.
The white-haired Uma Musume's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on a photograph.
In it, she stood right in the center, with Maruzensky and the others arranged on either side, all looking toward the camera.
This photo was…
"The one in the middle is Nakatsuru Aya," Maruzensky said, noticing where Bless the Moment's eyes had landed. "She's your aunt."
"Mhm…"
Bless the Moment made a soft sound of acknowledgment, then shifted her gaze away from the black-haired woman in the photo.
Bright eyes, shining smile, long flowing hair.
Well, still got it.
Bless the Moment couldn't help but feel a little pleased with herself.
"We in Venus made a promise—one of us would come to clean this room every week," Maruzensky explained as she walked toward the corner, picking up a broom and dustpan. "It's my turn this week, so I thought I'd bring you along to see the place we used to spend time in."
"Oh, after this, should I take you to see where our trainer used to work, too?"
Maruzensky paused mid-sweep. "…It's winter break now, so most trainers aren't around."
"Want to take a look? But don't touch their things, alright?"
"Sure."
The white-haired girl agreed easily.
Well, she was already out and about—might as well go wherever.
"Miss Maruzensky, let me help."
Spotting another broom in the corner, Bless the Moment picked it up and began sweeping as well.
Perhaps because someone cleaned it every week, the room wasn't very dusty at all.
After sweeping up what little dust there was into a dustpan and emptying it into a trash bag, the two tidied up briefly, then left the team lounge, bag in hand.
"Should I just leave it here?"
"Yes."
Maruzensky watched as the white-haired girl tossed the trash bag away, then started walking ahead. "Next, I'll take you to see where our trainer used to work—"
"Maruzensky-senpai!"
"Maruzensky-senpai."
Before she could finish, her words were cut off by two sudden voices.
"Vega-chan? Ardan-chan?"
Maruzensky looked surprised to see the two familiar figures approaching. "…What brings you two here?"
"Nothing to do at home, so we came to see the 'trainer's niece' you mentioned in the group chat," Admire Vega said, her eyes fixed on the white-haired Uma Musume. "Hello, I'm Admire Vega."
"And I'm Mejiro Ardan."
The blue-haired Uma Musume stepped right up to Bless the Moment, smiling warmly as she held out her hand. "Could you tell us your name?"
"...My name is Bless the Moment."
The white-haired girl blinked, then answered as prompted.
"Maruzensky, you're showing her around, aren't you?" Admire Vega said. "We'll help."
"Alright."
Maruzensky didn't refuse, only smiled and nodded.
"Trainer, you haven't told Maruzensky-senpai your real identity?"
Noticing that Maruzensky had taken the lead, Mejiro Ardan deliberately slowed her pace to put some distance between them, then leaned closer to the white-haired girl and lowered her voice.
"She never asked," Bless the Moment replied innocently. "…When she brought me here, I thought she'd figured it out like you two did. But it turns out she thinks I'm my own niece."
"Aren't you going to tell her?"
"Do you think she'd believe me?"
The white-haired girl gestured subtly toward Maruzensky's back. "She's already built up a whole story in her head that makes sense to her. If I suddenly said, 'I'm the trainer,' what do you think would happen?"
"Given how Senior Maruzensky felt about you, Trainer, she'd probably kick your butt," Admire Vega cut in. "…She really liked you, you know."
"I know."
Bless the Moment sighed. "…So what do you want me to do? Go up to her and say, 'I'm Nakatsuru Aya, back from the dead,' and get my rear end kicked hard with her shoe?"
"…"
Mejiro Ardan and Admire Vega exchanged a look.
Seemed the trainer had no immediate plans to reveal herself to Maruzensky.
But maybe that was for the best—they were kind of curious what else Maruzensky might come up with besides "the trainer's niece."
After all, it wasn't like they'd be the ones getting lectured by Maruzensky in the end.
The two quickly reached a silent understanding.
"What are you two talking about back there?" Maruzensky asked, turning her head to glance back curiously.
"Oh, just sharing some funny stories from the old days," Mejiro Ardan chimed in cheerfully. "Like that time when the trainer was still here, and a certain Senior Maruzensky got carsick in the passenger seat while she was the one driving…"
"No need to bring that up, is there?"
Maruzensky coughed awkwardly and quickened her pace.
--+--
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.