[Sakura Chiyono O: Don't you dare lay a finger on that young Uma Musume! I've got my eyes on you, you know?]
"..."
Reading the message displayed on her screen, Mejiro Ardan let out a wry smile.
…Why did this make her feel like some shady mare with ill intentions towards an underage filly?
With a sigh, the blue-haired Uma Musume tapped out a simple 'Okay' in reply, put her phone away, and looked down at the white-haired Uma Musume walking beside her.
It was just that the person she happened to like had turned into an underage white-haired filly, that's all.
And if you counted her previous life, her trainer's real age was actually in her forties or fifties.
At that thought, Mejiro Ardan's gaze towards Bless the Moment turned somewhat peculiar.
Thinking about it that way… was her current trainer using her underage appearance to deceive the other Uma Musume who were still in the dark?
Mejiro Ardan studied the white-haired filly beside her.
"What is it?"
Noticing the blue-haired Uma Musume's gaze lingering on her, Bless the Moment looked up and asked.
"Nothing."
Mejiro Ardan averted her eyes as if it were nothing. "…I was just thinking that you've become even more beautiful than before, Trainer."
"Are there any Uma Musume who aren't beautiful?"
The white-haired filly retorted.
Every single Uma Musume, without exception, was a born beauty.
"I suppose you're right."
Mejiro Ardan nodded, then changed the subject. "So, how are you finding your new body, Trainer?"
"…Could you not phrase it so strangely?"
Bless the Moment complained first before answering. "It feels much lighter and more agile than my old one."
"Well, that's because you spent most of your previous life staying up all night, Trainer."
Hearing the white-haired filly's reply, Mejiro Ardan sighed in resignation. "And you'd pull all-nighters, one after another…"
"And who do you think I was doing all that for?"
Bless the Moment raised her hand out of habit, aiming to flick the blue-haired Uma Musume beside her on the forehead.
But remembering that Maruzensky was walking ahead of them, she lowered her arm again. "Hmm? Little Dumdan?"
"I am not a little Dumdan."
A look of playful annoyance crossed Mejiro Ardan's face.
Little Dumdan, little Dumdan… Keep it up and one day, when you've really made me angry, this 'little Dumdan' will just pounce and take a bite out of you.
Mejiro Ardan grumbled inwardly.
"We're here."
Maruzensky, who had been leading the way, finally came to a stop.
She moved aside to let the three following her pass and gestured for the white-haired Uma Musume walking between Admire Vega and Mejiro Ardan to step forward.
Click.
The door swung open, revealing everything behind it to the group.
It's changed completely…
Stepping inside, Bless the Moment looked around.
The room's layout, decorations, even the color of the walls—everything was different.
But then again, that made sense…
The fact that the Venus team lounge had been preserved at all was an unexpected blessing.
Hoping to see more familiar things… how greedy of me.
"This is where our Venus trainer used to work…"
Maruzensky, who had entered the room, glanced towards one side of the room. "But…"
'But because I've been dead for years, most traces of me left here have probably vanished.' Silently finishing the sentence Maruzensky couldn't bring herself to complete, Bless the Moment reached out and gently patted her shoulder in comfort.
…Tch, have I really gotten so old in spirit?
Feeling the light pat on her back, Maruzensky shook her head and took a deep breath.
"Sorry…"
She shook her head again, as if to clear away the tangled thoughts, and looked at the white-haired filly with an apologetic expression. "I originally wanted to show you the place where our trainer used to be, but I ended up…"
"It's fine."
Bless the Moment shook her head. "I did get to see something."
"What?"
The white-haired filly's seemingly nonsensical remark made Maruzensky pause.
"Miss Maruzensky, you really liked the trainer, didn't you?"
"…Yes."
Maruzensky was silent for a long moment before nodding gently. "I liked her very much."
If anything… how could I not have fallen for her?
I initially chose her to be my trainer because I heard from others that she found my running form 'pleasurable,' which made me think she was different from all those other trainers who only had eyes for trophies.
And before I knew it, I had fallen for her.
Memories of time spent with her trainer flashed through her mind like lightning, leaving Maruzensky feeling a little dazed.
'Familiarity breeds fondness'… that old saying really hits the mark.
Maruzensky thought.
"…Maruzensky-senpai, do you know the term 'reincarnation' from the ancient western kingdoms?"
On the side, Mejiro Ardan, seeing that Bless the Moment seemed about to say something more, felt she couldn't stand by any longer.
No, she had to find a way to make Maruzensky realize that Bless the Moment was Trainer Nakatsuru Aya!
If Maruzensky remained fooled by the trainer's appearance, who knows what she might do out of shame and anger later when she found out Bless the Moment was the trainer.
Better to lay things out clearly now than drag it out.
"Reincarnation?"
"It's short for 'transmigration of the soul'."
"Transmigration of the soul?"
Maruzensky stared intently at Mejiro Ardan, not blinking.
"Ardan-chan."
Maruzensky's expression turned serious. "…I know the trainer's sudden passing was terrible news for all of us Uma Musume, something none of us wanted to hear. But you mustn't start believing in things that don't exist in this world because of it."
"What if you get tricked by someone?"
"?"
Mejiro Ardan was taken aback.
Wait, Senpai, I'm not joking—
"Yeah, yeah."
Bless the Moment nodded in agreement. "You really mustn't be fooled by them, Miss Ardan."
Trainer—!
Mejiro Ardan fixed her with a blazing stare.
What are you doing, Trainer?!
Shouldn't you be revealing your identity right now?
Mejiro Ardan locked eyes with Bless the Moment, each staring the other down.
"Ardan, you haven't been tricked by some strange person, have you?"
"…No."
Mejiro Ardan shook her head.
Sigh… I was overthinking things.
Mejiro Ardan sighed silently.
This was a matter between the trainer and Maruzensky. Why was she, an outsider, worrying so much?
It's not like I'll be the one getting an earful from a flustered and furious Maruzensky-senpai in the end.
Mejiro Ardan closed her mouth, simply fixing the white-haired filly with a resentful gaze.
Just don't come crying to me about how good I was after Maruzensky-senpai figures out who you really are and starts chasing you down for a piece of your hide.
"Maruzensky-senpai."
After the blue-haired Uma Musume fell silent, Admire Vega spoke up. "…How about we race, for old time's sake?"
"Sure."
Maruzensky nodded. "…Would you like to join us, Ardan-chan?"
"No, thank you."
The blue-haired Uma Musume shook her head. "I'd like to chat with her a while longer."
--+--
T/N: Thats what they all say, Ardan... get in the car.
--+--
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.