"Over here, over here—!"
The moment Bless the Moment and her three companions stepped into the ramen shop, they heard Maruzensky's voice calling out from not far away.
Following the sound, they spotted the brown-haired Uma Musume, chin propped in her hand, smiling brightly as she watched them approach.
"You're so slow! I've been waiting here over ten minutes," Maruzensky complained as the four settled into seats around her.
Before they'd arrived, bored in her seat, she'd passed the time tapping on that translucent screen only she could see—and had even watched a [Hungry] status pop up right over Bless the Moment's head.
"Sorry we're late," Bless the Moment said, clasping her hands together apologetically. "We got caught up chatting on the way."
"Ah, never mind. So, what kind of ramen do you all want?"
Maruzensky waved it off and slid the menu across the table toward Bless the Moment. "...I'd recommend the tonkotsu ramen, Bless. It's really good."
"I'll trust your judgment, Senior Maruzensky."
After a quick glance over the menu, Bless the Moment nodded.
"Great!"
Maruzensky nodded back, then raised her hand overhead. "—Excuse me, we're ready to order!"
"Coming!"
A server hurried over. "What would you all like?"
"..."
While the others placed their orders, Bless the Moment glanced around.
Even though the shop had relocated once, the atmosphere wasn't much different from what she remembered.
The color scheme, the lighting—everything made her feel like she was back in that old ramen spot she used to visit so often.
"Bless, anything to drink?"
The voice of the blue-haired Uma Musume beside her pulled her back to the present.
"Just water for me," Bless the Moment replied, only now noticing everyone's eyes were on her.
"Got it."
The server jotted it down, then addressed the group—one human and three Uma Musume. "Please wait just a bit; your orders will be out shortly."
"Thanks, we appreciate it," Maruzensky said with a nod. Then she shifted her gaze from the server to Hayakawa Tazuna sitting across from her.
"Miss Tazuna, so you're spending winter break at the academy too?"
"Mhm."
Hayakawa Tazuna, who wore green clothes and a green hat no matter the season, nodded. "...Even if I went home, there's not much to do. Might as well stay at Tracen Academy."
"Haven't you thought about going out somewhere during the break, Miss Tazuna?"
"Going out?" Hayakawa Tazuna shook her head. "There's nowhere I particularly want to go."
"Miss Tazuna, you really are like a little old lady sometimes."
"...I don't have any wrinkles, you know?" Hayakawa Tazuna replied, still smiling.
"..."
Maruzensky smiled back without a word.
She'd been at Central Tracen for a long time now, and every morning, there Miss Tazuna stood at the school gate greeting students—her face exactly the same as the day Maruzensky first arrived, unchanged.
...There's no way Miss Tazuna is human.
Because she always wore that hat, students couldn't tell if she had horse ears or not, and opinions varied.
Some said she was a retired Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume.
Others claimed she was an immortal who'd attained enlightenment.
But according to the Trainer...
"What's the point of just talking about it? Why not go with me and snatch that hat right off Miss Tazuna's head? Then we'd know if she's an Uma Musume or something else!"
"Who's with me?!"
Remembering how the Trainer had stood on a table, rallying everyone with that cry, Maruzensky's lips quirked upward, barely holding back a laugh.
Too bad the moment the Trainer reached for Miss Tazuna's hat, she'd been effortlessly subdued with just one hand.
"Here you go, your ramen is ready."
While they were deep in conversation, the server returned with five bowls of ramen, interrupting them.
"Alright, alright, let's eat first," Maruzensky urged everyone. "We can talk more after."
--+--
"...Ardan."
After finishing their ramen, Bless the Moment and Mejiro Ardan stood by the roadside waiting for the Mejiro family car.
After a brief silence, Bless the Moment spoke up. "How are things between you and your sister now?"
"Ramonu and I are getting along really well," Mejiro Ardan answered. "Thanks to your help."
"That's good." Bless the Moment nodded. "See? I was right, wasn't I?"
"...About what?"
Mejiro Ardan was confused by the white-haired Uma Musume's seemingly random remark.
"'Mejiro Ramonu is a tsundere who loves speaking in riddles.'" Bless the Moment stated. "You thought Mejiro Ramonu was disappointed in your failure, but she actually wanted to comfort you. You thought she was criticizing you, but she was really worried about your health."
The white-haired Uma Musume paused, then continued, "To get along with her, you just had to interpret everything she said in reverse."
"See? I wasn't wrong, was I?"
"..."
Mejiro Ardan wanted to defend her sister, but after recalling some of the things her sister had said in the past, she fell silent.
It was true... if not for the Trainer, she would have just kept overthinking things back then.
"But... but Ramonu isn't like that anymore," Mejiro Ardan argued in her defense. "She smiles a lot more now, and she doesn't talk in riddles as much."
"She doesn't speak in riddles anymore?" Bless the Moment sounded surprised. "Doesn't that make the Mejiro household less fun?"
"...Trainer, do you actually enjoy being around riddlers?"
Mejiro Ardan was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.
"Compared to how Ramonu used to be, isn't she much better now?"
"You're criticizing your own sister," Bless the Moment seized the chance to tease the blue-haired Uma Musume beside her. "You also think the old Mejiro Ramonu was a tsundere who loved speaking in riddles."
"Trainer, you're not recording this, are you?"
The blue-haired Uma Musume's gaze dropped to the white-haired filly's pocket where she kept her phone, suspicion in her eyes.
"Am I really that kind of person in your mind?" Bless the Moment widened her eyes.
"Trainer, aren't you?" Mejiro Ardan shot back.
Really... how did I end up falling for someone like this?
The blue-haired Uma Musume sighed, watching the little white-haired filly beside her start spouting nonsense again.
This Trainer is seriously bad for my health.
"...My family's car is here. Do you need a ride?"
Noticing the Mejiro car coming into view, Mejiro Ardan offered.
"No need, I'll walk home by myself," Bless the Moment declined with a wave, then skipped off in the direction the car had come from.
--+--
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.