"...Why is it so cold today?"
Bless the Moment, wearing only her pajamas, had just thrown off the covers when a gust of chilly air made her shiver violently.
Pulling the blankets back over herself, she turned to look at the window and finally noticed the snow falling outside.
Oh, so it's snowing.
The realization dawned on Bless the Moment.
To save money, she always turned the heater off before going to sleep. Her first challenge every morning was forcing herself to emerge from her cozy nest and start the new day.
But today…
Bless the Moment glanced at the snow falling outside, then sank back into the warmth of her bed.
I'm going back to sleep.
Her slightly lifted head dropped back onto the pillow. Closing her eyes, she decided a little more sleep was in order.
Freezing or staying warm? Was that even a choice?
I must go back to sleep. Immediately!
"Little sleepyhead, still in bed?"
Not long after the room had fallen quiet again, a crisp click sounded.
Ryoko poked her head through the slightly opened door. Seeing the lump still huddled under the blankets, she slipped inside, tiptoed to the bedside, and leaned over, intending to place her hand on the 'sleeping' white-haired Uma Musume.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
Bless the Moment, who had been watching her since the door opened, opened her eyes and met the gaze of her mischief-planning older sister.
"Bless, you were awake already?" Seeing the white-haired Uma Musume's open eyes, Ryoko's enthusiasm deflated considerably. "Aren't you getting up? Mom's already making breakfast."
"Mmm… I don't wanna get up." Yawning, Bless the Moment clung to her warm cocoon. "Sis, can you tell Mom I'll get up for lunch instead?"
"Then Mom will be the one coming to wake you up later, you know?" Ryoko asked. "Is that okay?"
"...Just let me doze for a little while longer," Bless the Moment mumbled, then closed her eyes.
"A little while longer? Alright, fine." Looking at the white-haired Uma Musume who only had her head poking out, Ryoko thought for a moment. "I'll tell Mom you're already up then… I'll come back to get you in five minutes, okay? You have to get up then."
"..."
Bless the Moment didn't reply. She had most likely already fallen back asleep.
"...Bless? Bless?"
Five minutes later, Ryoko, back on schedule, gently patted Bless the Moment's body through the covers. "Come on, get up. Mom's already asking why you aren't down yet."
"Mmm…" The white-haired Uma Musume buried under the comforter frowned, murmuring into her pillow, "Five more minutes…"
…She showed absolutely no intention of getting up.
Seeing her sister perfectly embodying the art of 'sleeping in' yet again today, Ryoko felt a headache coming on.
This won't do.
Mom had already asked more than once from downstairs why Bless still wasn't up. If she let her keep sleeping, the next person to wake her wouldn't be her.
It seemed necessary measures were required.
Ryoko left the room, turned on the faucet to wet her hand, then dried it with a towel.
—Sorry, Bless. This is for your own good.
Standing before the bed once more, the young woman swiftly slipped her hand under the warm comforter and pressed it directly against Bless's neck.
"Eeek—!"
A high-pitched Uma Musume shrieked pierced through Ryoko's ears.
--+--
"Sis… is your ear okay?" Bless the Moment asked worriedly, noticing how Ryoko kept pausing and making motions like she was patting or clearing her ear.
"It's fine, it's fine… Just a little bit of ringing left, that's all." The young woman shook her head.
"Really?" Bless the Moment was still concerned. "Should we go to the hospital?"
"It's fine, no need for the hospital." Ryoko stared straight at her. "Just let me hug you for a while after breakfast, and I'll be perfectly fine!"
"...Okay, I get it." Bless the Moment nodded in agreement, inwardly sighing with relief.
If she could still say things like that, she probably really was okay.
"So, you turned the heater off before bed again, didn't you?" Mrs. Kawasaki looked at her younger daughter after swallowing a bite of food.
"Uh… yeah." The white-haired little Uma Musume felt a momentary pang of guilt hearing her mother's question. But after thinking it over, feeling she hadn't really done anything wrong, she mustered a bit of defiance. "I didn't think it would actually snow today."
"Didn't I specifically tell you yesterday?" Mrs. Kawasaki frowned. "The weather forecast said there was a seventy percent chance of snow today, and I told you to be careful not to catch a cold."
Huh? Did… did she?
Bless the Moment froze, thinking hard.
Oh… Mom had come to her room last night, but she hadn't really paid attention to what she was saying at the time.
"—You weren't listening, were you?" Mrs. Kawasaki pressed, having taken in Bless's entire reaction.
"Sorry!" Bless the Moment bowed her head. "I was too busy looking at my phone then!"
"You child… Ah, well." Mrs. Kawasaki sighed, then stared at the clothes Bless was wearing for a moment. "...Do you feel cold?"
"Not cold." The white-haired Uma Musume shook her head. "This feels plenty warm enough."
"It might be enough for inside the house, but if you go out, it probably won't be warm enough dressed like that," Mrs. Kawasaki said. "...After you finish eating, I'll find you an outer coat."
"I really think this is already… Alright." Bless the Moment nodded reluctantly.
Arguing right now was useless. Best to just let her have her way.
"The snow's piled up pretty deep outside… Want to go build a snowman together?" Mr. Kawasaki suggested, once the previous topic was settled.
"Build a snowman? Why not have a snowball fight?" Ryoko retorted excitedly. "...When you think of winter, the first thing that comes to mind should be a snowball fight, right?"
"It should definitely be building a snowman!"
"Snowball fight!"
"Build a snowman!"
"Look at you two, acting like children despite your age." Mrs. Kawasaki glanced at the arguing father and daughter. "Bless, are you going to join them?"
"It's too cold. I don't want to go outside." Bless the Moment shook her head.
"I see… Well then, I'll go find a couple of scarves." Mrs. Kawasaki nodded and also rose from the table.
"...I don't care what you play, but make sure you wear enough clothes. Don't catch a cold."
"Okay!" the father and daughter chimed in unison, having finally resolved their intense debate by deciding to combine 'building a snowman' and 'having a snowball fight' into one activity.
Bless the Moment, the last to finish eating, stacked the empty bowls from the table and carried them into the kitchen.
Yeesh… So cold.
The instant her fingertips touched the running water, Bless's outstretched hand flinched back. She then picked up the gloves hanging nearby.
--+--
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.