"We're here. This is the place."
"Here?"
Bless the Moment ran her hand along the wall, searching, but found no hidden compartments or mechanisms. "...But there's nothing here."
"Who said anything about a mechanism?"
The transparent Uma Musume sounded impatient, but when she noticed Bless the Moment still looked pale, she bit back what she was about to say. "...Step aside. Let me handle this."
"Alright."
Bless the Moment nodded and took a step back, leaning against the wall.
She watched as the dark-haired ghostly Uma Musume stepped forward, clenched her right hand into a fist, and drove it straight into the concrete wall.
BOOM!
A deafening crash erupted as her fist met the wall, leaving Bless the Moment staring in stunned silence.
Just like that, a hole large enough for them to pass through appeared right before her eyes.
She just… brute-forced it?!
"What are you standing around for? Come on."
Seeing Bless the Moment still frozen in place, the transparent Uma Musume urged her, "Don't you want to get out?"
"O-oh, right!"
The white-haired Uma Musume snapped out of it, nodded, and quickly followed.
Once she crawled through the opening, Bless the Moment felt as if she'd been blindfolded—she couldn't see a thing.
If it weren't for the faint glow emanating from the ghostly Uma Musume ahead, she was sure she'd be stumbling around in the dark like a headless fly.
"From now on, listen carefully to what I say."
The ghostly Uma Musume, whose outline was just barely visible in the dim glow, spoke again. "Try to recall distinctive features of the place you came from… It would be even better if there was someone you knew with you before you ended up here."
"So that's how I can go back?"
"Mhm."
The ghostly Uma Musume seemed to shrink slightly for a moment, as if nodding. "...But if your description is too vague, you'll be sent to a random location somewhere in the world."
"So you'd better think carefully."
Think carefully…
Bless the Moment fell into thought.
She knew the area around the school like the back of her hand.
The traffic lights, the bank, the trees lining the streets…
As every detail of that road grew clearer in her mind, she began to feel light, almost as if she were floating.
Well… from here on out, it's up to her.
The ghostly Uma Musume watched as a soft white light began to emanate from Bless the Moment.
Once she disappears, I'll head back to Central Tracen Academy to find Cafe… Hm?
The moment she let her guard down, the ghostly Uma Musume caught a glimpse of a flowing shadow, dark and restless.
It slithered forward like a snake, darting swiftly toward Bless the Moment, whose form had already begun to dissolve into particles.
Oh no…!
The ghostly Uma Musume pushed off hard with her feet, her explosive speed closing the small gap between her and Bless the Moment in an instant.
Damn it… just a little too late.
She cursed inwardly as she saw the writhing darkness move even faster.
If that thing touched her, whether this young Uma Musume could make it back to reality would become a real question!
Click!
Just as the ghostly Uma Musume watched in horror, the creeping darkness made contact with the white-haired Uma Musume's thigh. But then, a clear, sharp sound suddenly rang out.
It was like the amplified ticking of a clock, carrying some kind of mysterious force that froze both the ghostly Uma Musume and the squirming darkness in place just as it began to climb up Bless the Moment's body.
Then, when the ghostly Uma Musume regained her senses, she was shocked to find herself—and the writhing darkness—back in their original positions.
Did I just get reset? No, that's not it!
There's something on that young Uma Musume!
"Hey! Wait! What's your nam—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ghostly Uma Musume watched as Bless the Moment's body completely transformed into a beam of white light and vanished from sight in the next second.
"Tch."
The ghostly Uma Musume clicked her tongue in frustration, then turned her glare toward the 'anomaly' that was trying to slip away into the surroundings.
—You little punk, have you already forgotten the beating you got last time?
The dark-haired ghostly Uma Musume's gaze turned dangerous.
Looks like I haven't been teaching you enough lessons!
"Come here and take your beating!"
--+--
"Bless? Bless?"
A familiar voice reached her ears once more.
Bless the Moment opened her eyes, and the narrow alley reappeared in her vision.
"Bless, are you okay?"
Noticing the white-haired Uma Musume finally take a step back after standing completely still, Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond breathed sighs of relief. "What happened to you just now?"
"What happened to me?"
Bless the Moment asked, confused.
"You said you wanted to check out this alley, but once you walked here, you just stood there without moving."
"And no matter how much we tried to pull you, you wouldn't budge," Satono Diamond added. "What exactly were you… Wait, Kita-chan. Does Bless look a little off to you?"
"Now that you mention it… she looks a bit pale?"
Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black exchanged worried glances.
"—Bless, are you okay?!"
The chestnut-maned Uma Musume quickly reached out and grabbed Bless the Moment's arm. "Kita-chan! Let's get her to the hospital, now!"
"Right!"
Kitasan Black nodded, grabbing the white-haired Uma Musume's other arm and hoisting her onto her back.
Under the bewildered stares of passersby, they hurriedly carried Bless the Moment away from the street.
--+--
"...Miss Bless, if I recall correctly, we've reminded you before that your current physical condition does not permit strenuous exercise. Am I right?"
After a series of examinations at the Satono family's hospital, the doctor in a white coat looked sternly at the white-haired Uma Musume seated before him.
"Yes."
Bless the Moment nodded under the doctor's intense gaze.
"Were you just engaged in intense physical activity?"
"Um… I can explain."
The white-haired Uma Musume tried to defend herself.
"Miss Bless."
The doctor's resigned sigh cut her off before she could continue. "Please take better care of your health."
"...Yes."
Bless the Moment nodded.
There was no way anyone would believe what had just happened to her. It was better to save her breath than waste effort explaining.
"Please rest here a while longer, Miss Bless."
As he spoke, the doctor poured a cup of warm water for the white-haired Uma Musume. "You may leave once the discomfort has passed."
"Alright. Thank you for your help, Doctor."
Bless the Moment took the paper cup and nodded in acknowledgment.
--+--
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.