"Doctor, how's Bless the Moment?"
Seeing the doctor step out of the room, Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black, who had been waiting in the hallway, hurried over. "Is she alright?"
"Young lady."
The doctor in the white coat asked, "Have you been with Miss Bless all day today?"
"Yes... Why do you ask?"
Satono Diamond looked puzzled.
"Did you just encourage Miss Bless to go running with you?"
The doctor pressed further.
"Running?"
Satono Diamond was bewildered. "We were just shopping with Bless earlier?"
"Young lady..."
The doctor sighed. "How could you do this?"
"Miss Bless has never been in the best of health since she was little. Even if her condition has improved a lot now, you shouldn't have done this, young lady."
After glancing at the black-haired Uma Musume standing beside Satono Diamond, who still seemed out of the loop, the doctor stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued speaking to Satono Diamond. "What if she couldn't handle it?"
"No... I already said I didn't..."
The tea-haired Uma Musume tried to defend herself, but the doctor, already convinced of the facts, didn't give her a chance to continue. Instead, he launched into a long, earnest lecture aimed squarely at her.
"Um, doctor, how is Bless now...?"
"Miss Bless? I've asked her to rest in the room for a while until the discomfort passes."
The doctor replied.
"Can I go in and see her?"
"Alright."
His attention fully focused on Satono Diamond, the doctor nodded, allowing Kitasan Black to walk past him.
"Then I'll also—"
"No, you can't leave."
As Kitasan Black pulled the door open and went inside, Satono Diamond also wanted to go in and check on Bless the Moment's condition, but the doctor held her back. "...To prevent something like this from happening again, I really need to have a proper talk with you, young lady."
No... so I really didn't encourage Bless to go running with me!
Falsely accused, Satono Diamond felt utterly unable to defend herself.
It wasn't me, I didn't do it, stop making things up!
"Bless?"
Kitasan Black entered the room and noticed the white-haired Uma Musume, who had her back turned, showed no reaction, as if she hadn't noticed her arrival at all.
"Kita-chan?"
It wasn't until the black-haired Uma Musume walked over to her side that the white-haired Uma Musume seemed to snap out of her daze. She glanced behind her. "...Did Dia not come in?"
"Dia? She's still being lectured by the doctor at the door."
Kitasan Black pulled over a chair and sat down beside her. "How are you feeling now?"
"My chest still feels a bit tight, and my body feels weak."
Bless the Moment tried making a fist, then replied, "I should be fine if I just sit a while longer."
"Should we call your parents and let them know?"
"...You're probably right."
Bless the Moment hesitated, but after a few seconds, she still nodded.
Looks like I'll be stuck at home again for some time.
Staring at the familiar number displayed on her phone screen, waiting for her mother to pick up, the white-haired Uma Musume thought with a sigh of resignation.
"Bless? What is it?"
The call was quickly answered, and her mother's voice sounded in her ear.
"Mom, I'm at the hospital right now."
"The hospital?"
Hearing her younger daughter utter that word, Mrs. Kawase's tone immediately became tense. "Are you feeling unwell again? Where does it hurt? How are you now? What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor told me to rest here for a while and leave only after the discomfort passes."
"As long as you're okay, as long as you're okay..."
Mrs. Kawasaki breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it still the same hospital? Wait there, your father and I will drive over to pick you up."
"I'm with Kita-chan and Dia, it's fine."
"Stay there. Your father and I are driving over to get you."
After delivering this firm statement, Bless the Moment heard her mother hang up.
"What did your parents say?"
"Mom said I should wait at the hospital, and she and Dad are driving over to pick me up."
Bless the Moment put her phone away. "Kita-chan, you and Dia should come with us for a bit later, we can walk part of the way together."
"No, it's fine."
Kitasan Black shook her head. "When your parents arrive, Dia and I will leave."
"Alright."
Seeing Kitasan Black decline, Bless the Moment nodded. "...Sorry for troubling you again this time."
"Because we're friends!"
Kitasan Black said with a cheerful grin.
'Because we're friends'...
Seeing the sunny smile on the black-haired Uma Musume's face, Bless the Moment repeated the words she had just spoken in her mind, feeling an inexplicable pang of guilt.
"Hey... Kita-chan."
Bless the Moment cleared her throat. "You should be careful around Dia, you know."
"Be careful around Dia?"
Kitasan Black looked confused. "Why do you say that?"
"Because she wants to get all tangled up with you."
Bless the Moment replied.
"Bless, you're saying strange things again."
Kitasan Black teased. "...Should I get you some water?"
"Okay, thanks."
The white-haired Uma Musume nodded and handed the empty cup in her hand to the black-haired Uma Musume beside her.
Oh, Kita-chan... you really need to read the signs.
Diamond doesn't just want you; she even wants to pull me into some three-way game.
--+--
"You're back?"
Manhattan Cafe, sitting alone in the room, looked up as the black-haired Uma Musume slid the classroom door open and entered. "Why did it take so long today?"
"An Uma Musume wandered into an anomalous zone. It took some time to help her get out."
After entering the room, the translucent Uma Musume picked up the coffee Manhattan Cafe had placed on the opposite seat and downed it in one go. "...But I noticed that Uma Musume has something that can resolve the 'anomaly.'"
"She has something that can resolve the 'anomaly'?"
Manhattan Cafe's curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"
"Not sure, but judging by its effects, it should be related to 'time.'"
Having finished the coffee, the ghostly Uma Musume let out a long breath.
"'Time'? That sounds like something incredibly significant."
The black-haired, golden-eyed Uma Musume nodded. "What's that Uma Musume's name?"
"Don't know."
The translucent Uma Musume replied rather bluntly. "I only know she's a white-haired Uma Musume from the junior high division."
A white-haired Uma Musume from the junior high division?
Manhattan Cafe made a mental note.
"Want another cup?"
The black-haired, golden-eyed Uma Musume asked.
"No need—I sense a Uma Musume I like passing by nearby. I'm off!"
As she spoke, the translucent Uma Musume dashed headfirst toward the nearby wall.
"..."
Watching her friend's figure gradually be swallowed by the wall until it completely vanished from sight, Manhattan Cafe lowered her head and took a sip of the steaming hot coffee.
Ahh... so comforting.
Holding the cup with both hands, the black-haired Uma Musume sitting in the classroom turned her gaze to look out the window.
--+--
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.