"Vega?"
On the second weekend of March, Bless the Moment received a call from Admire Vega.
Finding it too tiresome to hold the phone up to her ear, Bless the Moment simply put it on speaker and asked the dark-haired Uma Musume on the other end, "What's up? Why the sudden call?"
"Do you remember what today is, Trainer?"
Admire Vega's voice came through the phone.
"What day is it today?"
Bless the Moment thought for a moment. "Arbor Day?"
"Besides Arbor Day, what else is today?"
"The anniversary of bottled cola going on sale?"
"Trainer."
A faint note of reproach crept into Admire Vega's voice. "...You know what today means to me, don't you?"
"Of course I know."
Bless the Moment replied. "Where did you want to go today?"
"The observatory. Is that okay?"
"The observatory?"
Bless the Moment turned to glance out the sunlit window. "But it's still daytime."
"We'll go to the observatory in the evening," Admire Vega explained. "Before it gets dark, we can hang out somewhere else."
"When you say 'hang out,' you don't mean going to the bedding store to feel how soft the merchandise is, do you?"
"..."
Because Admire Vega had quite a 'record' of such things, Bless the Moment asked cautiously, but heard no reply from the other end.
"You still want to go to the bedding store this time too?"
The white-haired Uma Musume sighed in resignation. "I know you like fluffy things, but…"
"It's fine, I have a backup plan."
Admire Vega spoke up. "There's a place I'd like to go. Can you come with me, Trainer?"
"It's your birthday. You're the boss."
Bless the Moment glanced at the time displayed on her phone. "...Where should we meet?"
"How about in front of that bookstore?"
Admire Vega answered. "Or… would you prefer I come pick you up?"
"Let's just meet in front of the bookstore."
Bless the Moment said.
"Alright, then let's meet there in half an hour."
Admire Vega agreed, then hung up.
Half an hour… still plenty of time.
Bless the Moment rolled over to the edge of the bed, sat up, and reached out her feet to slip into her slippers.
She'd still been wondering what kind of birthday message to send Vega today, but the birthday girl had beaten her to it.
It only took about ten minutes to walk from her place to the bookstore, so she'd definitely be on time no matter what.
Standing in front of her wardrobe, Bless the Moment stared at the clothes of various colors and styles inside, pondering what to wear.
...Am I too early?
Admire Vega, who had jogged all the way to the bookstore entrance, looked around but couldn't see the white-haired Uma Musume.
Checking the time, the dark-haired Uma Musume realized there were still ten minutes until the agreed time, and she moved to stand by the wall next to the bookstore entrance.
"Hey!"
Someone suddenly tapped her right shoulder, and then, as she turned to look behind her, a finger poked her cheek. "Didn't see me, did you?"
"When did you get here, Trainer?"
Admire Vega asked, watching as the other girl took off the cap perched on her head, smoothed her long white hair, and let it fall loosely around her waist.
"I told you, don't call me 'Trainer' outside…"
Bless the Moment sighed. "Just call me Bless."
"Sorry… Bless."
Admire Vega corrected her address for the white-haired Uma Musume. "When did you arrive?"
"I just got here a little while ago myself."
Bless replied. "So, where did you want to take me?"
"It's a really interesting place."
A slight smile touched Admire Vega's lips. "...I think you'll definitely like it there too, Bless."
"Oh?"
Bless's interest was piqued. "Well then, I'll have to take a good look at what's so interesting about this place."
"You'll definitely find it interesting."
Admire Vega said with a laugh.
--+--
…What are these kinds of shops called again?
Following Admire Vega into a store, Bless the Moment absently picked up a nearly expired drink, searching her mind for what this type of store was called.
While she was lost in thought, Admire Vega had already found the elderly woman managing the shop and exchanged a few brief words with her.
"Bless?"
Admire Vega, her black hair in a single ponytail, reached behind her, only grasping empty air.
She turned her head to see the white-haired Uma Musume staring intently at the pink-colored drink she held in her hand. "Do you want a drink?"
"Ah… no."
Bless the Moment snapped out of her reverie. "I was just trying to remember what this kind of store is called."
"A charity shop?"
"Oh, right! A charity shop!"
The puzzle in her mind solved, Bless's face showed understanding, which quickly turned back to confusion. "But Vega, why did you bring me here?"
"There's something I want you to see."
Admire Vega reached out towards Bless as she approached. "Bless, can I hold your hand for a moment?"
"Sure."
Bless the Moment didn't hesitate, slipping her right hand into Admire Vega's palm.
She let Admire Vega lead her forward until they reached a certain spot, where Vega released her grip.
"We're here? Where's this thing you wanted me to see?"
Bless the Moment pointed at a crate of empty cola bottles on the floor. "...It's not this case of bottled cola you wanted me to see, is it?"
"No."
The ponytailed Uma Musume shook her head, then raised her hand to point at a nearby wall. "...It's this."
"Hmm~ Let's see what we have here."
Bless the Moment moved closer to the wall.
Taped to the wall Admire Vega indicated was a yellowed, old newspaper.
Although some of the characters had become blurred and indistinct, the larger, bolded text in the upper right corner was still quite clear.
[I Could Only Win Because of You]?
Bless the Moment rubbed her chin.
Such familiar words… Oh…
Spotting the picture next to the text, the white-haired Uma Musume's face lit up with sudden understanding.
In the photo, a dark-haired Uma Musume, wearing her race uniform and a single ponytail, was arguing with none other than Bless herself, who stood beside her.
—Wasn't this the interview after the Japan Derby victory?
Memories began to stir awake, and a nostalgic expression spread across Bless the Moment's face.
"Trainer, do you remember now?"
Since there was hardly anyone around, Admire Vega switched back to the formal address.
"Mm, I remember."
Bless the Moment nodded. "Ah… you really went on and on back then, Vega, just to prove to the reporters below that I wasn't as 'useless' as I claimed to be."
"Because you were being far too modest, Trainer."
Admire Vega looked at her steadily. "I think me winning the Japan Derby that year… half the credit belongs to you."
"Trainer, thank you… for always supporting me."
--+--
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.