"Hey, Vega, isn't it about time?"
Bless the Moment, who had spent the entire day out with Admire Vega, looked up at the star-dotted sky. "Aren't we going to the observatory yet?"
"No rush," Admire Vega replied. "We're already headed that way. We'll be there soon."
"Alright," Bless the Moment nodded. "What kind of seats did you book?"
"The fluffy kind." Admire Vega's ears perked up, pointing forward.
The fluffy kind... Some things never change with Vega.
"...Wait, you're not still using the blanket dryer at night, are you?" Bless the Moment's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
"No," Admire Vega shook her head. "Because you told me not to, Trainer."
"Good." Bless the Moment nodded in satisfaction. "How much farther?"
"Almost there. We'll arrive right away." Admire Vega answered, then paused mid-step, pointing somewhere. "...Right there."
The white-haired Uma Musume followed her pointing finger and saw the observatory's entrance.
"Trainer, let's go." Admire Vega reached out, taking Bless the Moment's hand as she spoke softly.
"Okay." Not minding the captured hand, Bless the Moment nodded.
"Admire Vega, you're here?" After entering the observatory and reaching the designated area, a black-maned Uma Musume with a single ponytail pulled a ticket from her pocket and handed it to the ticket checker.
After verifying it, the attendant returned the ticket, now punched with two round holes, to Admire Vega and greeted her familiarly.
"Mhm." Admire Vega nodded, her tone rather cool.
"You're not alone this year?" The staff's gaze went past her, landing on the unfamiliar white-haired Uma Musume standing behind the black-haired one. "And this is...?"
"Hello, big sis~!" Before Admire Vega could respond, the white-haired Uma Musume behind her spoke up cheerfully.
"My name is Bless the Moment! I'm Admire Vega-senpai's fan~!"
"My, what a sweet talker!" The staff member, over thirty, was utterly charmed. "Here, big sis will give you some candy."
"Thank you, big sis!"
"Oh, you're so well-behaved, so good." The staff member reached out and patted her head. "...Did Admire Vega bring you here to see the stars?"
"Yep!" Bless the Moment nodded.
"..." Admire Vega watched the interaction between the staff and her Trainer, her expression turning somewhat complicated.
Trainer, you...
"Vega." After chatting with Bless the Moment for a bit, the staff member watched the little white-haired Uma Musume pop the candy into her mouth and suddenly turned to the black-haired Uma Musume with the single ponytail.
"You just booked that seat for convenience, right?"
"?" Admire Vega was puzzled by the staff's sudden question.
"Isn't it just a two-person seat?" the black-haired Uma Musume retorted.
"...You're right. I must be overthinking it." The staff member's eyes lingered on Admire Vega and Bless the Moment for a moment longer before she stepped aside to let them pass.
...What was I thinking? Watching the two figures walk away, the staff member felt ashamed of the indecent thought that had crossed her mind.
It's just an idol bringing her little fan to see the stars. How could I make it sound so dirty? Ugh! Disgusting!
She mentally scorned her earlier self.
"Bless, you..." Once inside the exhibition hall, Admire Vega glanced back at the staff member still doing her job, then looked at the white-haired Uma Musume walking beside her. The expression on her face was indescribable.
"Vega, you think I'm acting cute and childish?" Bless the Moment, still sucking on the lollipop, bluntly stated Admire Vega's inner thoughts. "...Take a good look at me right now. Do you think I need to act it?"
After saying this, Bless the Moment switched to a different tone: "Vega-nee, Vega-nee! Can we go play with that over there?"
"..." The black-haired ponytailed Uma Musume involuntarily took a step back.
Even though you currently look like a fourteen-year-old minor Uma Musume on the outside, Trainer... have you forgotten about your previous life? Wait... is Trainer actually acting childish, or is she just behaving in a way that matches her current apparent age?
"Vega-nee? Can we go over there and play?" Seeing Admire Vega deep in thought, Bless the Moment tugged on her sleeve and asked very loudly.
"...Okay." Noticing the attention Bless the Moment's exclamation had drawn from people around them, Admire Vega nodded and let the white-haired Uma Musume lead her by the hand in the direction she was pointing.
"Sis, sis, can I get a piggyback ride?"
"Bless..." Admire Vega met Bless the Moment's sparkling, bright eyes and sighed in resignation. "You're fourteen years old already."
"Can a fourteen-year-old not get a piggyback ride from Vega-nee anymore?" Bless the Moment's face took on a pitiful, wronged expression.
...Trainer, you're really going to keep this up?
"Trai— Bless, you're fourteen now. If the other kids see you still getting piggyback rides, they'll laugh at you." Admire Vega, still not quite used to this, quickly corrected herself.
"That's fine." Bless the Moment seemed completely unbothered by this. "As long as I'm not embarrassed, then they'll be the ones feeling shy."
"You..." Seeing the white-haired Uma Musume spread her arms wide, clearly asking for a hug, Admire Vega found she couldn't hold her ground any longer.
—Why can you say things like that so effortlessly, Trainer?!
Admire Vega felt her face grow warm.
"Vega-nee, hold me!"
"..." Staring at the white-haired Uma Musume who was looking back at her with unblinking confidence, Admire Vega fell silent for a long moment. Finally, overcoming her own shame, she reached out her hands towards the girl in front of her.
Really... I just can't handle the Trainer...
"Actually, I don't feel like being held anymore."
Just as Admire Vega had convinced herself and finished mentally preparing, Bless the Moment took a step back, evading her hands. "It should be starting soon. We should hurry over."
"..." Admire Vega, left grasping empty air, stared at her in silence.
"What's wrong? Let's get going."
What's wrong? You have the nerve to ask me what's wrong?
Admire Vega's gaze towards Bless the Moment grew increasingly full of resentment.
"What is it?" Bless the Moment kept up the act, the smile on her face not fading in the slightest. "If we don't go now, we'll miss the start, you know?"
"I know." The black-haired Uma Musume, realizing she'd been toyed with by her Trainer once again, let out a sigh and led the white-haired girl towards their destination.
--+--
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.