Today was a special day for the Uma Musume who had once served on Team Venus.
They rode together to the cemetery, to visit their trainer, who lay resting underground after a sudden death.
"Finally made it, huh?"
Maruzensky, who had been leaning against her red sports car by the cemetery entrance for quite a while, straightened up as several cars came into view. "You all drove way too slow, didn't you? I've been waiting here for ages."
"Couldn't it be that you, Maruzensky, were just driving too fast?"
Gold City retorted as she stepped out of the car. "We lost sight of your car right after the first turn."
"Well, I am the 'supercar,' after all~"
Maruzensky grinned, closing one eye and throwing a wink at Gold City. "Speaking of which, it's been a really, really long time since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"
"Yeah."
The straw-chestnut Uma Musume nodded. "This year's workload has been massive; I can barely keep up."
"Compared to before, 'City-chan,' you're not resisting your job as much anymore."
"...I prefer running way more than playing model."
Gold City shook her head. "The me working as a model is just playing a role that others expect. Running is my true calling."
"Mhm, mhm, City-chan is still exactly the same as ever."
"Aren't you the same as ever too?"
Hearing the way Maruzensky addressed her, Gold City sighed in resignation. "...Also, Maruzensky-senpai, could you please stop calling me 'City-chan'?"
"Why? It's a cute nickname, isn't it?"
But it's so embarrassing when you call me that!
"Alright, alright... Is everyone here now?"
Fortunately, a blue-haired, purple-eyed Uma Musume finally stepped between them, patting their shoulders. "If everyone's here, we should head up to see the trainer now."
"You wouldn't want to keep the trainer waiting, right?"
Mejiro Ardan, who had suddenly inserted herself between the two, said this.
After confirming that everyone who had come to visit the grave had arrived, the Uma Musume formerly of Team Venus began climbing the steps, moving upward one by one.
They turned deftly into Section 25 of the cemetery and stopped before the fourth gravestone.
The name 'Nakatsuru Aya' was carved on the stone, with a black-and-white photo fixed at the top.
"Trainer, we've come to see you again this year."
A brown-haired, blue-eyed Uma Musume stepped forward, gently placing the flowers she had carried all this way in front of the gravestone, her voice soft.
The Uma Musume behind her remained silent, just quietly gazing at the black-and-white photo on the tombstone.
...Longing is a low, squat grave.
The Uma Musume are outside.
The trainer is inside.
--+--
Did I write the problem wrong?
During the last class of the afternoon, the math teacher standing at the podium felt a bit uneasy.
For no other reason.
Bless the Moment, who should have been lying on her desk catching a quick nap, was sitting upright for once, her sky-blue eyes fixed unblinkingly on the blackboard.
The teacher's first thought was that he must have solved the math problem incorrectly. He turned and scrutinized the problem and its solution steps on the blackboard but couldn't find anything wrong.
This seems correct... So why is she staring at me like that?
Completely dismissing the possibility that 'Bless the Moment actually wants to pay attention in class,' the math teacher muttered to himself.
He used to always think that a forty-five-minute class was too short, but today he finally experienced what it meant for time to drag on.
Ding ling ling—!
After what felt like an eternity, a clear ringing sound signaled the end of the day's classes.
"Class dismissed!"
The moment the bell rang, the math teacher felt as if he'd been granted a pardon. He snatched his textbook from the podium and hurried out of the classroom, terrified that the white-haired Uma Musume still sitting at her desk might try to stop him.
"Phew... Finally over."
Bless the Moment, who had fought back sleepiness the entire class to keep from passing out, squinted and let out a yawn. "I'm exhausted."
"You're the only one in our class who acts like they've pulled an all-nighter during lessons."
Eishin Flash, sitting beside her, teased. "...You're not actually staying up late every night, are you?"
"Staying up late not only makes you feel worse the next day, it also affects your skin quality."
Bless the Moment pointed under her eyes, then at her cheek. "Look at me. Do I look like an Uma Musume who enjoys staying up late?"
...How do you manage to fall asleep in class if you aren't sleep-deprived?
Eishin Flash stared at her, not responding.
"Aren't you heading back with Kita-chan and Dia today?"
Eishin Flash glanced around and, not seeing Kitasan Black or Satono Diamond anywhere, asked.
"I've got something to do after school today, so I told them to go on ahead."
Bless the Moment replied offhandedly.
Since she'd promised Kitasan Black and the others that she'd be their support Uma Musume, she had to keep her word.
She'd only ever been a trainer; being an Uma Musume was a first for her. Naturally, she had no idea what a support Uma Musume was actually supposed to do.
...She still had a little time now. She needed to buy some books and study up properly.
The white-haired Uma Musume thought this to herself as she packed the books on her desk.
"Oh... Well, I'll be off too, then."
Eishin Flash checked the time, then waved at the white-haired Uma Musume. "See you tomorrow, bye."
"Mhm, bye~"
After stuffing the last few books into her bag and looking up again, Bless the Moment realized she was the only Uma Musume left in the classroom.
Slinging her single-strap bag over her shoulder, she walked briskly out of the school gates and turned into a bookstore next to the campus.
Newly freed students clustered around the shelves full of manga, chattering noisily like sparrows.
"Excuse me."
The white-haired Uma Musume walked straight up to a shop assistant. "Where can I find books related to support Uma Musume?"
"Books for support Uma Musume?"
The uniformed clerk thought for a moment, then pointed upstairs. "They should be on the second floor... but I remember those books are in a pretty out-of-the-way spot. You'll have to look carefully."
"I see... Thank you."
Nodding her thanks to the clerk, Bless the Moment went up to the second floor. Her fingers trailed along the spines of the books one by one, finally stopping on a volume titled [Post-Race Care for Uma Musume].
...The content in this book should be relevant to a support Uma Musume's work, right?
Thinking this, Bless the Moment pulled it from the shelf and held it in her hand.
[Uma Musume Equipment Repair and Maintenance]? Grab one.
[One Hundred Things a Support Uma Musume Must Know]?
...Even though the content in this one seemed a bit questionable, she'd take it for now.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Bless the Moment pulled it from the shelf.
[How to Handle an Uma Musume Who Develops a Possessive Streak]?
Bless the Moment paused, staring at the title.
The physical gap between Uma Musume and humans isn't small. If an Uma Musume really became possessive of a human trainer, where could the trainer possibly run to?
Only by maintaining a careful distance, like she did, could one avoid triggering an Uma Musume's possessive instincts.
Sigh... Compared to Uma Musume, humans really are too fragile.
They should buff humans in the next update.
Bless the Moment's gaze skipped over that book, looking elsewhere.
...Are there only these three books?
After scanning several more shelves and finding nothing else, the white-haired Uma Musume looked down at the three books in her hands, feeling a bit troubled.
Only three books probably isn't enough to go on...
Better keep looking.
With that thought, Bless the Moment took a step forward, continuing along the rows of shelves.
--+--
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.