"Dad, Mom, there's something I want to talk to you about."
After dinner, Bless the Moment, who had volunteered to help her mother wash the dishes, took off her gloves and walked over to the living room. She sat down beside her parents, who were watching TV.
"What is it?"
The middle-aged woman shifted her gaze from the television, studying her youngest daughter's face for a moment. "...You didn't cause trouble at school again, did you?"
Though Bless the Moment had been frail since birth, she was also the child who gave them the most worry.
To outsiders, their youngest daughter seemed like the perfect 'model child,' but in private, it was like she was a completely different person.
Mischievous, always eager to join in on any excitement...
It was a joy to see their sickly little daughter so full of life, but her antics often made them anxious, and her sometimes thoughtless actions gave them headaches.
And now, after offering to help with the dishes after dinner, she sat down with them, saying she had something to discuss...
...She couldn't have gotten into trouble at school again, could she?
The couple shared the same thought, perfectly in sync.
"Of course not."
Bless the Moment's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled the mischief she'd gotten into as a child. "I really just want to talk to you about something!"
"Then tell us what it is."
Hearing her daughter's words, the middle-aged woman relaxed and sank back into the sofa.
As long as it wasn't trouble.
"I met Maruzensky at school today."
"Huh? Who?"
"You met who?! Maruzensky?!"
While the middle-aged woman still looked blank, trying to place the name her daughter had mentioned, the man beside her practically leapt off the couch. "Maruzensky visited your school today?!"
"Not just her. Symboli Rudolf was there too."
"Symboli Rudolf? The Undefeated Triple Crown winner?"
This time, the mother immediately understood who Bless the Moment meant. "She came too?"
"Yeah."
The white-haired Uma Musume nodded, then dropped another bombshell. "Maruzensky-senpai even gave me her contact info."
"..."
The middle-aged man fell silent, his face twisting as if he'd just bitten into a lemon.
I watched every single one of Maruzensky's races back in the day, and I never even got to speak a word to her. How come she just voluntarily gave you her contact information?
Damn! I'm so jealous!
"And then? That can't be all, right?"
The middle-aged woman, now remembering where she'd heard the name 'Maruzensky' before, asked, "You're not just trying to show off in front of your dad, are you?"
"No."
Bless the Moment shook her head. "Maruzensky-senpai asked me to consider enrolling at Tracen Academy."
"Tracen Academy?"
The mother's attention was completely captured by her daughter's words.
She exchanged a look with her husband, then turned back to their youngest daughter. "What are your thoughts? You're not still planning to skip further schooling, are you?"
"Well... I think I want to go to Tracen Academy with Dia and Kita-chan."
Bless the Moment spoke a bit sheepishly. "So... um..."
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
As the white-haired Uma Musume hemmed and hawed, unsure how to continue, the middle-aged woman, who had already seen right through her, waved a hand dismissively. "I see. If that's all, you can go do your own thing. Don't disturb your father and me while we're watching TV."
"Uh... but isn't Tracen Academy's tuition really expensive?"
"Are you looking down on me and your dad that much?"
The middle-aged woman shot a sidelong glance at her youngest daughter. "Or do you think our family is poor?"
"If we didn't have the money for your medical treatments and to keep you healthy, do you think you'd have made it this far?"
She took the opportunity to lecture her daughter. "How many times have I told you? Don't feel guilty. We did all this of our own free will. It has nothing to do with your health."
"Mmhmm."
Listening to her mother's scolding, Bless the Moment felt a little helpless, but warmth spread in her heart.
In her previous life, she had been an orphan. She had no memory of her parents and was raised solely by the director of the orphanage.
That director had been both mother and father to her.
It was just a shame that the old lady passed away during her first year as a certified trainer, right after she'd started working at Tracen Academy, before Bless the Moment could ever repay her.
She remembered how hard that had hit her. If it weren't for people like Okino and Hana offering guidance, she probably wouldn't have been able to pull herself together for a long time.
Though her body was weak in this life, she had gained something she never had in her previous one.
I'm really happy now.
...Oh right! I still haven't replied to Okino's message!
"Um... I just remembered there's something I haven't done yet! I'm going back to my room!"
Suddenly recalling this, Bless the Moment frantically interrupted her mother's nagging and stood up, heading for the stairs.
"Bless! Bless! Ah, I wasn't finished talking."
The middle-aged woman, right in the middle of her lecture, watched her daughter's back swiftly disappear from view and sighed in resignation. "...Why is that child always in such a rush?"
"Probably in a hurry to chat with her friends," the man replied absently, his mind drifting back to what his daughter had mentioned earlier.
...Damn, I really want to meet Maruzensky up close too!
The middle-aged man thought with envy.
--+--
"I'm telling you, I'm not lying!"
In the bar, Okino, downing a glass of beer, looked at Hana sitting beside him with a hurt expression. He pulled out his phone and showed her his chat history with [SilentGazer]."See!"
"...And you believe her just because she mentioned some things from the past?"
Hana skimmed the messages, utterly unimpressed. "You seem a bit too easy to fool."
"If Aya found out about this, she'd probably be so angry she'd come back to life just to whack you on the head a few times."
"..."
Seeing that Hana didn't believe him at all, Okino didn't waste his breath arguing. He just took another gloomy sip of his beer.
...If it isn't Aya, then who on the other side of that screen is chatting with me?
Put another way, which of his acquaintances had nothing better to do than to pull a prank like this on him?
"Speaking of which... Aya's memorial day is coming up soon. Are your arrangements the same as previous years?"
"Yeah." Okino nodded. "I'll drive there myself again this year."
"Okay." Hana nodded, and the two briefly fell into silence.
Ding-dong~
A message notification chimed. Okino glanced down instinctively, and his eyes widened in shock.
"What is it?"
Hana frowned as Okino repeatedly poked her arm. Then he shoved his phone screen in front of her eyes.
[SilentGazer: Good evening~]
--+--
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.