"Mizuno-san, these two are…?"
Following Mizuno's line of sight, Air Groove finally noticed the two somewhat familiar young Uma Musume standing behind him. Their faces rang a faint bell—she'd definitely seen them somewhere before.
"Allow me to introduce them." Mizuno gestured toward the pair. "These are Daiwa Scarlet-san and Vodka-san, new members of our team. They'll also be helping take care of me for the next few days."
"Nice to meet you, Air Groove-senpai~" Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka bowed politely in unison.
"New members…? Taking care of you…?" Air Groove's brows furrowed almost immediately. Her sharp gaze swept over the two girls, and within seconds she could practically smell the heat radiating from them.
"So it's these two…" Air Groove murmured, digging through her memories until the answer clicked into place.
She'd seen their photos in Symboli Rudolf's files—the confidential list of ten Uma Musume who'd once been "affected" by the mysterious man who came to Tracen seeking help. Air Groove had personally helped organize those files in the Student Council office. There had been ten names total—including her own—and these two girls standing behind Mizuno were definitely among them.
Logically speaking, the relationship between that man and those ten Uma Musume was like prey among predators.
A mouse wandering into a house of hungry cats—tempting, trembling, surrounded. Even if the mouse made peace with its hunters and tried to fulfill their wishes, it was still only delaying the inevitable.
A cat might be friendly while the game lasted, but in the end, it would still lick its lips and say—Friend… tasty.
Air Groove herself had once despised that man, even hated him.
But after Mizuno fulfilled her wish, after he eased the pain in her heart, the truth was undeniable—she wanted him.
She wanted to Uma Pyoi him.
Desperately.
Three days and nights wouldn't be enough.
Of course, she wasn't the type to lock someone up in a basement and "steam the rice until cooked." No—she wanted a genuine romance. Sweet, patient, intoxicating. She wanted Mizuno to walk willingly into her arms before she devoured him whole.
That was why she'd held back so far—aside from a few harmless indulgences, like "accidentally" making him give her a foot massage or sneaking into his tent at night.
But Mizuno was slippery. Impossible to pin down. Like trying to catch a mudfish bare-handed.
So Air Groove had changed tactics—slow and steady. Warm the water, let the frog relax, then watch him drift into her arms of his own accord.
Yet here he was, still wary of her, while somehow trusting these two little fillies behind him?
Even if they weren't part of the original ten, Mizuno had always kept a safe distance from every Uma Musume. There was no reason he'd suddenly let two new ones take care of him so intimately.
Something didn't add up.
Air Groove narrowed her eyes, studying Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka closely, her analytical mind clicking away.
Could it be… they'd used some kind of trick?
As an Uma Musume herself, she could sense it plain as day—the air around them was thick with feminine heat. Their hormones blazed like wildfire. The kind of aura that surrounded those mares who often "trained" their human partners behind closed doors.
These two were wolves, not caretakers.
"In a few days… no, maybe tonight—they'll make their move," Air Groove concluded silently.
Still, she couldn't really blame them.
Because in this particular race, if you didn't sprint when the gate opened, someone else would cross the finish line before you even left the track.
If another Uma Musume took him first—married him, bore his foals—what would be left but regret?
Especially someone like Mizuno-san: outwardly guarded, inwardly gentle. The kind of man who, once Uma Pyoi'd, would take full responsibility no matter the circumstances.
Even if he'd been "forced" at first, he'd still become the most devoted husband imaginable.
That was precisely why so many Uma Musume at Tracen were after him—because the moment you captured him, he'd belong to you forever.
So yes, Air Groove understood their impatience perfectly.
But that didn't mean she'd let them succeed.
Looks like I'll have to stay by his side for the next few days, she decided silently, her expression calm but her eyes blazing.
Even if Mizuno misunderstood and thought she was the one scheming something indecent, it was still better than letting those two get their hooves on him first.
Mizuno-san's chastity—she would personally protect it.
And of course, when that mission was accomplished…
Her reward would be that chastity itself.