"Air Groove, what do you mean by that?" Mizuno stared, dumbfounded, at Air Groove—who now looked every bit like an empress preparing to select concubines for her emperor.
"'You'll decide who stays tonight'? Don't tell me you actually plan to sleep here with me?"
"What else?" Rudolf tilted her head beside him, cupping her cheek with a sweetly innocent look. "Surely you wouldn't be so cruel as to send a group of girls out alone this late at night? What if some terrible person tried to abduct us?"
"Ah…" Mizuno's mouth twitched.
With how absurdly strong Uma Musume were, who would dare try that?! If anything, it was the trainers who risked being kidnapped walking alone at night.
"In that case, how about you all stay here, and I'll just… go sleep somewhere else…" Mizuno muttered under his breath, slowly edging his wheelchair toward the exit.
But Rudolf and Air Groove were quicker. They both sat down at once—right on the wheelchair's handles—bare feet sinking lightly into the carpet as they trapped him in place.
"You can't," Air Groove said flatly, eyes narrowing in warning. "Tonight, you're staying here."
"What?! I don't even get to choose whether I sleep alone anymore?!" Mizuno protested.
"Hehe~ Of course not~" Rudolf giggled softly, slipping an arm around his shoulders. Her legs crossed elegantly, snow-white feet swinging playfully just within his view.
"Mizuno-san, you can't move freely right now—you need someone attentive to take care of you. What if you need the restroom in the middle of the night? Wouldn't it be safer if we were right here to help?" she added, her tone dripping with implication as her hand squeezed his shoulder.
"Not at all!" Mizuno shot back immediately. "First of all, I never get up to use the bathroom at night. No 'help' needed."
"And secondly…" He swept his gaze around the tent, taking in the sight of ten Uma Musume surrounding him. "Even if I did need to go, you're all girls—who's supposed to help me take off my pants?!"
"If that's your request, I'd be delighted to assist~" Rudolf murmured, smiling gracefully as she leaned closer, her perfect face mere inches from his.
"No thank you!" Mizuno yelped, jerking back in panic—only to bump directly into Air Groove behind him.
"…" Air Groove glanced down at him, her horse ears twitching happily as she said softly, "Actually, I'd be quite happy to help too."
"Gah! But I'm not happy about it!" Mizuno cried, huddling up in his chair like a cornered animal, trembling in the tiny space left between the two older mares pressing close from both sides.
"Everyone else would be happy to stay and take care of Mizuno-san too, right?" Rudolf turned to the others, her tone smooth and knowing.
The other Uma Musume exchanged glances, then nodded one after another.
"Whoa, all of you?!"
"How about this?" Air Groove said, sweeping her gaze over the eager crowd. "There aren't enough futons here, and the tent can't fit this many people comfortably. So, aside from me, I'll pick three classmates to stay and help take care of Mizuno-san tonight."
"You included yourself first, huh…" Mizuno muttered dryly.
"I'm the owner of this place now, so it's only natural I decide who stays and who leaves," Air Groove replied firmly, placing a hand on her chest with quiet pride.
In truth, she hadn't wanted to let anyone else stay. She'd much rather monopolize Mizuno and have him all to herself. But with so many others present, keeping him alone would've caused an uproar—so she'd chosen to compromise. Three others was tolerable… barely.
"Then… can I leave?" Mizuno asked weakly.
"No," Air Groove said at once.
If the main course escaped, what would the rest of them feast on tonight?
"Guh…" Mizuno slumped in defeat.
He'd lost all control—even the choice of where to sleep had been taken from him. Surrounded by these persistent mares, he could only imagine the "physical training" they had in mind for later.
He really had become a slave.
"Hehe~" Rudolf watched his crushed expression, a spark of satisfaction flaring in her chest. She turned to Air Groove and asked confidently, "Air Groove, since I have work-related matters to discuss with Mizuno-san, may I stay tonight?"
"Of course," Air Groove replied immediately.
"Eh—you two!" Mizuno gaped at Rudolf and Air Groove sitting snugly on either side of him, realizing too late he'd been caught in their web.
His earlier suspicion was dead-on. These two Student Council mares were definitely in league.
"Hehe~" Rudolf and Air Groove exchanged knowing smiles.
For now, they were allies—until the real battle for Mizuno began.
"Air Groove-senpai! I—I have work—I mean, training questions I want to ask Trainer-san!" Tokai Teio suddenly raised her hand, eyes sparkling.
"What kind of question?" Mizuno asked warily.
"Well, um…" Teio hesitated, clearly proving she had no actual training question prepared. After a moment's frantic thought, she blurted out, "For example… Trainer-san, what kind of girl do you like?"
"How is that a training-related question?!" Mizuno shouted.
"Good, approved," Air Groove said without missing a beat.
"Yay~!" Teio cheered, bouncing happily before wrapping her arms around Mizuno from behind.
"Hey!" Mizuno snapped, glaring at Air Groove. "Are you seriously choosing based on that? You're just picking whoever you want!"
"Who said that?" Air Groove frowned, dead serious. "Teio's question is obviously very important."
"Exactly," Rudolf agreed smoothly, crossing her legs the other way so that her toes lightly brushed Mizuno's thigh. "So then, Mizuno-san—what kind of girl do you like?"
"Guh…" Mizuno fell silent.
In the past, he might've joked that he liked men, just to shut down the teasing. But with Vodka here—a tomboy through and through—that excuse would backfire immediately. Everyone would just assume she was his type and start competing harder.
And if he claimed he liked strong, muscular types… well, every Uma Musume here fit that bill better than any human alive.
No—any answer would only make things worse. Silence was the only safe option.
"…" Rudolf's smile thinned as Mizuno stayed stubbornly quiet. As expected, he wasn't going to give in easily.
But Rudolf already had a plan.
"Hehe~" She chuckled softly, then suddenly pulled Mizuno into a tight embrace, pressing his face against her chest right in front of everyone. With a sultry smile, she declared:
"Since Mizuno-san refuses to answer, I'll just take that as confirmation that you actually like me~"