By the time Daiwa Scarlet, who was in charge of pushing Mizuno's wheelchair today, arrived at the tent to pick him up, the water stains on the bed had been completely erased by Rudolf and the others. The girls, who'd been tempting him with wet clothes, had dried off thoroughly, changed into fresh outfits, and even sprayed Mizuno with a bit of freshener to mask the heavy scent they'd left on him overnight.
The four Uma Musume sat casually on the bed, keeping a careful distance from Mizuno, who sat at his desk, barely conscious. They chatted happily about the day's weather, without even the slightest hint of intimacy toward Mizuno.
Daiwa Scarlet observed this superficially harmonious atmosphere, brows furrowing.
Although everything appeared normal on the surface, without any obvious evidence of misbehavior, Daiwa Scarlet's instincts were screaming at her: these Uma Musume on the bed had absolutely feasted on Mizuno last night while nobody was watching!
After all, if it had been her, she absolutely wouldn't have resisted attacking Mizuno at midnight! This was simply the innate nature of an Uma Musume toward the one she loved—totally unavoidable!
Besides, yesterday they'd desperately clung to Mizuno, yet this morning they'd suspiciously put distance between themselves and him—far too deliberate!
So, if someone told her Rudolf and the others had wasted such a good chance last night, Daiwa Scarlet absolutely wouldn't believe it!
Thus, Scarlet stepped directly in front of Mizuno, placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, leaned in, and carefully sniffed him before seriously asking:
"Trainer Mizuno, nobody did anything weird to you last night, right?"
Mizuno fell silent, quietly glancing toward Rudolf on the bed.
On the bed, Rudolf was also watching him intently. She placed a finger against her lips, making a "shhh" gesture, then deliberately pointed at the pillow beneath her butt, pressing down hard.
As if to silently threaten: If Mizuno dared reveal what happened, that pillow under her backside would become his fate.
Mizuno's expression collapsed miserably. He turned helplessly toward Daiwa Scarlet, answering lifelessly:
"Well, probably not…"
"Huh?" Daiwa Scarlet tilted her head, confused.
Either it happened or it didn't—what did he mean by probably?
"Trainer Mizuno, didn't you sleep well last night? You look exhausted."
"Uhh… had a nightmare…" Mizuno rubbed his weary eyes, slumping into the wheelchair.
He truly hadn't slept well—because he hadn't slept at all.
Rudolf and the others had fallen peacefully asleep holding him, but Mizuno couldn't afford that luxury. He'd been forced to remain constantly awake, vigilantly watching Rudolf all night, terrified she'd secretly continue her attempts to strip him.
So even though Mizuno closed his eyes briefly at times, he always startled awake at the slightest teasing movements from these girls, nerves wound tight. He feared opening his eyes again only to find himself stripped completely bare, with some Uma Musume happily bouncing up and down atop him…
Therefore, Mizuno hadn't dared sleep a wink, enduring until sunrise in that restless torment.
If he had a status bar right now, it would undoubtedly read: [Night Owl] + [Dry Skin].
"Haa…" Mizuno yawned, his head swaying groggily, looking as if he might pass out any second.
Seeing Mizuno's weak and vulnerable state, Scarlet's breathing became heavier. She swallowed involuntarily, feeling a subtle heat rise in her belly.
"Then tonight… Trainer Mizuno, would you like to sleep with me?" Scarlet asked softly, eyes sparkling expectantly, her ponytail lightly brushing against Mizuno's thigh.
Mizuno jolted awake instantly, raising his head to stare at Scarlet.
"Can you guarantee you won't touch me at night?"
"Um… sleepwalking is unpredictable, after all…" Scarlet shyly curled her finger, guiltily averting her eyes.
"Then forget I asked…" Mizuno slumped back down, disappointedly resigning himself once more to the fate of a lifeless corpse.
With Scarlet's answer, Mizuno could already be one hundred percent certain: she'd definitely follow Rudolf and the others' example, finding endless excuses to attack him during the night.
The other Uma Musume were probably no different. Mizuno realized that as long as these girls were allowed to share his bed, having an undisturbed night of sleep was impossible.
Ten Uma Musume, with Mizuno having to choose four every night…
But since Air Groove was the tent's mistress and wouldn't rotate out, he had to pick three from the remaining nine each night, rotating every three days.
Before fully recovering enough to no longer require Uma Musume care, Mizuno feared he'd never again enjoy a peaceful sleep…
How was this any different from being continuously Uma Pyoi'd by these girls for three days straight?
"Damned legs, heal faster already!" Mizuno bitterly pounded his useless thighs. If he could only stand normally, he wouldn't be trapped in this humiliating situation, entirely at the mercy of Uma Musume claiming to "care" for him.
Unfortunately, this frustrated action couldn't magically restore his ability to stand. Instead, it caused Scarlet, already fantasizing intensely, to misunderstand something.
"Trainer Mizuno, do you need your legs massaged?"
Scarlet excitedly crouched down, placing both hands gently upon Mizuno's thighs, softly kneading with her fingers while "unintentionally" brushing her ample chest against him.
"N-No-no, no need!" Mizuno refused frantically, wheeling himself backward several meters, breaking out in cold sweat.
He absolutely couldn't relax for even a second. These Uma Musume constantly devised strategies to approach him, exactly like that horror game about animatronic bears in a midnight harem—if he let his guard down just a moment, those terrifying creatures would breach his defenses, utterly devouring him.
"Oh right, Air Groove, are you free today?" Mizuno suddenly called toward the bed.
"Eh?!" Air Groove's ears perked up instantly upon hearing Mizuno call her name. Her expression became surprised, tail swishing eagerly.
Trainer Mizuno asked if I'm free today—does he intend to invite me on a date?!
The other girls narrowed their eyes dangerously.
"Not quite," Mizuno shook his head.
"I'm just inviting you as a special guest today to share some running tips with the members of my team."
"Oh… I see… alright then…" Air Groove's ears drooped visibly, clearly disappointed.
"Trainer Mizuno, aren't you inviting me as well?" Rudolf crossed her arms, glaring indignantly at Mizuno.
She was obviously stronger, closer to Mizuno, too—why invite only Air Groove and not her?
"Didn't you already join us yesterday?" Mizuno replied flatly, lips twitching.
"Besides, you already took leave for a whole day and night. Isn't there plenty of accumulated student council work by now? If you don't handle it soon, it'll become a mountain."
"Oh… that's true," Rudolf blinked in surprise, her authoritative aura instantly dissolving. She'd never expected Mizuno would actually consider her workload.
And Mizuno was completely right—there really was a heap of student council tasks awaiting her. If she didn't return to handle them quickly, she'd have to lock herself away for quite some time afterward, with no opportunity left to tease Mizuno.
Rudolf hesitated briefly, then sighed regretfully, finally deciding:
Looks like I won't get to cling onto him today...
Ding!
At that moment, Mizuno's phone suddenly chimed from his pocket.
Pulling out his phone, Mizuno saw it was Kiryuin Aoi, the very person he'd messaged desperately last night.
[Chat with "Secret Crush" Kiryuin Aoi]
[Kiryuin Aoi]:I accept. Let's meet today.