"Rice… will always support and protect Onii-sama!"
Rice Shower's eyes were resolute, her tone unwavering.
Her heartfelt words shocked everyone present. No one expected Rice Shower's love for her Onii-sama to run this deep—that even after having been possessed by Misfortune herself, having experienced just how terrifying Misfortune could be, she would still choose to stand by Onii-sama's side!
Of course, the most surprised of all was Mizuno himself.
"Rice…"
Mizuno looked at the small back shielding him, eyes brimming with tears. He covered his mouth to stop himself from crying out loud.
To be trusted by Rice Shower like this—for an older brother, this was a blessing across three lifetimes, worth dying for without regret!
But beneath the emotion, Mizuno felt a bit confused.
His Uma Mint constitution was a troublesome thing. Whenever a Uma Musume saw his true form, their hidden desires would be forcibly drawn out, twisting their personalities in all sorts of strange ways. Only by satisfying those desires could they return to normal.
So why, if today was the first time Rice Shower had seen his real appearance, was she able to hold onto herself, when other Uma Musume instantly locked him up in the basement? What let Rice Shower stay true to herself and unaffected?
If he could figure this out, maybe he could even bring the blackened Broshi back to normal!
Just as Mizuno was puzzling it out, Fortune at his side seemed to catch on, suddenly excited:
[Fortune]:Mizuno-dono! I know why this happened!
[Fortune]: It's the heart! The key is the heart!
[Fortune]: The reason Rice Shower isn't affected by your Uma Mint is because she fell for your heart! That's why she's immune to the Uma Mint's allure! She's a girl who truly loves you!
[Fortune]: But as for Gold Ship, she's not in love with your soul—she's just attracted to your looks. That's why she locked you in the basement, wanting to Uma Pyoi with you all day!
Fortune's analysis was logical and, given the situation, probably the most convincing guess so far. But Mizuno just shook his head.
"No way—Broshi not caring about my heart? Impossible."
Mizuno gave a wry grin. He didn't even need to think it over before shooting Fortune's theory down.
His friendship with Gold Ship was as pure as could be, never mixed with lust, ambition, greed, or any other selfish desire. They were drawn together by the charm of their personalities, mutually relying on one another—a true meeting of souls!
Mizuno was certain that Gold Ship didn't lock him up out of selfish intent, but out of sheer fear for his safety. Add in the effect of his Uma Mint, and her mind just couldn't turn the corner, so she went overboard.
If Broshi were in her normal state, Mizuno believed she'd never do something like that!
So what, exactly, did Gold Ship lack compared to Rice Shower, when both had the same starting point but ended up so differently?
"Hmm…"
Mizuno began to recall every conversation he'd had with Gold Ship. He vaguely remembered that, just an hour or two ago, when Gold Ship had pinned him to the bed, she'd offered him two choices:
Either hand over Fortune's contract, letting her take on the dangers in his stead…
Or give her something to remember him by—meaning, have little Uma foals with her.
Something to remember…?
Mizuno felt like he'd hit on something important.
Leaving aside the Uma foals for now, what exactly did Broshi mean by "give her something to remember"? Could this be what she was missing compared to Rice Shower? But if he wanted to know the answer, he'd have to ask the other Uma Musume first.
Mizuno patted Rice Shower on the shoulder, and quietly asked:
"Rice, can I ask you something…?"
"Onii-sama? What is it?"
Rice Shower turned, a little confused as to why Mizuno would be asking her anything at a moment like this. Was he doubting that she meant what she'd just said? But as a little sister who'd been pampered endlessly by Onii-sama, how could her love ever be fake?
Even if Onii-sama doubted her, Rice Shower wouldn't get discouraged. She'd just find a way to regain his trust!
She made up her mind: no matter what Onii-sama asked next, she would answer honestly to prove her sincerity.
But what Mizuno did next nearly made her lose the self-restraint she'd guarded so carefully.
Mizuno leaned in close to Rice Shower's wide ear, exhaling sweet, intoxicating breath, and whispered as gently as if picking at her ears:
"Rice, do you want to have little Uma foals with me?"
"Eh?!!!"
Rice Shower's tail shot straight up, her mind wiped blank by the shock.
"O-O-Onii-sama?!" Her eyes went wide, horse ears twitching violently. For a moment, she thought she must have misheard, or that he was joking…
But when Rice Shower saw the seriousness on Mizuno's face and realized this wasn't a joke, her reaction got even more extreme.
"Eh?!!!"
Rice Shower's whole face turned bright red in a flash, steam puffing from the top of her head like a locomotive. Her tail even curled itself into a heart shape.
Was Onii-sama finally having spring feelings, wanting to have babies with her?!
Could an un-cute, un-sexy Rice Shower really be worthy of such an honor?!
Guuh…
Rice Shower touched her burning cheeks, her heart pounding like a deer. For a moment, she had no idea how to respond to Mizuno's question.
Shy as she was, she didn't dare nod and agree outright—what if Onii-sama thought she was an easy Uma and avoided her? That'd be terrible.
But she could never refuse. Rice Shower had always wanted to get closer to Onii-sama. Even if he never brought it up, she'd eventually work up the nerve herself. Plus, she'd just sworn to answer anything Onii-sama asked with complete honesty…
So after agonizing over it, Rice Shower finally hooked her fingers bashfully, bowed her head to hide her red face, and mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito:
"If Onii-sama wishes for it… Rice absolutely can…"
"I see…"
Mizuno blinked, rubbing his chin in thought.
So if he wanted it, Rice Shower would agree?
She hadn't spelled it out, but the fact that she hadn't said no made it clear—Rice Shower definitely had those sorts of feelings for him.
Given Uma Musume instincts, no matter how timid or docile they might be, they'd never agree to something intimate unless it was someone they liked. Even holding hands would get you kicked across the room—never mind making Uma foals together.
So Rice Shower's feelings for him had obviously long since passed any ordinary sibling bond, and were already at that forbidden threshold.
Even if it hurt a little to know his little sister had unclean thoughts about her Onii-sama, now wasn't the time to dwell on that. He still had an important question to ask her.
"Rice Shower, if I don't make little Uma foals with you… would you still protect me?"
"N-not make Uma foals…?"
Rice Shower froze, her mood plummeting, the ears that had been bouncing with joy drooping dejectedly.
Guuh… so Onii-sama still doesn't want a deeper relationship with Rice Shower…
But even so, Rice Shower pressed her lips together, then looked up, answering earnestly:
"Even if that's the case… Rice… will always protect Onii-sama's happiness…"
Rice Shower's expression was resolute. Her hand pressed to her chest, as if some great confidence deep inside was supporting her answer.
"I see…"
Mizuno nodded, then turned and asked Gold Ship the same question:
"Broshi, do you want to have little Uma foals with me?"
"Heh."
Gold Ship let out a cold snort.
She didn't really get why Mizuno was asking this now, but since he asked, she saw no reason not to answer honestly:
"Of course I do! I really do! I want to do it with you all the time!"
"…"
Mizuno locked eyes with Gold Ship and continued:
"Broshi, if I don't make little Uma foals with you… would you still protect me?"
"Obviously!"
Gold Ship clenched her fists, clearly annoyed he'd even ask, and snapped through gritted teeth:
"No matter what you become, wherever you are, I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"
"Even if you act reckless every day—even if you end up the enemy of the world—I'll still follow behind and keep you safe!"
"…"
"If you won't have little Uma foals with me, how could I ever feel at ease?! If you disappeared one day—what would I do?!"
"I don't want you to die!"
Gold Ship, talking herself into a corner, clutched her chest in pain, as if there was a gaping hole there, leaking cold wind.
And as Mizuno caught the loneliness in Gold Ship's eyes, his brow twitched—he'd seized on the key word in her response.
Peace of mind?
That was a word rarely heard in his conversations with Broshi, but after Gold Ship was affected by his Uma Mint constitution, she'd unconsciously kept bringing up that sense of insecurity…
Comparing Rice Shower and Gold Ship—their actions so similar, yet so different in meaning—Mizuno was suddenly struck by clarity, as if a bright answer had sprouted from the muddy confusion of his thoughts.
So that's it! This is what she's missing!
It's proof—a sign that he'd always stay by her side!
---
T/N: BASEMENT IS LIMITED TO 5 BONUS BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! THERES SO MANY POWERSTONES :SOB:
"Looks like this is the last day you'll be hearing from me—for now, at least."
"Bonus chapters will be released tomorrow, so if you've been hoarding your patience, you won't have to for much longer."
"If you want to support the translator, there's still Patreon: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional support—early access is just a side benefit, not an obligation."
"And don't forget the Powerstone deal: every 100 Powerstones = 1 bonus chapter (100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp, and so on). If you want more chapters after tomorrow… you know what to do."
"If you'd rather talk than throw stones, the Discord is open: discord.gg/wisetl. Go scream, speculate, or bully the translator about cliffhangers there instead of in your heart."
say bye bye and thank you to maomao!!