Grrrgle~
Just then, Mizuno's stomach suddenly let out a protest.
"…"
Everyone present looked at Mizuno's stomach, and for a moment, silence fell.
"Hungry? You didn't eat breakfast?" Fuji Kiseki raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Yeah…" Mizuno nodded somewhat awkwardly.
He really had not had time to eat anything or replenish his energy that morning. Add last night's massive physical expenditure on top of that, and he had been starving for a while now.
"Ah… what a pain…" Hishi Amazon scratched her hair, got off Mizuno, and turned toward the stove. She picked up an apron printed with a carrot pattern and tied it around her waist.
"Fine. I'll reluctantly make a nice meal for you, you scumbag. Not like we can let you starve to death."
Hishi Amazon grumbled in dissatisfaction as she took cooking utensils from the cabinet and started cooking with her back to Mizuno. The sound of pots and pans clattering came from the stove.
"Hmph-hmph…" Fuji Kiseki looked at Hishi Amazon's back, seemed to think of something, and smiled at Mizuno. "She may look rough, but her cooking is actually very good."
"Hey! Kiseki! I heard that!" Hishi Amazon's Umamusume ears twitched, and she lifted the spatula in her hand in protest before continuing to cook.
"Hmph-hmph…" Fuji Kiseki shook her head, walked to the bed, and sat down. Then she slowly stretched out her long leg, hooked the top of her white-stockinged foot beneath Mizuno's chin, and forced him to look at her.
"Tell me, Mr. Scumbag. How did you seduce President Rudolf and the others?"
"?"
A big question mark appeared over Mizuno's head.
What did she mean, seduce? He had never done anything like that, okay!
"From that reaction, it seems you don't think you've been seducing anyone?" Fuji Kiseki narrowed her eyes and crossed one leg over the other, her lowered willow-like brows faintly revealing a hint of anger. "Do you know that with that face alone, you could attract countless young Umamusume to swarm over and bash their heads bloody fighting for you?!"
Whenever Fuji Kiseki remembered the first time she had seen Mizuno before the statue of the Three Goddesses, her own intoxicated, humiliating state, and the ugly scene afterward where she could not find the mysterious man and ended up lying in a reclining chair like an old man, giving up on life, she felt so ashamed she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. Her resolve not to let Mizuno go out and harm other Umamusume grew even firmer.
"I know my constitution is very tempting to Umamusume…" Mizuno shook his head, then defended himself. "But I have never once actively used it to seduce an Umamusume!"
"Don't believe you." Fuji Kiseki was skeptical of Mizuno's claim.
"If you didn't use Uma Mint, then how did you capture the heart of that stern Vice President, Air Groove? Don't tell me she was moved by your outstanding character."
In Fuji Kiseki's view, among the Student Council, Vice President Air Groove was the strictest and hardest to win over. Without several years of companionship, there was no way anyone could enter Air Groove's heart.
But when Fuji Kiseki had eavesdropped on the discussion in the Student Council this morning and heard the way Air Groove said "Trainer Mizuno," her voice had been incredibly gentle and sweet, without any of her usual cold strictness toward everyone else…
So this guy had definitely used Uma Mint on Air Groove!
"…"
Mizuno was silent for a while. Faced with Fuji Kiseki's doubtful eyes, he sighed helplessly, then finally told her the story of how he and Air Groove had planted flowers together in the Flowerbeds.
...
"I don't know why Air Groove likes me. Anyway, after that, she started clinging to me…"
"Eh?" After hearing the whole story, Fuji Kiseki looked somewhat surprised.
This guy's story was clear and logical. It did not seem like something deliberately made up to fool her.
Had he really not used Uma Mint? Had he simply moved Air Groove through his actions?
If that was true, then perhaps she had to revise her opinion of this guy's character.
"You made that up, right?" Hishi Amazon curled her lip and rolled her eyes.
She had been listening while Mizuno told the story. By the time the story was finished, her food had also happened to be ready.
Hishi Amazon carried several plates of fragrant food and set them on the dining table. "It's done. Come eat."
"…"
Mizuno was speechless. He lowered his head and glanced at the hemp rope binding him, as if to say, How am I supposed to eat when I'm tied up?
"Fine…" Fuji Kiseki tilted her head helplessly, then lifted Mizuno with one hand and carried him to the chair in front of the dining table.
She picked up a spoon, scooped up a bite, and brought it to Mizuno's mouth.
"Open up. Aaah~"
"…"
Mizuno looked at Fuji Kiseki, then at the food she was personally feeding him, and hesitated.
"What? Are you looking down on my cooking?" Seeing Mizuno delay without opening his mouth, Hishi Amazon angrily planted her hands on her hips, thinking Mizuno believed a rough-and-ready Umamusume like her did not know how to cook and was therefore unwilling to eat what she made.
"That's not why…" Mizuno shook his head.
"Then why?!" Hishi Amazon pressed him.
"Uh…" Mizuno hesitated, then lowered his head again to look at the hemp rope binding him. "Are you sure you two are going to feed me, instead of untying me and letting me eat on my own?"
"Of course!" Hishi Amazon folded her arms and said it as if it were only natural. "What if we untie you and you run away? Or should I feed you instead?"
"Never mind…"
Helpless, Mizuno could only open his mouth and take Fuji Kiseki's spoon between his lips.
"Nom~"
"Mm~ Very fresh~ Very delicious~~" Mizuno praised sincerely.
"Hmph-hmph~" Having received praise, Hishi Amazon confidently rubbed the tip of her nose, the two Umamusume ears atop her head twitching happily.
Then Hishi Amazon pulled over a chair and sat down, propping her cheeks in both hands as she asked Mizuno curiously, "Then what about Maruzensky? How did you seduce her?"
"I told you, I didn't—"
"Quit wasting time and talk!" Mizuno had just tried to defend himself when Fuji Kiseki stuffed another spoonful into his mouth.
"…"
Mizuno's face fell. He swallowed the food, and though he was somewhat unhappy, under Fuji Kiseki's feeding, he slowly told them the story of him and Maruzensky street racing.
...
"Anything else? Anything else?!" Amazon's eyes shone as she listened with great interest. Though she did not know whether Mizuno was telling the truth or not, these stories of his self-sacrifice were especially to her taste, and she wanted to hear several more.
Only, Amazon did not notice that as Mizuno told his story, her body unconsciously leaned toward him. The distance between them grew shorter and shorter, and now her magnificent chest was pressing against Mizuno's left ribs, transferring all of her scorching body heat to him.
"Um… aren't we a little too close…" Mizuno said with an awkward grimace.
"?!"
Hishi Amazon snapped back to herself and hurriedly retreated several steps together with her chair.
"Um… Fuji Kiseki…"
Mizuno looked to his right at Fuji Kiseki, who had also pressed herself very close. At some point, her white-stockinged calf had tangled with Mizuno's leg, and the hand feeding him had nearly poked his face.
"!"
Fuji Kiseki's expression jolted. She abruptly leaned back and pulled away from Mizuno.
The two Umamusume stared at the harmless-looking Mizuno in terror, as if they were looking at an extremely dangerous succubus.
"You bastard! You used your voice to tempt us!" Hishi Amazon's face was bright red, one hand pressing against her stomach. "My lower belly feels strange…"
"Then put my hood back on!" Mizuno yelled back.
He did not want to use his voice to make their abdomens burn either, but who told these two Umamusume to take off his hood and then ignore it, leaving his Uma Mint constitution to take effect like this?
They kept saying they wanted to quit, but they had porn still playing on the TV right beside them. If they could not hold back and broke their abstinence, whose fault would that be? The TV they had turned on?
However, faced with Mizuno's request, Hishi Amazon unexpectedly refused.
"No!" Hishi Amazon shook her head and wiped away the drool seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"This is a trial. A trial of resisting temptation!"
"How could I, the mighty heroine Hishi Amazon, possibly be tempted by a carrot spirit like you?!"
"So go ahead and tempt us all you like! We're not afraid!" Hishi Amazon clenched her fist, her spirit burning high.
"But I'm afraid!" Mizuno cried.
If they failed to resist temptation, the ones who would suffer would not be the Umamusume, but him, the Uma Mint human!
"Guh…"
Looking at the two Umamusume wiping their drool in front of him, Mizuno felt his Death Omen Star beginning to shine…