"Guh..." The disappearance of Mizuno's scent made Tokai Teio feel uneasy.
Like how a snapped fishing line must be replaced with something stronger, or a broken necklace swapped for a sturdier chain—so too did Teio urgently want to leave an even thicker scent on Mizuno, just to calm her heart.
But she had just finished bathing. Her sweat and fragrance had been almost completely washed away. How could she possibly stain Trainer Mizuno with her scent again now?
Was she supposed to run a few laps outside?
But she still had class later. Running all the way to the training grounds, sweating, then running back and showering again—that would take too long. As a model student, Tokai Teio had no intention of being late.
So what was a way to make herself sweat quickly?
"Wait!" A sudden flash of inspiration.
She'd heard from her senpai before—Uma Pyoi was the fastest way to secrete body fluids (to sweat)...
"Trainer Mizuno, let's Uma Pyoi now~" Teio looked down at Mizuno in her arms, her adorable face filled with expectation.
"Wha?!" Hearing Teio spit out such wolfish words, Mizuno's face drained of all color.
His instincts screamed to flee, but Teio's embrace was too tight. He couldn't break free.
Even Top Gun, who had been quietly enjoying the sight of the two hugging not far away, jumped in shock.
Little Teio didn't know the true meaning, but Top Gun—who loved romance talk—did.
Uma Pyoi was a euphemism for the baby-making ritual. Something only adults could do!
The moment she heard Teio say she wanted to do it here and now with Mizuno, Top Gun's cheeks flushed scarlet. The way she looked at them completely changed.
"Teio, you really mean to do it? Now? Right here?" she asked, stunned.
"Of course. Trainer Mizuno already promised me." Teio nodded.
"Isn't that right, Trainer Mizuno?"
"..." Mizuno fell silent.
He had, in fact, promised to Uma Pyoi with her. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
"Mm!" Top Gun covered her burning face with her hands, her ponytail sweeping wildly across the sheets. She dared only to peek through her fingers at Mizuno and Teio.
And you still claim there's nothing between you—yet you're already about to do that!
"Hff—hff—" Top Gun's face glowed like a ripe apple. Even fanning desperately with both hands couldn't cool her feverish cheeks.
She had thought Teio was just an innocent child who knew nothing about romance. Who would have guessed she was already going to do something only adults did! And so boldly—choosing the dorm room as the place!
As for the actual details of Uma Pyoi... Top Gun didn't even dare imagine them.
"T-then I won't disturb you, I'll just... just go!"
Stammering, she snatched up her schoolbag and bolted from the room without looking back, even shutting the door behind her.
And once Top Gun left, the two who remained each birthed very different thoughts.
Tokai Teio: Heheh, now it's just me and Trainer Mizuno for some two-person time~
Mizuno: Heheh, trapped alone with Teio—it's over for me...
"Let's start now~" Teio eagerly pulled Mizuno up from the floor.
"..." Mizuno didn't resist.
Because he knew: in Teio's mind, Uma Pyoi meant nothing more than dancing. He should be safe.
At worst, it would just be one round of Uma Pyoi Densetsu. Having watched the Uma dance practices so many times, he could roughly mimic the moves.
And as for the shame of a grown man dancing a girlish routine? For Mizuno, who prioritized survival above all, such shame didn't exist.
Better that, than Teio learning the true meaning of Uma Pyoi and him getting pounced into oblivion.
So he let her pull him up.
Even when she "accidentally" leaned too forcefully, tumbling into his chest and rubbing herself against him for a while, Mizuno didn't complain.
He only wanted to finish this "dance" quickly, fulfill her request, and then find a chance to escape.
"Fufu~" Teio was very satisfied with his cooperation. She nuzzled against his chest for another ten seconds before finally letting go.
But just as she released him, ready for the next step, she froze.
An empty space was ready. Trainer Mizuno had been rubbed. But one thing remained...
How was Uma Pyoi supposed to be danced again?
She vaguely remembered—Uma Pyoi with a Trainer wasn't the same as the school's Winner's Concert routine. It was meant to be more intimate, more interactive.
But she didn't know the details. So she decided to ask.
"Trainer Mizuno, how about I go ask my senpai first, about how to Uma Pyoi properly with a Trainer? Then we can learn together."
Teio picked up her phone from the desk, ready to message the senpai who lived on this floor and was, at this very moment, Uma Pyoing with her own Trainer.
Mizuno nearly had a heart attack. He lunged forward and slapped a hand over the screen. "No! Don't ask!"
"Eh? Why not?" Teio tilted her head, confused.
"Uh... um..." Mizuno tugged at his collar, flustered.
If Teio actually asked... there'd be no saving this situation!
"I know how to do it. It's really simple. Let me teach you."
He patted his chest and lifted his chin in confidence.
"No one understands Uma Pyoi better than me."
"Really? That's great!" Teio's eyes lit up. She eagerly high-stepped in place, her flexible body looking ready for any choreography.
"I'm ready!" she shouted, unable to wait for the "intimate interaction" of this dance.
"Heh heh." Mizuno's lips curved beneath his mask.
The real Uma Pyoi, there was no way—absolutely no way—he would ever teach her.
Instead, he would substitute a dance even purer, even safer.
So Mizuno drew a deep breath, then began to demonstrate...
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... Come, follow me," Mizuno said.
She had never seen radio calisthenics before, so at first she suspected nothing, and obediently followed along.
"Three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
But after ten minutes, Teio finally sensed something was wrong. She stopped.
This... didn't feel right...
Why was Uma Pyoi made up of solo movements? Where was the close interaction between two people?
And the motions were so monotonous. More like a warm-up than a dance...
Could it be Trainer Mizuno didn't really know how to Uma Pyoi either?
"What's wrong?" Mizuno's heart skipped when he saw her stop.
"Trainer Mizuno, I don't think this is the Uma Pyoi I wanted. Maybe I should still ask my senpai?" Teio said, pulling out her phone and opening their chat.
"!" Mizuno's pupils shrank, crisis alarms blaring in his head.
Crap! She's suspicious!
Broadcast calisthenics disguised as Uma Pyoi wasn't going to hold. He had to deflect—immediately.
He quickly said, "Ah, Teio, look at the time—it's late. You should be heading to class."
He reached again, blocking her phone screen, then smoothly took her schoolbag from the bed, slipping her phone inside as if naturally, and slung the bag over his shoulder.
"Come on, Teio. Let's go to class. A good student can't be late. To become the undefeated Triple Crown Uma, theory knowledge is just as important." Mizuno lectured as he pushed her gently toward the door.
"Hm?" Being herded along, Teio blinked in mild confusion.
Why had Trainer Mizuno suddenly panicked the moment she mentioned asking her senpai?
She was more and more convinced—Uma Pyoi definitely wasn't what he had just shown her!
Yes, it did work as a warm-up, making her sweat lightly. But compared to the senpai's descriptions—of heart-pounding tension, Trainers shouting, Umas riled up, bodies colliding—it was completely different.
"Guh..." Teio turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Mizuno, whose face practically screamed guilty.
Next time, she'd have to ask her senpai after all...