"Otouto, come over here."
Having finished tidying her things, Symboli Rudolf lay sideways across the bed inside the tent. Gazing calmly at Mizuno, who stood frozen in place, she patted the empty space beside her.
"Guh…" Sweat poured down Mizuno's forehead as he stared helplessly at Rudolf's inviting pose.
Different time, different place—but the source of the fear within his heart remained exactly the same.
Mizuno knew this scene far too well. Each night back then, whenever it was bedtime, Rudolf would assume this very posture to call him to bed.
If Mizuno obediently listened, he'd receive Rudolf's gentle head-pats as a reward.
He'd be forcibly dragged onto the bed by Rudolf, easily pinned beneath her, and subjected to her series of "punishments."
Things like teasingly tugging at the zipper of his jacket, pretending she was about to strip him down to finally see his true face.
Or bringing her nose close to the tiny gap between his hood and high collar, sniffing carefully, attempting to detect even the faintest hint of his hidden scent.
And Mizuno, of course, had always yielded to this pressure, because he knew the consequences of an Uma discovering his true appearance and scent all too clearly. The incident with those ten Uma still wasn't resolved yet, and he definitely didn't want to add another one, so he'd always surrendered obediently and climbed into bed.
Precisely because Mizuno knew how dangerous resistance was, he'd almost never tried to defy Rudolf when she beckoned him to bed before.
But now things were different. After having tasted sweet freedom just last night, how could he willingly return to life as a bird trapped inside its cage?
Besides, this place wasn't the isolated Male Trainers' Dorm, where screaming until his throat gave out wouldn't bring help. This was a public place—surely, if he shouted even once, it'd catch the attention of the gardener or another passing student. Rudolf wouldn't dare do anything with so many eyes watching.
So this time, not only did Mizuno refuse to obediently approach, he firmly shook his head:
"President Rudolf, I'm not sleepy yet."
"Oh?" Rudolf's horse ears flicked sharply, as if she'd just heard something extremely shocking. She slowly sat upright on the bed, staring at Mizuno with unsettling calmness.
"What did you just call me?"
Though Rudolf's expression remained kindly gentle, an unmistakable dangerous aura radiated from her. It seemed if Mizuno didn't use the usual intimate address, she might actually devour him whole.
"Lu—" Mizuno nearly gave in out of fear, but he grit his teeth and stubbornly stuck with it, "President Rudolf."
"..." Rudolf didn't visibly react, but her ears flattened back completely—clearly she was furious.
Just yesterday, he'd called her "Luna" so affectionately. Why was he suddenly distancing himself today, reverting back to her formal title?
"Only one day apart, yet your courage seems to have grown tremendously." Rudolf calmly approached Mizuno, fingers playfully sliding along the zipper of his jacket.
Usually, this action alone would have him begging for mercy, crying and pleading for forgiveness.
But to Rudolf's astonishment, Mizuno not only didn't yield—he actually reached up to hold her hand still, his voice trembling slightly as he boldly declared:
"O-of course... I'm s-super brave..."
"Hm?" Rudolf's brows furrowed, puzzled by his odd behavior.
Why was he acting both cowardly and brave simultaneously? Clearly terrified, yet he still spoke with such forced bravado…
Could it be he had some backup plan?
Rudolf quickly figured it out after a moment's thought:
A public place! Trainer Mizuno's boldness comes from the belief that this is a public place!
He surely assumed that if he shouted, someone would immediately rush over, preventing her from continuing her teasing in full view of others.
A fine thought indeed…but unfortunately…
That kind of thinking wouldn't help him at all.
"Otouto, you wouldn't possibly think someone's going to come and save you now, would you?" Rudolf smiled sweetly.
"W-what do you mean?" An ominous premonition surged through Mizuno's heart.
Rudolf smiled even brighter.
"This is the flower garden's closing time. Without special permission, nobody's allowed inside. Aside from the gardener-san, it's just the two of us here now."
"And before I came to meet you, I already spoke with gardener-san. If he hears anyone screaming from the garden, he should pretend he heard nothing. I'll handle everything personally."
Rudolf gently cupped Mizuno's face with both hands, staring straight into his eyes with overwhelming pressure.
"Otouto, even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you~"
...." Mizuno fell completely silent upon hearing this.
Nobody knew exactly what he was thinking. All that was clear was after a moment of serious contemplation, Mizuno suddenly tilted his head back and laughed loudly into the air.
"Hahahahaha!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚~𝙣𝙚𝙩
He quickly pried Rudolf's hands from his face, swiftly slipped past her side, jumped onto the bed on his own initiative, and lay down stiffly, flat as if preparing for burial. Finally, he even patted the space beside him invitingly.
"Actually, I was just joking around earlier. Luna-nee, hurry and come over."
Mizuno chose instantaneous surrender, achieving maximum effectiveness.
"Hmm-hmm~" Rudolf nodded in satisfaction, climbing onto the bed and lying contentedly in the spot Mizuno had indicated.
"Ahh...this feeling is exactly right…" Rudolf's horse ears twitched joyfully.
Having Trainer Mizuno at her side truly made a difference; just being next to him brought immense peace of mind.
But Mizuno himself was experiencing the exact opposite feeling.
The tent's bed wasn't as spacious as the dormitory's, making it a bit crowded for two people. Lying flat meant their shoulders inevitably touched.
Feeling the warmth transmitted from their touching arms and the itching sensation of Rudolf's tail brushing lightly against his thigh, Mizuno's discomfort felt like torture—perhaps the cruelest torture known to humankind.
Mizuno closed his eyes in despair. Floating into his mind at that moment was gardener-san's earnest and simple face.
Gardener-san! What have you done?!
Didn't we humans agree we should always help each other out? How could you betray your own kind?!
Not only did you fail to warn me when Rudolf was coming—you actively aided the villain instead!
At that very moment, gardener-san—quietly watching TV in his cabin—seemed to sense someone's intense resentment directed toward him. Raising his eyes toward the garden, he recalled Rudolf's words earlier and the agreement he'd made with Mizuno. He could only heave a helpless sigh.
Sorry, kid. It's not that I didn't want to stop her—it's that I didn't dare!
As the Tracen Academy employee manual clearly stated:
"All Uma students must follow academy regulations…provided they feel like it. If an Uma insists on breaking the rules—and you're just a human—you must simply accept their demands."
And besides, Symboli Rudolf wasn't just any ordinary Uma—she was the Student Council President, one of the rule-makers herself…
Expecting gardener-san to confront an Uma who could outmatch him physically by several times and held far more authority than he ever could?
He was paid only a few thousand yen a month—no salary was worth risking his life.