"Idiot, idiot, idiooot~"
"Yameroooo—!" Mizuno felt as though he were tied up in the middle of a crowded market, enduring death by a thousand cuts from an executioner's blade. No matter how strong his mental fortitude, this kind of inhuman torment was impossible to withstand.
"Gyaa!" Finally, Mizuno rolled his eyes back and began foaming at the mouth, swiftly fainting away.
"Heheh~" Air Groove watched Mizuno—who had stubbornly refused to admit defeat—now utterly defeated by mere words, limp and motionless like a dead fish. An overwhelming sense of accomplishment welled up inside her chest.
"That felt great…" Satisfied, Air Groove lifted herself off Mizuno, folding her arms proudly and gazing down triumphantly at the defeated trainer before her, the corners of her lips unconsciously curling upward.
It was the first time she'd experienced the joy of bullying a trainer. Although this trainer had only known her for less than a day, Air Groove found herself suddenly wanting to bully him for the rest of her life.
"Is your punishment finished?" Symboli Rudolf, noticing the silence, finally stopped pretending to sleep and opened her eyes.
"Mm." Air Groove turned to look at Symboli Rudolf, awkwardly running a hand through her hair.
Now that she'd calmed down, she finally realized how shameful her actions had been.
Straddling someone else, leaning down and whispering in their ear—even if it was another girl, such behavior was far too intimate. If anyone else had seen this, they'd surely misunderstand...
Fortunately, no one else had seen it except for the trustworthy President Rudolf…
"Achoo~!" At that exact moment, Tokai Teio let out a poorly-timed sneeze.
"Teio?!" Air Groove exclaimed in shock.
"Heheh..." Tokai Teio slowly sat up from Rudolf's lap pillow, awkwardly scratching at her horse ears.
"Teio, you were awake this whole time?" Air Groove's voice trembled slightly, her face reddening visibly.
"Mmm…" Teio nodded, fiddling nervously with her fingers.
Mizuno's cries for help had been so loud just now; how could she possibly have missed them?
In fact, Teio had been awake from the moment she first heard Mizuno calling out.
Upon seeing Mizuno pinned down by Air Groove in what looked like a hunting pose, Tokai Teio's instincts screamed at her to help him. But the moment she'd tried to get up, she'd felt an even stronger force stopping her.
And the source of that force was none other than her most respected President Rudolf!
Though Teio didn't fully understand why her respected Prez had stopped her, she trusted there had to be a good reason…
So, Tokai Teio suppressed her anxious heart, and just like Rudolf, pretended to remain asleep.
Until she accidentally sneezed and gave herself away…
"Heheh..." Somehow, Tokai Teio also found herself feeling awkward.
Maybe because even though she'd woken up, she'd been forced to pretend to stay asleep, feeling like a cowardly wife secretly observing another Uma claim her own husband, too weak to speak up…
Or perhaps it was because of the evil thought she'd briefly entertained—how wonderful it would've been if the Uma hunting Trainer Mizuno, sitting atop Trainer Mizuno, hadn't been Air Groove-senpai, but rather herself…
Only afterward had she realized that Air Groove-senpai wasn't actually hunting him, but just repeatedly calling Trainer Mizuno an "idiot"…
"Guu…" Teio covered her face, ashamed of her own wicked imagination, finally understanding that Rudolf's decision to stop her had indeed been correct.
"The experiment succeeded, didn't it…" Rudolf, gazing at the sunflower blooming brilliantly toward the morning sun, was filled with both astonishment and a deep sense of hope—hope born from witnessing this tiny, miraculous proof of Mizuno's words.
Trainer Mizuno's claims that shortening the growth cycle was possible had been proven true! Helping Air Groove realize her wish was also possible!
"It's all thanks to him…" Air Groove stared down at Mizuno's unconscious form, her expression complex.
Though she still couldn't fully understand why Mizuno had chosen to help her, though they'd known each other only briefly, Air Groove had already wholeheartedly recognized Mizuno—through his genuine actions and the sincere goodwill she'd clearly sensed in his gaze, even if she'd never openly said so.
"Trainer Mizuno? Trainer Mizuno?" Air Groove shook Mizuno gently, attempting to wake him up.
But no matter how Air Groove called, Mizuno lay completely still, as if he'd really died.
"Trainer Mizuno?" Worried, Air Groove pressed her hand against Mizuno's chest, relieved to find his heartbeat steady.
Then she leaned closer, placing her ear near Mizuno's face, listening to his breathing—also calm and even. Clearly nothing serious had happened to him.
"He probably fell asleep from exhaustion," Air Groove sighed in relief.
"Ahh…" With that tension finally relieved, Air Groove felt a wave of long-absent drowsiness sweep over her.
Usually, no matter how exhausted she was, Air Groove's mind would stay wide awake, endlessly tormented by thoughts of the mysterious man.
But now things had changed.
That mysterious man's shadow had miraculously vanished from her mind. And with his disappearance, overwhelming fatigue surged through her body, compelling her toward sleep.
"Mmm..." Without even realizing it, Air Groove leaned down, resting gently atop Mizuno's chest, slipping into a peaceful, dreamless slumber...