About a day and a half later, the unconscious Mizuno finally recovered from the aftereffects of the stamina potion and slowly opened his eyes.
"..." Mizuno stared blankly at the familiar ceiling of the tent, his mind clearly still buffering, processor not fully loaded yet.
"What time is it now…?"
He raised his right hand to rub his aching head, deep in thought.
He only remembered that, back then, to ensure Air Groove had enough time and energy to watch the Cereus bloom completely, he'd deliberately swapped his own stamina potion bottle for a smaller one. As a result, half an hour before the Cereus actually bloomed, he'd already fallen into the potion's harsh aftereffects.
That half-hour had truly been torturous. Facing extreme fatigue and mental exhaustion, Mizuno had considered giving up several times, thinking perhaps simply letting himself pass out would've been happier…
But he had managed to endure it. Until the moment the flower bud trembled and the petals finally began to bloom—only then had Mizuno relaxed contentedly, maintaining his sitting posture as he drifted into total unconsciousness.
So…we succeeded, didn't we…? Mizuno felt deeply moved, convinced that all his previous suffering and exhaustion had been worthwhile.
But just as Mizuno was about to sit up, he suddenly felt something holding tightly onto his left arm.
"?" Mizuno turned his head, noticing a lump under the covers next to him, clearly indicating an Uma girl hidden beneath.
Hadn't he seen this exact scene somewhere before?
Under these blankets…could it possibly be an Uma named Air Groove?!
"Gulp…" Mizuno nervously swallowed, shakily lifting the covers to confirm.
As the blanket lifted, he saw an Uma with smooth, shoulder-length dark hair, soft orange eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes, and a yellow ribbon tied around her left ear.
"Zzz…" Air Groove slept soundly, holding Mizuno's arm tightly in a firm embrace.
"Of course it's her!" Mizuno immediately let out a desperate scream.
His expression mirrored Edvard Munch's The Scream, twisted and full of horror.
Because the current scenario was exactly identical to Mizuno's previous memory!
Mizuno couldn't help but question reality—perhaps the entire Cereus blooming event had merely been a delusion in his exhausted mind, never actually happening?
Could it be that he was still stuck at the time point right after successfully cultivating the sunflower?!
If that were true, wouldn't it mean he'd have to endure that hellish 72-hour Cereus cultivation once more?!
"Nooooo!" Mizuno wailed in agony.
"Hm?" Sitting at the desk nearby correcting documents, Symboli Rudolf's ears twitched upon hearing Mizuno's ghostly scream, and she turned around curiously.
"Oh, you're awake, Sora," Rudolf smiled gently.
"Luna?" Mizuno blinked in surprise, only now realizing Symboli Rudolf was also present in the tent.
"Mind explaining what exactly is going on here?" Mizuno pointed awkwardly at Air Groove, still attached to his arm.
If Rudolf was here in the tent, it clearly meant he wasn't back at the moment after cultivating the sunflower. But if that wasn't the case, why—upon waking—did Mizuno once again find Air Groove still latched tightly to his arm, impossible to pry off?!
Shouldn't Rudolf have stopped this somehow?!
"Well…" Rudolf crossed her arms, glancing away as she recounted the events.
"When the Cereus had just bloomed, you suddenly collapsed, shocking all of us…"
"So Teio and I decided that Air Groove should stay there, while we carried you back to the tent to rest…"
"But not long after we put you down, Air Groove suddenly rushed into the tent…"
"She stood quietly next to your bed for a moment, then climbed straight in and fell asleep holding you…"
"Neither Teio nor I reacted in time…" Rudolf shrugged helplessly, wearing a resigned expression. "Sorry…"
"Gwah!" Mizuno squawked.
He tried forcibly prying Air Groove's hands off, but it was no use—her grip was just as iron-tight as before.
No, actually, wasn't her hold even stronger than last time?!
"So does this mean we have to stay stuck until she wakes up?!" Mizuno asked desperately.
"Hmm…" Rudolf pondered briefly before nodding affirmatively. "Yes."
"..." Mizuno fell into silent despair at Rudolf's answer.
Although Mizuno really hated having an Uma girl attached to him in bed, he truly had no choice right now. After all, he couldn't possibly ask Rudolf to forcefully separate Air Groove from him.
Besides, he'd already experienced sleeping in the same bed with Gold Ship and Rudolf before. It was just that now, an additional Uma named Air Groove had joined in…
He reasoned that as long as Air Groove didn't do anything outrageous, he could just barely endure it…
"..." Mizuno glanced at Air Groove sleeping peacefully beside him, judging she'd probably stay asleep for at least another hour.
So he stiffly turned away, hopelessly closed his eyes, and resigned himself to waiting helplessly for that hour to pass…
After an entire hour of tense waiting with his entire body rigid, Mizuno finally sensed movement from Air Groove beside him.
"Mnn~" Air Groove made a soft sound, her ears twitching gently as she slowly opened her eyes.
Yes, yes, yes! This is exactly what I've been waiting for!
Mizuno stared intently, desperately hoping that when Air Groove opened her eyes, she'd once again realize she was clinging to his arm, become embarrassed, quickly let go, and retreat.
That way, Mizuno could regain his freedom, escape swiftly back to the safe haven of the boys' dormitory, and never suffer such bondage again!
At least, that's how it should've happened…
But things didn't develop according to Mizuno's expectations this time.
Because when Air Groove fully opened her eyes, clearly saw Mizuno lying right in front of her, and noticed she'd been holding his arm tightly this whole time…
She didn't panic or shyly release him like before.
Instead, she stayed shockingly calm—acting as if this was exactly the natural state of things. Not only did she not let go, she even tightened her embrace.
Afterward, Air Groove simply gave Mizuno a small, gentle smile, then calmly closed her eyes again, deciding to go right back to sleep.
"Haaa?!" Mizuno was utterly stunned.
No, sister! Did you even look carefully? You're hugging a person right now, you know?!