"Nooo! Little Left Hand! Don't touch that!!"
Mizuno swiftly reached out with his right hand, clamping down firmly on his own left wrist to stop the zipper from being pulled further down.
Fortunately, Mizuno was right-handed. He usually wrote and lifted things with his right hand, making it stronger, so he successfully prevented the left hand from stripping off his clothes.
But before he could celebrate this minor victory, his control over his hands quickly changed.
Because his body instantly gave up controlling the left hand, switching instead to the much stronger right hand!
"Ahhh! My King's Power—!"
Mizuno desperately tried to stop it with his left hand, but under the forceful suppression from the right hand, the zipper slowly began sliding downward again.
"Onii-sama!" Rice Shower quickly snapped back to attention, grabbing Mizuno's right hand and pulling the zipper back up.
"Trainer Mizuno!" Tokai Teio also rushed to Mizuno's side, tightly hugging his left arm to her chest.
The two Uma, one on the left and one on the right, even wrapped their legs around Mizuno's to fully restrain him.
But although Mizuno's limbs were entirely immobilized, his body's offensive hadn't stopped yet…
"Whooo—whooo—" bursts of air blew from Mizuno's mouth, fluttering the hood atop his head.
"?" Mizuno suddenly realized his mouth was forcefully blowing upwards, trying to flip off his hood?!
"Kiryuin-san! Can you help cover my mouth?!" Mizuno urgently shouted to Kiryuin-san standing nearby.
Responding quickly to Mizuno's plea, Kiryuin-san trotted over and placed her hand firmly over his mouth, stopping him from blowing air.
"…" Now Mizuno couldn't move his limbs or even speak. Surely his body would have no means to escape or remove his clothes now…
"…" Mizuno carefully considered his current situation and suddenly thought of a possibility:
Could the academy's missing senior trainers have been silently abducted by their own Uma in a similar way…?
No! Now isn't the time for thinking about that!
He needed a decisive, permanent solution to stop his body from persistently hugging King Halo.
After all, Mizuno still had to eat, bathe, and sleep. Those times would inevitably offer opportunities. Who knew what crazy ideas his brain might think up, and his body execute immediately afterward?
Besides, Mizuno couldn't have Rice Shower and Tokai Teio cling to him constantly. If they did, it would essentially be no different from drinking the Hug Potion themselves—and there'd even be one more Uma involved!
"…" Mizuno shut his eyes, deep in thought.
Should he ask King Halo to go overseas for a week to stay far away from him?
Rejected! He feared his body might threaten King Halo into returning by exposing his Uma Mint constitution, maybe even livestreaming it online to attract attention worldwide…
Should he let Tokai Teio lock him up in a dark basement?
Rejected! Entering the basement? Isn't that basically suicide?!
So, what could he possibly do to prevent his body from hugging King Halo, without revealing his Uma Mint condition?
While Mizuno was desperately thinking, his throat suddenly moved…
"Mmmm—mmmm—" Mizuno's mouth, still covered by Kiryuin-san's hand, emitted rhythmic humming sounds.
His voice had a steady, rhythmic cadence, as if urgently trying to say something.
"Trainer Mizuno?" Kiryuin-san tilted her head, confused, looking down at Mizuno's face.
Does Trainer Mizuno have something important to tell me?
"Mmmm—mmmm—" Mizuno hummed insistently again, clearly wanting to communicate something important to her.
Kiryuin-san thought for a moment. She could always cover Mizuno's mouth again afterward, so she might as well hear what he wanted to say first. What if it really was something urgent?
So Kiryuin-san loosened her hand slightly from Mizuno's mouth and asked, "Trainer Mizuno, what is it?"
The moment Mizuno's mouth was freed, his throat forced out eight blurry yet unmistakable words, directed right at Kiryuin-san:
"Kiryuin Aoi…I like you…"
At those words, everyone present—including Mizuno himself—instantly froze in shock.
Rice Shower and Tokai Teio's eyes immediately became dangerous, glaring at Mizuno's face with disbelief.
"Trainer Mizuno…" Even Kiryuin-san nervously curled her fingers and turned away, her expression awkward.
"Isn't this…a little too sudden? Maybe we should spend more time together first…"
Wait, you're seriously considering it?!
"…" Even King Halo, standing twenty meters away, twitched her ears. Having apparently overheard Mizuno's confession, she crossed her arms, casting Mizuno an unfriendly look.
And seizing the moment when everyone was stunned, Mizuno's mouth once again started blowing air towards his hood.
Mizuno felt utterly infuriated by his body's outrageous tactics.
Confessing to his coworker to distract everyone else—then controlling the entire scene by sheer audacity?!
Brilliant plan! Worthy of myself!
But Mizuno still wanted to complain:
Why was his body's ability to unleash unlimited potential in desperate situations this disgusting? Couldn't a powerful villain please appear to annihilate anyone possessing this type of ability?!
"Trainer Mizuno, those words just now…were fake, right?"
At this point, Tokai Teio's eyes appeared hollow. It looked as if, should Mizuno dare say it was real, she'd immediately lock him up in a place known only to herself, spending eternity farming experience points solo…
"It's fake! Totally fake! My mouth was talking nonsense!" Mizuno explained frantically.
"Then, should I help cover Onii-sama's mouth again?" Rice Shower gently suggested, her tiny hands already raised close to Mizuno's mouth. At his command, she'd gladly cover his mouth for a full week. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵
Although she sincerely hoped for Mizuno's happiness, hearing him confess to another girl made Rice Shower feel as if her heart had been stabbed by countless needles—extremely painful.
She didn't want to hear Onii-sama say he liked any other girl again…
"No…" Mizuno thought for a moment, shaking his head and rejecting Rice Shower's suggestion.
"Just…let go of me…" Mizuno forced a bitter smile, looking at Rice Shower and Tokai Teio.
Given up resisting against his body…
Though it sounded boastful, he had to admit his body's ability to struggle was just too invincible…
Mizuno clearly realized: unless he risked his own life, he'd never defeat himself.
Yet there was no reason for him to risk his life—no matter who won, he'd still lose in the end…
So rather than resist, perhaps accepting himself was the better option. At least he'd feel a little less miserable…
"…" Mizuno sighed helplessly, gazing at King Halo standing in the distance.
It seems like for the entire next week, he had no choice but to live constantly hugging King Halo…