After Fortune finished speaking, the room fell into a sudden silence.
The ancient ceiling light flickered at just the wrong moment, and the nighttime chorus of insects outside the window sounded even louder in the quiet.
It wasn't until Fortune waved her little hand in front of his face that Mizuno snapped out of his shock.
"What?! Why her?!"
Mizuno clutched his head in disbelief, staring at the flimsy wooden door—so fragile an Uma Musume could probably bust through it in one kick. His already-frazzled nerves tangled themselves into even tighter knots.
He'd imagined a thousand possibilities, but he'd never expected Maruzensky to be the one tailing him.
This was only his first day living in the apartment! He'd even gone out of his way to avoid her! How did Maruzensky find out he was her neighbor so quickly?
And what's more, how had she been stalking him all day?!
Her stealth must have been maxed out—if Mizuno hadn't had such strong anti-surveillance instincts, he'd never have sensed anyone watching at all...
But even so, Mizuno still hadn't expected the culprit to be his current "mission target," Maruzensky.
He remembered Maruzensky's affected personality—wasn't she supposed to be so timid she couldn't even leave her room most days? Since when was she bold enough to follow someone?
But those were just details. Right now, Mizuno cared about one thing—the question that decided his personal safety...
"What does she want by stalking me?" Mizuno's eyes turned serious as he looked at Fortune.
"How should I know?" Fortune shrugged, but then, as if struck by inspiration, she gave him a sly, meaningful grin.
"Maybe she's looking for the right moment to knock you out and drag you back as her apricot slave."
Mizuno was speechless.
Dammit, Fortune, why do you have such an imagination?!
She wasn't entirely wrong—it could happen—but clearly that wasn't the case. If Maruzensky really wanted to grab him, she would've busted down the door by now. Mizuno didn't have any Uma Musume bodyguards, so catching him would be easy. But she was still just peeking in from the window, acting all shy and vanishing the instant he noticed—hardly the style of someone plotting an abduction.
Is she really just watching to see what I'm up to... Mizuno frowned at the door, thinking this was the likeliest possibility.
Thanks to Symboli Rudolf's introduction two days ago, Maruzensky definitely knew Mizuno was the "mysterious man" from before.
He knew full well the allure of Uma Mint. Every Uma Musume who accidentally discovered his secret immediately wanted to strip him down and do unspeakable things.
But after learning his true identity, Maruzensky hadn't lost control—she'd just hidden and watched. That already took some serious self-restraint.
Of course, maybe it was just her new timid personality—she didn't dare approach him yet, but who knew about later?
Mizuno's face was grim as he tapped the armrest of his wheelchair, unable to come up with any solid plan to deal with Maruzensky's surveillance.
It wasn't a huge deal, but it wasn't exactly small, either.
For safety's sake, Mizuno could always call some Uma Musume he knew from the Academy to come protect him. That would stop Maruzensky from ambushing him...
But that was a double-edged sword. There was no guarantee Symboli Rudolf and the others wouldn't "eat the forbidden fruit" themselves—he might get ambushed by his own bodyguards before Maruzensky even made a move. That would be a real tragedy.
But if he did nothing, he couldn't relax either. What if Maruzensky really was shadowing him because she was plotting to snatch him away, collecting info in secret?
Ugh... Mizuno bit his lip, completely stumped.
Seeing Mizuno so indecisive, Fortune rested her chin on her hand in thought. Suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to go off over her head, and she offered a suggestion:
"How about letting Rice Shower be your personal bodyguard?"
"Huh? Rice Shower?" Mizuno stared, baffled at the "dog-headed strategist" by his side—then instantly realized what Fortune meant.
"You mean... have Rice Shower sleep with me?"
"Exactly!" Fortune nodded. "With that adorable little sister guarding you, sleeping right by your pillow, Maruzensky definitely wouldn't dare make a move."
But Mizuno immediately rejected the idea without a second's thought.
"No way, no way!" He shook his head like crazy. "Absolutely not!"
Walking hand in hand with Rice Shower was one thing—he could accept that, it was brother-sister territory. But sharing a bed? Absolutely not!
"But you've been sleeping in the same bed with all the girls, haven't you? You never fought back..." Fortune teased.
"Like I had a choice?!" Mizuno's eyes went wide in protest.
"Close enough~" Fortune waved it off. She slipped around behind Mizuno, draped her arm over his shoulder, and kept pushing:
"Think about it. Who else can you trust besides Rice Shower? She's the only Uma Musume who managed to keep her head even after experiencing your Uma Mint effect. If you don't trust Uma Musume, can't you at least trust her?"
"That's not the point!" Mizuno shook his head, correcting Fortune.
"Of course I trust Rice Shower. That's never in doubt!"
"I just... don't want to ruin her reputation..." Mizuno sighed, pinching his brow.
No matter how close siblings are, you can't share a room once you grow up! And since he and Rice Shower weren't even related by blood, keeping a respectful distance was even more important.
A guy and girl living alone together—there'd be gossip for sure, rumors about them sharing a bed as lovers. Mizuno absolutely didn't want to put Rice Shower's reputation at risk...
"Maybe it's not 'ruining' anything. Your cute little sister might even be happy about it." Fortune chuckled.
"Huh? Hey, don't go slandering her like that!" Mizuno grumbled, a little annoyed at Fortune's implication.
"It's not slander~" Fortune grinned even wider, then pulled out a phone from behind her back and held it up in front of Mizuno's face.
Wait, wasn't that Mizuno's phone?!
"While we were talking, I already texted Rice Shower using your account!" Fortune announced.
She showed Mizuno the chat log:
[Chat with Rice Shower]
[Mizuno (Fortune)]:Rice, would you like to move in and live with me? Just the two of us.
[Rice Shower]:!
[Rice Shower]:Of course I would, if it's Onii-sama!
[Rice Shower]:Is Onii-sama asking because he wants us to start a happy family together?
[Mizuno (Fortune)]:Hehe~ Not someday, but right now~
[Mizuno (Fortune)]:[Location]
[Mizuno (Fortune)]: I'm here—come find me~
[Mizuno (Fortune)]:(Linked hands.gif)
[Rice Shower]:!
[Rice Shower]:I'll come right now!
"What?!"
Mizuno turned his head, stiff as a board, to glare at Fortune.
Fortune just puffed out her chest in pride, grinning like a gremlin.
"No need to thank me."
"You son of a bitch—!"
---
T/N: LMAOOOO omg sleeping with your little sister...
...
everyone is on vacation so no character notes this week
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