"Install a camera in my room?!"
Mizuno froze, staring at the elegant handwriting. Each word was individually understandable, but combined, they turned into something completely incomprehensible.
Especially the big, bolded words "I mean no harm", which immediately slapped him with the emotional force of a "confused guy" meme.
No harm? The malicious intent practically dripped from the ink on the paper!
What kind of normal person asks a young man living alone if they can install surveillance in his home?! Only a yandere would suggest something like that!
At first, Mizuno suspected that the person outside wasn't even Maruzensky, but another dangerous Umamusume impersonating her—perhaps Symboli Rudolf—who'd somehow found his address just to mess with him…
Sure, an Umamusume could simply kick the door in, which would be quicker. But pretending to be another girl to trick Mizuno into interacting wasn't exactly uncommon, either.
Nearly every Umamusume close to Mizuno had pulled this kind of trick: they'd sneak up behind him during work, press their chests into his back, cover his eyes, and whisper, "Guess who?"
If he guessed correctly, he got a "reward," which meant he could do whatever he wanted with them that night. If he guessed wrong, he'd be "punished," meaning they could do whatever they wanted to him…
Fortunately, each Umamusume's voice, scent, and bra size were distinct enough that Mizuno never guessed wrong. And whenever he earned his "reward," Mizuno promptly told them to return to their dorm and go to sleep early, deftly dodging their attempts to use the situation as an excuse to camp out in his room.
Teenage girls were always finding new excuses to invade Mizuno's personal space, and he'd already suffered enough.
Now, with this note slipped under the door asking to install a surveillance camera, Mizuno couldn't help recalling the way those Umamusume had looked at him—particularly Symboli Rudolf and Tokai Teio. The gaze from that father-and-son duo had always felt invasive, sticky, and slightly cunning, enough to send chills down his spine.
To confirm whether the person outside was indeed Maruzensky, Mizuno lightly tapped his temple, waking Fortune, who was still asleep within him.
Fortune, wake up. Help me check who's outside.
Mm…
With Mizuno's persistent nudging, Fortune reluctantly cracked open her sleepy eyes, her entire face showing profound reluctance.
Fiiine…
Despite being annoyed at having her sleep interrupted, Fortune stretched lazily, floated out of Mizuno, passed through the wall, and took a slow look outside.
It's Maruzensky…
Fortune said weakly, then—like someone returning to bed on a cold morning—yawned and slipped back into Mizuno's chest.
Huh?! It's really her?
Confirming that it truly was Maruzensky shook Mizuno deeply, leaving him stunned.
He couldn't understand it. Over the past few days, Maruzensky hadn't dared show herself openly, merely trailing him while hidden inside a box. So why suddenly appear at his door and make such an outrageous request?
Mizuno couldn't figure it out. Resting his chin in one hand, he turned to his ally. "Fortune, what do you think?"
Fortune, a deity who'd existed for ages and seen all kinds of people and Umamusume, should have a better grasp of their psychology than Mizuno. Asking her seemed like the best option.
But Mizuno waited—and got no reply.
Hello? Fortune?
No matter how much he called, Fortune didn't respond—as if he'd become too annoying, and she'd switched on "Do Not Disturb."
"…Seriously?" Mizuno was speechless at this lazy goddess.
Hadn't she sworn never to slack off again? How had she reverted after just a few weeks—like people who vow to exercise, only to end up sprawled back on the couch?
Worse yet, Mizuno couldn't do anything about it. To force Fortune out, he'd probably have to mimic an Ultraman host by jumping off a building, compelling the freeloader inside him to take action.
"Fine…" Mizuno shook his head, abandoning the idea of discussing it with Fortune.
As a lifelong single guy who saw Umamusume as natural disasters, Mizuno couldn't even understand the intentions of the girls he regularly spent time with on Team TAC—let alone Maruzensky, whom he barely knew. Even if he wracked his brains until they smoked, he'd never figure out Maruzensky's motive for wanting a camera in his home.
In the end, Mizuno gave up on overthinking it. Asking her directly would be simpler and quicker.
Maybe, just maybe, Maruzensky had a genuinely reasonable explanation he hadn't thought of.
…Probably.
Mizuno felt guilty even thinking it, because from his experience, Umamusume were creatures driven strongly by emotion with little self-control. Once their switch was flipped, "reasonable" wasn't exactly their main priority.
I Uma Pyoi you—what's it to you?
Nevertheless, Mizuno clung to a slim hope: Maruzensky had become so timid lately—much like Rice Shower—that maybe she too posed no real threat, making him feel safe.
Mizuno decided to proactively communicate with Maruzensky. Maybe he'd get a straightforward answer from her.
But he feared opening the door or calling out would scare Maruzensky away. After considering, he grabbed paper and pen, wrote his own note, and slipped it under the door, mimicking her approach:
[Why?]
Outside, Maruzensky fell silent for a moment before replying:
[I know this request looks extremely outrageous, and it really is hard to accept, but I have a reasonable reason for asking!]
"Oh?" Mizuno examined the new note with raised eyebrows, curious.
She actually had a reasonable reason?
He quickly replied: [Go on.]
Maruzensky: [I've recently discovered that many Umamusume with bad intentions are peeping at you!]
[…Uh. Really?] Mizuno raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
If this had happened at Tracen Academy, he wouldn't have doubted or even reacted.
Because at the academy, whenever Mizuno turned around, he'd always felt multiple blazing gazes stuck to his backside. He was used to it.
But lately, after moving here… wasn't Maruzensky herself the only one peeping at him?
[It's true!!! You're in a very dangerous situation!!!] Seeing Mizuno's doubt, Maruzensky instantly responded, her urgency leaping off the page in the chain of exclamation marks.
[Then what do I do?] Mizuno asked.
Honestly, Maruzensky's claim made him uneasy.
Could there really be other Umamusume besides Maruzensky tailing him unnoticed?
Being watched at the academy was one thing. Being followed by unknown Umamusume outside? Mizuno's fragile heart couldn't handle it.
Since Maruzensky had summoned the courage to approach him, Mizuno wanted to hear her proposed solution.
Ten seconds later, another note appeared:
[It's simple. If we install a camera in your room, and I guard you 24/7, then other Umamusume won't be able to peep at you, right?]
"Cough—cough—cough!" Mizuno burst into violent coughing, nearly passing out from sheer shock at her answer.
He'd expected some clever anti-peeping strategy. Instead, she just volunteered herself to take over the peeping job?!
If I install a camera first, I'll know right away if someone else tries to install one later.
Unbelievable. How was this different from a country claiming to protect your security by building a military base on your land?
Maruzensky: [So do you agree to install a camera in your room?]
Mizuno: [No. There is absolutely no way I can agree to that…]
"Ng…" Even through the door, Mizuno could clearly hear Maruzensky's disappointed sigh.
---
T/N: YOU FOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!