"One... one week?!"
Mizuno stared at Agnes Tachyon and Tanino Gimlet, utterly dumbfounded.
One week?! That wasn't a deadline—it was a death sentence! He hadn't even seen Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka yet, let alone analyzed their mental state. Observation alone would take days—by the time he figured anything out, it'd be too late!
"Could you at least give me more time? Maybe a month...?" he pleaded.
"No way!" Gimlet cut him off, arms crossed and eyes blazing. "We can't take it anymore! One week—fix it!"
Her boot tapped impatiently, each thump making Mizuno flinch. He remembered how easily that leg had split solid concrete and instinctively shrank back, terrified she'd demonstrate again.
But something about her words nagged at him. "Wait—what do you mean, you can't endure it?" he asked cautiously.
Weren't Scarlet and Vodka the ones suffering? Why did their parents sound just as desperate?
"Looks like you still don't grasp the situation," Tachyon murmured, touching her chin thoughtfully. The faint glint of irritation in her red, pleated pupils made Mizuno's stomach drop.
"Well then… we'll show you."
Tachyon untied his ropes, but before Mizuno could feel relieved, she blindfolded him with a strip of black cloth. Flanked by both Tachyon and Gimlet, he was marched out, guided by firm hands that gave him no room to resist.
After about thirty minutes, the blindfold was removed—and bright daylight stabbed into his eyes.
He blinked, recognizing the scene almost instantly.
Tracen Academy... central plaza.
The three goddess statues stood tall by the fountain ahead, where tiled walkways converged. This was the same place he'd made his so-called "independence speech."
Judging by the sun's angle, it was midafternoon. So he hadn't been out long—just a few hours since the whole Mejiro shopping disaster.
A few students lingered nearby in casual groups, chatting under the trees.
Tachyon and Gimlet, one on each side, held his sleeves firmly like prison guards.
"Shh." Tachyon pressed a finger to her lips, smiling faintly.
Mizuno nodded quickly. He wasn't planning to yell anyway. Even if he escaped, that potion in his body made freedom meaningless. Without Tachyon's weekly antidote, he'd lose control and—ugh.
No. Better to play along, see the damage firsthand, and find a way to fix it—just like he'd done with Air Groove and El Condor Pasa.
"They're over there," Gimlet said, pointing toward the fountain.
Following her hand, Mizuno spotted two horse girls mid-argument.
One had long, flame-red twin-tails and bright crimson eyes—Daiwa Scarlet, unmistakably Tachyon's daughter. A silver tiara with blue gemstones gleamed on her head, a ribbon tied neatly around her left ear. Her proud posture and... formidable chest gave her a dazzling, queenly air.
The other girl had short, chestnut hair, a boyish figure, and devices resembling high-tech ear cuffs. Her left ear was adorned with a small green gem. She radiated confidence and swagger—Vodka, Gimlet's daughter.
At the moment, however, both girls were locked in a heated argument.
"You're totally wrong!" Vodka stomped lightly, puffing out her cheeks in frustration, her voice surprisingly cute and delicate. "The Mysterious Gentleman appeared because he loves all Umas, just like the Three Goddesses! He came down to bring hope to the world!"
"You're the one who's wrong!" Scarlet shot back, crossing her arms and planting a foot on the fountain's edge like a show-off hero. "He was chasing villains for the goddesses and passed by on his mission! We just happened to see him!"
"No way! He had an elegant, moonlit aura—calm, beautiful, gentle—a perfect gentleman!"
"Nonsense! He was like the sun—bright, brave, passionate! A true hero!"
"Gentleman!"
"Hero!"
"Gentleman, gentleman, gentleman!"
"Hero, hero, hero!"
The two glared inches apart, hands locked like wrestlers in a test of stubbornness.
"...?" Mizuno's brain short-circuited.
Why was Scarlet—the model of refinement—idolizing a brash hero type, while the tomboyish Vodka defended a soft-spoken gentleman?
Their personalities are swapped?!
Before he could process that, both girls noticed the newcomers.
"Tachyon-senpai?! Gimlet-senpai?!"
Scarlet and Vodka immediately ran over, their quarrel momentarily forgotten.
"Gimlet-senpai!" Scarlet greeted her idol with a cocky grin and a playful rub of her nose.
"Tachyon-senpai~!" Vodka chirped sweetly, hugging Tachyon's arm with uncharacteristic tenderness.
Then their gazes met again—and the sparks reignited instantly.
"The Mysterious Man is just like Gimlet-senpai! Cool, wild, and unafraid of danger!" Scarlet declared proudly.
"No, he's exactly like Tachyon-senpai! Calm, clever, always putting others first!" Vodka countered.
"Hero!"
"Gentleman!"
And they were off again.
"..."
Tachyon and Gimlet's expressions darkened like a brewing storm. Their icy glares swung toward Mizuno—the undeniable cause of this absurd mess.
"Uh..." Mizuno forced a nervous laugh. "So that's... what you meant by 'you can't endure it'..."
Their daughters weren't just lovesick—they'd swapped personalities and affections. Each idolized the other's parent.
Gimlet grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close enough for him to feel her breath. "You have one week. Fix it."
Tachyon placed a deceptively gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you fail…" Her crimson eyes gleamed, emotionless. "…you know what will happen."
"G-got it! Mission guaranteed!" Mizuno yelped, nodding furiously.
At that exact moment, Scarlet and Vodka finally noticed the hooded man pinned between their seniors.
"Huh? Who's that?"
Both of them tilted their heads, curiosity and something far more dangerous flickering in their eyes.
"He seems... familiar..."
Under their eager gazes, Tachyon's smile deepened.
"This gentleman," she said smoothly, patting Mizuno's shoulder, "is someone I brought here specially. He might know how to find your Mysterious Man."
"!"
Scarlet and Vodka's eyes widened, their faces lighting up with pure excitement.
They rushed forward in perfect sync, surrounding Mizuno like hunting cats.
"You really know how to find him?!" they exclaimed together, voices trembling with anticipation.
"Uh… maybe…"
Mizuno tried to scratch the back of his head out of habit—only to realize he couldn't move his arms at all.
Right now, he was completely immobilized, wedged tightly between four Umas—Tachyon and Gimlet behind him, and Scarlet and Vodka in front. His arms were pinned against his sides, his back pressed into two different kinds of softness, and his front… well, he didn't dare move even a millimeter.
If he so much as twitched, he'd probably be charged with crimes against Umakind.
"If you know the way, please tell us!" both younger Umas pleaded, faces flushed with excitement as they leaned in even closer.
"Guh—!" Mizuno nearly screamed, his ribs crying for mercy.
The contrast was maddening—one side firm and athletic, the other dangerously soft and bouncy. He was living in a cruel paradox of pleasure and pain.
"I-I can tell you! Just—please—let go! I can't breathe!" he gasped.
"Eh?! Sorry!"
The two immediately jumped back, releasing him.
"Phew…" Mizuno bent over, gulping in fresh air like a drowning man. Once he regained enough composure, he straightened his posture and put on his "serious professional" face.
"Well, to find that Mysterious Man," he began, "I first need to know what your wishes are."
"Our wishes?" Scarlet and Vodka exchanged a glance, then blurted in perfect unison:
"To meet the Mysterious Man again!"
"..." Mizuno sighed. "I mean aside from that. Is there something else you want—something you'd be willing to work for, or something that matters more than just meeting him again?"
"Another wish…"
The two thought for a moment—then arrived at the exact same conclusion again:
"Then I want to prove that I'm right!" they declared together, pointing accusing fingers at each other.
"The Mysterious Man is a Gentleman!" Vodka said firmly.
"The Mysterious Man is a Hero!" Scarlet shot back.
They glared, sparks flying.
"Gentleman!"
"Hero!"
"Gentleman, gentleman, gentleman!"
"Hero, hero, hero!"
Mizuno rubbed his temple. "Right… Contradictory wishes. Of course."
"Then just fulfill Scarlet's wish," Tachyon said briskly, adjusting her glasses with one sleeve-covered finger. "Between the two, her case takes priority."
She said it as if she were discussing lab samples, not people. For Tachyon, emotional balance and resource efficiency were one and the same.
But before she could finish, a small, soft voice drifted over from a few meters away.
"You're wrong! Tachyon-senpai is clearly the greatest!"
Vodka's cheeks were puffed in defiance, her eyes shining with admiration.
Tachyon froze. Her heart skipped half a beat.
After a moment's silence, she quietly cleared her throat and amended, "…Vodka's wish must also be fulfilled."
"Huh?!" Mizuno thought, fighting the urge to scream. You literally just said the opposite!
"Exactly! Both!" Gimlet chimed in immediately, punching her palm into her fist for emphasis.
Her logic, unlike Tachyon's, was simple: when in doubt—kick harder.
"If you're saying it's impossible, I'll just handle your punishment early, got it?" Gimlet cracked her knuckles with an ominous grin.
"No, no, no, it's totally possible!" Mizuno shouted, shaking his head so hard his hood nearly flew off.
Knowing Gimlet's personality, she would drag him off right now and "fix the problem" with her fists.
"Ahem…" He coughed, forcing calm back into his voice. "However, to achieve that, I'll need your help."
"Oh?" Gimlet tilted her head. "You want me to kick something down? A door? A wall? A fence, maybe?" She grinned eagerly, already kicking at the air in demonstration.
"No! Definitely not that kind of help!" Mizuno quickly waved his hands, nearly tripping over himself in panic.
He turned instead to Tachyon, whose crimson eyes were calm but inquisitive.
"Please, go on," she said softly, propping her chin on her sleeve-covered hands. "I know resolving both girls' conditions simultaneously won't be easy. Tell me what you need. I'll assist however I can—though my strengths lie in science, not brute force."
"That's more than enough."
Mizuno nodded, leaning slightly closer to the two senior mares, lowering his voice so Scarlet and Vodka wouldn't hear.
"...I need you two to help me... meet someone."