"Of course it's real! You think I'd joke about this?"
Gold Ship leaned forward, face-to-face with Mizuno, pressing her proud chest firmly against his.
From that angle, all Mizuno had to do was look down a little—and through Gold Ship's sheer, white nightgown, her graceful figure was completely visible.
"It's fine~ I'm just checking your face to see if you're hurt or anything. I promise I won't Uma Pyoi~ you" Gold Ship licked her lips, tracing slow circles on Mizuno's chest with one hand while the other tugged at the edge of his hood, slowly peeling it back.
"Gwah!" Mizuno scrambled to pull the hood down.
But his feeble strength was no match for a serious Gold Ship—he could only feel it sliding back, seconds away from being fully removed.
"Broshi?!" Mizuno gasped.
Even his bro Gold Ship was starting to do stuff like this?! Had that month apart driven her over the edge?!
Stopping her now was impossible, so Mizuno nervously asked,
"Broshi, you're really not gonna Uma Pyoi me, right?"
"Hm-hmm~" Gold Ship paused, smiling slyly. "Maybe not."
"So there's a chance you will Pyoi me?!" Mizuno blurted out.
"Yep~ depends on my mood~" she teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Guh…" Feeling the heat of her soft body pressing against him, Mizuno wavered.
He honestly couldn't tell what Gold Ship was thinking. She'd gotten so good at playing around with him—deliberately breaking their usual eye-contact code—that he had no idea whether she was serious or not.
Maybe she was just teasing. But after a whole month apart… maybe she really couldn't hold back anymore…
"…" Mizuno hesitated, then finally made up his mind.
He shut his eyes, exhaled deeply, and murmured, "Since you've said this much, Broshi… then just go ahead!"
Resolute, he reached up and pulled back his own hood, fully revealing his face.
The moment he did, it wasn't Mizuno who panicked—it was Gold Ship.
"Wait! I wasn't ready for this yet!" she yelped. The teasing confidence she'd just shown vanished, her tail shooting straight up in shock.
Sure, she'd missed Mizuno like crazy—but she never actually meant to Uma Pyoi him. Everything had just been harmless bro teasing.
She'd figured any cautious trainer would never drop their guard over something like that…
But Mizuno believed her. He'd trusted her completely—and exposed himself of his own accord.
How could you trust me this much?! Even if we're close as brothers, I'm still an Uma Musume who could hurt you! You shouldn't trust me that easily!
Panic rising, Gold Ship snatched a wooden clothespin from the bedside table, clipped it on her nose, and clapped both hands over her ears.
"…" But Mizuno made no sound. After removing his hood, he just lay back on the heart-shaped bed, arms spread wide, quietly waiting.
"Guh…" Gold Ship stared blankly at his uncovered face—the ultimate critical hit to any Uma Musume—for several seconds.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen it; she'd once secretly filmed him through a skylight and replayed that hour-long video countless times late at night.
But this was different. Now, he was right in front of her—close enough to touch.
"Gulp…" Snapping out of it, Gold Ship swallowed hard. Her hand trembled as she lowered it from her ears toward Mizuno's face.
She brushed his cheek lightly with a fingertip, then pressed her palm gently against it, rubbing small circles.
"Yoshi, yoshi, yoshi~" Gold Ship whispered, controlling her strength, savoring the feel of him.
It was the first time she'd ever touched the face of the person she wanted to protect. Nervous, but exhilarated by the discovery:
So he's not as fragile as I thought… maybe I can go just a bit further…
"Hehe~" The sensation made her a little giddy, and she pinched his cheeks—still carefully, terrified of hurting him.
Seeing her restraint, Mizuno sighed in relief.
Hah, just as I thought—Broshi's totally trustworthy. Even with my guard down, she'd never actually try to Uma Pyoi me.
She was probably just teasing. Nothing to worry about. He relaxed, treating it like a face massage.
Sleepiness began to creep in. The gentle rubbing, plus the fatigue from recent weeks, made him drowsy.
"…" As Mizuno's eyes drooped shut, Gold Ship's hand gradually stopped moving.
Whether from the constant rubbing or her own rising body heat, Mizuno could feel her palm getting hotter and hotter.
After a long pause, Gold Ship suddenly snapped to her senses and yanked his hood back up.
"Alright, alright—I've seen enough!"
She jumped off him, moving to sit at the edge of the bed with her back turned, hands clasped tightly between her thighs.
"It's over?" Mizuno asked, touching his hood.
"Mhm…" she mumbled, pulling off the clothespin. She still didn't turn around, but her flicking ears and restless tail gave her away completely.
Gold Ship glanced back over her shoulder.
"Mizuno-dono… did you somehow sense from our usual eye contact that I wasn't actually gonna Uma Pyoi you, so you took off the hood yourself?" she asked softly.
Her cheeks were flushed, though the pink neon lights made it hard to tell.
"Erm… no…" Mizuno scratched his head awkwardly.
"At first, I panicked—since I've heard plenty of 'I'm just gonna rub, not go in' lines before, and got tricked every time. So yeah, I was suspicious…"
"But then I remembered it was you, Broshi. When you promised, I believed you."
"Because if I can't trust my own bro, who can I trust?!"
"So that's why I took off the hood. I trust you, Broshi! You'd never Uma Pyoi me!"
"Guh…" Gold Ship's ears and tail started wagging even faster.
"If you trust me that much… that actually makes things harder for me… What if I really did want to Uma Pyoi you?"
"Then Pyoi away!" Mizuno declared, thumping his chest. "If you ever want to Uma Pyoi me, Broshi, then it's probably my fault anyway. Go ahead—I won't blame you."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"…" Gold Ship fell silent, staring at her bare foot idly nudging a small umbrella on the carpet. Her fingers toyed with a strand of silky white hair. From behind, she looked just like McQueen yesterday—blushing furiously after Mizuno's compliments.
"Ahem!" Realizing she was acting weird, Gold Ship quickly kicked the umbrella aside, patted her cheeks, and forced herself back into her usual smug composure.
"Then let me make a promise too…" She leaned back on her hands, shooting him a mischievous grin.
"I'll use every trick I've got to make sure… no other Uma Musume but me will ever Uma Pyoi you."