"That's right…" Mizuno gritted his teeth, nodding, his body trembling as though every word took effort.
"Ever since that fight with you in the plaza, I've been wondering—besides using the Fortune Charm, is there any other way to drive you out of an Uma Musume's body?"
He drew a ragged breath. "Then I remembered—when I treated Tokai Teio's cold by acting as her human heater, I learned something. When fortune and misfortune energies collide, they don't just repel each other. If they stay in contact long enough, they annihilate."
"So as long as I still have Fortune energy in me, staying close to you will slowly burn away your misfortune-based existence."
He smiled faintly, the corners of his lips twitching from pain. "And since you can't hurt me right now, I've got all the time I need to roast you to ashes with my human heater."
"I'll burn you to death~" Mizuno's voice cracked into a manic tone, more witch's curse than hero's declaration.
"You idiot!" Misfortune snapped, glaring at him like he'd lost his mind.
"If you know fortune and misfortune annihilate each other, then you should also know your fortune energy is infused in your body! Burning me means you're using your own body as fuel!"
"What kind of heater burns itself up?! You're not a heater—you're a bomb!"
She shoved at his chest, desperate to get away from his searing heat, but Mizuno's grip was unbreakable. No matter how she thrashed, she couldn't escape.
"Oh, so that's why it hurts so bad…" Mizuno gasped, sweat dripping down his face.
Just as she said—while he burned her with Fortune energy, her Misfortune energy was burning him back. His nerves screamed like they were being eaten alive; nausea rolled in his gut, threatening to make him vomit.
Even so, he didn't let go. He just clenched his eyes shut and pulled her closer.
"It doesn't matter… if I can purify you like this, it's worth it."
"Hey, hey, hey! You're insane!" Misfortune shouted, yanking at his face in panic. "I'm just a clone! Do you really have to die with me?!"
"I can't let you escape and hurt others."
"But you don't have to go this far! Wouldn't it be easier to just Uma Pyoi me and inject your energy straight into my body?!" Misfortune screamed.
"You want me to Uma Pyoi you?" Mizuno asked, dead serious.
"No, I don't!" Misfortune instantly shook her head.
"See?" Mizuno gave a dry laugh. "I don't force people to do things against their will. Not even someone I hate."
"…" Misfortune fell silent for a moment, then muttered, "Dragging me into your suicide still counts as forcing me, though!"
"I don't care. I don't want anyone—and I don't want to be wanted. If I let you go today, sooner or later you'll Uma Pyoi me to death."
"Ugh…" Misfortune turned away, guilt flickering briefly in her eyes.
He wasn't wrong. If she got away, she'd definitely take revenge—using every Uma Musume she could possess to make him suffer endlessly.
"I knew it," Mizuno said, catching her expression.
Being endlessly Uma Pyoi'd by Uma Musume… that fate was worse than death. Truly, hell on earth.
"In any case, this ends today! Ultra Bomb!"
"No way!" Misfortune panicked, blurting, "Wait! I've got a better idea!"
"You could join me!" she said quickly. "Become my dependent! I'll treat you well!"
"You'll be free from suffering—you can nullify your own misfortune and even control it! You'll be able to eliminate anyone you hate without consequence!"
"You'd just need to spread a little misfortune to some Uma Musume now and then to meet the quota. The rest of the time, you could live however you want. It's far easier than running yourself ragged under Fortune's orders!"
"Oh?" Mizuno's expression shifted, and he looked straight into her eyes. "You're saying I'd have to spread misfortune to Uma Musume. What about Rice Shower?"
"Rice Shower…" Misfortune froze.
Right. He was obsessed with protecting that one. If she said anything wrong here, he'd snap her neck.
"Rice Shower would be an exception!" Misfortune blurted out. "You could set her misfortune to zero—alongside yours."
"That's wonderful~" Mizuno said with an almost relieved smile.
"Haha~" Misfortune laughed nervously, thinking she had him now. "So? Will you join me and spread misfortune with me forever?"
"Nope."
"Great, great, great, I knew you'd—wait, what?!" Misfortune's voice cracked as the meaning sank in.
He'd rejected her. Instantly. Flat-out.
"WHY?!" she shouted, her pupils trembling.
"You ask why?" Mizuno smiled faintly. "Because I'm not just Rice Shower's Onii-sama. I'm also a trainer."
"The Uma Musume I train—I protect. The ones I don't—I still can't just stand by and watch them suffer."
"That's not just a job. It's the bare minimum of being human."
His voice was fading fast, his strength draining. He slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit, but even as his head drooped, he still managed to lift his brows, striking an oddly heroic pose.
"So no matter what, Misfortune… I'll never join your side."
"Guh!" Misfortune nearly coughed up blood. This guy really was impossible!
"So hot…" she gasped, twisting as heat surged through her body. The Misfortune energy sustaining her was disintegrating fast.
She knew she was done for. Soon, she'd vanish completely—burned away by his ridiculous "human heater."
And that was unacceptable. Even if she was just a clone, she still wanted to make her mark! Vanishing quietly in a random warehouse was way too pathetic!
"H-Hold on, let's talk about this!" Misfortune blurted, desperate now.
"You like Uma Musume, right? I can give you more! Not just Rice Shower—Haru Urara, Tokai Teio, Gold Ship, anyone you want! I'll build you a whole harem!"
"Misfortune energy's stronger and easier to gather than Fortune's! Just a little can change everything! Even the slowest Uma Musume could win championships with it!"
"With my power, you could become the strongest trainer in the world!"
"So come on—be my dependent! Release me!"
But her words fell on silence.
"Dependent…?" she whispered, lifting her gaze.
Mizuno sat slumped against the wall, his head bowed, eyes closed.
Yet even in unconsciousness, his arms were still locked around her, unrelenting.
Only then did Misfortune realize—
…Mizuno had already passed out long ago.