"Zzzzt..."
Right now, Mizuno was just like a machine on the fritz—not only making weird buzzing sounds with his mouth, but with white smoke rising from the top of his head.
"Onii-sama?!" Rice Shower had no idea what was happening. All she knew was, right after she'd puckered up for a kiss, Onii-sama seemed to suffer some massive mental blow and was suddenly left completely dazed.
"Onii-sama! Are you okay?!" Rice Shower didn't know what else to do. She could only shake Mizuno's shoulders and call out to him, trying to pull him back from his stupor.
And, as it turned out, a little sister's voice was pretty effective. With Rice Shower's repeated calls, Mizuno's overloaded brain soon began to respond.
"!"
Mizuno's whole body twitched. He looked down at Rice Shower, still sitting on his lap, and his clearing gaze suggested his mind was coming back online.
But Mizuno still looked pretty out of it.
He blinked in confusion, as if wondering what just happened, then, as if he'd forgotten everything from before, asked Rice Shower an utterly baffling question:
"By the way, Rice Shower, what kind of reward did you want?"
"?" A big question mark popped up over Rice Shower's head.
Hadn't she just told him? Why was Onii-sama asking again?
"Onii-sama, a kiss, of course."
"Oh, a kiss... Alright!" Mizuno hesitated for a second, then nodded, gently cradled Rice Shower's cheeks, and moved in as if to kiss her forehead.
"Onii-sama, here!" Rice Shower tapped her lips for emphasis.
Worried he'd kiss the wrong place again—and having waited so long for this—she even puckered up, closing the distance herself. If Mizuno was willing, stealing her first kiss would be easier than drinking water.
But the moment Rice Shower leaned in, Mizuno froze up again, instantly losing consciousness, his body going stiff as a statue—exactly like before.
"Onii-sama?"
"!" At her voice, Mizuno jolted awake, blinking in confusion, then looked down and asked,
"By the way, Rice Shower, what kind of reward did you want?"
The same question as before—no memory of what just happened. It was as if he was selectively forgetting every time Rice Shower requested a kiss on the lips.
"..."
Rice Shower fell silent, biting her lip in frustration.
Mizuno was acting just like those amnesia patients in soap operas, getting hit by a car and forgetting everything. Those clear, clueless eyes didn't look like he was faking—but Rice Shower still had her doubts.
Was Onii-sama pretending not to remember just to avoid kissing her?
Normally, she might have backed off—if Onii-sama was so unwilling, she should be considerate and not embarrass him…
But this was Rice Shower's first time ever asking Onii-sama for a kiss. For a girl always afraid of causing trouble, who never even dared speak up in front of others, throwing away all her pride to confess her feelings—there was a courage here that couldn't be stopped by something as trivial as fake amnesia!
Enough is enough!
Rice Shower stared at Mizuno's face, a certain determination flashing in her eyes.
Back when she'd braved Gold Ship's basement to rescue Onii-sama, only to learn his first kiss had already been stolen, she'd made a vow: If she ever had a moment alone with Onii-sama, she would win it all!
Now that the chance to kiss him was right in front of her, who knew if it would ever come again?
To restore the honor of little sisters, Rice Shower had to see it through!
"Onii-sama, I'm sorry..." she apologized, then locked both hands firmly around Mizuno's head.
"Wah?!" Mizuno still hadn't figured out what was happening when he saw Rice Shower's face coming closer and closer, her gaze burning with desire. Finally—
Chu~
Their lips pressed together, a sweet fragrance exploding across his tongue.
"Mmm?!!!!"
Feeling the softness and warmth at his lips, Mizuno's mind went completely blank—like it had detonated.
No way! What the hell just happened?!
All he remembered was Rice Shower asking for a reward—he'd zoned out for just a second, so how had she suddenly stolen a kiss?!
Was this a dream? Or a hallucination?
Rice Shower didn't stick her tongue in like Gold Ship had before—she just gave him an innocent, childhood-friend peck. But the mental impact on Mizuno was even more devastating than if his best bro had announced he was about to climb on top of him! 1zwla
Rice Shower kissed me?! How could I dream something like this? Mizuno's pupils quivered.
He just couldn't accept it. Obedient, well-behaved Rice Shower would never steal a kiss without asking! Even Symboli Rudolf, the queen of trouble, had never done something like this—yet his sweet little sister had gotten there first?! The cute, innocent image Mizuno held of Rice Shower shattered in that instant
But unlike Mizuno, who was questioning reality, Rice Shower was riding a high after finally taking that step.
"Onii-sama's lips… so sweet!" Her eyes sparkled, thighs clamping tighter around his waist in excitement.
It was just a simple kiss, no tongue—yet she discovered a taste more exquisite and delicate than any dessert she'd ever had!
A perfect blend of creamy sweetness and carrot aroma—the absolute favorite of every Uma Musume!
Was this what a first kiss felt like? Or was it only this sweet because the other person was Onii-sama?
Or maybe… this was the power of that Uma Mint he always talked about?
Rice Shower held the kiss for a full two minutes before her breathing grew uneven, and she finally let Mizuno go.
"Mmm~" Her face was bright red. She licked her lips, savoring the lingering taste, her eyes only growing more hungry.
Kissing is amazing! But it's not enough! I want more!
That irresistible scent coming from Onii-sama was only part of it. The real thrill was the closeness—the sense that she and Onii-sama were truly drawing nearer. For Rice Shower, that was one of life's greatest goals!
And during that kiss, Rice Shower hadn't sensed any resistance from Mizuno. It was almost as if he'd silently given her permission.
He must want to kiss me too, deep down!
But when Rice Shower looked at Mizuno, she was shocked to see he'd frozen up again.
"Onii-sama?"
"Hm?" Mizuno responded on reflex, dazed for a few seconds—then repeated exactly what he'd done before.
Clear-headed, confused, asking:
"By the way, Rice Shower, what kind of reward did you want?"
"?!"
At that familiar line, Rice Shower suddenly realized what was happening.
Onii-sama's amnesia… wasn't fake! He really was selectively forgetting what had just happened!
And from what she could tell, it was triggered whenever she kissed him on the lips…
To test her theory, Rice Shower kissed him again.
Chu~
"!?!"
And, sure enough, just as she suspected, Mizuno immediately lost his memory again—like his brain had an auto-rewind feature. As long as Rice Shower did anything more intimate than normal sibling affection, Mizuno's mind would snap back to an earlier point.
"I knew it!" Rice Shower, faced with this reality, felt a little heartbroken.
Every time she asked for a kiss, Onii-sama would selectively forget—meaning, deep down, he truly didn't want to go any further with Rice Shower...
But Rice Shower's sadness only lasted a moment before excitement quickly took its place.
Because suddenly, Rice Shower realized: Mizuno's selective amnesia was actually a huge advantage for her!
Doesn't this mean, no matter what outrageous things Rice Shower does to Onii-sama right now, he won't remember any of it later?!
A spark went off in Rice Shower's mind, and all sorts of bold, thrilling ideas she'd never dared consider before surged up like a tidal wave.
Even if she'd never done such things before, as an Uma Musume, with a fragrant, defenseless human male right in front of her—when it came to Uma Pyoi, some things just came naturally.
"Haaah~" Rice Shower stared at the totally helpless Mizuno, breathing hard with excitement. Her petite body was heating up, her belly aching with need, craving a certain exercise to burn away the heat.
Normally, Rice Shower was a conservative type when it came to romance. For more intimate things, she'd wait until the right relationship—making babies with Onii-sama would have to wait until they were married, of course... But with the mood and opportunity this perfect, how could she not go for it?!
"I'm sorry... Rice Shower's being a bad girl..." Drool glistened at the corner of her mouth as she began to undress Mizuno. Maybe admitting her own naughtiness made her less respectful of the rules—her actions grew bolder by the second.
But she'd only managed to get halfway before Fortune, who'd been watching from the sidelines all along, suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"Stop! You can't Uma Pyoi him yet!"
"?!" Rice Shower's eyes went wide, her tail springing upright, clearly startled as she whipped her head toward Fortune. She'd thought, when she kissed Onii-sama just now, that the goddess hadn't reacted at all—she'd assumed it was just the two of them here. Turns out, Fortune had been spectating the whole time?!
"!" Rice Shower shivered, cold sweat breaking out all over.
So... everything she'd done with Onii-sama, all those crazy expressions, had been seen by this goddess?!
"It's not what it looks like! Rice Shower isn't usually like this!" Rice Shower frantically waved her hands, lowering her head, unable to meet Fortune's eyes.
The only reason she'd dared to go after Mizuno was because she thought she was the only conscious Uma Musume present—whatever she did would stay a secret. If there was a third-party observer, everything changed.
Doing bad things felt like being naked; unless you're a total pervert, nobody could bare their true instincts with someone else watching.
Rice Shower didn't know why the goddess chose this moment to intervene—it almost felt intentional—but with a third party here, no matter how unwilling she was to stop, she just couldn't go through with it.
"..." Seeing Rice Shower all tense and frightened, Fortune shrugged helplessly, then released her wrist.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to blame you or tattle to anyone. I just wanted to let you know: now is not the time for you and your Onii-sama to do that kind of thing."
"Eh?" Rice Shower looked up, full of confusion. "What do you mean, 'not the time yet'?"
"It means he can't handle what you're trying to do," Fortune glanced at the brain-overloaded Mizuno, explaining:
"You've probably noticed—your Onii-sama sees you as a little sister, and he just can't accept going beyond that. That's why, whenever you ask for a kiss, he ends up with selective amnesia.
"If it's just a kiss, I can pretend I didn't see anything—he'll simply forget. But if it's something that could leave him both physically and mentally scarred, like 'Uma Pyoi,' then I can't just look away.
"I have no desire to see this guy lose his mind after finding out he... did that with his little sister and end up too broken to help me work—uh, I mean, to help me fight Misfortune." Fortune coughed awkwardly.
But hearing Fortune's explanation, Rice Shower just felt worse.
If kissing Onii-sama made him forget, and going further would break him, did that mean she could never be his wife—never walk with him down the aisle?
"Guh..." Rice Shower's ears drooped in despair, a black line of gloom hanging over her head.
"Don't rush. I know you're anxious, but you need to take things slow." Fortune rested her chin on her hand, continuing:
"Everything has its order—intimacy is no exception.
"His resistance to your affection is only temporary; his brain just can't keep up. If you gently nudge his feelings over time, there might come a day where he asks you to make babies with him."
"Really?!" Rice Shower's ears perked back up, hope rekindled in her eyes.
"Mhm." Fortune nodded.
"As long as you keep up with the gentle, not-too-excessive flirting, gradually change his feelings for you, crossing that line from siblings to something more isn't so far away..."
"As for the stuff ahead—save that for another day." Fortune tugged Mizuno's clothes back into place as she spoke.
"..." Rice Shower listened to Fortune's advice in silence.
After cooling off, she realized the goddess was right—trying to Uma Pyoi Onii-sama right now was way too hasty.
She was ready to offer everything to Onii-sama, but he wasn't ready to accept. If she forced him, ignoring his feelings, wouldn't that just be... assault?
Rather than a violent conquest, Rice Shower still preferred a gentle, loving connection. That was what suited her—what Rice Shower meant.
Looks like that kind of thing really does have to wait for another day... Rice Shower clenched her fists, frustrated but determined.
"Gulp~~" Rice Shower stared at Mizuno's lips, swallowing hard. After hesitating a moment, she finally pounced and hugged him again.
Even if she couldn't Uma Pyoi Onii-sama tonight, since even the goddess was letting her kiss him, she'd just have to spoil herself a little more—at least for tonight...