"No, wait, you've got it wrong! That's not what it is!"
But no matter how Mizuno tried to explain, Jei Chou refused to believe him. If anything, he took it as modesty.
After all, the fact that the universally admired Maruzen-dono had somehow become this wheelchair guy's girlfriend was right there in front of him. No one could deny it.
It was like someone solving a mathematical problem that had stumped experts around the world for years, then claiming they'd just scribbled something down at random and happened to get it right. Nobody would believe that.
And just look at Maruzen-dono right now, obediently following behind him like a little tagalong. Wasn't that proof enough of how formidable this wheelchair guy was?
"No need to say any more." Jei Chou raised a hand, cutting off Mizuno before he could continue explaining.
"I get it. You're the powerful rival my grandpa specifically sent to keep me in check, so I'd suffer a bit and stop getting so full of myself."
"And now you're even racing in a wheelchair. That can only mean you think I'm still not worth taking seriously, so you deliberately chose such an inconvenient ride to handicap yourself and suppress your own strength."
"If you got serious, then with my current skill, I probably wouldn't even be able to see your taillights..." Jei Chou shook his head helplessly and let out a disappointed sigh.
But only a moment later, as if he'd worked something out in his mind, he lifted his head again and flashed the utterly confident smile of a hot-blooded anime protagonist.
"But even if you're strong, I'm not the kind of person who gives up that easily. On the contrary—the stronger the opponent, the more excited I get!"
"Maybe I've lost to my father and grandfather in private races before, but in an official race, I've never lost to anyone!"
"So let's stop talking and settle it on the road!"
Jei Chou stared straight at Mizuno, his eyes firm, his whole body practically radiating shonen protagonist energy.
"That's right!" Beside him, Uehara Mika nodded, wrapping her arms affectionately around Jei Chou's neck and looking at Mizuno with a domineering but still polite air.
"I believe in Jei! I'll do everything I can to help him take his third title too!"
"You're amazing, babe. Gimme a kiss."
"Mwah~"
"Gh—!" Watching the lovey-dovey interaction between Jei Chou and Uehara Mika, Mizuno trembled with rage, so mad he almost wanted to stand up out of his wheelchair just to punch the two of them for showering him with couple PDA.
Come on, man! Isn't your imagination a little too out of control?!
Did he look like he wanted to enter this race in a wheelchair?
He was actually crippled, okay?!
If he couldn't win this race and fulfill Maruzensky's wish, then he might end up spending the rest of his life getting around in a wheelchair!
For the first time, Mizuno felt that Fujiwara-san might have been a little off in how he judged his grandson.
He hadn't seen any arrogance yet.
But as for not listening to a word anyone said—that part was serious.
"Sigh..." Since explaining himself was clearly pointless, Mizuno could only return dejectedly to his spot, lean back in his chair, and stare up at the night sky in utter frustration.
This trip over to greet Jei Chou had not only failed to build any goodwill between them, it had actually raised the difficulty of clearing the race. What was he supposed to do now?
"..."
"..." As if sensing the gloom in Mizuno's heart, Maruzensky quietly came over to his side and tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"Sorry..."
"Hm?" Mizuno turned to her in confusion, not understanding why she was apologizing all of a sudden.
"Guh..." Maruzensky's ears drooped sadly, and the cardboard box around her seemed covered in gloom.
"It's all my fault... that you got misunderstood like this..."
"If I'd just been a little braver back there—if I'd dared to speak up and explain for you—things wouldn't have turned out like this..."
"And if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to spend so much energy on a racing competition you don't even like..."
"I'm sorry..."
With her head lowered, Maruzensky clutched more tightly at Mizuno's sleeve, looking overwhelmed with guilt.
But before she could wallow in it for more than a few seconds, Mizuno lifted a corner of the cardboard box and leaned his entire upper body inside, putting himself face-to-face with her.
"!" Startled by his sudden move, Maruzensky's drooping ears sprang upright, and she looked back at him in bewilderment.
"Don't overthink it. This absolutely isn't your fault." Resting a hand atop Maruzensky's head, Mizuno comforted her gently. "It was my mistake back then that made your personality turn out like this. If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."
"And since I've become your brother, there's no way I'd just leave you to deal with this alone."
"It's only natural for a big brother to look after his little sister. No matter who it was, my answer would be the same."
"So go ahead and lean on me as much as you want. As an older brother, being depended on by a cute little sister is something that makes me really happy."
"So don't blame yourself anymore, okay?"
Mizuno smiled kindly, trying his best to look like a dependable elder.
Just as he'd said, now that he had accepted Maruzensky as his little sister, there was no way he could ignore how down she was feeling.
Cheering up your little sister was an older brother's duty.
And this was the same way he used to comfort Rice Shower. It had always worked wonders before, so now that it was little-sister Maruzensky instead, it should probably work just as well.
"Guh..." Maruzensky stared at the person who had barged into her little private space just to comfort her, and her heartbeat began to quicken.
Even though she couldn't see Mizuno's expression, the warmth carried in his actions and words gradually made her recall that first instant she had seen him in front of the statue of the Three Goddesses.
Back then, that feeling had lasted for only a brief moment before disappearing without a trace, leaving behind nothing but endless emptiness and loneliness.
But now, in this tiny cardboard-box space, she was feeling that same familiar warmth all over again.
And in that moment, Maruzensky suddenly realized that warmth hadn't come from his Umamusume-mint-like appearance, scent, or voice.
It came from the gentle nature rooted deep in his soul.
Even if he hid every outward trait, the temperament that radiated from within him could never truly change.
"Mm..." A wave of sour heat twisted through Maruzensky's lower belly, and in the end she lowered her head shyly and answered in a tiny voice, "Okay..."
"Good girl~" Mizuno, like someone coaxing a child, rewarded her obedience with an affectionate headpat.
"There, there, there—"
Unlike Rice Shower's somewhat firmer hair, Maruzensky's hair was incredibly soft. Stroking it felt like sinking his hand into cotton—fluffy and wonderfully comfortable.
Maruzensky seemed to enjoy it too. The Umamusume ears atop her head swayed nonstop under Mizuno's touch.
The two of them got more and more absorbed in it, completely failing to notice that one particular Umamusume in the audience, who had been staring their way the whole time, was grinding her back teeth hard enough to nearly crack them.
"Damn it!"
Watching the intimate interaction between Mizuno and Maruzensky, Symboli Rudolf seethed with resentment, so irritated she wanted to charge over right now and punch that fake couple for flaunting their sweetness.
How had their relationship gotten this good after just a few days apart?!
She was the one who'd come first, and this guy had never once taken the initiative to pat her on the head. But Maruzensky—her own close friend—had known him for less than two weeks and was already getting showered with headpats from him...
It was way too unfair!
"Calm down, President, calm down!" Air Groove grabbed Symboli Rudolf by the shoulders to keep her from doing anything rash.
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?" Symboli Rudolf turned to look at the expressionless Air Groove behind her, her eyes full of disbelief. "Seeing this, don't you feel awful too?"
"Well, sure, at first it's a little irritating..." Air Groove shrugged and replied in an even tone. "But if you think ahead a little—like how many days off we'll need to request for him afterward, what position we should use tonight, whether the sheets we have will be enough to change—your mood naturally gets a lot better."
As she spoke, a kindly smile slowly appeared on Air Groove's face.
"?" Symboli Rudolf was stunned. She had not expected the thoughts in her vice president's head to be this terrifying.
But when she tried thinking that way herself, she suddenly discovered that Air Groove's idea was... actually kind of interesting.
"I see. Thinking about it that way really does make me feel a lot less agitated." Symboli Rudolf nodded in satisfaction, her tail swishing excitedly as if she'd discovered a whole new world. Even looking at Mizuno and Maruzensky together no longer irritated her quite as much.
After all, what she planned to do to Mizuno later might be a little cruel from his point of view.
"Just you wait..."
---
T/N: BRO JUST CRASH THE CAR OMG ESCAPE THE TWO!
T/N2: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3 do u think itd be better to do it earlier in the week to make u guys wait more for the bonus chapters
bonus chaps
200 stones -> 1 chapter
400 stones -> 2 chapters
600 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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