Meanwhile, the three Umamusume in the Student Council were also holding a postwar debrief about last night.
“What do you think… Trainer Mizuno thinks of us?” Air Groove sat upright on the sofa, arms folded, unease faintly stirring in her chest. “We did something like that to him. Do you think he’ll hate us…?”
Though, as women, they did not physiologically experience the same “post-nut clarity” men did, once they realized exactly what kind of terrible thing they had done, anxiety and nervousness still set in.
“I’m afraid he might…” Maruzensky lowered her head dejectedly, winding a lock of hair around her finger bit by bit, her delicate face full of worry.
Even if her movements at the time had been very gentle, that did not change the fact that it had been forced.
In this world, they, as Umamusume, were the more violent and more lustful side, so they could not defend themselves with the excuse of “a woman slept with you, so you’re the one who scored.”
Air Groove understood that too. She knew it was only natural that Mizuno would hate her after she did something like that. Even so, a tiny part of her still clung to hope. From the bottom of her heart, she hoped Mizuno would not distance himself from them because of this. Better yet, she hoped it might even bring them closer, so that in the future, they could sweetly hold each other like lovers and create more wonderful memories together.
But fantasy was still fantasy. A little rational thought was enough to tell her it could never happen. Now that Maruzensky had pointed it out as well, Air Groove’s last shred of hope was gone, leaving only deep regret.
Would it have been better if we had tricked him into agreeing first, then done it?
At that moment, however, Symboli Rudolf offered a different view.
“I don’t think he’ll hate us.” Sitting behind her desk, Symboli Rudolf shook her head. Her hands were folded together on the tabletop, her expression grave, a complicated emotion flowing through her eyes.
“Why?” The other two Umamusume’s ears instantly perked up as they looked expectantly toward Symboli Rudolf.
“It’s simple…” Symboli Rudolf looked at the two close friends before her, both of whom, like herself, had maxed-out affection for that man. As if thinking of something, she smiled helplessly.
“From what I understand of Trainer Mizuno, while he may seem very cunning on the surface, the kind of person who will sink to any depth for his own benefit, in truth, he is a thoroughly good person.”
“Because in his eyes, the interests of those close to him matter far more than his own…”
“That is why, although he usually keeps far away from us, the moment one of us is in danger or upset, he will sacrifice himself without hesitation in exchange for our safety and happiness.”
“I believe all of us should have experienced that very deeply.”
“Mm… That’s true.” Symboli Rudolf’s evaluation of Mizuno made Air Groove and Maruzensky both recall their previous experiences with him. Neither of them could refute it.
Though Mizuno always verbally mocked those yasashii Trainers, when the crucial moment came, he could never stop himself from being yasashii to his own Umamusume. In the world of 2D, there was a common term for this.
Tsundere.
This guy was simply too good to the people around him, to the point that after any Umamusume spent some time with him, her affection for him would start shooting upward and could not be stopped.
But “the kind get bullied by Umamusume; kind Umamusume never get to ride anyone” was one of the most basic truths of this world.
The more outstanding a person was, the more Umamusume would gather around him. And once there were many Umamusume who liked him, those Umamusume would inevitably use certain forceful methods to stand out from the other competitors.
Because the child who knew how to act spoiled got candy. The considerate girl was the one who ended up with no presence, often pushed to the very back of the line, while the sharp-edged girl had the advantage and could more easily snatch what she liked.
Of the three Umamusume currently sitting in the Student Council President’s office, which one of them was not an old Hall-of-Fame veteran who had fought her way through fierce races? They understood far more than those younger girls who had not debuted for long, and naturally understood the principle that the fastest hand got the candy.
Whether you wanted it or not, they would Uma Pyoi you first and talk later.
And the reason they had not made a move on Mizuno before was only that they had all been wary that, after doing such a thing, their relationship with him would fall to freezing point, completely destroying any possibility of becoming a normal couple.
After all, the reason Umamusume locked people in basements was not merely for the body of the one they loved. More importantly, it was for that person’s one-of-a-kind heart.
They wanted to hold hands with him… wanted to share interesting stories with him… wanted to sleep beside him… wanted to create a crystallization of love with him! They wanted him to gaze at them forever!
Precisely because of that, before obtaining Mizuno’s permission, both Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove had only ever taken a small taste at most. They would do no more than hug and cuddle him, never doing anything truly excessive, and had always obediently followed the rules.
Only, last night, Maruzensky had jumped the gun ahead of everyone, shattering the balance maintained by many Umamusume. And with their competitive spirits stirred up, Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove could not possibly stand by and watch the cake they had craved for so long be taken away. Naturally, they had to hurry over and claim a slice for themselves too.
In summary, Mizuno’s tsundere-style yasashii nature, carved deep into his bones, was the root cause of last night’s tragedy, while Maruzensky’s head start was merely the last straw that crushed an already teetering camel.
“He is too gentle. So gentle that whenever we make a mistake, not only will he not blame us, he will even place all the blame on himself and think of ways to comfort us…”
“This time is probably no exception. Perhaps ever since he left here with Teio, he has already started thinking about his future with us. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to say something as responsible as ‘I’ll take responsibility’ last night…”
“He won’t despise us…”
“…”
Symboli Rudolf’s explanation dispelled Air Groove and Maruzensky’s fear that Mizuno might hate them, but the guilt in their hearts did not lessen because of it. Instead, they felt all the more that they never should have done it.
He was already so gentle. Why had they still committed violence against him?
“Do you think we should compensate him somehow?” Maruzensky clapped her hands and suddenly made the suggestion.
“Compensate him?” Symboli Rudolf raised an eyebrow curiously.
“Yes. For example, buying him a sports car or something.” Maruzensky held up one finger. “No boy should hate cars, right?”
“Maybe we should buy him a villa too…” Air Groove nodded. “After all, Trainer Mizuno has nowhere to live right now. Living in a tent in the Flowerbeds every day feels rather dangerous. Besides, we’ll be living together in the future as well, so we might as well buy him a house directly. That way, it will be more convenient for us to come home at night too.”
“Mm. Those are all good ideas.” Symboli Rudolf voiced her approval, then offered her own view. “I am not very skilled when it comes to giving gifts to boys, so I plan to give Trainer Mizuno a few rest vouchers. In ancient China, I believe they were called iron certificates of pardon, specially used to exempt someone from punishment. If, in the future, we still cannot help wanting to do something to him, he can take one out to avoid being… by us.”
The three Umamusume discussed it with great enthusiasm, one suggestion after another being raised as compensation for Mizuno.
What they did not know was that an Umamusume who had been drawn over by the special scent in the air was hiding outside the room and had overheard every word of their conversation.
“Trainer… Mizuno…”
Leaning against the door outside, Fuji Kiseki’s eyes widened in surprise as she softly murmured that name.
Today, she had finally found her target.
T/N: THE KISEKISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
This is a fan translation of 赛马娘，从入门到地下室 by EEEEE然后亮标 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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