"It's about time..." Air Groove urged Mizuno impatiently.
The sun had completely sunk beneath the horizon, leaving behind only a faint glow resisting the darkness of night—though it was merely delaying the inevitable.
"Alright, let's go," Mizuno agreed.
Only after refilling Oguri Cap's already half-empty bucket of honey drink—to prevent her from chasing after them—did Mizuno leave the cafeteria, heading towards the flowerbed together with Air Groove and Tokai Teio.
Oguri Cap stared at Mizuno's departing back, then glanced down at the irresistible honey drink in front of her, delicious enough to keep her glued to the spot. In the end, overcoming her appetite, she let go of the straw and quietly called after Mizuno:
"Thank you..."
...
"Plant flowers, plant flowers, plant flowers..."
From the moment they returned to the flowerbed, Air Groove hovered around Mizuno, repeatedly muttering those words. Her intense gaze felt like sharp iron nails piercing Mizuno's body, leaving him restless and fidgety.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting the equipment ready. Calm down already..." Mizuno wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, pulling out all the items needed for tonight's sunflower cultivation one by one.
Automatic drip feeders, UV lamps, thermometers, [Plant Growth Potion], and various inorganic nutrient solutions for plant cultivation...
But the critical factor determining the experiment's success was actually Air Groove herself, who stood right next to Mizuno.
Only with Air Groove by his side could Mizuno indirectly gauge the plant's condition through observing her micro-expressions, allowing him to promptly adjust environmental factors or provide suitable nutrients to meet the plant's growth needs.
Thus, everything else was negotiable, but Air Groove was indispensable. Only with their combined effort could the cultivation succeed smoothly.
Yet, Air Groove herself wasn't aware of this crucial fact. Instead, she believed the key to the experiment's success was Mizuno—the expert whose insanely quick hands could mix nutrient solutions in perfect proportions almost instantly. She, a useless Uma who only caused others worry, had no real purpose here, merely acting like a nurse assisting a surgeon, handing Mizuno whatever he needed at the right moment.
"Ready?" Mizuno asked while putting on his white lab coat.
"I'm ready!" Tokai Teio raised her hand energetically.
Her job was the simplest—managing the intensity of the UV lamps.
"I'm ready too..." Air Groove nodded. Her role was also straightforward: organizing the nutrients, passing them to Mizuno whenever necessary.
Incidentally, she would also listen to the flower's voice. If Mizuno failed to immediately notice a deficiency, Air Groove served as a backup to relay the plant's specific condition.
However, compared to the incredibly rapid rate at which plants absorbed nutrients once stimulated by the [Growth Potion], speaking was far too slow. By the time Air Groove organized her thoughts into words, the plant might have already died from a nutrient deficiency...
Therefore, Mizuno's job was both crucial and exceptionally difficult!
He had to constantly observe Air Groove's micro-expressions, indirectly deducing the plant's current state by comparing with previously gathered data. If the plant lacked something, he needed to give correct orders to the two Uma within one second, then swiftly mix the correct nutrient solution and administer it before the plant died...
"Then let's begin."
Mizuno carefully buried a sunflower seed in the soil, then, holding a tube of [Plant Growth Potion] in his left hand and a bottle of pre-prepared nutrient solution ideal for sunflower seeds in his right, he poured both simultaneously.
Splash— As the potion entered the soil, the sunflower seed immediately reacted, frantically absorbing nutrients from its surroundings.
An hour later, a tiny green sprout slowly poked out from the soil.
Too hot... lacking potassium... From Air Groove's subtle expression, Mizuno immediately decoded the seedling's needs.
"Hot—" Air Groove had barely opened her mouth to speak the first word when Mizuno had already acted.
"Teio, lower the lamp's intensity," Mizuno instructed Tokai Teio while simultaneously grabbing the vial that Air Groove hurriedly handed over, swiftly mixing the needed nutrient solution.
"Eh?" Having spent the last hour idly waiting as the sunflower seed slowly sprouted, Tokai Teio had gotten distracted, visibly startled by Mizuno's sudden command.
"Oh!" She quickly snapped back to attention and adjusted the lamp's intensity down.
With the reduced intensity of the UV lamp, the sunflower seedling's complaint of feeling "too hot" immediately vanished.
Combined with the potassium-rich nutrient solution that Mizuno had expertly prepared in just one second, all of the sunflower seedling's needs were promptly satisfied, restoring its cheerful state.
Based on experience, this little seedling shouldn't have any further demands for a short while...
"Phew..." Seeing this, Air Groove—who had been extremely tense—finally let out a relieved sigh.
Just now had been extremely dangerous. Had they been just a few seconds late, the sunflower seedling probably would've withered.
Fortunately, Trainer Mizuno's reaction speed was incredible. He could issue commands to Teio while simultaneously mixing nutrients. Air Groove seriously wondered how in the world he developed such god-tier reaction speed and dexterity.
Mizuno's explanation for this question was:
If you were thrown into a place filled with creatures several times stronger than you, who would pounce on you at the slightest opportunity, sooner or later you'd develop this level of reaction speed and hand-speed too...
"I'm sorry, Trainer..." Just then, Tokai Teio lowered her head apologetically.
"I got distracted just now and nearly caused a disaster... I'm really sorry..." Her cheeks flushed, tears welling up in her eyes from genuine guilt over her earlier mistake.
If her distraction had truly caused the experiment to fail, Tokai Teio probably wouldn't have forgiven herself for a very long time.
"Teio..." Seeing her so remorseful, Mizuno shook his head gently, softly placing a hand on Tokai Teio's head and speaking warmly:
"It's alright, Teio. It was just a minor distraction—not a serious mistake. Don't be too harsh on yourself."
Teio: "But..."
"Teio, you need to understand..." Mizuno softly stroked Tokai Teio's hair again, speaking earnestly.
"Even if this sunflower seedling had died, even if the experiment failed, we could always plant another sunflower and start again."
"The world is actually quite forgiving—a single mistake doesn't define your entire life..."
"Moreover, only by making mistakes can you learn what needs improvement."
"It's like the sensation of pain in our bodies. Many people think that being unable to feel pain after an injury would be better, right? But in reality, pain is the body's mechanism for protecting us. Only after touching something sharp and feeling pain do we realize it can hurt us and learn to avoid it..."
"Do you understand, Teio?"
"Mm... I think... I understand..." Tokai Teio wiped away her tears, nodding hesitantly.
"Air Groove-sensei, you as well..." Mizuno turned his gaze toward Air Groove.
"Me?" Air Groove pointed at herself in confusion, unable to comprehend why Mizuno suddenly shifted the topic to her.
"You were very nervous just now... even scared, right?" Mizuno narrowed his eyes.
Earlier, he had sensed an intense amount of fear from Air Groove—as though if the sunflower seedling died, her entire future would vanish along with it. Her negative emotions had actually been even stronger than Tokai Teio's guilt.
"No..." Air Groove shook her head, denying Mizuno's accusation.
But Mizuno had constantly observed Air Groove's micro-expressions, naturally knowing she was lying.
"..." Therefore, Mizuno didn't speak, only quietly watching Air Groove.
"..." Air Groove squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, but she still stubbornly refused to admit Mizuno was right. Instead, she averted her eyes, irritably pinning her horse ears back.
Who'd admit it... idiot...