"Why...is it me?" Air Groove's eyes trembled, a dull ringing echoing in her head.
She couldn't figure it out—couldn't understand it at all—that this strange trainer's ultimate reason for doing the experiment...was actually her?!
"Oh crap!" Mizuno, pinned beneath Air Groove, cried out in panic.
He never expected Air Groove to guess it correctly at the very last second!
If only she'd taken one second longer! Once the sunflower beside them bloomed, Mizuno would've had the perfect excuse to redirect Air Groove's attention and slip away.
Yet that sunflower chose exactly this moment—no earlier, no later—to bloom precisely when Air Groove discovered the truth. It was hard not to suspect it was deliberate!
With the sunflower no longer needing care, and Air Groove's mind entirely focused on him, Mizuno had lost any chance to escape…
"Do you...like me?" Air Groove slightly loosened her grip on Mizuno, sincerely asking the only reason she could imagine for Mizuno's help.
"No! I don't!" Mizuno immediately shook his head in vigorous denial, terrified that Air Groove might misunderstand something.
From his gaze, Air Groove clearly felt that he was telling the truth.
"How can this be..." Air Groove felt confusion, mixed strangely with a slight...sadness?
Without realizing it, she tightened her thighs around Mizuno's waist, fully pinning him down. Then she grabbed him by the collar and yelled angrily:
"If you don't like me, then why waste so much time and effort doing this sunflower experiment, helping me achieve my wish? Are you an idiot?!"
To dedicate so much effort to helping someone you barely know, someone you don't even harbor feelings for—if that wasn't an idiot, what was it?
"I-idiot?!" Hearing Air Groove's nickname for him, Mizuno's eyes widened in horror.
Anyone slightly familiar with Air Groove's story knew: her calling you an idiot didn't actually mean she thought you were foolish. Rather, it was recognition of your sincerity, a sign that your bond had grown stronger.
For trainers who liked Air Groove, being called an idiot by her was the ultimate honor...
But for Mizuno—someone who absolutely did not want their relationship to deepen further—being labeled "idiot" was the ultimate punishment!
"Um...can you choose another insult? Call me stupid, call me dumb, anything except idiot, please..." Mizuno begged pitifully.
"Ohh~" Air Groove narrowed her eyes mischievously, clearly discovering Mizuno's weakness.
So, you hate being called idiot, huh? Well, then she would do exactly that!
Air Groove immediately began chanting repeatedly, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
"Gya! No! Stop it already!" Mizuno reacted like a monkey hit with a tightening headband spell, howling in agony, his body shaking as if electrocuted.
"Hmph~" Seeing Mizuno's tortured expression filled Air Groove with immense satisfaction.
Just as Air Groove gleefully tormented Mizuno, a few meters away, Symboli Rudolf seemed to hear the commotion. Slowly waking from her sleep, she let out a gentle yawn.
"Hmm~?" After yawning, Rudolf blinked drowsily, looking a bit lost—clearly unsure of when exactly she had fallen asleep.
Wasn't she just watching over the UV lamp? How had she dozed off so suddenly?
"President Rudolf!" Seeing Rudolf awake, Mizuno immediately shouted desperately for help.
"Luna, save meee!"
"Mizuno?" Rudolf turned toward the voice, only to discover Mizuno inexplicably pinned beneath Air Groove.
The scene before her was overly suggestive, especially given that Rudolf knew Mizuno's true identity—the very mysterious man Air Groove had been desperately hunting. Rudolf's immediate thought was that Mizuno had been exposed, and Air Groove was finally hunting him down!
But as Rudolf was about to rush to Mizuno's aid, a familiar scene flashed into her mind, perfectly overlapping with the current image.
Back at the boys' dorm, Rudolf herself had pinned Mizuno down exactly as Air Groove did now, while Mizuno had shaken and pleaded just as helplessly—only back then, he'd called out, "Broshi, save meee!"
"..." Rudolf suddenly didn't feel quite so eager to help.
Firstly, she realized Air Groove wasn't actually hunting Mizuno. She was just repeatedly calling him "idiot." Although the word sounded harsh, her tone wasn't angry at all—rather, it carried a hint of warmth. Rudolf judged this as merely friendly teasing between them.
Secondly, Rudolf was still irritated by Mizuno's previous call for Gold Ship when pinned beneath her. Now that Mizuno was pinned down again, he'd conveniently chosen Rudolf to ask for help, which made it seem as if she was merely Gold Ship's replacement...
Thus, Rudolf decided to refuse rescue.
"Luna, why are you just standing there watching?! Save meee!" Mizuno called out desperately again.
"Oh dear, so sleepy...let me nap a little longer." Rudolf pretended not to hear Mizuno's plea, yawned again, then peacefully closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep.
Mizuno: ?!
"Hoho~" Air Groove had been worried Rudolf might intervene after seeing her bully Mizuno. But Rudolf clearly had no intention of stepping in and even silently approved her actions! With that worry removed, Air Groove had nothing left to fear.
She escalated further, leaning down closer, whispering right into Mizuno's ear:
"Idiot, idiot, idiooot~"
Mizuno: "Gyaaah!"