Seeing that Fortune was using his identity to say a bunch of things that were easy to misunderstand, Mizuno's breath hitched. He hurriedly snatched his phone back and fired off a message to Rice Shower, trying to clear things up.
[Chat with Rice Shower]
[Mizuno]:Rice Shower, my phone just got stolen! That wasn't me sending those messages!
[Mizuno]:Whatever you do, don't believe what I said before—and don't come over!
But after Mizuno sent the messages, Rice Shower didn't reply. Maybe she was already packing her suitcase, getting ready to rush over in a panic...
And sure enough, that's exactly what happened.
Because less than ten minutes later, the crisp "taptaptap" of little leather shoes echoed outside the apartment building, mixed with the rumbling of suitcase wheels rolling over concrete, the nighttime silence broken by a small burst of commotion.
Looking out the window, he saw a petite Uma Musume with jet-black hair and big, expressive ears standing in the open space out front, dragging a suitcase nearly as large as she was, hurrying straight toward him.
She wasn't wearing her usual Tracen Academy uniform tonight, but had clearly dressed up—swapping into a creamy yellow long dress trimmed in black lace, two slender, white-as-jade legs showing beneath the hem.
A matching yellow bow headband had taken the place of her usual blue rose hat, perfectly complementing her delicate features, making her look all the more innocent and adorable. On her feet were a pair of classic Western-style high heels, the laces winding around her slim ankles like gift ribbon, lending her a hint of maturity.
"Onii-sama, Rice Shower's here..."
Rice Shower stood in front of the apartment building, looking up with bright eyes, full of anticipation.
Even though this place was far from the academy—over ten kilometers away—and the scenery along the route was shadowy and frightening, especially for someone afraid of the dark like Rice Shower, none of that could stop her. Because Onii-sama had messaged her saying he lived here now, and said he wanted to live together in the future, her stomach felt hot, courage welling up from deep inside her!
Just as Rice Shower pulled out her phone to message Mizuno, a door on the apartment's first floor opened. Light spilled from inside, cutting a thin slice into the darkness.
Mizuno appeared at the doorway and called her gently: "Rice Shower."
"Onii-sama!" The moment she saw him, Rice Shower's face lit up, her whole expression beaming as she hurried over on quick little steps.
"Onii-sama~" She came right up to Mizuno, her voice soft and sweet as a kitten's mew.
Those eyes—like she wanted to etch his figure deep into her soul. Her ears quivering atop her head, her tail spinning like a fan behind her—everything about her, every moment, radiated her affection for him.
Compared to Rice Shower's unfiltered joy, Mizuno's reaction was much more restrained, the look beneath his mask a touch complicated...
Of course he was happy to see his little sister, but her coming here all by herself did make him a bit uneasy.
"Rice Shower... you didn't get the messages I sent afterward?" Mizuno asked.
"Rice Shower did~" She nodded eagerly, then lowered her head, twirling her fingers, answering shyly, "It was because I got your message, Onii-sama, that I came..."
Her cheeks were flushed, lips pressed tight with nervousness. Her legs began to fidget, like she'd made up her mind about something.
"Um, I meant the messages after that..." Mizuno tried to explain, pulling out his phone to show her.
"Eh?" Rice Shower looked up, then noticed the two unread messages at the bottom of the thread. She froze.
"Onii-sama's phone got stolen?" She thought back and realized something was fishy.
No wonder those earlier messages sounded so weird—nothing like how Onii-sama usually talks.
But at the time, her head had been spinning from the idea of building a family together. She'd ignored the oddness, packed in a frenzy, and ran straight over, the whole way dreaming about life with Onii-sama, never checking her phone again. So, naturally, she'd missed his later messages.
Even after confirming that those earlier texts weren't from Mizuno himself, Rice Shower still felt a little confused.
"But why does the stolen phone end up back in Onii-sama's hand? And if all those messages were sent by the thief, shouldn't they all be fake? So why is Onii-sama really here?"
"Uh... it's a long story..."
Mizuno reached behind him and pulled Fortune out of hiding, then explained everything—how he was staying here for a race, being spied on by Maruzensky, and how Fortune had impersonated him to send those messages.
"That's all there is to it. It's just more convenient for me to stay here for a while."
"As for those 'let's live together' messages, those were all this guy's idea..." Mizuno jabbed his thumb at Fortune, making a face.
Fortune didn't look the least bit guilty. Instead, she draped an arm around Mizuno's shoulder, using her best "elder" tone, and said earnestly, "You shouldn't say that. I did it all for your own good. You'll understand someday."
Tch!
Mizuno shuddered hearing those words—so familiar, echoing every parental lecture since childhood.
Classic parent catchphrases!
Never mind the logic; as long as it twisted the target up with guilt and left them speechless, it was a lethal weapon against Chinese kids.
But Mizuno was already immune to this trick.
Maybe Fortune really did want Rice Shower to come over, just to protect Mizuno from Maruzensky's stalking. But to go through with it, especially after Mizuno had clearly refused, and to do it all under his name—well, that was just overstepping, plain and simple.
"Fortune..." Mizuno didn't say much—just fixed Fortune with a stare that left his displeasure clear as day.
After a dozen seconds under Mizuno's silent pressure, Fortune finally caved. Her grin faltered; she hung her head and admitted fault.
"..."
"It won't happen again."
Mizuno nodded, accepting the apology.
Then he turned to look at Rice Shower standing at the doorway, gripping her suitcase handle in one hand, clutching her skirt with the other, ears drooping low. She peeked up at Mizuno, clearly nervous.
After all, this misunderstanding—inviting Rice Shower to stay—was all Fortune's doing. Now that everything was cleared up, the reasonable thing would be to send her back.
But seeing her hope dashed, that lost expression on her face, and thinking how late it was—sending her back alone wouldn't be safe.
So Mizuno hesitated, sighed, then finally moved aside, making space for her to enter.
"Stay here tonight. I'll take you back tomorrow..."
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T/N: OHHHHH?????? MIZUNO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO TO OUR SWEET RICE SHOWER TONIGHT???