Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement

Chapter 394 394: Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [394]

But just as Air Groove was about to make her move, the morning alarm on the phone lying on the desk suddenly rang, yanking her rationality back in one violent tug.

Air Groove picked up the phone and, through the reflection on the screen, stared blankly at her own flushed, full cheeks, then at Mizuno, who looked like he had been wrung a little dry on the sofa. A thick wave of guilt instantly filled her mind.

"I'm sorry. We were too impulsive..." Air Groove lowered her head in shame, her Umamusume ears drooping sadly.

"Even though I didn't want to ignore your feelings and force you directly, you smelled so... and your voice sounded so good, I really couldn't hold back, so..."

Mizuno: ...

Seeing this from the side, Maruzensky also felt a pang of heartache. She took Mizuno's hand and pressed it against her burning cheek, smiling gently.

"Onii-sama, you don't have to be afraid. Just like you promised us last night, since we did that kind of thing together, we'll take responsibility for you too."

But Mizuno still said nothing. His lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling, as though their atrocities last night had completely broken his heart.

"Guh..." Seeing Mizuno looking as if he had lost all will to live, Air Groove and Maruzensky sank into deep self-reproach.

Only one Umamusume was not quite convinced by Mizuno's current performance.

"Faking it again?" Symboli Rudolf raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of suspicion.

With his tenacious personality, how could he possibly give up completely just because he had been Uma Pyoi'd by an Umamusume once?

In Symboli Rudolf's impression, although Mizuno was indeed afraid of Umamusume, and even more afraid of being Uma Pyoi'd by Umamusume, he had never once given up on his goals because of fear.

Whether it was fulfilling Air Groove's wish back then or solving Maruzensky's shut-in problem during this period, he had completed one task after another while carrying the heavy pressure of possibly being Uma Pyoi'd by the Umamusume around him at any moment.

Simply put, he adapted extremely well to sudden changes in the situation, and was always thinking several steps ahead.

It was true that Mizuno had always done his utmost to avoid the outcome of being Uma Pyoi'd by an Umamusume, but he must also have already thought about what he should do afterward if he really was Uma Pyoi'd: how to escape their clutches, or how to avoid having an Umamusume make another move on him!

As one of the people who had spent the longest time sleeping beside Mizuno in the same bed, Symboli Rudolf understood that point very well.

Even if he really were locked in a sunless basement for several years, he probably would not give up thinking about how to escape.

That was why Symboli Rudolf did not believe Mizuno would lose all hope of moving forward over a trivial matter like being mounted by them. There was a very high chance that this dead-eyed despair he was showing now was an act.

"If you don't get up, I'm going to start round thirty!" Symboli Rudolf straddled Mizuno's abdomen, her tail winding around his thigh, while her fingers meaningfully traced across his chest.

In the past, whenever she did this, this guy would immediately admit defeat.

But this time, Symboli Rudolf miscalculated.

Facing her threat, Mizuno did not beg for mercy as usual. Instead, his eyes turned pitiful. He covered his face with his arm, and from his mouth came a miserable sobbing sound like that of a certain pink-haired band girl.

"Mm-hm~ mm-hm↗—hm↘ hm↘ hm↘ hm-hm—"

The crying was sorrowful and moving, fully displaying the grievance of a victim.

"!" Symboli Rudolf's heart instantly tightened, as if a sharp knife had been driven into her chest.

"I... I'm sorry!"

The Emperor, usually so domineering, lowered her posture to someone else for the first time because of the tears of the person she loved.

"Don't cry, don't cry! I didn't actually mean it like that! I was only... only..." Symboli Rudolf was at a complete loss, her small face flushed red. For the first time, she felt that her vocabulary for apologizing was so poor.

"!" Seeing Mizuno cry, Air Groove and Maruzensky also crowded around him one after another, panicked like husbands waiting outside a delivery room.

Clearly, this guy's crying sounded so good it made people want to get pregnant, but right now, none of them had even the slightest thought in that direction. They only wanted to comfort him.

"I'm sorry! It was our fault!"

"We won't make another move on you again, all right?"

The two Umamusume took Mizuno's hands and gently placed them against their burning chests, wanting to use that to prove that their words were not false.

"Mm-hm~ mm-hm~"

Seeing this situation, Mizuno was still crying pitifully on the surface. But the downturned corner of his mouth secretly revealed a barely noticeable smile.

Finally, they fell for it.

The strong had the strength of the strong. Then the weak also had a weapon that belonged only to the weak—acting pitiful.

Just like the small creatures in nature that evolved camouflage to evade their natural predators, Mizuno, as a weak human in the eyes of Umamusume, naturally needed to master a few acting techniques that could trigger an Umamusume's protective instincts.

Although Mizuno did not like acting pitiful, nor did he like being the weak one, in this world where he had no power to resist once he was Uma Pyoi'd by an Umamusume, perhaps only acting cute and spoiled would let him survive better.

Survival wasn't shameful.

One had to understand that the opponents Mizuno faced now were three of the most famous Umamusume in racing: the Emperor, the Empress, and the Supercar. Going head-to-head with them was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The only result would be getting run over.

But if Mizuno did not confront them directly, and instead chose to play miserable, the situation would become vastly different. His appearance, which made others want to protect him the moment they saw him, would become his best camouflage!

Just as a grown man would not bully a helpless girl, an Umamusume who had just finished time-to-eat would not want to keep wringing a pitiful Trainer dry.

Does anyone understand that the beauty trap counters mature-type Umamusume?

Now, under his pitiful performance, not only had Air Groove and Maruzensky softened their attitudes, even that proud Symboli Rudolf was desperately apologizing and begging for forgiveness like a little girl terrified of losing her best friend.

Got them. Mizuno secretly clenched his fist, rejoicing inwardly. Next, as long as he continued playing pitiful and stabilized their emotions, then found an opportunity to pour out his grievances and make them understand that Uma Pyoi'ing someone was a very wrong thing, Mizuno might be able to escape from here—and perhaps even avoid being attacked by them again for a long while afterward!

Only, just as Mizuno was using his Mizuno sob routine to buy time, a familiar voice suddenly called from outside the room.

"President~~"

The voice was sweet and cute, childish and distinct. The moment everyone in the room heard it, they immediately recognized its owner.

Tokai Teio.

"Oh no!" Symboli Rudolf jolted, hurriedly climbed off Mizuno, and frantically began tidying up her appearance.

The fact that she had eaten Trainer Mizuno absolutely could not be discovered by this adorable kouhai of hers!

But just as Symboli Rudolf finished straightening her own clothes and was about to tidy Mizuno's as well, she discovered that after hearing Tokai Teio's voice, his reaction was even bigger than hers.

Mizuno instantly sprang upright from the sofa, swiftly pulled on his hood, and sat with both hands solemnly placed on his knees like a student who had heard the teacher peeking in through the window. There was absolutely no sign that he had been crying pitifully just moments ago.

"?" Symboli Rudolf's eyes widened in shock.

This guy! So he really was acting!

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T/N: UGHHH WE WERE SO CLOSE and SO HE WAS ACTUALLY PYOID? OR DOES UMA PYOI HAVE A RANGE OF LIKE LEVELS? FROM FORCEFULLY MAKING OUT TO THAT hmmm it said just tidying clothes so i dont think they did it.... just prob forcefully making out and such

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