"Trainer~ Where have you been these past few days? I've missed you so much!"

Tokai Teio scolded with a pouting anger while squeezing Mizuno even tighter. She greedily sniffed his scent, as if trying to make up double for what she'd missed these last few days.

"..." Mizuno wanted to explain himself, but right now his entire face was buried in Tokai Teio's belly, never mind speaking—he could hardly breathe!

"Mmmph!!" Since Mizuno couldn't break free from Teio despite giving it his all, he helplessly tapped her back, signaling her to let go before he passed out.

But Teio completely misunderstood his intentions—thinking Mizuno was patting her back to comfort her. So, not only did she not loosen her grip, she squeezed even tighter.

"Yes, Trainer—I missed you too." Teio affectionately rubbed her face against Mizuno.

"Mmmph—!!" Mizuno felt his chest burning hot, his lungs nearly out of oxygen. If he didn't do something fast, he'd faint from lack of air.

Passing out in front of an Uma is definitely a no-go! Who knows—I might wake up in the basement!

Right now, the best way to get out of this pinch was to give Teio a shock—something to make her let go on her own.

But pulling tails, tickling feet, or grabbing butts—those taboo zones—were strictly off-limits, Mizuno hadn't forgotten that. Because even if it worked to get Teio off him, whatever came afterward…

Mizuno didn't dare imagine...

Thus, Mizuno chose instead to slip his hands toward Teio's waist, directly targeting her sensitive spots for a tickle attack.

Tickle-tickle.

"Eeeep—" Teio trembled, then quickly broke into laughter.

"Hahaha—" Unable to handle the tickling, Teio moved to shield her waist.

"Pwah!" The moment Teio loosened her grip, Mizuno immediately gasped a huge breath of fresh air, finally feeling alive again.

"Hah... hah..." While Mizuno was rapidly breathing to replenish oxygen, his hands never stopped, still tickling Teio to prevent her from latching on again.

"Hahaha—Trainer, stop it~!"

Even though an Uma could easily pry open a human's grip, Teio thought Mizuno was just playing with her, so she didn't resist, allowing him to continue tickling her.

However, at that moment, with her sensitive Uma sense of smell, Teio suddenly caught a whiff of something she'd never detected from Mizuno before.

Normally, Mizuno maintained absolute vigilance in front of every Uma, barely daring to breathe. Plus, his clothing blocked out any scent, preventing the Uma from smelling his Uma Mint scent.

But after nearly suffocating just now, his heavy breathing had inadvertently released a faint trace through the tiny gap between his hood and collar.

Even though it was as faint as air itself, Teio's sharp senses immediately caught hold of it.

Hmm... how to describe it...

The scent was very sweet, very fragrant, strangely exciting her and making her crave more!

Fortunately for Mizuno, he quickly adjusted his breathing. Before Teio could fully memorize it, the scent vanished like a comet flashing through the night sky, disappearing instantly.

This left Teio slightly regretful, feeling as though she had just missed something precious.

But her attention was soon redirected by the tickling at her waist.

"Hahaha—Trainer...I...I can't anymore..." Teio laughed until tears welled up, trembling uncontrollably and slumping backward.

"..." Seeing Teio was laughing so hard she'd lost all strength, Mizuno immediately lifted her off himself and gently placed her on the ground beside him.

Then he quickly sat up, cautiously scanning the surroundings, wary another Uma might suddenly jump out of nowhere and pounce him again.

Luckily, it seemed Teio was the only Uma here—no others lurking nearby. Mizuno certainly couldn't handle it if any more showed up.

"Wait a minute!" Suddenly realizing something, Mizuno shivered violently, snapping his head toward Tokai Teio.

In a secluded spot like this, wasn't it even more dangerous with just the two of them?!

"Trainer?"

Teio, still lost in the lingering sensations of ticklishness, sat daintily on the ground, tears glistening in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed lightly as she spoke with an expectant voice:

"Aren't we going to continue?"

"Guh—!" Mizuno nearly spat out blood from sheer panic at the sight.

This scene was way too suspicious! Anyone looking would assume he'd just done something horrible to Teio…

"N-no... let's not." Mizuno waved his hands frantically, shaking his head. If this continued, it would absolutely cause misunderstandings.

"Ehh—" Teio puffed out her cheeks unhappily. She'd really wanted to keep playing with Mizuno.

However, she quickly thought better of it. More important than playing right now was figuring out exactly why Trainer-san had vanished these past few days.

"Oh, right, Trainer!" Teio grabbed Mizuno's sleeve, her expression suddenly turning serious.

"Where exactly have you been these past few days? Why haven't you sent any messages? I looked everywhere for you!"