Monday afternoon rolled around again, marking the start of the usual training session.

As always, Mizuno arrived at the training grounds early and waited quietly at the edge until Urara and the other Uma Musume joined her. Once everyone was gathered, he walked over.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Mizuno greeted warmly, stepping into their field of view.

"Good afternoon, Trainer-san~!"

"H-Hello, Onii-sama..."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho~ Good day, Mizuno-san."

"Afternoon, Mizuno-san~!"

"Good day."

Haru Urara, Rice Shower, King Halo, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen returned the greeting cheerfully.

Mizuno passed out cups of honey drink to each girl, like an elder handing out lucky envelopes during the New Year.

"Thank you~!" The five girls eagerly began sipping their honey drinks, savoring the taste.

Once they'd all drunk enough to boost their energy, Mizuno started explaining today's training plan to Urara.

Urara's schedule for this week was more demanding than last week's.

With her debut race just around the corner, Mizuno had to ensure Urara was strong enough to secure first place.

Though Mizuno's [Doctor's Outfit] still had a comfortable four months remaining—meaning there wasn't an immediate survival crisis—there was still one pressing issue to consider:

The imminent revival of Misfortune Goddess.

Within three months, he had to guide his Uma Musume to win a [G1] race, gathering enough Hope to counter Misfortune once she fully reawakened.

Compared to those genius-level competitors, Urara was still lacking. She needed significant improvement through training.

Of course, Mizuno wouldn't push Urara excessively just because time was tight. He'd only use the most reasonable, effective, and enjoyable methods to help her grow.

"Well then, let's start today's training."

"Yes~!"

But just as everyone was warming up and preparing to head to the track, Mizuno suddenly received a warning from Luck.

[Beep beep beep! Mizuno-dono, the alarm's sounding!]

Alarm? Is there danger?

[Nope.]

If it's not danger, then something good?

[Not that either.]

?

If it's neither dangerous nor good, what exactly does that mean?

[Hmm, how do I put this...]

[Oh, right! Think of my alarm system as a traffic light—red for danger, green for safety.]

And right now?

[It's showing yellow.]

Huh?

[Basically, I can't determine if it's safe or dangerous. Everything depends on the choice you make next.]

So there was even a situation like this?

"My next choice, huh?" Mizuno chuckled softly.

He wasn't worried. Rational and calm, Mizuno had faced countless dilemmas like this before, always confidently choosing the best path.

He wasn't concerned about his decision leading to misfortune; this was his strength.

Just as Mizuno thought this, Rice Shower timidly shuffled over.

"Onii-sama..."

"Rice Shower? What's wrong?" Mizuno asked gently.

After days spent with Rice Shower, Mizuno had greatly improved his resistance to her cuteness. Even when she called him "Onii-sama," he no longer collapsed on the spot.

"I...actually, have something to show you..." Rice Shower blushed furiously, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

"Oh?" Mizuno grew curious.

Is she planning to give me another gift?

Chocolate, perhaps? Please, no—after last time's incident, Mizuno had developed a slight trauma regarding chocolates.

Still, if it was from Rice Shower, as her caring older-brother figure, he couldn't refuse. At worst, he'd just have Luck supervise him after eating it, preventing him from doing anything disastrous again.

But what Rice Shower wanted to show him wasn't chocolates or any ordinary gift—it was something even more lethal to him.

Rice Shower took a deep breath, mustering every bit of courage.

This made Mizuno even more curious. What exactly does she want to show me?

Rice Shower stood nervously in front of him, putting her hands together in front of her chest.

"O...Onii-sama..." Rice Shower softly whispered, shyly forming a delicate heart shape with her hands.

"Uuu..." Embarrassed, she maintained the pose for less than a second before squatting down, covering her flushed face.

In front of the real Onii-sama, Rice Shower simply lacked the courage to fully perform her cute act.

As a result, the little heart she'd sent toward Mizuno was fragile and unstable, drifting gently toward him as if a single touch might shatter it.

Rice Shower's tiny heart floated slowly until it gently touched Mizuno's chest.

Poof~

The little heart softly entered Mizuno's body.

Mizuno's body briefly trembled.

Then, he stood perfectly still, without further reaction.

It appeared as if Rice Shower's adorable attack had no effect at all.

"..."

"Uuu..."

Rice Shower peeked upward cautiously, heart sinking as she saw Mizuno's indifferent response.

Onii-sama had no reaction at all to Rice Shower's attempt at being cute.

Does he actually...hate me now?

I knew it... I'm not cute at all.

"Uuuuu..." Rice Shower's horse ears drooped sadly, heart heavy with disappointment.

"Trainer-san?" Beside Mizuno, Urara gently poked him, noticing he was standing as motionless as a statue.

Was Trainer-san practicing a new ninja technique?

"Yay~ I wanna try too~!" Urara eagerly copied Mizuno, standing beside him motionless like a wooden statue.

"Mizuno-san?" King Halo, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen also noticed Mizuno's unusual state and approached him curiously.

Normally, if they even got within a meter of Mizuno, he'd immediately step back, maintaining a respectful distance with an air of polite detachment.

But now, they were right next to Mizuno, close enough to touch his clothes, yet he still didn't react. Even his usual cool demeanor had vanished entirely.

"Mizuno-san?" The Uma Musume curiously poked Mizuno's arm, intrigued by his strange reaction.

Usually, they could never approach Mizuno-san, yet now they could freely touch him!

Moreover, it felt like no matter what they did to Mizuno-san right now, he wouldn't respond.

Maybe...they could even remove his hood and finally see his face?

The Uma Musume didn't know the truth, but Luck—attached to Mizuno's body—knew exactly what had happened.

Because Luck saw two distinct words hovering clearly above Mizuno's head:

[Charmed]

[Mizuno-dono! Snap out of it! Mizuno-dono!!]

...

[MIZUNO-DONO——!!]

Mizuno... had silently passed away from cuteness.