"Trainer Mizuno, hurry..." Hayakawa-san urged, her gaze growing hazy.

She could have simply left—walked away and avoided breathing in any more of that scent.

But the fragrance was just too good. Too effective on Uma Musume. The more she inhaled, the deeper she sank. Not only unwilling to leave, but gradually, a new desire stirred... to corner Mizuno against the wall again.

"I'm almost done, almost done!"

Mizuno was drenched in sweat, panicking inside, wishing he could scoop everything up in one instant.

But this time he'd ordered too many parts. Even moving both hands at blur-speed wasn't enough—he still needed time!

Who could have guessed even yesterday's lingering scent would affect Hayakawa-san like this?!

Good thing he'd already prepared for the possibility she might lose control—by hiring Gold Ship as his bodyguard. With Ship-bro's protection, he should be safe.

But...

Ship-bro! Where the hell are you?! Mizuno screamed inwardly.

She'd promised she'd be here within five minutes. Why had she flaked again?! This wasn't something to joke about!

"Sorry, Trainer Mizuno... I think... I can't hold back anymore..."

Seeing Hayakawa-san beginning to slip, Mizuno's heart lurched.

He yanked out his phone, firing off a message.

[Mizuno]: Ship-bro! Get here NOW!

But Gold Ship didn't reply...

No matter. A true brother would always arrive at the critical moment. She'd definitely crash down from the ceiling like a heavenly soldier, snatch him from Hayakawa-san's hands!

Mizuno repeated this to himself, self-hypnosis to stay calm.

Another thirty seconds. Finally—finally—all the crates were loaded into his backpack.

"Done!" Mizuno jumped up, ready to bolt—

Too late.

Hayakawa-san's patience had just reached its limit.

"Trainer Mizuno, run... quick..." Her mouth urged him to escape, but her body moved on its own—stepping in front of the door, blocking his only exit.

Now even if he wanted to run, he couldn't.

Ship-bro! If you don't come now, I'm finished!

Ding.

A notification buzzed. Mizuno's heart leapt—Gold Ship!

"Yes! She's finally here!" Relief flooded him.

But when he opened the chat—

[Gold Ship]: Sorry, urgent business. Wait a little longer.

[Mizuno]: ?

"Click." The sound of a lock snapping shut echoed.

"Forgive me, Trainer Mizuno~" Hayakawa-san, cheeks burning hot, lifted one finger.

"Let me smell you one more time, just this once."

"Nooo!"

In his cry of despair, Mizuno was cornered against the wall yet again.

...

An hour later.

The warehouse doors creaked open.

Trainer Mizuno staggered out, clothes disheveled, carrying a soundly sleeping Hayakawa-san in his arms.

There was good news, and bad news.

The good news: He hadn't been pounced.

The bad news: He wasn't far from it.

Because this time Hayakawa-san wasn't nearly as exhausted as before—her sleep desire wasn't strong. Staying close to him carried another kind of desire altogether.

So during that long hour, she not only inhaled his scent, but also roamed her hands all over him!

From hair to face, from face to muscles—her touches grew bolder and bolder.

Mizuno realized—this wasn't like last time. Simply freezing in place wouldn't save him. If he didn't do something, he really would get jumped.

But stripped of his [Doctor's Outfit], Mizuno couldn't speak. His only option was to use his phone to play sounds, trying to nudge Hayakawa-san into sleep—let her sleep desire override her X-desire.

Lullabies—useless. No one ever actually got sleepy from those.

Storytelling—worse. The stories were too interesting, making her more alert.

In the end, only when Mizuno deployed the ultimate weapon—math class—did she finally nod off, clinging to him and drifting into drowsiness.

Had that not worked, he might not have made it back tonight.

And after two sound, peaceful naps, Hayakawa-san's sleep debt was repaid. Next time, there would be no sleep desire left. If she smelled him again... Mizuno really would be done for.

Now night had fully fallen. A pale moon hung high.

"..." Mizuno looked up at it—and saw Gold Ship's abstract tongue-out face appear across its surface, followed by her voice echoing in his head: Ehee~

"Ship-bro..." Mizuno was utterly disappointed.

He had even bought those parts, planning to craft a toy as her payment once she finished her protection job. But she had promised so sincerely—and at the critical moment, one little "urgent business" left him to be mauled.

All through Hayakawa-san using him as a body pillow, Mizuno had fantasized every second about Gold Ship bursting through the warehouse roof, sliding down a rope like a superhero, rescuing him.

But he endured a full hour of torment—no Gold Ship. In the end, he had to save himself.

Such a bodyguard—he didn't want! Payment? Forget it!

The materials he'd meant for her spaceship—he'd use them to build another toy, and give it to someone else. Revenge for Ship-bro's betrayal!

He remembered that in [Training Equipment: From Building Treadmills to Building Children's Toys], besides the alien spaceship, there was also an anti-alien spaceship base vehicle.

Yes. He'd give it to McQueen! Let Gold Ship, who loved pranking her, choke with envy and regret! Let her see how serious betrayal really was!

"Wahahaha—!" Mizuno imitated a certain piece of immortal space junk, venting his emotions through manic laughter.

But he kept it soft—afraid of waking the sleeping Hayakawa-san.

After five minutes of quiet laughter, he felt much lighter. His mind settled back into rational order.

"..." He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and sighed.

"Guess I'd better take you to the infirmary..."

Switching on his phone's flashlight and tucking it into his chest pocket, Mizuno carried Hayakawa-san down the dark slope toward the academy's medical room.

Not long after Mizuno left, a gray-haired Uma Musume dropped from the warehouse roof with a thud.

She was decked out in full SWAT gear, festooned with ropes, a battering ram, flashbangs, a fake FBI badge, and a camera—already recording for over an hour.

Her original plan had been to smash through the roof at the decisive moment, rappel down, and storm the scene with a glorious "FBI, open up!" entrance, capturing it all on film.

But instead of recording her heroism, the footage had caught something far more... heroic.

The gray-haired girl scratched her head in dismay, staring in the direction Mizuno had gone.

"Hss... Mizuno-dono, your secret really is deadly..."