"Ugh—ah~."
Mizuno forced his sore, aching body to stretch lazily in front of Symboli Rudolf, pretending he had slept well, as if last night he'd gotten enough rest, sitting up slowly from the bed.
Even though every bone in his body creaked in protest, even though his chest throbbed with bursts of pain, he still put on the face of someone unbothered, greeting Rudolf with calm ease.
"Good morning, Luna."
"Good morning... hmm..."
But Mizuno's oddness was quickly noticed by her.
"You seem exhausted. Did you not sleep well last night?"
"Ah... I had a nightmare..." Mizuno scratched at his cheek, guilty.
"Oh? A nightmare?" Rudolf tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.
"You clutched my hand all night... and you were having a nightmare?"
"..." Her deadly question froze Mizuno in place, his heart stopping for several beats.
Especially paired with that smile of hers—warm on the surface, yet carrying hidden threat underneath. It gave him the sudden feeling of a girlfriend asking: So what, you see me as the nightmare?
"Hahaha, of course not..." Mizuno forced a laugh, eyes darting away.
"Quite the opposite. The nightmare was frightening. But with you there, it... felt almost cute. Without you, my condition would be far worse..."
"Oh? Truly?" Rudolf chuckled softly, stepping closer. She placed a hand on his shoulder, gave it a light pat, her expression gradually softening.
"Sora, you must remember this..."
"Every time you lie to me, I'll mark it down. One mark equals one Uma Pyoi. They'll pile up... and though I may not pounce now, in the future—who knows."
"Do you understand?"
"...Yes, I understand..." Mizuno nodded stiffly.
On the surface, he still looked calm, steady as ever. But under his black hood, sweat was pouring.
Mark it down? She actually keeps a little notebook for that?
Like tallying lines in a ledger—one lie, one Uma Pyoi strike later...
It wasn't that Mizuno wanted to lie to Rudolf. But if he told her about Tachyon's black market, he'd never get another chance to buy the [Intent Glasses]. He had no choice but to keep it hidden.
Let's hope her notebook is still at zero...
"Come. Eat breakfast." For whatever reason, Rudolf didn't press further. She guided Mizuno to a chair in the dining space.
"Mm..." He nodded weakly, then reached out trembling hands, tipping food slowly into his hood to eat.
Truth be told, Rudolf's cooking skills were impressive. Despite schoolwork consuming most of her time—always grading, or on the way to grade—her meals were better than those made by many Uma who spent hours in the kitchen.
On a normal day, Mizuno would've savored every bite, praised her warmly, even asked for her secrets.
But today, his mind was elsewhere.
He finished her carefully made breakfast in haste, forced out compliments about its freshness and flavor, and then impatiently pulled out a document he'd prepared.
"Luna, could you approve this application for me?"
It was the [Tracen Academy Garden Land Use Application], slid carefully across to her.
"The garden? A land use request?"
Rudolf had still been savoring his earlier praise, but his sudden request made her blink in mild confusion.
Why would a Trainer, whose job was training Uma, want to claim garden land?
"Did you already find a suitable cereus?"
"No... I just suddenly thought I'd try planting flowers myself. To gain some experience..." Mizuno scratched his cheek.
"Oh~." Her smile was meaningful.
Yourself? You think I'll believe that?
Fine. Another mark down.
"Of course." She picked up the application, verified it carefully, then pulled out her seal and stamped it.
"Application's fine. Seal's fine..."
...
Tracen Academy, flowerbeds.
Most of the plants in the academy's gardens were tended by professional staff. But to nurture the Uma's moral, artistic, and intellectual growth, the school kept some open plots where they could try cultivating their own plants. The school even provided seeds and tools, as long as one filed the paperwork.
At the gate of the flowerbeds, an old gardener with the application in hand squinted at the suspicious-looking man in black before him.
"Trainer Mizuno, is it? Follow me."
After jotting down Mizuno's appearance, the gardener tucked the form away, put on a straw hat, and led him into the garden.
Mizuno followed obediently, counting the heap of plant growth potions inside his four-dimensional pocket.
Ever since returning last night, he had a plan.
Though Tachyon's growth potion carried a deadly flaw—forcing plant cells into limitless intake until they collapsed—that didn't mean Mizuno couldn't find a way around it.
If no clever solution presented itself, then he'd use the simplest, most brute-force method. So long as it achieved results, any method would do.
As the saying went: Black cat, white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
So Mizuno decided he himself would manually regulate the plants' intake.
Just like a doctor rationing food for a patient with gluttony, he could ration nutrients for plants dosed with growth potion.
If he could deliver just the right amount at just the right time—not too little, not too much—it might work.
Which meant he had to calculate the accelerated growth rate of these crazed plants, then continuously supply precise light, water, and minerals, without pause. The difficulty was about on par with giving someone an injection mid freefall from a parachute jump.
It was clumsy, yes. But it was a method. And better than doing nothing.
That was why Mizuno applied for a garden plot—to test exactly how much potion and nutrients one flower needed.
Led by the gardener, Mizuno reached the public cultivation area, the section where students planted their own.
Most plots were filled with carrots—no surprise, Uma probably planted them to eat.
Only one small patch grew carnations.
But all the carnations were withered, neglected.
"Oh, that patch... belonged to an Uma named Air Groove," the gardener sighed, following Mizuno's gaze.
"But she hasn't been here for a long time..."