Realizing he couldn't beat El Condor Pasa and walk out of the warehouse in one piece, Mizuno felt thunderstruck. His whole body went rigid, his head buzzed, and even the strength of his hold slipped.
He'd lost—completely.
As a mere human, he could see no perfect play against an Uma Musume whose power and stamina dwarfed his—especially now that the time limit was gone.
At this point, surrendering and trying to bargain for a lighter loss might be best…
In a dead-end like this, fighting on meant nothing. Lying down and waiting for judgment sounded almost comfortable by comparison.
Like a slave asleep in a cage—if you wake him, all he gains is the agony of knowing he'll never escape. Better to keep sleeping until he rots…
No. Wrong. Mizuno, on the verge of giving up, snapped his head, a spark reigniting in his dull eyes.
Waiting for doom wasn't his style. No matter how hopeless, if he found the key point, there had to be a way out.
Think. There has to be a way.
Even if it's imperfect. Even if it means worse embarrassment later—
If he gave up now, there wouldn't be a later at all.
For his future—and to prove he wasn't some sleeping slave—Mizuno had to do whatever it took to avoid the humiliation of being stripped bare by El Condor Pasa…
No—he had to beat her.
So that's the only way…? His brow knit as his gaze fixed on El Condor Pasa's tail, swishing above her shapely backside.
The only sure way to cut an Uma Musume's strength and open a path to victory was what Master Jin had mentioned—pull the tail…
But first he needed to weaken her by other means.
Master Jin had beaten an Uma not just by pulling her tail; he'd also had the world's-strongest body and top-tier technique—winning by a hair.
Mizuno had neither advanced technique nor raw power. He'd only trained endurance and learned the Love-Strong-as-Gold Seven-Day Lock, using toughness to make up for lack of strength.
Even after pulling El Condor Pasa's tail, there was no guarantee he could pin her for a full ten seconds…
He might try to pin her and get reversed on lack of power or experience. If he lost the chance to reapply the lock, he was finished.
So he needed another way to sap her further—enough that he could actually hold her down afterward.
"…" Mizuno looked to his gloved hands.
If Broshi's guess about his special Uma Mint physique was right, then his scent calmed Uma Musume…
He remembered both trips to this warehouse with Hayakawa-san—each time she'd nodded off after catching his scent—and how El Condor Pasa had cooled earlier when his hood slipped. It all suggested his scent worked like a sedative on Uma Musume.
If he could settle El Condor Pasa's fired-up emotions, maybe he could dull her fighting spirit and shave off some of her power…
She'd already smelled him earlier—one more time wouldn't change much…
Worst case, she'd turn like Hayakawa-san and keep wanting another whiff. If he stayed careful after, it shouldn't be too big a problem…
Do it.
Determined to walk out of this warehouse on his own two feet—not carried out on a stretcher—Mizuno gritted his teeth, peeled off a glove, and brought his hand to El Condor Pasa's nose.
"Behold—Infinite Fragrance!"
"Hm?" Focused on breaking the lock, El Condor Pasa didn't notice his hand until it was there. She reflexively drew a deep breath.
"Smells so good!" The irresistible scent of sweet carrots—every Uma Musume's favorite—washed over her. In an instant, the blaze inside her calmed.
At the Three Goddesses statue, and moments ago when his hood slipped, she'd caught this carrot-sweet fragrance twice—but only in passing. Comforting as it was, those brief tastes hadn't revealed its true power.
This time was a direct hit at point-blank range. For the first time, El Condor Pasa felt the full force of a Grade-S scent for Uma Musume.
It was like the sweetest carrot imaginable—etched into instinct—luring any Uma closer to smell, to taste, to claim.
Just having that scent promised unmatched safety.
Mizuno's Grade-S aroma overloaded her mind. It felt like sinking into the world's most comfortable waterbed; anxiety melted, a long-lost ease washed through her…
She paused, eyes fixed on the finger before her. Her lips parted, and—instinctively—her tongue flicked out for a gentle lick.
Slurp—
"?!" The sudden damp warmth on his index finger made Mizuno nearly yank his hand away.
What the hell?! Hayakawa-san never did that! Why is El Condor Pasa licking me?
Does my scent really smell that much like food?! Is it dangerous to let her keep sniffing?
As she mindlessly licked again, his doubts only grew.
Great. Now this looks exactly like some creep bribing a kid with candy.
"Screw it!" He steeled himself and moved closer, letting her breathe him in deeper.
He'd chosen this path; too late to turn back. All he could do was push forward and keep weakening her with his scent.
Now it was truly do or die—if the scent didn't sedate after all, he'd just become El Condor Pasa's "food," to be thoroughly "devoured"…