"Oh?"
Master Jin raised an eyebrow the moment he caught sight of his daughter's flushed face and his future son-in-law's stricken expression. Their reactions were far too synchronized, far too familiar.
"Little Condor, do you two know each other?" he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and glee.
"Um…"
El Condor Pasa froze, eyes darting everywhere but her father's face. Then, hesitantly, she nodded.
Instantly, the vivid memories of yesterday flooded back—the warehouse, the heat, the scent, the shame—and her face turned as red as a stoplight. Even hidden behind her signature mask, her burning cheeks were obvious.
"Ugh…" She fidgeted, twisting a strand of hair around her finger, gaze fixed on the floor.
The usually bold and confident luchadora, who could call out opponents twice her size without blinking, now looked like a shy girl meeting her crush for the first time, terrified one more glance might make her heart explode.
"…"
Across from her, Mizuno sat motionless, his hand covering his face, unable to meet her eyes.
But unlike her, his silence wasn't shy—it was existential despair.
He'd done all this—signed that ridiculous "son-in-law" contract, swallowed his pride, called Jin "Father-in-law"—just to learn a move strong enough to defeat El Condor Pasa. To help her. To free her from her obsession with that mysterious man she couldn't forget.
And now?
Now he'd learned that she—the girl he was supposed to defeat, the Uma Musume who'd nearly crushed him to death—was Master Jin's daughter.
His fiancée.
It was like being forced to watch his own funeral in slow motion.
That humiliating contract? The "proof" of voluntary son-in-lawship? It was now a self-dug pit—his own gallows rope wrapped neatly around his neck.
He had planned to ruin her first impression, make her reject the engagement, then quietly disappear.
But it was far too late.
She'd seen his face. She'd tasted his finger.
There was no undoing that level of intimacy.
Even if she didn't hate him, she'd never let him go—if not out of pride, then to settle the score.
And if she did tell Master Jin the truth about yesterday…
Mizuno pictured Jin's expression turning cold, that "toy" revolver not being so toy-like anymore, and himself spending the rest of his life chained up as the family's personal butler—or worse.
"Gah!" He almost screamed, but managed to swallow the sound, slumping forward instead, hollow-eyed.
He couldn't escape. Not from El Condor Pasa's speed, not from Master Jin's grip, and definitely not from that gun aimed at his head.
Even if he somehow fled, Jin would track him to the ends of the earth to "bring his son-in-law home."
It was over. Absolutely over.
Mizuno's body sagged in the chair, all life draining from him.
To Master Jin, however, that defeated, shell-shocked look didn't look like despair at all.
It looked like bashful infatuation.
"Oh-ho-ho~"
Jin's grin stretched ear to ear as he looked between his beet-red daughter and the stiff, silent young man beside her. The air was thick with awkward, almost cute tension.
Apparently, not only did they know each other—they were clearly close.
"This is perfect~!" Jin's laughter boomed through the room. He stood, strode over, and threw an affectionate arm around his daughter's shoulders.
He'd been worried she might reject his choice of fiancé, but this? This was ideal.
They'd already met! They were already comfortable—intimate, even!
Wonderful! No more matchmaking trouble, no awkward introductions.
Now all he had to do was pick an auspicious date.
Well… maybe an engagement first. His daughter wasn't quite of age yet. Then the wedding. Then—grandchildren. Many, many grandchildren.
At least ten, he decided cheerfully. A good, round number.
"Ha-ha-ha! From now on, the three of us are family!" Master Jin declared proudly.
"F-family?"
El Condor Pasa blinked, confused. She still hadn't pieced together why her father's "future son-in-law" looked exactly like the mysterious man from the warehouse—or why he was using her father's signature move.
But before she could ask, something shiny caught her eye.
"Huh? Papa, why are you scaring people with that toy gun again?" she asked, pointing at the revolver still in Jin's hand.
"Toy… gun?"
Mizuno's head snapped up, his brain short-circuiting. "Wait—what?!"
Jin chuckled, casually pulling the trigger several times. Click, click, click. No bullets. Just hollow clicks.
"Ha-ha-ha! You just noticed?"
Mizuno stared, dumbfounded, as the "lethal weapon" that had frozen him with fear was revealed to be nothing but a replica.
"What?!"
He wanted to bang his head on the table.
If he'd just rushed Jin earlier, maybe—maybe!—he could've escaped before El Condor Pasa arrived.
But no. He'd surrendered to a toy.
"Ugh…" He slumped forward again, lifeless. There was no saving face anymore.
Jin laughed heartily, tossing the revolver aside. "A real gun lover would've noticed right away. You've got a lot to learn, Little Gou!"
Mizuno twitched. A lot to learn about you, maybe.
But Jin was already in full celebratory mode, dragging El Condor Pasa over and plopping her into the chair beside Mizuno.
He set a broad hand on each of their shoulders, his grin blinding.
"Little Condor, Little Gou—" Jin's tone grew solemn, as if giving a sacred blessing.
"Make sure you two give our family plenty of grandchildren~!"
Both froze.
El Condor Pasa's face went crimson, steam rising from her ears.
Mizuno's soul left his body entirely.
Somewhere deep inside, he wondered if being shot by a real gun might actually be kinder.