Holding the flower tea Yuriko had given him, Kazuo walked back to the shop from the flower shop when he unexpectedly spotted a suspicious figure outside.
With a head of dark, beautiful hair, a petite and slender body, she gently leaned against the shop window, standing on tiptoes, cautiously peeking into the shop.
She seemed so focused that she didn't even notice someone approaching from behind.
"...Uh."
Kazuo looked for a long time, only feeling that the back of her head looked somewhat familiar. He slowly approached and gently patted her shoulder.
"Um... excuse me..."
"Ah~!!!"
The high-pitched scream almost shattered Kazuo's eardrums. The girl was suddenly startled, launching herself like a cannonball. When she turned around and saw a man so close to her, tears welled up in her eyes, and her mind went blank. In her panic, she instinctively tried to run, but as she backed away, she unexpectedly tripped over a step.
She immediately lost her balance and fell backward, supine.
"Ah..."
The girl stared in shock as the world in her eyes began to turn upside down, only to hear someone shout, "Watch out!" in her ear.
Then she hit something and lost consciousness.
.
"Ouch... ouch, that hurts so much... *hiss*—",
Kazuo's entire expression became contorted. Although he couldn't see, he already knew he had no feeling below his knees.
Reacting in that instant, he practically lunged towards the girl. Before she hit the ground, he used his arm to shield the back of her head.
Cradling her body, Kazuo protected her, acting as a cushioned buffer when they fell, so she wasn't injured. However, to avoid his body pressing down on the girl's small frame, he moved away from her, and his knee directly hit the step.
The piercing pain made Kazuo almost cry.
And with such an extreme movement, it seemed he had also strained his back—
But fortunately, the girl seemed to have fainted from shock and was not seriously injured.
If Kazuo hadn't reacted, and the girl's head had hit the stone steps hard, it could have even resulted in a mild concussion in a severe case.
Kazuo had already performed an inhuman feat, even straining his back.
However, judging solely by the outcome, it was already a blessing in disguise.
It's just—
Rice Shower-classmate... why is she here?
Amidst the pain, he looked at the unconscious girl beneath him.
Her slanted bangs, which covered half her face, and her doll-like cute features.
Kazuo immediately recognized who it was.
But before he could think further, there was a sound from behind him.
The shop door was pushed open from the inside.
"...It sounds like there's something outside..."
A white-haired Uma Musume with a bob haircut walked out of the store. When she turned her head, everything before her was enough to make her freeze.
Kazuo also seemed to sense that something was wrong. He quickly turned his head, but unexpectedly saw a girl he had never seen before.
Her snow-white bob haircut, skin so fair it was like a legendary snow woman, delicate and small features, cherry-colored pupils, and a cherry-like mouth. She was like an unstained white lotus.
Who was this Uma Musume?
The two exchanged a silent glance, but at this moment, Kazuo's expression was twisted due to the pain.
He looked as if he was glaring fiercely at the girl, and combined with his current state—
He had knocked a young girl to the ground, even made her faint, and was even straddling her, looking as if he was about to scheme something improper... (OxO)
After a brief moment of shock, the girl, who had recovered, instantly pulled out her phone from her bag—
"Calling the police... Pervert."
Although she looked quite innocent and cute, she was not at all careless in her actions.
"Wait! It's not what you think!"
If the police were called, he would really be in trouble!
But the problem was, he couldn't make any moves now. After that sudden incident, he was practically half-paralyzed.
He couldn't move even if he wanted to, maintaining this very awkward posture.
"Woo..."
Rice Shower also leisurely woke up at a very bad time.
She let out a whimper like a small animal, but after regaining consciousness, when she realized how close her body was to Kazuo's, after a brief brain freeze, she fainted again with a "Goo woo..." sound.
"Hey, Rice Shower-classmate!?"
Kazuo had thought that if she woke up, he would have a chance to clear his name.
But he never expected that Rice Shower, upon regaining consciousness and seeing him, would instantly faint again.
And this only deepened the misunderstanding—
"Hello, Police Department?"
"Wait! It's really not what you think!"
If he was really misunderstood like this! His Trainer career would probably end before it even began—
At this critical moment, another person also walked out.
"Miko? You've been standing outside for so long, has something happened...?"
Aoi had just walked out of the store. While greeting the white-haired Uma Musume, she turned her gaze over—
(OxO)
Her expression instantly changed to this look.
Speaking of which, the expressions of these two when they saw this scene were surprisingly consistent—
But Aoi knew Kazuo's character. After a moment of shock, she instantly noticed Kazuo's condition.
He clearly wasn't harboring any improper thoughts towards the girl, but rather had run into trouble.
"Kazuo!? What happened to you! Are you okay!?"
"...Aoi..."
Kazuo looked at her with a pained expression, "She fell, quickly come and help me... help me up... I twisted my back, I can't move."
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