"Oysters…" Mizuno groaned weakly, shocked that he'd ever utter those words himself.
He slumped over the table, belly bloated like a woman six months pregnant.
After 217 attempts, only 51 had earned an A or better. The rest of the failures had all ended up inside him. Even though each sample was only a tiny sip, the sheer quantity was equivalent to drinking a bucket of water.
He hadn't just been drinking the failures either—he had to sample each successful batch too, to analyze and replicate them.
The experiment had taken four grueling hours. He'd stayed locked in the conference room, surviving solely on honey drinks in lieu of lunch. His notes on ingredient ratios and tasting analyses were now thick enough to form a book.
And yet, he still hadn't succeeded.
Even though Mizuno was now consistently producing honey drinks rated A or higher—good enough to open his own beverage shop—it didn't matter. Without hitting the S rating, it was all meaningless.
He needed more experimentation. Many more attempts were necessary to break past the A+ barrier and reach perfection.
But Mizuno was at his limit. His progress had come to a painful halt.
Then, the damned bastard system's next announcement broke his spirit even further.
[Beep. Although the host no longer produces beverages rated B or below, the accumulation of drinks rated A poses a risk of waste. Please dispose of all remaining A-rated drinks before the system will resume providing unlimited ingredients.]
"…"
Mizuno stared hopelessly at the remaining twenty-something cups on the table and closed his eyes in despair.
Clearly, today wouldn't be the day he completed the quest for the world's best honey special. Just as he'd begun to enjoy being a researcher, the cruel reality of his stomach capacity dragged him back to earth.
The human stomach had its limits.
Just like research budgets from the higher-ups: no matter how generous, it was never enough to satisfy researchers' endless experiments.
Forget it! I give up!
He was too bloated to stand, let alone complete Rice Shower's apology task to save time. Deciding he had no choice but to sleep it off, he closed his eyes, hoping to digest and then resume his research later.
Just as Mizuno accepted defeat, he faintly heard a quiet noise from the system. At the same moment, a certain gray-haired Uma Musume followed her nose and appeared in the doorway.
She wore five distinctive diamond-shaped hair clips and carried her perpetual, indifferent expression. She was interested in nothing aside from food.
The greatest eater at Tracen Academy—Oguri Cap.
"Smells delicious…" Oguri Cap's nose twitched as she pushed open the conference room door.
This room was far from any usual school activity—no dining hall, no training grounds, no interesting spots—which meant Uma Musume rarely came here, aside from occasionally passing by.
But today, as Oguri Cap passed by, a sweet fragrance hijacked her brain and controlled her movements, pulling her straight to the room.
When Oguri Cap entered, she found it completely empty except for a table covered with delicious-looking drinks.
Her stomach growled loudly. Although she'd cleaned out the cafeteria's entire lunch supply just two hours earlier, she was already hungry again.
Oguri stared at the honey drinks, drool pooling at the corner of her mouth.
I want to eat…
Seeing no owner in sight, she quietly sat down beside Mizuno's slumped figure, grabbed one of the honey drinks, and took a sip.
"Delicious." Although her expression remained indifferent, her trembling eyes revealed her surprise.
Oguri Cap typically disliked honey drinks. They were neither filling nor particularly tasty, so she'd never chosen them when she was hungry.
But now, she discovered for the first time just how delicious a honey drink could be.
The honey was thick and rich—completely unlike those watered-down beverages sold outside. These drinks could easily pass as desserts, bringing Oguri great joy.
Since nobody else is here, it would be a waste to leave these, Oguri reasoned calmly, picking up another cup.
"Delicious… delicious…"
Mizuno, who had barely dozed off, snapped awake upon hearing sounds around him. He jerked upright, startled to see a white-haired Uma Musume eagerly gulping down his creations.
Oguri Cap?
Listening to her repeating "Delicious" nonstop, Mizuno thought he'd stumbled onto a certain food-loving heroine from another universe. Instead, it was Tracen Academy's legendary bottomless pit.
His first instinct was to run—but noticing that Oguri Cap completely ignored him, focusing only on finishing his honey drinks, Mizuno's eyes lit up with an idea.
Oh ho, heaven must be helping me.
Mizuno eyed Oguri Cap as if he'd discovered priceless treasure.
His issue with wasting ingredients was now perfectly resolved.
With Oguri Cap, the black hole of food, at his disposal, his experiments could continue.
The system's rule was that he had to drink any honey special rated B or below himself, but A-rated ones could be freely given away.
At this stage, Mizuno consistently produced A-ratings or higher; he only lacked minor ratio adjustments to achieve perfection. His palate, flooded with sweetness, could no longer distinguish subtle differences. Giving Oguri Cap all his newly made drinks would allow him to focus solely on achieving the S rating.
Without hesitation, Mizuno quickly whipped up another drink in just ten seconds, producing another A+ rating.
Oguri Cap, having just finished the twenty-odd cups on the table, suddenly noticed a new drink placed before her.
Hmm? Another cup?
Gulp.
Without questioning further, she downed it instantly.
Immediately, Mizuno made another, also A+, placing it before her with a dissatisfied grunt.
Hmm? Another one appeared?
Oguri Cap felt vaguely puzzled but didn't stop to think too much about it.
Grab cup. Tilt head. Open mouth. Pour. Close mouth. Swallow.
After repeating this action twenty times, Oguri Cap finally registered the presence of the mysterious hooded figure beside her.
She abruptly realized this figure had been beside her all along, like a certain blue robotic cat, pulling infinite ingredients from a fourth-dimensional pocket and skillfully preparing delicious honey drinks to continuously place before her.
So, this mysterious figure was the source of the endless honey drinks!
Could this person…be a god of honey beverages?
Oguri Cap didn't question Mizuno's identity or why he could produce unlimited drinks. Her mind had room for only one thought: satisfying her hunger.
Thus, a quiet partnership formed. Mizuno continued crafting new honey specials, and Oguri continued drinking them.
Three hundred cups. Five hundred cups. Nine hundred cups!
Finally, as the sun began to set and the entire conference room filled with the scent of honey, Oguri's stomach stretched like a ten-month pregnant woman, Mizuno's experiment concluded.
Ecstatic, Mizuno stood atop the table, triumphantly holding aloft a cup radiating brilliant, multicolored light.
[Item: World's Best Honey Special]
Rating: S
Description: Anyone, regardless of taste, would instantly find this the most delicious honey drink they've ever had.
"I…I did it!"