"Trainer Mizuno..."
Stared down by Symboli Rudolf's dangerous gaze, Mizuno immediately abandoned his pointless attempt at slamming the door on an Uma. Trembling, he retreated a few steps.
Rudolf stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"Trainer Mizuno, weren't you supposed to be sick? But you look rather lively to me." Her voice pressed down like judgment.
"Uh..." Cold sweat streamed down Mizuno's back. He turned his face away, guilty.
The only reason he could hide out in the dorms, avoiding Tracen Academy entirely, was because he was faking an illness.
If Rudolf discovered that truth, not only would his heavenly closed-door life be over, there might even be punishment waiting!
So Mizuno immediately clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor.
"Ugh! No, my Tang Syndrome is flaring up—I'm about to lose it!"
He curled up, then started spinning on the floor like a top, crying out "Oiiaiooooiai—" in bizarre wails, as if he were truly in the throes of some attack.
"..." Rudolf only watched him in silence, then sighed.
"Trainer Mizuno, Tang Syndrome doesn't work like that..."
She didn't say it outright, but any sane person could hear the meaning: she knew he was faking.
But Mizuno kept spinning, kept crying "Oiiaiooooiai," if anything acting even more absurd.
"..." Rudolf's brows drew together, annoyance flickering.
If Trainer Mizuno insisted on being this obstinate... then she had no choice but to use the one method he feared most.
She bent down, smiling sweetly as she said:
"Trainer Mizuno, if you don't stop right now... I'll Uma Pyoi you right here."
"Cough, cough!" At that threat, Mizuno froze, then scrambled to his feet in embarrassment, bowing his head.
"Sorry!"
"Yes, that's better." Rudolf nodded in satisfaction at how quickly he turned obedient.
As expected, Trainer Mizuno was terrified of Uma. A single "if you don't behave, I'll Uma Pyoi you" was enough to make him comply instantly—far more effective than any other reasoning.
Perhaps its power went even further. Perhaps... she could even command him to do things he would never normally do...
Watching him shiver, Rudolf suddenly wanted to test it. She flexed her ankle slightly, then said:
"Trainer Mizuno, I'm feeling a little tired."
Mizuno blinked, then quickly understood. He rushed to pull a chair over and set it behind her.
"President Rudolf, please have a seat!"
She sat, and her eyes lingered on him.
"Trainer Mizuno, I'm a little thirsty..."
"Understood!" Mizuno bolted like a rabbit to the kitchen, returning seconds later with a glass of cool water. He presented it reverently.
"President Rudolf, your water!"
Rudolf accepted the cup, then touched the back of her neck.
"My shoulders..."
"I'll massage them for you, President Rudolf!"
In an instant, Mizuno was behind her, kneading her shoulders.
"Mmm." The perfect pressure drew a sigh from her, eyes closing in comfort.
Commanding Trainer Mizuno... felt so good!
Normally he was impossible to pin down, always escaping, never giving her the chance to get close or show him the good in Uma, never letting her help him overcome his fear.
But now—look at him. Obedient as a servant, utterly at her mercy.
Rudolf thought: even if she ordered him to stay at her side all day, with the threat of being Uma Pyoi'd, he'd have no choice but to agree.
Just as she was thinking about how else to tease him, her nose twitched. She sniffed.
"Hm? Why does this room smell like another Uma?"
She followed the scent to the bed, bent down, and inhaled the sheets.
"It's strongest here..."
Mizuno's heart skipped.
No way. She can smell that?!
Gold Ship sprayed freshener in the room every day just to avoid this—yet Rudolf still picked it up!
If she discovered Broshi not only lived here every day, but even shared his bed—he was finished!
He hurried to say: "President Rudolf, you must be mistaken. There's no way an Uma could be here. The boys' dorm forbids them, and besides, they don't even know the location."
"That's true." Rudolf nodded. The boys' dorm location was a strict secret—most Uma really didn't know. Perhaps she had imagined it...
"But, President Rudolf... how did you know the boys' dorm location? That doesn't seem to follow the rules..." Mizuno finally voiced the question burning inside him.
Her sudden visit had blindsided him. Why was the Student Council President breaking rules to enter? Surely she wasn't sneaking in like Broshi... right?
"Heh." Rudolf crossed her arms, raising her chin proudly.
"Other Uma may not know, but Student Council members have special privileges. We're allowed to enter the boys' dorm."
"Hah?" Mizuno froze.
What kind of overpowered privilege was that?! Did that mean trainers paired with Student Council Uma had no safe haven at all?! That was way too cruel!
"Ugh..." Imagining the pitch-black lives of those poor trainers, Mizuno shivered in sympathy.
"Heh." Rudolf's ears twitched as she watched his slight trembling.
Why did Trainer Mizuno's fear look... kind of cute?
Not like Teio's cuteness, which made her want to cuddle and spoil her. No—Mizuno's was different. Terrified but stubbornly strong. Caring deeply yet pretending not to. That kind of personality stirred her desire to conquer—made her want to lock him away, press him down on the bed, and force him to spill every hidden thought.
Her original intent was to free him from his fear of Uma... but every time she faced him, she couldn't help wanting to tease him.
Just a little... just one more tease...
Rudolf sat on the bed, slipping off her shoes.
"Trainer Mizuno, my feet hurt. Could you massage them for me?" She hugged her knees, eyes hopeful.
"Uh..." Mizuno glanced at her pale legs in white stockings, then turned his face aside, clearly reluctant.
Rudolf chuckled.
"Do you want to be Uma Pyoi'd?"
"I'll massage them right now!" Mizuno slid to his knees and took her delicate feet in his hands.
"Mmm." As the sensation spread, Rudolf closed her eyes in bliss.
At first she had only wanted to tease him, with no real expectation. But his massage skill was shockingly good.
Expert hands, precise on the pressure points, perfect strength—not at all like a beginner.
"He must've studied for the sake of his team's Uma..." she judged.
Her admiration for his sense of responsibility, coupled with the tingling from the massage, painted her cheeks pink, a faint ache blooming low in her belly.
Trainer Mizuno was so cute. Just a massage wasn't nearly enough. She wanted to bully him more... what should she do?
Her gaze on him grew hotter.
"Ugh..." Under his mask, tears slid down Mizuno's face.
He'd practiced foot massage secretly for ages, following [Massage Techniques: From Feet to XX.] From beginner to moderately skilled, all so he could one day help Urara and Rice Shower relax after training. He never imagined the first one to experience it would be Symboli Rudolf...
Forgive me, Urara. Forgive me, Rice Shower. Onii-sama... isn't clean anymore...
But he had no choice. To avoid being Uma Pyoi'd, he had to obey Rudolf's every command.
And it wasn't such a big deal, right? Just a foot massage. There was no way she'd lose control and actually... do anything, right?
As long as she didn't discover that he and Broshi shared this room and this bed, everything would be fine...
"Mizuno-dono, I'm back!" At that moment, Gold Ship pushed the door open.
"Eh?" Seeing Rudolf on the bed, she thought it was a hallucination.
She shut the door. Opened it again.
Rudolf was still there.
"Eh?"
"Hoh?" Rudolf's eyes glinted dangerously as she looked from Gold Ship at the door, still opening and shutting, then back at Mizuno kneeling before her, hands on her feet.
"Trainer Mizuno... why is Gold Ship here?"
"Uh... uh..." Sweat poured down Mizuno's face like rain.
At the doorway, Gold Ship finally realized what was happening. She too broke into cold sweat, but forced herself to greet Rudolf calmly.
"Ahahaha, so it was President Rudolf. I was just passing by! I won't disturb you, I'll just go now."
She turned to flee—
But hadn't gone two steps before Rudolf grabbed her by the collar and dropped her beside Mizuno, both of them trembling together.
"It's over..."