"Everyone..."

Reading the words of those four Uma—whether sincere, formal, or tsundere—but all, in truth, filled with concern for him, Mizuno's eyes went misty. Tears spilled before he knew it.

To be cared for so deeply by his Uma—what more could a Trainer ever ask for?

And yet, even so, Mizuno still had no intention of borrowing money from them.

After all, online payment wasn't popularized in Japan yet. Most transactions were done either by card on site, or with hard cash. The same was true for Tachyon's black market tonight.

Which meant: if Mizuno wanted to use the money they lent him, he'd either have to go into the Uma dorm to get it, or have Rice Shower and the others bring cash out to him.

But Mizuno neither wanted to barge into the terrifying Uma dorm in the middle of the night, nor could he bear to make these still-growing girls stay up late, only to carry a negative status of [Sleep Deprived] tomorrow.

So in the end—stealing was still the more convenient option.

After sending each of the four a simple "Thank you for your concern, good night," Mizuno pocketed his phone and prepared to continue with his plan:

First, line up like everyone else. When it was his turn, casually ask Tachyon if she had any potions that could shorten a plant's growth cycle. Something with a similar effect would do as well.

If there wasn't, then retreat and rethink.

If there was, then ask her to bring it out. Memorize its color, where she placed it. Pay for some cheap potion as cover, then leave, let his presence fade from her vision—and return later to steal the real target.

Mizuno thought his plan was flawless. As long as he succeeded in stealing the potion, he could immediately begin fulfilling the Empress's wish.

Only—before the plan even began, it suffered a heavy blow...

"Hm?" Tachyon, happily counting money at the front desk, happened to glance toward the end of the line. Her expression shifted as if something had caught her attention.

She narrowed her eyes, furrowed her brows, staring at that spot for a good ten seconds. Then her face relaxed, realization dawning.

"Ahem..." She coughed lightly, then spoke lazily:

"Just a reminder. This black market follows the principle of fair trade. Don't even think about stealing. Before you even try, I can catch you." Her chin rested in her hand, eyes fixed in Mizuno's direction, the smile on her face carrying a faintly dangerous edge.

"!" Mizuno's heart gave a hard thump.

For an instant, he really thought she was talking about him.

But no—impossible. She couldn't see him, couldn't read minds. How could she know what he was plotting?

It must've just been a general warning...

Still, for some reason, her gaze lingered this way. Mizuno felt a pang of guilt and shuffled two steps to the left.

Her eyes slid left by exactly two steps as well, still pointing straight at him.

"Huh?" Mizuno froze.

To test if Tachyon had truly noticed, Mizuno began moving around the lab, even jumping about. Yet her gaze never wavered from him.

"Don't hide. I'm talking to you. The black-clad miss at the back of the line, hopping around like a rabbit."

Tachyon, seeing Mizuno still didn't believe she'd spotted him, simply lifted her long-sleeved arm and pointed directly at him.

Perhaps because nearly all her customers were Uma with a crush on their Trainer, Tachyon instinctively assumed this unremarkable black-clad figure was also an Uma, and addressed Mizuno as "miss."

"Ah?" Mizuno stood stiff, pinned by that pointing finger.

So she was talking about him after all!

But how? That wasn't scientific at all! How could Tachyon see him?!

And even if she did, how could she know he intended to steal?!

Could she really read minds?!

"Crap..."

As more and more Uma followed Tachyon's pointing finger and turned their heads toward him, Mizuno's gut screamed danger. Before anyone could truly register his presence, he quickly slipped out of the lab.

But he didn't go far. Clinging to a last thread of hope that maybe Tachyon hadn't actually recognized him, he crept to a window and peeked inside.

"Fufu~" Tachyon's welcoming smile met him head-on, shattering that fragile hope.

"..." Mizuno slowly crouched down, back against the wall, head bowed to the cold floor tiles. For a moment, he was dazed.

He rubbed his temples and scrapped his entire theft plan.

Mizuno... had been scared stiff.

Anyone would. Planning something shady, only to be called out by name before even moving—it felt like peeking at an Uma in the bath, only for her to storm out and Uma Pyoi you on the spot.

Guilty, terrified, helpless.

Mizuno couldn't begin to understand how Tachyon had seen through him. It was too far beyond reason—like some supernatural event.

Maybe she really had invented something that could probe human hearts. He couldn't know.

But one thing was certain: under Tachyon's cheat-level "x-ray vision," stealing was impossible. And yet he couldn't afford to miss this black market. Without it, there was no way to resolve the Empress's illness...

The situation was dire.

"La la la~" Several Uma came out of the lab, humming happily, carrying their potions. They'd gotten what they needed, off to bed without a care.

"Ugh..." Mizuno clutched his head, sitting on the cold floor, trying hard to think of a solution. Compared with the cheerful Uma passing by, he looked pitifully alone.

"So I really can only borrow enough money and make a proper deal...?"

With a sigh, Mizuno pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts. After a long hesitation, he finally sent a message—to Rice Shower alone.

[Chat with Adorable Rice Shower]

[Mizuno]: Ahem... Rice Shower, are you still awake?

[Mizuno]: To tell the truth, I've run into a little trouble...

[Mizuno]: It's just... well...

[Mizuno]: I'm short on money right now. Could you lend me some...?

Actually, Mizuno's first candidate for borrowing had been Mejiro McQueen.

The Mejiro family was a grand clan. To them, even a few million yen wasn't a problem—might not even count as a "problem."

And McQueen herself had just said in chat that money matters were nothing to her. A billion or two was beneath her notice.

To be honest, the instant he read McQueen's words, Mizuno's heart had leapt. His fingers had even typed into the chat box: "Rich lady! I'm starving!" One tap, and it would've been sent.

But Mizuno stopped himself at the last moment. He suppressed the reckless urge to reach for McQueen's fortune.

Because he felt it. Something about that easy, simple solution... wasn't right.

His instincts told him: Don't casually owe Mejiro McQueen a favor. If he really borrowed money from her, the price of repayment in the future could be enormous.

Under the control of a great family, he might even have to stake his very self...

He smelled danger.

So Mizuno shook his head, deleted the draft message, and looked instead at the other three.

Tokai Teio...

Asking her was no different from asking Rudolf. That option was unclickable!

Borrowing from Teio would only make their relationship even closer. That kind of thing—no thanks!

And King Halo...

This girl was already lacking confidence. Mizuno had to send her hundreds of encouragement messages every night just to keep her afloat. To suddenly borrow money from her now—it would feel wrong. Like all his past encouragement had been a setup for this very ask...

So until Halo regained her confidence, Mizuno would never ask anything of her.

Which left, from the bottom of his heart, the one he trusted most: his beloved little sister, Rice Shower.

And sure enough, almost the instant Mizuno sent his message, she replied.

[Chat with Adorable Rice Shower]

[Rice Shower]: Onii-sama is short on money? How much do you need?

[Rice Shower]: I'll bring it to you tomorrow.

[Mizuno]: Uh...

(After a few seconds' hesitation)

[Mizuno]: Actually, I kind of need it now...

[Rice Shower]: Now? Where are you, Onii-sama? I'll bring the money to you right away!

Staring at her messages, Mizuno suddenly felt a deep pang in his chest.

Damn it...! Why did this suddenly feel like one of those TV dramas—where the man loses everything gambling, then calls his wife over to clean up the mess and pay his debts?

Like some pathetic soft-rice man, living off a woman...