[MashUp] Ch 25: Uma Musume News & The Bunny Girl

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The sunset bled across the sky, melting into a sheet of warm orange.

The train rumbled steadily along, the rhythmic clack-clack echoing like the city's pulse.

The carriage was crammed with people heading home after a long day.

Takuma leaned against the door, one hand in his pocket as he idly scrolled through his phone.

A new message. From Isuzu Sento.

He tapped it open.

It was a photo of a cheap izakaya, packed to the brim.

The six hundred "janitors" who had just finished their first shift were squeezed together, mugs of beer raised high, their faces glowing with the joy of people who'd narrowly escaped disaster.

Right in the middle of the photo, Moffle clutched a massive glass of booze, bawling his eyes out while his buddies cackled at him.

The picture was ridiculous—

Yet brimming with a raw, reckless vitality.

Below the photo were Isuzu's usual stiff lines of text.

{This is the current situation. They're too noisy.}

{But… it's the first time I've seen them this happy.}

A faint curve tugged at Takuma's lips.

He flicked off the screen and slid the phone back into his pocket.

His gaze drifted lazily across the carriage.

"Damn it, lost by a hair again!"

A middle-aged man gripping the overhead strap growled at his phone, glued to the latest Uma Musume news.

"Look, look! This exact shade! Misato wore this one yesterday!"

Two high school girls huddled together, squealing over a new line of cosmetics.

The carriage was a messy patchwork of mundane daily life.

So normal it bordered on dull.

And then—

Takuma's eyes stopped.

His gaze locked on the space between cars.

There, a girl stood completely out of sync with the rest of the world.

She was dressed in a skintight bunny girl outfit, every curve of her figure sculpted to perfection.

Her long legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings, the fluffy bunny ears on her head twitching slightly with the train's sway.

She stood perfectly still, face expressionless, like a living doll.

But the strangest part—

Nobody around her reacted.

A woman's arm brushed against her shoulder, yet the lady kept scrolling through discount ads on her phone, oblivious.

The group of high school girls looked straight through her as if she wasn't even there.

It was as though she only existed in Takuma's vision.

His brows lifted ever so slightly.

Interesting.

His eyes grew bolder, shamelessly tracing her from head to toe, savoring the forbidden view the world seemed to have forgotten.

That stare was like a spotlight.

The bunny girl shuddered violently, as though struck.

She turned her head in disbelief.

Her clear, stubborn eyes cut through the crowd and collided with his gaze.

Her pupils shrank. Shock painted her face.

This tall man with the hood pulled low… could he see her?

Her lips parted. The words she'd been choking back for so long were on the verge of slipping free.

Takuma's attention flicked toward her for a heartbeat, then drifted back with a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.

'Hmm... She looks so easy to rattle.'

His gaze slid past the bunny girl, deliberately settling on the door behind her, as if she were nothing more than empty air.

The fragile hope that had just sparked in her chest was doused in an instant.

A… mistake?

Her teeth sank into her lip, unwilling to accept it.

She shifted sideways, just a small step—

But enough to plant herself squarely between him and the window.

If he could really see her, his eyes had no choice but to land on her now.

Yet he gave no reaction.

Her heart sank, inch by inch, into the abyss.

Clang!

The train lurched sharply!

Passengers instinctively clutched at the straps and poles.

Takuma staggered forward with the motion, arm shooting out as though to steady himself.

And then—

His hand landed squarely on her thigh.

Just for a heartbeat.

But through the thin layer of stockings, the heat, the firmness, the shape—

It was all unmistakably, indisputably real.

Her body jolted like she'd been struck by lightning!

Her wide eyes snapped to him.

But he had already straightened again, his face the picture of calm detachment, as if nothing had happened.

No.

No way.

Her cheeks burned crimson, fury and shame crashing together as she took a sharp breath.

This time, she boldly shifted closer—so close her body blocked him completely, cutting off every possible escape route.

Her eyes locked on him, daring him to pretend again.

He moved.

A slight shift of his body, as if trying to squeeze past the "empty space" she occupied.

And just as they brushed shoulders—

The hand in his pocket slid against her buttocks in one smooth, unhurried stroke.

The pressure was undeniable. Clearer. Bolder.

"—!"

Her entire face flamed red.

That bastard. He did it on purpose!

She spun, ready to grab this so-called stranger and call him out—

But the train shrieked.

With a thunderous screech of brakes, the carriage shuddered harder than ever before!

Passengers cried out.

"Aah!"

The bunny girl, already off balance in her high heels, toppled backward with a startled cry.

It was over—she was going down.

But before she could hit the floor, strong arms wrapped tight around her.

Takuma pulled her flush against him, holding her as if she belonged there.

Her chest pressed into his solid torso, soft curves flattened into a dangerously tempting shape.

His scent filled her lungs, overwhelming her.

Her mind blanked.

Shame and the wild thrill of being seen crashed through her like a storm.

She was being held—possessively—by a man who wasn't supposed to notice her.

Seconds passed before the train steadied again.

Takuma let her go, the playful curve of his mouth now fully unmasked.

The bunny girl shoved herself free, cheeks blazing, watery eyes glaring up at the man who dared to look so innocent.

Her fists twisted into his hoodie, knuckles white.

"You—!"

Her voice shook, teeth clenched.

"That was on purpose, wasn't it?!"

Takuma looked down at her and chuckled.

"Not bad," he said. "You have an amazing body, by the way."

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