About half an hour later, Urara and the others arrived at the training room, only to find Trainer-san sitting several meters away from the door, on the bare ground.

They were slightly puzzled—why would Trainer-san sit outside when there were perfectly good chairs inside the training room?

But considering Mizuno-san regularly behaved in inexplicable ways, they quickly dismissed it.

"Trainer-san~ Good morning~"

"Good morning," Mizuno greeted, standing up.

However, Mizuno quickly noticed an unexpected addition. Apart from Urara, Rice Shower, King Halo, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen, who were expected, there was one more Uma Musume—a tall girl with silvery-gray hair styled in straight bangs. She wore a cylindrical hat resembling telegraph headphones, and her somewhat vacant eyes seemed to silently mock the mundane joys of the mortal world.

Undoubtedly, everyone could guess her identity:

Renowned as a god-tier meme herself, an abstract creature from outer space, and every trainer's good brother—none other than the legendary Gold Ship!

"Yo!" Gold Ship cheerfully waved to Mizuno.

Today, Gold Ship had followed Mejiro McQueen specifically to meet Mizuno-san.

Lately, Gold Ship—who routinely amused herself by teasing McQueen—had noticed something suspicious. McQueen seemed to be secretly drinking something special—apparently, a honey-based beverage.

Ordinarily, sneaking sweets was perfectly normal behavior, but Golshi sensed there was something more.

Using some cunning tactics, Gold Ship had successfully snatched away McQueen's secret drink. Before McQueen could retrieve it, Golshi swiftly took a big gulp from the straw, ignoring the obvious trace of McQueen's saliva.

The instant the [S-Grade Honey Drink] touched her tongue, Gold Ship froze.

Unlike ordinary people who became euphoric upon their first taste of [S-Grade Honey], Golshi dramatically fell to her knees, expression filled with sorrow.

Just as McQueen worried Golshi had suddenly contracted some mysterious illness and needed urgent medical care, Gold Ship lifted her head, tears streaming down her face, and declared mournfully:

"Master... I... I wish to learn how to make this honey drink..."

Mejiro McQueen: "..."

From that moment, Gold Ship relentlessly pleaded with McQueen to teach her the secret. She begged during meals, bothered her while she used the restroom, and even crawled into McQueen's futon at night to plead again.

Unable to withstand Golshi's persistent pestering, McQueen reluctantly brought her to meet Mizuno-san.

"I'm truly sorry, Trainer-san, I've failed to keep my promise…" McQueen deeply apologized.

She clearly remembered Mizuno's earlier warning:

If anyone else found out about the honey drink, he'd stop providing it altogether.

Yet here she was, breaking her promise...

McQueen panicked.

What do I do? I can't imagine a future without that heavenly drink every day!

Perhaps I should just kidnap Mizuno-san after all, then promises wouldn't matter anyway…

"Trainer-san…" McQueen subtly touched the Mejiro family-issued anti-pervert baton hidden beneath her clothing, waiting for the perfect moment to knock Mizuno unconscious and carry him home.

However, contrary to her expectations, Mizuno-san wasn't upset at all. Instead, he seemed delighted.

"Oh my god! It's Gold Ship!" Mizuno shouted in astonishment.

It was actually Golshi—his good brother!

Though her abstract antics had earned her the nickname "alien horse," these very eccentricities had protected her from the corrupting influence of bizarre memes, elevating her to true god-tier status.

"I've heard so much about you!" both Mizuno and Gold Ship simultaneously exclaimed.

Both paused, taken aback.

"You know me?" they chorused again.

"Of course!" echoed once more.

The two stared thoughtfully at each other for a moment.

"Why can't astronauts cry in space?" Gold Ship suddenly asked.

"No gravity—tears can't fall," Mizuno answered confidently.

"What's the maximum number of times a piece of paper can be folded?"

"Nine."

"Bingo!" Golshi gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"My turn." Mizuno pondered briefly, then asked:

"Which bird can't distinguish colors?"

"An owl."

"Strongest muscle in the human body?"

"The tongue, blehh~" Gold Ship playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Hahaha!" The pair simultaneously burst into hearty laughter, hands on hips.

Uncannily, their wavelengths resonated perfectly, leaving everyone around them with the impression that Mizuno and Golshi were secretly long-lost brothers sharing one brain cell.

"This guy's interesting," Gold Ship mused aloud, feeling unprecedented joy.

She had come to catch a honey-drink expert, yet unexpectedly found someone who resonated on her wavelength.

I'll definitely hang out with him more from now on!

"Golshi truly lives up to her reputation as a good brother!" Mizuno was also delighted.

With Gold Ship by his side, his sense of security immediately skyrocketed.

He absolutely needed her in his training squad!

"Please, join my team, Golshi!" Mizuno eagerly invited her.

"Golshi?" Gold Ship tilted her head curiously at the nickname but shrugged it off quickly.

"Sure, sounds fun! But in exchange, you have to teach me how to make that honey drink!"

"From today onward, let's call each other whatever we like—I'll call you brother, and you call me Master."

"Deal!"

Gold Ship and Mizuno happily slung arms over each other's shoulders, laughing heartily.

Their instant camaraderie left McQueen and the others utterly dumbfounded.

Hadn't these two just met moments ago? How did they already become brothers-in-arms?

Moreover, Mizuno-san had just invited yet another Uma Musume into his team?! Were the ones he already had not enough?

Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and King Halo all felt vaguely displeased.

From that moment forward, Gold Ship officially joined Mizuno's squad.

"Oh right, Trainer-san, we still haven't named our team yet," Urara reminded cheerfully.

"Team name, huh…" Mizuno considered thoughtfully for a moment, then had a sudden inspiration.

"How about calling ourselves… Team TAC?" Mizuno proposed spontaneously.

"Team TAC?"

"Yep."

Mizuno already had the introductory script ready in his mind:

"This is Tokai Teio, unmatched in flexibility."

"Gold Ship, our alien expert, here to invade Earth."

"Mejiro McQueen, an elegant mochi."

"And one more—I suspect it'll be King Halo."

"I am Mizuno Sora, captain of Team TAC."

"Plus Urara and Rice Shower, that makes exactly three people, forming Team TAC."

Yep, absolutely flawless.