A few minutes later, Urara and the others concluded their performance with one final dance move pointing toward the sky, marking a perfect end to their Uma Pyoi routine.

"Woooo———!" Cheers erupted enthusiastically from the audience.

"That was incredible!"

"I wish I could see it again!"

"Thank you, everyone~!" Urara and her fellow performers cheerfully waved goodbye, then exited the Winner's Concert.

"That was so good!" The audience seemed deeply satisfied.

Even after the performance had ended, they lingered for a while, chatting excitedly about how cute the three Uma Musume had been.

"Urara-chan…" King Halo gazed at Urara's back as she walked off stage, her eyes glittering with tears.

She'd spent the entire performance snapping countless photos, capturing Urara's every move until her phone's storage was nearly filled to capacity.

"Oh no, I forgot to record a video!" King Halo suddenly realized she'd only taken pictures and had completely forgotten to record Urara's precious dancing.

"No worries. I recorded it already," Mizuno Sora reassured, waving his phone gently.

It was little angel Urara's first-ever performance—how could Sora just stand there without recording such a meaningful event?

He'd prepared his phone well in advance, capturing every moment from start to finish.

Moreover, once back home, he intended to make multiple copies of this video, stored securely in several locations, ensuring it would never be lost.

In the future, whenever Urara looked back at her debut Winner's Concert, she'd surely be filled with heartfelt emotions.

Preserving such memories was simply his duty as a proper trainer.

"Make sure you send it to me!" King Halo quickly reminded him.

But then King Halo remembered that she'd never actually added Mizuno as a friend on her phone. After all, as a first-class Uma Musume, her friend slots couldn't be handed out to just anyone—they had to be reserved for those truly worthy of her recognition.

Yet, if they weren't friends, how could he send her the video?

Thinking this, King Halo haughtily held her phone out toward Mizuno, declaring proudly:

"You should feel honored! To think you've earned a place on the friend list of the first-class King Halo! Ohohohoho—!"

King Halo had already carefully considered this: Mizuno Sora had proven himself worthy of becoming the trainer of the first-class King Halo! Thus, he was now eligible for a spot on her friend list.

Of course, if they were to establish a trainer-trainee relationship, she couldn't be the one to propose it; Mizuno himself would have to make the first move.

Now that she'd granted Mizuno access to her friend list, it meant they could freely message each other, and he could use those messages to earnestly beg her to become his trainee.

With her top-tier talent, Mizuno must have been eagerly eyeing her for quite some time now. Surely, he'd come inviting her by tonight.

At that moment, she'd play it cool at first, setting a few minor conditions—like making him massage her feet after every training session, accompanying her shopping for first-class outfits on weekends, and praising her magnificence daily…

Only after these would she graciously accept...

"Ohohohoho!" King Halo laughed confidently again, her tail happily swishing behind her. "Trainer Mizuno, I look forward to your performance tonight!"

"Alright." Mizuno calmly accepted King Halo's phone without reaction.

King Halo tended to randomly burst into confident laughter at odd moments. Mizuno was already accustomed to this strange behavior, so he didn't give it much thought.

Tonight's 'performance' clearly just means sending her the video—what else could she possibly mean?

It certainly couldn't be an invitation for him to perform the Uma Pyoi dance himself… could it?

"Yikes—" Even though he knew it was impossible, Mizuno shivered involuntarily at the thought.

He decided firmly: he'd just send her the video tonight and absolutely not say another word afterward.

"Let's go find Urara and Meek now," Mizuno suggested, changing the subject.

Urara and Happy Meek were resting backstage following their performance.

Normally, the backstage area was off-limits to ordinary visitors, but trainers and teammates of performing Uma Musume were permitted entry. So Mizuno planned to head backstage to meet Urara and the others.

"Mm." Everyone nodded in agreement with Mizuno's suggestion.

Together, they headed toward the backstage entrance.

At the entrance to the backstage area, a staff member blocked their way.

"Sorry, no unauthorized personnel. Please present your identification."

"My name is Kiryuin Aoi, trainer of Happy Meek."

"Mizuno Sora, trainer of Haru Urara."

Kiryuin and Mizuno each produced their trainer IDs and handed them to the staff member.

"Please wait a moment." The staffer took their cards, checking their credentials on his tablet.

After a moment, he looked up again.

"Kiryuin-san, you may enter."

"But Trainer Mizuno…um..." The staffer glanced between the tablet screen and Mizuno, visibly confused.

"Sir, you don't seem to match the appearance of Trainer Mizuno registered in our database. You can't enter."

"Hm? Don't match?" Mizuno was puzzled for a moment.

Then it dawned on him.

Mizuno reached up and removed the bright yellow "T"-shaped headpiece he'd been wearing, then asked:

"How about now?"

Seeing Mizuno without the bizarre headgear, the staffer's eyes lit up in sudden realization.

"Ah! Yes, very much like him now!"

Mizuno Sora: "…"

Mizuno Sora finally realized the issue. The photo he'd uploaded to the official trainer database depicted his usual fully-concealed, face-covered attire. Today, however, he'd worn a conspicuous yellow T-shaped headpiece, causing the staff member's confusion.

Seriously, what kind of terrible video-game NPC eyesight is this? He couldn't recognize me just because I wore a headpiece?

In truth, Sora was unfairly blaming the staff member. Thanks to the [Doctor's Outfit], which drastically reduced his presence, others genuinely saw him as two entirely different people depending on whether he wore the T-head or not.

If Sora hadn't explicitly told Urara and the others beforehand that he was the guy in the strange costume, even they wouldn't have recognized him.

Rice Shower, of course, was an exception. The Doctor's Outfit's effect had long since worn off for her; one glance was enough for her to recognize her gentle Mizuno-dono, even in that bizarre getup.

"Trainer Mizuno, you may enter now," said the staff member.

"These girls are from my team; can they enter as well?" Mizuno asked.

"Of course." The staff member stepped aside politely.

"Thank you." After thanking him, Mizuno led the group backstage.

After walking through a winding corridor, they eventually found the rest area.

"Urara Urara♪" Urara's cheerful singing echoed from inside.

Knock, Knock. Mizuno tapped gently on the door.

"Come in~" The door swung open, and a familiar pink-haired Uma Musume peeked out.

"Ah Trainer-san! Everyone!" Urara's face lit up even brighter upon seeing her beloved friends standing at the doorway.

Urara and Happy Meek had already changed out of their stage costumes and were packing their belongings, ready to head home. Mizuno and the others had arrived just in time.

Delicious Fresh, however, was nowhere to be seen—apparently, she'd left earlier.

"Trainer-san, how was Urara's performance earlier?" Urara gazed eagerly at Mizuno, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"You were wonderful," Mizuno praised sincerely, gently patting his little angel's head.

"Hehe~" Urara happily nuzzled against Mizuno's palm.

"Let's head home now," Mizuno suggested.

He'd originally intended to throw a small celebratory party for Urara's victory, but it was already too late to shop for ingredients, and Urara was clearly tired. It would be better to postpone the celebration until the weekend.

"Okay~!" Everyone agreed. They were all exhausted and looked forward to taking a relaxing bath and curling up in bed for a well-deserved rest.

Afterward, the group took a bus back to Tracen Academy's entrance.

Since the girls' dormitory was located inside the academy grounds, and Mizuno had to catch the school bus back to the hidden male dormitory, it was time for them to part ways.

"Goodbye, Trainer Mizuno~!" Urara and the others cheerfully waved goodbye.

Though reluctant, they had no choice but to hurry back—otherwise, their dorm supervisors, Fuji Kiseki and Hishi Amazon, would surely get upset.

Well… recently those two supervisors had been a bit off their game, resulting in quite a few Uma Musume secretly staying out overnight to visit their trainers.

"See you," Mizuno replied, waving back.

Watching the girls leave, Mizuno promptly sat down on the spot, pulled out his copy of [Training Equipment: From Building Treadmills to Children's Toys], and began studying diligently.

With Urara's successful debut race behind him, it was time to start the next phase.

Within the next three months, he needed to secure a G1 victory for either Urara or Rice Shower.

The upcoming G1 race, the Sprinters Stakes, was perfect for Urara, given her short-distance specialization.

Rice Shower, meanwhile, still had to make her debut and later aim for another G1 race—the Satsuki Sho.

Both would be challenging. Mizuno needed more advanced and precise training plans. Since he couldn't always guarantee access to the academy's limited facilities, he decided he'd build his own specialized training equipment in the next few days.

Luckily, this guidebook was perfect. Mizuno also had some funds saved up, enough to buy most of the required parts. However, certain specialty components were impossible to buy on the open market.

While Mizuno pondered how to acquire those special parts, a charming woman dressed entirely in green approached him from behind.

"Good evening, Trainer Mizuno~" Hayakawa Tazuna greeted him warmly.

Oh, Miss Hayakawa is here as well.

"Good evening," Mizuno politely returned the greeting.

"Oh?" Mizuno suddenly had a flash of inspiration as he looked at Tazuna.

In the game, wasn't the limited-time specialty shop operated by Tazuna herself? Maybe, in this world, she also had access to rare components!

"Miss Hayakawa," Mizuno asked carefully, "I need some special parts that aren't available on the market. Do you know where I might be able to get them?"

He showed her the book's illustration of the specialized components he needed.

Tazuna glanced briefly at the list and nodded confidently, "I happen to know someone who can make these parts…"

She paused, seeming to consider something, before smiling warmly and continuing, "Trainer Mizuno, how about I place an order for you with this friend of mine? She works fast—if we order today, your parts will likely arrive by tomorrow."

Mizuno was overjoyed by Tazuna's enthusiastic offer. He hadn't expected to solve this problem so easily.

"That'd be wonderful! Thank you, Miss Hayakawa!"

Miss Hayakawa, my hero!

"I'll let you know when they arrive tomorrow and accompany you to pick them up," she smiled gently.

"Great!" Mizuno agreed happily.

Satisfied, Tazuna walked back toward the academy gate, content to wait patiently.

She'd learned from experience that impatience often led to mistakes and unexpected setbacks.

This time would be different.

"Tomorrow… Tomorrow everything will definitely succeed," Tazuna murmured softly to herself, watching Mizuno fondly.

Mizuno, oblivious, simply continued studying.

Time quietly passed, and nothing unusual occurred.

However, while waiting for the bus, Mizuno noticed Delicious Fresh and her trainer nearby, apparently deep in conversation. Judging by their demeanor, it seemed the trainer was comforting Delicious Fresh after the race.

Curious about how this trainer was consoling his Uma Musume, Mizuno put away his book, leaned discreetly against a wall nearby, and subtly observed them.

"Trainer-san, I'm sorry…I couldn't fulfill our promise…" Delicious Fresh lowered her head, clearly troubled.

"Fresh-chan, you did great!" her trainer replied tenderly, stroking her hair.

"But…I didn't get first place… and our date…" Delicious Fresh trailed off sadly.

"It's not like that," the trainer reassured her gently, pulling her into an embrace.

"Ah!" Delicious Fresh shivered slightly.

"Fresh-chan, rankings aren't important; they're just empty titles," he softly whispered, gently caressing her hair. "What truly captivated me was your determination during training, your beautiful running form during the race, and your smiles every day."

"In my heart, you'll always be number one!"

"R-really?!" Delicious Fresh lifted her head, joy sparkling in her eyes. Her heart was racing.

If there had been a love meter beside her, the needle would've skyrocketed instantly.

"Then…our date…" she asked cautiously yet hopefully.

"Of course we're going!" Her trainer flashed a brilliant, sunny smile. "My number one Fresh-chan deserves a reward."

"Ah!" Delicious Fresh turned bright red, her mind spinning into chaos.

Like, like, like, like, like, like!

She knew she was becoming strange; if this continued, she'd surely lose control.

Summoning the last of her reason, she warned her trainer weakly, "Trainer-san…please don't say anymore…"

Mistaking her reaction for lingering guilt, her trainer reassured her earnestly, "Are you worried you aren't strong enough? Don't worry! I promise I'll train you to become the world's top Uma Musume! If I fail, I'll take responsibility!"

His eyes shone clear and determined as they met hers.

Those words landed like a powerful hammer, shattering the last vestige of Delicious Fresh's self-control.

"Uuu…" Blushing intensely, she lowered her head shyly, her fingers nervously entwining, knees trembling slightly.

"Trainer-san…" When Delicious Fresh looked up again, tiny hearts practically glimmered in her eyes.

Like, love, adore, treasure him!

"Trainer-san, could you accompany me somewhere tonight? I want to dance…just the two of us," Delicious Fresh shyly requested, her voice trembling slightly in anticipation.

"!" Mizuno, secretly observing nearby, instantly sensed danger in her trembling tone.

Dance? You're sure it's just normal dancing, right?!

Had it been him, he'd already be running away at top speed.

But the trainer innocently believed it was just ordinary dancing and readily agreed, "Of course! Let's go now!"

"Great!" Overjoyed, Delicious Fresh scooped him up and swiftly bounded away at speeds surpassing even her earlier race performance.

"Hey!" Mizuno called, but it was already too late.

...

By the time Mizuno next saw that trainer, it was the following morning…

Mizuno stepped off the school bus and spotted him and Delicious Fresh approaching from the opposite street—definitely not from the direction of the male dorms.

"Good morning…Miss Hayakawa…" the trainer weakly greeted Tazuna at the entrance.

Unlike yesterday, he now appeared pale, exhausted, and barely standing upright. Delicious Fresh clung affectionately to his arm, smiling radiantly, eyes glowing with even greater affection than before.

"Darling We'll dance again tonight, won't we?"

Trainer—bro—san!