At the gates of Tracen Academy.

Mizuno Sora had just stepped off the school bus when Hayakawa Tazuna, after matching the photo on her phone, spotted his figure.

Putting her phone away, Hayakawa waved at him.

"Trainer Mizuno, good morning~"

"Hayakawa-san, good morning." Mizuno replied politely, hands in his pockets as he walked up to her.

"The parts you ordered last night have already arrived this morning," Hayakawa said with a smile.

"Oh? That fast?" Mizuno was a little surprised.

Just last night, he had asked Hayakawa to buy some special parts through one of her friends—parts not sold anywhere on the market—to make training equipment for his own Uma Musume.

He had assumed that when she'd said 'If I order tonight, they'll arrive tomorrow', she'd meant tomorrow evening at the earliest. Even with the fastest delivery, he expected them in the afternoon at best—after all, these were special components too complex for mass production. Even if her friend was incredibly skilled, surely they couldn't make and deliver so many custom parts so quickly.

But to his surprise, they'd been completed and delivered before he'd even arrived this morning. Which meant… they were made in a single night. The speed was downright absurd!

"But… the quality…" Mizuno began to worry.

That friend of hers might be shockingly fast at manufacturing and delivery, but who knew about the quality? Mizuno worried that rushing the work might mean shoddy craftsmanship.

If the quality was poor, then any training equipment made from those parts would be unreliable—and for the safety of Urara and the others, Mizuno would never accept that.

"Hehe, Trainer Mizuno, you don't need to worry." Hayakawa saw right through his thoughts and said:

"My friend's workmanship is guaranteed. All the training equipment currently in use at Tracen—and even those planned for future installation—are made by her hands. You can absolutely trust her skill."

"Well, since Hayakawa-san puts it that way, then of course I believe you." Mizuno nodded.

So the academy's equipment was made by her friend—no wonder she was confident. That settled his doubts.

"Then… where are the parts?" Mizuno asked.

Since the order had already arrived this morning, he'd have to pick up the pace.

His mornings were usually free—he'd hide in some quiet corner of the academy to read or write training plans. Plenty of time on his hands, so he planned to use this morning to start building the equipment.

With his quick learning and the fact that he'd read his manuals dozens of times, he might even finish before the afternoon, so Urara and the others could use them right away.

"Trainer Mizuno, the delivery spot is a little out of the way—you might not know it—so why don't I take you there?" Hayakawa suggested.

Mizuno, his head full of blueprints and afternoon training schedules, didn't think too much about it. He simply nodded blankly. "Alright."

"Fufu…" Seeing how completely he trusted her, Hayakawa's lips curved ever so slightly.

"Please follow me." She kept her gentle smile as she led the way.

"Mhm." Mizuno, without a shred of suspicion, followed behind her.

After about ten minutes, Hayakawa brought him to a hidden warehouse behind the academy.

Mizuno glanced around—sure enough, the spot was isolated, surrounded by trees, dead quiet. No one would ever come here.

Hayakawa opened the warehouse door. A breath of cold air spilled out from within.

"Trainer Mizuno, all the parts you need are inside. Go have a look." She gestured politely for him to enter.

"Okay." Mizuno nodded and walked straight into the dim interior.

The warehouse wasn't large. Cobwebs clung to the corners, old junk was stacked along the walls, and in the center sat a brand-new cardboard box.

Walking over, Mizuno saw a freshly written label on top:

[For Mizuno]

"This should be it."

He squatted down, opened the box, and inside were exactly the various parts he'd requested.

Mizuno picked out a few and tested their quality.

"Not bad," he said with satisfaction.

The parts were high-grade—maybe not perfect S-rank, but at least solid A-level. With these, he could make equipment that would last a long time without breaking.

As expected of the master who supplied the academy's facilities—Hayakawa-san had really come through for him.

Hayakawa-san, you're my superhero!

Just as he was feeling grateful, Hayakawa stepped quietly into the warehouse behind him… and closed the door.

Click.

The sound of a lock.

"!" That crisp click sent a chill straight down Mizuno's spine.

What was going on? Why did this feel seriously wrong?

Swallowing, he turned stiffly—and saw Hayakawa blocking the only exit, smiling sweetly at him.

"Hayakawa-san?" Mizuno forced himself to stay calm, returning her smile.

"What… are you doing?"

"…"

Hayakawa didn't answer. She began walking slowly toward him.

The tok… tok… tok of her heels echoed in the silent warehouse, each beat pounding against Mizuno's jittery heart.

"!!" His eyes widened, locked on her as she approached.

No way, no way… it can't be what I'm thinking… right?

"Hayakawa-san, what are you going to do?" Sweat beaded on his forehead as he retreated in alarm.

But after only a few steps, his back hit the icy wall.

"!!!" Nowhere to run. And she was still closing in.

He could only shrink back, staring as Hayakawa stopped right before him, looming over his curled-up figure.

"Hehe." Still wearing that gentle smile, she touched her own cheeks—now tinged with red—and gazed at him with a hazy look in her eyes.

"Trainer Mizuno… to be honest…"

"Back at the school gates, when you told me to close my eyes and cover my ears, I did exactly as you said. I didn't see your face, I didn't hear your voice… but I still accidentally caught a whiff of your scent…"

"Ah?!" Mizuno suddenly realized.

His body was… unusual. His looks, his voice, even his scent were irresistible to Uma Musume—like horse mint incarnate. He could never reveal them to any Uma Musume.

And Hayakawa Tazuna was, in truth, an Uma Musume. And now she was saying she'd accidentally smelled his scent back then…

Which meant…

Hayakawa-san's here to… pounce on me?!