Taking advantage of Hayakawa-san being asleep, Mizuno Sora slipped out of the warehouse.

But he didn't have the heart to leave her all alone in that dark place, so he carefully lifted her in his arms and carried her along.

Now—where should he put Hayakawa-san so she'd be safe?

After some thought, Mizuno decided to bring her to the academy's infirmary so she could rest.

Of course, carrying a well-known, beautiful woman to the infirmary without attracting attention would be nearly impossible for an ordinary person.

Luckily, Mizuno was no ordinary person.

Because he usually liked to hide in various corners of the academy to read—and would often change spots to avoid being found—he knew the campus passageways like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where the Uma Musume tended to gather, and where they didn't.

And since it was morning, everyone was in class for their academic lessons, meaning the paths were almost empty.

So Mizuno successfully avoided all eyes and brought Hayakawa-san to the infirmary.

Inside, a Uma Musume doctor was tending to a girl Mizuno didn't know, treating a wound on her lip.

Doctor: "How did you hurt your lips?"

The Uma Musume blushed. "I… kissed my Trainer… for too long…"

Doctor: "How long?"

The girl held up three fingers on each hand.

Doctor: "Thirty-three minutes?"

The girl shook her head. "Six hours…"

Mizuno: "..."

Quietly, he set Hayakawa-san down on an empty bed, pulled a blanket over her, and left a note on the desk for the doctor on duty, explaining that she was resting here.

With that done, he turned and left at top speed without looking back.

Mizuno didn't stop until he'd fled all the way to the training grounds.

"Phew, safe…" He let out a sigh of relief, glancing back toward the infirmary with lingering dread.

"I'm so stupid… really…"

Before Hayakawa-san had cornered him today, he'd never once considered that she might have special intentions toward him.

But thinking back calmly now… her behavior had always been a bit suspicious.

Calling out to him separately when greeting him… volunteering to be referee when he said he'd join the friendship race… inviting him to dinner afterwards…

Especially that time when he'd been drunk—Hayakawa-san had taken him from Trainer Kiryuin. Mizuno had thought she was kindly escorting him to the school gate to meet the driver… but was she actually trying to take him somewhere secluded to strip him?!

"Hayakawa-san…" Mizuno felt a pang in his chest.

He couldn't fully trust her anymore.

I treated you as a close friend, but you wanted to sleep with me…

Sure, Hayakawa-san was beautiful and gentle, and maybe others would think being slept with by her was a blessing—but Mizuno didn't see it that way.

She was an Uma Musume—what if "just sleeping" stopped being enough, and she started demanding kisses? Like that girl in the infirmary—six hours of kissing? That was terrifying!

But Mizuno couldn't cut her off entirely—she was Tracen Academy's secretary, managing the Uma Musume, and as a Trainer he'd inevitably have to interact with her.

And he needed special parts to make his training equipment—the "basement bro" didn't have books teaching how to make them himself—so he still had to get them through Hayakawa-san.

Which meant he could very well end up in the same dangerous situation again, being pressured to let her smell his scent.

After thinking it over, Mizuno came up with only one way to protect himself from her.

"I need an Uma Musume bodyguard!" he muttered to himself.

Humans had limits—the more cunning you were, the easier it was for an Uma Musume to catch you off-guard and… jump you.

Only an Uma Musume could counter another Uma Musume.

So he needed one he could truly trust—didn't have to be with him 24/7, but at least during most of the time he spent at the academy.

This plan… seemed doable.

"Now… who should I pick?"

Just as Mizuno was considering which Uma Musume he could rely on, his eyes were drawn to a grey-haired figure on a grassy slope not far away.

Even though it was class time, the mare sat cross-legged, deeply focused on the chessboard before her—playing against herself.

It was his good bro, Gold Ship.

The moment he saw her, the anxiety in his chest eased.

"Yo, Ship-bro!" Mizuno waved in greeting.

Gold Ship looked up. "Yo, Trainer!"

She stood and started walking toward him.

But when she was still about ten meters away, she seemed to sense something—she froze for a moment.

"Hm?"

Then she suddenly rushed over to him and pressed her face toward his chest.

Sniff sniff… Her nose twitched, as if she were smelling him.

"Ship-bro? What are you doing?" Mizuno instinctively stepped back a few paces.

"Don't move!" Gold Ship clamped her hands on his shoulders, holding him in place.

"…" Her domineering tone startled Mizuno into stillness, letting her keep sniffing at his chest.

Oh no… could Gold Ship also have picked up on his horse-mint scent like Hayakawa-san…?

Out of the tiger's den, straight into the wolf's lair?!

If that were true—two trusted friends betraying him in a single day—Mizuno would be crushed.

Fortunately, Gold Ship was still someone he could trust.

"Mm…" After sniffing for a few seconds, she frowned.

She tilted her head toward the sky, thinking for a moment, then reached behind her back and pulled out a spray bottle from… who knew where.

Pssst— She sprayed a few bursts of clear mist over him.

Tiny droplets covered Mizuno's body, evaporating within seconds. No visible dampness was left—but his doctor's coat now carried a faintly odd scent.

"Ship-bro, what is this?" Mizuno sniffed. It smelled sweet—kind of like his own honey special drink.

"No need to thank me," Gold Ship said, without answering the question directly—confusing Mizuno even more.

"This is a failed batch I made while trying to recreate your honey special drink. Can't drink it—but it works great as an air freshener."

"Huh?" Mizuno was stunned.

Just how had she failed so spectacularly that a beverage had turned into an air freshener?

"Wait—air freshener?" The realization hit him.

Now he knew why she'd sniffed his chest—because earlier, when Hayakawa-san had been holding him, her scent had inevitably rubbed off on him.

Mizuno couldn't smell it, but Uma Musume could.

If he walked around campus carrying the scent of the academy's most familiar secretary, he'd be mobbed for sure.

So Gold Ship had sprayed him to mask the scent—keeping him out of trouble.

"Ship-bro…" Mizuno's heart warmed, eyes brimming.

Uuugh, Ship-bro, you're so kind… truly my good brother. I could cry.

Ship-bro! From today on, I'll trust you completely!

The bodyguard role—there's no one better than you!

"Ship-bro! From now on, stay by my side!"