"Trainer, you know, what you just said could easily make a girl misunderstand you." Gold Ship narrowed her eyes, giving Mizuno a look heavy with meaning.

"Ah—sorry, I didn't mean it that way." Mizuno realized at once that his words just now could cause the wrong idea, so he hurried to explain:

"Ship-bro, don't overthink it. I just want you to be my bodyguard."

"Figured as much." Gold Ship nodded.

Their brainwaves matched so closely that she didn't even need him to explain to understand what he meant. No risk of misunderstanding.

If his doctor's coat weren't covering his eyes, the two could probably communicate with just a look.

"If it had been any other Uma Musume, Trainer, you'd have been done for. But lucky for you, I'm the one and only Gold Ship! Ohohoho—" She copied King Halo's trademark laugh.

"No wonder you're Ship-bro." Mizuno praised her just like he often did with King Halo—

though unlike with Halo, this time it wasn't just for show.

Ship-bro really was one of the true gods of the Weird Chronicle—even if he said the wrong thing, she could still understand him. He could talk to her without worrying about her pouncing on him!

"So… your answer is…"

"Hahaha, nope." Gold Ship put both hands behind her head and shook her head.

"Eh? Why?" Mizuno had been sure she'd say yes.

Gold Ship tilted her head back to look at the sky. "Because staying next to one person all the time is boring. Especially as a bodyguard—just staring at the same scenery over and over with nothing changing. That's even worse."

"…"

Crap. Ship-bro might be a good friend, but unless it was something important, she only did things she found fun.

Should he look for another Uma Musume to be his bodyguard instead?

His first thought was Urara.

But Urara was a little angel who believed everyone had good intentions. If a dangerous Uma Musume ever tried to pounce on Mizuno, she could probably be sweet-talked into leaving—maybe even sent off to buy medicine for Mizuno to drink afterwards.

No, Urara wouldn't do. Then he thought of another true god of the Weird Chronicle: Oguri Cap.

But he wasn't that close to Oguri, and she only had eyes for food. A dangerous Uma Musume could probably lure her away just by tossing something edible in another direction—then kidnap Mizuno without trouble.

After turning it over, he realized the only person fit for the job was still Gold Ship.

Mizuno thought for a moment, then suggested: "Ship-bro, I could play riddles with you."

Ship-bro loved guessing riddles with him. If he made that the payment, surely she'd agree.

But she still refused.

"Playing riddles lately would cause the cosmos to flicker, leading to my hometown being invaded by aliens, and then the concrete on Planet 29 wouldn't taste good anymore. So I'd rather not." She said it with total seriousness.

In short—she was bored of riddles.

"Ah… right." Mizuno scratched his head.

If he wanted Ship-bro as his bodyguard, he'd need something she was interested in right now.

But no riddles? Then what? What else could tempt her?

"Wait!" An idea struck him.

"How about this." Mizuno pulled out [Training Equipment: From Building Treadmills to Building Children's Toys] and flipped to a certain page.

"If you're my bodyguard, I'll make you this. How's that sound?" He pointed at a children's toy UFO.

From the moment he'd seen it, Mizuno thought—this toy was perfect for Gold Ship. Practically made for her!

An alien-mare like Gold Ship would love it.

"Oh?" She glanced at the picture—and her eyes lit up.

As he expected, the toy UFO instantly grabbed her attention.

Because it wasn't just a simple model—it could be controlled like a remote plane, take off, and was equipped with several "weapons": a water gun, smoke grenades, and a mechanical arm.

Best of all, it was sturdy—able to withstand a full-force hit from an Uma Musume. Which meant she could use it to mess with McQueen without worrying about it getting smashed in one punch.

Gold Ship thought—if she had one of these, she could play for a whole year without getting bored!

"Want it!" Her eyes blazed with desire.

Her first thought was to make it herself, but the process seemed complicated. The author's description was short and a bit odd—she didn't quite get it.

She probably couldn't make it herself—but Mizuno could…

To get it, she was willing to agree to some reasonable requests.

"As long as I stay by your side all the time, you'll give me this, right?" She pointed to the UFO in the book.

"No need for all the time," Mizuno said. "Just when I'm going somewhere secluded, I'll call you to protect me. And the UFO is only the down payment—I'll make you more fun toys later."

"Oh?" The stars in her eyes shone brighter.

She thought it over. This wasn't just fair—it was a great deal.

All she had to do was casually protect Mizuno, and she'd get loads of fun toys~

"Alright. Protect you from getting caught by Hayakawa-san again—right? I accept the commission." She extended her hand.

"Nice." Mizuno shook her hand.

The agreement was sealed.

"Heh." Mizuno felt a wave of satisfaction.

With Ship-bro guarding him, he'd never have to fear Hayakawa-san's sneak attacks again!

"…Wait, how do you know it's Hayakawa-san?" Mizuno suddenly realized.

He hadn't told Gold Ship what had just happened—so how did she know she'd be protecting him from her?

"I already guessed." Gold Ship stood with hands on hips, chin up in confidence."

"I don't know exactly how close you and Hayakawa-san are, but you never get that physically close to any girl. Even cute Urara—you avoid touching her if you can."

"But you had Hayakawa-san's scent on you—that means she grabbed you, locked you in some little dark room."

"And for the scent to be that strong… you must have hugged for a while."

"Finally, you looked exhausted. You must have just run out—and that's when you thought to hire me. Am I right?"

Her chain of reasoning laid out the situation almost perfectly.

"Oh?" Mizuno was a little surprised. She'd just peeled away his secret with ease.

But instead of being angry at having his cover blown, he genuinely admired her detection skills.

If he was hiring her as a bodyguard, he should trust her completely—no point hiding things.

Letting her know he'd just been caught by Hayakawa-san could only help her keep watch.

"Sharp, Ship-bro. You figured all that out."

Seeing that her guess matched the truth, Gold Ship crossed her arms and adjusted the imaginary glasses on her nose, smiling smugly. "Hmph. I'm Tracen Academy's great detective. Every tiny clue is a thread to the truth."

"Impressive." Mizuno clapped.

"Hmhm~" Gold Ship's smile widened.

It really was fun talking with Mizuno—he was smart, broad-minded, exactly the kind of comrade she liked.

She thought—since Mizuno had shared one of his secrets, she should share one of hers.

"Trainer, I'll tell you something interesting. Three days ago, President Rudolf gave me a top-secret mission—she said it was no easier than repelling a terrorist attack on the academy."

"What mission?"

"To find a mysterious man who showed up in front of the Three Goddesses statue. She told me, if I see him, to knock him out and bring him back. Apparently, a lot of Uma Musume want to have a wrestling match with him."

"…"

Mizuno took a few steps back, putting a little distance between them.

Help. What if I suddenly don't want to hire Ship-bro as my bodyguard anymore?