Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [18]

After exchanging Tracen network contacts with Mizuno Sora and eagerly learning his name, Urara rushed off to deliver the Lucky Charm to Rice Shower.

Not long after Urara left, Mizuno received a system notification:

---

[Quest Completed—Apologize to Rice Shower.]

Quest Grade: E

Reward: None

Recommendations:

Remove the Doctor's Outfit and let Rice Shower see your true identity; this is essential for a genuine apology.

Personally beat the crap out of that Misfortune God bitch and hand the Lucky Charm directly to Rice Shower yourself.

Reveal your Onii-sama identity and invite Rice Shower to become your assigned Uma Musume.

---

"Whew, finally done."

The moment the mission concluded, the numbness instantly disappeared from Mizuno's body, allowing him to move freely again.

Mizuno stood up from the ground and stretched a bit, feeling completely normal, as if the earlier collision with the Uma Musume had been nothing but a hallucination.

"By the way, are you actually the God of Fortune? Why do you have such a grudge against the Misfortune God?"

[…]

Great. It's ignoring me again.

Considering its silence, Mizuno concluded his guess was probably right.

Deciding not to push further, Mizuno worried that annoying this temperamental system might land him even more punishment tasks without rewards.

The two apology missions had already eaten up nearly an entire day. If he had to deal with another unreasonable quest, he might never get the chance to complete the task of recruiting Urara.

Speaking of Urara—he hadn't invited her earlier despite the perfect chance.

The timing just felt wrong.

Asking her to deliver a gift to Rice Shower and then immediately trying to recruit her as his assigned Uma Musume felt suspicious—almost like a shady uncle trying to lure a child away.

Besides, Mizuno had a better opportunity coming up.

Pulling out his phone, Mizuno opened the [Tracen 114th Generation New Trainers' Group]. The pinned message was an announcement from Hayakawa Tazuna:

"There will be a selection race tomorrow morning at the training grounds. Any trainers interested in recruiting an Uma Musume are encouraged to attend."

The selection race featured horse girls without trainers, competing among their classmates. Though unofficial and not counted towards their career records, these races showcased their abilities. Trainers impressed by a certain Uma Musume's potential could then invite them directly afterward.

And among the listed participants was Haru Urara's name.

Thus, Mizuno decided to invite her tomorrow morning. It would seem more natural for a new trainer to find their first assigned Uma Musume at the selection race.

Putting away his phone, Mizuno brushed the dirt from his clothes and headed toward the school gates.

Nighttime at Tracen Academy was especially perilous for trainers—particularly men.

Not only did they have to fear ravenous horse girls wanting to devour them whole, but there were also mad scientists secretly kidnapping victims in the dark. Any trainer unfortunate enough to get caught would spend the rest of their life trapped in either an underground room or an ominous laboratory.

To protect male trainers, the academy provided heavily armored buses stationed at the gates between 7 and 9 p.m., transporting trainers safely back to their secret dormitory.

When Mizuno reached the gates, he found a chaotic scene: a desperate group of veteran trainers were fighting each other for the chance to board the bus first.

Wheelchair-bound trainers grabbed each other's armrests, struggling fiercely to overturn their rivals.

Those who successfully flipped others were the victors, earning the temporary safety of boarding the bus.

The losers lay helplessly on the ground, soon collected by their Uma Musume, dragged off to uncertain fates. The next day, they might return pale-faced and drained—or never be seen again.

"Please, I'm begging you! Let me board first! She's almost here! I haven't been back to the dorm in three days!" one defeated trainer wailed pitifully at the victors.

All he received in return were indifferent stares.

Moments later, a wavy-haired Uma Musume approached and tenderly lifted the crying trainer off the ground in a princess carry.

"Trainer-san~ Let's have a date tonight~ I've already booked the room~"

"Noooooooo!"

Watching from inside, even the victorious trainers began silently shedding tears of sympathy for their fallen comrade.

"So…this is survival of the fittest…"

Mizuno: "…"

The bus quickly filled up. The driver started the engine immediately, ferrying the first batch of trainers away from this brutal scene. Those unable to board the bus knelt on the ground, praying they'd survive long enough for the next bus to arrive.

In truth, their prayers were meaningless. Any trainer who failed to board the first bus was always inevitably carried off by their assigned Uma Musume…

Within a matter of minutes, Mizuno found himself alone at the gates.

All the other trainers had already been whisked away by their horse girls for their "dates" (tragically).

"Glad I'll never end up like them," Mizuno murmured thankfully.

Just as he comforted himself, grateful he hadn't attracted attention from any Uma Musume, a sweet voice sounded behind him.

"Mizuno Trainer-san~"

"!"

Mizuno froze, breaking out in a cold sweat as he slowly turned around.

It can't be one of those ravenous horse girls, right?!

But as he clearly saw who it was, Mizuno finally relaxed.

"Oh, it's just Miss Hayakawa."

Indeed, the smiling woman behind him was Hayakawa Tazuna, the academy guide—not the predator Mizuno feared.

"Wait—how could you see me? The honey scent should have worn off by now."

He'd accidentally spilled some Honey Special Drink earlier, leaving a faint honey scent. But Mizuno had already cleaned himself in an empty restroom; unless he lingered too long in one place, he shouldn't have been noticeable.

"The honey smell is indeed faint. I wouldn't have noticed you if I hadn't been deliberately searching," Hayakawa Tazuna explained gently.

"But to recognize every trainer, I took a photo of you, Mizuno-san~ It's quite easy to find you by referencing the photo."

She held up her phone, showing Mizuno's picture. Judging by the background, it was taken when he first registered this morning.

"This could be troublesome…" Mizuno stared at his photo, frowning slightly.

So, as long as someone had his photo, the Doctor's Outfit's invisibility became ineffective. From now on, he'd need to ensure nobody managed to capture him in a picture.

"Miss Hayakawa, when does the next bus arrive?"

Hayakawa thought for a moment.

"If no Uma Musume intercept the bus, probably every twenty minutes. If they do, it could take up to an hour."

"Intercept the bus?" Mizuno trembled.

What kind of horror scenario is this?! Is this the apocalypse?!

"Sweet girls who don't want to separate from their beloved trainers sometimes stop the bus, trying to get their trainers back," Hayakawa explained cheerfully.

"At those times, the driver must stop, politely 'invite' that trainer off, and then take long detours to prevent other Uma Musume from finding the secret dormitory and causing dangerous incidents."

Mizuno: "…"

It really is the apocalypse!