Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement

Thanks to Luck temporarily controlling his actions, Mizuno Sora had successfully completed the trainer-trainee agreement with Rice Shower. From now on, he had yet another Uma Musume he was responsible for.

After Symboli Rudolf uploaded their new partnership information to the official academy database, Luck swiftly piloted "Mizuno's avatar" and made a quick getaway.

Yes, she ran.

Luck understood that in Mizuno's current mentally compromised state, encountering anything unexpected—even with her help—would be difficult to manage.

After establishing Mizuno's new bond with Rice Shower and distributing the meticulously planned training schedules he'd crafted the night before to all his trainees, Luck immediately controlled Mizuno and retreated from Tracen Academy back to the safest place she could think of: the male trainers' dormitory.

Before she fully escaped, however, Symboli Rudolf had personally handed Mizuno a key to a dedicated training room.

According to Tracen Academy rules, once a trainer officially took responsibility for two or more Uma Musume, they would qualify to form an official team.

The trainer could then name their team—within academy guidelines—and the school would assign a dedicated training room for their exclusive use.

Luck accepted the key on Mizuno's behalf but deferred naming the team. At the time, Mizuno had been entirely too charmed by Rice Shower to make any coherent decisions. Thus, Luck decided to wait until he regained clarity to pick a suitable team name.

By the time Mizuno fully regained consciousness, night had already fallen...

"..." Sitting dazedly on his dorm bed, Mizuno stared blankly ahead.

Unlike his previous experiences of completely blacking out, Mizuno remembered everything from earlier clearly—when Rice Shower's cuteness had utterly overwhelmed him.

"Rice Shower...so cute..." Mizuno repeatedly reflected on how easily he'd succumbed to her charm, cringing with embarrassment.

He genuinely hadn't expected Rice Shower to use the ultimate weapon—cuteness—against him. Given his profound brother-complex weakness, he stood no chance. Even after being charmed once, he'd actually craved another dose, effectively turning into a fool who could see nothing but Rice Shower.

What truly baffled him, though, was that being charmed had actually been the correct choice?!

In other words, if Mizuno hadn't fallen for Rice Shower's cuteness, some grave misfortune would have befallen him later?!

Mizuno had a vague suspicion about what that misfortune might've been, but he didn't dare dwell on it. As someone who treasured his role as an affectionate older brother figure, imagining the adorable Rice Shower turning into something disastrous was completely unacceptable!

Fortunately, things had ended well. Rice Shower didn't become "grain feed," and Mizuno wasn't trampled by angry Uma Musume—truly a blessing worth celebrating.

However, Mizuno's bond with Rice Shower meant he'd inevitably spend much more time with her in the future. For someone with a severe brother-complex weakness like himself, this was undoubtedly a tough challenge, requiring utmost caution.

Right now, Mizuno felt it was time for a heart-to-heart with the culprit behind this entire scenario.

Luck…

[Daddy! I'm so sorry!]

Before Mizuno could utter another word, Luck preemptively apologized at lightspeed—faster than he himself had ever surrendered to the system before, exemplifying perfectly the adage "the student surpasses the master."

…

Strangely enough, being addressed as "Daddy" instantly reduced Mizuno's anger by about ninety percent, extinguishing his urge to reprimand her.

Truthfully, Mizuno had never intended to scold Luck harshly in the first place. He understood that every additional Uma Musume under his care would increase their collection of Hope Energy. Indeed, his initial plan had been similar—to take responsibility for multiple Uma Musume to maximize success chances. He had merely backed out for fear of being literally torn apart by angry trainees.

Besides, Luck wasn't malicious. She'd always acted according to the alarm system's guidance. Without her intervention today, who knew if he'd be safely in his dormitory or trapped elsewhere?

Thus, Mizuno merely wanted to calmly discuss past events—and the future—with her.

"Luck... Ah, forget it…" Mizuno shook his head.

He suddenly realized there was no point discussing it further.

What had happened couldn't be undone. Instead of dwelling on past events, Mizuno decided to firmly focus on the present and set himself a practical goal: having either Urara or Rice Shower secure a [G1 Championship] within the next three months.

Resolute, Mizuno moved from his bed to his desk, pulled out a thick stack of blank papers, and began diligently drafting.

Tomorrow's training schedule needed an extra entry now.

...

The following day, Mizuno arrived early at his newly assigned training room.

It resembled a small container-style room—not spacious, yet equipped with essentials: desks, chairs, storage cabinets, a whiteboard, markers, and a water dispenser.

Here, trainers could discuss training strategies or explain upcoming races. Uma Musume could store personal belongings or rest after rigorous training. If they secured victories, it could even serve as a venue for celebratory gatherings.

In short, having their own training room was extraordinarily convenient for any team.

Most importantly, the training room boasted tank-level defenses, rivaling the academy buses!

"Not bad at all." Mizuno admired his training room, thoroughly satisfied with the academy's decision to provide dedicated rooms to established trainers.

This training room had effectively become another secure haven in this perilous world.

It was comparable to a safehouse in a zombie apocalypse game—once inside, he'd be protected from external threats.

"Ah~" Mizuno stood at the entrance, deeply inhaling the fresh morning air, his mood uplifted significantly.

What could be more reassuring than standing in front of one's own secure hideout?

If confronted by dangerous Uma Musume, Mizuno could swiftly retreat inside. The tank-grade defenses would withstand assault long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Just then, Mizuno noticed two Uma Musume—one with curly hair, another with short hair—dragging a pale-faced trainer past him.

That trainer seemed familiar. Wasn't he the senior trainer who'd taken the same shuttle bus as Mizuno that morning?

They were clearly planning something…

"No! Please, don't!" the senior trainer wailed desperately, clearly terrified of whatever awaited him.

He struggled desperately, but mere humans could hardly resist even one Uma Musume, let alone two.

Ignoring his cries, the pair dragged him into a neighboring training room and slammed the door shut.

Moments later, that training room started shaking rhythmically.

Mizuno: "???"

Wait... Training rooms could be used like that?!

Realizing a disturbing truth, Mizuno went pale. A tank-grade training room wasn't just capable of preventing unwanted entries—it could equally prevent anyone inside from escaping…

His knees went weak as he hastily backed away from his own training room door.

At this moment, he could no longer look at the room he'd adored moments ago—now, it was indistinguishable from an above-ground version of a certain dreaded basement!