The bus driver possessed admirable skills, blazing along at a cool 120 km/h. At each sharp turn, a golden title—[Professor of Curvature]—would flash above his head before he executed a flawless drift.

After about six minutes, the bus plunged into a pitch-dark tunnel.

Not a speck of light seeped into the tunnel; visibility was nonexistent. But this posed no issue for the veteran driver. With complete disregard for sight, he navigated blind for roughly three minutes until they emerged from the darkness, arriving safely at their destination.

"Young man, dormitory's here. Off you go."

Mizuno Sora stepped off the bus, arriving at what was known as the secret dormitory for male trainers.

Encircled by lush greenery, the dormitory was evidently hidden deep in the mountains. The three-minute passage through the pitch-black tunnel alone was enough proof of how secluded it was from the outside world.

Though isolated, the place wasn't lacking in comforts—Internet, vending machines, a convenience store, sports facilities, and even an izakaya were all readily available.

Sure, it wasn't perfect, but for male trainers primarily concerned with survival, this was practically heaven.

The izakaya, unsurprisingly, proved most popular—overflowing nightly with trainers drowning their anxieties.

They wouldn't dare get drunk elsewhere. Passing out drunk anywhere else might just end with waking up in The Basement, a fate they desperately avoided.

Here, however, they could release all the frustrations built up at Tracen Academy, slamming down drinks without restraint.

"Drink up! Keep 'em coming!"

"Look at Subaru here, completely wasted after just a few cans. Pathetic."

"Yeah, Subaru's totally lame!"

The senior trainers drank themselves senseless, sprawled all over the floor. Chances were they'd end up sleeping there tonight.

"Must be nice…" Sora felt a slight pang of envy watching the seniors openly sharing secrets with friends.

Still, he had no intention of joining them.

Firstly, he despised alcohol. It dulled his thinking—impairing his precious rationality.

Secondly, alcohol was a Group 1 carcinogen. No real benefits, just a plethora of potential health issues. Claims of improved circulation were just lies from alcohol peddlers.

Why drink booze when milk tasted perfectly fine?

Besides, it had already been proven that making friends at Tracen Academy just led to betrayal, like how Trainer Togawa sold out Trainer Washizawa in Chapter 2 (tragic).

Sora kept his hands buried in his pockets, walked past the izakaya, and headed toward his room.

At the dorm entrance, an elderly attendant checked IDs. Like the bus driver, he insisted Sora remove his hood before entry, ensuring no Uma Musume snuck in disguised.

Thus, Sora reluctantly removed his hood once again, making the old man's face redden slightly before gaining access.

After finding his room and swiping his ID card, he stepped inside.

The room was plain—nothing impressive—but at least better than university dormitories. Having a private room was a relief.

He locked the door behind him, drew the curtains closed, then finally collapsed wearily onto the sofa, shrugging off the Doctor's Outfit he'd worn all day.

"So damn tired…"

Relaxing just a little, he pulled the guidebook [From Getting Started as a Trainer! (Basement Ending)] out of his bag.

He'd take charge of Haru Urara tomorrow. To avoid hindering Urara's future with his incompetence, Sora had to cram as much knowledge as possible.

[How to Strengthen an Uma Musume's Bones], [Identifying Ideal Running Forms], [Reducing Stamina Consumption in Races]…

Midway through reading, he received messages from Urara.

[Urara]: Ninja-san, thank you for your gift! Mimi loved it!

[Urara]: Mimi's much happier since receiving your present. She insisted I tell Ninja-san she wants to thank you personally next time.

[Urara]: Oh, right! Ninja-san, you're a Trainer, aren't you? I'm in tomorrow's tryouts—will you come watch?

[Urara]: I'm feeling great! Definitely going to win first place!

[Sora]: I'll be there.

[Urara]: Yay!

[Urara]: With Ninja-san cheering me on, I'm definitely getting first place!

[Sora]: Mm.

After the brief reply and a few smiling emojis that aged him a decade, Sora put down his phone and resumed studying.

Several hours passed. Feeling tired, Sora showered, washed and dried his Doctor's Outfit, then lay down to read in bed. Soon, drowsiness overwhelmed him, and he drifted into sleep.

He slept soundly through the night.

"Ring-ring-ring—" The default phone alarm jolted Sora awake the next morning.

Perhaps some readers wondered: Why not wake up to the trainers' favorite, Umapyoi Legend?

Please. No one seriously uses Umapyoi Legend as an alarm.

Only children use favorite songs for wake-up alarms. Adults were too lazy—they stick to defaults.

After freshening up and donning his Doctor's Outfit, Sora boarded the bus back to Tracen Academy along with his colleagues.

...

Arriving at the academy, trainers began disembarking.

"Good morning, Hayakawa-san."

"Good morning, Hiroshima-san."

"Good morning, Hayakawa-san."

"Good morning, Kaneshiro-san."

The rookie trainers greeted Hayakawa Tazuna at the entrance enthusiastically. Amazingly, she'd already memorized every newcomer's face and name in just one day.

Senior trainers, however, barely got off the bus before being whisked away in wheelchairs by their desperate Uma Musume who'd spent the night worrying about them (tragic).

"Good morning, Trainer Mizuno~" Tazuna gave Sora a small wave.

Her overly casual greeting felt a bit off, but Sora didn't dwell on it, returning the greeting.

"Morning."

His gaze dropped briefly to her slender legs in black stockings.

Noticing, Tazuna smiled gently.

"Mizuno-san, I followed your advice last night. My left leg really stopped hurting. Thank you so much." She bowed gratefully.

"No problem. Just a minor thing."

"If Mizuno-san has time, I'd like to treat you to dinner."

"Dinner, huh…" Sora hesitated.

Sure, he'd dramatically declared friendship over yesterday, but practically speaking, befriending Tazuna had zero downsides.

Yet, thinking of the Doctor's Outfit and its ticking countdown, if he didn't complete his task today, he'd be dead by nightfall. He had no time for dinner or socializing. Regretfully, he refused.

"Thanks, but I've got urgent things to handle right now. Let's try another time."

"Oh, I see… that's alright." A faint hint of disappointment flickered across Tazuna's eyes.

After chatting briefly, Sora noticed the tryouts were about to start. He said goodbye to Tazuna and headed straight for the academy's training grounds.

Tazuna watched him leave, her small nose twitching slightly.

"That scent from last night... I have to smell it again..."

---

T/N: GG