Mizuno rounded the corner behind the school building, confirming Tokai Teio could no longer see him, before finally collapsing onto one knee, breathing heavily in sheer relief.

"Haa... haa..." Mizuno clutched his chest, gulping down fresh air, replenishing the oxygen he'd desperately missed.

Only now did he dare reveal the true extent of his exhaustion from that frantic sprint.

There was an ironclad rule in these cursed fanfics:

NEVER let an Uma Musume realize your physical abilities were far below theirs.

Otherwise, they'd quickly discover they could forcibly claim you by sheer strength.

He'd fought hard to suppress his ragged breathing earlier, keeping his sentences short, all to hide the reality of his pitiful human stamina.

If exposed, the consequences would be catastrophic.

He'd treated Tokai Teio like a terrifying monster rather than the cute girl she was—one careless slip, and he'd be devoured whole.

Mizuno didn't know if his acting had fooled Teio, but he'd given it his all. If it hadn't...

Actually... it probably wasn't a big deal.

After all, he'd deliberately fed her false information at the end. With the Doctor's Outfit concealing his scent and reducing his presence, as long as he avoided actively contacting Teio, she'd never find him again.

With his genius-level quick thinking, Mizuno had narrowly avoided a one-way trip to the basement. Truly worth celebrating.

Even better, he'd inadvertently completed a system-issued quest.

---

[Side Quest—Emperor's Fan Completed]

Quest Grade: E (no bonus reward)

Reward: Doctor's Outfit extended by one day.

Recommendations:

Take off the Doctor's Outfit and reveal your true self to Tokai Teio. Friendship begins with honesty!

Add Tokai Teio as a friend online, changing your avatar to Symboli Rudolf to match hers.

Impress Tokai Teio with your vast experience as an Uma Musume player, inviting her to become your assigned Uma Musume.

---

Reading the system's quest summary, Mizuno had only one thought:

System, you're an absolute bastard!

He now understood exactly what sort of trickery the system was pulling—it pretended to assist him while secretly plotting his doom.

He'd been suspicious ever since that unexpected side quest popped up, doubted even more when the swimsuit photo had stuck firmly to his hand, and now, seeing the final suggestions, confirmed it completely:

This bastard system was trying to get him dragged into a basement!

What angered Mizuno the most was the system's third suggestion:

Impress Tokai Teio with your vast experience as an Uma Musume player, inviting her to become your assigned Uma Musume

Every Uma Musume player knew the so-called "vast experience" was limited to gameplay mechanics and spending money. They could expertly pair support cards and click buttons, but in real life, they'd be lucky to train a horse that could even match Haru Urara.

Mizuno himself had never even touched a horse, let alone trained one.

His new trainer status at Tracen Academy was something the system had arbitrarily assigned him. He had absolutely no real-world training knowledge. Becoming the trainer of Tokai Teio—a girl who dreamed of an undefeated Triple Crown—wasn't just irresponsible; it was downright malicious.

No way would Mizuno do something so harmful.

The system responded abruptly:

[Do not worry, host. The system has provided the comprehensive guide 'From Getting Started as a Trainer! (Basement Ending)'. You must study it yourself—it will not be downloaded directly into your brain. No pain, no gain.]

Mizuno nodded reflexively. "Oh, I see. That's reassuring… Wait, you can talk back?"

He suddenly realized the system had just directly responded to him—something it had never done before.

[The system has always been able to answer questions. You simply never asked.]

Mizuno: "..."

That reasoning was annoyingly logical—he couldn't refute it.

But then Mizuno realized something else. "Wait. I didn't ask just now, yet you told me about that suspicious book. [From Getting Started as a Trainer! (Basement Ending)]? You're definitely trying to screw me over!"

System: "..."

The system ignored his accusation entirely, pretending to have died on the spot.

Mizuno was dumbfounded. This bastard system was actually playing dead to avoid his questions—how could it possibly deny having malicious intent?

He sarcastically gave it a thumbs-up. "System, you really are something else."

[Detected host's hostility toward the system. Initiating self-uninstallation and reclaiming the Doctor's Outfit...]

Hearing the threat of losing his only protection, Mizuno instantly changed his tune.

"System! Wait! I was wrong!" Mizuno bowed humbly, instantly adopting the classic dogeza apology pose.

A true man knew when to swallow his pride. Compared to the horrors of being ridden into oblivion, losing a little dignity was nothing.

Plus, he'd briefly seen that strange warning earlier—The system is not a system!—before it was quickly deleted, leaving only Please trust the system! Until he figured out the system's true nature, he wouldn't provoke it further.

[Detected loss of host's hostility. Self-uninstallation canceled. Please mind your attitude in the future, or the system may self-uninstall again.]

"I'll keep that in mind," Mizuno said quickly.

Having appeased the system, Mizuno slowly straightened up and cautiously peeked around the corner.

"No sign of Tokai Teio. Looks like she left."

He carefully checked again, ensuring no danger lurked nearby, then headed back toward the group of new trainers.

Hayakawa Tazuna was still guiding the newcomers around campus, seemingly oblivious that Mizuno had left.

Of course. With his practically non-existent presence, she wouldn't have noticed even if he'd intentionally danced around her, let alone when he'd been running away from Teio.

Mizuno slipped quietly back into the group, blending in as if nothing had happened.

But as he returned, Tazuna suddenly sniffed the air and turned to look directly at him.

"Mizuno-san, please don't wander off. It's dangerous to roam around campus alone."

"How did you notice I was back?" Mizuno pointed to himself, utterly shocked.

Wasn't Tazuna supposed to treat him like invisible air?

Tazuna covered her mouth, giggling softly. "You have a sweet, pleasant scent. It's quite noticeable."

"Scent?"

Mizuno sniffed himself and indeed detected a sweet fragrance. His back felt damp as well.

He reached around, fingers touching a sticky patch on his coat. Suddenly, he remembered the almost-empty honey drink Tokai Teio had carried.

Oh no! It's honey!

Teio had vaulted over him, accidentally spilling honey drink onto his back. Now he carried an external scent, one Uma Musume could easily track!

It probably wasn't serious. He could wash it off, right?

System, the Doctor's Outfit can be cleaned, right?

[...]

System, the Doctor's Outfit can remove external scents, right?

[...]

Seeing the system again pretending to be dead, Mizuno felt panic set in.

Shit!