The swimsuit-clad Uma Musume's startled reaction caught Mizuno off guard.
That half-uttered name—she'd almost called out his surname.
"Do you… know me?" he asked, puzzled.
"N-no, I don't!" she blurted, shaking her head far too quickly. But the way her eyes darted aside and how she nervously tucked her wet hair behind her ear gave her away instantly.
"…" Mizuno rubbed his chin, studying her face more closely, trying to place where he'd seen her before.
Chestnut hair, smooth and silky, tied neatly into two long sections with yellow ribbons. Clear emerald eyes, bright and gentle, set in a face that radiated warmth and maturity—like the friendly big sister next door.
Tall and graceful, her proportions were almost unreal: a perfect balance of curves and long, toned legs that gleamed white beneath the spray of the waterfall.
Something about her felt familiar—and yet, something was off.
What was missing… was a green hat and a crisp professional suit. What was new… were a pair of horse ears and a tail.
Mizuno's mind clicked. He knew exactly who this Uma Musume was.
"Ahaha… if there's nothing else, I'll just, um, head off—" The swimsuit Uma Musume forced an awkward laugh and quickly turned to leave, desperate to flee before he pieced it together.
But Mizuno's voice stopped her cold.
Hayakawa Tazuna froze mid-step. Her foot slipped on the slick stone, and she tumbled straight into the shallow pool below with a splash loud enough to drown the waterfall's roar.
That panicked reaction was all the confirmation Mizuno needed.
"It really is you?!" he exclaimed.
What on earth was Hayakawa-san doing out here?
The last time he'd seen her was back at the bookstore, when he'd gone out with President Rudolf and Teio. He remembered catching sight of her quietly standing in a corner—holding a book titled How to Restrain Your Desires in one hand and, in the other, a photo of Mizuno himself—her eyes glazed over in intense concentration.
That "training" hadn't gone particularly well. Her gaze had grown increasingly dazed the longer she stared, and if Mizuno hadn't discreetly coughed to snap her back to reality, she might've drifted off into her own fantasies right there.
Now she was out here in the wilderness, meditating under a freezing waterfall. Could this be… the continuation of her "desire-suppression training"?
"Trainer Mizuno…" Hayakawa Tazuna rose from the pool, dripping wet and visibly flustered.
"How did you recognize me? Normally, when I change outfits, no one can tell who I am—except those extremely close to me."
"Well…" Mizuno scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe I just have a good memory."
Truthfully, it was her legs—he'd never forget those.
"A good memory?" Hayakawa's tone was doubtful. Her Uma Musume form should've been unrecognizable; with the ears and tail, she looked completely different. On top of that, her trademark green hat and suit were gone—yet Mizuno had seen through it in an instant, and worse, he didn't even look surprised.
"Does it not surprise you that I'm an Uma Musume?" she asked, covering her ears shyly and trying to hide her tail behind her back, though her eyes searched his face intently.
"Uh… not really," Mizuno replied with a shrug.
In truth, he'd suspected for ages. Ever since reading Trainers: From Novice to the Monarch's Basement—and learning that a trainer could judge an Uma Musume's potential from her legs—he'd realized Hayakawa's legs were far too exceptional for an ordinary human.
Still, since she wanted to keep her identity secret, Mizuno had never mentioned it. Some things were better left unspoken. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
"What do you mean, 'not really'?" Hayakawa puffed her cheeks, clearly dissatisfied.
She'd hidden her true self for years. No one had ever seen her in this form—and the first man to do so gave that lukewarm of a reaction? Her excitement deflated like a popped balloon.
"It's just… fine, I guess…" Mizuno said lamely, shoulders slumping. Complimenting her ears or tail would only get him Uma-Pyoi'd into the sky.
"Trainer Mizuno…" Hayakawa suddenly froze, clutching her chest as if something had just dawned on her.
"You came all the way out here—don't tell me… you came for me?"
"No, no, no!" Mizuno waved both hands frantically. "It's pure coincidence! I'm here for training, that's all!"
"Training?" Hayakawa blinked. "But Tracen has every kind of facility you could need. Why come to such a remote forest?"
Seeing her obvious confusion, Mizuno explained quickly: "Master Jin told me to meditate under this waterfall for two hours a day to build endurance."
"Master Jin?" she repeated, then nodded in recognition. "Ah, the American wrestler who lives nearby. His eldest daughter studies at Tracen—very lively, very cute."
But then her brows furrowed again. "So… are you planning to become a masked wrestler?"
"Something like that…" Mizuno admitted sheepishly. "Anyway, I need to toughen my body, and meditating under the waterfall is part of the training."
"Eh? Then that means…" Hayakawa's eyes widened.
Mizuno nodded. "For the next few weeks, looks like we'll be training together." He smiled and extended his hand. "Later, I'll also need you to test my endurance. And if you ever need help with anything, I'll do my best too. So—"
He met her eyes and said warmly,
"Please take care of me."