"I'm willing to become Urara's trainer. I'll do my utmost to help her achieve her dreams, carefully prepare appropriate training plans, always have a clean towel ready to wipe away her sweat, ensure fresh drinking water is available to quench her thirst, escort her promptly to the medical room if she's injured, buy her ice cream whenever she's feeling down, distribute any race winnings fairly, and fulfill all my responsibilities as her trainer."
Mizuno Sora declared sincerely, hand pressed earnestly to his heart.
"Mizuno-san, you don't have to say that much. Just saying 'I do' is sufficient," Symboli Rudolf gently reminded him.
No thanks. This way, at least, there's no room for misunderstandings—or prison sentences.
"Ahaha, is that so? I'll keep that in mind next time." Mizuno rubbed his head sheepishly, pretending to look a bit foolish.
Of course, it was entirely an act.
Mizuno had distinct strategies for dealing with different Uma Musume.
With someone as sharp, powerful, and influential as Symboli Rudolf, his chosen approach was to feign harmless incompetence.
Leaders always gravitated towards exceptional individuals with outstanding abilities—people capable of shouldering important responsibilities. Rudolf was no exception. The more talented someone appeared, the more attention she'd give them.
Mizuno could already imagine the consequences of gaining Rudolf's attention. He'd inevitably be asked to interact with other Uma Musume, solve their problems, and before long, some of them would develop feelings for him. For someone determined to maintain distance from all Uma Musume, that was decidedly unhelpful.
And worst of all, the most terrifying scenario—straight out of cursed fanfiction—was Rudolf assigning him personally as Tokai Teio's trainer, inevitably leading to the dreaded "Basement Ending."
Thus, Mizuno needed to seem as ordinary and mistake-prone as possible to escape Rudolf's scrutiny.
Unfortunately, his acting skills hadn't produced the intended effect.
"Trainer-san~! Urara is so moved!" Urara cried, tearfully diving into Mizuno's arms.
In Urara's simple logic, the longer the declaration, the more sincere it was—just like effort directly correlated to strength. Since Mizuno had said so much, he obviously took their partnership very seriously.
To have a caring, powerful ninja trainer like Trainer-san—Urara felt incredibly fortunate.
"Ah…um…" Feeling awkward, Mizuno hovered helplessly, hands frozen mid-air, unsure what to do.
Urara's reaction was manageable, but unexpectedly, Rudolf also nodded approvingly.
"Mizuno-san, I have high hopes for you."
Unlike Urara's simple perspective, Rudolf had seen through at least part of Mizuno's facade.
Someone undeniably talented, yet deliberately concealing his abilities for unknown reasons.
Judging by his low-profile outfit, clearly designed to reduce his presence, Mizuno-san's background wasn't simple. Such technology didn't exist in Japan—likely making him the heir of an esteemed trainer lineage from abroad.
Tracen Academy frequently suffered trainer disappearances, severely impacting their teaching resources. Forced to regularly recruit inexperienced rookies each year, the overall quality of trainers had drastically declined.
Most new trainers were arrogant, believing employment at Tracen proved their superiority. They dismissed seniors, ignored rules, and frequently caused trouble.
Not that this was irreparable—their arrogant behavior typically landed them dragged down to the basement by their own Uma Musume, something :
New Trainer: "Look at this senior—only managed a few Uma Musume before burning out. What a loser."
Uma Musume: "Talking so big, you must be pretty brave."
New Trainer: "Brave? I'm invincible. I'm a training genius."
Uma Musume: "Oh? Then let's see!"
And then, predictably, they got wrecked. Truly a joyous sight.
Yet, some trainers didn't even care about their trainees, treating them solely as money-makers or future wives.
Rudolf had personally witnessed trash trainers dragging their new Uma Musume straight to hotels immediately after formalizing the partnership. Thankfully, under the Three Goddesses' blessings, such scumbags rarely ended well.
But Mizuno Sora represented a rare exception—a breath of fresh air among current trainers.
Unlike genuinely clueless fools, he clearly concealed his true strengths.
Aware of his superior abilities, he remained humble, deliberately hiding both talent and appearance. Truly, a master who blended into the crowd.
Moreover, he understood exactly what a trainer's real responsibilities entailed—not just superficial duties like training and logistical support, but also maintaining a proper professional boundary with Uma Musume, rather than viewing them as potential wives.
Even now, as adorable Urara clung affectionately to him, Mizuno-san tactfully disengaged without taking advantage, maintaining respectful distance.
Rudolf deeply valued Tokai Teio, believing her talents would someday surpass even her own. But Teio's pride was a liability, requiring a grounded, responsible trainer to guide her safely.
Additionally, Rudolf feared that innocent Teio's heart might be captured by her trainer.
No parent would tolerate the tutor hired for their child ending up romantically involved with them. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽
Yet, perhaps Mizuno-san was someone she could trust with Teio.
After a moment's hesitation, Rudolf spoke: "Mizuno-san, I actually have another highly talented trainee who doesn't yet have a trainer—"
"Absolutely not!" Mizuno instantly made an emphatic 'X' gesture.
The talented trainee Rudolf mentioned was obviously Tokai Teio.
But wait—hadn't he intentionally acted ordinary? Why did Rudolf still insist on entrusting him with Teio? This defied logic!
"Haha, President Rudolf, I already have Urara. Managing another trainee would be too exhausting."
"Oh, Mizuno-san, I believe someone of your caliber could easily handle four or five trainees simultaneously."
Caliber? How do you even know about that? I haven't demonstrated anything yet!
"President Rudolf flatters me. I'm just a freshman trainer—still inexperienced, with much to learn."
Yet the more Mizuno resisted, the more enthusiastic (crossed out)—impressed Rudolf became.
"Hehe, Mizuno-san, your modesty is commendable. Precisely because of that humility, you're the perfect choice for this child."
Dammit! Determined to saddle me with Tokai Teio no matter what?!
"Ahem," Mizuno spoke gravely. "President Rudolf, if I take another Uma Musume immediately after swearing the oath, it would hurt Urara's feelings."
But before Rudolf could reply, Urara eagerly jumped in:
"Not at all!" Urara looked at Mizuno expectantly. "Running alongside friends would make Urara even happier!"
"Guh—!" Mizuno felt his brain hemorrhage.
Why backstab me , Urara?!
"Hehe," Rudolf smiled approvingly at pure-hearted Urara.
Well said, Urara-san!
"See? Urara-san agrees."
"No way! Absolutely not!" Mizuno shook his head frantically.
He might consider other Uma Musume—but definitely not Teio!
With the situation turning increasingly unfavorable, further debate with Rudolf would be dangerous. Retreat was his only option.
"I'm the trainer here, and I have my own judgment. President Rudolf, please find someone else. I have other matters, so we'll excuse ourselves now!"
Grabbing Urara's shoulders, Mizuno swiftly pushed her out of the student council office.
He carefully shut the door behind him to prevent Rudolf from pursuing.
Yet to Rudolf, even this seemed like a refined gentleman's courtesy.
Indeed, Mizuno-san isn't ordinary at all.
"Hehe, Mizuno-san… you'll agree eventually…" Rudolf murmured, eyes glinting dangerously as she watched him flee.