The next day, under the bright sunlight of Tracen Academy's practice field, stretched a scene that was both familiar and not.
Familiar—because it featured a trainer and two Uma Musume: the trainer seated in a wheelchair, pushed gently forward by the girls behind him. That sight wasn't unusual at all around Tracen.
Unfamiliar—because the trainer sitting in that chair was Mizuno himself.
"Haaa…" Mizuno tilted his head back, staring helplessly at the endless blue sky and the radiant girls sprinting across the track. He let out a long, weary sigh.
Who could've guessed? Barely two months into his career, and he'd already ended up in a wheelchair. Sure, it wasn't from being Uma Pyoi'd to death, but still—he'd set a new academy record for "fastest trainer to end up disabled."
Not that he had much choice. After that suicidal showdown with Misfortune a few days ago, his body was wrecked beyond repair. He could barely move his limbs—lifting chopsticks felt like hefting iron rods.
The damage wasn't just physical, either; his very soul felt scorched. Even Agnes Tachyon's recovery potions hadn't worked. All he could do now was wait, and hope his body slowly healed on its own.
Best case: he'd be walking again in a few days.
Worst case: he'd spend the rest of his career sprinting in a wheelchair.
Being stuck like this was frustrating enough—but what made things worse were Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, who'd been assigned to look after him.
The two had spent the entire morning fighting over who got to push his wheelchair.
"You've already pushed for five minutes! It's my turn now!" Scarlet said sharply, gripping the handles and shoving Vodka aside.
"No way! That was only five minutes! You had six minutes and thirty-two seconds last time!" Vodka shot back, pushing right back. "What's wrong with me taking a little extra?"
"You were at six minutes and thirty-one seconds, not me! I only went one second over!" Scarlet countered. "Why are you nitpicking?!"
"Me?!" Vodka's forehead vein throbbed. "You're the one who keeps trying to squeeze out one extra second! That's how five minutes turned into six and a half in the first place!"
"Hah?! You started that!"
"What? You totally started it first!"
"Grr!! ×2"
The two Uma Musume glared at each other, foreheads pressed together, neither letting go of the handles. The wheelchair rocked back and forth between them like a ship in a storm.
"…" Mizuno sat wordlessly, gripping the armrests as his ride swayed like a carnival attraction.
Hey, could they please spare a thought for the poor disabled guy caught in the middle?!
Was fighting over pushing rights really that entertaining?!
Honestly, he didn't care who pushed him—or if they both did. What mattered was getting to the training room to meet up with Urara and the others.
But thanks to Scarlet and Vodka's nonstop squabbling, what should've been a ten-minute trip had stretched to nearly two hours. He was still stranded on the practice field, "enjoying the scenery."
At this rate, he'd never make it back.
For once, Mizuno found himself missing Gold Ship.
If only Broshi were here… With her chaotic energy, she'd break this deadlock instantly. At least then, Mizuno wouldn't be trapped in a two-hour wheelchair traffic jam.
Unfortunately, Gold Ship was nowhere to be found—no replies to messages, no calls answered. She'd vanished completely, like smoke on the wind.
"…" Mizuno leaned back, watching Scarlet and Vodka continue their ridiculous tug-of-war behind him.
Resting on the bridge of his nose was a pair of translucent glasses.
Item: [Intent Glasses]
Effect: Reveals a person's general intentions and emotions through color and shape.
White = goodwill, Pink = love, Black = malice.
Red = anger, Blue = anxiety, Yellow = happiness.
Heart = affection, Triangle = neutral, X = dislike…
He'd gotten them from Agnes Tachyon yesterday.
The deal was simple: she'd give him the glasses for free if he agreed to spend some time with Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka.
She didn't demand he officially become their trainer—just that they'd temporarily join his team for joint training. Mizuno could take his time observing them and decide later whether to accept them formally.
Even if he refused in the end, Tachyon promised the glasses would still be his.
Frankly, Mizuno thought it was a great deal. He'd wanted these glasses for ages; with them, he could gauge each Uma Musume's true feelings—and, more importantly, spot danger before it hit.
Right now, he was using them for exactly that, checking the intentions of the two girls behind him.
Daiwa Scarlet: White Triangle (Neutral Goodwill)
Vodka: White Triangle (Neutral Goodwill)
"Hmm…" Mizuno narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Assuming Tachyon hadn't tampered with them, both girls' readings seemed safe.
That was why he'd agreed to let them help push his wheelchair at all. If either had shown even a trace of abnormal emotion, he would've refused on the spot.
"Let go! It's my turn!"
"No way! It's mine!"
"Mine mine mine mine mine! ×N"
Mizuno: "…"
Watching the two repeat the same argument on loop, Mizuno's head throbbed. Finally, he sighed and spoke up.
"Alright, you two. Since you can't agree, how about I decide the schedule?"
"…" Both girls froze mid-argument and immediately turned to him. "We'll follow your decision."
"Good." Mizuno straightened slightly. "Switching every five minutes is too short. How about one full day each instead?"
They both thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine by me."
"So who pushes today?" Mizuno continued. "Vodka-san takes Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Scarlet-san takes Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Sundays, I'll ask someone else, and you both rest. Today is…"
"Wednesday! That's me! Woohoo!" Vodka cheered, pumping her fist.
"Guu…" Scarlet puffed out her cheeks, teary-eyed with frustration.
After sulking a moment, she crossed her arms and huffed, "Hmph~ Just you wait. Tomorrow, when it's my turn, I'll push better than you ever could!"
"Hah! We'll see! Maybe I'll do such an amazing job today that Trainer-san won't want anyone else pushing him ever again!" Vodka shot back proudly.
"Alright, enough. Since it's decided, let's get moving already," Mizuno cut in.
He was eager to reach the training room—and to test the Intent Glasses on his other team members, just to make sure none of them harbored dangerous thoughts toward him.
"Sprint! Charge!" Mizuno commanded.
"You got it!" Vodka replied enthusiastically, grabbing the handles and taking off at a near-run.
"Woohoo~!"
"Guu…" Scarlet watched them speeding away, bitterness welling up in her chest.
If only today had been her turn—then Trainer-san's precious "first time" would've been hers…
She lowered her head, clutching at her chest as her horse ears drooped in dejection.
Hidden between the soft folds there hung a tiny pendant—something Agnes Tachyon had secretly slipped to both her and Vodka yesterday.
Item: [Intent Glasses Jammer]
Effect: While worn, no matter your true feelings or emotions, you will always appear as a white triangle through the Intent Glasses.