Five minutes later.
"Oysters…"
On the track, the young Uma Musume of Team TAC were gasping for breath, eyes full of frustration as they stared after the lightning-fast figure ahead.
They'd given it everything—lungs burning, legs trembling—but they still couldn't match that overwhelming opponent known as the Emperor. All they could do was watch helplessly as Symboli Rudolf crossed the finish line—marked by the cardboard cutout of Hishi Amazon—and took first place in the friendly match.
From start to finish, none of them had even come close.
Rudolf hadn't used an Escape strategy, sticking instead to her usual Leader running style, yet she was somehow even faster than the Uma Musume who specialized in Great Escape. Her stats and skill were simply on another level.
Even Tokai Teio and El Condor Pasa—among the current top runners—could only keep up for the first stretch. By the first corner, the gap had already widened into something hopelessly out of reach.
Symboli Rudolf's rhythm, pacing, and timing for her final sprint were flawless—so perfect that every Uma Musume present found themselves in awe, claiming they'd learned a lot just from watching.
Even Tokai Teio—Rudolf's biggest fan—had watched endless replays of her races, analyzing every movement in detail. She'd thought she understood her idol's strength.
But after chasing Rudolf with everything she had and still failing to close the gap, Teio finally understood: she was nowhere near there yet.
Every Uma Musume present felt deeply grateful to Symboli Rudolf. To race against such a strong rival, to feel that gap in strength firsthand, was an invaluable experience.
There was just one thing they couldn't quite accept…
Right after crossing the finish line, Symboli Rudolf immediately left the track, heading straight for Mizuno—who was standing on the grassy sidelines—and spread her arms toward him.
"Then, as per our pre-race promise, Trainer Mizuno owes me a date for the day~"
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Rudolf wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her cheek against him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Huh?!"
The Uma Musume watching were frozen in disbelief.
They'd assumed President Rudolf would exclude herself from the rankings, letting second place take the prize date with Mizuno.
But President Rudolf was counting herself in?!
"EEEEHHHHH?!!"
Especially Tokai Teio—her entire worldview shattered as she screamed like a siren.
The person I like… was stolen by my dad—wait, no—by the senpai I idolize?!
"President Rudolf…" Mizuno looked at her silently, his expression behind the mask filled with pure disdain.
A seven-crown Uma Musume bullying rookies by making bets with them—seriously? You're proud of this?
"Come on, have some decency—let go of me first and admit this was just a joke. You're not actually going on a date with me, right?" Mizuno said calmly.
"Oh?" Rudolf tilted her head, eyes glinting with amusement as she studied him.
Face? What face could he possibly have left? He owed her so many favors that, by ancient law of the jungle, she could practically devour him right here and no one could complain—so how dare he refuse one little date?
Of course, she could admit it was a joke. She didn't want to make the rest of Mizuno's team jealous, after all; they might just spirit him off into the basement when she wasn't looking…
As Student Council President of Tracen Academy, she'd seen that kind of thing happen before—hardly preventable.
Trainer Mizuno had never once accepted a date from any Uma Musume. Maybe he'd already considered the risk this kind of bet could lead to.
Still, he'd have to pay a small price first…
"Alright…" Rudolf finally released him, pulling out a notebook and scribbling something down.
"This time I'll let it slide. But you owe me ten dates in the future—with interest. One Uma Pyoi per day overdue."
"Whatever." Mizuno shrugged indifferently.
Rudolf had used this teasing routine so many times that he was completely immune to it now. Besides, she wasn't even human—why should he be scared?
"Wait, when did you switch notebooks?" he asked suddenly, noticing the one in her hands looked different.
"Oh, this? The last one's already full, so I started a new one." Rudolf smiled sweetly.
"I see." Mizuno nodded, unimpressed.
She was definitely lying—claiming she'd filled an entire notebook just to mess with him. Shameless as always.
"Prez…"
Ignoring her exhaustion, Tokai Teio jogged up to Rudolf and Mizuno, looking both curious and anxious.
"President, what kind of relationship do you have with Trainer-san?"
"What kind of relationship?" Rudolf asked, blinking innocently.
"The kind where… you like each other?" Teio bit her lip, eyes fixed on Rudolf, desperate for an answer.
"…" Rudolf froze for a moment, sneaking a cautious glance at Mizuno.
Did they really like each other… or was this just a one-sided crush?
Could teasing a boy really win his heart?
For some reason, Rudolf's chest tightened slightly.
"Of course not. We're just ve—ry ordinary friends," she said finally, patting Mizuno's shoulder in a way that felt a little too firm to be casual.
"Then, the date…"
"Just kidding. It was a random lie to motivate everyone."
"Oh, thank goodness…" Teio exhaled in relief, clutching her chest. She'd genuinely been afraid her beloved senior would steal her crush away.
If President Rudolf really liked Trainer Mizuno, she'd need an extra key to that secret room where she planned to—uh—carefully take care of him.
"Just a joke, huh…" Even though the others heard her explanation, they still looked suspicious.
That hug earlier had looked way too natural to be fake.
Symboli Rudolf had truly taught them a lesson today: fall behind, and you get punished. Stay weak, and someone will steal your man.
To protect what mattered, you had to become so strong that no one dared challenge you.
"Onii-sama…" Rice Shower looked up at Mizuno, clutching her clothes tightly.
During the race, she'd realized just how weak she was. Forget President Rudolf—she could barely keep up with classmates like Tokai Teio and El Condor Pasa.
Faced with opponents she couldn't beat, she'd even felt the urge to give up for a moment.
But that was unacceptable.
When Onii-sama had come to save her, he'd faced down a lethal evil god, broken and bloodied, just to deliver the charm that could drive away Misfortune.
She was an Uma Musume—stronger than any human—so how could she ever back down?
Even if it cost her life, she had to protect him.
"Onii-sama!" Rice Shower ran up to Mizuno and grabbed his hand tightly, her eyes blazing with resolve. "I'll definitely become stronger!"
"Good~" Mizuno, not quite understanding what she meant, smiled and patted her head anyway.
"Eh?! Me too!" Teio puffed up her cheeks, crouching in front of Mizuno and demanding her turn for head pats.
"Alright."
"Me too, me too!"
One after another, the other Uma Musume crowded around him, cheerfully demanding their own share of affection.
"Fine, fine…" Mizuno sighed, lifting his tired arms to pat them all one by one.
Only one young lady with pale lavender hair stayed behind.
"Hm… is the situation really that urgent?" Mejiro McQueen murmured, touching her face thoughtfully as she watched.
"…"
Mizuno broke into a cold sweat, noticing the heart above McQueen's head flickering rapidly between pink and black. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"McQueen-san, stay behind after class. We need to talk."
"Eh? Me?" McQueen blinked, pointing at herself.
"Yes, you," Mizuno confirmed with a weary nod.
He had to clear up this misunderstanding before that flickering heart turned completely black—otherwise, one day, a silver-haired girl might quietly drag him into a basement…