And just as Mizuno was chatting with Kiryuin Aoi, a familiar face they'd just mentioned in their conversation appeared on the academy practice field, accompanied by his assigned Uma Musume.
Though small in stature, the guy radiated a warm and yasashii aura, dressed smartly in a crisp suit, carrying a bouquet of vivid red roses, looking every bit like a gentle, boyish gentleman.
His Uma Musume was similarly petite, shorter than her trainer by exactly a head. Sweet-natured and adorably charming, yet at the moment, she puffed up her cheeks in anger, clearly sulking because those roses weren't meant for her.
These familiar faces were naturally Kaneshiro Takeru—a fellow rookie trainer who'd joined Tracen at the same time as Mizuno—and his Uma Musume, Daisy. The pair stood close together, with Kaneshiro gently soothing Daisy, looking every bit like a young couple who'd already been dating for years, as though crafted perfectly for each other by fate.
But as Kaneshiro coaxed Daisy, explaining why the roses weren't hers, he suddenly noticed Kiryuin Aoi standing nearby, freezing in surprise.
"Miss Kiryuin!" Kaneshiro immediately put on a delighted smile, abandoning Daisy at once, jogging eagerly over to Kiryuin Aoi.
"Good morning, Miss Kiryuin~" Kaneshiro greeted her enthusiastically, arriving right before her.
"Huh?!" Kiryuin Aoi visibly stiffened as Kaneshiro appeared abruptly before her, clearly startled by the sudden encounter. But her impeccable manners as a well-trained professional allowed her to swiftly regain her composure, responding with polite courtesy:
"Good morning, Trainer Kaneshiro."
"You look as beautiful today as ever, Miss Kiryuin," Kaneshiro warmly praised, flashing another yasashii smile as he presented the roses in his hand. "I bought these fresh roses from the florist early this morning—they're for you."
"Thank you for your kindness…" Kiryuin Aoi nodded appreciatively, yet didn't accept the flowers, politely waving her hand to decline. "But Trainer Kaneshiro, I've mentioned before—you don't have to keep bringing me roses…"
"That's true, but these flowers represent my sincere feelings. Please accept them, Miss Kiryuin!" Kaneshiro pushed the bouquet forward insistently.
Then, as if suddenly recalling something important, he asked eagerly:
"By the way, Miss Kiryuin, are you free today? I'd love to take you out to dinner at that new high-end restaurant that just opened in the commercial district."
"Ah, sorry…" Kiryuin took a small step back, quietly hiding the carrot-filled basket behind her, and offered an embarrassed smile to Kaneshiro. "I'm afraid I'm busy today—I've already made plans to help Trainer Mizuno train his team."
"Huh? Trainer Mizuno?" Kaneshiro froze, stunned, hands trembling slightly, nearly dropping the roses.
Hearing another man's name from the woman he liked—especially as the reason for declining his invitation—made Kaneshiro deeply uncomfortable. But the name "Mizuno" at least somewhat soothed Kaneshiro's disappointment.
Because within Tracen, there were two colleagues he greatly respected.
The first was his current romantic interest—Trainer Kiryuin Aoi.
The other was the mysterious Trainer Mizuno.
Kiryuin Aoi was beautiful, intelligent, and from an elite trainer family, consistently ranked among Tracen's top female trainers, naturally making her a target of affection for many colleagues, Kaneshiro included. He diligently sent her roses every day, hoping to win her affection.
And although Trainer Mizuno lacked any obvious background and had a habitually elusive, almost thief-like air, he gave Kaneshiro an oddly reassuring feeling. When Mizuno had heard Kaneshiro's embarrassing hot spring story with Daisy, he'd generously sent money, encouraging Kaneshiro to treat himself to something nice. This didn't seem like a selfish, sinister person at all—more like a shrewd but deeply kindhearted individual.
Plus, Mizuno's reputation among certain colleagues was surprisingly high. A senior trainer named Yamamoto Hermit often privately praised Mizuno to other male trainers, calling him the true hero who'd saved the Secret Boys' Dormitory.
Kaneshiro's personal experiences, combined with these glowing evaluations, greatly improved his impression of Trainer Mizuno, making him eager to develop a close, trusting friendship.
Normally, hearing Mizuno's name mentioned would delight Kaneshiro, prompting him to ask others to share more of Mizuno's exploits.
But now… things were different. Because this time, Mizuno's name had come directly from the mouth of the woman he liked…
Kaneshiro's heart immediately became troubled.
If Trainer Mizuno also liked Miss Kiryuin, becoming his romantic rival, then how could Kaneshiro comfortably face him again?
"Hmm?!" Just as Kaneshiro averted his gaze thoughtfully, he suddenly realized that someone else had been standing right next to Kiryuin Aoi the whole time, quietly watching him!
"Trainer Mizuno?!" Kaneshiro blurted out in shock upon recognizing him.
"Yo~" Mizuno greeted casually, waving his hand as Kaneshiro finally noticed him. "Good morning, Trainer Kaneshiro."
"Oh, good morning, Trainer Mizuno…" Kaneshiro responded automatically, still slightly dazed. He blinked, staring curiously at the wheelchair—a high-grade mount typically reserved for elite trainers—underneath Mizuno.
"Trainer Mizuno, why are you sitting in a wheelchair?"
"Uh… had a little fall," Mizuno replied stiffly.
"Ah, is that so? That sounds rough—wishing you a speedy recovery."
"Thanks for your kind wishes…"
And while these two men, both destined someday for a basement, continued their idle chatter, Kaneshiro's Uma Musume, Daisy, had quietly crept behind her trainer unnoticed.
"Trainer…" Daisy's ears flattened unhappily. She tightly gripped Kaneshiro's sleeve, her expression darkening gloomily, eyes fixed irritably on Kiryuin Aoi beside Mizuno, clearly brimming with dissatisfaction.
Her sulky expression was almost identical to Tokai Teio and the others last night, when Mizuno had announced he liked Kiryuin Aoi.
"Yikes…" Mizuno shuddered involuntarily at the icy aura radiating from behind Kaneshiro.
Though Mizuno personally found Kaneshiro Takeru annoyingly yasashii—thinking it would be best if Daisy locked him away sooner rather than later—
Both being fragile human males targeted by Uma Musume, Mizuno still couldn't help feeling a bit of pity. It seemed too cruel to watch helplessly as this gentle man followed the footsteps of his brother, Kaneshiro Taisong, who'd disappeared long ago alongside his own Uma Musume…
Let's help him one last time, Mizuno thought sympathetically, deciding to at least warn Kaneshiro to pay more attention to Daisy's condition.
"Trainer Kaneshiro, perhaps you should—"
But before Mizuno even finished his sentence, Kaneshiro beat him to it, voicing exactly the advice Mizuno had intended to give:
"Trainer Mizuno, perhaps you should pay more attention to your own team's Uma Musume…" Kaneshiro nervously swallowed, eyeing Mizuno's Uma Musume standing jealously behind him—especially the black-haired girl whose murderous intent was practically palpable.
"You really shouldn't pursue other women openly in front of your Uma Musume. According to our seniors, if you do, your ending could be very, very tragic!"
Mizuno: "..."
Hey, buddy—talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Are you seriously qualified to lecture me?
Why don't you turn around and look at Daisy's face—see just how dark it's become?!
"Oh, right, Trainer Kaneshiro—try these out." Mizuno removed his Intent Glasses, offering them to Kaneshiro.
"These are?" Kaneshiro curiously examined the strange glasses Mizuno held out.
"Never mind the details for now—just put them on and tell me what shapes and numbers you see above everyone's heads."
"All right." Kaneshiro obediently donned the Intent Glasses.
"So? See anything?" Mizuno asked expectantly.
"Hmm…" Kaneshiro frowned thoughtfully, then reported everything he saw.
"Above Trainer Mizuno's head: a white triangle, number 66."
"Trainer Kiryuin also has a white triangle, but no visible number…"
"And Daisy… hers is a dark pink heart, number… 91."
"Pfft…" Mizuno quickly covered his mouth, desperately holding back laughter.
Exactly as he expected—Kaneshiro Takeru had already been completely locked onto by Daisy.
"Trainer Mizuno, do higher numbers mean higher affection?" Kaneshiro asked seriously.
"Yes," Mizuno nodded gravely.
"Then may I ask—what's the number above Miss Kiryuin's head when you look?"
"Uh… 68?"
"As I thought, Trainer Mizuno—you're clearly my greatest romantic rival!" Kaneshiro sighed dramatically.
"Is that seriously your focus here?!" Mizuno retorted in disbelief. "Don't you find Daisy's number frighteningly high?!"
"Hm?" Kaneshiro tilted his head cluelessly, removing the Intent Glasses.
"Though Daisy and I aren't related by blood, our bond surpasses even siblings—we deeply trust each other. Isn't a high number perfectly normal?"
"You call this normal?!" Mizuno was utterly stunned.
Brother, Daisy's affection is over ninety! Meaning she sees only you in her heart, determined never to marry anyone else—and you still treat her as a sister?!
Someone, anyone—judge this man! Is he even human?!
"Ahhh…" Mizuno sighed helplessly.
Truly, kind words couldn't convince a doomed man. Since Kaneshiro already knew Daisy's affection was outrageously high yet still spoiled her like this—what else could Mizuno possibly say?
He could only silently wish Kaneshiro a speedy path to fatherhood…
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T/N: ...guys is he the protag, is going the dense protag route actually the ebst route