All the Uma Musume stood waiting anxiously at the tunnel entrance hidden behind the secret door.
Mejiro McQueen was getting a crash course on all things Mizuno, while Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka were busy regretting their blunders on the trial questions, and El Condor Pasa was silently reviewing her defeat against Rice Shower.
It had been over half an hour since the last two trial participants were eliminated. With no new elimination announcements, nobody had any idea how far Tokai Teio and Rice Shower had gotten by now.
No news was good news, of course—it probably meant Tokai Teio and Rice Shower were still pressing on, getting closer and closer to the final cell where Trainer Mizuno was being held.
Still, with so long having passed without an update, a sense of unease crept in: what if something had happened to the girls? What if Gold Ship had trapped them in a room and then quietly made off with Mizuno…?
Just as Symboli Rudolf was debating whether to ignore Gold Ship's rules and break in with Air Groove, the sound of leather shoes tapping against the floor echoed from deep inside the tunnel.
"?"
Symboli Rudolf turned to look, and saw Rice Shower emerging from the tunnel, face beaming as she pushed a wheelchair forward.
And in that wheelchair was the man everyone had missed so dearly—the Trainer in black.
"Trainer-san?!" Symboli Rudolf exclaimed.
No wonder there'd been no elimination broadcasts all this time. Had Rice Shower and the others really succeeded in rescuing Mizuno?
But before Symboli Rudolf could step up in relief, she noticed someone trailing behind Mizuno and Rice Shower—a pale gray-haired, elegant Uma Musume, her demeanor nothing like her usual mischief. Still, Symboli Rudolf recognized her at a glance.
"Gold Ship?!"
Symboli Rudolf's eyes narrowed, a cold pressure spreading out from her.
Why was Gold Ship, the abductor, coming out together with the rescuer Rice Shower? Judging by their faces and the way they stood, it didn't look like Rice Shower had captured Gold Ship, nor that Gold Ship was threatening Rice Shower. They looked, if anything, like comrades, walking out in harmony.
Was this another "trial"?
As Symboli Rudolf pondered, the rest of the Uma Musume spotted Mizuno as well, their faces lighting up in joy.
They all wanted to rush over and hug him, but the tunnel was so narrow only two could walk abreast—if they crowded in, they'd just jam up the entrance. So, for now, everyone held back their excitement, waiting for Rice Shower to wheel Mizuno out before mobbing him in earnest.
"Trainer-san!"
The instant Mizuno cleared the tunnel, the girls swarmed him, encircling him and firing off anxious questions:
"Trainer-san, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Mizuno waved a hand, fielding the barrage from the girls.
"I ate well, slept well—felt like a vacation, honestly…"
"Uh… abuse? Not a thing. Broshi treated me well…"
"Violated? Didn't lose anything!"
"Wait! Who just grabbed my butt?!"
Once everyone confirmed Mizuno was all right, the attention turned—one by one—to Gold Ship, eyes wary.
Gold Ship had kidnapped Mizuno, after all. She might look harmless now, but who could say she wouldn't suddenly flip and snatch him away again?
The two student council leads—Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove—moved in, one left and one right, closing in on Gold Ship with a pincer move. The moment she tried anything, they'd subdue her on the spot.
But Gold Ship, in the face of all this hostility, didn't seem nervous at all. She raised her hands calmly, her expression at ease:
"I confess. I kidnapped him. I'm ready to accept any punishment."
"?"
Her surrender left Symboli Rudolf and the others baffled.
Half an hour ago, Gold Ship had been so arrogant, insisting that out of all the Uma Musume present, she was the only one truly qualified to have Mizuno—snatching him away was only right. Yet here she was, not only refusing to argue or run, but admitting her crime outright?
In this world, kidnapping a Trainer wasn't unheard of—on average, every Trainer got snatched two or three times. Compared to "normal" abductions, the penalties for love-driven kidnappings were light, but that didn't mean they went unpunished.
Someone like Gold Ship, who not only kidnapped her Trainer but stole his first kiss and triggered the wrath of at least five Uma Musume—yes, she might get her sentence reduced for surrendering, but she'd still be locked up for about a year. And with both Student Council president and VP as victims, things could go even worse for her.
That's why nobody could figure out why Gold Ship would turn herself in now. Did she surrender because Rice Shower broke into the final room and she saw it was over? Or was this all a trick, and Gold Ship was plotting something even now?
"…Broshi…"
Mizuno turned to Gold Ship, feeling nothing but sympathy.
The others didn't understand, but Mizuno knew exactly why Gold Ship was doing this.
He'd tried to convince her to run for it—after all, it had just been the four of them, and if they all kept quiet, no one would ever know what happened, or where Gold Ship might go.
But Gold Ship refused, explaining:
If the first Uma Musume bold enough to lock Mizuno in the basement didn't face real consequences, more would try to do it.
So, for Mizuno's own safety in the future, Gold Ship had to confess.
And besides, being a fugitive wasn't as glamorous as it sounded—she'd have to keep hiding, worried every day about being found, and she'd be barred from any official races, a true nightmare for a competitive Uma Musume.
Sooner or later, she'd be caught anyway, so she'd rather surrender early, lighten her sentence, and get back to living free as soon as her time was up.
Most important, that guy had already promised—he would never abandon her.
Gold Ship touched the pebble in her pocket, glanced at the skeptical faces all around, and let out a little laugh.
"No need to be so nervous. I'm not going anywhere."
With that, she joined her hands and held them out, as if waiting to be cuffed. "Go ahead and arrest me, before I change my mind."
Symboli Rudolf watched Gold Ship for a long moment, then sighed.
"If you're turning yourself in, there's no need for cuffs. Besides, we didn't bring any…"
Symboli Rudolf placed a hand on Gold Ship's shoulder, ready to escort her straight back to Tracen Academy.
After all, there'd never been a case in history where a Uma Musume successfully kidnapped a Trainer and then turned herself in—Rudolf had planned to break into the basement, knock Gold Ship out, and haul her back by force, so there'd been no thought of handcuffs.
Besides, against Uma Musume strength, handcuffs weren't much use. They could break them with a tug. Putting them on was just for show.
Better to worry about how to handle Gold Ship, who was a headache no matter how you looked at it.
But just as everyone was getting ready to "rescue" Mizuno and take the stairs back to Tracen to put Gold Ship on trial, Symboli Rudolf suddenly had a nagging feeling—weren't they missing something?
She glanced around the group and realized one of her favorite kouhai wasn't there.
"Wait—who's missing?"
Symboli Rudolf did a headcount, and came up short one Uma Musume she cared about most.
"Where's Teio?"