Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement
Chapter 63 63: Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [63] [400 STONES]
No one raised objections to the name "Team TAC," so naturally, it became the official name of Mizuno-san's team.
Having settled on their team name, everyone prepared to begin the afternoon training session.
Before training started, though, everyone grew curious about what the inside of their new training room looked like, so they eagerly headed in to explore.
Only Mizuno remained stubbornly outside, unwilling to enter.
"Mizuno-san, aren't you coming in?" Tokai Teio tilted her head curiously, standing at the door.
"I've already seen it, so I'll stay outside and wait for you guys," Mizuno hurriedly made an excuse, stubbornly refusing to move even a single step closer.
The neighboring training room is still shaking—how could I dare enter?
Moreover, it was Tokai Teio who invited him inside—giving him yet another reason to stay far away.
So Mizuno simply squatted outside, revising today's training plan to account for the addition of Gold Ship.
Golshi was particularly talented at long-distance running, and having her train alongside Urara would significantly improve Urara's stamina and endurance.
In no time, Mizuno completed the updated plan.
Once everyone finished their tour, Mizuno handed copies of the new schedule to Urara and Rice Shower, then led everyone towards the training track.
This afternoon's weather was perfect: clear skies, bright sunshine, and crisp, fresh air—ideal running conditions.
"Urara's gonna finish first!" Urara cheerfully called, dashing excitedly onto the track.
The other Uma Musume refused to lag behind and chased after her enthusiastically.
"Gan-ba-teyo!"
"Ohohoho! Witness my top-notch running skills!"
"Teio won't lose either—I'll definitely be an undefeated [Triple Crown Uma Musume]!"
"Hmmm… Maybe I really should kidnap him after all…"
They all seemed so full of energy.
Mizuno watched proudly from a distance, deeply touched by the sight of these energetic girls working hard.
However, Mizuno's expression froze awkwardly when he noticed Gold Ship lounging lazily beside him, her hands folded casually behind her head.
"Golshi, why are you still here?" Mizuno asked, giving her an accusing stare.
"Hey, Master, let's play~" Gold Ship looked directly at Mizuno, clearly uninterested in joining the others' training session.
"Huh?" Mizuno was bewildered.
It's training time, and you're asking me to play?
"Training's boring. How about we continue our trivia game instead?" Golshi eagerly suggested.
"I respectfully decline," Mizuno shook his head firmly.
Although Mizuno himself wasn't participating physically, he still needed to closely monitor his team's condition during practice. Observing their progress was crucial in adjusting future training schedules and knowing when to call breaks—he definitely didn't have time to spare playing trivia with Gold Ship.
Besides, he'd recruited Golshi specifically to train alongside the others and provide valuable friendship training boosts. Yet here she was, day one, already slacking off and trying to drag her trainer down with her.
Why am I not even surprised? Golshi truly lives up to her reputation.
But if Golshi wasn't going to join training, the new training plan he'd carefully adjusted just now would go completely to waste.
Mizuno had to think quickly and find a way to motivate her to train.
"Golshi, how about this? You train seriously with the others, and afterward, I'll teach you the honey drink recipe."
"Hahaha, nope."
"What? Don't you want to learn the delicious honey drink recipe anymore?"
"Nah, lost interest," Gold Ship declared, arms folded confidently, lifting her chin arrogantly. "Right now, I just wanna play trivia."
Mizuno: "..."
Wow! She changes her mind faster than the weather!
"How about this, then? If you play trivia with me, I'll show you something nice," Gold Ship offered slyly, tugging her collar slightly downward, flashing Mizuno a playful wink.
Golshi was attempting to seduce Mizuno with her charms.
However, Mizuno just chuckled knowingly.
"You really think that trick will work on me, 'Little Fickle Golshi'?" Mizuno directly revealed her alias from the academy's online forum.
He already knew the clickbait post with the misleading thumbnail had been Golshi's work—after all, the video of a silver-haired Uma Musume breakdancing in sunglasses was obviously her.
When she promised to show "something nice," it was definitely never anything lewd—if you believed her, you'd surely fall victim to her pranks.
Mizuno had fallen for it once already, and he wasn't going to be tricked again.
Hearing her secret username exposed, Golshi gasped dramatically: "Oh? So you clicked on that video too, huh? What a filthy adult~"
Mizuno immediately countered, unfazed: "It's only dirty because you're looking through dirty-tinted glasses! I clicked it purely to see an Uma Musume dancing! If anyone's dirty-minded here, it's clearly you!"
Golshi paused for a moment, impressed, then nodded approvingly.
"Not bad at all! I'll definitely use that comeback next time to tease McQueen~"
But now she really wanted to play trivia…
"Fine, let's do this," Golshi proposed a compromise. "We have one trivia duel—if you win, I'll go join training immediately. But if you lose, you have to play trivia with me instead. Deal?"
"Alright, fine." Mizuno accepted after some consideration.
He genuinely couldn't think of another way to convince Golshi to train. Since she'd proposed a workable solution, he could only accept.
Although Golshi was notoriously strong at trivia, Mizuno wasn't weak either. Considering their back-and-forth trivia exchange from earlier, he felt their skill levels were probably comparable.
It's time to settle who's truly the stronger trivia champion: me, Mizuno Sora—or the legendary alien Golshi!
The showdown began!
"What's the oldest goldfish in the world?"
"Fred, 41 years old."
"Where's a shrimp's heart located?"
"In its head."
...
Their rapid-fire battle lasted around ten minutes before the winner became clear.
"Waaaaahhh…!" Golshi dramatically dropped to her knees, wailing theatrically, though no actual tears emerged.
Mizuno watched Golshi kneeling on the ground, his mouth twitching in confusion.
"You won, so why are you sadder than me?"
Indeed, Mizuno had lost—the trivia contest had clearly demonstrated his inferiority to Golshi in random knowledge.
Early on, Mizuno had matched Golshi evenly, question for question. However, the longer they competed, the clearer it became how vast the gap was between them. Eventually, Mizuno couldn't keep up, decisively losing to the trivia monster.
Golshi emotionally explained:
"Because... I finally met someone who lasted a full ten minutes against me!"
"All my previous opponents gave up after just a few rounds—it was boring! But you kept up so long, Mizuno-san! I'm honestly touched!"
"Master! From today onwards, you're my god!" Gold Ship dramatically took a knee, bowing respectfully toward Mizuno.
Mizuno: "..."
Golshi truly deserves her title—utterly unpredictable.
"Fine, I lost," Mizuno accepted graciously, bowing his head.
A man of his word, Mizuno would always honor his agreements. Having lost to Golshi, he prepared to sit down and spend the next hours playing trivia with her.
Yet instead, Golshi stood up, suddenly performing warm-up stretches.
Mizuno blinked, puzzled.
Does she really need warm-ups for trivia? Wait... does the loser get physically beaten or something…?
After finishing her stretches, though, Golshi suddenly dashed off towards the training track.
Mizuno grew even more confused.
"Golshi, what are you doing? Didn't we agree I'd play trivia with you if I lost?"
"Haha, Master, we already played trivia together~" Golshi laughed, glancing back cheerfully.
"But now, I, the great Gold Ship, feel like running instead! See ya~!"
Golshi swiftly joined Urara and the others on the track, happily blending into their training.
Only then did Mizuno realize he'd been tricked again, a helpless smile tugging at his lips.
Dammit, Golshi got me again…