Afternoon came quickly—training time.

Mizuno had arrived at the training ground early, preparing everything they would need during training and after.

Although the parts he'd ordered from Hayakawa-san's friend had already arrived, he wasn't in a rush to pick them up. He planned to wait until after training, then go with Gold Ship—it would be safer that way.

Once everything was ready, Mizuno sat down cross-legged, pulled out a book, and waited quietly for Urara and the others.

Before long, a pair of training shoes appeared in the corner of his vision.

"Trainer Mizuno, good afternoon."

Mizuno lifted his head and found King Halo standing above him, looking down with a lofty air.

"...Halo-san?" Mizuno was a little surprised.

Normally, Tokai Teio was always the first to arrive at the training ground. But today things were different—King Halo had arrived before anyone else.

Even stranger, Halo usually came with Urara. Why was she here alone, ahead of time?

"What? Seeing first-class me arrive first—shouldn't that make you even happier?" King Halo asked, dissatisfied.

"Uh... yeah... I guess that does make me happier..." Mizuno gave a wry smile.

Because whoever arrived before the others would get a little window of time alone with him.

Up until today, that "first alone time" had always been with Teio.

Teio was great in every way—except she was a bit too close. She liked to sneak up behind him while he was reading, rest her chin on his shoulder, and silently read along with him.

To outsiders, having a cute Uma Musume girl lean against your shoulder might seem like pure bliss.

But to Mizuno, Teio pressing her cheek against his shoulder felt like a blade against his throat. Terrifying.

If Mizuno turned his head stiffly to look, Teio would immediately turn and meet his eyes—with an adorable smile that made his heart skip a beat.

...Yeah. Almost enough to stop it altogether.

Mizuno worried that if this went on too long, Teio's affection for him would skyrocket, and she might actually want to become his assigned Uma Musume.

That would be a disaster—straight down the road to a doomed "Monarchs Basement" ending!

Thankfully, that hadn't happened yet.

So in his view, compared to spending that time alone with Teio, being with Halo was much safer.

Of course, what he really wanted was for Urara, Rice Shower, or Gold Ship to be the first ones here.

"Hmph." After hearing Mizuno's answer, King Halo crossed her arms, tilted her chin upward with a proud little flourish—but the corner of her mouth betrayed the happiness she was feeling.

Trainer Mizuno said 'that does make me happier'...

As expected... Trainer Mizuno likes her... wants to be her lover...

And just now—those words... most likely were a confession...

"Mm..." Halo raised her chin a little higher, trying to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

She'd seen plenty of romance dramas, plenty of heroines being confessed to. She'd thought that if the same thing happened to her one day, she would never be like those flustered drama heroines, overwhelmed and paralyzed by love.

After all, the first-class Halo—no matter what she faced—would always maintain first-class poise and elegance!

But when it really happened, King Halo discovered... she couldn't think at all.

What she usually heard most were praises. Admiration from below, gazes lifted upward toward her.

As a first-class Uma Musume, being admired was only natural. Accepting that was easy.

The other thing she often heard was scorn. People saying her "first-class" was fake—just arrogance and pride without strength. Looking down on her from above.

But as the first-class King Halo, such gossip could never bring her down. At most, it stung for a moment. Then she would grow stronger, work harder—until one day she could prove to those who belittled her that her "first-class" was the real thing!

But... a confession was different.

It was equal.

One person taking out their love, offering it up. The other taking out their own love, letting the two sincere hearts join and fuse together...

That, she had never experienced. Not once. No idea what to do.

Fortunately, though Halo herself didn't know how to respond to Trainer Mizuno's confession, she'd gotten some "guidance" this morning from her friend—Seiun Sky.

Looking at Sky's smug, calculating face, radiating confidence like some master of romance—Halo had thought: Trusting her should be fine.

So now she replayed Sky's advice in her mind.

"Ahem..." Halo faked a cough, pointed her finger straight at Mizuno, and declared firmly:

"I'll say this first—becoming King Halo's boyfriend isn't going to be that easy!"

"Uh... wha... huh?" Mizuno scratched his head at the sudden proclamation.

Boyfriend? What was that supposed to mean?

But Halo ignored his confusion, put her hands on her hips, and continued:

"First! You have to be devoted to me alone. You can't get too close with other girls, can't even look at them. Your eyes must only have me!"

"Second! You must listen to me. King Halo's commands are absolute. If I say east, you can't go west. If I say one, you can't say two. No objections allowed."

"Third! You're not allowed to kiss me—and you're absolutely not allowed to do that kind of thing! Until I win a G1 championship, I cannot be distracted by those kinds of feelings."

"Do you understand?"

She finished listing her conditions, hands still on hips, and waited for his response.

"..." Mizuno was frozen in place.

"?"

What the heck had gotten into this girl now? Why was she suddenly listing boyfriend requirements to him?

Did she want him to... help her find one?

Hey! If you want a boyfriend, go find one yourself! What's that got to do with him?

Right now Mizuno felt like an old father listening to his daughter lay out her marriage demands.

Helping Halo find a boyfriend wasn't really the problem—as long as he wasn't the boyfriend.

In fact, if he helped her find one quickly, he'd be safer himself. No need to stay on guard around her anymore.

But weren't those demands a little too much? Could he even find someone willing to accept them?

"Don't you think those conditions are... a bit much?" Mizuno couldn't help asking.

"Too much...?" Halo blinked, her aura dimming slightly.

...Maybe so.

But that's what Seiun Sky had told her: before confirming a relationship, she had to seize the initiative. That way, once the romance began, she wouldn't end up at a disadvantage, emotionally manipulated by the other side.

So, before agreeing to the confession, she had to lay down conditions—very unreasonable ones.

If the other party refused, then she'd compromise, shifting them into more reasonable terms until he felt they were acceptable.

This shift—from harsh to moderate—wouldn't make him think she was domineering. Instead, he'd feel she was flexible, considerate, and serious about the relationship, deepening the bond while leaving her in control.

Truly... the teachings of a romance master, Seiun Sky. Halo had learned well.

"Then... what if I change the third one a little. Kissing's allowed, but you still can't touch me otherwise." Halo softened her conditions.

"....." Mizuno stayed silent.

Seeing his silence, Halo realized he still thought her conditions were too much.

So her cheeks turned red, ears drooped, and she lowered her head in embarrassment, mumbling:

"Then... then how about we can do that kind of thing... but you have to take proper safety measures, since I still need to race, and I can't risk pregnancy..."

"Uh... what—" Mizuno's mouth twitched.

Pregnancy? Seriously? You're still in school! How can you even think about stuff like that?!

"No, no, no. By 'too much,' I meant your first and second conditions..." Mizuno quickly clarified.

"Th—that's what you meant?!" Halo whipped her face aside, unable to meet his eyes, utterly mortified.

So embarrassing! How could a first-class girl like her say something so indecent?! And to Trainer Mizuno of all people!

She wanted to crawl into a corner and disappear.

"Of course I knew that already! You didn't need to say it! I was just... just..." Halo scrambled for an excuse, but her brain was full of the words she'd just blurted out. Completely scrambled. All she could stammer were fragments.

Kissing... Uma Pyoi... Pregnancy...

How had the first-class Halo sunk to saying such vulgar things?!

"Ugh..." She glared at Mizuno, stomach twisting from shame, her face growing redder and redder.

"..." A shiver ran through Mizuno.

He had the ominous feeling that if he didn't say something right now—if he just kept staring at her—something very, very bad might happen. Something involving his life.

Forget it. He wasn't the type to enjoy watching a girl squirm in embarrassment. Better to give her an out.

So he asked gently: "Actually... you were just joking just now, weren't you?"

Halo's ears shot upright like she'd grabbed a lifeline. She blurted: "Yes! Exactly! I was joking! That was the first-class Halo's sense of humor! You saw through it, right?"

Mizuno nodded. "Yeah, I saw through it."

"Whew..." Halo exhaled in relief.

Good thing Trainer Mizuno was just as dense in romance as she was. He really thought she'd been joking—and even handed her a perfectly reasonable excuse.

If he ever became her lover, wouldn't that mean she could have him dancing in the palm of her hand?

The initiative in this love... belonged to the first-class Halo!

"Ohohoho—!!" Halo threw back her head in laughter.

Mizuno: "....."

This girl was definitely badmouthing him in her head again...

Because Mizuno spent so much time with the team's Uma Musume—preparing their things, drafting training plans—he had slowly developed a certain mindset.

The mindset of an old father.

And right now, looking at Halo, he couldn't shake the feeling he was raising a rebellious, arrogant daughter.

So, the daughter wants to date huh? As the dad, maybe he should lend a hand.

Not like he would suffer for it. The unlucky one would just be her future boyfriend.

Mizuno sighed, rubbed his forehead, and said helplessly: "If you take out the first and second conditions—make the relationship equal on both sides—then I'll do my best (to help you find such a boyfriend)."

"Really?" Halo's ears perked, eyes sparkling with hope.

"Yeah." Mizuno nodded.

"Ohohoho—!" Halo laughed with delight. "I look forward to your performance."

"Don't rely only on me. You'll have to put in effort too," Mizuno said.

"I see... very well..." Halo agreed reluctantly.

The situation wasn't quite what she'd imagined—her holding total control. But at least, in the end, she'd given a response to Trainer Mizuno's confession.

And most importantly, the first-class Halo hadn't lost the upper hand—her elegance and poise remained intact!

All of it thanks to her friend, the romance master Seiun Sky.

Arigatou, Sky-chan.

"Hm-hm-hmm~" Halo hummed in good spirits, tail swishing briskly, already daydreaming about going on a date this weekend.

But there was one thing she forgot—

She had, without realizing it, already assumed she would become Mizuno's lover someday...