After escaping the Tracen flowerbeds in his wheelchair, Mizuno roamed the outskirts of the Academy, getting used to the controls while scouting for a spot suitable for racing.
What he needed was somewhere with no residents, no other vehicles on the road, and plenty of twists and turns—the perfect place for a racer to hone their skills.
But in this world, thanks to the existence of Uma Musume, the motorsport scene was underdeveloped. Mizuno couldn't even find a single place online dedicated to practicing racing skills—instead, most of the so-called "racing" hotels turned out to be love hotels. And nearly all their reviews came from Uma Musume, with comment sections filled with praise. The top-rated review read:
"The bed frame is super sturdy—no matter how hard you accelerate, it never collapses. Trainer-san loves it!"
This situation left Mizuno a bit stumped.
Without a proper venue, how was he supposed to test out his wheelchair's racing capabilities?
He couldn't just race on public roads either. Getting caught speeding and fined was one thing, but if he lost focus for a second and got run over by one of those "living life to the fullest" delivery trucks, he'd be done for. Reality wasn't a racing game—there was no invincible setting where you and your ride could crash as much as you liked without a scratch.
But then Mizuno remembered: there was a winding, relatively safe mountain road behind Maruzensky's apartment building—lots of curves, low danger—perfect for practicing racing.
He figured that was probably why Maruzensky had chosen to rent there in the first place. Whenever she was bored or feeling down, she could take a spin and relax.
"Yeah, let's go there."
With his practice spot decided, Mizuno quickly messaged his racing mentor, Fujiwara-san, telling him to meet at that location at 2 PM. Then he set out early for Maruzensky's apartment to see if there were any vacancies nearby.
Since he couldn't return to Tracen just yet—Air Groove might still be mad at him, and going back would only make things worse—Mizuno decided not to stay in his tent, but to rent a place outside for a while. That way, he could avoid the nightly horror of Uma Musume climbing into his bed, and also have the freedom to practice racing whenever he wanted.
After some searching, Mizuno discovered a vacant room available for rent in Maruzensky's building.
He called the landlord and signed the lease.
Maruzensky lived in a luxury unit on the third floor, while Mizuno's was a cramped, shabby room on the ground floor. The upside: no stairs to climb, perfect for a guy in a wheelchair.
The place was tiny, totally unfurnished, and so run-down that even Liu Yuxi would want to go back and delete his own "Ode to the Humble Room."
But Mizuno didn't mind.
It was just a temporary base. All he needed was a blanket to sleep on—he didn't care about TV, air conditioning, or a fridge. Creature comforts were unnecessary.
He didn't tell Maruzensky about renting the place, nor did he go greet her. After a few hours of cleaning, once the room was neat and tidy, he got ready to head out to meet Fujiwara-san as planned.
After all, Mizuno renting in Maruzensky's building was just a coincidence, not a calculated move to get close to her. He had no intention of using daily run-ins and greetings to force their relationship closer.
His thinking was simple: aside from fulfilling Maruzensky's wish, he absolutely wouldn't get entangled with her.
No matter how pitiful she seemed, he wouldn't lower his guard—especially since she was an Uma Musume.
He'd already learned his lesson with Air Groove: back then, he'd pitied her when she was depressed, went above and beyond in helping her, and now she always looked at him like she was waiting for a chance to gobble him up.
So this time, Mizuno set his own "three no's" policy for fulfilling Maruzensky's wish—no greetings, no caring, no promises—to avoid another Air Groove situation!
"All right, time to find Fujiwara-san..." Mizuno checked his phone. Still an hour until their meeting. He locked the door and headed out to the appointed spot.
"Gogogo, let's roll~~"
But just as Mizuno left, in a third-floor room stacked high with delivery boxes, an Uma Musume stood by the window, catching sight of Mizuno speeding away in his ghostly wheelchair.
"It's him!" Maruzensky's dull eyes suddenly lit up, her drooping ears snapping to attention like radar receiving a signal.
Though Mizuno hadn't told anyone he was coming, and the wheelchair looked a bit different from when he'd last visited with Symboli Rudolf, the strange combo of black-clad guy and wheelchair was rare enough that Maruzensky still recognized him.
"What's he doing here?"