WiseTL

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [121]

Back to the present time—local police station, Second Interrogation Room.

When Mizuno Sora heard that the Uma who came to bail him out was actually Symboli Rudolf, he froze for a moment. Then his brain caught up, both legs went weak, and thud—he toppled straight off the chair onto the floor, eyes filled with sheer terror.

“Gwah! I don’t want to see her!”

At this moment, Mizuno was like a frightened little dog, curling up in fear and rolling wildly across t...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [120]

The clock turned back twenty minutes.

Because Mizuno had left halfway, and because Tokai Teio was far too restless to sit quietly reading, Symboli Rudolf and the others didn’t stay long in the bookstore. They headed back together to Tracen Academy.

But when Rudolf returned to her dorm and was about to place the plush doll her fan had given her onto the bedside table, she discovered—

It was gone.

“Eh?”

She overturned her shoulder bag, searched it inside ou...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [119]

Police station, interrogation room.

The dark room was pierced by a harsh light shining directly onto Tobu Makoto’s face, like the holy light of justice, so bright he couldn’t open his eyes.

His hands were cuffed to the table. Across from him, two officers stared sternly, questioning him about his crimes while typing notes into a report.

In the shadows around the room, more than a dozen burly officers lurked, ready to rush out and pin him to the floor—ready to “play a...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [118]

After leaving the bookstore, Tobu Makoto clutched his precious camera and hurried back to his apartment.

He smoothly unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind him.

The room was pitch-black, curtains drawn tight. Nothing could be seen.

But when Tobu flicked on the light—the truth of his home was revealed.

Every wall, the carpet, even the ceiling and furniture—covered with photographs and posters of Symboli Rudolf.

On the floor, every few steps la...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [117]

After sending Tobu Makoto away, the group headed to a nearby bookstore.

It was a large store, filled with every kind of book, clean desks, and strong air conditioning—an extremely comfortable environment for reading. Yet oddly, there were hardly any people inside. In such a vast bookstore, only a dozen or so scattered around.

They each picked books they liked, then sat at the same table to read.

Tokai Teio’s choice was exactly what Mizuno expected—fairy tale storybooks...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [116]

[Fortune]: This plush... there’s a problem...

[Mizuno]: A problem? What kind of problem?

[Fortune]: The plush... has a camera inside...

[Mizuno]: ...

Mizuno remembered what had struck him as odd just now.

No wonder the doll looked exactly like the kind you’d buy from a gift shop—same fabric, same design—yet its eyes shone brighter, and its weight was he...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [115]

Rather than dwell on what would happen tonight to that young trainer, Mizuno’s group found an empty table and called a server to order.

“Prez, Mizuno, I’m going to the restroom first,” Tokai Teio said, leaving her seat for the restaurant bathroom.

After Teio left, Mizuno couldn’t help glancing again at the young trainer celebrating his Uma’s birthday. Just imagining that poor guy’s fate tonight filled him with grief; he offered a silent prayer.

Symboli Rudolf a...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [114]

They arrived at Room 420. Tokai Teio locked the door from the inside.

That single action made Mizuno’s memories flash back to the warehouse incident—his PTSD nearly triggered. For a moment, he thought Teio was about to lock him up in a sealed space and execute him on the spot.

But Teio explained: locking the door was just her habit. Once the door was locked, they were cut off from the outside world. At that point, they could do whatever they wanted without worrying about being...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [113]

Because Gold Ship had switched into yet another outfit, with a bit of makeup on top, Tokai Teio didn’t recognize her at all—only wondering why the usual front-desk onee-san who always worked weekends wasn’t here today.

Symboli Rudolf, however, did recognize her as the gray-haired beauty who had been on the bus with them earlier. But since she wasn’t acquainted with her, and randomly prying into strangers’ business was rude, Rudolf said nothing.

“Hello, we’d like to b...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [112]

“Mm?” Tokai Teio felt a strange flicker of crisis when she saw the unfamiliar gray-haired Uma Musume girl take the seat right beside Mizuno.

Why were there so many empty seats on the bus, yet she chose Mizuno’s? Could it be… they knew each other?

Teio leaned over the back of her seat, propping herself against it, curiously staring at the pair behind her.

But the gray-haired beauty seemed not to know Mizuno at all. She sat quietly, without the slightest intention of c...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [111]

Although Tokai Teio was the first to send her message and “won” the little contest, it was far too obvious that Symboli Rudolf and Mizuno, as seniors, had deliberately held back to let the junior shine. Teio spotted it in an instant—saw right through the fake lag—and decided it was unfair. She flat-out refused to accept the result and demanded a rematch.

“...” Symboli Rudolf and Mizuno thought for a moment, then agreed to Teio’s request.

“Alright.”

So the t...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [110]

The next day, seven in the morning.

Because she usually rose early, her body had long adjusted. Symboli Rudolf woke from her warm blankets right on time, opening her eyes.

She sat up slowly, stretched in comfort, then got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

After a quick wash, she stood before the tall mirror, changing clothes.

Since today was an outing, Rudolf didn’t put on her Academy uniform. Instead, she chose a green long shirt, white casual pants, a pair of...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [109]

After a whole afternoon of preparation, all the ingredients they had bought were processed.

Most were turned into dishes, wrapped in plastic wrap, to be reheated in the microwave when the banquet began—ready to eat immediately.

A smaller portion was washed or made into meatballs, set aside for a hotpot at the feast, to be boiled and eaten as they went.

In addition, Tokai Teio and King Halo, under Mizuno’s guidance, successfully learned how to make fried carrots.

At...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [108]

After Mizuno and the others arrived at the cooking classroom, they joined in to help.

Gold Ship seemed able to do everything—washing vegetables, cutting meat, peeling shrimp shells, picking out fish bones, rolling meatballs. Whatever task needed hands, or wherever there was trouble, she would rush over to help. A true all-rounder.

Of course, she still liked to slack off—sometimes sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor to meditate, or sneaking off who-knows-where—but...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [107]

“D-d-date?”

Symboli Rudolf shakily put down her broken pen, rubbed her eyes, and carefully read the characters on her phone screen again. She even read them out loud several times, making sure she hadn’t misread.

“Trainer Mizuno is going on a date with Teio?!”

From her body seeped a dangerous aura. The entire Student Council office was shrouded under a crushing pressure called 【Emperor’s Dignity】. Even the flowers in the pot by the window shivered as though u...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [106]

“Eh?” Tokai Teio froze on the spot, eyes a little blank, unable to process what Mizuno had just said.

“Trainer Mizuno—'we already went and came back'… what does that mean?”

Faced with Teio’s question, Mizuno turned his head awkwardly and explained:

“You were asleep. You looked so sound asleep, I couldn’t bear to wake you, so I went with everyone else to the shopping street. We’ve already bought everything we need and come back, so there’s no ne...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [105]

After a whole morning of shopping, Mizuno’s group had bought a mountain of food for tonight’s victory feast.

There were steaks, pork chops, chicken wings, lamb—everything that ran on land.
There were lobsters, hairy crabs, sashimi, abalone—everything that swam in the sea.

Most important of all, of course, were carrots, beloved by every Uma. To make sure Urara and the others could eat their fill, Mizuno bought several whole crates. Altogether—half a ton of carrots.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [104]

The honey drink in McQueen’s hand was split into six portions, just enough for one teacup each.

The six Uma present all raised their cups together and drank.

Mejiro Dober: “So fresh. So delicious.”

Mejiro Ryan: “Ohhh—this is way too good! I feel like every muscle in my body is boiling over!”

Mejiro Palmer: “Indeed! As if my whole body has been cleansed! Fatigue and gloom all vanished into thin air!”

Mejiro Ardan didn’t speak, still maintaining h...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [103]

That morning, while Mizuno and the others were shopping in the city, Mejiro McQueen was riding in a private car back to her family estate.

It was a quiet place far removed from the city’s noise, with several Western-style mansions. The overall scale and training facilities were no worse than Tracen Academy’s. On top of that, there were all kinds of leisure spaces for the Mejiro clan members: gardens, a golf course, swimming pools, and more.

The head of the family—McQueen’s...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [102]

After deciding that tonight they would hold the victory party together with Kiryuin Aoi and Happy Meek in the Team TAC training room, everyone happily set off to buy supplies.

Urara, Rice Shower, King Halo, and Happy Meek walked ahead, picking out the foods they each liked to eat.

Meanwhile, Mizuno and Kiryuin Aoi followed behind, chatting as they went.

“Trainer Mizuno, what do you usually do during your rest time?” Kiryuin Aoi asked.

Because aside from occasionall...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [101]

Mizuno Sora took Urara and the others, boarding the train toward today’s destination.

This was the first time since coming to this world that Mizuno had gone out for something not tied to work. Before, he had been too busy, and also too afraid of being whacked over the head by some strange Uma Musume. So during his off-time, he had almost never left the secret dorm.

If a non–Uma Musume friend had invited him out to play, Mizuno might have considered it.

But at Tracen Aca...

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [100]

After about ten minutes of being bathed in the little cuties’ presence, Mizuno Sora finally recovered completely.

“Where… am I?” Mizuno opened his eyes, staring at the white clouds drifting across a blue sky, still dazed.

Strange—just now, he’d been sitting, held in Tokai Teio’s arms. How had he ended up lying down instead?

And his head seemed to be resting on something soft. His hands were being held too…

I’ve already been locked into Teio’s ba...