On the other side, Tokai Teio and the others had walked for about a minute before finally emerging from the cramped tunnel into a brightly lit new room.
"What's this place?" The Uma Musume all looked around, taking in their surroundings.
The room was about a hundred square meters, stark white, sparsely decorated, the whole vibe clean and minimal.
At the center was a small stage, with rows of desks arranged all around it. Each seat was separated from its neighbors by partitions, so no one could see to either side.
Every seat had a marker and a little whiteboard, clearly for everyone to write their answers on.
"Hm…" The setup gave everyone a strange sense—like they'd wandered onto the set of some gag show, where they'd have to answer questions to clear each round…
As they all wondered what Gold Ship was scheming by leading them here, a Gold Ship-shaped wooden puppet rolled slowly out of the shadowy corner, pedaling a child's bicycle into full view.
Creak, creak— The odd little Gold Ship puppet squeaked ominously, riding to center stage, then stopped and turned its head toward Tokai Teio and the others. Suddenly, its mouth opened and closed, and it started to speak:
"Hello, I want to play a game..."
"Eh?!" El Condor Pasa yelped, clutching her head.
The others might not get it, but as an American Uma Musume, El Condor Pasa recognized this scene all too well.
Puppet. Child's bicycle. Play a game...
This was right out of the horror movie "Saw"—betting your life on a deadly game! Win, you live; lose, you die!
After seeing that movie as a kid, El Condor Pasa couldn't sleep for weeks, shivering under the covers every night, terrified that a little puppet on a tricycle might show up and drag her off for some death game.
It was a deep childhood trauma—and now here it was again, happening for real?!
If they failed the game, would Gold Ship pull a Jigsaw and take all their lives too?!
"Relax. I never planned to hurt you—this is just a little personal preference of mine…" Gold Ship, watching the girls' anxiety through the puppet's camera eyes, finally explained:
"To prove whether you're qualified to protect Trainer-san, I've prepared enough challenges for you. Pass every challenge, and you'll get a chance to meet him face-to-face…"
"These trials won't put your life in danger. Or, let's say, the risk is very small—so please, don't worry…"
"The first round is to test how well you know Trainer-san…"
Every time Gold Ship spoke, the puppet's jaw clacked up and down, as if her soul were right there inside, making everyone feel a little creeped out.
"Now then, for each question I ask, you have ten seconds to write your answer on the whiteboard in front of you."
"Each of you only gets one shot per question. If you answer wrong, it just means you don't really care about Trainer-san. You fail—back to where you came from, no exceptions…"
"Okay, the game's about to start, so everyone take your seats. If you're not seated in time, it's counted as forfeiting."
"Eh?!" Before the Uma Musume could react, Gold Ship's warning had them scrambling for seats like students about to miss a listening test.
Wait, how did this turn into a game show quiz round for real?!
The suddenness left the girls a bit rattled, but they quickly calmed themselves.
After all, they were around Mizuno all the time—sharing meals, sometimes even beds at night. This kind of "know Trainer-san" test? Piece of cake!
The girls gripped their markers and stared straight at the Gold Ship puppet on stage, fully focused.
"Very good." The Gold Ship puppet, seeing everyone ready, raised a finger.
"First question: What's his favorite drink?"
"Drink?" The girls dug into their memories of time spent with Mizuno, then scribbled their answers on the whiteboards.
"Time's up. Show me your answers."
"Okay." They nodded and flipped their whiteboards around.
Almost everyone answered: [Milk]
Only Mejiro McQueen had something different:
[Honey Drink]
"McQueen, wrong! Trainer-san does not like Honey Drink!" Gold Ship declared.
"Huh? Really?!" McQueen's eyes went wide in shock.
She'd seen Mizuno chug Honey Drinks at mealtimes all the time, figured he must love them…
"He's good at making Honey Drinks, but that doesn't mean he likes drinking them!" Gold Ship explained, reading McQueen's confusion at a glance.
"He drinks them just to save time on meals, so he can use the extra minutes on everyone's training."
"The correct answer is [Milk], because milk gives bones plenty of calcium, keeps them strong. Trainer-san loves milk to extend the lifespan of his pelvis." Gold Ship said it all with a straight face.
"Eh?! I never realized…" McQueen covered her mouth, genuinely shocked.
Or maybe, she'd never really paid attention to Mizuno's likes at all—she'd just wanted him for herself…
She just liked drinking the Honey Drinks he made, so she arrogantly assumed he liked them too…
Ugh… McQueen bowed her head in guilt.
She'd just been so sure she knew everything about Mizuno, but she couldn't even get the first question right. How embarrassing.
"Give me another chance! I was just joking! I'll get the next one right for sure!" McQueen pleaded, cheeks red with shame.
"Joking? And you call yourself his savior? You have time to joke?" Gold Ship sounded a little pissed.
But after a pause—maybe remembering their old bickering—she relented:
"…Fine. Since you realized your mistake, I'll give you one more chance, but that's it. Fail again and show yourself out."
"Okay! Understood!" McQueen, shocked she'd been forgiven, nodded quickly, swearing to herself she wouldn't miss again.
From here on, it would be perfect. Not a single mistake.
"Second question: What drink does he hate the most?" Gold Ship asked.
The Uma Musume all thought for a moment, scribbled on their boards, then held up their answers.
Everyone: [Alcohol]
Mejiro McQueen: [Honey Drink]
"McQueen, out!" Gold Ship snapped.
Even with how close she was with McQueen, seeing her miss two in a row, Gold Ship couldn't help but get mad.
At this level, you think you can compete with me for someone that important?
"The answer is [Alcohol]. Trainer-san hates alcohol—he can't stand being out of it, worries he'll let his guard down and end up in danger, so he hates drinking more than anything."
"Eh?!" McQueen's tail stuck straight up.
She'd thought, since the second question was the opposite of the first, it was some kind of trick—so she'd just written the same answer again…
But it wasn't a trick after all?!
"McQueen, you really don't know Trainer-san at all. You're not qualified to protect him, so leave. Now." Gold Ship didn't pull her punches.
Ugh… McQueen clutched her face.
Just two questions, and she knew she didn't understand Mizuno at all. She didn't have the face to stay here.
I… I'm not qualified… Head bowed in shame, Mejiro McQueen slunk out through the tunnel.
Gulp—
The remaining girls watched McQueen's quick exit and nervously swallowed, gripping their markers tighter.
"Next question…" The Gold Ship puppet's jaw clacked.
"If one day Trainer-san gets tired of single life and wants a girlfriend—would you choose to be his lover?"