The next day, Trainer Mizuno arrived at a secret Tracen Academy facility hidden deep in the city outskirts.
Amid a thick, green forest rose towering concrete walls, easily over ten meters high, enclosing a vast compound. Beneath those walls, Umas in Tracen uniforms patrolled with sharp eyes, guarding the gates and keeping intruders out.
Officially, Tracen called this place a "special training camp." In truth, it was the "Special Education Facility"—a disciplinary center for Umas who had attacked their trainers, where they'd undergo mandatory "non-molestation education."
Mizuno's goal today was to rescue his best bro, Gold Ship, who'd been locked up here after sneaking into the forbidden male dorm about a month ago.
Normally, if a trainer signed a personal pardon, the Umal could be released early. Mizuno had tried to do that for Gold Ship, but her crime—breaking into the boys' dorm—was deemed too serious. Letting her off easily would "set a bad example."
To make things worse, Symboli Rudolf was behind the whole thing. She'd had Gold Ship detained just to monopolize Mizuno, and she'd been keeping a close eye on the facility ever since, making sure Gold Ship wouldn't come back too soon.
Fortunately, Mizuno had found a loophole—thanks to Agnes Tachyon and her suspiciously wide network, built through her constant trading of weird potions. Tachyon had pulled some strings, bypassed Rudolf's supervision, and gotten Mizuno official permission to pick Gold Ship up himself.
"You must be Trainer Mizuno, correct?"
At the gate, a bespectacled Uma administrator walked up, clipboard in hand, studying the man dressed in black.
"Yes," Mizuno replied, handing her a business card from his pocket.
She glanced at the card. The purple potion logo was proof enough—this was indeed the man who'd gotten in through Tachyon's back-channels.
"Please follow me." She returned the card, punched in a code on the digital lock, and pushed the gate open.
"Thanks," Mizuno said politely, following her inside.
Once through the gate, he froze. For a second, he thought he'd somehow walked back into the secret male dorm.
Despite the fortress-like walls, the inside was surprisingly beautiful. Rows of neat school buildings surrounded a familiar three-goddess fountain. Nearby stood elegant villas that served as dorms. Flower gardens bloomed everywhere, and groups of cheerful Umas strolled along cobblestone paths, laughing and chatting.
An athletic track stretched across the grounds, with an indoor gym and a pool nearby—clearly, this place wasn't meant to break its residents so much as keep them in top condition.
If not for the high walls, this would've looked less like a detention center and more like a hidden luxury dorm for Tracen's elite.
"This way, please." The administrator led Mizuno into a classy administrative building and showed him into a spacious reception room.
"Trainer Mizuno, please wait here. I'll arrange your meeting." She poured him a cup of black tea and left.
Mizuno quietly scanned the room, checking for anything suspicious. Finding nothing, he ignored the tea, sat down, and began reading a book while he waited.
About five minutes later, the door opened again.
"Trainer Mizuno, the meeting place is ready. Your Uma's already been notified and is waiting. Please follow me."
"Alright." Mizuno closed the book, stood, and followed.
He couldn't help feeling a spark of excitement—he was finally about to see Gold Ship again. Only six days remained before the dangerous potion would activate, but once she was back, everything would be fine.
But as they walked, Mizuno realized they'd entered the residential area.
The administrator led him past several fancy villas before stopping in front of one labeled "114."
"...?" Mizuno frowned.
Shouldn't this meeting be in some neutral room, not a private villa?
"Please come in. Gold Ship-san is waiting upstairs, on the second floor." The administrator opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
"Uh... okay." Mizuno hesitated but stepped inside, following her up to the second floor, where she stopped at a door.
Knock, knock, knock. "Gold Ship-san, have you finished preparing?" the administrator asked softly.
No answer.
"It's that situation again, huh..." she muttered under her breath.
Mizuno blinked. What's that supposed to mean?
Before he could ask, she nodded to herself, grabbed the handle, and opened the door.
"It seems Gold Ship-san isn't here yet. Trainer Mizuno, please wait inside," she said politely.
"Is that so?" Mizuno frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy.
He didn't step in right away. Instead, he peeked in first, just to be safe.
The room glowed faintly with neon pink light, filling the air with a sweet, intoxicating scent.
Right in the center stood a massive heart-shaped bed, with two fluffy pillows labeled "Yes." The bedside table held a collection of very suggestive toys, and the carpet was littered with colorful contraceptives like scattered petals.
"What the—?!" Mizuno's face went pale.
This wasn't a meeting room. It was a love hotel setup!
"Ha... ha-ha, I think I'll wait outside, thanks—"
Before he could back out, the administrator smiled sweetly, shoved him inside, and slammed the door shut.
Click.
The lock snapped.
"Wait—hey!" Mizuno grabbed the handle and rattled it, but it wouldn't budge.
His eyes widened. She'd said Gold Ship wasn't here yet—so why lock him in?
"Damn it..." Mizuno pressed his back to the door, scanning the room warily.
One thing was clear now: there was someone hiding here. That had to be why she locked the door.
If it was Gold Ship, fine. But if Tachyon had sent Daiwa Scarlet here instead... he didn't even want to imagine.
"Gulp..." He swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the suspicious heart-shaped bed.
No one in sight. Maybe she was under it, waiting to pounce.
He stayed put, back still against the door, and called softly, "Broshi? Broshi?"
No reply.
"..."
He crept closer. "Broshi, you there?"
Still nothing.
"Alright, fine." Bracing himself, Mizuno crouched down and lifted the bed skirt.
Empty.
"Huh..." He straightened up, rubbing his chin.
No Uma in the room at all...?
Mizuno was still trying to figure out why the administrator had locked the door. Was she just messing with him?
Before he could make sense of it, something tapped his shoulder.
"Heehee~ the one who can't find the ghost gets Uma Pyoi'd~," a sing-song voice teased from behind him.
"Gwah!" Mizuno yelped, whipping around.
Standing there was a gray-haired Uma, her face deathly pale, fake blood streaking from her eyes. Her long hair hung loose around her face, and she wore a thin white nightgown that fluttered with each movement.
"Gaaah!" she howled, trying her best to sound like a vengeful spirit.
"..." Mizuno just stared at her, unamused. Then, in an instant, recognition clicked.
The makeup might've been terrifyingly realistic—anyone else would've screamed—but Mizuno could feel it. That familiar wavelength, that unmistakable vibe.
"Broshi!" he shouted, relief flooding his voice.
"Eh? You recognized me?!" Gold Ship froze mid-growl, touching the fake blood on her face.
"I spent a whole week mastering this ghost makeup! It's supposed to scare ninety-nine percent of the population—and you saw through it right away?"
"Of course. No matter what form you take, I can always pick up your frequency from the electric waves you emit."
"Ha! That's my bro." Gold Ship grinned proudly. Then, smirking, she pressed a hand against his chest.
"Been a while, huh? Let me see if you've been developing properly~"
Mizuno sighed, already knowing what game this was. He crossed his arms over his chest and played along, feigning resistance.
"Broshi, nooo~"
They messed around for a bit before Mizuno suddenly remembered something.
"Wait—where were you hiding? I checked everywhere."
"Heh heh, up there." Gold Ship pointed toward the ceiling above the door. "When the administrator knocked, I was hanging right above the doorway. When you moved toward the bed, I dropped down behind you."
"Ohhh." Mizuno nodded in understanding.
No wonder. She'd been right above his head the whole time. As the saying goes—Gamers never look up.
"Also, Broshi," Mizuno said, glancing around at the dim pink lighting, the heart-shaped bed, the very colorful carpet. "Why meet here of all places? Doesn't this room feel… off?"
"Not my choice," Gold Ship replied with a shrug. "That's the academy's rule. Once a 'problem Uma' finishes her reeducation, they get rewarded with a special room and a trainer visit—as a, y'know, incentive."
"Huh? And the difference between that and not being reeducated is...?" Mizuno asked flatly.
"There's a difference," Gold Ship said solemnly. "They don't teach us 'don't Pyoi trainers.' They teach us 'don't Pyoi trainers casually.' That one word changes everything. Academy-approved Pyois don't count as casual."
"...Right." Mizuno exhaled in disbelief. "So after all that, the poor trainer still gets Pyoi'd anyway."
"Exactly!"
He sighed. "And that outfit? Also an academy rule?"
Gold Ship twirled, the sheer white fabric of her nightgown catching the pink light. It was short, half-transparent, more like lingerie than clothing.
"Haha, nah. This one's my pick! It was lying around, and it fits the ghost vibe perfectly. Waste not, want not!"
"...Makes sense," Mizuno muttered, politely averting his eyes.
She might have been his bro, but that didn't make this any less awkward.
"How've they been treating you here? You haven't been mistreated, right?" he asked.
Gold Ship tilted her head, thinking. "Mistreated? Nah. It's actually pretty nice—great food, comfy rooms, entertainment, you name it. The academy's trying to show us there are joys in life even greater than Pyoi-ing trainers."
She smirked. "But for Umas who get, uh, emotionally attached, all that does is build up pressure. The longer the separation, the bigger the explosion. So when they finally reunite…"
Her lips curled into a sly smile. She leaned closer, pressing her hand against his chest again.
"They Pyoi even harder."
"For example—me."
Her fingers trailed lightly along his chest, her tone dropping to a teasing whisper. "I haven't seen you in so long, Mizuno-dono. My desire's been building up nonstop…"
Her grin widened. "So now, I'm gonna savor you properly~"
With a sudden push, Gold Ship sent Mizuno tumbling backward onto the heart-shaped bed. She straddled him, tugging down his zipper, her hips moving with restless excitement. Under the pink glow, flashes of pale skin showed through the thin fabric.
"Come on, lemme see~!"
"Stop it, Broshi~" Mizuno laughed nervously, thinking she was just role-playing again.
But then he noticed—her grip was stronger than usual. Her movements, bolder. And when her hand reached for his hood, a chill ran through him.
"Wait—" He tried to stop her, but she was serious this time.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of his hood, eyes glinting with a strange determination.
"Hold on, Broshi—are you seriously doing this?!"