Author's Note: I am not an editor or a professional writer. I will write this and edit it to the best of my ability. I also do not own Uma Musume, which is owned by Cygames. Watch the animes and read the mangas, for they are pretty good. Finally, please enjoy.
3rd Person POV
Back to a bit earlier, before Gray showed Yuto new possibilities but after Yuto's speech, Gray and Norn were finally released from their straitjackets. Unfortunately for them, they were still chained to their seats instead. Gray, however, actually liked the feeling of the chains around her wrists. In fact, she was already planning to rip them off later with her Umamusume strength and keep them for herself.
Soon, Gray got her laptop back as everyone prepared for the next introduction. While the room settled down, she casually searched Yuto Nobunaga's name online, looking into what he had been doing in the past.
That was when the boss returned to the podium and began the next introduction, not caring whether everyone was paying attention or not.
"Okay everyone, the next person up is the head of our brand-new Publicity and Marketing Division. We'll need her when it comes to advertising the team and marketing the products we release. Plus, she'll also lead our censorship division in case we need something removed from our content."
She adjusted her glasses before continuing.
"She's young and will probably resonate well with modern youth culture. She's also a fresh graduate and new to the team just like the rest of you, so please welcome her with open arms. Now then, step onto the podium, Hana Tohouin."
A nervous-looking Hana slowly walked toward the stage before stepping onto the podium.
Then she began to speak.
⸻
Hana Tohouin POV
"Hana here, and I recently just graduated from college! OMG!"
"I got my degree in marketing, and I'm also part of the largest Uma Musume fan club in the world, led by our amazing leader ADigitalUmaFan, who's connected to a ton of famous Uma Musume."
"I'm a huge fan of legendary racers too. I was absolutely furious when those jerks booed Rice Shower after she upset Mihono Bourbon. Booing an Uma Musume after she worked her heart out in a race is literally a cardinal sin."
"The online wars back then were insane. Even arguments over our own favorites got brutal. My favorites are Rice Shower, Haru Urara, Twin Turbo, Agnes Digital, and Nice Nature."
She proudly pointed at herself.
"So yeah, if you guessed I'm an underdog fan, then you're totally right."
"My love for them eventually pushed me into studying marketing and promotion."
She sighed dramatically.
"But I seriously couldn't find a job anywhere."
"My mom kept telling me I needed experience first and that I should start somewhere outside my dream job before working in Uma Musume marketing."
She puffed out her cheeks.
"But why is it so hard getting a job involving Uma Musume and racing?!"
"That's when I suddenly found an online ad looking for employees to work under an Uma Musume sports team."
"I talked with the other members of our online group, and with all our experience together, we started discussing whether the whole thing was authentic or suspicious."
"In the end, I was chosen as the group's spy."
The audience chuckled.
"I signed up for a job interview as the head of marketing, censorship, and public management. Honestly, I expected them to reject me immediately. That was part of the plan. I loaded my resume with enough qualifications to earn an interview, but not enough to actually get hired."
"A perfect strategy."
"Since the interview would happen at their headquarters, I'd get a chance to look around and maybe even see some Uma Musume."
She crossed her arms proudly.
"Obviously, I also brought a hidden camera and streamed everything to my group online in case I got kidnapped or murdered."
Several members of the audience blinked.
"We drove out to the forests on the outskirts of Nara, and honestly… I was getting nervous."
"Then we arrived at this gigantic walled compound."
"Once we got through the gates, I saw an absolutely massive facility."
"The guide riding with me explained everything."
'Surprisingly, yes, our base has everything required to build the greatest team possible. We have training grounds of every type, rehabilitation and healing centers, multiple gyms, dormitories for guests, staff, and athletes, music performance facilities, offices, entertainment areas, and the main base itself, which contains several meeting halls. That is where your interview will take place.'
"We eventually arrived at the main building."
"I was completely blown away."
"The entire place was brand-new, futuristic, and honestly looked like a dream workplace."
"But despite all the staff walking around, I noticed something weird."
"There were no Uma Musume team members anywhere."
"I was eventually escorted into the interview room where I saw three interviewers."
"One looked like a rich version of Tamamo Cross with different colors."
"A maid who looked like Super Creek with different colors."
"And finally, a tall butler who looked like a male version of Inari One."
"The rich Tamamo Cross-looking woman introduced herself."
'I am Mina Sakamoto Du Vault, the owner and founder of this team. Beside me are my assistants and fellow department heads, Suzu Yamamoto and Takeshi Oda. Now then, let us begin the interview. Also, before you get nervous… I hope you like the place so far, UmaLover98.'
"My soul nearly left my body."
"The mission was compromised."
"Then she suddenly burst out laughing."
'Girl, it's me. NewSportFashionEra1.'
"I froze."
"That username belonged to one of the newer members of our fan group. She had helped the community grow massively thanks to her knowledge of business, fashion, and Uma Musume athletics."
"The moment she revealed she was building her own sports team, the entire mission immediately stopped."
"She had apparently been too busy to tell us that she was the one who posted the recruitment ads online."
"I was honestly relieved."
"She already knew who I was and what I was capable of, and somehow… she hired me on the spot."
"That's how I ended up working here."
"I later learned Mina was the head of Dark Wear Fashion and a wildly successful businesswoman worldwide."
"She wanted to build a team capable of surpassing her sister, who apparently had no right overshadowing her."
"She also wanted the team to compete in the Free Style Running League."
"I looked it up later and learned it was one of the biggest sports leagues in the world."
"But in Japan?"
"It was about as popular as soccer in America."
The audience winced.
"After getting hired, I started watching the sport itself."
"It was brutal."
"And amazing."
"I'd always wondered what foreign Umamusume did after graduating from high school."
"So I got invested in the scene."
"I quickly learned our team was struggling to recruit members because the sport barely had any popularity here yet."
"We also discovered we were still in the early stages of growth, so Mina and I began aggressively marketing both the team and the sport online."
"I checked out the competition in Japan too."
"And honestly?"
"They all sucked compared to us."
That earned a few smug grins from the team.
"We eventually relied on talent agencies to help us find athletes."
"Then finally, we struck gold."
"We got a group of fifteen Umamusume willing to try out for our organization."
"After negotiating with their agent, they sent us performance videos and arranged tryouts."
"The first time I saw them, I was stunned."
"They looked so much like famous Uma Musume it almost felt unreal."
"But then the tryouts began."
"And I realized something."
"They weren't just good."
"They were terrifyingly good."
"And their personalities were completely different from the people they resembled."
"First was the team captain, Victory Gate, the Nice Nature lookalike."
"She fought like an adaptive bullet, targeting weaknesses and openings with ruthless strategy."
"Then there was the vice-captain, Mama Blues, the Maruzensky lookalike."
"She moved like a rushing gale. Hard to catch, but vulnerable if cornered properly."
"Then Tactical Gray, the Mr. CB lookalike."
"She was a sadistic tactical demon willing to do absolutely anything to win."
Gray proudly grinned from her seat.
"Next came Great Wonder, the Gold Ship lookalike."
"Elegant, intelligent, and way too nice to unleash her true potential."
"Tyrant Rose, the Cheval Grand lookalike, moved like an untouchable phantom."
"Enduring Rain, the Duramente lookalike, was the tallest member of the team and an absolute workhorse capable of bulldozing through opponents."
"Edged Lily, the Symboli Rudolf lookalike, excelled on every terrain imaginable but was terrible at communication."
"Then there was Steel Valkyrie…"
Hana paused dramatically.
"The Haru Urara lookalike."
"She was basically the embodiment of a perfect valkyrie."
"Strong, intelligent, and absurdly efficient."
Steel proudly puffed out her chest.
"After her came High Spice, the Rice Shower lookalike and owner of the worst attitude on the team."
"She was like a heavily modified muscle car. Explosive power, terrifying stamina, and absolutely zero concern for your feelings."
"Then Imperial Punk, the Tokai Teio lookalike."
"A lightning bolt wrapped in rebellion."
"Black Diamond, the Smart Falcon lookalike, was basically pure chaos and speed fused together."
"Sweet Pollen, the Kitasan Black lookalike, was an adorable little menace capable of smashing through anything."
"Endless Journey, the Twin Turbo lookalike, was the smartest runner on the team."
"A complete master of technique and strategy."
"Norn Viking, the Oguri Cap lookalike, adapted to situations so quickly it felt like she had no limitations at all."
"And finally…"
She pointed dramatically.
"King Wild."
"The Mejiro McQueen lookalike."
"A sprinting lunatic who ran like she had infinite stamina and absolutely no survival instincts."
King Wild proudly nodded.
"I was speechless the first time I saw them."
"I genuinely thought they were famous Uma Musume who had abandoned Tracen Academy to join some underground organization."
"But then I learned they only resembled them."
"That made me even stricter during their evaluations."
"I treated them like frauds trying to ride off the fame of their lookalikes."
"Then they started running."
"And I realized something terrifying."
"They were actually better."
The room went silent.
"They were older, stronger, and completely different people."
"I never imagined any version of Duramente and Kitasan Black could function together on the same team."
"But not only did they work together…"
"They were close friends."
"I couldn't believe it."
"After the physical trials, we reviewed their music performance video."
"With all my experience online, I became extremely good at detecting edits, fake visuals, and AI-generated content."
"I even built my own AI-detection program."
"The video passed every test."
"No major edits."
"No AI."
"No tricks."
"And honestly?"
"That made it even crazier."
"The song itself hit harder than any Uma Musume performance I'd ever heard."
"The beat shook your entire body."
"And the dancing…"
"It wasn't cute."
"It was cool."
"They danced perfectly in sync without sacrificing energy or intensity just to appear adorable."
"They simply performed."
"And it was incredible."
"But then I realized something."
"The camera work was holding them back."
"The production quality was holding them back."
"The outfits were holding them back."
"The entire performance deserved more."
"And that's when it hit me."
"They were here now."
"And now they finally had the resources needed to become something greater."
"That day…"
"I swore I would help them reach their full potential."
"I swore I would make the world remember their names."
"Eventually the staff meeting happened, and we met our new head coach."
"He was surprisingly popular."
"And apparently the online rumors about him were completely false."
"Still…"
"The fact he could casually attract powerful Uma Musume just by existing was honestly terrifying."
"Then the rest of the staff introduced themselves."
"And somehow half of them also looked like famous Uma Musume."
"At this point, I'm honestly wondering if I resemble one too."
"After all the speeches and chaos…"
"It finally became my turn."
"I was nervous."
"I worried my speech wouldn't stand out."
"But then I realized something."
"My job wasn't to be flashy."
"My job was to tell the truth."
"So after taking a deep breath, I shouted into the microphone."
'HELLO TEAM! I AM HANA TOHOUIN! AND I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS NOT ONLY IN JAPAN, BUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE WORLD! EVERYONE WILL KNOW YOUR NAMES, AND NO ONE WILL EVER FORGET THEM!'
The audience stared.
'I SAW SOMETHING SPECIAL IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHEN I WATCHED YOUR PERFORMANCE VIDEO!'
She inhaled again before continuing.
'I BELIEVE THOSE PERFORMANCES CAN BE REBORN INTO SOMETHING EVEN GREATER! I KNOW WE CAN SHOW YOUR TALENTS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD! THE WORLD WILL LEARN YOUR NAMES! AND I SHALL BE THE MESSENGER WHO CARRIES THEM!'
'PLEASE TREAT ME WELL, MY LIEGES!'
"I bowed dramatically."
"And then…"
Silence.
"Until suddenly—"
Victory Gate burst out laughing.
Then everyone else joined in.
Some giggled.
Some snorted.
Some laughed loudly.
One laughed maniacally.
But every single one of them applauded.
Tactical Gray laughed hysterically.
"BAHAHAHAHA! That was magnificent! Is she running for president?!"
High Spice smirked.
"Nah dawg, she runnin' for class president."
Mama Blues giggled softly.
"Well… at least we know she's devoted."
Victory Gate wiped tears from her eyes.
"Now THAT'S dedication! Hahahaha!"
Great Wonder tried desperately to stop laughing.
"Hehe… did she really have to scream every single word…?"
King Wild proudly stood up.
"HAHAHAHA! I HAVE HEARD YOUR PROCLAMATION, MY LOYAL SERVANT! I AM DEEPLY MOVED!"
Endless Journey nearly choked trying not to laugh.
"Pfft—KiWi calm down! Hahaha! Looks like you finally found your people!"
Sweet Pollen smiled warmly.
"Teehee… that was honestly kinda touching."
Enduring Rain laughed loudly.
"HA! HA! I AGREE! WE ACCEPT YOUR DEVOTION!"
Imperial Punk nearly fell out of her chair.
"BAHAHAHA! The funniest part is she actually means every word!"
That only made everyone laugh harder.
Norn Viking wiped tears from her eyes.
"Bahaha! Wait, you serious, girl?!"
Tyrant Rose joined in.
"Hah… I think she actually is…"
Steel Valkyrie laughed proudly.
"Hah hah! This girl's crazy… I like her!"
Black Diamond smirked.
"Agreed."
Meanwhile, Ayana and Edged Lily were laughing too hard to even speak.
As for Hana?
She simply turned away, completely red-faced, and quietly returned to the wall beside the other staff members.
Still…
Despite the embarrassment…
Everything had gone perfectly.
Now all that remained was her real work.
Creating accounts for the team.
Creating accounts for every athlete.
Launching music channels.
Launching race channels.
Marketing the team to the world.
It was finally time to work.