Make Oguri Cap a world-class idol.
The instant that goal took shape in Sakuraba Ryo's mind, he knew this was absolutely a brilliant money-losing idea.
Just like Belno Light had said, if you wanted to become the very best in any field, it was basically guaranteed to cost a fortune.
Right now, Oguri Cap was already number one in popularity in Japan on the strength of her racing alone—but if he wanted to take that popularity global, that would unquestionably be difficult.
Oguri Cap was strong.
But compared to the true world elite among Umamusume, she was still just a little short.
She might have been the strongest in Japan, but she definitely couldn't be called the strongest in the world.
Which was exactly why, even though she could win over Japanese audiences with her ability, there was no way she could conquer audiences around the world with that alone.
On a global scale, there were simply too many Umamusume at king-of-racing level. Put Oguri Cap among them, and she was practically one of the little ones.
So selling her on pure racing strength was definitely out.
And that was exactly why Sakuraba smelled loss in the air.
Spend huge amounts of money promoting a niche Japanese Umamusume with only middling world-level strength to the entire globe.
No matter how you looked at it, that was bound to lose money!
Who in the world would care how strong the strongest racer from a tiny place like Japan really was?
At most, only the types who were considering coming to the Japan Cup for the prize money would pay extra attention to the Japanese circuit. Normal fans from overseas circuits weren't going to care that much about Japan.
If you wanted turf, the strongest turf race was the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Europe.
If you wanted dirt, the strongest dirt race was the Breeders' Cup in America.
Japan?
Most prize money.jpg
All Sakuraba Ryo had to do was market her hard.
Pour mountains of money into promoting Oguri.
Heh heh.
Get someone to turn Oguri's story into a manga, then sell it overseas and have it flop horribly!
Then dump even more money into an anime adaptation, hire a garbage writer-director for it, and let that flop too!
Turn the name Oguri Cap into an IP, make cultural products out of it, and push it everywhere!
Heh heh, wouldn't that money practically lose itself?
The more Sakuraba thought about it, the more convinced he became that this plan was perfect.
What made this loss-making plan so good was that anything in the entertainment sphere connected to Oguri Cap would count as investment in the Umamusume field.
And on top of that, all those cultural products could be rolled out at the same time.
Which meant that within a single month, Sakuraba could rack up multi-pronged losses across manga, anime, novels, TV dramas, and games!
Damn!
Losing money across this many fields at once—wasn't that just heaven?
Sakuraba was already mentally prepared for every last one of those entertainment projects to bomb.
And most importantly, the money he poured into them would only turn into works that promoted Oguri Cap's name.
In other words, he'd be spending money to buy her a reputation.
And let him ask you this: did you honestly think Oguri Cap would take that reputation and somehow convert it back into money for Sakuraba Ryo?
As if!
After spending this much time with Oguri Cap, Sakuraba knew she probably did want to repay him.
But!
Oguri was an idiot who only knew how to run!
There was no way she could monetize that fame all by herself!
Even if she wanted to use that fame to make money for him, she'd hit a dead end immediately because she wouldn't know how!
As long as nobody taught her how to cash in on it, there was no way Sakuraba would make any money!
Hahaha!
This was stable!
It was the perfect guaranteed loss-making deal!
I'm a genius!
The more Sakuraba thought about it, the more exquisite the plan seemed. It was practically a tailor-made strategy for losing money.
Unable to suppress his excitement, he turned toward Oguri Cap, who was still locked in a silent clash of gazes with Inari One, and smiled with shining anticipation.
Then he raised a hand and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Oguri."
There was something seductively conspiratorial in his voice, like he was luring her onto the path of no return.
"Do you want to... become a world-class idol?"
"Huh?"
Oguri Cap blinked in obvious confusion, her ears twitching as if she didn't quite grasp the weight of those words.
A world-class... idol?
To her, that phrase felt even more distant and unfamiliar than "the strongest in Japan."
Her thoughts were still fixed on how to hold onto the summit beneath her feet, how to answer Inari One's challenge, how not to betray the expectations and trust placed in her.
But Sakuraba...
Had he already set his sights on the whole world?
She blinked and looked at him.
On her investor's face was that familiar light he always wore whenever he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea.
She didn't really understand what becoming a "world-class idol" would actually involve, but if Sakuraba was the one proposing it, and he looked this fired up...
A feeling rose inside her, part confusion, part shock, but ultimately settling into pure trust.
She had never thought that far ahead.
But if it was Sakuraba...
"A world-class idol..."
Oguri Cap repeated the words softly, then looked up. There was still a trace of uncertainty in her eyes, but they were clear and steady as she met Sakuraba's gaze.
"Do you think I can do it, Ryo? If that's what you need..."
She didn't directly say whether she wanted to or not, because the idea was still too vague for her.
But her words were full of unconditional trust in Sakuraba's judgment, and a firm resolve to work toward whatever goal he set.
In her simple view of the world, Sakuraba was always the one who could see farther ahead than anyone else. He was always the one who came up with ideas that seemed impossible at first, only to turn out amazing in the end.
This had to be the same.
Ryo.
He's so amazing.
Seeing Oguri Cap react like that made the smile on Sakuraba's face brighten even more.
Good. Very good!
This was exactly the kind of state he wanted—someone who didn't really understand, but was willing to follow along anyway!
As expected of my top loss-making star!
Sure, you've backstabbed me a few times.
But I've never once doubted your loyalty! (Dubious)
This was the key condition for smoothly carrying out his magnificent grand plan to turn her into a world-class idol and lose money on an international scale!
"Of course you can!"
Sakuraba nodded hard, brimming with confidence.
"Leave it to me! I'll make sure you... uh, become famous everywhere!"
And help me lose money by the truckload!
That last part he happily added in his heart.
Belno Light listened from the side. The goal of becoming a world-class idol sounded so huge it was a little terrifying, but seeing how confident Sakuraba looked, and how completely Oguri Cap trusted him, all she did was clutch her little notebook to her chest and think silently to herself.
Sakuraba-san...
So he's making another huge move again.
A world-class idol?
That sounds enormous...
I really do need to learn from Sakuraba-san's way of seeing things!
Belno Light felt a sudden flash of clarity.
Oguri was already the strongest in Japan.
If she wanted to help Oguri step onto an even greater stage, then of course the target had to be the world.
While I was still stuck thinking about how to open more stores in Japan and help Sakuraba-san make money, he's already taken a crucial step toward the world...
As one of Sakuraba-san's invested Umamusume, the fact that I didn't even notice what he was thinking in time is a real failing on my part!
Belno Light hugged the notebook in her arms even tighter, her gaze moving between Sakuraba's confident face and Oguri Cap's slightly dazed but utterly trusting one.
That expression on Sakuraba's face—the one that said he had everything under control—was something she knew all too well.
Every time he wore that look, it was always followed by some earth-shaking, jaw-dropping idea.
A world-class idol...
The sheer scale of that goal made her heart tighten slightly, but at the same time, a blazing determination rose inside her.
In Sakuraba's team, she was the most ordinary one.
She didn't have Oguri Cap's overwhelming strength, the kind that swept everything aside and commanded awe, letting her answer Sakuraba Ryo's expectations directly on the track.
And she certainly didn't have Sakuraba-san's genius-like investment vision, his ability to open up entirely new battlefields from impossible angles.
The one thing she had always been able to do was work desperately hard to keep all the projects they created running properly and making money.
Sakuraba Ryo was the one responsible for wild ideas. Oguri Cap was the one who shone on the track. And she, Belno Light, was the one who would work furiously in the background—doing the books, cutting costs, managing operations, keeping the shops running, keeping the money moving—
Supporting, in the most practical way she could, this team that was always charging headlong in unbelievable directions.
And now, Sakuraba Ryo had turned his eyes toward the whole world.
A far broader, more complicated stage than anything she had ever imagined.
Was she scared?
A little.
But retreat?
Absolutely not!
Belno Light took a deep breath, and her eyes grew unusually resolute.
Her slender fingers tightened around the notebook in her arms until her knuckles turned white.
"This time... the world stage."
In her heart, she made a silent vow—to herself, and to Sakuraba Ryo and Oguri Cap standing ahead of her.
"I definitely won't let you leave me behind this time either!"
Sakuraba Ryo needed someone to turn his grand vision into reality. He needed someone to handle the terrifyingly complicated accounts of the entertainment projects that were about to spread across the world. He needed someone to make sure that even as Oguri Cap's name spread far and wide, logistics and finances would never become a weak link.
This was her battlefield.
Maybe she would never stand beneath the spotlight like Oguri Cap and receive the cheers of thousands.
Maybe she would never be like Sakuraba Ryo, the kind of person who could decide the direction of strategy with a single wave of his hand.
But she could do it her own way—with her calculations, her ledgers, her books—on this brand-new world-class battlefield, and earn enough money for Sakuraba Ryo to support those dreams!
That resolve lit up this Umamusume, who usually seemed so careful and detail-oriented, with a radiance that could not be ignored.
This was the pride of the logistics officer.
Support Umamusume had pride too!
She was absolutely going to help Sakuraba-san make money!
Belno Light made that vow silently in her heart.
And at that very moment, Sakuraba Ryo didn't notice Belno Light's change at all.
He was still immersed in the joy of having come up with an amazing new loss-making plan.
From his point of view, the road ahead looked completely bright!
As long as this loss-making plan was run well, he wouldn't have to worry at all about failing to complete his loss KPI for the second half of the year!
Bwahahaha, how could he possibly lose?
Weren't the system rewards for the next few months practically already in his pocket?
Come on then, Loss System—hand over the gold already!
Sakuraba laughed smugly to himself.
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T/N: wait BELNO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!