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.
Victory Gate POV
Today, I'm going to be a good leader, I told myself while looking in the mirror.
After two hours of preparing myself, I finally left my room. Today was the staff meeting, and I was looking forward to meeting the great and trustworthy staff members I would be able to rely on in the future.
When we all arrived, however, everyone looked bored out of their minds.
Heck, some of them were even working during the meeting. I don't know about them, but I considered this important. To me, this was the day when a lot of the weight that the rest of the team and I had been carrying would finally be lifted from our shoulders.
I didn't say anything, though. Telling someone off for working hard seemed redundant.
The meeting began, and things started off great. Mana was an excellent medical expert who could clearly be relied upon. Head Coach Tsukasa was a very confident talent as well, although he seemed to have an effect on every girl on the team who was attracted to men.
Then Mana started getting checked out by Spice, and that's when things began flying off the rails.
Suzu went on stage, and despite how strict she was, Norn apparently liked what she saw. My free-loving teammate immediately decided to make her move on Suzu, causing the poor woman to run out of the room in embarrassment.
Norn still tried to chase after her, but Rose, Jo, and ImP managed to restrain her before she could.
When I arrived, I simply told her, "Norn, chase after her in your own time. We have a meeting to get through."
She smiled.
Everyone else on the team did too.
Did I just say something strange?
Once Norn was restrained, Gray was also restrained after her earlier incident with the new coach. Mama Blues came over to me and said, "Good job figuring out a time to turn off your no-dating policy."
She winked at me, gave me a thumbs-up, and walked back to her seat.
I did what now?!
I looked around the room and realized that was exactly what I had done. Members who had been very obviously smitten with one another had started sitting together.
Gosh darn it.
One sentence had ended the policy.
And I couldn't take it back now. Technically, we were locked into this organization, and if I immediately reinstated the rule, I was pretty sure an in-team rebellion would erupt.
So I decided to put the issue aside and deal with it later.
Now it was the organization's problem.
The meeting continued.
Takeshi was next. He was professional, reliable, and seemed like exactly the kind of person we needed. My Vice Captain seemed to really like him, and honestly, that was good enough for me.
Then came Juna, the organization's head nutritionist and chef.
Apparently, she was also a former rock star.
That became extremely obvious when she unleashed a guitar solo unlike anything we'd ever experienced.
She showed us a version of punk rock that we'd never heard in our world. It was proof that this world still contained secrets we hadn't even begun to uncover.
Possibly even horrors we couldn't imagine.
And that scared me.
After Juna left and apparently caused enough property damage to make Mina upset, we moved on to Ana.
She was magnificent.
She showed us a video performance that not only calmed me down, but brought me to tears. She was a performance and music genius. I could tell immediately that the production had required an enormous amount of research, creativity, and hard work.
For the first time since arriving here, I truly believed that even with all the horrors this world contained, wonderful things existed too.
Afterward came Yuto.
He was smart, calculating, and almost villainous in his demeanor. I immediately thought he would get along with Gray.
Both of them were intelligent, tenacious, and obsessed with victory.
Perfect for the job he'd been given.
Then came Hana.
She was a genuine technology enthusiast, but she was also incredibly preppy and energetic. Her dedication was obvious, and her loud, proud personality had everyone laughing.
I hadn't had a good laugh like that in a while.
Then came Hachi.
She was relaxed.
Nonchalant.
And apparently didn't care much about our safety.
She was also remarkably unprofessional.
Her speech caused me to have a silent mental breakdown.
Once she left, a tidal wave of criticism and questions about her qualifications erupted throughout the room.
I was one of the loudest people in the crowd.
Why was I taking this so seriously?
Because this world might look like ours, but its history and culture were completely different.
The presence of horse girls had changed history, culture, and even geopolitics.
Traveling to another country required extreme caution.
Heck, some governments were completely different.
Both Koreas were united.
Hong Kong was the capital of China.
Ireland was a constitutional monarchy.
South Africa was a first-world country.
Those were just a few examples.
This world was different.
Having a competent head of travel planning was paramount.
And now I was worried about everything that could go wrong.
Especially with some of our team members traveling with us.
And whoever else we might be traveling with.
Eventually, things calmed down as Kaito finished the staff introductions.
Soon enough, the meeting ended.
I walked over to my Vice Captain.
"Hey, Mama Blues. I need to have a word with that Hachi Fukawa lady. Tell everyone they can do whatever they want after this. No after-work meeting tonight."
With that, I headed toward Hachi's office.
This was serious.
We usually had end-of-the-day meetings where we reported anything significant that happened in our personal lives. We also announced upcoming events and important news that needed to be shared with the team.
Finally, we used those meetings to complain, relax, and bond as a team.
At this point, we trusted each other.
We had become a family.
That's how important those meetings were.
And now I'd canceled one for something I considered more urgent.
I soon found Hachi's office and knocked on the door.
An exasperated groan came from inside before the door opened.
"May I come in, Fukawa-san?" I politely asked.
She was silent for a moment.
"Fine. Have a seat in front of my desk. It seems to be important."
The walk to the chair felt like it took a million years.
Thousands of panicked thoughts flooded my mind, all fighting to escape at once.
I sat down.
She sat down.
I stared awkwardly at her for several seconds before finally forcing the words out.
"Fukawa-san... can we trust you?"
I wanted to throw up from how nervous I was.
But I was serious.
She looked at me.
"Victory Gate, I know you care about the team very much, but I'm a professional and an expert at what I do."
She was right.
I cared deeply about the team.
But my doubts remained because of her speech.
Then she stood up.
She pulled down a map of the world and began placing several items on the desk.
"I need you to understand something," she said. "In every country, there are things that can hurt you and your group. Local diseases, powerful organizations with insane amounts of influence, violent criminals, dangerous wildlife... those are only a few examples."
She pointed toward the map.
"I needed to make sure they understood that there are situations where even I will be helpless if they screw up."
She finished her presentation with one final statement.
"That's why my speech was about listening to me, no matter how I convey that message to them."
That made me feel a lot better.
For the first time, I could actually see the professionalism behind her.
I understood what she stood for.
Still, I wasn't exactly thrilled.
This world contained threats like Pop Cult and the Uma Musume Supremacists. These powerful groups were practically destined to clash with our interests.
And I was supposed to rely on this seemingly lazy woman sitting in front of me?
I was still unsure.
"I see."
I kept my doubts, but credit was due where credit was due.
She clearly knew what she was doing.
So I honestly told her, "It does seem like you know what you're doing. So please explain everything to everyone else the same way you explained it to me, because they're all trying to get you fired, Fukawa-san."
She looked startled.
Maybe she really did have terrible self-awareness.
Still, it was what she deserved after scaring everyone, myself included.
I stood up and began leaving.
My mind was more peaceful than when I'd entered.
I was still worried, but I could make peace with Hachi.
"Oh yeah, Fukawa-san."
She looked toward me.
"Please call me Vic from now on."
I left the office, deciding that maybe Hachi and I could have a less formal relationship.
Maybe we could even become friends.
Then I heard a sudden commotion from inside her office.
Loud noises.
Some yelling.
It seemed she was already preparing her explanation.
I needed to be more prepared than I'd thought.
I would need to learn more about this world and develop plans for every country we visited.
That's when my phone buzzed.
I looked down.
"Yo, guess whose girl just got her agency hired as the Org's primary agency?"
It was from Spice.
After congratulating Ayana, I realized this changed things.
I could speak with Ayana about bringing in additional travel experts and assistants to compensate for Hachi's shortcomings.
I could also ask Mina to have her servants help us prepare.
Everything was coming together.
And the night was still young.
I could probably start making those requests now.
That's when Hachi suddenly burst out of her office.
She was carrying several objects and rushing toward Mina's office while repeatedly screaming curse words.
She passed right by me without even noticing.
Then another message appeared on my phone.
"Calm. Here's some info you're gonna love and maybe forgive me with. I hear from Ayana that the staff are gonna have a meeting tonight, so if you want to have a meetup with your new interest right after this, now would be the time."
It seemed my plans would have to wait until tomorrow.
I could rest for one night.
Who was I kidding?
That wasn't even remotely what I was going to do.
I was heading to the library.
I grabbed my laptop and entered preparation mode.
I was going to find every possible threat to us and figure out how to deal with every dangerous group we might encounter.
On my way to my room, I heard a ruckus coming from Jo's room.
KiWi was probably there causing trouble.
I gathered my things and soon saw Norn zoom past me carrying multiple objects inside a box.
Then Mama Blues came out of her room.
She was skipping like a young girl in love and was dressed beautifully.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize she had walked right past me.
I kept going.
Outside, I saw Gray being carried in by Rain.
Then I passed Sweets and Rose, who were completely lost in their own world as they walked together.
Next, I saw Lily trying to convince ImP to do something other than whatever they were apparently about to do.
I followed them through a building where I knew the meeting was being held. I needed to pass through it to reach the library faster.
There, I saw BlaD working on the floor.
I passed by after getting around Lily and ImP.
Next, I saw Steel heading into the office buildings.
GW passed by me and entered the building I'd just come from.
I didn't even notice her at first.
Soon, I passed the infirmary.
Through a window, I saw Spice sleeping in a hospital bed.
Finally, I reached the library.
My work began.
⸻
The next day arrived.
It was breakfast time.
Apparently, I'd studied in the library all night.
My phone buzzed.
The message was from Mina.
"Dear Vic, I know you care about your team a lot, but this is too much. From now on, we are implementing a curfew, and you cannot violate it."
The message continued.
"Especially you, Jo, BlaD, Sweets, Gray, and Rain, as all of you are insane workaholics. Then there's KiWi, Spice, ImP, Rose, and Norn, who, in common speech, 'party way too hard.' Now inform Jo, Gray, and BlaD that all their gear will be assigned to workstations instead of their bedrooms. It is not okay for my staff to tell me that you and BlaD were up all night working. Jo is also not doing well with sending me and my staff groundbreaking research after working all night."
It continued.
"This will be implemented for all staff, with the exception of our night-shift staff. You have your work hours. Stick to them, or there will be consequences. Now have breakfast and sleep in your room tonight. Remember, I'm watching all of you. By, Mina Sakamoto Du Vault."
Goddesses damn it.
She found out.
Guess it was time to talk to the girls.
I gathered all my things and headed to breakfast, deciding to get some work done before tonight's curfew.
Everything was happening so quickly.
Training camp began in a week, according to the syllabus we'd been given.
I needed to prepare.
When I arrived at breakfast, everyone seemed to have had a crazy night in their own way.
After we all flipped off Spice for his douchebag behavior, things escalated quickly.
KiWi stood up.
She was obviously upset with Jo for some reason.
She grabbed a glass of water from the table and poured it directly over Jo's head.
Jo stared blankly for a few seconds.
Her food was wet.
Her phone was wet.
She was wet.
Then she jumped at KiWi.
Apparently, she'd decided violence was preferable to defusing the situation like she normally would.
Both of them were clearly angry.
KiWi was fast, and Jo was exhausted from working all night, so Jo couldn't land a hit.
Then their scuffle crashed into everyone else.
Chaos erupted.
People were either fighting or desperately trying to stay out of it.
KiWi put Jo into a sleeper hold.
Gray went after Rose for some reason.
ImP and Lily were somehow fighting.
Everyone else was exhaustedly avoiding the chaos.
Spice, meanwhile, was filming everything with a huge grin on his face and calling everyone idiots.
That was when I finally snapped.
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone froze.
I took a breath.
"Goddesses damn it all! Mina was right! This fighting stops now before the organization gets involved!"
Everyone stared at me.
"Mina just texted me. From now on, everyone is on curfew. All work equipment will be kept at your workstations, and everyone is getting a good night's sleep. Or else!"
I looked around the room.
"Are we clear?!"
Everyone nodded and mumbled their agreement.
Then a voice came from behind me.
"Good. I'm glad we're all in agreement."
I turned around.
Mina.
Iguro.
And Takeshi.
Oh, we're so screwed.
Mina looked over the room.
"It seems all of you have caused quite a ruckus. Please separate from one another."
Everyone immediately did so.
Mina continued.
"Until summer camp begins, all of you will be on lockdown in your own rooms separately. You are only allowed to leave for meals."
Everyone gasped.
Jo raised her hand.
"Are you grounding us?"
Mina smiled.
"You really are the smart one, Jo."
She crossed her arms.
"Yes. I am. Now get to your rooms. I've already had the staff move your work equipment to your workstations. Now move along. This place needs to be cleaned."
And that's how everything ended.
My work requests were delayed yet again.
At this point, I wasn't even surprised anymore.