"G'morning, g'evening, and Hello-Chao! I'm the world-record holder in your heart, the Undefeated Tiara, the absolute Tyrant of the Turf! Running in the turf! Running in the dirt! I'm Mejiro Rampage! Have you all been doing your good deeds today? …Wait, was that how it went?"
"Waaaaah! Amazing, amazing! It's exactly like your old streams! P-Please, could you sign this?!"
"With pleasure. Fan service is my motto, after all."
Rampage took the requested greeting in stride and happily signed the board thrust toward her. As a celebrity, she made it a point of pride to always carry a signature pen, even if her frequent disguises meant she rarely got to use it. As she signed, she stole a glance at the horse girl looking at her with shimmering, adoring eyes. She hadn't expected to encounter this person at this specific moment.
"There you go. Tell you what—let's take a commemorative photo too."
"Oh, please! Could we do the 'Stay Fresh' squid-pose from your Uma-tter post?!"
"You've got deep-cut tastes, kid."
Rampage chuckled. To think someone would pull a reference from her very first attempt at a social media trend… this girl, Light Hello, was clearly the real deal.
Light Hello. In the mobile game's scenario "Connect, Enlighten, and Shine: Our Grand Live," she appeared as an original character—a former horse girl who had retired from racing to work as a professional producer. She was the heart of that story, one that focused on the importance of lives in the culture of horse girls. However, the girl standing here was younger than her game counterpart; she was currently a university student. And, apparently, a massive fan of Rampage.
"Ahem! Light Hello, are you satisfied now?" Chairwoman Akikawa interjected.
"I-I'm so sorry, Chairwoman! I just got so excited that I lost my head… I couldn't help but revert to being a total fan!"
"Well, I'm happy to give the fans what they want," Rampage said, leaning back. "But I assume you didn't go through the trouble of asking the Chairwoman for an introduction just for an autograph and a photo. Though, it was a nice break from the paperwork."
"N-No, of course not!"
Rampage hoped that was the case. Taking time out of this schedule just for a meet-and-greet would have been a hard pill to swallow, even if she wouldn't have complained about it to a fan's face. Light Hello sat back down on the sofa, took a deep breath, and tried to find her professional voice.
"Um… Mejiro Rampage-san. You've traveled the world, entered races in dozens of countries, and won every single one of them."
"True enough. Being undefeated for life isn't just for show."
"That means you've interacted with horse girls from every culture, and you've seen countless Winning Lives across the globe, right?"
"I have. In Dubai, we sang and danced in a style that reflected their local flavor. It caused such a stir that the Emir himself came down to see us. The archive of that stream should still be up."
"I've watched it. Hundreds of times."
The intensity in her voice suggested she wasn't exaggerating. Rampage's career had inadvertently become a primary research source for the next generation of producers.
"The truth is… I am planning something. I call it the 'Grand Live.'"
"The Grand Live?"
"Allow me to explain!" Akikawa shouted, snapping her fan open.
The text on the fan had changed again—EXPLANATION!!—but Rampage ignored the physics-defying prop and listened. Originally, horse girl lives were meant to be a way to show gratitude to the fans who supported them. In the beginning, every runner was considered a star of the show. However, the sheer physical toll of racing meant that keeping everyone on stage as a lead was difficult. Over time, the format evolved into the current "Winning Live," where the winner of the race took center stage as a reward for their glory.
"So, basically," Rampage summarized, "you see the 'Grand Live' as a return to the original prototype of what a live should be?"
"Yes, exactly. I know the current Winning Lives are glamorous. I know many girls use the dream of standing in that center spot as their motivation. But… does that format truly convey gratitude to everyone?"
That was the core of Light Hello's argument. What was once a celebration of gratitude had become a celebration of victory. Did that mean those who didn't win had no right to thank their fans? Was that really the point of a live? As someone who had always been the absolute winner, the question felt particularly sharp to Rampage.
"I see… and you want my help to make this Grand Live a reality?"
"I've spoken about this dream to friends and colleagues, but… everyone says it's impossible, or that the current system is better. I can't do it with my power alone. That's why I need the help of Mejiro Rampage—the woman who stood at the center of more G1 stages than anyone else!"
Looking at her face, Rampage realized she had seen this coming. In the original game's story, Hello struggled because she couldn't get the URA or the Academy to cooperate. But in this world, Mejiro Rampage was here. The woman who had already forced the URA Finals and the Legend Races into existence. If Rampage endorsed the plan, it would cease to be a dream and become an inevitable reality.
"I refuse."
"Huh…?"
Light Hello froze. Even the Chairwoman and Tazuna looked stunned. Akikawa had practically guaranteed that Rampage would be her greatest ally.
"I like that you had the guts to try and use me," Rampage said, her voice level. "And I like that you came to me directly. But that's not enough. Suppose I back your plan and the Grand Live happens. That won't be the Grand Live you dreamed of. It'll be the Grand Live that exists only because I made it happen."
Hello's breath hitched. Rampage was right. But the desire to see it realized was stronger than her pride. She took a step forward.
"I don't care! Even if that's the case, I want the Grand Live to exist!"
"Then make it happen with your own hands. Not mine. Yours, Light Hello."
"If I could do that, I would have already…!" Hello's voice wavered. "I'm just a university student. I don't have the connections or the power to move an entire industry. I can't…"
"That's why you need to build a track record," Rampage interrupted. "Starting next year, the URA Finals and the Legend Races will be recurring events. We need lives for them. I'm planning to put together a formal production team for those events… What do you say? Want a seat at the table?"
"You want… me… on the production team for the Finals and the Legend Races?"
"I didn't get these races approved just by wishing for them; I had the results to back me up. If you don't have a track record, go build one. It's simple. The first year's lives might just look like flashy Winning Lives… but starting the second year, we can change things. Right?"
Rampage offered a small, conspiratorial wink. The despair on Light Hello's face vanished, replaced by a radiant, soaring hope.
"Please! Let me do it! I'm still a student, but that's exactly why I need to learn everything I can!"
"That's the spirit. Sorry for being a bit of a jerk there—consider it a test of your resolve."
Chairwoman Akikawa let out a long sigh of relief. She had talked a big game about how Rampage would definitely help, and she would have looked quite foolish if it had ended in a flat rejection. Tazuna caught her eye and offered a knowing smile.
"'Lending a hand'—she certainly did that, in her own way," Tazuna whispered. "Instead of just doing the work, she's clearing the path so the girl can walk it herself."
"Indeed," Akikawa nodded. "She knows that the only way to truly own a dream is to walk the path to it on your own two feet."
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