"Senpai, may we join you?" Biwa Hayahide asked, with Narita Brian in tow.
"Sure, lemme clear the paper," Rampage said, setting aside her newspaper.
"Thanks for having us," Hayahide replied.
At the cafeteria, Rampage spun a pen, jotting in a notebook while skimming news. Hayahide and Brian sat at her table's edge to avoid crowding.
"What're you doing?" Brian asked.
"Gathering stream material, kinda," Rampage replied.
"For your broadcasts?" Hayahide ventured.
"Pretty much," Rampage nodded.
She read newspapers daily to catch trends and world events, buying a notebook to jot down stream ideas. She picked a corner table to spread out.
"Are we interrupting?" Hayahide asked.
"Nah, was wrapping up. Don't sweat it," Rampage said.
"But speaking in front of so many… I'd freeze," Brian murmured.
"Everyone's got strengths. You don't gotta do what others do. No need to feel down," Rampage reassured.
Hayahide noted Brian brightening slightly, inspired by her admired senpai.
"Find anything good?" Hayahide asked.
"Nothin' worth noting. I don't plan my streams much—just vibe," Rampage said.
"Really? You're so smooth, I thought you had scripts," Hayahide said, surprised.
"When guests are on, we chat basics, but it's all ad-lib," Rampage explained.
Her talks were raw, driven by instinct and real-time emotions. Scripts would stifle her authenticity.
"Oh, Hayahide, Brian—might invite you to my stream someday," Rampage teased.
"What?!" Brian gasped.
"Us?!" Hayahide echoed.
"Yup. You two are next-gen stars," Rampage said.
Not prophecy—her instinct screamed it. Watching them at Tressen, she saw Triple Crown potential in Hayahide and confirmed Triple Crown winner Brian. She burned to see their dream race showdown.
"Can't wait to watch you two race," Rampage grinned.
"That means a lot…" Hayahide said, blushing.
"Makes me all tingly…" Brian added, shy.
Their bashfulness fueled Rampage's magma-hot excitement. She'd grown into quite the Uma Musume herself. Then, someone approached.
"Here you are," a refined voice said.
"Takanotsume, huh? Director got another wild idea?" Rampage asked.
Takanotsume's elegant chuckle contrasted with Rampage's Mejiro heiress status, making her feel a bit unpolished.
"What's up? Another crazy pitch? Rotating sushi joint?" Rampage guessed.
"Don't worry, Hatena's swatting the Director's odd ideas now," Takanotsume said.
"Hatena's stepping up," Rampage laughed.
"I nixed the sushi idea earlier," Takanotsume added.
"He actually suggested it?!" Rampage exclaimed.
Uma Musume appetites would demolish a sushi conveyor—Oguri'd eat it dry. But to business.
"You've been selected for the URA Award," Takanotsume announced.
Hayahide and Brian gasped, but Rampage shrugged. "Minami-chan predicted it. Obvious, right? So, attend the ceremony?"
"Yes, they strongly request you," Takanotsume said.
"What's wrong?" she added, noticing Rampage's sigh.
"URA's designer team and their weird win costumes. Ugh," Rampage groaned.
Her outfits were revamped by Mejiro's designers into elegant, less-revealing dresses for parties. She liked her current one.
"Don't need a new one," Rampage said.
"They're confident this one's a winner," Takanotsume insisted.
"Ugh…" Rampage muttered.
"Rampage-san?" Hayahide prompted.
"Hayahide, Brian, should I go?" Rampage asked.
The sudden pass stunned them. Brian floundered, unsure. Hayahide stepped up.
"I get it, but fans, including us, look forward to seeing you at the ceremony. Watching you inspired us to aim for that stage. Forget the costume—go to spark the next dream," Hayahide urged.
Her logic hit home. Costumes aside, dreams mattered. Air Groove probably anticipated her appearance. Rampage couldn't skip it.
"Alright, I get dreams. I'll go," she said.
"Thank you. They're confident you'll love the costume," Takanotsume said.
"Better top my current one, or it's closet fodder," Rampage warned.
"Don't be like that," Takanotsume chuckled.
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