The meeting room was shrouded in near-total darkness, the curtains drawn tight against the outside world.
At the head of the long conference table, Chairman Ikari sat with his white-gloved hands steepled beneath his chin, the lenses of his glasses catching a faint, sharp glint of light.
Along the sides of the table, a row of elderly committee members in sharp suits watched him intently.
They were restless, confused as to why they had been summoned so abruptly, right as the summer training camps had wrapped up and their own vacations were supposed to begin.
When was the last time a full emergency session like this had been called?
Ah, right. It was for Barbatos.
That young girl had already become the undisputed titan of the Japanese racing scene.
Faced with their questioning glares, Chairman Ikari remained silent.
His secretary stepped forward from the shadows behind him, connecting a laptop to the projector. Instantly, the wall was flooded with bar graphs and raw data.
"Since Barbatos made her debut last year," the secretary began, her voice sweet yet professional, "her personal influence has sparked a massive wave of international interest in our Uma Musume. She has single-handedly pushed viewership and merchandise sales to heights we've never seen before."
"Currently, Barbatos's fan base has cleared the five-million mark. According to our metrics, over three million of those are users within China, with another million consisting of Chinese students studying abroad."
"It isn't just Barbatos, either. The fan bases for other active girls, as well as our Legendary Uma Musume, have seen significant growth across the board."
"The most notable surge is for The Emperor, Symboli Rudolf," she continued.
"Her fan count has surpassed three million—a six-fold increase from her original numbers. Based on fan polls, the primary reason cited is that the Emperor possesses a 'beauty found in overwhelming strength.'"
"Additionally, for the Canopus members..."
As the secretary listed off the girls seeing these massive spikes in popularity, the elderly members began exchanging uneasy glances.
They were men of a different era; they didn't quite grasp the flashing lights of the projector or the nuances of digital metrics.
They preferred the old ways of doing business. But one thing they did understand was what those numbers implied.
In the past, a fan base of 320,000 was the threshold for entering the Winter Dream Cup. It was the point where, provided the Uma Musume agreed, they could receive the blessing of the Three Goddesses.
Back then, anyone in the Winter Dream Cup was guaranteed to have at least 320,000 fans. It was the mark of a Legend, or at least a Legend in the making. That number was the "ceiling" of their generation.
But now? These new figures were staggering. The old men felt the foundations of their world shifting, and they knew Barbatos was the earthquake responsible.
A lean, wiry old member spoke up first, his voice a low rasp. He didn't look at the secretary; he kept his eyes fixed on the Chairman.
"So, you've brought us here to talk about the Winter Dream Cup, haven't you?"
It wasn't a question. Ever since Barbatos ran in the Dream Cup last year, they had been debating a rule change to ensure a "situation" like her never happened again.
"If we let these green, wet-behind-the-ears fledglings compete in the Winter Dream Cup, it'll shatter their confidence," the old man grumbled.
"One bad loss and they might never recover. Besides, the Dream Cup is sacred. It isn't just another race on the calendar. The rules must be changed."
A few other members nodded in agreement.
To them, the Winter Dream Cup was a sanctuary—a dreamscape where the greatest Uma Musume of every era could compete at the absolute peak of their powers. Last year was just Barbatos.
If they didn't act, would they have half the active roster in the race this year? They didn't want to become a laughingstock.
It simply wasn't a fair fight.
"Change the rules?"
Ikari finally spoke, his voice cool.
"After Barbatos and Silence Suzuka defeated Air Groove at the Takarazuka Kinen, the message to the fans was clear: the gap between active racers and Legends is not insurmountable."
"At their core, Legends are simply the girls who stood at the top of their respective generations. In years past, the Dream Cup's ratings were stagnant. Everyone knew who would win, and who had to win, because Rudolf is absolute."
"Last year, even though Barbatos suffered a crushing defeat, she drove engagement to an all-time high. Now, people are actually eager for the Winter Dream Cup to arrive."
"Do you really want the Committee to change the rules now? Do you want fans renting billboard trucks to protest outside our front doors?"
If the reaction last year had been poor, Ikari would have changed the rules months ago.
But the fans wanted to see the new blood take on the old guard. They wanted to see the underdog topple the giant. It was a classic trope, and the fans were hungry for it.
The lean old man fell silent. He was traditional, but he wasn't a fool. After a few beats, he asked, "Then I assume you didn't call us here just to stare at spreadsheets, Chairman?"
"Correct."
Ikari rose from his seat, leaning forward with his gloved hands pressed against the table.
"The sport is evolving. With this influx of overseas fans, it is time we implement reforms. We need to ensure that even after Barbatos retires or becomes a Legend herself, these international viewers stay with us."
"Reforms?" The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. None of the elders spoke; they simply waited for the young Chairman to continue.
They knew the world was moving faster than they could keep up with.
Seeing no immediate objections, Ikari sat back down, resuming his composed, icy posture.
His secretary took the cue.
"Historically, our broadcasts have relied on one play-by-play announcer and one professional color commentator to maintain technical accuracy. However, we have been studying the broadcasting styles of other industries, taking the best parts and filtering out the rest. We have a new proposal."
"For the G1 series, we will add a third chair: a 'Special Guest.' This will be a 'Hall of Famer'—a former champion of that specific G1 race."
"We will pilot this program starting with the Sprinters Stakes in the latter half of the year."
"The currently shortlisted candidates are Bamboo Memory, Nishino Flower, Sakura Bakushin O, and Hishi Akebono."
"The goal is to bring these former G1 stars back into the public eye, re-engaging fans who may have drifted away from the sport."
"More importantly, it allows the race to be analyzed from the perspective of an Uma Musume who has actually been there. They may lack broadcasting experience, but that raw, authentic insight will give the audience a brand-new way to experience the race."
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.