"Am I really doing this?" Riku thought to himself, almost numbly. He was standing in front of the doors to the meeting room of the URA board. Dressed in a fresh suit, hair slicked back in an attempt to look formal, and with his signature square-framed glasses. The doors to the room looked even more imposing than usual for him.
"Focus.. Focus." A mantra he kept repeating to himself. It was an attempt to take his mind off the fact that in a few minutes he'd be standing in front of a bunch of people who hate him, in a role they feel he doesn't deserve. His gaze moved to his left breast pocket, where a pin given by his grandfather was pinned.
His mind went back to what led him to this point.
FLASHBACK
"Pardon? The chairman? What the hell are you talking about?" Riku was utterly dumbfounded as he looked at his grandfather.
"Yes. THE chairman." Masayoshi emphasized, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Let me finish before you speak back, please." He held up a hand, seeing his grandson about to explode in reply.
"This wasn't a random decision I made on a whim, not completely." Masayoshi smiled, seeing Riku twitch at the admission. "In truth, I had always considered you as my replacement since I picked you as my assistant all those years ago, you know." He began to slowly walk past his grandson, heading to a crystal pitcher filled with water. He gestured with his free hand to the couches in the middle of the room as he poured the water into a pair of glasses. "Please, sit. I'll explain."
Riku, who had remained frozen up until this point, squinted his eyes at his grandfather. Giving a huff, he sat down with his arms crossed. "I'm listening." He said flatly.
"Haha! No need to be so pouty. I think you'll actually come to appreciate this." Masayoshi smiled, his eyes crinkling into crescents as he handed his grandson a glass. He resolutely ignored his grandson's mutters of "I'm not pouty."
"Where do I begin, really?" He leaned back into the sofa, which he very clearly did not spend a large amount of money on, with a relaxed sigh.
Riku leaned forward, pinching his brow. "Where do you begin? I would say the beginning, but we'd be here for hours, grandfather." He stated dryly, looking exasperated at his grandfather.
"Always the spoilsport, haaah." Masayoshi loudly drank from his glass. "You were always my shadow as a kid, little Riku. Always following me, you were so much cuter back then." He held back a guffaw at how Riku was close to erupting.
"Alright, enough of the teasing, I'm sorry. On the note of the following. You followed and saw everything I did, and you know the ins and outs of this job as well as I do. You shared my ambitions, my vision." Masayoshi gazed at the ceiling, his eyes misting over.
"After I made you my assistant, you continued to prove me right in my decision. You did your job diligently." He buttered Riku up, to no effect, unsurprisingly. "I always wanted you to take my role eventually. When you'd gained experience and merit. But circumstances have forced my hand."
"Circumstances?" Riku finally responded, questioning. "The situation with Maruzensky." He said in recognition.
Masayoshi merely nodded with a smile at the statement. "Your reaction to the situation with Maruzensky convinced me."
"Convinced you? I went on an angry rant! I talked about doing-" Riku began, gesturing wildly with his arms.
"Exactly. You went on an angry and justified tirade about what the board has and will continue to do. Riku. When is the last time you saw ME do that?" Masayoshi cut him off, raising and taking a sip from his glass.
"..You? I've never seen you angry a day in my life." Riku tilted his head as he replied in confusion.
"Honestly, Riku. I'm always angry. Angry at how disappointing our racing scene has become. Angry that my voice is silenced within my own organization. Angry that I have become so used to accepting this. Angry that in 30 years on the board, I have done NOTHING!" Masayoshi yelled at the very end, startling Riku. "I've been angry for 30 years of dealing with this nonsense, but I've been given hope." His frown disappeared, replaced by an almost blinding smile.
Riku could not reply, his eyes wide in a state of shock. "I've never seen him like this." He thought inwardly.
"I've been given hope, Riku. Someone who dreams just like me, who wants better for the Uma we help guide. Someone who wants all of that, and does not have my passivity, my weakness." Masayoshi stood, walking towards the window behind his desk. He set his glass down on the desk, crossing his arms behind him. "Tell me, Riku. If you were the chairman, do you think you could convince the board to accept your proposal with Maruzensky?"
"I…" Riku muttered, his brain still trying to reconnect the dots of what he was being told.
"Riku," Masayoshi said firmly.
Riku stood, his glass of water forgotten. His gaze still did not meet his grandfather's. His face held in his hands as he breathed deeply.
"Riku," Masayoshi stated one more time, almost worryingly. He realized by this point that maybe suddenly springing this on his grandson wasn't the best idea. Before he could continue on that train of thought, Riku had finally snapped out of his funk.
"You asked me if I could convince them to accept my proposal." Riku firmly stated, his gaze finally meeting Masayoshi's. "I will make them accept it. There is no other acceptable outcome." His eyes were burning with resolve.
"Good. That's what I like to hear." Masayoshi grinned brightly. "Let's make it official."
FLASHBACK END
"Hooo…" Riku let out a deep breath, his determination returning. "No more room for doubt. You've practiced what you need to say and have what you need to succeed. Execute." He gave one last breath before pushing the double doors open himself, interrupting the conversation taking place. Within moments, 13 other members of the board turned their eyes towards him. Their gazes varied between open hostility, caution, and curiosity.
His gaze traveled to the opposite end of the table from his chair, to Hideaki Yamaguchi, the Vice-Chairman. A man who was supposedly his grandfather's right hand, but had joined hands in gatekeeping his grandfather. The man's frown was prominent as he gazed at Riku through his own glasses.
Next in line is Hisataka Iida, Executive Adviser. An upright-looking man with balding hair and circular-framed glasses. (A possible bad-end look for Tenya Iida from MHA).
Masayuki Goto, Executive Adviser responsible for International Affairs. A slightly chubby man with slick-backed, greying hair.
Motoki Ito, Director. A supposed friend of his grandfather's. He possessed a perpetually unimpressed look and also had greying hair. (Shocker).
Yasuyuki Shimizu, Director. Perpetually smiling, likely due to aging better than the rest of the board in some cases. He had thin black hair and rectangular-framed glasses. The first of his potential allies in this group was a straightforward man who felt snubbed for not being given the role of leading the medical division.
Mitsunori Osako, Director. A close friend and confidant of Masayuki Goto. He wore circular glasses and had a slightly large nose.
Closest to his chair was Masahiro Usuda, or at least it used to be. His replacement was someone who helped mentor him in the role, and the one who would ORIGINALLY take over for the chairman after his grandfather. Reiko Kyoko. An attractive blonde woman who wore a light and clearly fake smile, her hands clasped as she stared at Riku.
Going back the other way from his chair, Akira Ueki. Another man known for his perpetual smile and his thinning hair, which he would swear was growing back. Akira was someone his grandfather believed he could depend on, one of the few good eggs in this rotten batch.
Yasuhiro Shimizu, Director, was next. A man with shiny black hair, which was obviously a wig, contrasting with his already gray facial hair. He looked deliberately away from Riku to continue the conversation with the man next to him.
Jiro Hashimoto, Director. A man with a combover on his greying hair, who also ignores Riku to continue his conversation with Yasuhiro.
Atsushi Kikuta, Director. He seemed to like standing out, as he was dressed from his counterparts in a navy blue suit. He had greying hair and a constant, amused look on his face.
Tetsuya Kobayashi, Director. Also responsible for their medical division, and someone Riku had a personal vendetta against for that reason. He wore rectangular frame glasses and had black hair.
Lastly, Yoshinari Masanobu, Director. A man with gray hair and slightly more tanned skin.
These were the people Riku would have to convince to listen to his proposal. Three of them, he believed, he could convince more easily than the rest. Yasuyuki, Akira, and Reiko. Yasuyuki by appealing to what he wants, and Akira, possibly by appealing to his values. Reiko? Reiko was someone who, despite her neutral stance, believed in doing what she felt was right. He would have to convince her.
"Riku." Hideaki began, standing up from his chair on the opposite side, only to be interrupted by Riku in reply.
"BAM!" The sound resounded through the room, startling everyone briefly as Riku dropped the files he was holding in front of his seat.
"Hello, my friends and colleagues!" Riku smiled brightly at his fellow board members. "Well.. at least one of those terms is true in this moment!" His beaming smile showed all his teeth as he looked around the boardroom, and the rest of the room was visibly unsettled. He continued before anyone else could get a word in.
"Please don't worry, this won't take very long. I know many of you are more than a little ruffled at my sudden appointment as chairman. I understand you completely. It's just saddening to hear my grandfather had to suddenly step down due to his declining health. I will do my best to fulfill my role to the best of my abilities." Riku turned to look at the half-standing Vice-Chairman. His grin was still present as he narrowed his eyes at Hideaki.
"Now, before we confer and let other members of the board speak, I have some things to address. I mainly came here today in my new official capacity to bring this to your attention." Riku made a show of grabbing the top file from his stack he had placed earlier. The screen to his left began to play footage of Maruzensky racing after pressing a button by his chair. He opened the file as he began to read.
"Maruzensky. An Uma who just completed her junior year of racing. With an undefeated record of 4-0, and an average distance of 7 lengths in her wins, she has dominated with one G2 win and a G1 win in the Futurity Stakes." Riku began to pace around the table as he read from the file, deliberately doing it slowly behind each board member.
"She has demonstrated that she is far beyond her competitors at the same level. So my fellow board members, the next step for her would be the Classics, no?" Riku had completed his lap around the table, his hand on his chair as he held the file in his other hand. "So tell me." Riku's smile turned to the whole table. "Why is she being forbidden from registering in the Classics?"
A tense silence took place over the table at his statement. Only Yasuyuki, Akira, and Hideaki made eye contact with him. Everyone else, including Reiko, turned to look at Hideaki for his response.
"Ignoring your interruption from earlier." Hideaki huffed as he sat up and gazed at Riku, steepling his hands together. "Maruzensky is ineligible to participate in the classics. Regulations have long been put into place, and she does not make the cut."
"Regulations? Which regulations are those, Vice-Chairman?" Riku merely tilted his head at Hideaki's statement. "As I recall, in my short time as an assistant here, only two possible things bar an Umamusume from racing in the Classics. If they are foreigners, or if they fail to register in advance. Maruzensky has registered before the deadline, and she is a Japanese citizen."
"Maruzensky, according to our regulations, is a foreign-born horse, Riku." Hideaki flatly replied, his eyes narrowed at the uppity young chairman. "While she may be considered tentatively a Japanese citizen, her ancestry does not lie."
"Her ancestry? Really?" Riku's smile became filled with mockery at the reply. "Do we have to trace back several generations of pure JAPANESE pedigree to be a Japanese citizen?" Riku put an extra emphasis on the word. "Maruzensky's family, according to our records, settled down here over twenty years ago. Twenty years, as long as I have been alive, Vice Chairman."
Riku then held up a hand, stalling Hideaki's agitated reply. "Allow me to recite for you, my dear members, what a Japanese citizen is. To obtain Japanese citizenship, you must meet requirements for age (18+), residency (at least 5 consecutive years), good moral conduct (no criminal record), financial stability, renunciation of dual citizenship, and respecting the Japanese Constitution." Riku's smile became noticeably thinner as he spoke. "That is verbatim the requirements for Japanese citizenship. So by all means, help me understand, Mr. Hideaki, how is her family ineligible?" Riku walked around the table, stopping a few lengths away from the Vice-Chairman as he stared at him.
Hideaki offered no reply, but his expression slowly twisted into barely contained fury. The rest of the boardroom exchanged brief eye contact, unsure how to react. Akira's smile was even wider than usual, Reiko wore a rare pensive expression, and Yasuyuki's smile was gone, replaced by a look of wonder.
"You may treat this as merely my opinions and thoughts on the matter, but I have a different idea of why the board is denying her." Riku began to walk away back to his side of the table, his hands held behind his head as he walked carefree. "It's all a bunch of bullshit," Riku said flatly.
"Maruzensky's citizenship does not matter. Her registration does not matter. To you, Mr. Hideaki, and my fellow members of the board, Maruzensky is an invader. An invader who does not match what we consider Japanese." Riku's eyes blazed. "She is not being denied because she isn't eligible; she is being denied because you can do so. And it is beyond sickening."
This statement caused a ripple throughout the room, a startled cacophony of voices filling the room. The only ones who didn't react to his statement were the three he had been keeping his eye on, along with Vice-Chairman Hideaki. Riku's smile slowly grew with their reaction.
"Silence!" Thundered out in the room, as Hideaki had had enough of the chaos. "You've made a bold accusation, Riku. To accuse this board of abusing its privileges has consequences, you know." No one's expression is quite as severe as the Vice-Chairman's. The man in question stood from his chair to tower over Riku, who was still standing by his own chair.
"Such a passionate response, Vice-Chairman! You almost convinced me that you really cared about me, questioning your integrity." Riku's smile and closed eyes mocked the Vice-Chairman. "However, I was not done speaking yet. Sit. Down." His eyes opened as he looked up at Hideaki, who did not reply for a few seconds and only continued to stare him down. The Vice-Chairman closed his eyes with a huff and took his seat once more, his glare never leaving.
"Perhaps a different tangent would appeal to the members of the board here." Riku smiled disarmingly at the table. "I've said words about the nature of the board's integrity here, and for that I apologize." Riku gave a short mock-bow afterwards. "Allow me to pose a different question, mind you. How do we believe interest in racing has been doing here in Japan, for the past few years?"
"Interest? Racing is as successful as it's ever been." Motoki Ito replied, looking dismissive of the question. Next to him, Masayuki Goto, of International Affairs, began to sweat visibly. This was not missed by Reiko, who was a short distance away from him, her eyes narrowed at the response.
"Yeah! Profits have been steady and consistent." Yasuhiro Shimizu furrowed his brow at Riku, wondering where this line of questioning was going. No one else spoke up immediately, and many looked questioningly at Riku for this.
"Two confident statements! And two completely wrong ones at that, well done." Riku looked to the members who spoke, their expressions falling at his reply. "Profits have been steadily declining over recent years, along with interest. Any wild guesses as to why that is?" Riku made a show of looking around the room before locking eyes with Reiko. The woman gave him a vaguely amused look before replying.
"Our races haven't been exciting as they used to be, with no notable names making headlines like they used to." Reiko twirled a lock of her blonde hair as she talked. "With a lack of international success or Umas seizing the Triple Crown, both fields have struggled." She gave a knowing look to Riku.
"Excellent points made by our Executive Director! Well done." Riku gave a slow clap in reply. "No Uma has won the Triple Crown in years, since Shinzan. Furthermore, no Uma has won the Triple Tiara since its creation in Japan either. So why should people watch if no one can contend for these prestigious titles? Seems pretty clear to me."
"And just what do you want us to do about it? We are suffering from a lack of talent." Tetsuya Kobayashi, of the Medical Division, commented. Despite his confidence in the statement, he kept fidgeting in place.
"A lack of talent? Director Tetsuya, thank you for bringing up my point for me." Riku walked near the director and unsettled him with his smile, which he took great joy in. "You see, we don't suffer from a lack of talent, not actually. But our Umas have suffered from more and more career-ending injuries, ending their promising careers short. At the moment, only the trio of TTG can compete consistently in G1 races. And not a single one of them was able to win the triple crown (Green Grass is technically only in her junior year still), or make any waves internationally."
Riku paced back towards his chair, his eyes noting the rising interest among the rest of the board at his words, however small. "And that is our recurring problem, isn't it? For years, we have lost year after year internationally, and even our three strongest racers right now cannot retain the people's interest. A new star is needed to ignite the interest of our people once more."
"And you believe Maruzensky is this star?" Hideaki spoke up once more, drawing the attention of the rest of the room. "That is a strong claim to make about an Uma who has only raced once on the G1 level." His reply was delivered flatly, but his eyes held a small spark of interest.
"I don't believe so. I know so, Vice-Chairman." Riku replied. "Maruzensky is the start of change that we need in Japan, to change our racing scene for the better." Riku's voice began to rise in volume as he reached his final point. "I know that Maruzensky will dominate the Classics. And I also know she is one of our best shots at ever challenging our neighbors around the globe. Our chance of challenging Secretariat." A pin drop silence took over the boardroom, as the name of the Legendary Uma, who had debuted just four years before, was uttered.
It's not an unheard-of reaction. Secretariat was essentially the boogeyman of Uma racing to the Japanese, maybe even the world. 21 races run, A Triple Crown champion, 9 G1 wins, and a total record of 16 wins, 3 second-place finishes, and 1 third-place finish. She also shattered the previous records held in those Triple Crown races. One that Riku, or at least his Earth counterpart, knew would not be broken even through the year 2025. Big Red of the US, and another nail in the coffin of Japanese success.
"There is no competing with that monster." Hideaki shook his head in reply. "And attempting to do so while forsaking our traditions is unacceptable." Hideaki made his stance clear, a majority of the room nodding along with him. It would appear that the mention of the name backfired on Riku.
Riku slowly frowned in realization; his words, while they captured the attention of the board, were not quite reaching the room. Then again, he wasn't expecting to be able to convince anyone besides the three he had marked previously. It would've been nice to settle things with just this.
"If there's nothing else, we'll call a vote for your proposal right now." Hideaki held his hand up, noticing a lack of response from Riku. "All in fav-" Hideaki was interrupted by an exaggerated sigh from Riku, drawing everyone's attention.
"I had hoped that my words would be enough to convince the board fairly, but I supposed I hoped for too much." Riku shrugged before locking eyes with Hideaki. "We'll do this the hard way then." He tapped a pair of buttons on the table before reaching for the remaining files on the table.
"What are yo-.." The Vice-Chairman started his sentence before his skin turned a pale-white as he looked at the screen, shown on the screen was Hideaki himself having dinner with several other men in suits, with scantily clad women on their sides. The most curious detail, however, was the distinctive tattoos seen on the men and their bodyguards.
"Hideaki Yamaguchi, suspected of having ties to the Yakuza, embezzling funds, accepting bribes from said Yakuza, oh, what's this? Even tax evasion? Quite the list you've built up there, Mr. VC. Makes your engaging in prostitution seem quite tame." Riku smiled brightly, genuinely. His eyes were on the file in his hands as he read down the list. He continued to read the next name on his list.
"Yasuhiro Shimizu, embezzlement and fraud of company funds, insider trading, and the crime of being in denial about his hair loss." Yasuhiro grit his teeth as he glared at the chairman.
"Jiro Hasimoto, accepting bribery and collusion with the Yakuza, money laundering through various fake children's homes, and some tax evasion as well." Jiro stared into his own lap with pursed lips.
"Atsushi Ikuta, insider trading, various forms of fraud, embezzlement, and huh? Using your influence to avoid paying at various high-end clothing brands? Wow." Riku blinked in astonishment, looking at the embarrassed director.
"Tetsuya Kobayashi, embezzlement and medical insurance fraud. Not only that, but a big hand in the decline in our medical field can be attributed to you. Well done." A venomous smile was directed at the director, the man visibly sweating and avoiding eye contact. This also drew a smile from director Shimizu.
"Masanobu Yoshinari, another case of bribery and collusion with the Yakuza, with some embezzlement as well. Less than I was expecting." Riku shrugged off the irate director before continuing.
"Osako Mitsunori, embezzlement of company funds, insider trading, and racketeering? Feeling adventurous, are we?" Osako merely frowned at the chairman, glancing at the visibly sweating Masayuki Goto.
"Motoki Ito, embezzlement of company funds through multiple departments, insider trading, and tax evasion. Dipping our fingers everywhere, huh." Riku raised an eyebrow, and his grandfather's old friend, the man's frown became more severe as he continued talking.
"Masayuki Goto! Truly, besides our VC, you're our VIP in this field. Embezzlement of company funds, insider trading, money laundering, bribery from multiple foreign sources, and what's this? Colluding with foreign nations to poach Umamusume from Japan to other countries? Quite the patriot." Glances drew from around the rest of the room, their focus torn between Goto and the screen showing him accepting money from foreign dignitaries. The man in question was sweating profusely, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Lastly, and certainly not least, Histaka Iida. Embezzlement, surprisingly, insider trading, and colluding with medical insurance fraud with director Tetsuya." Riku smiled as he finished reading the rest of the files, returning to his original spot at the table. He pressed the pair of buttons, turning the screen back off, and he sat back in his chair and reclined.
"It's so quiet in here, nothing to say, anyone?" Riku tilted his head as the silence from his reveal had persisted for around 5 minutes. He smiled brightly before continuing. "Our remaining three members have no crimes I could find. Congratulations for being smart about your white collar crime, or genuinely not being pieces of trash." He gave a small bow towards them. Akira and Yasuyuki gave him amused smiles, while Reiko merely shook her head.
"Now I wanted to make this very clear to you, my fellow board members. This is a threat." Riku steepled his fingers together as his gaze bore into Vice-Chairman Hideaki. "This is my offer to you. We will hold the vote as Hideaki has said. If you vote against allowing Maruzensky into the Classics, following our yearly audit, I will make sure the authorities and the media get a hold of this information. The reputation of the URA will be tarnished, but then again, it already is with you leeches here." He barely back a sneer as he spoke.
"If you cooperate and vote in favor of my proposal, you will be allowed to quietly retire as esteemed members of this organization afterwards, without living the rest of your lives as pariahs and criminals." Riku leaned back after giving his ultimatum, the accused in question glancing worriedly back towards the Vice-Chairman. Hideaki, appearing thoroughly defeated, still glared back at Riku as he spoke.
"This is blackmail, Riku."
"Correct."
"You're not really giving us a choice here."
The chairman merely smiled in reply, nodding along.
"Now, my friends, shall we hold a vote?" Riku gestured to the race of the table. The rest of the room glanced around morosely as the votes were tallied.
SCENE BREAK
At a large dirt race course in Nakayama, an older Irishman was present in a full green colored tracksuit. This man's name was Vincent Nijinsky, a trainer and father who migrated to Japan from Canada. His gaze was locked on an Umamusume in a matching green tracksuit running around the track, her speed causing a gale of wind to follow as she passed him.
"1:37.6! Your average has gone down, Maru. Let's take a break." Vincent called out to his daughter, who jogged back towards him, her expression slightly downcast. He grabbed a nearby towel and began wiping at his daughter's face, drawing a laugh from her.
"I can wipe it myself, Papa, please!" Maruzensky laughed brightly, a small, embarrassed flush on her cheeks.
"As your trainer and father, this is a privilege I will not give up, thank you very much." Her father merely smiled cheekily as he ruffled her hair before letting her use the towel herself. His brow furrowed lightly. "Your mind is still on the rejection, isn't it? We'll keep trying, I promise." Vincent promised as he looked at her, his eyes just as tired as hers.
"Thank you, Papa. I won't give up!" She gave an exaggerated fist pump with a smile, but it was very brittle.
Vincent looked down at his daughter, feeling guilty that his daughter was likely being denied because of him. That won't stop him from trying to get her into the Classics. His little Supercar deserves to shine on the highest stage. He lightly slapped his cheeks before speaking again.
"Let's get something to eat! A break will do you some good, then we get back to some practice, okay?" He began to pull out his phone before blinking as he received a call at that very moment.
"Hmm? Who's calling?" Maruzensky leaned by his shoulder, glancing over as she noticed her father freezing up.
Her father did not respond, as his eyes were focused on the caller ID on his phone. It read in big letters very clearly, URA Board: Chairman.
CHAPTER END