I'm dreaming, I know it. A rare feeling, but this time, it's strangely vivid. I'm running above the clouds, on a sea of white. No ground should hold me, yet I, Mejiro Rampage, sprint across this soft yet firm dreamscape. Endless clouds stretch out—not my world, except for one thing.
"Show yourself already. How long you gonna make me run?" I call.
A shadow bursts through the clouds, glowing with divine light.
"When did you know?" it asks.
"From the start. Waited for you to speak, but I caved. What's up?" I reply.
"Just cheering you on," it says.
In a flash, it races past, daring me to follow. My lips curl—I can't resist. An Uma Musume doesn't back down. "Catch me if you can!" I shout, chasing.
"Whoever you are, you're good!" I yell.
"Don't get cocky! You're facing the world now—don't settle for me!" it retorts, speeding up.
It binds me with a curse, but I know it's deliberate, pushing me to get serious. Fair play, I think, and dive into my true speed.
"Ran-chan, Ran-chan," a voice calls.
"...Huh?" I mumble.
Shaken awake, I open my eyes to darkness. Sue-chan, beside me, lifts the shade.
"You were out cold," she says.
"Didn't mean to sleep…" I mutter. "Sorry, water?"
"Of course, miss," a crew member replies, fetching it.
We're on the Mejiro family's private jet, bound for the Dubai World Cup. I meant to stay awake for jet lag, but Sue-chan says I slept an hour.
"Nervous, Ran-chan? Even you get nervous?" Sue-chan teases.
"C'mon, Sue-chan, I'm human. Holy Hooves Festival? Heart-pounding terror," I reply.
She giggles. "My bad. Fun, though, right?"
"Thought my heart'd stop. Total heartbreak," I say, sipping water.
We're minutes from landing. I slept through it, haunted by that weird dream. Who was that?
"What'd you dream?" Sue-chan asks.
"Dunno, but I'm about to make dreams real. It starts here," I say.
We touch down in Dubai—my first foreign soil as an Uma Musume. I've traveled for Hitosoul work, so I'll lean on that to adjust. At the airport, a swarm of reporters awaits.
"There she is!" one shouts.
They surge forward, but a wall of black-suited guards blocks them, parting us like Fine's security team.
"Who're you guys!?" I snap.
"An interview, please!" they yell in English, French, German, Italian, and local tongues.
The guards stand firm, unshaken. Reliable as hell.
"Wall of meat," Sue-chan quips.
"This ain't Yokohama," I shoot back.
"Shibaur?" she tries.
"Not Kizuma-gumi either," I laugh.
Her humor's range is wild—why we click. A sunglassed man in a black suit bows.
"Mejiro Rampage-sama, Speed Symboli-sama? We've been expecting you," he says in accented Japanese.
He removes his shades, revealing a warm smile. "I'm Eric S. Campbell, your bodyguard."
"You're Nan-chan's pick?" I ask.
"Yes. Pleased to serve," he replies, shaking my hand.
Flashes leak through the guards. Sue-chan shakes his hand too.
"A Black man! Your Japanese is great," she says.
"Thank you. Nan helped me. I study to live in Japan someday," Eric explains.
"Solid build, chill vibe—perfect guard," I say.
Eric brought a team—work friends and vetted colleagues, all cleared by Minamizaka. The guards escort us to a car, their precision earning Sue-chan's awe.
"These guys are pros, Ran-chan," she says.
"Glad they're solid, but… what are they?" I mutter.
Eric's body felt like iron when I patted him—muscle armor. No wonder he could take an Uma Musume one-on-one.
At the hotel, Sue-chan asks, "What's next, Ran-chan?"
"Eat, sleep. Jet lag prep," I reply.
"Sleep already?" she teases.
"Gotta sync with local time," I say.
Here, my world challenge begins.
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