Furina fell silent, but in her mind she was already thinking that once Heart of the Spring was finished, it would be time to find a way to get closer to everyone at the theatre, and perhaps bring them into MiHoYo.
-----------------------------
Inside MiHoYo Company.
A exciting shoot had just finished.
These past few days, because of all the heavy reshoots, Rappa had been on set and in her room nonstop since joining MiHoYo, running back and forth.
She had had no time at all to explore the campus.
And now, finally able to leave the set, she was being taken on a stroll around the grounds by March 7th.
"Wow…" Rappa breathed.
"It's like a high end luxury hotel with added facilities," she added, dazzled.
The enormous company complex included soundstages, gardens, and a lot of detached little houses.
Not to mention two massive buildings standing off in a corner.
One was a stadium for singing events, the other a grand opera hall.
Having only ever seen neon-lit events, it was hard for her to imagine a place with such an immense scale until she saw it with her own eyes.
"Hehe," March 7th said, "all thanks to the boss."
"Apart from some staff, the company is basically our playground," she continued, "you can move around here freely."
She took Rappa's hand, lively, "You finally have some free time, so I'll show you around properly."
"Thank you, Ninja Ruri!" Rappa said solemnly, offering thanks.
She even proudly revealed the carefully chosen nickname she had given herself.
"Ninja Ruri, what on earth is that?" March 7th laughed, "My name is March 7th, but if you want to call me that, go ahead, it's kind of fun."
They did not fuss over formalities. March 7th led Rappa into the company building and headed straight for the activity floor.
"The boss built a super cool place," she said, "a whole floor just for eating, drinking, and having fun. Pretty awesome, right? You've worked hard these past few days, you deserve this."
"People should be around at this hour," she added, and pulled Rappa into the activity room.
Just as she had said, the entire floor was divided into different zones, and it was bustling now.
To the left after entering was a lounge scattered with luxurious sofas and potted plants, and against the wall a huge drinks bar.
A few people were sitting there, chatting.
"The drinks bar!" March 7th said, "The men love it, they can sit and chat here for ages."
She guided Rappa over. Aventurine, Dan Heng, and Gepard were idly chatting there.
"Hello, hello~" March 7th greeted.
"March?" Dan Heng looked up, "And… Rappa."
Dan Heng put down his cup and waved, "Finished shooting today?"
"Yep!" Rappa replied.
"I brought her around to take a look, and to get acquainted," March 7th nodded.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Ninja Hiryû."
Rappa was not shy, she reached out to greet them.
In fact, many people often went to watch Rappa's shoots, but to avoid delaying filming, most of them only nodded acquaintances.
"Hiryû… Ninja?" Dan Heng mused over the odd name.
"Ah, that's Rappa's little quirk," March 7th explained, "she likes giving nicknames to people she's close to. Since she's joined the company and feels like we're all family, she's probably given everyone a nickname."
"I see," Dan Heng said, nodding in understanding. The company had its share of odd habits, and Rappa's was relatively normal.
He raised his glass, "Welcome to the company, Miss Rappa."
"Thank you, Ninja Hiryû!" Rappa nodded earnestly.
Pfft.
Aventurine couldn't help laughing, then apologized, "Sorry, sorry, not trying to mock anyone, it's just that since Miss Rappa joined, the list of nicknames is going to need updating."
Gepard covered his face and reacted, "Right, the list will be a nightmare."
Everyone knew the company's nicknaming habit was peculiar: Little Gray Fur, Flower Peacock, Golden Bread, and they loved teasing people. Now there was Rappa, who specialized in ninja-style nicknames.
Thinking of the pile of new nicknames made foreheads darken.
Aventurine, however, shrugged and asked with a smirk, "Miss Rappa, can you spit rhymes?"
"Spit rhymes?" Rappa immediately caught his meaning, "You mean debate verbally? Not to brag, but I'm a rapper, my verbal sparring is top-notch."
"Great!" Aventurine snapped his fingers, "Perfect, Miss Rappa, I heard you rapping on set yesterday, I already felt you're a master of verbal combat."
"Hmph, I didn't expect Ninja Dice, to praise me so highly!" Rappa slid her cap down and struck a cool pose when someone played along.
But Dan Heng, Gepard, and March 7th all shot Aventurine subtle looks.
Everyone knew Aventurine, when he said something like that, there was always mischief afoot.
Sure enough, after seeing Rappa get into character, Aventurine shook his head and sighed, "Alas, although your verbal prowess is excellent, as far as I know, the company has three other masters of verbal sparring."
"One of them may look small and cute," he continued, "but her tongue is extremely sharp, vicious, and peculiarly angled. Once we run into this master, she cuts us off so cleanly we can't respond at all."
At Aventurine's description, Rappa's rapper spirit flared.
"So there are hidden ninja's in MiHoYo," she said, "I really want to battle her."
The three bystanders' expressions shifted, they already realized what Aventurine was angling for.
"Maybe not," Aventurine frowned, struggling, "Even with you in the ring, I don't think it will be an easy match."
"That's impossible," Rappa said decisively, "With my skill, I will not lose on my first try. Ninja Dice, tell me her name."
Seeing Rappa so determined, Aventurine reluctantly breathed the name of the verbal master, "Her name is Sparkle, I'm sure you know her."
"Sparkle…" A twin-tail girl who was almost always smiling popped into Rappa's mind. Rappa, who often watched the group, was not unfamiliar with her.
"Her words cut like a knife," Aventurine said, "she always hits people where they are most vulnerable."
"If it's her, she's a terrifying opponent."
Thinking of Sparkle's poisonous tongue, Rappa's battle fire burned even brighter. She couldn't help but perform a burst on the spot.
"Hmph, the trick of smiling while hiding a needle is so fickle," she rapped.
"Sparkle, blooming only to wither, a short-lived poem," she continued.
"I use the incantation whirlwind to scrub away the varnish of delight," she spat, "and my name, Rappa, is the brand seared into history!"
When the rap ended, Aventurine applauded, and even Dan Heng and Gepard had to admit inwardly, it was perfect.
Seeing Rappa fall into the trap, Aventurine drank his wine in one go.
"Just the right flavor," he said, "Miss Rappa, I believe you can win the title of the company's strongest ninja by defeating Sparkle, I'm excited."
"Just imagining it makes me giddy," he added, "So, how about it, shall we bet on who will win?"
"I bet on Rappa," Aventurine's gambling itch returned.
"I bet on Rappa too," Dan Heng said after a moment of thought.
"Uh, then I'll bet on Sparkle," Gepard hesitated, feeling it unfair to have no one backing Sparkle.
"Don't know why everyone values me so highly," Rappa said, moved, "I promise I won't lose."
Before she could continue, March 7th hurriedly pulled her away.
"All right, all right, Rappa, I still have more people to introduce you to," she said, glaring at Aventurine, "Aventurine, no more tempting her."
She gave him a stern look and led Rappa away, afraid she might immediately go find Sparkle for a duel.
After they left, Aventurine exhaled and said to the others, "For the next while, we can finally be rid of Sparkle."
His eyes betrayed fatigue. Dan Heng and Gepard covered their faces.
It had to be said, Sparkle had endless energy. She never tired of teasing them, and the worst part was no one could beat her verbally.
It was as if she had a mechanism for silence, always hitting defenses precisely.
"But now it's different," Aventurine said, raising his glass like a survivor, "a rapper-turned-chuunibyou ninja versus Sparkle, the queen of verbal takedowns. I think Sparkle will have no energy left to bother us."
They clinked glasses. Gepard took a sip, then asked, "Do you think Rappa will still go after Sparkle after being shredded by her?"
"I think she will," Dan Heng said calmly, "Although Rappa has been stuck on set these days, from what we've seen, she's the kind of person with her own way of thinking. People like that, when met with a defeat, only get more fired up."
Aventurine just thought about the scene and laughed, "I really want to see Rappa latch onto Sparkle and go wild rapping, it would be spectacular."
"Evil is sharpened by evil," Dan Heng added, "By the way, want to raise the stakes, I'm more convinced Rappa will win, after all, there is a saying, the bold intimidates the timid."
Dan Heng shook his head, "No, if we raise now, you'll probably go all in later."
Gepard laughed, "You always go all in, we can't afford that."
Aventurine spread his hands, "Contentment is a mortal virtue, cowardice is a gambler's greatest sin. Well, since you won't match me, I'll just watch for fun."
Even Dan Heng was secretly looking forward to the spectacle. Seeing the entertainer become part of the show was always amusing.
Meanwhile, March 7th continued to introduce Rappa to others.
They met Jing Yuan, playing cards with Yanqing in the chess room. During the conversation, Jing Yuan stole a chess piece from Yanqing, keeping it in his hand like a display of cunning. Rappa saw it as cleverness, so Jing Yuan earned the nickname "Ninja Cunning."
At the mahjong table they saw Qingque, Tingyun and Bronya Seele shuffling tiles.
They then greeted a sweaty Feixiao who was on the treadmill in the gym.
Just like that, March 7th showed Rappa nearly everyone in the company, aside from those who had errands or were elsewhere.
After the tour, Rappa couldn't help but ask March 7th eagerly, "Ninja Ruri! Why haven't I seen Sparkle? I'm itching to spar with her."
"Sigh, bringing you to see Aventurine was a mistake," March 7th said, covering her face, helpless, "Wouldn't you rather first see the footage from your first shoot? Your rap will be watched by more people soon."
Rappa froze, then remembered.
Oh right. The new episodes and the PV were about to air. This was her screen debut. Even though her battle spirit burned, she still cared about the screening.
"Let's go," March 7th said, pulling Rappa toward the screening room, "I'm telling you, Sparkle loves teasing people, and it's her privilege to do so. If we want to tease her back, forget it."
March 7th did not realize her words only made Rappa more determined to meet Sparkle.
This time Rappa said nothing, she simply followed March 7th into the screening room, waiting for the broadcast of the Ninja War she had taken part in.
After watching the episode, she would go straight to Sparkle and settle the duel.