"Phew..."
"Hah? You sound weirdly exhausted."
"Compared to someone who spends their days whimsically running mock races and provoking the Chairman, I'm actually busy, you know."
"That's just who I am."
Sunday Silence took a seat beside me on the rooftop, blowing smoke from a scenic herb cigar. In her other hand, she held an onigiri wrapped in a bamboo leaf. She pressed her palms together in a quick prayer before stuffing her cheeks.
I didn't know if I should call it adaptability or just brute-force assimilation…
"Seriously, aren't you getting a little too comfortable here?"
"When you immigrate, rule number one is to get used to the local culture. This is where I'm living now; it doesn't hurt to acclimate."
"And you're fine with Japanese food?"
"Damn straight. Natto, sashimi, raw egg on rice—I can eat it all, and it tastes great."
Sunday was "tatami-izing"—becoming Japanese—at a terrifying pace. I wasn't sure whether to be pleased or exasperated.
"So? How's the 'Aggressor' role coming along?" she asked.
"So-so. Right now, it's basically just me. We've got some old retired trainers coming in, but unless I recruit a few more horse girls, we can't really call it a proper Aggressor squadron yet."
"Don't you know anyone? You're supposed to be an American star horse girl."
"Do I look like a social butterfly to you?"
"Nope."
That was exactly why the Chairman had dumped this conversation on me. I'd already cleared it with Maruzensky and Katsuragi Ace, so they would likely drop by when they had free time. Monseny was enthusiastic but currently too swamped to commit. It would probably work out in time. If push came to shove, I could always drag someone over from overseas, just like I did with Sunday.
"What about your end? The URA race thing?"
"Don't skip the details… It's the Finals and the Legend Races. And yes, it's going so well that I'm drowning in work."
Traveling to Training Centers across the country to explain the concept, deciding how the qualifying races would function, figuring out racing silks for general school students who advanced to the main event… opinions were flying everywhere, and consolidating them was a nightmare.
Yet, it was safe to say everyone was cooperating with genuine forward momentum. We were building a true "Stage of Dreams" with our own hands and sending our athletes to it. There was no story more stirring than that.
But above all…
"They seem to like the fact that we're proceeding in total secrecy from the URA."
"So they have that here, too? The friction between the local municipalities and the Central authority."
"Oh, it exists. You might not get the nuance, Sunday-san, but I've heard the tension was at its peak when Oguri-san was scouted to Central."
There is a deep, hopeless divide between Central and Local racing.
The Twinkle Series revolves entirely around the Central Tracen Academy as its absolute vortex. The so-called Local Series are just that—local. This creates an insurmountable wall: Central is superior; Local is inferior. This applies to the horse girls as well. Many local girls possess a ferocious hungry spirit—a burning desire to prove they won't lose to Central, that they will crawl their way up from the bottom. They crave a formal stage where they can defeat Central horse girls.
But until now, those opportunities were limited to mere exhibition exchange races. Even the term "exchange" likely rubbed them the wrong way.
Into that atmosphere, Rampage dropped a bombshell: the URA Finals. A massive scale plan where they could storm the castle of Central. Moreover, it was a plan kept secret from the Central URA brass, masterminded by the renowned Mejiro Rampage. Faced with a proposal from such a heavy hitter, the local centers couldn't simply brush it off. They had no choice but to accept.
And if they were going to accept, they were going to go all in.
"The URA really has a lot of enemies, huh?"
"That's just how it is with massive organizations. Hell, the Finals project is technically something the URA should be doing. So why am I, a mere student, taking the lead on it?"
"Those suits are too busy enjoying the profits you generate to do any actual work."
"Maybe I should call in the top brass from Dubai, Ireland, and America just to make them foam at the mouth."
"Ooh, do it. Definitely do it."
For the record, it wasn't just the URA that would be foaming at the mouth, but the Japanese government as well. As a side note, the current Prime Minister's approval ratings were reportedly trending downward. The reason? The public perception was: "Rampage is doing a better job at diplomacy than the politicians! What the hell is the government doing, you idiots!!"
"Maybe I should run, too. In the Legends."
"Ehh… if we include you, it's going to turn into something like the Japan World Cup. It might be faster to just establish it as a new G1 race…"
"Then you do it. You can pull that off, right?"
"I really don't want to increase my workload any more than this…"
For a split second, a vision flashed through my mind. A horse girl performing a rotational jump that would put a figure skater's triple axel to shame, crossing the finish line in first place… I shook my head violently to erase the image. That was bad. Absolutely bad. There is no demand for Ginshari here.
"Oh, right. Hey, put me on your stream already. I've been waiting."
"Eh? What, you seriously want to appear? For real?"
"Real as real gets. Write it as 'serious' and read it as 'Gachi'."
"Ah, she's serious."
"Oha-Kon-Hallo-Ciao~!! Creating world records in your memories, the dictatorial tyrant, the triumphal return of victory!! If I reach out, I feel like I could touch the tomorrow I was aiming for, my fingertips are already brushing it—it's Rampage!! Have you people been accumulating good karma~?"
And so, per her request, I began the stream.
"Man~ Japan really is relaxing, isn't it? I feel most at home here. Well, the biggest reason is that I can eat rice, but hey, Ireland was actually pretty comfortable too. I've got a best friend over there, maybe I'll go for a private trip next time?"
Chat:
Coming home from a trip always feels the best, I get that.
Sup, Aoki-san.
At least watch Iono's stream, Gym Leader.
Saying stuff like that is gonna make the Japanese government tremble again.
What, is Rampage going on another foreign visit?
You mean a foreign expedition.
"Well, putting that aside… today—or rather, today as well—yes, today too. We have a guest~! Okay, applause, pachi pachi pachi. Let's bring out today's guest! A horse girl who overcame a turbulent life and trampled over fate itself: Sunday Silence!!"
"Oha-Kon-Hallo-Ciao~! You doing good, you Japanese punks?! Sunday Silence is in the house!! There ain't a single one of you who doesn't know my name, right? You don't know? Then go look it up right now, damn it!!"
Chat:
UWAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!?
IT'S SUNDAY SILENCE!!!!!!!
The horse girl who bit back at fate!!!!!!!
He brought another insane guest...
Wait, she really moved to Japan...?
America must be screaming in agony right now...
"I don't know about that. Those guys over there are probably either relieved I'm gone or trashing me to hell and back. It's one of the two. Even when I was active, they treated me like dirt and loved to ramp up the gore descriptions."
"Stop phrasing it like that, it sounds like a different genre."
Chat:
I seriously can't believe they criticized such an amazing horse girl.
Shouldn't they have been cheering for her?
Never bending to a harsh fate and pushing forward… that strikes right at the Japanese soul.
Hate her? I only see things to love.
[¥30,000] Please marry me.
[GUILTY]
"Thanks for the Red Superchat, Asahi Racing-san. You're being proposed to."
"Hah! Proposing to me? You've got terrible taste, you eccentric weirdo. If you're serious, come here and say it to my face. Then I might consider thinking about it."
The stream naturally revolved around our guest, Sunday Silence, but inevitably, the questions turned to her relationship with Easy Goer. The horse girl called the successor to Secretariat. People asked about their relationship during their active years, and what it was like now.
"She had everything I didn't have. She used to spout nonsense about how she envied me, but that was just the senile rambling of a greenhouse-raised brat who never truly wanted for anything. As for our active years… well, 'rivals' works, I guess? Though when I decided to leave America, she tried to stop me relentlessly. Saying things like 'We haven't settled this yet' or 'Are you running away from me?' But the hierarchy is already set. I'm on top."
Rarely for recent streams, the server didn't crash. Apparently, they had reinforced the infrastructure while I was overseas, and it managed to hold the line.
After that, Sunday explained the American racing scene, making this stream a valuable source of information for Japanese listeners—and Japanese horse girls.
"Ah, crap. Did I turn on the time-shift archive for this…?"
Rampage's muttered comment sent the comment section into agonizing screams.
(Note: He had, in fact, turned it on.)
-------------------------------
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