"Hey, uh… Rampage?"
"..."
"Hello? Earth to Rampage? You there?"
"If this is some pointless garbage, I'm going to blow you away."
"Look, I know you're fast, but you're working too hard. You're clearing more paperwork now than you did back when we only had two sub-trainers."
"I don't have a choice, okay?! If I don't stay busy, I can't suppress this mood! I'm about to break through the damn heavens!"
The reason Rampage was processing work at several times her usual speed was simple: her beloved sister, Rice Shower, had just conquered the Melbourne Cup. Following in Palmer's footsteps, it was the second year in a row a Japanese girl had taken the title. Winning a prestigious overseas G1—especially one as grueling as the Melbourne Cup—was a monumental feat. True to her name, news of the "Star of Blessing," Rice Shower, had spread across the globe in an instant. The gap between her fragile, delicate appearance and her absolute dominance in one of the world's toughest long-distance races had caused her popularity to explode.
"Ehehe… I'm so grateful to Palmer-san and Trainer Yamada… but the first person I want to tell… is my Big Sister. I want to tell Rampage-oneesama that I won. Big Sister! Rice did it!"
Watching Rice give that victory interview—tears of joy in her eyes and a radiant smile on her face—had sent Rampage's internal "voltage" to dangerous levels. She hated to admit it, but for the first time, she truly understood how Flora felt when she got all worked up over her. Rampage was aware of it, and her way of venting that overwhelming energy was through work. She took some pride in the fact that, compared to Flora, her outlet was at least healthy and productive.
"Still, I never would've thought Japanese horse girls would be this aggressive about going overseas just a few years ago," Okino mused, thinking of Teio and the others. "I guess we have a certain Dictatorial Tyrant to thank for that?"
"Everyone just got inspired on their own," Rampage grumbled. "I never officially recommended it."
While it could be said that Japanese horse girls had finally caught up to the rest of the world, no one expected them to move this fast. Okino looked at Rampage, realizing just how much of an impact an undefeated world champion truly had on the collective psyche of the sport.
"After Melbourne, it's the Breeders' Cup… I wonder what happens if the winning streak continues," Okino said.
"Who knows?" Tojo replied, a faint smile on her face. She, too, was pleased to see Japanese girls thriving abroad. "Between a certain girl winning G1s left and right and our dirt specialists tearing up the American circuit, it's fair to say that Japan is now the eye of the storm."
And the catalyst for all of it was this one horse girl currently shredding through a mountain of documents: The Dictatorial Tyrant, Mejiro Rampage. Her influence had reached every corner of the industry. Perhaps the biggest change was the newfound cooperation between the Central Trecen and the Regional (NAR) Trecen, who had historically been at odds. Thanks to the "Finals" and "Legend Race" systems, the barriers were falling. The regional heads all said the same thing:
"We can't exactly say no when Rampage-san is the one asking."
"It would be bad form to stop the momentum she's built."
"She's a friend asking for a favor. Helping out is only natural."
When Rampage had visited the regional training centers to set up the Finals qualifiers, she had actually bowed her head to them. She asked for their strength to help "connect the dreams of the future" and make Japan stronger. When the girl known as the fastest and strongest in the world bows to you, you don't ignore her. In one fell swoop, a single horse girl had resolved a diplomatic deadlock that the URA had been struggling with for decades.
"Rampage-san, a document addressed to you was mixed in with the Chairwoman's mail. I've brought it over."
"Oh? Well, thanks for that. Let's see what we've got… wait, what? 'We are looking to establish the Finals and Legend Race system in Europe. Once realized, we hope to request an inter-league exchange with Japan'… Haaaaah…"
Rampage's high spirits did a sudden, vertical nosedive. It was obvious why: if this actually happened, she, as the founder, would inevitably be dragged into the logistics. It was going to be a massive, multifaceted pain in the ass.
"I don't even know why I bothered making this a domestic-only series anymore…" she moaned. "It's already a nightmare handling all these foreign girls coming in on 'short-term study' programs just to qualify…"
"N-now, now, cheer up. It just shows how incredible your vision was," someone tried to comfort her.
"If that's the case, I've already handed the leadership rights over to the URA! They should be sending this crap to them, not little old me! Why did they address it to me?! Wait, it says it right here: 'I watch all of your livestreams.' This isn't an official proposal, it's just a fan letter! Argh! Rice, hurry up and come home! I need my angel to save me—!!"
How was she supposed to celebrate her sister's victory when she was being buried alive by the consequences of her own success? At this rate, when Rice returned, Rampage wouldn't be the one praising her—she'd be the one begging Rice for emotional healing. Her head was starting to throb.
The URA had already caved to international pressure, allowing foreign challengers to enter the Finals on the condition that they "study abroad" and contribute to the Japanese training centers. It was becoming a circus. Rampage had accepted it as a necessary evil—it was basically the horse girl version of how Japan used to import legendary stallions like Northern Taste, Sunday Silence, and Tony Bin to improve the local bloodlines. But if Europe started their own league, the workload would become astronomical.
"Tch, fine. Whatever. If it comes down to it, I'll just have to step in and run things myself," Rampage muttered. "I feel bad for U-chan, but the URA is still a bunch of lightweights when the pressure's on."
"You're really the only person who could call the mighty URA 'lightweights' to their faces," Okino sighed.
"Mighty? Please. I'm the Dictatorial Tyrant whose name shakes the world," Rampage smirked, regaining a bit of her edge. "If the URA wants to scare me, they're gonna have to bring someone a lot scarier than a bureaucrat. Tell 'em to bring me Minami-chan!"
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