"Fuji Kiseki is fast—so fast!! She rockets into the lead at the third turn! Entering the final stretch now, and she is utterly dominant!! Mighty Power is left trailing far behind!! A dazzling new star shines brightly out of Team Rigil!! She crosses the finish line in first place!! Fuji Kiseki claims her third consecutive victory since her debut—all undefeated—and secures the title of G1 Uma Musume!! A blowout victory, putting massive distance between herself and the second-place finisher, Cap Skate!! Following Narita Brian last year, another astonishing Uma Musume makes her mark on the Classic front line—Fuji Kiseki!!"
"Well now, congrats on becoming a G1 Uma Musume."
"Ah, ahaha… please give me a break, Rampage-san. Coming from you, it's actually kind of embarrassing."
In the cafeteria, Rampage was having a meal. The surrounding Uma Musume were keeping their distance, squealing in hushed excitement—half wanting to dine near the so-called Tyrant, half intimidated—when a single girl took a seat at his table. Her arrival sent another ripple of excitement through the crowd: it was Fuji Kiseki, stepping onto the Classic stage trailing glory in her wake.
"The Sublime Miracle… that's a far more romantic title than mine, wouldn't you say?"
"Please, stop teasing me! Yours is plenty wonderful too, Rampage-san."
"Take a look back through history. You'll quickly see what kind of figures get branded as 'tyrants.'"
While the moniker inherently carried negative undertones, he had conquered the world under that very title, leading to the reality of today. No matter where you went, the Uma Musume merchandise corners invariably featured a section dedicated strictly to Rampage, marked as Under Tyrant Rule. A strange phenomenon, to be sure.
"Just so you know… Maya isn't going to lose to you."
"I'd expect nothing less."
Though he wouldn't be racing her directly anymore, Fuji was now a rival in the truest sense. A crushing victory in the Asahi Hai. In actual history, Fuji Kiseki had retired before ever fully unleashing her potential, but the brilliant records of her progeny led many to believe she would have captured the Triple Crown had she stayed healthy. Sitting here now, Rampage realized with a pang of hindsight that he should have been paying attention to this development rather than worrying solely about his clash with Brian.
"Still, Rampage-san, don't you have something far more pressing to worry about first?"
"The Legend Race? Nah, I'm not really sweating that. To be completely honest, even if I lose, it doesn't bother me."
"Wh… What?!"
Fuji couldn't hide her utter shock at a statement that sounded less like a champion showing vulnerability and more like complete disinterest. But she quickly came to understand the true meaning behind his words.
"I just want to run an exciting race. Besides, Fuji—no matter what form it takes, someone surpassing me holds a profound meaning. Remaining at the top forever only brings negative consequences. It'd actually be far better for the entire sport if someone shattered my world record."
At the end of the day, he wouldn't mind losing. In fact, the emergence of a runner that strong would revitalize the whole racing world. If it meant paving the way for that future, he would gladly accept defeat and eagerly await the arrival of the next generation—a prospect he found genuinely exciting.
"Um—Excuse me!"
Flushed to her cheeks, Fuji suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up.
"I… I am going to break your world record, Rampage-san! Surpassing you is my dream! So please—keep your eyes on me and watch how I run!"
"…I'm counting on it, Fuji. A new world record woven by a Sublime Miracle… Now that sounds entertaining."
Her face beamed with overflowing anticipation. Fuji hurriedly scarfed down the rest of her meal, gave a quick bow, and sprinted straight out of the cafeteria. She clearly felt every second was precious, though given that she hadn't even recovered from her race, it was doubtful Hana-san would let her train… I'll have to step in later and make sure Hana doesn't scold her too hard, he thought.
Just as he was musing on this, several more Uma Musume took their seats across from him.
"Brian and Laurel, huh?"
"Yes. Are we intruding?"
"Nah. Fuji just left, so it was getting a bit quiet."
"Then our timing was perfect."
It was the junior duo of Brian and Laurel. One had placed second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and the other was an undefeated Triple Crown winner. An absolutely terrifying pair. It was mind-boggling to imagine what kind of race the Arima Kinen would turn into when these two finally collided.
"Senior, do you have any spare time?"
"We'd love it if you ran with us."
"For the Arima? Wouldn't it be better if I took you two on separately?"
So that was their request. What surprised Rampage, however, was that they had asked him together. That meant they were both willing to let the other observe them at the same time… Under normal circumstances, you'd avoid that, as it meant exposing your strategy to a direct competitor. Canopus might be loose with that kind of thing, but Rigil and Canopus were entirely separate teams. The situation here was completely different.
"There's no issue with that." "We already know each other's cards inside and out."
"I've watched the Kikuka Sho countless times." "And the Arc is burned into my mind until I'm sick of it."
Both of them were already fully aware of just how formidable the other's running was. They knew precisely what they needed to do next. Because of that, running alongside each other wouldn't cause any disadvantages—if anything, they welcomed the chance to observe any changes in the other from up close. They were both fully prepared to show their hands if it meant seeing the other's.
"So all that's left is to refine your sheer raw ability, huh? Mind you, you'll also be facing Rice, Nature, and Tannhauser out there. You two might pull off runs that defy imagination even for the Classic class, but don't expect it to be an easy race."
""We wouldn't have it any other way.""
Their phrasing differed, but their intent matched flawlessly. For those two, there was no greater joy than facing off against the strong—or rather, they were overflowing with the urge to defeat their greatest rival in that very race. And to accomplish that, they were bold enough to use him as their training benchmark.
"Fair enough. But listen… I'm not holding back on you. Thanks to Minami-chan, I've pretty much knocked off all the rust… I'll meet you both with the same form I used to break the world record."
Those words only served as fuel for the fire, causing their competitive spirits to flare up even higher. Watching the intense aura radiating from them, Rampage calmly dug back in and polished off his massive bowl of Katsudon.
"Ah! Rampage-san~! If you're going for a run, let me join too~!!"
"Flora-senpai, that won't be necessary. Thank you, though."
"Your presence will just distract Senior. Don't interfere."
"Gah… my underclassmen's words are like blades… why are they so sharp?!"
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