"Yo. That was a retirement announcement people actually mourned. Hell of a difference from mine."
"I drew too many eyes, I guess. Of course, they'd make a scene."
Several days had passed since Rampage's declaration of retirement.
Naturally, she was met with a flood of attempts to stop her. Students from the academy begged her to keep running, saying they wanted to stay by her side a little longer. While the sentiments were heartwarming, what made her happiest was that once they realized her will was ironclad, they accepted it. More than that, they vowed to cheer for her final race with everything they had, begging her to win.
The only ones who didn't understand were the URA.
"They still at it?"
"Relentlessly. I got another call just a moment ago. I'm seriously considering blocking their number."
"Hell yeah, do it. Do it."
"I would, but I'm getting calls from the top brass, too…"
Inquiries from certain factions within the URA's upper management were ceaseless, demanding a retraction of her retirement and explanations regarding the Finals. Regarding the Finals, the scheduling and coordination with the various Training Centers had already been handled entirely by Rampage, the Chairman, and Tazuna, so their interference was nothing short of a waste of time.
In fact, the adjustments were going smoother than expected. The regional Training Centers were proactively taking on the workload. Perhaps because of their close ties to their local communities, they were reaching out to local unregulated racing spots to prepare for the general school qualifiers.
But what the URA screamed about even louder was the demand to retract her "Complete Retirement."
To the URA, Rampage wasn't just a golden goose; she was a literal living legend, and the profits generated by her existence were astronomical. It was no exaggeration to say that every event plan they had cooked up, banking on her participation, had been scrapped. That was the weight of her refusal to enter the Dream Trophy League.
"No matter how much they complain, I have no intention of retracting my retirement. And I have absolutely zero intention of canceling the Finals."
"What, does the URA want to kill it? Even though we tacked 'URA' onto the name out of charity?"
"We're talking about a super-large-scale race project held at the end of the year. From the URA's perspective, the workload is massive. Holding qualifiers all over the country and then hosting the main event at Central… the burden is huge."
"Hah! The profits generated will be huge too, so tell them to suck it up."
It wasn't that the URA wanted to cancel it. They were claiming that the announcement was too sudden for the organization to handle. That was precisely why Rampage had handled the most troublesome part—the coordination with the Training Centers—herself. Compared to that, the remaining work was the easy part.
And above all—when she mentioned that this system would make it easier to discover a "Second Oguri Cap," the URA was left at a loss for words and ultimately had to concede.
"Well, don't worry. Even after I retire, I'll make use of you. We still don't have a supervising chief for the 'Aggressor' team, so I'm drafting you for that."
"Oi, oi, oi, pushing the most troublesome role onto me? That's something you should be doing."
"Hah! Unfortunately, my nature is better suited for running. I'll leave the fine-tuning to you. Besides, you're obviously the right person for the job—look at you typing at high speed even while we talk."
"Good grief… If you can't find anyone else, I'll take it. But get the Chairman's permission first."
"I've got that on record."
"Heh." Sunday Silence grinned wickedly as Rampage played back the voice recording. Apparently, Sunday had been litigious enough in America to drag paparazzi to court over issues they caused, so she appreciated the tactic. It's best not to discuss the outcomes of those trials here.
"So, your life as an active racer really ends at the end of this year?"
"Yeah. I presented the URA with a choice: a massive short-term profit, or a steady profit that continues for a long time. I let them choose which was better."
"Hearing that, it sounds like the URA guys only care about money…"
She wasn't wrong. For better or worse, the URA, which operated the Twinkle Series, was driven by a massive flow of capital. Rampage was an existence that could have widened that flow even further, yet she had decided to retire without their knowledge and announced it to the whole world on a livestream.
However, the head of the URA had accepted Rampage's retirement, reasoning that if they couldn't make a decision here, they wouldn't be able to make the big decisions in the future. They were reportedly still in the process of persuading the rest of the upper management.
"Well, it's your life. Live it how you want. I'm going to live how I want, too, and I'm dragging you into it."
"If possible, I'd appreciate it if you could exercise some restraint."
"Sorry, I'm still new to Japanese. I don't know the meaning of the word 'restraint'~."
With a villainous grin, Sunday left the room.
Watching her back disappear, Rampage continued to hammer away at the keys. She had decided to run in the Arima Kinen, and there was still plenty of time left in the rest period mandated by Minami-zaka. In the meantime, she had to finalize as many details as possible regarding the Finals and the Legends. That was the most she could do right now…
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and Tazuna walked in.
"What's up, Tazuna-san? More harassment from the URA?"
"If anything… it's from the rest of the world. We are being flooded with requests saying, 'If she is retiring, please let us welcome Rampage-san to our country!'"
"Ah… yeah, I figured that would happen…"
Rampage possessed overwhelming racing experience and technique. To let that rot away would be a crime. In that case, please come to our country, teach us everything, and raise the next star! It was a self-evident desire. After all, she was the World Champion of both Turf and Dirt. Even if her coaching skills were questionable, simply having her as a training partner would yield immense benefits. Hence, the calls flooding Tracen Academy.
"I said I'm doing the Finals and stuff, yet they still ask. Give me a break… Or is it the 'please come after you're done setting it up' pattern?"
"Both, actually. Though the majority are saying, 'By all means, come once you are finished.' The love calls from Dubai, Ireland, and America are particularly heated."
"I guess I'll have to call them directly and persuade them… I have their contacts in my phone."
"I must say, that is truly a terrifying phonebook you have there…"
As they spoke, Tazuna handed over an envelope, saying she had almost forgotten it. It was from the URA.
"What's this? 'Request for opinions regarding the establishment of the Mejiro Rampage Memorial'?"
"It seems they intend to establish a Graded race bearing your name to honor your achievements, Rampage-san. However, opinion is split right down the middle on whether it should be on Turf or Dirt, so they want your input."
"Like the Shinzan Kinen… sort of thing?"
"Yes, like the St. Lite Kinen."
So they do that sort of thing, too… Rampage was genuinely surprised.
If it were Turf, there was a proposal to change one of the Triple Tiara trial races. If it were Dirt, there was a proposal to establish a new trial race for the Dirt Triple Crown. Because Rampage had historic achievements in both, the board couldn't decide.
"Honestly, either is fine… What do you think, Tazuna-san?"
"I'm afraid I would be troubled if you asked me."
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