"I'm. So. Tired."
Four simple words, yet they perfectly encapsulated the weight of her entire existence in that moment.
The Legend Race had been a masterpiece of performance, but it had left Rampage in a state of total mechanical failure—an engine that had redlined for too long and was now in desperate need of an overhaul. Unlike her days as an active racer, however, she didn't have the luxury of a prolonged disappearance. She held a position of power now; she had the students of Nemesis and Pleiades counting on her. If she took a month-long sabbatical, the resulting chaos would crush them, and that was a dereliction of duty she couldn't stomach. So, she endured.
"You really overdid it this time," the doctor remarked, prepping the needles. "Let's get these into you."
"Do your worst," Rampage groaned.
The aftermath of the Legend Race had been a gauntlet of its own. First, the joint Finals/Legend awards ceremony and after-party, where she had personally handed out trophies, conducted back-to-back interviews, and posed for an endless stream of commemorative photos. Following that, she'd been whisked away to a combined Mejiro-Symboli gala to play the role of the socialite for a room full of high-ranking dignitaries. It had been the busiest New Year's Eve of her life, and as she repeatedly reminded herself through gritted teeth, she had no one to blame but herself.
"My apologies for making you work over the holidays, Doc," Rampage muttered. "I didn't think you'd be able to do this kind of house call."
"It is my duty. Maintaining the health of the Mejiro daughters is the reason I am here."
Rampage was currently face-down in a wing of the Mejiro estate, receiving treatment. She had originally planned to visit an acupuncture clinic in the shopping district, but they were closed for the New Year. Just as she was resigned to her fate, the family physician had stepped in.
"The accumulation of fatigue is severe," the doctor noted, his voice clinical but concerned. "In any other circumstance, I would insist on a stay at a sanatorium... but I take it that isn't an option?"
"I only get the winter break off," she grumbled into the pillow. "I've got a mountain of trainer work waiting for me. I can't exactly disappear to a mountain retreat for two weeks."
"I see. In that case, I will be as thorough as possible today. This is going to sting."
"Just fix me..."
Ultimately, her New Year's Day was spent entirely on physical maintenance. By the time she was fit enough to make her first shrine visit of the year, it was already well past noon.
A few days later.
"Good morning! ...Wait, is anyone even here?"
"Morning, Kami-chan."
"Gah!?"
Trainer Kamimizuru had just walked into the Tracen Academy staff room. The school was officially on winter break, but since the racing season didn't stop for the holidays, trainers with active trainees were still coming in to oversee practices. Still, seeing Rampage already seated at her desk was a shock that nearly sent him stumbling.
"Wh-What are you doing here!?"
"Is it a crime for me to be at my desk?"
"No, but... aren't you supposed to be on mandatory rest!? You literally shattered the world record a few days ago!"
Under any normal circumstances, a girl who had run a race like that would be on house arrest for at least two weeks of intensive recovery. Seeing her as the first person in the office was nothing short of surreal.
"Trust me, I want to be in bed," Rampage sighed, rubbing her temples. "But I'm a trainer now. Duty calls and all that annoying stuff. Do you have any coffee?"
"Uh, yeah. I was just about to brew some. Want a cup?"
"Please."
"But seriously," Kamimizuru asked as he set the machine going, "Is the Chief of Nemesis position really that demanding?"
"That's part of it. But the ripple effect from the Finals and the Legend Race is... way bigger than I expected. My inbox is currently a war zone."
The URA Finals and the Legend Race had been broadcast globally, and the fallout was instantaneous. Suddenly, every racing jurisdiction in the world was asking why they didn't have a Finals or a Legend bracket. On top of that, "love letters" from international stars begging for a spot in the next Japanese Legend Race were flooding Tracen's administration. Rampage had been forced back into the office just to triage the chaos.
"I'm telling you, it's a nightmare," she groaned, leaning back in her chair. "I only got this off the ground because I kept it domestic. If I have to deal with international regulations, the paperwork alone will kill me. I fought so hard to keep the entry requirements limited to girls residing in Japan... Ugh, I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it."
"I'm getting a stomach ulcer just listening to you," Kamimizuru muttered.
"Imagine how I feel."
The intensive sessions with the Mejiro doctor had lightened her body significantly, but she had been given a strict ultimatum: no running until February. Her current schedule was simple: work the trainer desk during the day, then return to the Mejiro estate for prescribed meals and mandatory massage therapy. It was the only way the doctor would allow her to keep working.
"I... I'm kind of sorry, actually," Kamimizuru said, handing her a mug.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"If I were a better trainer—if I had more experience and could handle more of the workload—you could actually take the rest you deserve. You broke the world record, for god's sake. You shouldn't be here."
Rampage looked at him for a moment, then reached out and gave his head a playful, albeit tired, ruffle.
"Don't be stupid. This isn't on you, Kami-chan. This is the price I pay for doing whatever the hell I want. I'm the one who shook the beehive; I can't complain when I get stung."
She took a long sip of the coffee and let out a weary breath.
"I really thought I'd have more time to relax after the New Year... Haaah..."
"So, what are you going to do about the international requests?"
"Reject them. All of them. There is no way we can handle that level of logistics yet."
"Makes sense."
It was the only logical choice. Turning this into an international competition would invite a mountain of diplomatic and regulatory issues. If other countries wanted to start their own Legend programs, they were welcome to it—she just didn't want them doing it on her turf.
Then, a slow, wicked grin began to spread across her face.
"Wait... I just had a stroke of genius. A truly brilliant solution."
"Oh no," Kamimizuru whispered. "That face... what are you thinking?"
"I'm going to make the URA do it."
"EXCUSE ME!?"
It was a total hand-off of responsibility. While the URA had technically put their name on the event, they hadn't actually done any of the heavy lifting. The entire thing had been run by Rampage, Chairwoman Akikawa, and the regional trainers. The URA had basically just provided the racecourses.
"There's no way they'll agree to that!" Kamimizuru cried.
"Oh, they'll agree. They have to. They've been getting absolutely shredded in the press lately for being 'useless.' The public is demanding they step up, and the regional circuits are breathing down their necks. This is their chance to show the world that 'Central is working hard!'"
She chuckled, a low, dark sound. By dumping the administrative burden on the URA, she could reduce her own workload, force the organization to actually earn their paychecks, and bridge the gap with the regions all at once. If they failed, they'd be the ones the public turned on, not her.
"If a single girl like me could pull this off, a massive organization like the URA has no excuse to say it's 'too difficult,'" Rampage purred. "Heh... hehehe... HAHAHAHA!"
"You are, quite literally, a devil," Kamimizuru said, staring at her in horror.
"Incorrect. I am a Sovereign Tyrant."
"They're the same thing!"
"Nyahaha! ☆"
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