"Hey, what's this? Is 'Kidnapper' your new career path? I always knew you were crude and abrasive, but this is a new low. Take her back to wherever you found her."
"Hah! Talk all the crap you want. I'll have you know I scouted this one myself."
"You did that inside the Tracen Academy grounds, right? Tell me you didn't pull this stunt out in the city. I'd prefer it if you didn't pick a fight with the law, let alone fate."
I sighed, telling her to at least put the poor girl down while we talked. She claimed she'd "scouted" her, but the reality looked a lot more like an abduction. Seeing a girl carried over someone's shoulder like a sack of grain… well, it wasn't exactly a professional look.
"Of course it was inside the grounds! She was wandering around looking lost, so I figured I'd do her a favor and bring her here."
"There are better ways to be helpful, you know… Anyway, young lady, I take it you were trying to find the racetrack?"
"E-eh? Ah, yes! I wanted to see the academy, and I heard I could watch the teams practicing, but I got turned around… I was just starting to worry when this happened…"
"Most people wouldn't imagine 'this' as the solution," I muttered. "Fine, just put her down already."
"Heave-ho!"
With a thud, the young girl was finally released. She let out a long, heavy breath that practically screamed, I'm saved!
Since the Nemesis head instructor was the one behind this, as the General Chief, the responsibility would likely fall on my shoulders. I felt a wave of gloom wash over me, thinking about the apology I'd have to give Tazuna-san later. Pushing the stress aside for a moment, I turned my attention to the girl.
"So… I'm guessing you're a new student. Sorry about the rough welcome to Tracen. It's been a bit of a disaster for you so far."
"N-no! Not at all! I made it exactly where I wanted to go, so it all worked out in the end!"
"Quick to pivot and a positive attitude. I like her more and more," Sunday smirked.
"Whoa there, Sunday. Slow down. Let's start with a name…"
To be honest, based on her voice and that distinct blaze on her forehead, I already knew exactly who she was. As I was thinking this, King Halo and El Condor Pasa walked over. Their eyes widened the moment they saw her.
"Well, if it isn't Special Week!" King exclaimed.
"It is Spe-chan! But ¡Dios mio!, how did you end up in that situation?" El added, her Japanese-English hybrid as lively as ever.
"That's what I want to know! Wait—King-chan? El-chan?! What are you two doing here?!"
I suppressed a sigh. I knew it. It really is her.
Special Week. A cornerstone of the legendary '98 "Golden Generation." The mare who gave the legendary jockey Yutaka Take his first Derby victory. In the Japan Cup, she stood as Japan's "National Commander," defeating the world's strongest horse, Montjeu—the same horse who had bested El Condor Pasa at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Her fierce rivalries with her contemporaries, especially that unforgettable Arima Kinen against Grass Wonder, were the stuff of legends.
"I'm here as El's chaperone, obviously," King explained with a toss of her hair. "Girls who aren't fluent in Japanese are assigned to a team for supplemental lessons. My English is perfectly fine, of course. And well, I was invited to join this team personally!"
"Whoa! I knew you were amazing, King-chan! So, wait, which team is El-chan joining?"
"Fufun! It is Team Pleiades!" El declared proudly.
"Pleiades? You mean Mejiro Rampage-san's team?! Then that means…"
Special Week turned toward me slowly, her tail standing straight up in excitement. She practically shouted:
"The actual Mejiro Rampage-san?! EHHH?! I just met someone incredible without even realizing it?!"
"You're just noticing now?!" King cried.
"You are very slow on the uptake, Spe-chan!" El laughed.
Well, I couldn't blame her. It's hard to process things when they happen so abruptly. I remember once when someone congratulated me on a win; I thanked them normally, only to realize seconds later I was talking to the President. My brain had lagged then, too.
Spe straightened her posture, her tail wagging furiously and her eyes sparkling as she stared at me.
"U-um! Back in Hokkaido, I watched all of Rampage-san's races on TV! My favorite was the Arima Kinen! My mom and I were screaming at the screen!"
"I remember! Spe-chan said she was cheering so hard with a carrot in her hand that it flew up and landed on her head!" El chimed in.
"E-El-chan! Why would you tell him that?!"
"Impact! You have to make a lasting impression!"
"El, she already made an 'impact' by being carried over a shoulder," King pointed out dryly.
Seeing them together, it was clear how close these three were. I wondered if she was already friends with Seiun Sky and Grass Wonder too. It was strange to think that the races I'd seen in anime flashbacks were my races in this world.
"So, Sunday," I said, turning to the instructor. "You scouted Spe-chan because you saw potential in her?"
"Yeah. I can't put my finger on it, but I felt something… like destiny. I want to be the one to sharpen her."
"Destiny" was a bit of a dramatic way to put it, but in actual history, Sunday Silence was Special Week's sire. Perhaps that "something" she felt was a lingering echo of that bond.
"True as that may be, do you even have a Trainer's License?"
"Hell no."
"I figured… So what's your plan?"
"Take her into your team. I'll do the actual coaching."
"Hey, hey. You scout her yourself and then dump the paperwork on me?"
"You're the General Chief. It's just an administrative convenience."
It was true that with my team, I was the best fit for this arrangement. I couldn't find a reason to say no, and if it was just a formality, I was fine with it. Still, I felt a slight twinge of guilt—collecting three of the Golden Generation stars felt almost like cheating.
"Good grief. So I'm the one stuck with the paperwork after all."
"Glad you understand."
"Sigh… Fine. But it's up to her. I'm not going to force her into—"
"Wait!" Spe interrupted, eyes wide. "King-chan and El-chan are joining Rampage-san's team? I want to join too! Please let me in!"
"Then it is settled! If it is Rampage-san, I am sure he will say ¡Buena!" El cheered.
"If you're serious about it, I'm sure he'll welcome you," King added with a smile.
"Alright! I'm gonna give it my all! Kepparu-be!" Spe shouted in her Hokkaido dialect.
Sunday smirked at me. "There's your answer."
"Haaaaah…" I let out a long breath.
Special Week was now a member of my team, but in a way, she was also a rival to my other members. It was a complicated position. I couldn't really judge Team Rigil for their talent-stacking anymore.
"Spe-chan," I said. "Are you sure about Pleiades? If you join, you'll be under the direct tutelage of Sunday Silence, a name famous even in America."
"I want to do it! I promised my mother I'd become the best horse girl in Japan!"
"Oh! The best in Japan? Then I must win!" El declared. "Because I am going to be the strongest in the world!"
"Fufu. The world's strongest, the world's fastest, and Japan's best, all gathered in one place… It certainly suits Rampage-san's team," King remarked.
"Man… things are about to get busy."
And so, right at the start of the new semester, Team Pleiades gained three powerhouse members.
Later that day, I bumped into some colleagues.
"I heard you took on some new members, Minami-chan?"
"Yes, a girl named Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi. Her constitution is a bit weak, so we're going to take things slow and steady."
"Rigil is planning to bring Grass Wonder in," another added. "That girl has some serious talent."
"Heh, Team Spica just landed Seiun Sky. She's a bit of a slacker, but her legs are the real deal. We're also planning to bring Agnes World on board."
I nodded along, feeling a bit relieved. I guess I didn't need to worry about 'monopolizing' talent after all. Everyone else was scouted just as aggressively.
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