"Right then..."
It was a rare day off. Rampage had decided to spend it being lazy, but by the time she finished the laundry, scrubbed the house, and finished a grocery run at the local shopping district, it was already noon.
Being a trainer was a notoriously hectic profession with erratic hours. Most trainers became so consumed by their charges that their private lives fell into shambles. Rampage, however, was a creature of habit. She was a firm believer in clocking out on time and ending every night with exactly one cold can of beer. Her favorite weekend pastime? Meal prepping.
"That's the pork cutlets done. What's next... maybe some soy-marinated eggs for my evening drinks?"
She didn't spend her holidays "resting" in the traditional sense; she spent them making sure her weekday evenings were as effortless as possible. Her fridge was a sanctuary of "reheat-and-eat" containers. Once the cooking was done, she'd spend the rest of her time watching movies, playing games, or taking her car out to the mountain passes.
As she finished her prep, she glanced at a delivery flyer that had been shoved through her door.
"I've never actually ordered in... maybe I should try it? But what do I do with the reusable bowls? Do I just leave them on the porch?"
While she was wrestling with these mundane suburban anxieties, the doorbell rang. Is that the pressure cooker I ordered? she wondered, grabbing her name stamp and heading to the door.
"Coming, coming! Just a second!"
She swung the door open, only to find three of her students standing there: King Halo, El Condor Pasa, and Special Week.
"Hello, Rampage-san!" Special Week beamed.
"Oh, it's just you guys," Rampage said, leaning against the doorframe. "I thought you said you were going out today?"
"We were, but... well..." King Halo started, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.
"The topic came up that you lived nearby, si? And then we really wanted to see where you lived!" El added.
King looked mortified that they were intruding, Special Week looked like she was ready for an adventure, and El was hovering somewhere in between. It made sense; when you find out a living legend lives in the neighborhood, the urge to peek behind the curtain is hard to resist.
"Well, since you're here, you might as well come in. I can at least manage some tea."
"Are you sure? We don't want to ruin your day off!" King protested.
"Don't be a brat, there's no need for that kind of reserve in this house," Rampage grunted, waving them inside. "If I say it's fine, it's fine. Get in here."
"Oh! Rampage-san, we brought some friends too. Is that okay?" Special Week asked.
"Sure, the more the merrier. Bring 'em in."
Two more girls were hiding behind the main trio. Rampage didn't need to guess who they were—the "Golden Generation" usually traveled in a pack. As they entered, the girls looked around with wide, curious eyes. To their surprise, there was nothing "tyrannical" about the place. No expensive vases, no avant-garde paintings, no golden trophies. It was just a normal, comfortable home.
"So this is Rampage-san's house... it's actually really... normal," Special Week noted.
"What, were you expecting a palace?" Rampage smirked. "I don't have time for fancy decor. You guys want carrot juice?"
"I love carrots!" Special Week shouted.
"Me too, desu!" El cheered.
"You two! Mind your manners!" King hissed.
"Relax, King. Make yourselves at home."
Rampage went to the kitchen and returned with a tray of juices. As she set them down, she finally got a good look at the two newcomers and gave them a welcoming grin.
"Rampage-san, let me introduce them! This is Grass-chan and Sky-chan."
"P-Pleased to meet you. I am Grass Wonder."
"Seiun Sky here... Honestly, I only said we should come as a joke. I can't believe we actually made it inside..."
"Nice to meet ya. I'm Mejiro Rampage, the 'Dictatorial Tyrant' herself."
Rampage looked at the two. They were the remaining pillars of the '98 Golden Generation.
Grass Wonder. Like El, she was a "Foreign-born" trainee. Though restricted from the Classic Triple Crown races at the time, her strength was already legendary. She had been undefeated up until her injury, earning the nickname "The Second Coming of Maruzensky." After her comeback, she would go on to achieve the historic feat of winning three consecutive Grand Prix races (Arima Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen).
Seiun Sky. The "Grey Trickster." She was famous for her escape-lead style, but her greatest feat was the Kikkasho. She had unleashed a dominant gate-to-wire victory, shattering the world record for 3,000 meters. On the same day that Silence Suzuka ran his legendary Mainichi Okan, Sky had dominated the Kyoto Daishoten, pulling ahead by twenty lengths before winning comfortably. Together with Suzuka, she had made that day the "Brightest Day for Escape Runners" in racing history.
"I think this is our first time meeting face-to-face," Rampage said to Grass. "I've been dropping by Team Rigil a lot lately, but you haven't officially signed with them yet, right?"
"Y-Yes! Hana-san said she would be happy to have me, but she told me I should take my time to decide..."
"Don't be nervous. That sounds like Hana—she's right. Take your time. Hell, you could even come to my place if you wanted—just kidding. Pick the place that feels right. And what about you, Sky? You're with Team Spica, right? They treating you okay?"
"Well, it's a bit... eccentric," Sky said with a lazy smile. "But the 'hands-off' approach suits me. Though I was a bit surprised when the trainer asked if he could touch my legs the moment we met."
"He asked what?!" King screamed. "Is that team even safe?!"
"No, it was okay! He just said I had 'good legs.' He even praised me, saying I could win a G1."
Rampage shook her head. Trainer Oki... Still, asking to touch a new student's legs was a bit much, even for him. But Sky seemed comfortable enough.
"Look, Oki-tre has his quirks, but I can vouch for his skill. He's got two Triple Crown winners and Mejiro McQueen in that stable. He knows what he's doing."
"I'm not worried," Sky chuckled. "He buys me juice all the time."
"Sky-san! You're being bribed with juice!" Special Week cried.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm just letting him pay for my snacks."
"Is that allowed?!"
"Nishishi... I have a black belt in the art of manipulation," Sky joked.
Watching them bicker and laugh, Rampage was struck by how close this generation was. Just then, a loud, thunderous growl erupted from Special Week's stomach.
"Spe-chan...!" King groaned, turning red.
"Uuu... I'm sorry. Something smelled so good, I couldn't help it..."
"Right, it is lunchtime," Rampage said, standing up. "Tell you what. If you guys help me cook, I'll feed the lot of you."
"REALLY?!" Special Week's eyes turned into stars.
"Wait, Rampage-san, we've already intruded so much! We can't possibly ask for a meal too!" King and Grass, the voices of reason, tried to protest.
"But... I've always wanted to try Rampage-san's cooking," Sky mused.
"Me too, desu!" El added.
Rampage ignored the protests and checked the fridge. She had a mountain of ground meat she'd bought for meal-prepping Hamburg steaks. "We're making Carrot Hamburgs. The guy at the produce stand gave me a whole bag of high-grade carrots, so we've got plenty."
"Don't worry about it," Rampage said over her shoulder. "I was bored anyway. After we eat, you can stay and hang out. Someone gave me a movie to watch—want to see it?"
"A movie? What kind?"
"A documentary. It's an edited compilation of my races from my active years."
The room went dead silent. Then, total chaos.
"Rampage-san's races?! I have to see them!"
"Me too, desu!"
"I... I would be very interested as well!"
"Count me in~"
"Oh, for heaven's sake... fine! I want to see it too!" King shouted.
"Then it's settled. First, we eat. Everyone, go wash your hands!"
The afternoon turned into a whirlwind of domestic chaos. They made the Hamburg steaks together; Special Week ate so much she nearly tripled in size while King provided the frantic commentary; Sky sneakily swapped her smaller portion for a larger one when no one was looking; El tried to douse hers in "Death Spicy Sauce" before Grass stopped her; and King Halo tried so hard to demonstrate "noble table manners" that she bit her tongue and spent five minutes in silent agony.
"Ahhh... I wish Tsuru-chan could have come too," Sky sighed, leaning back contentedly.
"She had her check-up today, so she couldn't help it," Special Week said. "Let's invite her next time!"
"Yeah," Rampage smiled, leaning back with a satisfied look at the rowdy group. "Bring her along. The more, the merrier."
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"