"I feel like this might be a terribly belated question to ask now, but… is it really alright for a horse-girl of your stature to be hanging around with someone like me?"
"That really is a way-too-late question to be askin', man."
With the reception party coming to a close, everyone had settled back into their daily routines—though for them, that meant legend-race training and trainer duties. On a day off during this busy period, Rampage was spending her free time with a friend. That friend… was Tachyon.
"What, you want me to go build a wall between us or somethin'?"
"That's not quite what I mean," Tachyon replied. "It's just that lately, the pest problem around me has gotten a bit out of hand. Granted, that's all because my dear sister went and conquered the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Reporters from some random publishing house even camped outside my elementary school to the point where it was brought up as a major issue in our grade assembly."
"Ah… trying to scrape an interview out of the Arc de Triomphe winner's little sister, huh?"
Truth be told, Flora spent almost all her time isolated inside the academy grounds. Tracen Academy strictly turned away unannounced media pop-ins; only journalists who had gone through formal applications and received advance clearance were ever allowed in. Even if they managed to set foot inside, they were monitored like hawks, and any misbehavior resulted in an immediate, permanent ban. While there were occasional grumblings of protest over these strict rules, the Academy Director held firm, maintaining that it was necessary to protect the girls' safety and prevent bad influences—a stance that earned resounding applause from parents.
Because of that, getting an interview with Flora while she was holed up at Tracen was virtually impossible. A reporter's only real shot was if their media application to Team Rigil went through, or if they miraculously bumped into Flora on campus and got her personal consent.
"Even leaving the house was a nightmare today…" Tachyon sighed. "I had to hitch a ride with my father when he went out on business."
"Man, sounds rough… Huh?"
Rampage casually adjusted her side mirror, her eyes catching a cluster of trailing cars. Horse-girls possessed extraordinary physical capabilities, extending far beyond raw muscle strength—their hearing was sharp, and their vision was exceptional. With a focused glance, she immediately recognized those vehicles as belonging to reporters from a specific press outlet. She abruptly jerked the wheel and merged onto the highway.
"Whoa! Suddenly taking the highway?" Tachyon blinked in surprise. "Didn't you say we were taking a leisure drive?"
"Relax, we're hopping right off. Gotta admire their heartbreaking level of effort… but unfortunately for them, I know these roads like the back of my hand. Alright, exiting now!"
"Wait, we just got on?!"
No sooner had they merged onto the highway than Rampage took the very next exit. The tailing cars managed to follow initially, but almost immediately got swallowed by a sudden surge of traffic. When they tried desperately to break free and give chase, they ended up pinned at a roadwork bottleneck. After repeating this cat-and-mouse trick a couple of times, Rampage completely shook them off, breaking into a smug, triumphant grin.
"Sucks to be you, losers! Better luck next time, rest in peace, and eat my dust!"
"I… still haven't entirely processed what just happened," Tachyon admitted.
"I just trapped the stalkers who were chasing around my innocent, helpless little buddy in a gridlock trap."
"Wait… they were still following me?" Tachyon's face fell. "Perhaps Father was right, and we really do need to consult the police about this…"
"If it comes to that, I can pull some strings on my end. I've got plenty of connections, and I can hand over my dashcam footage too. If anything pops up, tell me right away."
Tachyon let out a low, dejected sigh. She was well aware of her place as Rampage's friend, and she always took extra care when going out to avoid causing trouble. She had tried to do everything right today, too, yet here she was, dragging Rampage into a mess anyway… especially when she was already relying on Rampage to help draft her leg rehabilitation regimen…
As those heavy thoughts weighed on her, a warm hand patted her head.
"Don't go stressing over little stuff like this with a buddy," Rampage said softly. "You did everything you could with me in mind. Crafty adults being annoying is just a pain in the ass. Once you learn the tricks, you'll be the one laughing in their faces. You didn't do anything wrong. Thanks for lookin' out for me, bestie."
"…Good grief," Tachyon muttered softly, her heart skipping a beat. "A person like you… even I might end up falling for you, you know?"
Rampage snorted with a light laugh. "Well, your crush would at least be healthier than Flora's… Tell you what, if I'm still single by the time you graduate, I'll take you."
"Is it because you say things like that with such a manly smile, even as a light joke, that you gave my sister the wrong impression in the first place?"
"Nah, she's just a brain-rotted pervert."
"Fair point."
Though spoken half-jokingly, Tachyon's fond feelings for Rampage were genuine. Granted, she had no intention of going to the extreme lengths her sister did.
"To be completely frank, I do intend to have children in the future…" Tachyon mused, leaning back. "I'm genuinely curious as to how much of an elite horse-girl's talent is passed down genetically when they become a parent."
"The whole genetics debate, huh?" Rampage hummed. "Well… it's not entirely unfounded."
It was a common topic in horse racing too. Many bettors bought tickets based entirely on bloodlines. Take Kitasan Black, for instance—a legendary horse who matched Symboli Rudolf's record of seven G1 wins, yet whose maternal grandfather was the legendary ultimate sprinter, Sakura Bakushin O. Because of that pedigree, doubts hovered over Kitasan Black's ability to handle long distances—doubts so persistent that even winning the Kikuka Sho couldn't entirely quiet them. It proved just how deeply rooted pedigree theories were in racing culture.
Whether that same genetic logic applied to horse-girls was something Rampage found intriguing as well. If she ever had a child and that child turned out to be a horse-girl, would her offspring achieve greatness, too? She wouldn't mind either way if her child chose a different path… but the public would undoubtedly heap massive expectations onto them. If that ever happened, Rampage resolved that she would step up and fight at the front lines to shield them.
"Wait, you wanna have kids just for research?" Rampage gave her an amused, suspicious look. "I'm lowkey terrified you're gonna mess with cloning next."
"I wouldn't go that far," Tachyon chuckled. "Though you have to admit it's a fascinating research topic. How would they grow? And even if they turned out completely different, that in itself would reveal entirely new possibilities. Though I suppose hearing a child talk about having children sounds rather absurd."
"Well, I plan on having kids eventually too, so it's not like I'm completely uninterested…"
"Oho?!" Tachyon's eyes lit up instantly. "In that case, you must let me collect data when the time comes!"
"You're jumping the gun way too fast, man…" Rampage laughed, shaking her head. "What, are you aiming to become a trainer in the future or somethin'?"
"That doesn't sound half bad…" Tachyon grinned mischievously. "A trainer gets unlimited access to data, after all."
Listening to her, Rampage felt a sudden wave of concern for her future kids in more ways than one… Especially considering her recurring dreams about having twins, she couldn't help but worry about her unborn children… Well, that was assuming she'd even find a partner first, which was a whole separate worry…
"Man, we are thinking way too far into the future," Rampage chuckled. "They say if you talk about next year, the demons laugh. Talk about twenty years out, and they'll bust a gut."
"Surely a tyrant like you wouldn't be intimidated by a few giggling demons?"
"Look at you, talking big!"
Still, Rampage couldn't deny that the thought brought a faint, fond warmth to her chest. In another life, injuries had forced Agnes Tachyon into an early retirement, sending him to stud where he became the father of legendary champions. Thinking that a horse-girl born from a world that might have been could actually exist here… felt like a dream in itself.
"Anyway, let's just enjoy today. Then we can pull a massive smug face right in that idiot Flora's face."
"Oh, I like the sound of that…" Tachyon smirked sinisterly. "Just imagining my sister gnashing her teeth in frustration… Kuhahaha… Rampage-san, you truly are wicked…"
"Why, thank you, my co-conspirator…"
"Hehehe… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The sinister, villainous laughter echoed throughout the interior of the Subaru Impreza, filling the car as the two hatched their mischievous scheme.
And then—
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THISSSSSS?!"
That night, Flora was over the moon when a message notification from Tachyon popped up on her phone. Has my usually cold, distant little sister finally shown me some affection?! She opened the app with overwhelming excitement, only to find—
"I enjoyed the hot spring festival with my absolute best friend, Rampage-san! We even took a bath together! Aren't you jealous, Sister? She did so many wonderful things for me that she would NEVER do for you~"
Attached to the message was a photo. Tachyon, clad in a yukata, was being carried princess-style by Rampage while pressing a sweet kiss against Rampage's cheek, throwing up a cheerful peace sign. Rampage, meanwhile, wore the ultimate smug grin.
It was the master prank the two had plotted together. And its effect on Flora was…
"Flora-san, if we don't go to the large bath soon, it's gonna close… Huh?! Flora-san, what's wrong?! Pull yourself together, there's so much blood?! Um, um, what am I supposed to do at a time like this?!"
When her roommate Rice Shower returned from her bath, she was greeted by a horrific sight: Flora lying on her bed, a massive nosebleed gushing out so intensely it stained the sheets bright crimson, her face locked in a blissed-out, transcendent smile as her soul ascended to heaven.
"RamTachy… RamTachy… So divine… The absolute best… Heheh… Whehehe…"
"Flora-san, wake up! Waaaaah, what do I do?! Help me, Onee-samaaaaa!"
Shortly after, attracted by Rice's terrified screams, the dormitory leader rushed in and had Flora rushed straight to the nurse's office. From that day forward, the incident was forever passed down in Tracen history as The Great Blood Flood of the Dorms.
"Hmm… it appears I underestimated the sheer depth of Sister's degeneracy…" Tachyon sighed, reviewing the damage. "Instead of breaking her spirit, we merely supplied her with prime delusional fuel…"
"Look, I'm all for teaming up with Rampage to mess with her," Broad Flash chimed in, crossing her arms. "But please be careful not to awaken any new weird fetishes in her."
"I'll be careful, Flight-oneesan."
"I see… so our little lamb is curious about his future, is he…? Heh, very well. Then I shall show you… I'll show you your future children very soon."
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