The autumn sky was a brilliant, sweeping blue, dotted with whimsical clouds that drifted wherever the breeze took them. Against this vast canvas, the sharp crack-thud of daytime fireworks echoed through the air. It was the Tracen Academy Fall Fan Appreciation Festival—a sprawling, multi-day celebration. Everywhere you looked, students were running stalls, organizing attractions, and turning every corner of the campus into a hive of activity. While many teams collaborated on grand projects, Team Rampage's Pleiades sub-unit had decided to keep things simple this year, choosing to simply enjoy the sights as spectators.
"Man... I didn't think I'd actually end up alone, though."
It was a rare sight: Mejiro Rampage, wandering the festival solo. The rest of the team had apparently made their own plans to see the sights together, and Rampage had taken on the role of seeing them all off. As a trainer, Rampage was technically part of the "management" side of things, but since Pleiades wasn't running a booth, there was nothing to do but kill time.
Maybe I should track down El and the others and see what they're up to, Rampage thought.
But then, a movement caught their eye. On a secluded bench tucked away from the main path, a lone young girl sat with her head bowed, her face hidden. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Rampage. Sensing something was wrong, they approached.
"Hey there, young lady. Something the matter?"
"..."
"It's the festival. If you don't bring a little spirit to the party, you're just wasting a good time, right?"
"..."
The girl remained silent, her face pressed into her hands. Rampage wondered for a moment if she was lost, but their instincts—honed by years of experience and the intuition of an Uma Musume—said otherwise. She wore blue ear covers. She looked fragile, yet burdened. Unable to simply walk away, Rampage took a seat on the bench beside her.
"Come on, talk to your big sis. You'll feel better once you get it out of your system."
"..."
"I won't tell a soul. Sometimes it's easier to talk to a total stranger, isn't it?"
Rampage winced slightly after saying it, thinking it sounded a bit like a suspicious pick-up line. But just as they were starting to self-critique their social skills, the girl began to speak in a soft, halting voice.
"...I wanted to be here. For so long, I dreamed of coming to Tracen Academy. I wanted to be like my mother... I wanted to run like her. But Mother... that's why I came alone. But now that I'm here, everyone looks so happy. And I... I just wanted to be here with her..."
Rampage understood immediately. She likely had a mother she idolized, much like Air Groove looked up to Dyna Carle. A mother who was a paragon of the sport. The girl had fought to get here to follow in those footsteps, and she had clearly hoped to share this festival with her. Yet, Rampage sensed it wasn't a simple matter of a busy schedule or a missed train. There was a deeper wall between them.
"I see. You wanted to come with your mom... She must be someone really special."
"..."
"I'm jealous, honestly. Having a mother you can respect that much is a gift."
"What?"
The girl finally looked up. The comment was impulsive, but it was enough to pique her interest. To the girl, her mother was an object of overwhelming adoration and pressure; she had never considered that such a burden could be viewed as something to be envied.
"I think I have the gist of your situation," Rampage continued. "And I can understand where your mother is coming from, too. But listen—the only one who gets to decide your life is you. In the end, everyone who isn't you is just a 'stranger.' Their opinions? They're just reviews. It's up to you whether you take those reviews to heart, use them as fuel, or just tuck them away as a reference while you grow."
"—"
"Too complicated?"
The girl stared at Rampage for a moment, then finally lifted her gaze to the sky. She took a deep breath, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, she let out a sudden, boisterous peal of laughter.
"Exactly! I am me! Mother's opinion is nothing more than a 'review'! Whether I accept it or not is entirely up to me!"
"Whoa, feeling better already?"
"Yes! I apologize for showing you such an unsightly side of myself. But thanks to you, I have taken another certain step on the path to becoming world-class!"
"Good to hear. Wait... 'world-class'?"
Rampage blinked, taking a long, hard look at the girl now laughing with such confidence. The blue ears, the green ribbons on her silks, the defiant, high-society laugh, and the talk of a legendary mother... there was only one person who fit that description.
If I remember the generations correctly, she should be enrolling next year... Rampage realized with a start.
The girl turned back to them with a radiant, haughty smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the girl who aims for the pinnacle of excellence—I am King Halo!"
"Well, that is certainly a grand goal to have. I'm Mejiro Rampage. I work as a trainer here."
"Oh? A trainer? Well, that explains the depth of your insight—wait. Did you say... Mejiro Rampage?"
The girl—King Halo—froze. Her jaw dropped as she actually looked at Rampage's face. The realization hit her like a lightning strike.
Her mother was Goodbye Halo, the legendary mare with seven American G1 wins. Her father was Dancing Brave, the strongest horse in Europe during the 80s, known for his god-like closing speed. King Halo was born from royalty—a "Golden Generation" filly with a pedigree so gilded people wondered why she was even in Japan. She was expected to walk a path of glory, though her actual journey would be one of immense hardship. But she would still be called the King. Not just because of her name, but because of her heart.
"Wha—Wha—Wha—Why is the legendary, undefeated, mythical Uma Musume just sitting here!?"
"Because I'm bored?"
"An elite Uma Musume like you is bored?! What is wrong with Tracen Academy!?"
King was practically screaming now, flailing in shock. To Rampage, who knew her future from "the app," her panicked state was strangely endearing.
"Take it easy. I'm a team trainer, sure, but we're a brand-new team that just started this year. I'm not on the festival committee, so I've got nothing but free time."
"I-I see... You startled me..."
"Well then, King-chan. Since we're both here, how about you and I go around the festival together?"
King stiffened at the offer, but her eyes were shimmering with a mix of awe and pure joy. To a girl like her, being invited to spend the day with a legend who had eclipsed even her mother's records was the ultimate honor. She started to nod vigorously, but then paused, looking uncharacteristically shy.
"Um... would it be alright if I took a photo... to send to my mother?"
"Of course. Actually, it's not like your mom and I are complete strangers anyway."
"What!?"
It was an indirect connection, but a real one. The designer team that had created several of Rampage's racing silks were colleagues of King's mother; in fact, Goodbye Halo herself had consulted on the designs.
"M-Mother helped design your silks!?"
"I think she worked on the second set. I liked them well enough, though I was always a bit partial to the ones I wore the longest."
"I had no idea..."
King quickly snapped a selfie with Rampage and fired it off to her mother. She added a caption:
『Mother, I have successfully scouted my future trainer candidate!』
Almost the instant the message was sent, King's phone began to vibrate violently with an incoming call.
"You're not going to answer that?" Rampage asked.
"No. She told me she was 'far too busy with work,' so if she has time to call me back this fast, clearly she was just making excuses because she didn't want to come with me. Hmph!"
(Ah... I think I might have made their family drama a little more complicated...)
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"