"I say, once I enroll next year, you simply must become my trainer! Promise me!"
"If you want to join Pleiades, the door is always open," Rampage replied with a casual shrug. "Though I should warn you, we're a brand-new team. We haven't exactly built up a track record yet."
"What a ridiculous thing to say! The mere fact that you are the one who built the team is a greater record than any other! And once the elite King Halo adds her own achievements to the pile, there will be no issues whatsoever!"
King continued to point-blank ignore her vibrating phone. It was likely her mother, Goodbye Halo, calling back. Having sent that message claiming Rampage was her "trainer candidate," King was now clearly disillusioned. Her mother had used "being too busy with work" as an excuse to decline coming to the festival, yet here she was, "demon-calling" her daughter incessantly the moment her interest was piqued.
Rampage, however, could sympathize with the mother's panic. In a way, it was the same overprotective streak Rampage felt toward Air Groove and Mejiro Dober.
"To study the art of racing under a world-class talent like yourself... Pleiades is a magnificent team," King continued, her eyes shining. "Your very presence on the track is a priceless treasure. I imagine your aura must be quite suffocating for other trainers—but if they're the sort to rot away under that kind of pressure, they aren't worthy of training this King anyway!"
"Whoa, listen to you go. Well, I don't hate the confidence."
She was haughty, yes, but her words hit the mark. If she was serious about joining Pleiades next year, Rampage didn't think it would be a bad idea to take her in. No matter how difficult she is, she has to be easier to handle than Stay Gold, and certainly less of a headache than Sunday, Rampage thought. Wait... is Pleiades going to end up as a halfway house for problem children with attitude issues?
"Hmph! I shall certainly have something to brag about today."
"Glad to hear it. Just don't tease your mother too much, okay?"
"You should tell her that. She's being incredibly tiresome..."
King was reaching the limit of her patience with the ringing phone. She didn't want to turn it off entirely, but the constant buzzing was ruining the mood. Just as she was debating what to do, a hand came out of nowhere and delivered a thunderous smack to Rampage's back.
"Oi! What are you doing over here looking so damp? It's a festival, start acting like it!"
"I was just thinking that 'family' is only one wrong step away from being a massive pain in the ass," Rampage grumbled.
"Ha! Like that isn't the most obvious thing in the world."
The newcomer leaned an arm on Rampage's shoulder, crunching down on a candy apple she'd clearly just bought from a stall. King flinched for a second at the raw intensity of the woman, but her expression shifted to shock almost instantly.
"S-S-S... Sunday Silence!?"
"The one and only. The Great Sunday Silence... Huh?"
Sunday stopped mid-boast. Rampage expected her to go into her usual "doting on kids" mode, but Sunday's reaction was unexpected. She narrowed her eyes, peering intently at King's face with a suspicious scowl. She crossed her arms, letting out a low hum.
"I see. So that's how it is. I get it now."
"What? You know her?" Rampage asked.
"We aren't exactly strangers. Heh... you've got a face just like hers, don't you?"
"Mmph?! Mmph-mmph!?" (Hey! Let go!)
"Hahaha! My bad, my bad. Here, have a candy apple."
Sunday laughed as she pinched and pulled on King's cheeks before stuffing a candy apple into the girl's hand to pacify her. To an outsider, she looked like that one rowdy aunt who can't help but pick on her favorite niece.
"So, that's the situation," Rampage explained, filling her in on the drama with King's mother.
"Tch. What a load of pointless drama," Sunday sighed, though she reached out and began to absentmindedly pet King's head as the girl sat on her lap. King looked utterly bewildered by the sudden shift in dynamic. Spotting the phone that was still vibrating in King's pocket, Sunday snatched it out.
"Ah—!"
"Hey, Sunday—"
"Leave it to me."
With a wicked grin, Sunday shifted King from her lap onto Rampage's and hit the 'Accept' button.
"KING! How long were you planning on ignoring me!?"
The mother's voice was sharp enough to make King stiffen reflexively. To a child, that tone of parental authority is a terrifying thing, no matter how much of a "King" they pretend to be. But Sunday just laughed. It wasn't her usual laugh; it was the cackle of a devil who had just found a new soul to torment.
"Hyee-hee-hee... Hee-hee-hee-hee! My, my... you've turned into a real boring woman, haven't you?"
"...!? That voice... It can't be...!"
"Long time no see, you stupid woman. How's it feel to have your precious daughter snatched away by my partner? You feel like a total idiot yet?"
King was floored—she had never seen anyone speak to her mother with such blatant disrespect. Rampage, on the other hand, just looked on with a weary sigh, knowing exactly how well Sunday knew how to push people's buttons.
"I don't have to listen to a word you say. You don't understand the first thing about this."
"Maybe I don't. So I'll only say one thing—don't you ever let your family end up like mine did."
"Who do you think you—!"
Sunday cut the call before the woman could finish. She took a slow, deliberate drag from a herb cigar and handed the phone back to King.
"That should have gotten the point across. She might be a little more bearable now."
"U-Um...?" King stammered.
"Talk about 'potent medicine,'" Rampage muttered. "That was practically poison."
"If you raise your kid in a way that lets people say that to you, it's your own damn fault," Sunday retorted.
Rampage had no comeback for that. Knowing Sunday's history, those words carried a weight that no one could argue with.
"Well! Let's get this festival tour started, shall we?"
"Yeah, yeah... Might as well call El and the others," Rampage suggested. "A full squad of international stars hitting the stalls together sounds like a spectacle."
"Now you're talking! Hey, King! You wanna hear some stories about the overseas racing scene? The real stuff?"
"I... I would love to!"
"Alright! I'll tell you everything!" Sunday's dark mood vanished instantly, replaced by a boisterous energy as she grabbed King's hand and started leading the way. Rampage watched them for a moment, shook her head, and caught up, taking King's other hand.
"Well, if anything happens, just speak up," Sunday said, glancing back. "Old Rampage here will fix it for you."
"Why is it on me!?" Rampage barked. "You do it!"
"Psh. Sticking my nose into other people's family business is a pain. I'm never doing that again."
"But it's fine if I do it!?"
"You've got more authority than me, don't you?"
"Guh..."
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