While in England, Rampage was staying at a hotel recommended by Fine's parents. It was, of course, a super-luxury hotel, but she found herself surprisingly unfazed, having grown accustomed to such surroundings. As she leisurely enjoyed a herbal cigar and gazed at the scenery, her phone rang.
"—Ryan, is that you? Hello?"
Perhaps due to the occasional calls from overseas, she had started to properly check who was calling. Since it was Ryan, she answered immediately.
"Ran, are you free now?"
"For you, I'm always welcome. Rather, are you okay? It's nighttime there, isn't it?"
The time difference with Japan was about eight hours, with Japan being ahead. So, even if it was noon for her, it was already night for Ryan. Rampage wondered if it was alright for her to call, with tomorrow's plans likely looming.
"I'm fine, I'm taking care of myself."
"Is that so? I'm taking it easy over here too. Compared to Ireland, there are certainly some areas where it falls short, but I suppose it's unfair to compare it to a royal castle."
"If you understand that, why don't you give it a break?"
The two exchanged such trivial pleasantries. Only at this moment did Rampage feel a genuine sense of peace. While she wasn't entirely alone in Europe, being in a situation where she could truly open up to only one person made her yearn for something, somewhere. Hearing Ryan's voice, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
"I guess... I've been tensing up, huh? Hearing your voice, Ryan, makes me feel incredibly relaxed."
"Thanks for that. You could probably talk to Flora now and feel at ease, too, right?"
"That would be for a different reason, I think. More like, 'Ah, she hasn't changed a bit!'"
Just as she thought, that would actually be quite reassuring in its own way... Ryan suddenly cleared her throat.
"Hey, Ran, are you alone in your room?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sue-chan's in a separate room."
"Then—it's okay now. Relax."
"Relax? What are you talk—"
She was about to say that she didn't understand the meaning of the words, but Ryan continued speaking before she could. And as if she had been waiting for it, Rampage felt like she finally heard what she needed to hear.
"It's okay, I understand everything—you're hurting, aren't you? We've heard that Ran was confidently smoking a herbal cigar before the press conference, trying to project an image of composure. But the truth is, you're at your limit, aren't you?"
"How do you—"
"Because we're best friends. I know that's your mental stabilizer, and I just thought that no matter how much you're Ran, you wouldn't smoke before a press conference. You're probably smoking one now, aren't you?"
The herbal cigar in her hand involuntarily fell. At the same time, the words, "As expected..." naturally escaped her lips. A laugh, almost a sob, spilled out. It wasn't the kind of laughter born of amusement, but a defiant, choked sound meant to hide her pain.
"When I first came here, nothing was wrong. I arrived in Ireland, met Fine, greeted her parents, became friends with Pilsudski, did some streaming, trained... It should have been fine... But why? Why is it like this? I decided to fight Al again, and I was sure I'd win this time, but as the race gets closer, the anxiety just keeps flooding out... I'm scared. Something I don't understand, something unknown is trying to engulf me, to engulf me—"
She thought that side of her would never appear again. The Rampage she knew was back. The one who had, as it were, given up on living. Even in a distant foreign land, Ryan could see her friend with her face buried in her hands, on the verge of tears.
"I don't know, I don't know... This is bad, Ryan... Like this, I can't run... Everyone doesn't really know. They don't know that I'm actually a coward, scared of everything, and incapable of anything... They only know Mejiro Rampage... They only know me when I'm running..."
The hopes of all Japan now rested on her shoulders. Everyone eagerly awaited her triumph in European G1 races and the Arc de Triomphe. She had been prepared to answer that call, had felt completely resolved... yet suddenly, this emotion of fear had overflowed. Experiencing this for the first time, Rampage didn't know what to do. She bluffed, acted composed, pretending to be the Mejiro Rampage everyone knew, making out that she had spoken with even greater opponents.
"Ran."
"I know, I know, but... I don't know what to do...!!"
"Ran!!"
Rampage flinched at Ryan's firmer tone. Then, asked to switch to a video call, she cautiously fumbled with her phone. There, she saw Ryan, smiling gently.
"Thank you, for telling me that. You really haven't changed at all, Ran. You're still the Ran I know, including that habit of bottling things up."
Rampage blinked in surprise as Ryan winked and thanked her in a soft voice.
"Ran, 'Al' is Stahl Armekoa, right? The one you said you almost lost to in Dubai."
"Y-yes... That Al."
"I see. You feel a strong sense of danger from Al."
The truth was remarkably simple: fear of Stahl Armekoa. Ryan had heard that Rampage was almost consumed by her opponent's domain in Dubai and nearly broke. And now, having the chance to face her again, she was assailed by the anxiety that it might happen again. The sense of impending defeat, responsibility, pressure—various feelings had all come flooding out, triggered by Stahl Armekoa.
"But Ran, you've beaten that horse girl once already."
"B-but this time, I might lose..."
"Then you just have to win. You've always done that, haven't you, Ran? You've won every race, against every opponent. If you're feeling anxious about possibly losing, should I tell you a secret method my trainer taught me?"
"A-a secret?!"
Rampage nodded, eager to know Ryan's secret. "Alright," Ryan said, clearing her throat dramatically, then paused for a moment before revealing it. It was—
"Train!"
"—Huh?"
"Work hard to win! That's all it is. Feeling anxious? Then just work hard so you don't become that anxious version of yourself... Ran, you've always pushed yourself, even in incredibly tough situations. My best friend has lived to avoid being crushed by anxiety many, many times greater than this."
"..."
Rampage fell silent. It was such a simple idea. She thought, What kind of secret is that? Why did she pause? But hearing it, Rampage—unexpectedly, burst out laughing.
"Ahahahahahahahahaha!!! What is that?! That's your secret?! That's just a muscle-brained theory! Like, 'I couldn't lift this weight today, so I'll work hard to be able to lift it!' Ahahahah! It's so stupid!!!"
"Being stupid is just right. If it were some complicated secret, you wouldn't be able to do it when it really matters."
"Hahahaha! You're right, now that you mention it! Ahahahahahah!"
She laughed from the bottom of her heart, a deep belly laugh. Ryan, catching her infectious joy, started laughing too, their laughter intertwining and echoing. After a moment, wiping away the tears that had come from laughing so hard, Rampage said:
"Ah, I laughed so much... but I feel so much better. Thank you, Ryan. I really can't do without you."
"Call me anytime. I'll always listen."
"I'll take you up on that—Thank you, Ran."
"Thank you, Ran."
They hung up simultaneously. Rampage extinguished her herbal cigar, slapped her cheeks, and stood up.
"—SHAA!! Alright, let's train!!!"
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