Her first full interview wasn't on May 27th, 1984. Where she first debuted at the Mishōri-sen.
There weren't any reporters that day, as nobody expected someone like Echo Eclipse.
Instead, she had her first full interview on the day after her first G3 race, the Hakodate Sansei Stakes.
…
July 23rd, 1984.
Peter Barakan has gone through the official channels of the Central Tracen Academy to arrange an interview with Echo Eclipse about her over-dominant 31-length win in her second race.
After a day of scrutiny from the Symboli household, they approved of his interview with Echo Eclipse. Today is the day that Echo will have an interview with Peter Barakan.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock on the wall kept ticking as Symboli sat on the sofa, waiting for Echo Eclipse to arrive. Her tail softly thumps against the cushion before she hears the door open. Thinking it was Echo, she opens her eyes to greet her.
But it was a guy carrying a large, structured leather satchel.
'He must be Peter Barakan. The report about him confirmed he is an honest man in the world of scheming and word-twisting reporters. Perfect for Echo Eclipse's first interview. Mh…' She goes over the information while observing the appearance of the man.
'Messy man, but somewhat organised.' Barakan was wearing a dark olive oversized, single-breasted blazer, the shoulder slightly padded. A light blue button-down shirt, with a loosened striped tie, and straight-leg grey trousers.
'The material… soft wool. A man who cares more about stories than wealth. Looks like the information gathered about him isn't wrong. Good,' Rudolf noted in her head.
"Hello, I'm Symboli Rudolf. The girl you want to interview hasn't arrived yet." She said politely and straight to the point.
The man smiled with a wide grin before scratching the back of his head, messing up his already shaggy hairstyle. "Ah, I came early because I was excited to interview her. It's my pleasure to meet you!"
He bowed respectfully toward Symboli Rudolf, which she acknowledged with a slight nod before signalling him to sit on the opposite sofa.
The man gets prepared, pulling out a small notebook and a pencil, before excitedly waiting for the star to arrive. Rudolf doesn't try making small talk with the man, and Peter is perfectly fine with that. It's common knowledge that Rudolf is a quiet and serious girl.
1 minute went by…
2…
3…
As time went on, Rudolf rubbed the bridge of her nose before standing up.
"Wait here, it looks like your interviewee has forgotten she has an interview today." She exhales her words with a deadpan gaze before leaving through the door.
The man sat there slightly dazed before chuckling; he had interviewed the audience members who were there for Echo Eclipse's debut and learned about her uniqueness.
"They say that she's completely forgotten about the winning concert… I guess that made sense if she forgot about our interview." He mumbles before opening his small notebook and goes over potential questions he could ask her.
And finally, after some minutes, the door opens. He turns his head toward the two girls. Symboli Rudolf, and the star of today's interview, Echo Eclipse.
She lets out an apologetic grin as she hops over and sits on the opposing sofa from Peter.
"Hello! Sorry for being late. Hehe- Kuak!" Symboli Rudolf gave a light punch on top of her head before sitting beside her. She had repeatedly reminded Echo that she had an interview today, yet she was happily jogging on the field without a care in the world.
"Owwww, Rudolf! That wasn't nice!" She whines while rubbing her head, still wearing her training outfit.
"Interview first, complain later." Rudolf huffs.
"Hmph, fine, Rudolf the Reindeer," Echo whispers under her breath before turning her head toward the man.
"Hi, I'm Echo Eclipse. Nice to meet you." She greeted him while looking at him curiously; this was her first time talking with a reporter or an interviewer.
"Likewise, I'm Peter Barakan. And I will conduct today's interview." He flips the small notebook to an empty page and gets ready to note down words. Echo gave a silent nod.
First, he asked her some light-hearted questions about her life before coming to the Central Tracen Academy.
She happily answers, talking about how a local trainer from the Hokkaido branch of Tracen Academy convinced her to race. Her early taste of professional light training from her trainer, and how her parents encouraged her to race.
"Which led you to enrol here, am I correct?"
"Mhm!" Echo nodded happily.
"Since you only arrived at Tracen Academy, how does this environment feel to you so far?" He asks.
"Amazing! The field is perfect for running! My classmates are so kind and supportive of me! And the food is soo good too!" drools escape the corner of her lips as she strays off from the main topic, rambling until Rudolf's tail smacks her side. Waking her up from her daydream.
Peter Barakan was nodding and jotting down a simplified answer from Echo Eclipse's mouth.
"According to other runners, you seem calm and somewhat distant. Is that how you see yourself?"
"Eh? I am?" Echo said in shock and excitement. Does someone see her as a cool runner?!
Rudolf sneered and let out a small chuckle; she knew where the question came from. Echo seems to become calm and distant whenever she's in the flow. But outside of racing, she's just a lovable goofball.
Peter continues asking questions and jots down her answer.
"So, how do you see yourself?"
"Ah, I'm a bit of a ditz, you see~," she stuck out her tongue while winking. "I don't really have much going on in my head. I just love running."
Peter glanced at Rudolf to get her affirmation, which she nodded.
"Interesting… And when you run, what do you actually feel in that moment?"
At that question, Echo seemed to slow down her motion and smiled.
"Free. Because I can run freely and have all the fun in the world on the ground. There's no need to worry about anything while running."
Peter Baraken responded with a wide grin before jotting down the answer. 'Ah, so that's how she feels. She isn't a normal, hardworking genius; she is a genius who sees a different world.' He hummed, 'Maybe she'll live up to her title as the Second Eclipse.'
"We have five more questions, and we'll leave it at that. How are you feeling?"
"Perfect as ever!"
"Ahem. You must've noticed that not everyone enjoys running the same way you do. What do you think about that difference?"
"Lonely, but that's alright. I run because I want to run, not everyone runs because they can run; some run for wealth, for prestige, for victory, and more. But in the end, we are still running on the same track, so why does it matter if they don't enjoy running the same way I do?"
At this answer, Symboli Rudolf nodded in satisfaction, proud of Echo Eclipse.
"During your race, do you want others to reach your level, or are you comfortable running alone?"
"I would prefer if others could run beside me, but they can't. So I'll just run alone, keep running alone until I finally find an opponent who can run beside me." She grinned widely.
"Then what if no one can keep up with you? Will running lose its meaning for you?"
"Eh? No, why?"
Peter Barakan glanced up from his small notebook in confusion.
"But you said that you would keep running alone until you can find an opponent who can run beside you."
"Yeah?"
"I'm just asking if running will lose its meaning for you if you never find somebody to run beside you."
"No, it won't? I didn't start running because I wanted someone to run beside; having somebody to run beside is quite nice, but it isn't the end of the world. Because even if I'm alone running, I'm not really alone." She answers with a vague ending.
"I see… Can you explain what you meant?" He asked, hoping for a deep explanation. But he was soon disappointed.
"Mhh, it's kind of hard to put it into words. Is it like a ghost? Or an instinct. Whenever you run at your top speed, you can feel somebody running ahead, even if there is nobody there. But it's warm and cold at the same time. Reminding you that you aren't alone, does that make sense?" Peter shook his head at her explanation.
Symboli Rudolf chipped in.
"Only Umas can experience such a state, similar to the zone. Humans can't see when a zone manifests from a runner, but we can see them. What Echo was talking about is the phantom runner."
"Eh? No? I wasn't talking about that phantom runner."
"Eh?" "Ah?" Both Rudolf and Peter let out a confused noise, to which Echo tilted her head in response.
"..."
"..."
"Proceed to the next question," Rudolf commanded him, which he obeyed.
"S-So… if somebody asked you what kind of runner you are, how would you answer?"
"Dunno!"
"Um…" Before Peter could say anything else, Rudolf once again tapped the top of Echo's head.
"Answer properly."
"I really don't know! I just run because I want to!" Echo lets out a whine in protest. Why did she get hurt from not knowing how to answer?
Rudolf exhaled before glancing at the reporter.
"Skip this question and move to the last question."
"Ah… yes." He clears his throat before asking his last question. Echo continued whimpering from the slight bump on her head. Rudolf didn't even apologise to her!
"Echo Eclipse." Peter Barakan asked her, "What kind of future are you aiming for at Trace Academy?"
Echo pouted while rubbing the top of her head, "I don't have a future I'm aiming for, I'm just going as far as I can go, and see where I'll end up. Planning for the future isn't my kind of thing…"
Peter jotted down the answer before closing the small notebook and tucking it away. He offered a handshake to Echo Eclipse with a smile.
"That's the end of the interview. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions."
"My pleasure, too! Hehe!"
Rudolf Symboli shook her head and sighed, if it wasn't for her. Echo would've kept jogging without a care in the world and missed her appointment with the reporter. Maybe she should get a tutor for Echo Eclipse so she doesn't forget next time.