ndition," she said.
"I'm listening. It's you, Ryan."
She gave a small smile. "...That's so you, Ran."
Ran. That must be my name—Rampage. She took a breath and began.
"I went to your apartment to drop off something you forgot. I rang the bell, but you didn't answer. Your phone went to voicemail, too. I was worried, so I tried the door—it was unlocked. I thought, 'That's careless,' and peeked inside. And then... I saw you. You were..." Her voice broke. "You were hanging."
A flash of memories surged through me, overwhelming. Why had I done it? The reasons, the events leading up to it, flooded my mind. Rampage—me—had lost both parents. Taken in by relatives, an uncle and aunt who fled with my parents' inheritance, leaving me alone. I'd scraped by with part-time jobs, but the weight of it all broke me. I'd tried to end it.
"My head..." I groaned, clutching my temples.
"Are you okay? Feeling sick?!" Ryan's voice spiked with worry.
"No, just... remembering things. Sorry, Ryan. I made you see something awful."
Seeing a friend like that—hanging—would shake anyone, let alone the esteemed Mejiro family's heiress. It was a scandal in every sense. But it also clarified things. Rampage's memories were resurfacing, yet I viewed them distantly, like watching a movie. No emotions, just images.
I pieced it together: I was a human, a working adult, somehow fused with this Uma Musume who'd attempted suicide. A blend, maybe 70% human, 30% Rampage, forming the me now—Rampage, the personality.
"It's not... it's not awful," Ryan protested.
"Come on, there was probably a note, right? You read it?"
"...Yeah. There was one for me. I read it."
I hadn't sorted all my memories, but I knew Ryan and I were close. She'd been a lifeline in my darkest days. That note likely held gratitude and apologies.
"Ryan, can I make a confession instead?"
"Uh, sure... I guess?" she said, uncertain.
"Doctor, could you stay and hear this?" I asked.
"Of course," he replied.
"Here's the thing—I'm probably not the Rampage you know."
"What...?" Ryan blinked.
This might hurt her, but it felt right to say it.
"I mean, I'm not your Rampage. It sounds crazy, but..."
"It's true," Ryan said slowly. "The Ran I knew didn't say 'I' like that. She was... timid, darker."
"Fascinating, though outside my expertise," the doctor added.
What shocked me was how they listened—seriously, without mockery. They even showed understanding. But the biggest surprise?
"But you're still Ran," Ryan said firmly. "You answered me without hesitating, saying 'yes' before even hearing me out. That's you. Maybe the real you is this bold, spirited girl. And that's okay!"
"...You're just accepting it? Just like that?"
"Yup. Because we're still friends."
Her straightforward, unwavering response left me stunned. Relief washed over me, dissolving fears of rejection I hadn't realized I carried. Her acceptance felt like a gift.
"Hey, Ran..." Ryan's voice softened. "No more thinking about dying, okay?"
"I'll live till I'm old and gray."
"Promise?"
"Promise."