"So, in the short time you went to take a break, Oba-chan, you already hit on an Uma Musume?"
As expected of you.
Gold Ship gently cast her fishing hook, her tone filled with admiration.
"What kind of way is that to talk? I was just lending a hand to someone who needed help."
Gold Legend didn't pay much mind to Gold Ship's teasing, just rolled her eyes.
"According to your logic, I've hit on plenty of people."
"I didn't expect you to have such self-awareness?" Gold Ship was surprised.
"Don't talk nonsense, I've always been polite and well-behaved, okay?"
Legend felt the fishing rod in her hand shake, gave it a hard pull... but there was nothing.
Tsk, Legend pursed her lips.
"Oba-chan, you can't rush things. Fishing requires patience."
Nakayama Festa was sitting crookedly, gently swaying the fishing rod in her hand.
"...You're not one to talk, are you?" Orfevre retorted.
"But come to think of it, Oba-chan, you'd better not be too enthusiastic." Gold Ship spoke up again.
"Huh? Why? Is helping others a bad thing?"
When one has the means, one should help the world; now that I have the ability, it's just a simple act.
Besides, this world isn't as frustrating as my past life.
"One must never let their heart's passion fade; I have always kept Ace's words in my heart."
Casting the fishing hook again, Legend said casually.
"How should I put it? Meeting the most stunning person at the most beautiful age isn't necessarily a good thing, whether for a human or an Uma Musume."
Gold Ship said, implying something.
"Huh? I haven't met anyone stunning." Legend didn't catch on.
"..." Golshi chose to stay silent.
"Isn't it a good thing to be able to meet someone stunning at the most beautiful age?" Orfevre spoke with a hint of longing.
"Perhaps it's because the stunning one isn't necessarily the right one, and even if they are the right one, they might not belong to you," Nakayama Festa said.
"I get it, just like Li Xiaoyao to Lin Yueru, or Yang Guo to Guo Xiang, right?" Legend said with an expression of understanding.
"Who are you even talking about?" Festa didn't understand.
"Something like that. Having the most beautiful longing at the best age, and meeting someone who far exceeds that longing at such an age—for someone with feelings, it's too cruel." Gold Ship looked like a worldly master who had seen through the vanity of the world at this moment. "She will miss out on so much because of it."
"I actually think there's nothing wrong with it; after all, the act of meeting itself is already beautiful enough," Orfevre said.
"Oh? Orfevre is surprisingly girlish," Festa teased.
"Did I say something wrong?" Orfevre raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all." Festa smiled. "But I agree with Golshi's point; meeting the right person at the right time is the correct way for an encounter to unfold."
"What kind of situation counts as 'correct'?" Orfevre asked back.
"When you have the qualifications to shoulder everything for the other person, and you meet someone you are willing to shoulder everything for—that is correct."
"...Festa, your views on relationships are surprisingly serious, even though you look like a total gambler!" Legend said, surprised. "But, isn't this kind of thing something you can't force?"
"I am not a gambler, thank you," Nakayama Festa declared.
"This isn't just about 'can't force it'." Gold Ship said with a smile. "Only a portion of people meet one of these conditions; most people meet the wrong person at the wrong time."
"That's truly sad," Legend sighed.
"What about you? Oba-chan, what do you think about this?" Orfevre asked curiously.
"...Life is a train traveling to the grave. There will be many stops along the way, and it's hard for someone to accompany you from beginning to end. When the person accompanying you is about to get off, even if you are reluctant, you should be grateful and then wave goodbye."
Gold Legend thought for a moment and said a classic quote.
"Spirited Away? Master Hayao Miyazaki?" Festa smiled, looking a bit surprised. "That's truly fitting words."
"Regardless of whether it's correct or wrong, just as Orfevre said, the encounter itself is beautiful enough." Legend recalled herself and said sincerely, "After all, there's no turning back on the road ahead."
"That's true," Festa said.
Gold Ship fell into deep thought.
"By the way, it seems we've gone off-topic, haven't we?" Orfevre suddenly said.
"Have we? What were we discussing at the beginning?" Legend asked nonchalantly.
"Meeting the right person?" Festa said uncertainly.
"Actually, whether it's correct or wrong, there will be a farewell, right? It's just a matter of sooner or later." Legend answered casually.
"...Sister Legend, you really are pessimistic." Orfevre said, somewhat helplessly.
"It's impossible for someone to accompany you to the very end." Legend said indifferently. "There are no parallel lines in the Stay of life."
"Then, Oba-chan, is that the mindset you have when you interact with others?" Festa asked.
"...I have always believed that encounters are gifts from time, so I hope that when the time for parting comes, I can say goodbye with a smile." Legend hesitated for a rare moment before answering.
"That's too lonely." Orfevre said, feeling a bit sad.
"We travel on this ancient Stay of life, running through the rough patches, reborn from the ashes, exhausting everything, just to get closer to other unreachable rivers, seas, and stars."
Gold Ship looked up slightly, like a pure poet isolated from the world.
"...What are you trying to express?"
Legend, stunned by Gold Ship's sudden words, raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Marquez said that loneliness is nature's curse on social beings, and only solitude is its only way out. This pain cannot be put into words because the curse has always existed, immortal and undying. As eras continue, humans can only be trapped here, forced to be trapped in the cycle of pursuit, a century of infiltration, a century of solitude again."
"One Hundred Years of Solitude? How rare, is this what you think?" Legend said, surprised. This guy, whose thought process was always abnormal, actually expressed her attitude for once. "It's the first time I've known you were like this."
Ignoring Legend's teasing, Gold Ship said softly, "Life is a lonely Stay; I have always thought so."
"So that's why you are the way you are? That's really funny." Festa sneered.
"Who knows?" Gold Ship did not refute, but asked back, "What about you? Festa, what do you think life is like? Gambling?"
"...It's pursuit." Festa didn't look into Gold Ship's eyes and spoke to herself. "Isn't life just a Stay of pursuit? Whether it's excitement or goals, beautiful things, brilliant matters—life is a path of pursuit, and it has always been like this."
"I actually think life is a dream," Orfevre spoke up. She narrowed her eyes. Although her expression couldn't be read because of her mask, everyone could feel that it was a gentle smile.
"An illusion? I didn't expect you, Orfevre, to be even more nihilistic than Golshi." Festa said, surprised.
"No, not an illusion, but a beautiful dream that won't fade. It is filled with everything in the world; there will be loneliness, there will be sadness, but there will also be endless hope. Even if there is nothing at the end, it is enough to make one's heart flutter."
"That sounds wonderful," Legend said with a smile.
"What about you, Oba-chan? What do you think life is like?" Gold Ship asked.
"I already said it, didn't I?" Legend said helplessly.
"I want to hear your own words."
"Life… is a Stay that is both short and long," Legend sighed.
"A Stay?" Festa murmured.
"Yes, there is no return Stay, only a Stay to the distance. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm already on the road. But that's not important. No matter how long a story is, there is a time for it to end. No matter how slowly a train travels, there are one station after another. No matter how close traveling companions are, there is a time to part. The things we experience on the Stay may be forgotten by us; the things we learn on the Stay, we will keep in our hearts—what is important is always the people and scenery along the way. I only hope that at the end of the Stay, I haven't made the trip in vain."
"...I feel like you're about to become a Buddha, Oba-chan." Gold Ship narrowed her eyes and commented dryly.
"...Didn't you ask me to say it?" Legend, whose sentimentality was interrupted, was a bit annoyed.
"By the way, why did we suddenly start talking about life?" Festa asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. I don't even know where the end of the universe is, so how would I know this?" Gold Ship shifted the blame decisively.
"...Didn't you start it?" Orfevre retorted.
"Is that so? Ah, the fish is hooked."
"I feel like you're implying something." Legend narrowed her eyes.
"That's just your imagination. Ah, I caught a Golden Tuna."
"Huh? Really? Does this kind of thing actually exist?" Legend was shocked.
"It looks delicious," Festa said faintly, examining the fish in Gold Ship's hand.
"Generally speaking, shouldn't we keep it as a pet?" Orfevre commented.
"Who would keep it?" Legend asked.
"...Let's eat it. By the way, do you guys know how to make tuna dishes?" Orfevre said decisively.
"Should I call a chef?" Legend said uncertainly.
"From Totsuki?" Golshi asked.
"From Chuuka Ichiban! would also work…"
"Come to think of it, do you guys feel like something is wrong?" Festa suddenly asked.
"What's wrong?" Orfevre asked.
"I feel like something is missing. The atmosphere isn't right. I feel like there should be a leader character coming out to summarize at this point." Festa complained.
"A leader? Are you talking about… Sister Lütu?"
"..." x4
"Alright, now let's think about how to survive this," Legend concluded.
"Seconded!" x3
Just like that, the daily life continued.
So did the Stay.
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