Dinner was over in a blink—to save on weight, they packed high-energy, compact food. In other words, military-style rations.
Now, everyone knows ration bars might taste alright now and then, but living on them? You'd get sick of 'em quick.
So no, they weren't tasty—just something to fill your belly.
They crumbled biscuits into water, boiled it into a sort of gruel, paired it with protein bars and a few sips of instant drink mix. Everyone finished up hastily, with no compliments to spare.
But that didn't mean the mood was gloomy.
Whether it was Tachyon and Cafe, or the two goddesses, they were all pretty curious about each other. Though, the only real common ground in their chats was Nearl.
Tachyon wanted to know more about these two sisters—why they'd shown up only now, and what they were really after.
The goddesses were simpler. They just wanted to hear how Tachyon felt about their little sister.
What followed was a tight, swift exchange of words and subtle probing. In the end, well, Tachyon was a bit outnumbered.
And where was Cafe, you ask? Oh, she'd slipped outside with Nearl for a quiet chat.
--+--
Cafe gently closed the door. In front of her, a flickering orange spirit danced. The sun had long set, and the second rest area was pitch black, yet a warm glow spilled out softly.
Nearl had lit a campfire.
Seeing that crackling blaze, Cafe felt an unexpected sense of peace and ease, as if a drifting heart had finally found an anchor.
Nearl noticed. She beckoned Cafe over to her side.
"Feeling comforted by the fire? That's natural. Human history is a history woven around flame—lighting the dark, driving off beasts, building tribes, shaping civilization. It's all tied to fire."
"So on a night like this, the warmth of a real fire brings more comfort than any electric lamp ever could."
Cafe quietly smoothed her clothes and settled lightly beside Nearl.
Since Nearl was using leftover timber from the door as a bench, it wasn't quite long enough. Cafe ended up pressed close against her, making her cheeks flush faintly—a blush masked by the firelight.
But the warmth beside her and the gentle glow before her left her perfectly content.
In the quiet of the woods, the evening air was just right. Among the distant trees, fireflies glimmered and drifted, tiny green specks gathering and dancing like a living painting.
"Celestial Peak is truly beautiful," Nearl said suddenly, poking the fire and starting the conversation.
"Mhm," Cafe replied softly.
"This trip… it might've just been my sister's whim, but I've genuinely felt happy. A different kind of happiness than on the track."
"Actually, during races, I get tired. If I had to say, I prefer training runs. You don't have to think or carry any burdens—you can just let go and run as you please."
Cafe stayed quiet beside her. She was the type of Uma Musume who thrived on competitive racing, but she understood Nearl's feelings. Through their time together, she'd come to know who Nearl was.
Kind, gentle, overly concerned, strict with herself but lenient with others—throwing herself earnestly into everything around her, even things far beyond her responsibility.
That kind of life was exhausting. Even though Cafe only spent meals with Nearl, she could see it. Yet Nearl's smile wasn't fake either. She found joy even in that weariness.
"The outside world is so beautiful. The vast land, flowers in full bloom, mountains and stones shaped as if by divine hands. You only really understand that feeling by walking it yourself. Being able to see all this… I'm lucky."
Squinting slightly, Nearl stretched her right hand toward the flames. Her eyes seemed to hold a dancing light, her thoughts drifting far away, as if returning to another time.
--+--
"Don't move. It might be uncomfortable, but you must endure."
Inside a hospital room, a routine injection was being administered, yet it brought extreme pain to the patient lying there.
"Ngh… haah! Hah… cough…"
His abdomen convulsed, like a calf cramping at night. His insides twisted as if sliced by knives, and the world before his eyes blurred into chaotic double vision.
"Alright. It's over."
When the patient woke again, the room held the usual heavy silence, broken only by the steady beep… beep… of monitors.
"…"
No words were spoken—or perhaps Nearl just couldn't hear them. She stood by the window, watching the frail, pitiable, seemingly worthless figure on the bed gasping for air.
'How pathetic, I am.'
'From earliest memory till now, everything has been inside these walls. My existence in the world feels like a kite, held by a single fragile string.'
'The only outside I've ever truly seen is that tiny square of sky through this window.'
"I don't mean to complain, but… I'm really happy now. It's like the sweetest dream. Wandering the world step by step, feeling the fatigue but also receiving kindness, enduring physical exhaustion but savoring the freedom to move as I wish. Making connections, seeing the world with my own eyes."
"I've decided to keep walking this path. The past… is just the past."
Taking one last look at her former self on the bed, Nearl felt deep down that she probably wouldn't see this scene again.
Relaxing back, Nearl—sitting by the window—fell outward.
That window was the one she'd stared through most in her past life. To her back then, outside it lay an unseen, truly free place.
"Though I haven't seen Rea here. Did she break free even earlier than I did?"
--+--
"Come to think of it, I was the one who couldn't let go all along. That won't do. Someone lost in doubts can't be an example to others."
As if shaking off a chill, Nearl snapped out of her daze and shook her head ruefully.
"Nearl?"
Cafe beside her looked on curiously. In her senses, Nearl seemed to have resolved something, her whole presence feeling a bit clearer, lighter.
"Just things from the past. People always look back."
"What an old lady habit," Cafe retorted sharply.
Wait, that wasn't like Cafe.
"SS?"
"It's me."
Indeed, the seldom-active SS had now distinctly emerged, borrowing Cafe's body.
"Remember my request from this afternoon?"
"You mean having something to tell me?"
"Yes. Actually, she said it on my behalf. The mood now is just right… I think it's time."
Seeing how serious SS was, Nearl's face broke into her usual gentle smile.
"I'll listen carefully."
"Haa…"
SS took a long breath, placed a hand over her heart, paused a moment, then gathered her courage.
"Margaret Nearl."
"Yes?"
"Do you… have someone you like right now?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.