Silva stayed in her bed, reflecting on the day before. She talked about Silv's appearance to her leader and convinced her to have three days of free time this week. Silva knew that at the end of the week, one of them would be defeated.
"Five days left..."
Everyone was preparing to go for a well-deserved vacation. Silva was the one who proposed the idea and was visibly excited to have fun with her friends. The group was ready, only waiting for Neige. It took him a few minutes to arrive with a fishing rod and a bunch of bags, surprising Emely.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, aren't we going to the beach together?"
"Yes, but I thought you'd want to tan or swim."
"No thanks, tanning isn't good for the skin and I already move enough. I just want to stay idle for a while, looking at the scenery."
"Come on Neige, it's the beach episode." Said Silva, a bit disappointed "Girls half-naked and... Actually, why else do people go to the beach?"
Neige looked at his friend, surprised by her decision to go to the beach without any idea of what it was like.
"They go fish, it's pretty fun. Do you really not know what it's like?"
"I don't know, I just know it's popular. Let's just go! I want to feel what it's like!"
"You're right." Emely nodded to Silva's words "Let's just accept that Neige has a weird way to have fun and go. I found a great empty world with a beautiful beach."
Everyone followed Emely's lead and went together in this world, expecting a break from their stressful lives.
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The sea was clear like crystal and the sand shone under the sun. Everyone wore an outfit that suited the mood, except Silva, who stayed in her casual clothes and kept her jacket. Emely noticed it and quickly went next to her friend with curiosity and concern.
"Did you forget your swimsuit? I can go get you one."
"Are swimsuits mandatory? I like my clothes."
"Silva, have you at least removed this jacket since last time? At least remove it."
"But then everyone will... You know..."
Emely wondered what Silva meant until she remembered her lover's scars on her body and how much she hated them.
"I understand, be careful to not get a heat stroke."
Silva nodded and smiled at Emely, trying to ease her worries. While everyone was preparing themselves, Neige took his rod and walked away from the group before being stopped by his leader.
"Neige? Where are you going?"
"Fishing, you want to come?"
"I thought you'd go fishing later, can't we go swim together?"
"I don't really-"
Before Neige could finish his sentence, Polyetta took his hand and forced him to follow her. Neige barely reacted and followed his friend, already accepting his fate. Aside from Silva and Gwyn, everyone ran toward the sea with enthusiasm. The doctor looked at Silva with curiosity, wondering why she didn't follow them.
"You don't like swimming?"
"Not really, I prefer being on land. It feels weird to not touch the ground."
"Make sense, I never saw you swim before." Gwyn stared at the vast ocean in front of them with melancholy "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to sail the sea and never look back?"
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Silva turned toward the doctor, surprised by her question.
"I never heard you say anything like that before, you're always so serious usually."
"Yes, I'm sorry. That was out of character for me."
Silva turned toward the sea, feeling the strange atmosphere the sound of the waves and the sun brought.
"I couldn't do that, there's so much I can't lose."
"It's interesting, it's not what you answered before."
"Before? You never asked me that."
"The context was different, I asked if you would take the train instead. You said you would but you'd be sad to leave. I'm glad that you're confident about your answer now."
"Is that one of your weird psychological questions?"
"Not really, it's just simple curiosity. But that does mean that you're not thinking about leaving, it's a good thing."
"I guess it means I'm happy with my life now. Neige and Emely mean so much to me, and I would miss everyone else if I left too."
"Everyone would miss you too, you're not easy to forget."
The two women stayed silent for a moment, feeling the breeze from the sea.
"As for me, I would leave without looking back even once."
Silva was shocked by the doctor's answer but was cut by a voice before she could ask anything.
"Silva, what are you doing? It's not fun if you're not here."
"I'm sure you can have fun without me Emely, I just don't feel like swimming."
Emely pouted before leaving back to the sea. Gwyn smiled softly before asking,
"Why don't you go with her? I'm sure she'll help you feel better."
"I'm sure of it, but staying here isn't bad. I'm just glad to know everyone is having fun."
Soon after her sentence, Silva heard calls for help from Emely in the sea. She looked like she was scared and in danger.
"I'm drowning! I need help!"
Silva ran toward her but remembered midway she didn't know how to swim. She figured Neige would help her if she drowned and hurried to save Emely anyway. Once she arrived in front of Emely, she realized that the water barely reached her upper body, clearly not enough for anyone to drown in it.
"Emely? Is everything alright?"
"Now that you're here, everything is alright."
Emely grabbed Silva and dived underwater with her. Silva stood out of the water while taking a deep breath of air, she was about to get mad but quickly calmed down when she heard her beloved's giggle.
"I'm sorry Silva, thanks for helping me."
"But I didn't help you, you were just pretending to drown."
"I meant in general. Thanks for dealing with my worries and loneliness."
"Of course, I'll always try my best for you. Now I should go back, I feel like a fish out of water in here."
Silva was about to leave but stayed when she felt Emely's hand on her wrist.
"Please, you wouldn't let a helpless princess alone in a sea full of sharks..."
"S-Sharks? There are sharks!?"
"No, but please play along."
Silva smiled at Emely with tenderness and decided to come closer to her.
"Alright, just for a while."
The sun was starting to set. Silva and Emely were still playing in the water while Neige looked at them from far away, fishing in the vast sea. Ina approached him, a bit concerned for him.
"Neige... Are you alright? You've been here for a few hours."
"Hours already? Time flies when you have fun."
"Fun?" Ina looked at her friend, even more worried than when she arrived "I'm not even sure there are any fish here.
"There aren't, Silva and Emely are so loud that they all ran away. But I'm not trying to catch fish, just relax for a bit."
"An hour is more than a bit..."
"Just sit here with me, you'll see how relaxing it can be."
Ina accepted Neige's offer and sat next to him, a bit doubtful about the fun of this activity.
"I never get to fish, it's such a great way to reflect on your life."
"I suppose. I feel like I've only done that lately. Think about my life I mean."
"It's not surprising, a lot happened for you." Neige gave the fishing rod in his hand to Ina, who accepted it a bit confused "Don't think too hard about it. I'm sure everything will make sense as time goes on."
"Maybe... It's just a big responsibility, to make sure that death is served to those that should have died... It's so different from what I wished to be."
"Don't see it like that, it's more like... Protecting the balance of the universe for those that live in it. If you think that you bring death, then you'll just be depressed. When I have to make hard decisions, I think about Polyetta, Silva, and everyone on the ship. I'm not doing it for the universe in the end, I'm doing it for them."
"Maybe you're right." Ina stared at the sea in front of her, still holding the rod "You're right, it's actually relaxing. Even if I'm not catching anything, I feel at peace."
"See? I'm sure Silva would enjoy it too if she gave it a chance."
"You talk a lot about Silva... But you still consider Polyetta your best friend, it's a bit strange."
"I mean, Silva is like my little sister. I wouldn't share my worries with her like I do with Polyetta, they're both different. But I don't have a lot of opportunities to hang out with Polyetta, maybe I should ask her to fish with me if she's not busy."
"That's a great idea." Ina gave Neige his pole back and stood up while stretching "I'll bring her here, I just wanted to make sure you're alright and... Thanks, I think I feel a bit better after talking to you. I just wanted to know, have you seen miss nun?"
"Ada? I sent her a text on her phone but she didn't come, I guess she wasn't interested."
"That's a shame. Anyway, after spending some time with the leader you should come, I made food for everyone."
"That's kind of you. I'll just continue fishing for a few hours I think."
Ina smiled at Neige before leaving the man to his fishing. Neige stared at the horizon with nostalgia, remembering the days when he could spend his life on trivial things like fishing.