"So, Ms. Hestad, can I ask you a question?"
Hesta tilted her neck back slightly, her expression a little uncertain.
"Are you... imitating how I speak?"
"Uh-huh," Li Ge raised his eyebrows, "Did you have the same tone outside the restaurant just now?"
Hesta hissed: "...whatever you want to ask, just ask."
Rico sat down on the corner of the bed opposite Hesta, "Why did you raise your hand at that time?"
"To get the Guide." Hesta gave the answer without much thought.
"Besides this, is there no other reason?"
"What other reasons could there be?"
"Hmm... I think this is a bit unlike you," Rico looked into Hesta's eyes, "Actually, I was a little surprised when you dealt with Rene before. You didn't like to get involved in these things before. I don’t like dealing with this kind of people even more…is that right?”
Hesta fell into silence, thinking carefully about Rico's problem.
The room became quiet, only the sound of water splashing from the bathroom could be heard.
"Don't be too serious, I'm just asking casually," Li Ge stood up, "If you suddenly got interested and went on stage, then there really is no reason to say-"
"It's true that I suddenly became interested, but it's not all because of this..." Hesta suddenly spoke. She looked forward, with memories in her eyes, "I met a new friend before."
"new friend?"
"The second time I met her, she told me, 'Power is a good thing. When you have the chance to grab it, don't give it up.'" Hestad looked at Rico, "Later, in and After she... separated, I often thought of this sentence. Sometimes, I felt like I understood it, and sometimes, I didn't seem to."
Confusion appeared on Rico's face.
The bathroom door opened with a bang. Si Lei had already put on her pajamas. She looked at the two people in the room who were looking at each other, "What's wrong with you?"
"...Thinking about some complicated philosophies of life." Rico replied.
"What philosophy?"
"Just..." After a short silence, Hesta turned his head, "If a person doesn't sleep, his brain will become stupid, but the command not to sleep is given by the brain -"
Si Lei breathed out, "Okay, okay, I'm going to sleep now."
Hesta and Si Lei lay down separately, while Rico was still sitting aside.
Si Lei was a little strange: "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I have to wait for Chiba, because there must be someone watching over him. Who will be on guard when the three of them are asleep?" Rico raised the book in his hand, "I will read for a while."
Si Lei looked at Li Ge with a more apologetic look - originally it was her and Li Ge's joint task to take care of Jane, but she has not been here in the past few days, and all the responsibility for taking care of Jane fell on Li Ge alone. On people's shoulders.
"When will Chiba come back?"
"I just made a call to Bishop's Restaurant. Chiba seems to have been dragged there because of something," Rico tilted his head, "She said she would come back as soon as possible, but she didn't specify when she would be back."
"...Thank you for your hard work, I can take another shift tonight."
"Go to sleep, you just think too much," Li Ge patted Si Lei's quilt, "Good night."
…
In a corner of Bishop's restaurant, Anna sat alone by the window. The gray-blue sea was boundless, desolate and mysterious. Anna looked at the calm sea indifferently, lost in thought for a long time.
"Are you okay?" Mantel changed his uniform and came to Anna again, "I just checked the inventory with my colleagues, and I didn't expect that there would be a problem this early in the morning... The result is that you I’ve been sitting here alone for so long.”
"I'm fine," Anna looked away, "Is there any trouble?"
"No, the ingredients in the order are a bit off, and the quantity is not large. Maybe there was something wrong with the previous count," Mantel thought for a moment, "rounding it off, it should be considered normal consumption." "It seems like It’s a very laborious job.”
"It doesn't matter." Mantel laughed, "Where are you going next? Do you want me to push you to the infirmary?"
"Need not."
Mantel's expression slightly condensed: "But you have been in the ventilation shaft for so long, what if you are injured somewhere -"
"I understand my status, no need to," Anna said softly, "Thank you for your concern..."
"Okay... I'm just suggesting——"
"Will I disturb your normal work?"
"No way!" Mantel exclaimed, "Don't think so. I can't miss anything except the evening shift today - uh, I mean, my current work is not urgent, and I can always find a colleague to replace me." Class——there will be no delay at all!”
"That's good...can you push me around on the deck outside now, if that's convenient?"
"Of course it's convenient," Mantel walked around behind Anna, and she couldn't help but sigh, "...Ah, you are in such good spirits."
Mantel pushed Anna all the way down, and soon came to the observation deck at the stern of the ship. Two or three crew members were leaning on the far railing to enjoy the wind. They saw Mantel and waved hello to her from a distance. Mantel Smiled in response.
"Are you cold?" Mantel pointed to the emergency room not far away. "It's windy outside. I can get you a blanket if you need it."
"It's not cold, it's still a little hot right now," Anna replied, "it's too stuffy in the restaurant."
"That's right," Mantel laughed, "summer is coming soon, and it's just getting cold at night now."
The wheelchair moved forward slowly. Anna looked at the changing scenery in front of her. Suddenly, she raised her hand to the side, "Is there an amphitheater at the stern of the ship before?"
"Huh? You even know this," Mantel looked in the direction of Anna's finger, "Yes, that is the predecessor of Grace Theater. When there were fireworks shows in the past, everyone could sit directly in the auditorium and watch. … Then someone fell off the stage and died, and the theater was moved indoors—but the stage had better sound.”
"There are a lot of drinking areas on both sides of the auditorium, right?"
"Yes! In the summer, many people stop by for a drink after swimming. Even if there are no concerts, the musicians on the ship also like to come here to play. The tips collected in one night can be worth the cost of our cruise. My salary is paid. Why didn’t I learn a saxophone trumpet or something like that when I was a kid? I could just play a harmonica..."
"The harmonica is easy to learn."
"...Really? You can also play the harmonica?"
"Getting started quickly. Do you want to learn?" Anna took out the harmonica from her jacket pocket. "I once taught a student. She was not particularly talented in music... but she got started in less than a month."
Mantel watched Anna raise the harmonica to her mouth, and a brisk ditty sounded. From this soft breathing, Mantel heard a little sadness.
(End of chapter)
