The pride of the poor, the agony of the rich

"Frankly, don't you think your father wouldn't want this kind of life for you?"

"…Eh?"

Cocona and Tack stared at each other in disbelief after hearing Shinnosuke's words.

"How could that be! Dad must be fed up with this lifestyle too. Who'd willingly choose such a tough job?!"

Coco nods in agreement with Tack's words.

However, Shinnosuke quietly continues speaking.

"Sure, few would willingly take on or keep doing such grueling work. But wanting to quit or run away from it might not be the same thing."

The two tilt their heads in confusion.

"Sorry, we don't understand what you mean."

Shin nosuke slowly nodded in response to Coco's words.

"Of course, this is just my speculation, but I can kind of tell just by looking at the two of them. Their clothes are worn but clean, and neither of them looks emaciated. Coco mentioned she works at a workers' cafeteria, so while it's not extravagant, they're probably managing to eat okay. They're certainly not sleeping out on the streets, so I assume they have at least the basic necessities of clothing, food, and shelter—right? Or am I wrong?"

"That's because my father sacrifices himself and works tirelessly."

"That's it. Even if the work is harsh, enduring it allows you to earn a small wage and survive. You can support a family of three. Don't you think they don't even dream of escaping this situation?"

Listening to Shinnosuke's thoughts, Coco and Tack were left speechless.

Now that he said it, they realized there might be some truth to it.

"If you look at it from the opposite perspective, maybe there are reasons behind Pollux's actions."

"?"

"From Pollux's point of view, if they're told they must mediate immigrant laborers from the supporting nation, Rimuria, they can't just refuse. That means they have to provide jobs and pay wages to these immigrants. Perhaps the desperate measure they've taken is expanding their mineral resource mining operations?"

"But that doesn't justify making them work so harshly!"

I don't know exactly how harsh the working conditions are, but at the very least, if a mining machine breaks down, they would arrange for a replacement machine and temporarily halt work at the site. Workers aren't being forced to continue mining manually. Perhaps there's a significant gap in understanding between management and labor, but both sides seem to accept it. So, to those two fathers, I think they'd rather stick stubbornly to their current situation and struggle to survive as a family of three than run away and end up homeless.

In short, workers are trapped in their circumstances and possess a certain pride in their role as laborers.

On the other side, employers like Polruks face the burden of ensuring workers aren't left starving and can maintain a bare minimum standard of living.

Though Shinnosuke's thoughts are merely his own imagination, they aren't far off from reality when considering Polruks's current situation.

Milena seemed to have known all along, and hearing this far, Seira should be able to understand as well.

Even if Cocona and Tack couldn't fully accept it in their hearts, there was nothing more they could say.

Probably, if they asked the two fathers, they'd hear the same thing as Shinnosuke.

"That's why I can't fulfill both of your wishes."

Coco and Tack had no further words to say in response to Shinnosuke's conclusion, and in the end, the two of them left without touching the tea or sweets served to them, shoulders drooping in unison.

"Such a pity..."

Seyla murmured as she watched them go, but Shinnosuke said nothing in reply.

"There's nothing we can do. We can only fulfill our own duty. Offering unsolicited help wouldn't be in their best interest. We have no means to support them anyway."

Mireena persuaded Seyla on Shinosuke's behalf.

The next day, Shinosuke and the others completed the handover of the luggage as scheduled and immediately decided to return.

As Fukuki and Tsukikage set sail, they were seen off by many cold stares, yet those watching them likely understood their own circumstances.

Looking on from monitors, among the crowd were Coco and Tack.

Coco gazed with a lonely expression, while Tack made a gesture of apology toward Fubuki. A middle-aged Lada man placed his hands on the shoulders of the two and bowed deeply.