Conquering Villains and Capturing Targets Is Harder in Real Life than in Games

33: The world we live in is unfair.

Feeling a bit miffed, Shizuka directed her attention to night sky behind him.

Once she began to focus on the sky, Shizuka became dazed by how breathtaking it appeared. It was almost as if someone had spread a piece of black velvet cloth across the wide expanse of the universe and covered it with clusters of shimmering little diamonds. "The stars...they're so bright..."

Madoka gazed upwards. "Mn. You're right."

"They're all shining so brilliantly. I don't know where to look. It's as if they're all trying to outshine one another in a some sort of cosmic competition."

Madoka chuckled. "Only you would take a scenery as poetic as this and turn it into a simile for competition."

Shizuka pouted. "Well, what do you think of when you see stars?"

Madoka pondered for a bit and then replied, "Don't people normally think of wishes?"

"See, now that's something I don't understand."

Madoka raised an eyebrow amusedly. "What don't you understand?"

"The concept of wishing on stars." Shizuka scrunched up her nose. "Why would anyone believe that the exploding balls of gas, millions of light years away from us, as aesthetically pleasing as they are, can grant anyone's wishes?...I just think it's counterproductive. Instead of wasting time wishing for the things you want, why not actually go out and pursue the things you want?"

"Because it's not always that easy," stated Madoka evenly. "The world we live in is unfair...Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. There are countless people who will work hard their entire lives and still never come close to attaining the lives they truly desire..."

Madoka held up an open palm as if he were attempting to pluck the stars from the sky. In a quiet but steady voice he continued, "For such people, even if they know that they can never get what they want, what other choice do they have but to sincerely wish, pray, and hope for a miracle?"

Shizuka stared at Madoka intently. Suddenly she felt that, he seemed much wiser beyond his years. "Is there something you wish for, Madoka?"

Madoka's hand fell as he gave a despairing little shrug. "I wish for a lot of things."

Looking down at Shizuka he declared, "For one, I wish a certain someone would stop putting herself in dangerous situations."

And we've circled back to this again...

"You know, danger is like beauty," Shizuka intoned after a pause. "It's subjective. What may seem dangerous to you may not be seen as dangerous to me. I wasn't lying when I said I believe in our combined skills, but I also have a lot of confidence in own my abilities. It may sound like I'm boasting but I'm rather well-versed in judo, karate, Muay Thai kickboxing, and kendo."

Shizuka held up a fist. "I could easily crush a dozen Mikoshiba Toukos with my bare hands and with a sword I could probably take on a hundred, if I really wanted to."

"I know you're skilled," Madoka interjected. "I've happened to witness your valiant figure once."

"Really?"

"By chance, yes, but sometimes that's not enough." Madoka smiled in a self deprecating  manner. "Humans are always much more fragile than we'd like to believe. Someone once said, a human life is like a flickering candle flame, at any moment it can be ended by a blow of the wind or burn itself out. In a matter of seconds, someone you thought would always be by your side can disappear as if they never existed in the first place. Compared to stars which live for millions of years, our lives are no better than that of a firefly–small and dim."