It wasn't until the captain died that the mystery was uncovered. It turned out that the captain had put a catfish, which primarily fed on fish, into the fish tank full of sardines.
After the catfish entered the tank, unfamiliar with its surroundings, it swam around incessantly. It was like seeing something lively in still water; although all of them were doomed to end up as human food, the catfish seemed to defy its fate, enjoying swimming around until its last breath.
It made the sardines feel as if, perhaps one day, they could swim out to a future."
"So, they were all eaten in the end?"
"Of course, what else did you think would happen?" The girl said matter-of-factly.
Akasi smiled and said,
"I thought that with their desperate efforts to leave the fish tank, they might one day manage to escape."
"How naive you are."
The girl paused, then said,
"I'm leaving now. If you're still alive next time, we can continue our chat."
With a hearty laugh, the girl prepared to leave.
