!
"Ah, transcendence..." Sogo Doma nodded with certainty. No matter what, those hostesses had helped him try to fit into this world. They had also made him understand that, no matter the world or country, all ordinary people truly sought was simply to stay alive...
They were neither kind nor evil, neither noble nor lowly. This was probably what people meant by passersby.
However:
"Shizuka Hiratsuka, I once heard of a hostess who had been forced to work because a man abandoned his wife and child. I also heard of some top-ranked girl who had no choice but to entertain clients because her boyfriend had piled up too much debt. And I knew of another girl who merely wanted to survive in this city..." As a listener, everything Sogo Doma said could absolutely withstand scrutiny.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Well, none of that seemed related to transcendence. Shizuka Hiratsuka frowned.
"Mm..." Sogo Doma stroked his chin. "It really doesn't mean much. But the most surprising thing is that they had all once been young. During the most beautiful years of their youth, they had imagined what their futures would be like. Some said they wanted to become singers and perform at the Kohaku Uta Gassen. Others dreamed of becoming painters renowned across the world...
"They had also met men, in the best years of their lives, whom they wanted to entrust with the rest of their lives—or rather, spend the rest of their lives with. I could even see the longing they once had in their eyes. I used to think this world had passersby and protagonists, but after hearing countless people's experiences, I finally understood: there were no passersby in this world at all. Everyone was the protagonist of their own story!"
It was from