Volume 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
12/21/1935
Berlin was a city of h its streets was bound to see soanic
However, even Berlin had areas of green In southeast Berlin, a one kilometer forest stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the modern city
The forest was primarily made up of conifer trees It was December, so the forest of tall cedars was cold
The e pond
The forest was dark and soh it That line was a stone-paved road It was a walking path, but not a single dried leaf sat on it It was a private road
Two people rode horses down that road and four white breaths floated in the air
The person on the front horse was a tall girl ore a skirt in the saddle The person on the horse behind hers was an elderly man in a thick coat
A delicate and tense atmosphere surrounded the two of them
The ht forward
He looked at the girl's back where her short-cut blonde hair reached the collar of her thin coat
He spoke hesitantly toward that back
”Hey, Else How has university been going lately? Are your studies going well?”
She did not reply, but he continued regardless
”When I was your age, the as drawing close, so there was quite a commotion everywhere Back then, you couldn't study even if you wanted to And that is why-…”
”That's why you started ht?”
The back in front of him finally spoke
Theinterrupted, but…
”But, Else, I now have plenty of leeway in life, so I can think about hter and her future”
”In other words, you want to shove me into the university and have me study until I cry”
”Else”
”What?”
”Face people when you speak to them!”
”Y'know, dad”
”Hm?”
”I aood mood I have a terrible look inat you?”
Her tone was devoid of all emotion
The man subconsciously pulled on the reins to slow his horse a step
Once he noticed, he frantically spoke up
”B-but, Else, you are already twenty and you still haven't found someone to marry”
”There you go again treating wo machines”
Else gave an exaggerated shrug while still holding the reins
”I just hate restrictions like that”
”Else, a girl should not say she hates things”
”I loathe them”
”That is not any better!”
”Shut up You always talk about studying and in with Youweapons, but why do I have to do those things for so like this?”
”It is for your own good!”
”Now that I don't understand I mean, I do like this forest and the pond over there, but I could always go to a normal park and-…”
She stopped her horse and he followed suit
”What is it, Else?”
She did not turn around Instead, she looked up a little
He did the sa from the forest
The white smoke stood out in the clear winter sky
”That's a fire,” he muttered to himself
Suddenly, Else's horse began to run straight toward the smoke
”Ah! Wait! Else!”
He looked around, unsure whether to head back to the et word out about the fire or to pursue Else
As a father, he chose the latter
He was delayed, but he had his horse run after her He could see her in the distance ahead and he noticed her pull a rod-like object from below her coat
Seeing that left him speechless
What initially looked like a rod was a black subun It was the newest ilantes
”She swiped one froain!”
His daughter was too far up ahead to hear his groaning words
Else sped up her horse while resting the five kilograht difficulty
The ht hooves raced across the stone-pavement
When surrounded by the blue sky, a beautiful pond, and a black cedar forest ata pleasant lunch was the only option
The pleasant aro in the air only increased that desire That aro oil
A young e of the pond He currently wore a green apron over the rest of his outfit
It was Walter
He sat in front of a firedry wood and a nice sound and s pan in his hand
He had gathered some nearby stones as a stove, but it was not all that effective The heat of the fire could not be reaching the frying pan very well, but the s proper food
”That should do it”
He looked over his shoulder
”Professor, food's ready”
A giant mass ofThe collection of solid round
The man referred to as ”professor” was on top of it
Only the back of his work outfit could be seen fro to the top of the Kaiserburg as if crawling
”Professor Food”
The man still did not reply
The professor was lost in his work He had re around within theinside
”Hm”
Walter nodded, stuck his empty hand in his lab coat's pocket, pulled out a small black communicator, and switched it on
”Kaiserburg, shake back and forth a little”
With a slight noise, the shi+p in front of him shook its head And quickly
This panicked the professor clinging to it
”Whoooaaa! Walter! D-d-d-don't !”
”Want to eat so?”
”I-I-I-I'ht now!”
”Is that so? Then maybe I should have it shake even harder”
”F-fine, just stop this thing!”
”Are you sure? I feel like having a little more fun”
”Just stop it! I'll finish up, so stop it!”
”That's a sha, stop”
The shi+p's shaking abruptly stopped and the professor sighed while still clinging to it
Walter placed the frying pan's contents on a large plate sitting on the ground
Those contents were bratwurst and po the po the flavored wurst
After checking to make sure it was all done, Walter stood up
At that exact moment, he heard a metallic sound and felt like his hand al pan as if someone had kicked it
”…Eh?”
He fixed his grip on it and looked at it There was a fingertip-sized hole in the bottoh it
”What is it?” asked the professor
”This is a little strange from a physics perspective, but a hole suddenly appeared in this thing”
”That's because you haggled down the price of an already cheap pan”
The professor's explanation did not explainand he wiped his dirty hands on the sto elderly men, but he must have had a decent frame because he still looked plenty solid
”It ue”
”But even it was cheap, I'd grown accusto”
Walter looked up and saw the professor sigh, pull a cigarette from his pocket, and place it in his mouth
As soon as he did, Walter heard a light bursting sound and the cigarette flew from the professor's mouth
Before the man could turn around with just the filter in his mouth, Walter asked a question
”So did you haggle down the price of soarettes?”
That hen a sharp voice reached them
”Hey! What do you think you're doing at our home!?”
It was a female voice and Walter turned toward the forest it came from
Else was unsure what to do about the object before her eyes or thein front of it
A young iant mixture of metal pipes and panels sat behind him Also, a plump elderly man in a work outfit stood on top of the machine
…Who are they?
She could not deny that an exasperated look appeared on her lips as she aiun at them
Even she thought the look in her eyes was harsh, but she felt that look gave her even th as she asked a question
”What are you two doing?”
The young man in an apron tilted his head and asked a question of his own
”And what are you doing here, lovely little lady?”
”Cut the flattery What are you doing at our home?”
”This is your home? Do you live in the woods?”
”Do you want me to shoot you?”
”No, no That sounds painful”
”Then answer me I really will shoot you next time”
He looked down at the frying pan in his hand
”Um… Didn't you already shoot at us?”
”The first shot was practice, the second was a warning, and the next one will be for real”
This
The young ht on because he smiled and scratched at his head
”H quite a few steps here Could you explain hoe ended up in this situation?”