Vol 1 Prologue (2/2)
On doing so, the girl opened her pal akin to) a bluish-white fla like a chain that linked the girl and the youth together
The girl was now right in front of the train A few hundred tonnes of train was now bearing down on her—
And then, a crash
It was an attack so strong the front of the train was dented in The inertia of the carriages behind the front car carried the them to collide into each other in succession Soirl had driven her geta fir it to be lodged deep into the earth A great amount of train ballast had been blown up into the air, and the girl herself had been driven back fifty metres or so
However, the girl was unharmed
De her body’s extreme sturdiness, she had completely stopped the runaway train dead in its tracks As for the rest of the carriages, there were some which were slanted in different directions, soh, having said that es had flipped over completely While it was impossible that the injury rate would be zero, at the very least the number of casualties had been minimized
After confir the train had come to a complete halt, the youth leapt down onto the tracks
“Well done Yaya You sure as hell didn’t hold back anything, didn’t you?”
The girl was delighted fro while waiting for him to pet her head However, the youth abruptly turned on his heels
Just like that, he started walking back Having no choice, the girl chased after him
When they returned to their carriage, a scene of carnage lay before thee was strewn about all over the place, and the roans of the injured could be heard Still, there were no serious casualties Giving thean to search for his own trunk
“—Excuse me!”
Just as he found his trunk, a voice called out to him from behind
It was the sisters fro at the youth with a shy expression on her face The younger sister tiht s out his coat
The youth took it, and turning to face the elder sister, curtly asked her
“Are you hurt?”
“No Ue?”
“No I’m a Puppeteer”
“So, that girl over there, she’s an automaton…?”
Her eyes widening, she stared at the girl next to her (a little unnerved)
Her shock was understandable Blood flowed under the girl’s skin, which had a slight tinge of red to it She had a heartbeat, and she was breathing as well No matter how you looked at it, she was totally human
This high level of detail in an automaton, while not unheard of in this place known as Machine City, was soht For most of the residents here, the automata they were familiar ere ears and cylinders
The feentle smile
“Yes, Yaya is Raishi+n’s “personal doll” —Even in bed”
That last part was an unnecessary remark
The passengers started whispering a deeply while staring at them
“Nooooooooo you pervert!”
Whoosh, went her open palh the air, as she slapped the youth on the cheek
Hugging her little sister, she ran away as fast as she could
“Yaya…”
“Yes, Raishi+n?”
“Right now, there’s this dark feeling swirling about in my heart I wonder what it is?”
“… lust?”
“Of course it’s anger! Why do you always keep saying things that will cause other people to get the wrong idea!”
“But…! That girl was looking at Raishi+n with a lewd look in her eyes…!”
“You’re the one who’s looking at other people the wrong way!”
After being scolded, the girl dripped the hem of her kimono and looked down at her feet despondently
Her thin eyebrows pointed doards, while tears began to form at the corners of her eyes
Her sad figure was painful to watch The youth let out a sigh
“Forget it Let’s go If the police get here it’ll be a hassle to deal with them”
“… Ok!”
Slinging his trunk over his shoulder, he started walking off The clip-clop of the geta echoed as the girl followed closely behind him
Stepping off the carriage, the passengers could only watch du of people in the city
Machine civilization only started to blossoside the rey, ic as a system
Machinart An innovation which coic upside down
It involved running aa puppeteer control it This coic that were faster, er than traditional methods
With the advent of this technique,incantations into autoic instantly
At the sa exploited for military use
The victory at Trafalgar, as well as the triumph at Waterloo All these would not have been possible if not for the existence of the pride of British army, the Machinart Division
Of course, this wasn’t restricted to just England In this era, countries stockpiled auto to develop new, talented puppeteers to control them Theto outdo each other
It was only a matter of ti of national importance
A few hours after the incident with the train, at the heart of the city of Liverpool
A curious couple stopped before a ate
An Oriental youth and an autoirl It was the pair who had stopped the runaway train earlier
“The Royal Acadeis”
The youth read out the words engraved onto the plate, with a cynical smile on his face
“Fahest institute of education within the realic It looks more like a fort, no, maybe prison would be a better fit”
The scenery he was describing expanded before his eyes as his walked on
Towering over the front was a large, ham Palace to mind when one looked at it Its brick walls were easily 50 ate had little eyeholes set in the enemies, they feltstudents As further proof, the gatekeeper wasn’tan eye on the premises
Even the most conservative of people would have to ad The school was as frightening as a military base
However, unbothered by it all, the autoirl pointed towards the dormitories
“Look over there Raishi+n That’s our new love nest <>
She was in high spirts
In contrast, the youth was unnaturally silent Noticing this, she tilted her head at him
“What’s wrong, Raishi+n? You look depressed”
“Once we pass through that gate, you know you won’t be able to return to the world for a quite a while right?”
Testing her resolve, the youth stared straight into the eyes of the girl
“It’s the law of this country All auto to the students of the Acaderaduation”
Her hand on her chest, the girl spoke without hesitation, like she was reciting a pledge
“The only place Yaya desires to be is where Raishi+n is Whether it’s on the battlefield, or in prison, that will never change”
“You think too highly of e”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself Raishi+n Yaya was a mere doll created by Shouko, from the day I was born I was but a iven a purpose, she started living for the first time in her life”
Her gentle s of a flower
“I’ll always be by your side Rashi+n Even when you’re in your futon”
“I’ll have to decline that However, keep up that strong resolve of yours”
The youth relaxed his face, and strode forwards with firm steps
On that day, the solitary youth, alongside his ates into the academy
With that, what awaited him was that banquet of strife—