Clockwork Planet
/ Clockwork Planet Vol 1 Chapter 2
3.18am, 24 seconds.
Marie Bell Breguet woke up.
She kicked the blanket and leapt up.
She was in the middle of this dark small room, probably used to keep books inside, and held her breath as she listened in on her surroundings.
(That was…)
She felt mysteriously uneasy for some reason.
She was already in a deep slumber due to the fatigue from the long journey, only to wake up out of a sudden. The heart in her left chest was throbbing violently.
Her feet slowly left her temporary bed, and touched the floor.
There was silence everywhere.
And there were still a few hours till dawn.
The staff were resting their bodies and minds for the arduous task that would await them. The ones who have yet to sleep were probably the night shift workers who were in charge of supervision. Marie too was allured by the urge to snuggle under the blanket again…but held herself back.
She could not leave that strange feeling back then as it was.
She was a genius, and also a Meister.
Ever since her childhood, she had been practically entered different locations every single scene, and detected countless numbers of anomalies and dangers.
The talent and experience was warning her. In this situation, she was able to gain such a feeling because of those factors.
That was why it was impossible to say that nothing happened.
“Who’s there!?”
Marie yelled as she hurriedly got up.
She put on her coat, trudged her heavy feet, and pushed the door aside.
She exited onto the dim corridor, and there was something moving slightly beside the door. It was a bald middle-aged man with a hulking bear-like body, but his existence felt frighteningly nonexistent.
He, Halter, was lying on the floor under a blanket, and slowly lifted his head.
“…What is it, Milady? You dreamt of something scary?”
“You wanna die?”
Marie glared at Halter with an insecure look.
“Get up, you fat oaf. Get all the calculation data of around 120 seconds to me right now.”
“Alright. I’ll get them…ah,also.”
“What’s it!? Hu-Hurry up! Rush!”
In the face of Marie’s terrifying look, Halter said,
“I get it already. Can you please put on some underwear, at least?”
“?”
Taken aback, Marie’s movement, expression and breathing ceased in unison.
“…”
Nothing.
She was not wearing anything.
Or rather, she was naked.
This genius girl had her hands placed on her hips, standing proudly whilst fully exposed.
“09:47, 4 July 2015 (UTC)09:47, 4 July 2015 (UTC)~!!!”
The moment she lifted her head, Halter was nowhere in sight.
The palm she instinctively raised had lost its target, and her face was beetroot as she hurried back into the room.
Halter soon came back as according to Marie’s behest.
Marie had randomly picked up the clothes she had discarded in the room, and the instant she wore them, a knock on the door could be heard.
“–You may come in”
She spoke stiffly.
The instant she said this, Halter walked in with a stack of data.
Marie was intending to at least break one of Halter’s shins as she waited, but had to give up on the notion once she saw an observation team members follow behind Halter.
Leaving aside her appearance in front of a rugged hooligan, there was no way she could be disgraceful in front of her elite staff members.
Marie resisted the urge to click her tongue as she shot Halter a sharp glare.
–Die, you hoodlum.
One had to wonder whether Halter comprehended the meaning behind that stare. He arched his body slightly and left the pile of data in his clutches onto the table.
The observation team leader, Hannes, took out a piece of data, and handed it to Marie.
“Professor Marie, from the observation data we have gathered–”
“There’s an intermittent change in gravity?”
Marie seized the opportunity to answer first.
Upon his words being interrupted, Hannes widened his eyes.
“Oh, I`m really surprised. Have you already realized it?”
“Just a wild guess. I had a feeling that would be the case.”
“Yes, it is as you said, professor. The value has increased from 0.92 to 1.04 during this one hour. There has been 3 instances of intermittent gravity changes.”
“…A change of 0.1G? No, it should be a smaller difference, right? It’s a good thing that you managed to observe it. Isn’t this a shock large enough to wake anyone up?”
Halter interrupted with some really sloppy respectful language.
“You’re already made into a cyborg anyway. The Tourbillion mechanism grafted inside you meant that any error levels in gravity changes will be negated.”
Marie answered as she watched the body that was much bulkier and taller than anyone else.
Halter, acting as Marie’s bodyguard and secretary, was originally a ‘technician’ born in the military, and his body was already turned into a cyborg when he was young. His physical power was such that he would wreck a combat automata with a single punch, but in contrast, his delicate senses were not as sharp as a real body.
“Even so, this value is at best about the weight of someone riding on an elevator, no?”
“It’s still enough. That’s still not the main problem.”
“Though the change itself is just erroneous, the problem is the value itself. The values on the frequency graph shows unprecedented situation if we compare the data over the last 30 years. Even though it’s maintaining a constant gravitational value of 1.03…”
“If we read into the observed data, that’s more or less,”
–Marie felt her body weigh heavier, and stopped talking.
It was not a weight that would cause her to collapse, but it was a change that was not to be ignored.
Marie calmly analyzed the gravitational pull weight on her, and murmured,
“–It’s 1.34 now.”
“Professor Marie, this after all…”
“Yeah, we can’t solve this with a simple deduction of ‘just a simple gravity anomaly’. Looking at the rate this changes, everyone above the gears will be affected.”
That meant that,
“In the worst case scenario, we may have a collapse of the city structure.”
“–!!”
Marie’s calm words caused everyone present to tense up.
This extent of gravitational change was at best equivalent to someone in a drunken stupor.
But what if there was a stronger gravitational force than that? Or when zero gravity occurred?
They might end up being crushed by their own weight, or they could be sent flying into space.
Or perhaps the damage could be beyond what the escapement could contain, and the machinery would be malfunctioned.
It would be fine if it were an automobile or a house/mansion, but if the 12 ‘Clock towers’ that controlled the city’s environments and the ‘Core Tower’ that stood in the center, extended towards the stratosphere were to be destroyed–they would not be able to rebuild the city.
This city, Kyoto, would vanish forever.
The ‘Clockwork Planet’, a world comprised of gears, was a black technology nobody could replicate even after 1000 years.
This was the same even for this Meister, one of the 6305 Meisters in the world.
“–Listen to me, everyone.”
Marie spoke.
She looked around at the uneasy looking workers, and spoke with an adamant.
“I suppose everyone has realized that the situation is critical. This certainly is a weird case, whether it was the sudden dispatch or a simple malfunction report–”
Once she spoke till here, she paused.
Her legs were spread as wide as her shoulders, her left hand on her waist as she raised her right arm leisurely.
Though she had the body of a petite girl, she had a queenly vibe to her as she continued.
“Everyone here is recognized as a first-rate technician. Sure, we may not be comparable to ‘Y’ who created the world, but you and I are elites gathered all over the world. Nobody can surpass us, and there is no malfunction we can’t solve. First, we have to think of this and admit this.”
This arrogant-sounding words caused every worker present to change their expressions.
–Right, none of the technicians sent here were incompetent.
All of them started from ‘Rearing’, and after the baptism of working at the scenes, were promoted to Gazelle’. Once they combined their talents and experience together, they attained the level of ‘first-class’, seasoned technicians.
There was no exception amongst them, from the commander Marie till the observation staff; they were first grade talents any enterprises, even the ‘military’ would welcome with open arms.
“Right. We’re the ‘Meister Guild’.”
‘Meister Guild’.
An international organization that aimed to maintain and preserve the planetary structure. More than half of the Meisters in the world were affiliated with this organization full or technicians, and it had the the most cutting edge technology and equipment to deal with all sorts of malfunctions in the world.
Their actions were not hindered by any government or philosophy. They were a non-governmental organization.
This is the ‘Meister Guild’.
“It does look like the ‘Guild’ always has special reasons to hurry us over from one end of the world to intervene here. The ‘military’ attitude does seem to show that they’re doing some unspeakable dealings…well, we’re already used to being hated by them anyway, right?”
There were wry grins showing on the staff’s faces, showing their experiences when dealing with the ‘military’.
“The work this time looks like it’ll take quite some effort, so let’s enjoy it as much as we can.”
Marie’s tone seemed to indicate that was really her intent; she sounded really riled up.
“I don’t know what else will happen, but we can conclude that ‘we don’t have time’.”
In for a penny, in for a pound; with such a mentality, she said,
“Observation team, hurry up and confirm which level of the core tower is causing this. Any ordinary technicians out there will need a year to finish this–I want you to finish this in two weeks!”
“”Roger that!”””
Marie had tasked them with an utterly, ridiculously difficult request, but all the staff present responded enthusiastically.
After watching the observation team leave to their work as per instructed, Marie slumped into the temporary bed.
“Ahh…that was tiring.”
“Sure was tough. That was a moving speech.”
Marie groaned as she looked up at the ceiling, and Halter handed her a cup that was giving off steam. Inside it was a thoroughly stirred hot cocoa, filled with much milk and sugar.
Marie got up to receive the cup,and curled her lips into a grimace.
“I’m really grateful to those guys, to be willing to be fooled by this young lady’s speech.”
“Everyone is being fooled knowingly. They’re all adults after all.”
“Really?”
“Of course. How can an idiot be a Meister and really act calmly after seeing a city’s functions.being impaired? I’m a technician stuck at the ‘Gazelle’ level, and even I knew that much.”
“…”
Halter brought a foldable chair to Marie, and sat down in front of her.
“It’s scary. This isn’t something we can put up with. If you mess up here, people will die, and the city will be gone in ashes. There’s no way to salvage it. Despite that, everyone’s working like a gambler, afraid yet willing to bet on–you see, there’s still a young lady who’s still trying to act tough even though she’s waiting herself.”
“…It really does sound silly.”
“Of course. It’s laughable.”
Halter silently gave a smile, and continued.
“You laughed, get fooled, and still acted tough. If such a cute lady is able to laugh it off like that, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for the adults to run away from the line of duty?”
“You sure can talk even though you’re like that, Halter.”
Marie smiled, and brought the cup to her lips.
She enjoyed the sugars of the cocoa, and it created a delightful sensation in her tired brain.
“So, how about you get down to work? As an adult.”
“Yes, as you wish, Milady.”
“Go investigate the ‘military’. I want to know what they know.”
“Hm? They promised to reveal all information to us now?”
“It’s true that there’s nothing suspicious about the simulation data they divulged to us, but it’s not like they’ll obediently hand over all the data to as. I want that proof and contents.”
“You mean–”
Halter hushed his voice and spoke with a stern look,
“–The ‘military’ is hiding news about a fatal malfunction, no?”
“We can at least assume that there’s such a possibility.”
“…Is the situation that bad?”
“Maybe. It is concerning that the ‘Guild’ headquarters never briefed us on anything before sending us all the way here.”
“Private information, maybe? But if they have grasped any hidden secrets the ‘military’ and Japanese government have, the headquarters will at least explain, right?”
“Maybe they don’t have solid proof. Besides, it’s not like the ‘Guild’ has nothing to with the outside world. They can’t ignore the intentions of the 5 great enterprises backing us–and there’s a group of guys wanting to eliminate me.”
“…Hey hey, that’s scary.”
Marie smirked.
“It’s because of this that you’re here, right?”
Marie Bell Breguet.
The youngest Meister in history was the darling princess of the Breguet Company’s chairman, one of the 5 great enterprises.
Due to that talent and prestige, she was already used to the stares of envy and hatred despite her not being criticized straight in the face. There were lots of scoundrels wanting to pull her down, and when those people tried to deal with her through violence, it would be Halter’s job to protect her.
“It’s alright if it’s just me worrying too much, but I want insurance on this.”
“Understood. I’ll go check it out anyway.”
The instant Halter stood up, someone knocked on the door.
“? –Come in.”
“Please excuse me.”
A observation team member, who had just left the room a while back, entered upon being granted the permission by Marie.
“What is it? Any progress in the work?”
“Well actually, I’m reporting about the container for the YD-01.”
“Hm? You found RyuZU?”
Marie inadvertently tried to stand up, and the worker stammered, seemingly having difficulty in talking.
“Well, about that…after analysing the flight trajectory in reverse, we managed to confirm where it landed. We did send a team to the scene to reclaim it…”
“And then?”
Marie felt anxious over how uneasy the worker sounded as she clenched her fists.
“Unfortunately, it fell onto an apartment.”
“…Apartment?”
“Yes. Due to the impact of that fall,well…the entire apartment collapsed.”
“–HUH!?”
Her throat inadvertently let out a strange voice.
At the same time, the cup fell from her hand.
The piping hot cocoa rained onto her knees, causing her to roll about due to the scalding.
The young worker could only ask concernly whilst the genius girl nearly fainted,
“Ar-Are you alright, Professor Marie!?”
“No…I-I’m fin..”
Marie answered as she desperately swallowed the moan that rose to her throat. She grabbed the towel Halter provided as he stood sidelong, and with a teary look, she stared at the worker.
“It-It collap…sed?”
“Y-Yes, well…to put it, it seemed to be an old dilapidated set of apartments in the first place.”
“Wait, hey! Don’t tell me people died!?”
Halter nearly shrieked, and the reporting worker hurriedly denied it,
“No, the good thing amongst all these is that we haven’t found any dead people. There’re only a few people living inside such a large set of apartments, and there was quite some time from the fall till the collapse, so it seemed they were able to evacuate in time.”
“I-Is that so? that’s good…”
Marie answered as she wiped the cocoa off herself, but the worker continued,
“W-Well, about that…it’s not exactly a good thing.”
“? What’s the other problem?”
“In other words, the apartments have fallen.”
“You just mentioned that.”
Marie frowned skeptically, and the staff worker showed an anxious look,
“I’m saying that it fell! The YD-01 container has fallen below the city grid along with the apartments!”
“–!!!”
For the first time in quite a while, Marie felt her eyes narrow into dots.
She then unintentionally asked.
“What did you just say?”
“The YD-01 container has collapsed below the city grid. The good news is that the collapsed rubble is still left in the crust, but it’s likely that reclamation will be very tough as we have no machinery to deal with wood and dirt…”
“Hey…”
Halter could only groan as he placed a hand on his forehead.
This time, even he did not have the luxury to make any cheeky comments, but upon seeing that his master was still shocked, he finally recovered, and whispered,
“…Anyway, let’s contact headquarters. Explain the losses this time to the person in charge of the legal department, and get excavation machinery over here. That thing’s a resource the Breguet Corporation can’t ignore, so perhaps they’ll send someone over once we explain matters.”
“Y-Yes…I guess. I’m sorry, but can I leave the procedures to you?”
“Understood.”
Halter nodded, and brought the reporting staff worker out of the room.
Marie closed the door, and was left alone in the room, curling her lips in a self-deprecating manner.
“…It looks like this is really becoming quite an enjoyable job.”
At the same time–3.17am, 46 seconds.
Naoto Miura opened his eyes.
He was in a park, a sports park with a wide field and playground facilities for infants and toddlers to play. Naoto was lying in a rest corner located in a corner of the park, covering his ears and gritting his teeth.
“…Shut up.”
There was a distorted noise.
It was common for him to hear the abnormal unpleasant noises from the city structure, but that was exceptionally shrill.
At the 24th basement level of the core tower, approximately 70,620m down below, the gears were giving off an unpleasant noise.
For this reason, he was awoken up. Normally, such noises could be insulated through the use of his favorite headphones–however, his headphones…or rather.,
“Why…am I sleeping at such a place?”
He murmured to himself, tilting his head.
His body was as heavy as a lead block, for he was sleeping on a hard place. It did not seem as if he had just napped at all.
“You’re awake, Master Naoto.”
A clear, beautiful voice rang could be heard from behind, ringing his head that was yet to be fully awake.
He looked back, and saw an angelic face just inches from him, and inadvertently reared his head back.
Her gold dazzling eyes of precious stones were staring right at him.
She was a breathtaking beauty–yet had the expression of a man-made object that was hard to read into.
…I believe this…?
He struggled to adjust his posture, but tumbled over.
For the heavy pressure was suddenly exerted upon him.
The hand supporting his body slipped, and he fell from the bench
The back of his head then slammed into the sturdy edge of the bench hard.
“OOOUUUUUCCCCHHHHHH!!!! MY HEAD FEELS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BREAK APART!!!”
And as Naoto was groaning away, cupping his head in agony, a lovely voice rang from above,
“This is a new form of gymnastics, no? It certainly is a stylish form that transcends time.”
“That’s not it! What was that just now?”
“A fluctuation in gravity, it seems. I suppose it’s a trivial error in the city structure.”
“The damned government. Just do that maintenance, will ya!”
Naoto grumbled as he got up.
He dusted his clothes, and faced the owner of this beautiful voice.
The girl was seated with her knees on her bench, and Naoto was secretly flustered upon realizing that he had been sleeping on her thighs until the moment he woke up.
“You’re called, RyuZU…right?”
“Yes. I’m the 1st unit for the Initial-Y series, RyuZU.”
Upon seeing her show such an elegant mile as she answered, Naoto’s memory finally kicked into gear as he quickly recalled what happened the previous night.
And then, after sorting through what had happened, he could only laugh blankly,
“…That was a crazy night.”
Everything had been per usual till the moment he returned home.
But once he entered the bathroom, a meteorite fell, and it turned out to be an enigmatic package with an angelic automata within–in the end, he decided to stay within the collapsing building and carrying out a repair work of life and death.
“Ah, right! What happened to my house?”
“If it’s about the house you lived in, Master Naoto,”
In response to Naoto’s words, RyuZU responded with a stare.
There was red smoke rising at the place she was looking up, dissolving into the black sky.
“Is that…the apartment where I used to live?”
“Yes. There was a fire and a collapse afterwards, thus the evacuation here.”
Upon listening closely, he would hear the sirens of the fire brigade amidst the noises in the city.
It seemed this was the park several blocks away from his apartment; upon calming down, he looked around, and affirmed that these were familiar surroundings.
“…Haha, good bye, my home…so I’m now homeless?”
Naoto could not help but cherish the memories as he watched what used to be his home, now no different from a wasteland.
“I don’t have any money too. What do I do now…”
“About that.”
RyuZU spoke calmly,
“I took your clothes and valuables before your home was completely collapsed.”
“What?”
Upon her words, Naoto’s eyes gathered upon the items placed on the table.
“Ohh! My wallet, bank book and seal! And my headphones!”
He put on his favorite cheap headphones without hesitation. Besides the aforementioned items, there was his school bag, uniform, sneakers, handheld devices, and others placed there.
Having thought that his valuables were reduced to rubble along with his apartment, Naoto was squealing for joy at this unexpected outcome.
“Please allow me to apologize for reading your bank book on my own initiative…your name is Naoto Miura…am I correct?’
“Eh?”
The instant she asked him this, Naoto realized that he had yet to introduce himself.
“Ahh…well, yeah.”
“–Then.”
RyuZu remained seated in Seiza as she lowered her head respectfully.
“I am grateful that you did my adjustments. Also, while I am not certain on the details, I do sincerely apologize about destroying your residence, Master Naoto. Perhaps I should bury the heads of the ones responsible into the dirt and make them apologize, for now, I…”
RyuZU was elegant and old-fashioned, but at the same time, Naoto was entranced by the venomous spite in her apology.
The specifications she showed after being repaired was boggling.
Soon after she was rebooted, she had the decision making ability to assess the surroundings.
She had the mobility to escape together with Naoto from the collapsing building.
And also, she even managed to gather all his finances from the collapsed building during the time he was unconscious.
And more important–that fluent apology.
“There’s nothing to apologize.”
Naoto shook his head.
“Anyway, I’m amazed by your capabilities, RyuZU, to the point of tears.”
“That will be perfect. Then, will you allow me to register you as my master and serve alongside you, Master Naoto?”
RyuZU reached her hand at Naoto.
Master Identification .
The bond between master and slave.
“Eh…?”
This sudden abnormal feeling caused Naoto to hesitate.
“No, that, wait…”
RyuZU tilted her little head skeptically,
“Then, is there anything inconvenient? Is it because this flawless, impeccable me will damage your mitochondria-like pride if I am to be by your side, Master Naoto?”
–The tone RyuZU spoke with the instant she was first activated.
Her words were vicious, not holding any punches; for some reason however, there was no sense of dissatisfaction formed within him.
Naoto shook his head, preventing his mind from straying away from the topic at hand, and answered,
“That’s not it, RyuZU. You’re an amazing automata, aren’t you?”
‘Yes. Have you understand?”
“There’re so many parts in that small body of yours, your functions and style are beautiful, you’re a perfect masterpiece.”
“Yes, I am relieved to see that you have such eye for beauty besides being a knothole, Master Naoto.”
“No matter what kind of new automata brands there are, there’ll be none as charming as you, RyuZU!”
“Yes, that is a certainty. Certainly, I have no idea regarding the abilities of the latest automata, but if humanity were to be able to create tools that barely reach the level of my ankles, my mechanical functions would not have ceased for 206 years.”
RyuZU immediately answered with confidence.
These words caused Naoto to exclaim in shock.
“206 years? Speaking of which, when were you created anyway, RyuZU?”
“About 1000 years ago.”
“A millenium–?”
Approximately a millenium ago.
In other words–she was an automata created during the time the Earth was outfitted with gears.
…This is?
Is this the perfect automata that can only be described as ‘ultimate’?
–Right, why didn’t I feel suspicious about it in the first place?
What exactly is ‘she’, this automata even the latest oncs could not compare to.
“RyuZU…what are you exactly?”
“What, as in?”
“That’s what I’m wondering! You fell from the sky! You’re super cute, and have that ‘I am of superior technology’ feeling around you!”
“So what?”
“No, that’s…anyway, I’m a high school student, you know?”
“Is that so? Since you were able to repair me, Master Naoto, I believe you’re the human with the most outstanding technical skills on this world, no?”
“No no no no! How can that be possible? I’m just an ordinary high school student, a failure of humans even. If I’m to say, I’m not popular!”
“–Then, why did you activate me?”
And so, RyuZU asked with an intrigued look.
“Well, that’s…”
Naoto suddenly realized,
…Why?
RyuZU was right? What did he want to do after fixing the automata?
He again turned to face RyuZU again.
–This antique doll was created more that 1000 years ago.
It was true that she has that cuteness, beauty and perfection that was unapproachable.
…But was she too perfect?
She showcased some specifications beyond that of military automata soon after she was activated, to a befuddling extent even, whether it was the conversation before, or the display of emotions. If it was the expression of emotions and daily conversations, the current automata would be able to do them well, but would clearly give the impression of artificial beings.
In contrast, RyuZU had the vibe of a living person.
Even if she was abandoned 1000 years ago, this level of automata could not possibly be something man-made. If it was a civilian servant girl doll created by an enterprise…the specifications were way too high.
What if she was made by the ‘military’?
She did not seem to be mass produced; was she the prototype of a secretly created weapon?
…No no, that would be impossible.
Even if she was a military automata of the latest kind, there was no reason or significance in making her take the form of a young girl.
Perhaps technology-wise, it was plausible, but if such a pretty girl new generation weapon were to be release, there was no doubt that the developer’s head would be sent flying.
The more he thought about it, the more perplexed he got.
What sort of person exactly created such an automata, with what intentions?
–Was she created with abnormal intentions?
–Was there actually a shocking secret hidden within it?
Upon thinking about it, even though she was a flawless, super cute automata…there was no way he could simply invoke a contract in the heat of the moment.
“–Is, that so…”
It seemed RyuZU had sensed Naoto’s thoughts.
She then retracted her outstretched hand silently.
Her temperament, calmness, smiling face showed a all-too-realistic tinge of emotion.
Because of it, the subtle change was clear to see.
“I’m…an existence that’s not need.”
It was a lamentation, one of melancholy and loneliness feeling that she was not needed by anyone.
At that instance, a balance scale appeared in Naoto’s mind.
On both sides were the flawless automata and the unknown risks of being attacked at any given moment.
Which of the two sides was heavier? Perhaps that was the meaning?
…All right then.
Naoto grinned in his heart, and first, he placed RyuZU on the left side of the scale.
The instant he put it on, the scale was weighed down, blasting the table to bits and causing the floor to be blown to smithereens, destroying all of Naoto’s rationality, hesitation, concerns and other important factors, resulting in a deformation–
“I’M SORRYRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! I REALLY WANT YOUUUUUUU–!!”
Naoto knelt down at the speed of light.
And at that instance, he revealed his true intentions.
“I’m forcing myself too much! I never intended to give up on you! No matter what happens in the future, please continue to take care of my long life from now on!!”
He yelled as he knelt down, his head on the floor, his arms raised as high as possible.
Right, these were clearly the true thoughts in his mind.
Is there anything to think about it? Which idiot will let such a ‘treasure’ get away!
Creator? Original owner? RyuZU’s true identity? Like heck I care about them!
Even if the mastermind’s the ‘military’ or some other enterprise; nothing else matters as long I get RyuZU. That’s for sure!
“–Then, please allow me to borrow your right hand. Also, will you please stand up if possible?”
Naoto stood up as if he was shot, and quickly reached his right hand out.
RyuZU’s hands took Naoto’s palm.
“Then, please excuse me–*aum*”
The ring finger was sucked into the mouth, from the tip to the metacarpal.
A startling sensation ran down Naoto’s back, causing him to inadvertently let out a sound.
RyuZU’s soft, moist tongue was throbbing inside her mouth, licking Naoto’s ring finger delicately as if it was probing into it, wrapping around it, stirring inside. The lubricating fluids secreted from the soft materials was causing bubbles, making a slurping sound.
I’m going to melt. Naoto thought.
Naoto had a feeling that he was being consumed in RyuZU’s mouth for eternity, starting from the finger. The beautiful angelic girl was in doing an obscene act of putting his finger inside her mouth, causing him to feel an inexplicable sense of guilt and unspeakable delight.
Just when Naoto was about to pass out from the scorching sensation burning his mind.
–The sound of countless gears spinning in unison within RyuZU could be heard.
“Nn…ahn…”
Was this the end of the identification?
RyuZU’s mouth slowly left Naoto’s finger.
Ignoring the state of blankness in his mind, Naoto touched RyuZU’s face with his liberated palm. It was a mass of warmth and tenderness…
RyuZU’s eyes were moist as she leaned upon that hand, and at the same instant she exhaled hot air,
“–Initial Y series Unit 01–‘Your Slave’ RyuZU pledges her absolute obedience and loyalty to Master Naoto, always staying by your side until the gears in this body break down and stop.”
These words were far beyond that of an ordinary ‘master identification”. Rather, they were comparable to that of the sacred words of a wedding vow, spoken by RyuZU.
“Wait, I…ca-can…”
As the dazzling morning sun seemed to break through the blue sky.
Naoto was huffing and puffing, panting pathetically at the Kamo Bridge railing.
“Th-That’s impossible…RyuZU. I really…can’t do this anymore.”
“Master Naoto, I am really impressed that your frail body is able to last till today considering that you’re panting from this level of exercise.”
“…After, what happened yesterday, haa, and considering that I never slept at all, didn’t have a proper meal…I’m amazed that you’re, calling me weak…when I have, to run to school…”
“I’m honored to receive your praise.”
The sarcasm he managed to say after gathering much courage was easily brushed aside.
They were an hour’s walk away from ‘what was originally’ Naoto’s apartment, moving along the Kamogawa. The white school campus was located at the “Kamogawa Delta”, at the intersection between Takanogawa and Kamogawa
That was the Tadasu no Mori High School Naoto attended in Kyoto.
I may not look this way, but I do have a perfect attendance record. The moment he said this to RyuZU, he was practically dragged along by her, running all the way here…
However, the time shown on the watch was 7.12am…way too much time before class began
In the face of such a fact, Naoto spoke to RyuZU with tears in his eyes,
“Speaking of which, I’m really a homeless person…I should be worrying about things like having a bed or dinner more than rushing to school for class, right?”
“Please rest assured. I shall handle all these matters while you are attending class in school, Master Naoto. If my carelessness prevented you from having a perfect attendance record no matter the reason, my pride too will be gone.”
Naoto cocked an eye at RyuZU,
“Then what if your master nearly dies because of sleep deprivation and excessive fatigue?”
“That is because of your uselessness and weakness, Master Naoto. I shall not bear responsibility for any negligence in upbringing during the time before I arrived.”
“Hm, even though that is the case…”
“To be honest, it is none of my business.”
“You’re really direct!”
Naoto, upon hearing such verbal violence, ended up laughing however.
Every single word RyuZU spouted was certainly vicious, but it was not distasteful.
–It’s definitely not because I got a new interest; Naoto told himself.
“…Master Naoto?”
“Ah, sorry. Speaking of which, what do you plan to do for the aftermath? I only have enough funds for food this month.”
“I never had any expectations regarding your abilities, Master Naoto, so please be assured. I alone can raise money for shelter and subsistence.”
RyuZU said nonchalantly.
And so, Naoto looked displeased.
“Are you going to work, RyuZU? That’s…”
“You certainly do say some strange things, Master Naoto. Please think with your common sense. How do you earn money through hard work?”
“…This is the first time I’m hearing such strange logic.”
“Besides, I am of your possession, Master Naoto. Even if it a temporary matter, it is impossible theoretically or physically for people of humble backgrounds to use money when they do not know the workings.”
“–”
…Is this actually the case of a Tsundere?
Naoto’s lips inadvertently broke into a smile, and he hurriedly changed the topic.
“Then, what do you want to do exactly…?”
“Master Naoto, do not ask too much about such trivial matters. Even if you are down for the count, an elite has to remain positive at all times.”
“I don’t remember being that amazing…but nevermind.”
Naoto sighed as he said, and continued.
“Actually, I spent 3 hours repairing you yesterday, RyuZu…my mind and body are completely tired now. If you can help deal with some troublesome matters–speaking of which, what’s the matter?”
Naoto lifted his head, and saw RyuZU stand still with her eyes widened.
After maintaining that pose for 5 seconds,
“…Sorry for making you worry. I deliberately repeated the words 20 million times in my mind so that I did not mistake what you had just said, Master Naoto.”
“Eh? Di-Did I say anything strange?”
“You said that you repaired me in 3 hours.”
“Eh, yeah. I did.”
“…May I ask a question?”
“Oh. Okay. What’s on your mind?”
RyuZU elegantly pleased her hand on her chest.
“May you tell me–the total number of gears that form me?”
“Erm…4,207,600,008,643?”
“Please answer me, what is the number of regular vibrations in my main cylinder?”
“The largest part in the spine, right? If I’m not mistaken, it’s 6,254,941,395.”
“…How many strands of artificial neural networks are there in my springs?”
“There are 15,945,549,846 directly connected ones, and if considering the ones connected to the resonants, there are 62,945,634,574,578 of them.”
“…Allow me to ascertain, Master Naoto. Have you seen my design plan?”
“No? Anyway, does such a thing exist anyway?”
“It doesn’t. Logically, there shouldn’t be one, which is why I am asking this. How do you know the details of my construct?”
“Why?”
“It is impossible to analyze my structure in a mere 3 hours through the use of a personal simulation device–no, this applies even for professional devices. Thus, I could only assume that you had seen my blueprint before.”
RyuZU persisted with her question, and Naoto looked befuddled as he tilted his head.
“But you’re right in front of me now, you know? Even if I don’t investigate everything one by one, I just need to hear to understand, right? Logically put.”
RyuZU continued to stare at Naoto skeptically.
“This is the first time I am hearing of such strange common sense; sound, is it?”
“Well, I guess it’s kinda like a skill. My hearing has always been better than others, so my ears can hear everything in a machine construct even if I don’t see it directly.”
“In other words, even me?”
“Yeah, I just need to hear. Your body’s so pretty anyway, RyuZU. There weren’t any excess parts in you, so I quickly knew where the fault is. There’s some noise in that wonderful sound, and I was angry, so I started to repair it. I don’t regret this.”
“…”
“Hm? What is it, RyuZU?”
“Master Naoto.”
“Yes?”
“Master Naoto’s a pervert.”
“Yes…huh? That has nothing to do with our conversation, right?”
Naoto got up with a dumbfounded look.
“It’s about time for us to move.”
During the time they were resting, the number of students heading to school was increasing. They stared at the duo while crossing the bridge, murmuring some things along the way.”
RyuZU stared at them in an intriguing manner, and asked,
“…It seems the stares are gathered upon us. What is the reason?”
“Ah, well, it’s because someone like me is being with you, I guess.”
Naoto answered, and RyuZU nodded understandingly.
“It is to be expected that this angelic beauty me, a gift from the heavens, is admired by the suffering, humble peasants. Please pardon me for asking such a foolish question.”
“Eh, that’s somewhat true, but I’m here too.”
“In other words, their awe had multiplied because they have witnessed this heavenly pearl in me stand alongside Master Naoto, the apex of humanity?”
“No, it’s actually ‘why’s that useless bastard being together with such a super cute girl’?”
“Master Naoto, I do find that your appearance is of the lowest denominator, but it certainly does not mean that you are being scorned by those humans that are lower than the ants scurrying on the ground.”
“Even I will cry if you keep that up.”
Naoto was about to pass out on the spot, but shook his head,
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I deserve it anyway, and I’m already used to it.”
But in response to his words, RyuZU shook her head unhappily.
“No, it’s not good at all.”
“Why?”
“Because that is irrational and inexplicable. I do not understand what reasons this group of people have in deeming you as someone inferior?”
Naoto raised his eyebrow in disbelief.
“I want to ask instead, how highly do you think of me, RyuZU?”
“Master Naoto, you are the only human who is able to reinstate me from my broken state.”
“But isn’t that just what you see, RyuZU? Most people don’t think of me this way.”
“Is that not because they are inferior, incapable beings who are unable to understand–”
“But they’re the ones who form society, RyuZU. Those who can’t be understood by everyone are no different from non-existences; this is the rule of this society.”
…After a long silence, RyuZU unhappily spoke,
“I do admit it is vexing to be rebuffed by you, Master Naoto, but I do admit that what you said makes sense.”
“So you understand. Is there anything else?”
“Sorry. Is there something else I may ask?”
“Hm? What is it?”
RyuZU called Naoto just as the latter was about to leave, seemed to ponder about something, and asked in a probing manner.
“It seems that such creatures known as humans have a strange habit of using their interest in a large unspecified number of people from the opposite gender as a symbol of superiority.”
“I really want to know exactly where did you hear that from; well, never mind, you’re right. So?”
“Is that the ‘outstanding point’ element commonly understood in the group you belong to, Master Naoto?”
“Hm? That’s quite the leap in topic…”
Naoto tilted his head as he said.
“Anyway, those popular guys will typically get high opinions. They do have people around them after all.”
“–Understood.”
“I’m not really sure what’s going on, but I’ll be going first?”
“Alright. I shall see you later then, Master Naoto.”
Naoto left for the school campus, sensing an inexplicable feeling from RyuZU’s stare.
He passed through the side doors where the shoe lockers were, and went straight for the main entrance. His indoor shoes were already stolen long ago, so he simply borrowed the guest’ indoor shoes.
He hurried towards the classroom as the sound of footsteps rang.
There was buzzing on the corridor as he approached his classroom, but nobody went to greet Naoto upon meeting him. If there was a difference from before, it would be that there were occasional snickering and muttering amongst them.
He entered the classroom, placed his bag on the thoroughly vandalized desk he was so endeared with, and sat down at the chair. It was Naoto’s daily routine to pretend to sleep until the class bell ring, as a mean of passing the time.
He laid down on the bed, and suddenly recalled what RyuZU said.
“Opinion, huh…?”
To be honest, he had no interest after all.
An outstanding weirdo would be accepted simply for saying the right things, while the useless weirdos would be treated as a black sheep.
He had no intention to hide, whether it was his own incompetence or his anomaly.
Thus, this was something he deserved. It was troublesome, but he could not salvage anything.
He thought about these as he laid prone on the table, and really felt sleepy.
…Well, too many things happened this morning, so I guess it can’t be helped…
Normally, he would wake up once the form teacher entered, but he shall sleep for the day.
And so, Naoto gradually fell into a deep slumber.
“–Nn..?”
The strange commotion in the class caused Naoto to be awakened.
Is it lunch break already? He stared at the clock, and found that it was 10.46am.
In other words, the 3rd period was starting, and he only slept for 2 hours.
What are they fussing about? Naoto raised his head skeptically.
“Ah…it is sudden, but I’ll introduce a new transfer student.”
The teacher for the 3rd period was at the podium along with a girl.
It was a pretty girl whose presence alone would attract the stares of others.
She had pure silver flowing hair, crystal white skin, thin pink lips, rosy cheeks, and golden eyes that were shining like a crown.
That beauty nobody in humanity could even imagine caused everyone to be stunned.
“…Whatcha doing?”
Naoto inadvertently blurt in dialect.
The girl standing at the podium probably heard him, for she took a step forward and waved her little hand at him.
At this point, the class, which had been completely mesmerized by the peerless beauty, turned their many stares upon their isolated and unimpressive classmate.
“My name is RyuZU Yourslave. I shall be classmates with everyone, but I have no interest in spending any time with common peasant folks, so it is fine even if you do not take care of me.”
The silver-haired girl greeted with a blooming smile, and Naoto again collapsed onto the table.
“I assumed that this will clearly show your ‘outstanding aspects’ to your group.”
“–Ahh…well, yeah, I guess. Don’t you know of the term overkill however?’
Naoto shrugged in the face of the surrounding stares.
There was envy, hatred, disgust, malice…if those stares were able to cause physical damage, Naoto would have been shredded to nothingness.
“If the other person’s a beauty like you, RyuZU, it’s a case of ‘why that guy’?”
“..This is my honest opinion, but I feel it is much easier to teach cows how to walk on their hind legs than to find rationality in humans.”
“Yeah, I can’t deny it.”
For Naoto, the day had been havoc for him from the 3rd period onwards.
RyuZU forcefully seized the seat right beside Naoto, and clung onto him during lesson time. When it was time for lunch break at the cafeteria, she sat on his thigh in a diagonal manner ‘Ah–‘ and made Naoto feed her with a monotonous tone. After that, they went to the grass patch in the courtyard, and she grabbed Naoto by the head, forcefully giving him a lap pillow…
Though Naoto was not the type who intended to care about how others viewed him (if he were, he would no longer be able to declare himself as weird), he was not brazen enough to enjoy RyuZU’s lap pillow when the scything pressure upon him could rip him to shreds.
RyuZU too did all sorts of intimate acts with him without any restraint. The classmates were simply watching the duo from afar, abstaining from the usual questions for transfer students. It was only after school that a few bold students stood up.
However…
“E-Erm, do you have sometime?”
“Yes? Is there anything you want with me?”
“Ah, ye-yeah. Regarding your transfer, there should be–”
“But I do not have any particular reason to look for you. If you excuse me.”
“If there are any queries–eh?”
…
“Hey! RyuZU’s really pretty!”
“Yeah, I know. So what?”
“…Eh, let’s think. RyuZU–”
“Will you please not call my by my name directly with that fraction of a brain? And please do not call me affectionately and understand your–no, there is no need for me to repeat it. It will simply be a waste of time.”
…
“Ah–I’m the second year…”
“I suppose you really hate me, deliberately making it all the way here from upstairs and ruin my mood. I do apologize that my senses are not sensitive enough to care for any ants, so please return.”
“Eh, no, but–I’m still rather pop–”
“I already said to disappear from my sights, or–is human language too difficult for you to understand?”
…
“Ah–”
“If you had thought through it and have already planned to say something that will consume the oxygen on Earth, many lives that have made noble sacrifices for your exothermic heat and my irreplaceable time–please continue.”
…
One could say that bodies were lying everywhere.
RyuZU kept giving Naoto angelic smiles whenever she spoke to him, but had a stoic expression when talking to others, monotonous when talking, her devilish verbals jabs piercing through others.
And so, there were boys and girls, more than 20 in total, dealt with tremendous damage during the time Naoto and RyuZU left the classroom till the moment they reached the school gate.
Once they exited the school gates, Naoto and RyuZU were headed down the Kamogawa River.
They were headed towards the cross junction at Demachiyanagi, passing by the old men running energetically and college students practising with their musical instruments.
RyuZU turned back and glanced at Naoto, who walked on with heavy steps.
“You look rather lethargic, Master Naoto.”
“Eh, yeah…thanks to you. I guess this is how it feels to be on tenterhooks…”
“You certainly are a scaredy cat to be so mindful of such unremarkable stares–though I am not especially surprised by this.”
“Stop it already. I’m seeing myself in a new realm by now.”
Naoto slouched his body in depression, and said,
“–Speaking of which, I got something to ask you. How did you transfer in?”
RyuZU calmly answered in a matter of fact,
“Of course, I handed a transfer request form.”
“Even if you said it so reactively, is it really possible for you to send the transfer request in this morning, and complete it on the day itself?’
“I merely had ‘a chat’ with the principal.”
“…’Chat’?”
“It is fine for you not to understand, Master Naoto.”
“No wait, why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?”
“It’s really nothing much. I simply did some adjustments to the hairy accessory on the hair, and even when serious, I merely said a few words.”
“A threat!? That’s a threat, right!?”
“No. I merely stated ‘a little’ wish right after our chat.”
“…I say, RyuZU, you did say that you’ll settle lodging and money. Are you going to do that through criminal methods…?”
“Master Naoto.”
RyuZU spoke with such an alluring smile,
“Speaking of which, it is an eternal form of common sense–that it is a crime only when found out, no?”
“……Right, I’ll just pretend that I never heard anything. Speaking of which, you said you found a place for us to stay at. Where’s it?”
“We’ll see it soon. It is the hotel right around the corner of that building, called ‘The Uh-huh’.”
“……RyuZU?”
Naoto suddenly stopped in his tracks, and asked,
“If I remember correctly, isn’t that a love hotel?”
Upon hearing Naoto’s doubts, RyuZU widened her eyes,
“–As you say. It is unexpected to hear this from you though, Master Naoto. Have you used it before?”
“That’s impossible. Only the popular folks in class use it often–wait, that doesn’t matter at all! How can we possibly stay in a love hotel?”
“But that love hotel ‘The Uh-huh’ just so happened to have the cheapest rates in the area we’re living in, the Kyoto. The facilities for the residence are most asture.”
“That’s not the problem! If I’m seen walking out from a love story with you, I’ll get expelled immediately, RyuZU.”
“…That is really unacceptable. Now then, I shall hear your noble alternate suggestion, Master Naoto.”
RyuZU frowned, looking somewhat unhappy as she said some spiteful words. Naoto however was frantically racking his brain,
“…An-Anyway, let’s stay at a manga cafe for the night!”
Naoto held RyuZU by the hand and walked off.
They were delayed due to the earlier detour to the love hotel, and because of that, crowds were gathered as they walked down the shopping streets, the surroundings gradually darkening.
The sun had completely set by the time they finally found a suitable manga cafe.
“That’s good. If we wait a little longer, we can get the night package–”
–Naoto looked back at RyuZU, and his expression gloomed.
Three guys flanked her without his knowledge.
They were all young men, probably of college age. One could say that birds of a feather flock together, as their appearances were unkempt, their clothing bedraggled, and they were wearing all sorts of flashy accessories that were clanking.
One of them, hoodlum A was trying to hook up RyuZU in on overly-familiar manner.
“Hey hey hey! Aren’t you quite the remarkable beauty?”
“Yes? So?”
“Ahhahaha, and you even say ‘and so’? You sure are some superior item.”
“Hey hey–you wanna play with us? We’ll treat you to something later~”
Naoto immediately understood what was going on.
These hoodlums, A, B and C were gathered together in an underhanded attempt to hunt the finest prey, RyuZU.
Normally, he did not want to get involved with such people. He would not pay any attention to both parties, and even if he did meet them, he would foolishly laugh and walk away. However–
“!!”
A burning sensation was ignited within Naoto.
Using this impulse, he held RyuZU by the hand.
“Let’s go, RyuZU.”
“Okay.”
RyuZU too nodded, ready to move away. However, the three hoodlums were not going to let go of her so easily.
Two of them encircled Naoto and RyuZU by the front, blocking them.
“Wait a minute, this is a foul now, isn’t it…whatcha doing?”
“She’s going on a date with us later, you know? Step aside, brat.”
Hoodlums A and B were leering obscenely.
The last hoodlum, C was staring at Naoto with bloodshot eyes.
“Who do you think you are anyway? Her boyfriend?”
“Nice gag there, Taku! That’s impossible! Definitely!”
The trio cackled, and hoodlum A, the first one to approached, reached out for RyuZU.
Naoto noticed his actions, and immediately slapped the hand away.
“–Ouch…what’s with you, huh!?”
The trio’s sneers vanished, rage burning in their eyes.
Even so, Naoto hollered whilst spurred by emotions,
“Shut up, don’t you even properly assess yourself and know who you can and can’t get, you self-proclaimed homosapiens!? You’re just thick-skinned, you walking filth!”
–What exactly am I saying here now?
The slightly calmer part in his mind was warning him this.
Though those hoodlums seemed to be unhealthy looking, they were three young men, and he was simply a scrawny, short boy of 16 years old.
If this were to end up becoming a fight, no matter how he struggled, the only future awaiting him would be a sandbag.
If he had tried to do this in a roundabout way, maybe he could have escaped in a peaceful manner–however, he had nary a single regret.
Even if such a moment happened again, he would definitely do the same thing–no, he might even kick the other guy once.
–Right, if they ever dare do anything to RyuZU, I’ll do anything to protect her–
The men’s faces were contorted in rage, intending to grab Naoto.
And Naoto bit his lips as he glared back.
Immediately,
“…Master Naoto, thank you very much.”
A refreshing voice could be heard.
“–My understanding of you has improved by a notch.”
“Eh?”
Naoto inadvertently asked back.
And so, the hem of RyuZU’s skirt fluttered slightly.
That was all Naoto’s naked eyes could identify.
However, the gusts and sounds seemed to have ‘something’ to them as they raced forward, seeming stroking the 3 men.
This was followed by a weird sound.
The men’s shirts, pants, accessories, shoes, underwear, and even their hair was dissoluted like there was an intricate magic trick.
“–I am really sorry.”
RyuZu lifted the hem of her skirt as she bowed at the trio, now naked and lying on the ground,
“I was already in an unpleasant mood due to those unruly people’s attitudes towards Master Naoto, so I couldn’t help but take action. I have no intention on reflecting on this however.”
“Ah, erm, ah…”
“As for your just rewards, you shall be glad that you never laid a hand upon Master Naoto. No matter what kind of pervert Master Naoto is, I do not think he will be pleased to see severed heads.”
RyuZU showed a thin smile on her face.
But her expression was absolute zero, ostensibly staring at flies on rotting flesh.
No matter how unhinged a person was, clearly he would understand what she was trying to get at.
The naked trio scampered like wild dogs, and the commotion get bigger as yelps could be heard, along with the distinct bellows of policemen.
“…O-Okay now, let’s hurry into the manga cafe. It’s too dangerous to go o
Chapter end
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