The next day, Jasmine and Luxi left the observatory. The astronomers came down to the cable car boarding area to see them off.
They set out in high spirits.
The cable car descended through the clouds.
A dawn breeze drifted in softly.
As they stared blankly at the rising sun, Luxi asked,
"Are we going to Leiden now?"
"No. There’s somewhere else I need to visit first."
"Where?"
"The Roswell region."
My journey had no grand purpose.
It was nothing more than visiting the people of this world, or certain places within it.
Nothing so lofty.
I had already altered the flow of this world greatly through my existence. The war had ended within three years, and many things had changed.
So then, how had the original characters changed? And if they had changed, how were they living now?
It seemed the war’s aftermath had not reached Leon.
Then he would live on as an astronomer, meet Violet Evergarden, gain courage from her, and become a traveler wandering the world in search of his mother.
Because the story had changed because of me, Violet might not be able to fly. But I trusted Leon.
The meeting with Violet had only been the trigger. Leon had enough courage to set out on his own.
Since we had visited the Justitia Astronomical Headquarters, the next stop was to meet Oscar Webster.
Oscar Webster was in the Roswell region.
At a rest stop somewhere in the Roswell region, we ate a simple meal in a place thick with grass and trees.
Chomp
Luxi took a big bite out of her sandwich. She chewed and swallowed with gusto.
"Mmph!"
"I told you to eat slowly. Drink some water."
I poured a glass of water for Luxi, who was coughing and choking.
Luxi gulped the water down in a hurry.
"I-I thought I was going to die."
Living with Luxi had made one thing clear to me: she was the opposite of Violet.
Violet handled her own affairs smoothly without needing to be told.
Of course, she occasionally did things that defied common sense. For example, eating raw meat as if it were nothing, or suddenly trying to kill someone.
I had taught her out of those habits well enough.
Luxi was the opposite.
She was careless, and because she could not restrain her curiosity, she caused little troubles here and there.
Perhaps that was only natural for Luxi.
She had grown up an orphan, lacked proper education, and learned strange doctrines from a cult called Utopia.
And Luxi was still a girl. She was at the age when one was bound to be restless and full of questions.
"By the way, how old are you, Jasmine?"
"I’m 28. Soon to be 29."
"Is that old?"
"Depends on the person."
In this world, where the average lifespan was shorter than in the modern age, thirty was neither young nor old.
"What do you think, Jasmine?"
"I think I’m still young."
So far, I had looked after three children, but Luxi was the first one I had traveled with.
The first child I met in my previous life. Under those circumstances, I had not been able to travel.
The second child was Violet. Naturally, there had been no room for travel in the middle of war.
The third was Luxi. We were traveling together at ease.
"But, you know... you bought my flowers at the beginning, right?"
As we walked leisurely across the vast plain, Luxi, brushing through the foxtail grass, spoke to me.
"Why did you choose violets? There were lots of other pretty flowers."
I gazed up at the sky in silence.
"Because they’re my favorite flower."
*
Violet, having finished preparing to go to the Auto-Memories Doll Training School, stood up.
She looked in the mirror to check for any flaws. Her skin, white as freshly fallen snow, had not a single blemish.
She had fought in all kinds of climates alongside Major Ioannis. The other members of the unit had dry, sunburned skin, but Violet alone remained pale.
It was the naturally fair skin she had been born with.
Finally, she picked up the map and school bag given to her by President Hajins and stood.
Click.
Just before leaving, Violet turned and looked at the painting hanging on the wall.
It was a painting of some plain. Well painted, yet lacking anything especially remarkable.
And yet it gave Violet some indescribable feeling.
For some reason...
When she looked at this painting, the emptiness left by the Major’s absence was filled, if only a little.
But it was not filled completely.
There was no way a painting could replace the Major’s existence.
That small measure of satisfaction only deepened into a greater thirst.
It was like waking in the morning and drinking only a single sip of water. If you were thirsty, you could simply drink more.
But the thirst she felt for the Major was not like that. It could not be filled.
As long as the Major was not here...
When would this thirst ever be satisfied?
Violet left for school, leaving that uncomfortable thirst behind her.
The company staff saw her off.
The great city of Leiden was a vast labyrinth.
Violet carefully studied the map and found her way. She had learned how to read one from the Major.
"Leiden really is a huge city!"
"Exactly. It was so big I got lost."
"They say having a brooch here helps you get a job. I want to graduate soon."
"You just want the brooch, don’t you?"
"Yeah."
The cadets chatted among themselves with little snickers.
Then a middle-aged woman entered. Her presence was like cold steel.
Rodante. A famous Doll in the Auto-Memories Doll industry, now serving as an instructor.
"Quiet."
At her appearance, the noisy classroom fell silent.
Click, click.
Standing on the platform, she looked down at the cadets.
"Welcome to the Auto-Memories Doll Training School."
Creak, the door opened. A woman with red hair came in and bowed her head.
"I’m sorry...!"
"Two tardies count as one absence."
"...Yes."
The late woman found an empty seat and sat down. It was beside Violet.
Rodante said,
"The war has ended, and demand for Dolls has risen. Of course, it is possible to become a Doll without attending this school. However, our goal is to cultivate not merely Dolls, but excellent Dolls."
Rodante raised a hand and pointed to her badge.
"The proof that you graduated from this school is proof of being first-rate. But unless I recognize you as an excellent Doll, that proof will never be given."
Rodante swept her gaze across the cadets. Straight posture, hard eyes, an even tone.
"Are you prepared?"
She was the kind of person who brought a soldier to mind.
With a sharp motion, Violet stood alone and saluted Rodante.
"I am prepared."
The cadets were taken aback by the sudden salute. All eyes turned to Violet.
Violet Evergarden.
Her clothes and appearance were doll-like.
But her manner of speech and behavior were almost those of a soldier.
*
"The best Dolls must be able to type at the same speed as they speak. Now, let’s begin."
The cadets prepared their paper and began typing.
Since it was the first class, everyone was enthusiastic.
Violet stood apart from them.
She sat upright, hands neatly folded on her knees.
"What is it, Miss Violet?"
"You did not specify an exact speed."
Those words could sound arrogant at first glance. They implied, I can type at any speed.
The cadets were startled, stopped what they were doing, and turned around.
"I see. If we specify the exact speed, can you do it? Then type 200 characters per minute."
"Understood."
Violet removed her gloves and placed her hands on the typewriter.
The cadets gasped at the scar-covered arms.
Tap-tap-tap.
The light sound of typing rang out. Her fingers struck the keys without pause, like spider legs.
It was an overwhelming speed.
At lunchtime, the cadets ate the food they had each brought in at a single table.
Already, some of them had begun chatting familiarly.
The red-haired woman, Luculia, had brought a thick sandwich.
As she was about to eat, a certain girl caught her attention.
A lovely girl with platinum-blond hair that seemed to hold sunlight and blue eyes. Violet Evergarden.
While everyone else was eating, Violet was reading the cadet roster by herself.
"Um... aren’t you going to eat anything?"
"I was trained to finish meals in appropriate amounts during missions."
"Still... do you want half of mine?"
Luculia offered her a piece of her sandwich.
Violet stared at the sandwich for a moment, then took it with both hands.
"Thank you, Miss Luculia from Leiden."
"You... remembered my introduction?"
"I remember the number of cadets."
To remember all of that... Luculia sensed that Violet was no ordinary person.
"So this sandwich counts as an appropriate amount too?"
The soldier-like girl seemed as if she would refuse the sandwich, so this was unexpected.
"...No. But the Major said that one should not refuse another person’s kindness."
"Major?"
Wasn’t a major a military rank?
It was not a word a girl would normally use.
"He is my superior."
Luculia thought something was strange, but lunchtime ended before she could ask more.
Class began.
An Auto-Memories Doll had to possess not only typing skill, but a wide range of abilities.
From reading famous literature to learning how to write beautiful sentences.
The cadets groaned at the sight of the thick books before them.
"Well then, that’s all for today."
Principal Rodante ended the lesson. The cadets all let out cries of relief. The class had been that difficult.
"Now I’ll announce today’s scores."
"Ehh..."
Another wave of groans. They could not expect to do well from the very first lesson. The cadets looked miserable.
"Grammar score: perfect. Violet Evergarden. Vocabulary score: perfect. Violet Evergarden."
The cadets looked at her with admiration.
Perfect scores in such a difficult class.
Yet Violet’s expression held neither joy nor embarrassment.
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