Epilogue / 00 : 00 / Saver

Underneath the moonlight, the sound of the ocean tides gently filled the area in Ariake Grid—Tokyo’s port district that faced the Tokyo Bay. The artificial island known as Odaiba since antiquity, along with its port facilities that had originally been made to establish a defensive barrier in front of the heart of Tokyo, was aligned with the turning of Ariake Grid. It was turning in the opposite direction at exactly the same speed.

In one part of it, a shipyard filled with warehouses, was the place that Naoto and friends had designated as their rendezvous point after their mission was complete.

Presently, at that place— “—Aaaaa~~nchoRRRR~~uuu————————uuuUH?!” Naoto was screaming as if the world had come to an end. Of course he was, who could blame him? Before his eyes was AnchoR who was truly a shock to behold. In addition to being limbless, even her torso had scars on it.

Naoto tossed aside his luggage and sprung towards AnchoR, who had been placed on a large table to sleep. Marie also inadvertently gulped upon seeing AnchoR’s state from behind Naoto.

—Such terrible damage. No matter how one tries to downplay it—she’s been totally wrecked. Normal automata in this condition would be scrapped without a question, just making a new one would be cheaper than the repairs—well, normal automata anyway. Holding her breath, Marie shifted her gaze onto Naoto.

Naoto, who was touching AnchoR with trembling hands, lightly nodded. “...It’ll be okay. Really, just barely, she hasn’t been fatally damaged. I have AnchoR’s structure memorized down to the placement of every single wire, so if it’s me—and you... she can definitely be fixed... Haaaaah...”

“I see... that’s good to hear. Truly.”

As Naoto’s legs gave way in exhausted relief, similarly, Marie felt relieved from the bottom of her heart as well. Upon which, she inadvertently realized that she didn’t feel uncomfortable around the girl anymore. As Marie was trying to figure out why that was, Naoto raised his head and said to RyuZU, “...Thanks, RyuZU. For stopping AnchoR.”

RyuZU bowed elegantly. “I only did what a follower should do. And, if I were to add to that, what an elder sister should do for her younger sister who was abasing herself.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your injuries too, RyuZU. Being a big sister is tough isn’t it?”

—Naoto’s words made RyuZU catch her breath in astonishment. Not—because she was amazed that Naoto picked up that she herself had been considerably damaged from destroying the power coils in Yatsukahagi when she had gone to stop AnchoR—but rather, RyuZU was elated to see proof of her master, the absolute best that one could have, grow even further.

More so than knowing that she would be repaired, Naoto had just asserted that he would definitely repair her injuries himself. RyuZU bowed once again to express her joy.

Just then— “...I’m... so-rry...” AnchoR spoke feebly.

Hearing her intermittent, distorted voice made Naoto frown and Marie lower her gaze. Before either of them could say anything, AnchoR continued.

“...An...choR... could-n’t destroy, them all... even... though... that’s all, that AnchoR’s, good for...”

—Even though the only meaning in her existence was as a destroyer, an annihilator. She had acted on her own, betraying even her own master’s orders, and in the end—she couldn’t even destroy all the things she needed to.

As Marie looked into her eyes—a thought reflexively popped into her head. Before her reason could come into play, she found her instinct yelling, That’s not true. The way you see yourself is definitely mistaken...!

“......I want... an order...” AnchoR looked to be holding back tears as she looked at Naoto and Marie with her scarlet, wavering eyes.

Her voice and expression were akin to that of a child that had realized she had made a mistake that could not be undone—she was bewildered as to what she should do. What she wanted weren’t directions or orders—but punishment. A way to atone.

Naoto immediately replied in a tone that suggested that he understood. “Yeah. Well then, here’s my order, AnchoR—”

Naoto took a deep breath.

“Puff out your chest—and say— ‘I did my best so I want you to praise me.’”

—AnchoR eyes widened. In her bewilderment, her scarlet eyes wandered and found RyuZU, who in response, simply closed her eyes as if to affirm Naoto’s words. The hurt girl muttered between gasps, “...An-choR... did... her best...?”

“A’int that right! AnchoR’s the hardest worker in the world!”

AnchoR wheezed. After a slight pause, she turned to look at Marie while asking in a trembling voice, “...Does, Mother... also... think it’s okay for AnchoR... to ask, for praise?”

“——”

To those words, Marie obeyed the first impulse that came from the bottom of her heart and walked towards the little girl. As she did so, she realized something— Being called “Mother” by this girl doesn’t irk me anymore.

Reaching down towards AnchoR, Marie gently caressed her face. It was the sensation of burnt artificial skin. Then, wrapping her arms around AnchoR’s shoulders, Marie pulled her in and rocked her back and forth as one might a baby. She heard the creaking sound of AnchoR’s spring as it wound up tightly.

I’m disgusted with myself for thinking for even a single second that this poor child was nothing but a tool of terrible destruction. Such a young child successfully fought to protect us until she became this beat up of her own volition, and yet, she’s questioning—honest to god, she’s actually wondering whether it’s fine for her to be praised. From her expression, it looks like she could break down at any moment.

...And you’re telling me that this is just a doll without a soul? Give me a break! I’m sick of that kind of thinking!! The me who thought that should just go fucking die!!!

“Thank you for working so hard, AnchoR... You really—did your best didn’t you?”

Though it pains me to admit it, Marie thought with a bitter smile, I feel like right now—I can somewhat understand why one might propose to an automaton like that pervert Naoto did to RyuZU.

They’re just dolls. Mere algorithms—if one simply stops at those preconceptions and dismisses automata as such, then aren’t humans also nothing but a calculator made of proteins and biological signals?

If a human wants to question whether automata have hearts—then he should find the proof of a human heart first.

“......Uuh...wahh...ngh—” AnchoR began to cry feebly in Marie’s arms.

Naoto also joined in by patting her head. However, he then sternly narrowed his eyes. “—But also, AnchoR, you’re gravely misunderstanding something. I do have to scold you a little bit for that.”

“...huh? ...eh?” AnchoR sniffled.

“You said that the only thing you can do is destroy. But that’s not true at all.”

Feeling confused, AnchoR remembered something— “When you return, I imagine that Master Naoto will educate you on the side of yourself that you are not aware of.”

And, just as RyuZU had said, Naoto began, “AnchoR, you’re a clever child capable of protecting everyone and bringing smiles to their faces along with your own. A girl like you can’t be called violent no matter how powerful she is—rather, she’s strong.”

—Violence versus strength. AnchoR blinked twice, seeming not to understand the difference between the two.

Marie suddenly recalled something upon hearing Naoto’s words. “...The trident Trishula, the symbol of the power of the god of destruction, Shiva...”

And as I recall... I’m sure that Naoto doesn’t know this. He doesn’t know it, but understood it anyway—or rather, he realized it.

“—What the three hooks on Shiva’s trident symbolize—are ‘will,’ ‘wisdom,’ —and ‘action.’ Only when all three of these traits come together can one rule the world as a force of justice as one of The Holy Triad—as Shiva did... It’s an old myth that used to be passed down in Asia.”

“So that’s why AnchoR can’t exert her power except by her own will, right?”

“Ah...” AnchoR gasped as her eyes widened.

“Because she’s a kind and clever child. Because her power to destroy is a power to remediate things. It is the same when repairing clockwork, before you begin, it’s necessary to first correctly disassemble the device. That isn’t violence—it’s strength,” Naoto said with a gentle smile. “RyuZU said so too, didn’t she? You ought to listen to what your big sister says, you know? AnchoR is an anchor—a force to keep things steady. I’m sure that’s why ‘Y’ gave you that name.”

Hearing those words, AnchoR’s eyes trembled and her lips quivered. She turned to face Marie, and timidly asked, “...AnchoR... isn’t bad? Isn’t Mother... afraid, of, AnchoR?”

—Immense shame washed over Marie. So she knew. She saw through the fact that I’ve always been afraid of her... The wall that I had built around my heart in order to regard her as a product, a thing, because she’s an automaton...

Overcome by feeling, Marie kissed AnchoR’s forehead, then her eyelids, her flushed cheeks, and her perky little nose, while all the saying in a voice trembling with emotion, “How! Could! I! Possibly! Be afraid of you...! AnchoR—!”

“——”

Knock knock.

“Hey Missy, did’ja know? Moviegoers’ll get bored watching tear-jerking scenes if they go on for too long, no matter how quaint.”

Having been rudely interrupted, Marie rubbed her teary eyes as she turned around with an expression that could belong to the devil himself. Vermouth had opened the door partway and stuck his head through before knocking on the wall.

“—So can we move on to the next scene already? A thrilling escape, perhaps? Like maybe how we’re gonna escape from here, for example.”

“Do you even need to ask? By boat. And, if this bores you, then scram.”

“Fair enough, you’ve got me there. But I’ll admit I was kinda hoping that we’d be waterwalking next, I mean, we just finished freaking skywalking, you know?! Well—hopefully after all that, our stunning conclusion won’t end tragically with us being shot to shit aboard a ship that we took our sweet time getting to sail!” Vermouth laughed—but his eyes were dead serious.

—It’s been eight hours since we escaped from the Pillar of Heaven. The fact that we vicious terrorists have escaped should be common knowledge by now.

There’s no doubt that the land routes have already been blockaded, but even sky routes and sea routes—actually, considering where that enormous weapon appeared from, even the deep underground layers have probably been blocked off with inspection points.

If a suspicious ship appears out in the open, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be shot down without warning.

However, Naoto answered Vermouth’s question in Marie’s place. “It’ll be fine. In another~four to six minutes? A tornado will coincidentally occur in this area and we’ll pass right through the eye of the storm.”

“Ooh, now that’s a sound escape plan. Who thought of it?”

“Who else but Naoto would think of something so preposterous?”

“Yeah, you’re right, hahaah! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me kid! I really should stuff your butt up later as a reward—” As Vermouth was in the middle of his vulgar jesting, he was knocked over by RyuZU’s scythe.

A short while after that, the shutter of the warehouse was raised as a white oceanic cruiser slowly came to dock. Its hull was quite large, boasting not only a kitchen along with its cabin rooms, but also a simple workshop inside. Upon the cruiser completing its docking nice and steady, two men disembarked onto dry land.

“...Ahh, humanoid bodies really feel the best after all.”

“Hello there, Dr. Marie. Looks like we’re a bit late. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The ones who had come down from the ship were Halter, who had returned to a human-sized artificial body and Konrad.

Marie greeted the two of them. “Please, Dr. Konrad. Don’t be. Really, you did so much for me this time... Though, at one point I nearly started to despise you because of some recent revelations, and to be honest, I still haven’t let that go, but...” she said with an unamused stare.

However, Konrad simply smiled, letting her critical remarks go in one ear and out the other. “Not at all. The work was immensely stimulating and definitely something from which I profited as well.”

Marie smiled equivocally, then looked at Halter and remarked, “...Really though, I’m impressed that you were able to find a replacement artificial body for Halter.”

“Indeed. Due to the turbulent events this time around, this country was temporarily under de facto anarchy. And wouldn’t you know it, I was able to acquire quite a few items during that time, as it were,” Konrad cheerfully answered.

“—Definitely something from which I profited.” I hope he isn’t just referring to things like this artificial body, Marie thought, her smile stiffening. However, it’s not like we could escape with Halter connected to that Black Tortoise, so I can’t really complain considering that I’m the one who made such an impossible request in first place.

“I must say that this one feels a bit cheap compared to the one I had before though... this face too—I’d like to do something about it later,” Halter said as he rubbed his cheeks; his face looked completely different from before.

His face was slender and youthful and his physique looked a bit lanky as well, perhaps because his new body had less muscle gears. The only thing his new body had in common with his old one was the bald head.

On top of that, the only things about his appearance that were reminiscent of his old one were the sunglasses and his gray suit. It felt off, like someone was cosplaying Halter rather than actually being him.

“True I suppose.” Marie shrugged. “But any artificial body on the market right now will feel inferior when compared to an eighth generation one of the Breguet Corporation, you know. You should be glad that you were able to obtain a body at all—also, isn’t it better for you to keep your new face as it is? I mean, your old face has been all over the news.”

“Nonsense. That face was something I worked hard to sculpt into what I calculated I should look like at my age if I still had a human face, you know. Like I’ll just give it up now because it’s the face of a criminal. Just what do you take the pride of a suave middle-aged man for?” Halter asked while stroking his bald head and sounding disgruntled.

Vermouth interjected from the side, “Hey, by the way... ain’t there a replacement artificial body for me as well? I think I’ve lived long enough as a hermaphrodite.”

“Why don’t you just stay in that body for the rest of your life? I don’t see the problem.”

“Hey bitch—this may come as a surprise to you, but this body isn’t even a true artificial body, you know?!” Vermouth shouted, then, finding himself looking down at his crotch, he added, “—Well, I’m not gonna lie, I’m very much pleased with this fine specimen dangling here. I wouldn’t mind keeping it when it comes time to part with the rest—”

“Rest assured, Vermouth! I’ll make sure to attach it to a wonderfully haphazard place on an astoundingly ugly artificial body for you! Thank you for reminding me just what sort of filth you truly are!!” Marie looked gleeful—like she might pounce on Vermouth at any moment to dismantle his entire body.

Averting her gaze, Vermouth surveyed their surroundings. “Hm~ well. So now that we’ve got our escape ship and now that we’re finally gonna use it to get the hell out of here, can I ask one final question—?”

Vermouth looked towards a corner of the dock. Everyone followed along to focus their gazes onto the old man who had been left aside until now—Gennai Hirayama, the true mastermind behind the chain of events this time, was simply sitting silently in a chair. He’d even been forced to crudely attend to his wounded wrist himself. Naoto’s party hadn’t even bothered to restrain him.

“...Hey princess, why’s this geezer here?”

Vermouth and Halter were both exuding a dark, stone-cold, murderous intent. However...

“Eh? I told you guys that I would stuff him in a boiling crucible, didn’t I? One of the steel drums around here should do the trick, let’s see—” Naoto began to look around here or there for a suitable container.

Ignoring him, Marie replied, “I requested of RyuZU before we began the operation to try to capture the mastermind alive if possible.”

Halter slapped his forehead loudly upon hearing that. Looking down at the girl who was still in her middle teens with an earnest expression, he said, “...Look here, princess. It’s normal having qualms about killing someone, but you know that letting this guy live will just lead to further problems down the road don’t you?”

Indeed—having a counter witness when they were trying to claim responsibility for this entire chain of events in order to become the world’s convenient evil might be a problem. Fortunately—everyone in Shiga’s ex-military aside from Gennai had already been killed, as Marie wouldn’t have had the resolve to kill them herself.

And so—

“If we just kill this guy, everything’ll be settled. Heck, want me to do it? Once you get used to erasing corpses without a trace, it’s as easy as puffing on a cig. If you give me just ten minutes I can let you decide among six different ways of killing him ranging from the merciful all the way to war crime.”

...So this is the mind of someone who’s spent his entire life at war, huh. Marie sighed to herself, feeling a slight chill run down her spine as she sized up the two men before her. “...It’s true that I didn’t feel completely comfortable letting him bake inside that weapon. I’d be lying if I said otherwise, but—” Marie turned and looked at Naoto with a serious expression.

Naoto had still been half-seriously—no, plenty-seriously looking around for a fitting steel container. Upon noticing Marie’s gaze though, he turned around. “...Well, if you want me to be serious then I’ll be serious, but—” He paused. “First of all, letting this gramps live is not a problem. I mean—someone will kill him even if we don’t.”

Marie looked confused by those words. Meanwhile, Halter, Vermouth, and even Konrad and RyuZU as well, looked like they easily agreed.

“—I see, true that. You have a point.”

“If it became known that the remnants of Shiga’s military had attempted a coup d’état, we’re not the only ones that would be inconvenienced.”

“Whatever he testifies, he’ll be made out to be one of us and sentenced to death in a rigged trial. And that’ll be the end of that.”

“I imagine that he will have his lips sealed much quicker than you say. There is no problem at all in letting him live for now.”

Seeing the reactions of the three people and one machine to Naoto’s words, Marie’s face stiffened— Why are such dark thoughts always the first thing that pops into their heads?

Naoto continued to press the point. “If you’d like some additional reasons—well, the first is that he seemed to be after me in particular for some reason and I want to know why. The second is that if I had ordered AnchoR and RyuZU to leave him there, then I feel like I would have been ordering them to murder someone, and that didn’t sit right with me. And finally, if I had to give a third reason—”

Naoto paused as he looked down at the old man sitting in a chair. “I think there’s probably someone further up the food chain, y’know?”

—What...? As everyone frowned in skepticism, Halter came forward for all of them and asked, “True, there were some things that didn’t seem to fall into place, but—what’s your basis for claiming that?”

“Huh, I mean, just think about it. Isn’t it weird how someone like him who hates ‘Y’ so obsessively—purposefully chose not to use AnchoR-chan, one of ‘Y’’s legacies? Not only that, but why didn’t he even use the electromagnetic technology he’s so proud of to override her Master Confirmation? If he was truly calling the shots, don’t you think it would’ve been poetic for him to use his beloved electromagnetism to take control of AnchoR, a creation of ‘Y,’ and use her for his revenge?”

All present gulped at those words. It wasn’t just Marie who had overlooked that. It was a fact that even those used to the battlefield like Halter and Vermouth had overlooked.

Had AnchoR been in perfect condition, it would have been a cakewalk for her to destroy the Yatsukahagi—of all the contradictory actions that this man took, wouldn’t letting AnchoR take the bait and pursue RyuZU who couldn’t even damage the weapon, be the most contradictory one—?

Basking in their gazes, Gennai slowly lifted his head. Among all the features of his face such as his white hair, white beard, and paper-white complexion, only his moss-green eyes were moist and glistening with enmity.

“—Indeed, impressive.” Gennai’s voice was dry and hoarse. “Truly, you were impressive to the very end, ‘Y’—you loathsome god.”

Naoto sighed, feeling fed up. “You’re still goin’ on about that huh... I have a name, it’s Naoto Miura. Don’t tell me that you really went on this rampage ’cuz menopause made you senile old man.”

“If the world were destroyed because someone was in menopause there’d be a riot,” Marie retorted with half-closed eyes. She then looked down at Gennai. “...You’ve called Naoto ‘Y’ the entire time. What’s up with that?”

Upon that question, Gennai slowly raised his head. Seeing his dark, murky, green eyes look up at her, Marie inadvertently flinched. “—Marie Bell Breguet. The young genius clocksmith and the absolute treasure of the Breguets—to think that you wouldn’t understand, what a disappointment you are...”

“What are you...” Marie began to mutter.

However, Gennai shifted his gaze elsewhere. He studied Halter, Vermouth, and Konrad in turn, saying, “...You lot should have been with ‘Y’ when it happened, yes? I can hardly believe that each and every one of you could be so dense as to not realize anything from seeing that absurdity, that magic he performed, first hand.”

Lastly, looking into Naoto’s eyes, he asserted, “—This boy is not human.”

“No seriously, the hell are you sayin’ you geezer,” Naoto retorted outright.

Ignoring his protest, Gennai continued, “—You all should have seen it as well. The sight of this boy easily twisting and recreating this world. Do you seriously believe that someone capable of such a feat could be a mere human, a mere clocksmith?”

Marie gulped. Halter, Vermouth, and Konrad also put on stern expressions. They couldn’t bring themselves to simply dismiss this old man’s words as a joke after witnessing Naoto work in a manner that surpassed the domain of god.

“And, I have nothing but questions for this Clockwork Planet itself, as well. Because there is zero possible way that a human could ever have recreated the world with gears... ngh!”

As he remained in his chair, Gennai continued as his voice violently rose. “An impossible existence and his impossible technology! In the midst of my uncertainty as to whether this world even truly exists, I had thought that I must make known this despair and prove our mortal limits as man—I suppose you can call that my motive if it so pleases you.”

Finishing his rant, Gennai fell back into his chair. He then lowered his gaze to his wounded wrist, where his right hand should be...

“...Well, things ended in my defeat though. ...I suppose it just means that in the end, the mediocrity that is man can’t hope to defy a god. If you’re going to kill me then hurry up with it. In the end, this world is nothing but an illusion, a fabrication that that arrogant god over there who claims to be human is showing us... I have no regrets whatsoever.”

Gennai dispassionately offered them his life without remorse. His voice sounded dry, fatigued, and defeated.

“——”

If, I had heard those words a few days ago—in Akihabara, when everything had been broken by the electromagnetic pulse, I might have ended up agreeing with this old man. Marie thought.

...If it was during that despair, that loss of faith, when I sensed that everything in the world was an illusion, I might have.

—But, I know better now.

The feeling I felt back then wasn’t something to fear.

With that understanding and conviction, Marie declared, “—Don’t fuck with me.”

Stronger language than what she had planned to use flew right out of her mouth. Gennai raised his head and glared at Marie with his dark, murky eyes as if to challenge her. However, Marie didn’t flinch this time.

—It’s true that the world is covered in illusion.

This Clockwork Planet itself—had peeled off a thin layer of that illusion when it was made. And, as it were, Naoto Miura simply happened to hear the sounds of the world from one more layer deeper in. Marie now understood that principle well.

—The world allows for contradictions.

Common sense, preconceptions, modern theories—those things are nothing but one layer upon all the layers of illusions blanketing the world.

At the very least, the universe as observed by the human eye is undoubtedly an incomplete picture and our study of physics a defective framework.

With that in mind, if I shift my perspective, both RyuZU’s Imaginary Gear and AnchoR’s Perpetual Gear apparently operate without question. They both appear to be fully consistent with the nature of our universe.

Inside the world that Marie had perceived back then—the one that Naoto had shown her, the world with its outermost layer of illusions peeled off—everything was simply natural.

This world truly does exist as a fabrication—but by no means is it a fake conjured up by any sort of convenient magic.

Even the modern theories behind clockwork technology that Marie had reasoned must be wrong weren’t actually directly contradicted by anything in her newfound experience.

The fine line between those two ways of understanding the world was simply so trivial that one could miss it actually being there.

—That was precisely why Marie was being so assertive. That was precisely why she could be so assertive. And funnily enough, Marie’s answer was much the same as a certain someone’s who had said something very similar to Gennai on a different day.

“If you just want to sit there and drool out complaints after declaring yourself a loser then you can do just that. It’s your freedom to believe what you want. But see—”

To those words, Gennai’s eyes opened as wide as they could. Marie was sharply glaring into those dark, murky, moss-green eyes.

“The subject in your statement is far too encompassing—who gave you the right to represent all of humanity, huh?! So—” She paused for breath. “Don’t lump us in with yourself. We won’t ever give in to despair like you.”

Marie’s emerald eyes were filled to the brim with silent flames.

“Don’t you dare think for a moment that a loser like yourself who gave up all on his own has any right to determine the limits of humanity.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Naoto, who was standing next to her, was smiling.

Meanwhile, Gennai simply sighed a heavy sigh. “...I see. So ‘Y’ was two people all along.” His lips twisted into a sneer as he faced down Naoto and Marie. “You two can sing the praises of man all you want but I’ll never acknowledge it—bumping into boundaries is the true nature of humanity.

As if you two, who can easily manipulate the world without any acquaintance, much less understanding whatsoever of that fact, could ever possibly understand what it is to be called human.”

His eyes were still murky as he stared them down.

“Being able to taste only the smallest of victories after an infinite number of pathetic and humiliating defeats... Playing dirty, using any and all means, reaching down into the abyss no matter how deep in filth and disgrace one sinks... That is what it means to be human—even if the victory achieved isn’t even one’s own.”

Gennai paused for a breath. “Yes, for example—that person there—is truly human.”

—Just then. Breaking the quiet that had descended over the dock where only their voices could be heard, a noise of immense volume began to resound.

“What’s going on—?!” As Naoto and friends looked about their surroundings, they immediately discovered the cause. The resonance communication device that the dock was equipped with had suddenly turned on by itself—someone was forcing a connection from outside. And, before anyone could do anything, the line was connected.

“Hahahah— Can I assume that you’re referring to me by that? Mr. Gennai—”

●

—Who is that? All present wondered upon hearing the voice of the man from the transmission device.

Actually, Gennai was the one person who quietly smiled as he silently looked at the device. Seeing his reaction, Marie made a conjecture, however, before she could share it with the others, the man behind the voice revealed the answer: “Right, I suppose you could call me—the mastermind—behind the chain of events this time. Does that make things a little easier to understand?”

“—!!” Hearing that almost made Marie reflexively yell. He was the mastermind—the one pulling the strings behind Gennai—the existence that Naoto had suspected. However, Marie could hardly expect that such a person would contact them in this manner of his own accord.

Naoto’s party couldn’t hide their astonishment even if they tried. Meanwhile, the man behind the voice said in a carefree tone, “Ahh, right right! Would you mind opening the window for me before this shocking revelation paralyzes you completely?”

“...The window you say?” Halter parroted suspiciously.

“I promise that it’s not a trap or anything! Come on, hurry! You’ll end up missing it!” the imperviously carefree—but also thoroughly malicious voice urged.

...This couldn’t get any fishier. Though she understood that, Marie exchanged glances with Naoto—who nodded. She then turned to the window by her side and undid the lock that had become tight from rust and pushed open the window.

The salty sea breeze brushed past Marie’s face. However— “I don’t really see anything noteworthy...”

Just as Marie muttered that.

—A thunderous roar tore through the night sky.

The sudden crash nearly made her lose her balance, but she quickly recovered and stuck her torso out the window to look up at the sky. The source of the thunderous roar—was something that had broken the sound barrier as it left behind a silver streak in the night sky.

Marie strained her eyes to make out the object that was flying off into the distance— Tactical fighters? Over twenty fighters were flying in formation through the dark, cloudless sky as they disappeared into the distance.

Just where could they be... no, more pertinently— They were fighters that I didn’t recognize...?

The moment that realization entered Marie’s mind, the mastermind completed her thought: “So, did you see it? Amazing right? —What just flew past you is a new Vacheron product!”

Marie turned around and yelled in a startled voice, “The Vacherons’...?!”

—A moment later.

—Flashes of light blinded the sky.

Then, a few seconds after that, the sound of a gigantic explosion that completely and utterly dwarfed the earlier sonic boom that had rocked everything around them.

“That’s right—they are one of the anti-electromagnetic weapons that I had prepared for just such an occasion! Their target is the half-broken Yatsukahagi, but as of right now, the only ones who know that are myself and you guys!”

With that, Marie understood. In other words, what I felt just now—was the sound of that enormous weapon being pulverized by the Vacherons’ latest fighters.

“This was the best presentation ever! I’m thankful for the cooperation of you all— Eh? What’d you say?” The voice paused, then immediately let out a malicious laugh. “Hahaha, let me thank you once more! It appears that, with just that brief demonstration, the Japanese government is already being flooded with inquiries from neighboring countries!”

“Y-ou...!!” Marie growled, her eyes looking threatening.

To unveil an anti-electromagnetic weapon at a time like this, when the threat of electromagnetic weapons has just been publicly demonstrated—it’s obvious what he’s aiming for...

With this one play, the stock of the Vacheron Corporation that had crashed and remained in a slump will now fully recover all in one go...!

With this, even as the Japanese government cleans up the situation and begins the work of reconstruction, it won’t be able to avoid intervention from corporate interests.

However, that implies that— “I take it—that this was the goal of you Vacherons from the very beginning!” Marie shouted as she shook in indescribable fury.

Anti-electromagnetic weapons? As if something like that could have just so happened to be in development and ever so conveniently completed today.

You had those fighters prepared for “just such an occasion”? Yeah right—they’re something that you prepared for this specific demonstration!

These guys had planned to manipulate the coup d’état and instigate a crisis that they could then resolve from the very beginning. That is what those fighters were made for!

And their only reason in doing so? —Just to push their own products... Bastards!

However, the mastermind nonchalantly replied as he tried to stifle his sneering laugh, “Hahahah, never! Though it’s a great honor, you think far too much of me. I’m not capable of seeing the future.

This was simply me using one my of various imagined scenarios to my full advantage—though I will say—” He paused for a breath. “Even if I can’t see the future, there was never any need, because you guys were still dancing in the palm of my hand this whole time, Hahahaha—!!”

—This, guy... Marie’s body rapidly chilled as her mind had gone past fury—her fist was trembling in terror.

For all their actions—even that amazing miracle that they had pulled off in the end—to be used—however, Naoto sharply glared at the transmission device. “Don’t go lying out your ass with that creepy voice of yours, old man.”

“Oh ho—?”

...A lie? As Marie looked at Naoto, he continued, “As if you actually anticipated all of our actions up to now—we were in the palm of your hand? If giving us AnchoR-chan was a part of your plan, then we’re dancing in a pretty generous hand.”

—That’s true. Marie gulped. I almost let myself buy into the bluff of this self-proclaimed mastermind.

It’s just as Naoto says. If he was the one who ordered AnchoR to escort Gennai’s forces as a bodyguard, what reason could he have to purposefully gift her to us when he ought to know full well how ridiculously powerful she is?

“...So you’re more or less just someone who wants to start a war by making Tokyo collapse so that you can sell weapons—actually... that doesn’t explain the whole story, you still have something up your sleeve...”

Naoto stopped himself and turned around to look at Marie, upon which Marie suddenly recalled what she had heard several weeks ago in Kyoto—from the mouth of a certain Technical Force officer that she had captured for interrogation.

“—I heard that the incident in Amsterdam two years ago was instigated by you guys as well!!”

...The rumor of Meister Guild deliberately sabotaging core towers in order to analyze their technology is— Don’t tell me...!

Appalled, Halter cut in, muttering “...I see. In the case that the coup d’état succeeds, your stock value as a collaborator in the underworld would rise, and in the case that it fails, you would be in the prime position to sell weapons that could counter the electromagnetic weapon that has been exposed to the public and others like it. And, if things went exceptionally well, you would have made Tokyo collapse so that you could analyze the technologies of its core towers and the Pillar of Heaven from the ruins, not to mention the fact that Tokyo’s collapse could easily trigger a war, in which case you’d be swimming in business selling weapons—you’re the very picture of a scumbag aren’t you?”

“Hahaha, shall I just say that I’m honored to receive your praise!” the voice sneered in response.

Hearing his reaction, Marie was left astounded. ...What’s with this guy? Just how would one’s mind have to be wired to be so thoroughly corrupt? Where is this guy coming from with all this?

—Suddenly, Marie had an epiphany. “You— You’re not a Vacheron are you! —Who the hell are you?!” Shouting that epiphany triggered something in Marie as her rational mind followed through on the words of her intuition.

This supposed mastermind is acting like he’s an executive of the Vacheron Corporation—but there’s no way that could be true.

The Five Great Corporations have immense influence, yes, but...

In the first place, clockwork technology could be considered the lifeline of this planet, it’s its very foundation after all.

Our world’s economy runs on clockwork. And because of that, one could argue that the power of the Five Great Corporations who own and profit from that technology is even greater than the IGMO.

However, those in a position to execute a grand scheme like this are extremely limited in number. I mean that in two ways.

First, such a person would have to have status equivalent to the heads of the Five Great Corporations—and second, he or she wouldn’t have to mind the risk that such a grand, heinous deed could be exposed on their account utterly ruining them—in other words, such a person would have to be suicidally mad.

At the very least, not even the Vacherons would be capable of deeds like purging cities and instigating wars for the sake of analyzing or seizing technology. Even if such things didn’t actually bother the conscience of the executives at Vacheron—there’s no way they would give such a plan the green light after taking into account the risk of their scheme being exposed and its substantial consequences.

However, the self-proclaimed mastermind merely jested at Marie’s query. “Hahaha— Who am I, huh? I’ve never even thought of that. After all, I don’t get to introduce myself to others very often.”

Before Marie could shout at him again, this time it was the mastermind who asked, “By the way, do you know what you guys are being called? In the twelve hours since you broadcasted the footage of you taking over the palace, there isn’t a person left in the world at this point who doesn’t know who you are—”

The mastermind snickered. “They’re calling you the— ‘Second Ypsilon,’ as in, the second coming of ‘Y’ you know?! Their reason being that ‘Y,’ who once saved the world, has now come to destroy it! Man, what a truly cool name! Being nameless myself, I can’t help but feel a little envious of you guys!”

“...However,” the mastermind then continued in a calmer voice, “—in the end, ‘Y’ was just an incomplete ‘X’ —A relic really, wouldn’t you agree? With that in mind, let me try giving myself a cooler name—”

The mastermind then took a dramatic pause, and when he opened his mouth again...

“—I’m Omega, someone in the same business as you guys. Only I’m a real terrorist.”

Marie engraved that name into her heart. —Omega. It’s probably a half-assed name he chose just now but that doesn’t matter. Marie’s very soul was telling her that he was the enemy whom they must defeat.

Oblivious to Marie’s resolution, the mastermind continued jesting, “Well, feel free to go ahead and think of me as a member of a cliche evil organization. Oh, and by the way, while it’s true that having the Fourth taken by you guys was regrettable, in the end it’s only one weapon. Now that I’ve seen that its advertised perpetual operation is nothing but false marketing, I no longer have any interest in it. If you’re so enamored with that antique piece of trash then you can have it! Hahahahahahahaha—!”

Hearing “Omega” convulse with malicious laughter, Naoto shouted, “—Keep that grating voice of yours inside your damn mouth you bastard!!” Then, for some reason, he stared up at the ceiling and howled, “—Rather than babble garbage from up there, why don’tcha come down here and say it to my face! Ya goddamn coward!!”

—After a momentary pause...

“Pfft—” Omega laughed. Shrilly, as if his sides had split.

“—Hahah, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah—————Whew!!”

Sounding as though he were wiping tears from his eyes, Omega said, “I found it hard to believe, but I’ve just confirmed it firsthand, I see, you really can ‘hear things’ can’t you Mr. Naoto! I mean, logically, that that had to be the case for you to have done everything you did up to now, but to think that such a power really exists— Man, the world truly is an interesting place isn’t it, Mr. Gennai!”

Upon those words, Marie gasped. Crap! She’d realized it all too late. The reason this guy deliberately made contact with us and talked for so long—! Was to discern the truth of our trump card, Naoto’s ability!

Omega merrily continued, “Sorry for having said such a mean thing, Mr. Naoto. You are truly interesting. I’d take the opportunity to study you before even a masterpiece like the Pillar of Heaven.

As an apology—I won’t try to take the Fourth back from you. Though if I’m going to be honest, it’s extremely painful for me to let you have it as I haven’t had the time to figure out how her Perpetual Gear works yet. I sincerely apologize for my provocative words.”

“Fuck off. AnchoR has been mine since the inception of the universe. Go to hell.”

“Naoto! Why did you... ugh!” Marie shouted. I get that you wanted to tell him off, but wasn’t revealing your ability to him a mistake—?

However— “...The hatch has been closed.”

“Eh...?” Those sudden words out of Naoto made Marie shut her mouth.

Naoto continued to glare threateningly up at the ceiling as he said, “...He’s in a large stealth bomber that’s circling around about twenty thousand meters right above where we are. If it was a just a regular bomb, RyuZU could easily take care of it with Mute Scream, but from what I heard, it sounded like something that resonance cannon that AnchoR used.”

Marie’s eyes stretched wide open. “—A resonance cannon? What are you talking about, a resonance cannon couldn’t possibly have a firing range of over twenty-thousand meters!!”

That was over three times the effective—no, the current theoretical limit. However— “Then it’s gotta be something akin to a resonance cannon. What I can tell you for sure is what he’s saying to us between the lines.” There, Naoto paused. He was still angrily staring up at the ceiling.

“‘Where am I? If you answer correctly, I’ll let you go. Otherwise, you’re dead.’ —”

Marie gasped upon processing his words.

That’s absurd— She almost spat that out reflexively, but she swallowed those words back down. No matter how absurd, how unbelievable, it seems—if Naoto says so, then it must be true.

And, in that case, right now— We just escaped death by a hair’s breadth—on account of this madman’s “leniency.”

Probably because—leaving us alive is more “convenient” for him as well.

Because he plans to use us—and there’s nothing we can do about it.

As if he had been patiently waiting for Marie to reach that conclusion, the mastermind sneered, “—Impressive. You’re right on the money. I wouldn’t expect any less from you, Mr. Naoto!”

“Toying, with us... ghh!!” Marie sharply knit her brows. Her voice was trembling. The intolerable humiliation was making her lose her cool.

Just how long has it been since someone made such a fool out of me right to my face?

The mastermind continued cheerily, as if he was savoring Marie’s rage, “Well, having you guys around should make it easier for me to operate from the shadows after all! So, all you ladies and gentlemen in the grand international terrorist organization known as Second Ypsilon, I’d be extremely grateful if you would kindly do more flashy things in the future! But, before I go, I’m going to correct two misapprehensions you’ve made, alright Mr. Naoto Miura?”

Omega paused to clear the air. “First, having the Forth taken by you really did fall within the scope of my plans, okay? As the prevention of Kyoto’s purge couldn’t be explained without some sort of magic being involved, I thought that I would prepare some bait of the highest quality to lure that magic out— Haha, I’m glad that you found it to your liking! True, it was a valuable asset, but investing it really paid off!”

Upon those words, a chill shook Marie’s body as it ran down her spine.

—In other words, that means that—he really did reel us in, just like Naoto said. Since when—from where—and until what point exactly was he pulling the strings?

“And, the second is that—while it’s true that I was posing a game of life or death to you guys, Mr. Naoto—”

Marie’s chill became a clear and sudden fear of death upon hearing the words that followed...

“—I’m still perfectly fine with having everyone but the contestant who gave the correct answer die, you know?”

“—Shit. Get down—!!!” Naoto screamed.

Marie reflexively obeyed his order. She confirmed that Halter, Konrad and Vermouth did the same. Those who didn’t were RyuZU, who adopted a combat posture and—Gennai, who was smiling.

A moment later, Gennai’s head exploded.

“Wha—?!” As skull fragments and blood splattered everywhere, the smell of rusted iron reached Marie’s nose. A second later, the sound of a gun firing from afar rang out.

...He was sniped!

As Marie clenched her teeth, Naoto turned around in a fluster to see what had happened.

This isn’t good, Marie thought, the next target—

“——”

“.........?”

They stopped—?

●

On the roof of a certain skyscraper from which one could see all of Ariake Grid’s port facilities...

“Haah... I never imagined that I’d survive. Looks look I shouldn’t write off the virtues of my good luck... Well, I don’t think there’s any doubt that I worked far more than what I’m paid for though...”

As Karasawa quipped to himself, he gently twisted the tool he had thrust into the object. Upon which, the cracking sound of a fine part breaking sounded. After a few clattering sounds of disengaged gears spinning in neutral, the device that was the size of a motorcycle fell silent.

It was a long-barreled machine draped in a black cowl that gave off a dangerous air—it was an automated sniper rifle used for assassinations.

Karasawa had just destroyed the “assassin’s” AI by thrusting a tool into a gap in its light armor plating while grumbling all the while, “...Rather, I should be saying that this kind of work is completely outside of my role and responsibilities... Well, I guess I could think of it as paying interest on the debt I incurred in the past. Most importantly, Dr. Marie appears to safe and sound as well, so why sweat the... ugh!”

As Karasawa let out a small groan, he held his abdomen as blood began to drip down between his fingers. “...Good grief, will I be able to get worker’s comp for this...? Haha, as if—— Sure is tough working for an organization that flouts labor standards.”

Though Karasawa had narrowly managed to repel his assassin, he hadn’t escaped unscathed. His right arm and several of his ribs were broken and that was merely in addition to the two bullets he had taken in the abdomen. By his own diagnosis, he was well worthy of being deemed a patient with severe injuries in need of at least a month’s rehabilitation.

The one silver lining is that my wounds aren’t so bad that my only hope would be to become a cyborg... but if I don’t treat them soon, my life’s definitely gonna be in danger.

Karasawa turned around while panting as heavily as one would expect. “I’ve gotta choose my next job... more carefully...”

I’ve ended up finding out things that I shouldn’t have, and though I managed to turn the tables on my assassin this time, if this keeps up not even my good luck will save me. I need to disappear ASAP—that, or I’m going to need protection from someone.

For the time being, the leads that look promising are... Right, how about that Japanese princess? I already know just how much fun a workplace can be when there’s a beautiful and capable woman running things thanks to my time in Meister Guild.

“As for Dr. Marie and the rest... Well, they should be fine. The enemy is a bunch of clowns who even let a weakling like me escape, after all. I’m sure Dr. Marie and her friends can overcome anything— Whoa there.”

Pulling back his drifting consciousness, Karasawa smiled gently. Swallowing the clot of blood that had made its way up his throat, he said, “Ugh, shit, this is really bad... Before I worry about finding new work, I oughta... Let’s see, the closest back-alley doctor should be... Ah, right. Well, let’s get this over with.”

Dragging his raggedy, wounded body, Karasawa disappeared into Tokyo’s underworld without a trace.

●

Far off in the horizon, the sun was setting. Lying sprawled on a chair on the ship’s deck, Marie was taking in the sea’s reddish orange hue. The temperature was warm, and the sea breeze that brushed past in intervals felt refreshing.

Looking up through her sunglasses, she could see the silhouette of the Equatorial Spring that covered a large portion of her view of the burnt orange sky. As she tilted her head slightly to the side, her eyes found a man fishing by the edge of the ship. Marie called out to that person, “Halter, could you toss me a can of juice?”

“Sure thing, does orange juice sound fine?”

As Marie nodded, Halter took out a can of juice from the cooler by his feet and tossed it over his shoulder without turning around. Catching the can from its mid-air arc, Marie pulled the tab. A whoosh sounded.

As she enjoyed the sweet taste of the cool juice, Marie flipped the switch of the resonance radio on the side table next to her chair and found a news report which began to play from its speakers along with some noise.

“—Once again, regarding the Uprising of 2/8: As of right now, there are still no leads as to the whereabouts of the criminal group commonly known as Second Ypsilon. For those who are just tuning in, this is the name of the group who raided the palace, took Her Highness Houko Hoshimiya as a hostage, and seized control over the Pillar of Heaven on the tenth of February. Due to expert opinion agreeing that the enormous weapon utilized by the terrorists had possessed electromagnetic technology, the countries around the world have rushed to purchase the newly released anti-electromagnetic weapons that the Vacheron Corporation had been developing...”

Marie snorted upon hearing the news that the female newscaster conveyed. “In the end, everything went as that son of a bitch wanted huh...”

“—Not only that, but with this development, quite a few countries in the world will now have access to technology to counter electromagnetic weapons—they’ve all basically implicitly affirmed that they very much do suspect each other of possessing something similar to “our” spider...”

Halter sighed while continuing to watch his line, he still had his back to her.

“...It’s not a problem for now, but once the commotion from this latest incident dies down, this new development might eventually end up sparking something else somewhere. And, if even a single one of those sparks turns into a full-fledged conflict, our enemy’s going to make a killing from it.”

Sighing at Halter’s words, Marie changed the channel on the radio. A conversation between commentators on a station from another region began to play.

“—In short, I believe that it was Princess Houko’s courageous actions during the broadcast that ultimately led to the foiling of the terrorists’ plot.

After all, if it weren’t for her risking her life to make a plea to the military to disregard her own safety and prioritize subjugating the terrorists, Second Ypsilon wouldn’t have felt pressured to immediately fire at the Pillar of Heaven to speed up their plans.

And, if they hadn’t done that, their enormous weapon wouldn’t have ended up self-destructing from overloading.”

“—Regarding Princess Houko, I heard that she took the lead in handling the aftermath once she was freed by the military unit that had stormed inside, is that correct...?”

“—Yes, exactly. Not many people know this, but Princess Houko is a certified Geselle from her time studying abroad in Europe. I think it’s safe to say that it was thanks to Her Highness assuming leadership of the imperial guard’s Technical Force that the emergency repairs to the heavily damaged Pillar of Heaven’s structure were able to narrowly succeed in making the entire system escape failure.”

“Looks like that princess is doing well for herself, huh?” Halter said cheerfully.

Marie nodded. “Doesn’t surprise me. Though she’s usually restrained by her position, she’s actually well-suited to be a leader.” With that, Marie then began to reflect on the content of the news report she had heard at noon...

—It was reported that Meister Guild had begun to survey the extent of the damage done to the Pillar of Heaven, and restoration work for the various grids that had been damaged were also proceeding smoothly with aid from the biggest players on the international stage.

As it stands, Houko is now practically being treated as the savior of the nation. She’s expected to hold much more influence over the government in the future, as well. Though much of that is thanks to the ruling party having completely lost the trust of the populace.

Her mood improving from imagining her friend’s bright future, Marie continued, “And what an act she put on. ...I’ll admit, hearing her condemn me, a dear friend of hers, as a ‘self-righteous, arrogant, egotist who must not be placated’ made me a bit sad.”

“—Ain’t that more or less the truth?” The voice that came from above her head immediately dampened her mood again. Marie lethargically raised her body and turned around. “Hearing you say that makes me murderous rather than sad—Mr. Ringleader.”

Naoto was wearing a comfortable attire of a Hawaiian shirt with shorts and sandals—as he stood with an exhausted expression on his face. RyuZU was standing slightly behind him at his side, while looking as unconcerned as usual in her formal attire.

Then— Seeing someone walk out of the cabin, Marie loosened her expression. “Ah, AnchoR! It’s finally over huh?”

“Ah, Mother...!” AnchoR smiled back as she took her time walking over. Though she had lost all her limbs, and even her torso that remained had also been heavily damaged, she now had provisional limbs to use.

...As expected of Naoto, Marie thought with a hint of admiration.

In the first place, AnchoR had been basically totaled. Not to mention, the materials that had been used to make her were all custom-made parts—there was no way that a getaway cruiser like this would have the raw materials that’d be necessary to make serious repairs to her on hand.

As such, the arms and legs that AnchoR was using right now were equivalent to temporary prosthetics designed for automata. Marie had scrambled them together by disassembling the Black Tortoise that Halter had been using and salvaging its parts.

However, no matter how much Marie inspected and analyzed AnchoR’s body, unlike for RyuZU whose blueprint she had memorized, in the end, only Naoto could truly grasp AnchoR’s structure.

Even just implementing those artificial limbs that Marie had made, and linking them up to AnchoR’s various senses so that she could at least perform some basic movements—had required Naoto to spend the past half-month inside the cruiser’s workshop.

However, in spite of Naoto’s strenuous efforts—it seemed that he couldn’t get her new limbs to fit her all that well after all. AnchoR was tottering as if she couldn’t quite get her bearings.

Marie pouted. “—Took you long enough. Just how long were you planning to make her wait you punk.”

“Buzz off. ...In the first place, what I wanted to do was truly repair her, not put a band-aid over things like this.”

—Indeed, what he had done couldn’t be called a repair. It had merely been first-aid, a stop-gap measure. However, even so, this was something that Naoto wouldn’t have been capable of before. Though he had used his ears to repair something back to its original pristine state before, putting something together with imperfect substitutes was something new.

—To be honest, Marie thought, I have no idea how he was even able to get those arms and legs working at all. In theory, what I made should have been flawless replacements, yes. I can attest to that.

But really, AnchoR’s nanogears and pseudo-nerves had all become distorted by heat, some were even partially melted. Not a single part of her body was as it originally had been. There was even the damage from Gennai’s shot as well, but even if that hadn’t happened, the repairs should have been as difficult as could be.

And yet, Naoto was able to mend those distortions through brute-force. When we discovered that even her main cylinder had been damaged, things began to feel hopeless, but Naoto overcame even that with some splendidly delicate precision repairs.

Of course, it took time. Half a month even with Naoto’s ears and his newly awakened clocksmith skills. However, just how many years should these repairs have taken normally—?

Actually, would such a job have even been possible in the first place...?

And it’s not like he even had cutting-edge equipment at his disposal. He did it all aboard a shabby cruiser swaying along the open sea. In a room that could be at best called a workspace, never a workshop.

Marie herself didn’t feel confident that she could have produced the same result given the same environment and the same amount of time—not yet at least.

Getting up from her long chair, Marie rushed to AnchoR’s side and gently supported her awkward steps. AnchoR was wearing a white blouse that they had put over her small body like a dress. As Marie pinched a corner of AnchoR’s blouse, Naoto cried out, “Hey, oy! Don’t you take that off her! Her artificial skin’ll—”

“Don’t lump me together with a pervert like you— Now then, AnchoR, come this way. Let’s rest with Mommy over there and enjoy the refreshing breeze.”

“Okay, let’s do that...” AnchoR nodded, smiling as Marie hugged AnchoR’s shoulders and slowly guided AnchoR to the deck chair.

...Ever since half a month ago, Marie’s attitude towards AnchoR had shifted. Marie had been tenderly doting on her with a smile that was drippingly sweet. However, there was someone who wasn’t all too happy about that—

“Hey— Stop right there, oy!! You think I’ll just let you just nab my daughter away?!” Naoto suddenly yelled out.

“Huuuh?” Marie scoffed. “Like AnchoR could be left in the care of a pervert like you. Don’t worry, I’ve taken it upon myself to raise this child into a proper lady.”

“A lady?! Did you of all people just use that word?! Screw off, if she’s left to you, it’ll be the birth of another walking landmine!”

“And? If she’s left to you and RyuZU, it’ll just be the making of another pervert. Think calmly on which alternative is better for her future.”

“The hell? No matter how you look at it, having another Marie is far worse for the world— GAhhhhh I don’t want to imagine an AnchoR-chan like that!” Naoto held his head in agony as he imagined AnchoR becoming like Marie.

Ignoring his antics, Marie sat down on the deck chair with AnchoR in her lap. Naoto gasped upon the revelation and turned to whine to RyuZU, who was standing right next to him. “RyuuuuuuuZU!! Marie snatched AnchoR away from us, you know?! What’s wrong with our justice system! Why does custody always go to the mother?!”

“With all due respect, Master Naoto, even if the universe were to be flipped upside-down, Mistress Marie could never be your wife. I will not allow it,” RyuZU replied with a cold gaze.

“Ooooooohhhhh?! Of coooooooourse! How could I have forgotten! My wife is RyuZU!!! Wait, what?! Then this makes even less sense, why is Marie getting to challenge me over AnchoR’s custody?!”

“Again, with all due respect, Master Naoto, I have to ask: Are you dissatisfied with me as a wife in some way?”

“——Now hold on a minute there RyuZU, is it just me or are you taking Marie’s side in this?!” Naoto yelled.

RyuZU thought for a little while, then shook her head. “—Certainly not. I simply thought that if I am going to be cuckolded by my own little sister, then I might as well toss her out—so if you can promise me that that will never happen, then perhaps we could work something out.”

“What?! RyuZU, what are you even— We’re not on the same page here at all, are we?! —A, AnchoR?! Who’s better, me or that walking landmine over there next to you?!” Naoto cried out in desperation.

Marie countered by hugging AnchoR close and asking, “Of course I’m better! Right, AnchoR?”

“——ah, eh...” Caught in the middle of her parents’ spat, AnchoR made a troubled face.

Unable to stand watching this go on any longer, Halter cut in exasperatedly. “Oy, stop right there... Asking a child whether she likes Papa or Mama better? That’s downright awful. You’re both classic examples of a bad parent.”

““Don’t imply that we’re married!!”” Naoto and Marie screamed in unison.

Still making a troubled face, AnchoR opened her mouth extremely hesitantly. “...AnchoR likes, Father...”

“Heeeeeeellllll yeaaahhhhh—!”

“Wha—”

Naoto roared, pumping his fist triumphantly while Marie was left in visible shock. However— AnchoR continued with a carefree smile on her face, “...But, AnchoR likes Mother, the one who’s with Father, too...”

““...””

“Father’s, an amazing person. And when Mother’s with him, she smiles... and AnchoR likes Mother when she’s smiling.”

““............””

After a long silence, Naoto raised his head in determination. “—Alright, why don’t we decide who’s more fit to be AnchoR-chan’s parent once and for all?”

“...Huh?”

“The one who repairs AnchoR and RyuZU back to their original state shall be awarded custody over AnchoR. No complaints about that right?!”

Marie smiled smugly. “Have you forgotten, Mr. Naoto? The parts that AnchoR was made with—and for that matter, RyuZU as well—were all exceptionally rare materials, yes? Gee, I wonder if you can obtain materials of the same grade when you don’t even have the connections and influence that I~~~do~?”

“Pfft—I’ll just show off in another way then. So, what do we need to do to get those materials on our hands?!”

Marie snorted snobbishly. “There’s a chemical engineering plant on the level of those used for cutting-edge industrial research right in the Breguet Corporation’s backyard. All I would have to do is ask and they’ll send me the spare parts for RyuZU that we had made with atomic precision... b~ut—”

Her smug face suddenly froze.

“Crap—there aren’t any spare parts for AnchoR?! Ugh... now that it’s come to this, my only option is to raid my family’s weapons factory back home...!” Marie moaned as she bit her nails.

This time, Naoto was the one snorting with a smug smile. “That means we both have a fair shot! Alright, I’ve decided our next destination! We’re gonna raid the Breguet estate—wait, hold on. Why do we have to raid your house?”

As Naoto tilted his head with a blank stare, Marie made a face in disgusted amazement at his stupidity. “Do you seriously think that my father is such a happy-go-lucky fool that he’d simply say ‘Sure, of course,’ if I were to ask him something like, ‘Well, I know I’m an internationally wanted terrorist now, but could you please let me use the Breguets’ assets?!’

If the Breguet Corporation becomes suspected of aiding terrorists, it’d be a huge blow. It’s obvious that he’ll shoot me the moment I show my face! That’s why we’re gonna preempt that with a raid instead! By the way, we’ll also have to raid at least another one of the Five Great Corporations to make the attacks look indiscriminate. ...Ah, yes, we might as well take this opportunity to raid the Vacherons. They’d serve perfectly—if not as a smoke screen, then as a punching bag for me to vent my anger.”

Naoto nodded and gave her a thumbs up. “Alright then, let’s go with that! AnchoR-chan, make sure you don’t miss any of Papa’s gallant actions when we get there!”

“Mama’s gonna drive just how great she is into this good-for-nothing’s brain, so make sure to watch closely okay AnchoR ♪ ?”

“...Hmm? ...Okay!” AnchoR was completely lost by the sudden developments in the conversation—however, she simply smiled and nodded because it looked like her two parents were happily enjoying themselves.

Halter slapped his forehead. “Oy! More importantly, if you two really plan to go all the way to France on a scrappy boat like this, then I’d like to ask you to review our present location first... and what’s behind us as well while you’re at it.”

Marie let out a fed-up sigh, asking as she brushed AnchoR’s hair, “What... another pursuer? They’re so damn persistent... Seriously, who do these guys work for?”

They’d already been attacked three times in the last half month. Though they had successfully repelled those attacks without trouble, it’s understandable that they’d start getting tired of it after being attacked so relentlessly.

Halter’s response was as apathetic as Marie’s question. “Who knows... We’re in the Bay of Bengal right now—so take your pick from Myanmar, Malaysia, or Bangladesh.”

Marie turned around to see what was behind them. What she found were a high-speed destroyer and a group of small automaton boats trailing them in hot pursuit. The enemy ship and automatons appeared to be faster than them, they were getting closer and closer by the second.

“—Oh those guys, yeah, that’s the Thai Coast Guard. I’ve been chased by them before in the past,” Vermouth piped up as he bent over the guardrails on the deck.

“Oy oy... why is the Thai Coast Guard out here in these waters? We’re about to reach the Indian Ocean... This is definitely gonna turn into trouble...” Halter groaned as he ran a hand over his head.

“Trouble as in for us or for international politics?” Naoto asked blankly.

“Interna—”

“So, it’s irrelevant then,” Naoto immediately declared, upon which he booted up the thermobaric buster that they had salvaged from the Black Tortoise and affixed to the tail of their cruiser—but just then, “Oy Marie, I just thought of a good idea. Let’s commandeer that destroyer,” Naoto suddenly proposed, his face all smiles.

Halter groaned, “—Are you seriously thinking of getting across the Indian Ocean on a warship? That’d make us stand out far too much no matter how you look at it. It’d be like waving a big old flag to alert others of our presence.”

“Meh, it’s not like people have been having trouble finding us as it is. Besides, we’re not gonna sail across the Indian Ocean; we’re gonna dock at Thailand.”

Upon those words, Marie sank into thought while Halter knit his brows in even sharper doubt. Only Vermouth responded with a joyful smile. “I like the sound of that! The Thais’re a great people y’know~? The women are beautiful and meek; plus, they’ve even got another variety! I’m sure ‘Naoko-chan’ would be welcomed with wide open arms in Thailand no matter what he’s packing!” Vermouth laughed.

Marie sighed. “...Well, true, that’s not a bad idea. It pisses me off, but I have to admit that you’re on the ball, Naoto.”

“Oh ho? What’s that? You interested in the ladyboys Missy?”

“I mean that we can head for France by land if we make port in Thailand. Don’t lump me in with yourself, pervert,” Marie replied as she shot over a threatening gaze.

“...Taking a land route from Thailand? What’s your reasoning behind that?” Naoto asked, tilting his head.

Marie nodded, then said in a single breath, “I’m referring to Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”

Naoto furrowed his brows with a questioning look. “......Sorry, why are you chanting a curse again?”

“That’s the official name of the Thai capital, Bangkok,” Marie readily answered. “There was a time in the past when Bangkok—Thailand’s multiple-grid metropolis—had fallen into dysfunction. At the time, Meister Guild had intervened and gotten Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Bangladesh to sign a treaty to adjust their borders with Thailand so that Bangkok’s grids could receive functional support from the grids of the neighboring countries.”

“...Well, put simply, that led to Thailand’s national borders turning into a colander that caused a number of black-market trade routes to grow. So, we should be able to find parts that we could use to repair AnchoR and RyuZU with before we head up north from there.”

“—Man, I really don’t get politics...”

“Well, in essence—” Marie declared with an exceptionally ferocious smile. “All you have to know is that we should sink all the automaton boats, knock all those aboard the destroyer unconscious, capture their ship, and nonchalantly sail it to dock at one of the Thai military’s harbors.”

—Looks like Naoto’s influence has taken its toll, Halter thought. Of course, he would never say that aloud, he could only imagine what kind of reaction he would get if he did.

“Hahah! It might be tasteless of me to ask this now, but just to make sure, you’re saying that we should play pirate in the face of this barrage of cannon shots, right?! Y’all understand just how well equipped that destroyer is, right?!” Vermouth shrilly yelled in excitement.

Naoto replied just as excitedly, “Six 15 centimeter autocannons, eighteen cruise missile silos, a hundred and twenty-one men aboard it, and twenty-eight aerial drones to top it off! —Easy peasy right?!”

“Yes, yes, I love it!! You’re totally insane!! Well then, I’ll be turning our ship around—let’s commence the attack!!” Vermouth yelled as he turned the cruiser’s steering wheel.

Paying no mind to the commotion, RyuZU spoke up, seeming to have suddenly recalled something. “By the way, Mistress Marie—I have something that I need to tell you.”

“—I’m getting nothing but bad feelings about this, but what?”

“Right.” RyuZU nodded. “No matter how much of a fuss you make, Mistress Marie, AnchoR’s master is Master Naoto. Because of that, AnchoR cannot be separated from Master Naoto beyond a certain threshold of distance, so keep that in mind.”

Hearing those words, Marie’s eyes widened as she gasped. Her vision shook, as the immense dismay nearly knocked her off her feet. What?! So basically, If I want to own AnchoR— “—It, It’d automatically mean that I’d have to stay together with this pervert?!” Marie cried out in despair.

Seeing the scene they were making, Halter retorted with a voice that sounded like he was truly fed up with everything from the bottom of his heart. “...Hey you guys. You seriously haven’t forgotten that all of us are internationally wanted terrorists now, right? We’re all gonna be stuck together from now on whether you guys like it or not.”

““—No way, I can’t believe that!!”” Naoto and Marie screamed in unison.

Halter sighed heavily. “...What I can’t believe is how stupid you two are, geez...” You guys are beginning to make me feel like the idiot for being the only one sweating bullets over the considerable fleet we’re up against by ourselves.

Halter then suddenly turned towards Vermouth, who was steering at the helm of the cruiser. “—Speaking of which, so just how long do you plan to tag along with us, greenhorn?”

“Geez Master! We’re literally in the same boat here, is there really any need to be so cold, my cyborg brother?” Vermouth laughed flippantly. “Well, my intention is to go my own way once we set foot on land, but before I do, I’d like to ask you guys to return me to a proper artificial body. Abandoning me as I am is much too cruel isn’t it?” Vermouth had pointed to his glamorous body as his blonde hair waved in the wind.

Halter silently nodded. Gotta admit, I’d ask for the same thing in his position.

“—And well, even after we part, if anything interesting ever happens, just know that I’ll come running. I mean, this kid’s antics are just too fun to pass up y’know—”

I figured as much, Halter thought as he shrugged his shoulders. He then kicked open the metal box sitting right next to him. Thunk. Inside the box was a bunch of treasure—as if. Rather, the box was stuffed with all kinds of ordinance ranging from small firearms to large artillery. Halter rummaged through the box and pulled out a large single-shot gear launcher and set it on his shoulder.

Seeming to have recalled something Naoto said, “Hey Marie, we should give a warning before attacking, if only as a formality, right?”

“I guess you’re right. Let’s see... I struggle a bit with my Thai, but...”

“Oh? I’m surprised to hear that Little Miss Genius actually has something she’s bad at. In that case, leave it to me,” Vermouth teased.

Marie scowled. “So you can speak Thai?”

“I mentioned that they’re a ‘great people’ didn’t I? I’m an ex-spy you know? Don’t look down on us.”

“...Losing to you at something has gotta be the second most irritating thing in the world. Once we land I’ll master the language immediately, right in front of your eyes.”

“Feel free. —So? What should I tell them?”

“...Let’s see. ‘Please surrender your ship to us obediently without resistance. You’ll all probably be court-martialed for having your destroyer taken from you by a single cruiser, but don’t worry. We’ll be sure to leave you all in such a pitiful state that if you just tell them that it was Second Ypsilon that did it, they’ll let you off the hook’—something like that?”

“Okay, don’t get wet seeing my lingual mastery now.” Vermouth snickered before taking a deep breath. He then yelled into the cruiser’s bullhorn in Thai:

“Test test. Hey, you, the destroyer over there! You must be feeling pretty discontent being ridden by a pack of virgins right?! Well I’ll make you moan with my top-notch hip-pounding so loud that you won’t ever want another man inside you, so wet your deck as you wait for me! I’m coming all the way to your bridge! Those pathetic virgins aboard you can just plunge into the ocean while covering their shrinkage in shame!”

—Immediately after, their cruiser was showered with a hail of cannonfire without warning. Marie hit the deck to the sound of the deafening bombardment as the impact of the shells hitting water caused columns of ocean to splash up all around their cruiser. “...What did you tell them?” Marie asked suspiciously.

“I simply translated what you said for them,” Vermouth replied with a straight face.

Halter let out a deeply-fatigued sigh as he nodded. “......Yeah, I’m sure you did... Seems like this greenhorn failed to properly convey his good faith to them. Well, I guess you can’t really expect to convey something that wasn’t there to begin with though.”

“Hah haahh! Translating is hard y’know, Master!” Vermouth yelled in response, not a single shred of regret or remorse in his voice.

The barrage of cannonfire tore through the sky before dropping into the ocean water, producing violent waves that perilously rocked their cruiser. All the while, the sounds of the explosions were shaking the air all around them.

Despite how tense the situation was, Marie seemed to be enjoying yourself. “Last call! Vermouth, you take the helm! Approach the enemy vessel at max speed while evading its barrage! Halter, you’re in charge of our rear! Sink the automata boats with that gear-launcher and that machine gun!”

Similarly, Naoto also gave out his orders. “RyuZU, once we get close enough for you to jump across, knock everyone aboard that destroyer out. AnchoR-chan, you sit back and watch as Papa gallantly commandeers the steering mechanism of that destroyer!”

“Certainly,” RyuZU said as she bowed.

“...Father, Mother, do your best... hm!” AnchoR cheered with a smile.

●

...As Halter watched Marie and Naoto give out their orders, he thought, I wonder if Naoto and Marie have even noticed the complete and indisputable truth that—they’re already equivalent to gods on this planet.

Can they truly be called human anymore? How they see themselves is irrelevant. Regardless of what they think, ordinary people who come to learn of their power will treat them as gods. Hence why we’ve already been given the moniker Second Ypsilon—or the second coming of “Y.”

It’s to be expected that the world won’t leave them alone. There’s no way that people would brush off physical gods who exist in reality, especially after seeing the miracles that they perform—Naoto and Marie have grown...

They practically broke into divine territory in a single leap and then went on to fly right over past it. It felt not only nostalgic, but exhilarating, to witness them realize such incredible feats that I myself had aspired to in my younger days.

But on the other hand, the tinge of unease that accompanied that excitement has also only continued to grow with each passing day. For me to feel this way must mean that, as expected— “I guess I’ve gotten old...” Halter sighed as he muttered words that gave him a sense of deja vu.

He then turned towards the automaton wearing a formal black dress. She was readying herself to activate Mute Scream at any time, to end everything instantly as Naoto had instructed.

“Hey Missy. RyuZU.”

“—I do believe I have already warned you not to address me so casually before, but yes, what is it?”

“Do you think that this too is something that ‘The Gear of Fate’ proscribed?”

In response to that, RyuZU turned quiet for a moment, then displayed an elegant smile. “Though I am not equipped with the functionality to measure such a thing—” RyuZU paused to turn her gaze ever so slightly upwards. There—her eyes found the Equatorial Spring turning in the sky far above.

“What way does that spring appear to be turning to you?” she asked.

“...Clockwise, I’m quite sure.”

“Is that so. However, if you head just a little further south from here and cross the equator before looking up again, surely you would answer counterclockwise.”

...Their cruiser was still shaking just as much as before. If even one shell of the shower of cannonfire they were under hit their ship, it would be blown to pieces; despite that, RyuZU continued as calmly as ever, as if she were looking up at a clear blue sky...

“There may be as many subjective truths as there are observers in the world—but even so, there is still one indisputable fact: That spring is turning. Is that not the only thing that truly matters?”

...An automaton who can philosophize on the relative nature of reality. Halter couldn’t help but question whether an automaton’s view on fate could apply to the human condition.

But at the same time, she’s credible exactly because of who she is—RyuZU’s an automaton that can move inside Imaginary Time. She’s proof that even the supposedly indisputable reality known as Time is really nothing more than a subjective truth.

—Something that, no matter how it’s twisted, or how it’s bent, or even if it begins to turn in reverse—one cannot deny that it is still turning all the same. So, that’s what fate is.

Right before his eyes were two idiot wonders with the power to change the world. They were currently having a grand old time in a hail of cannonfire.

“Quit diddle-daddling Halter! We need you to help as well! You should at least be able to operate some artillery even with that crappy body, no?!”

“There ain’t much ammunition left for the thermobaric buster y’know old man! Do your damn job!”

“—Well, would you look at that. Perhaps you should get to work as they say, Mr. Junkbot.”

...Good grief.

Halter couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “...Well, if this is the guidance of Lady Fate or whatever, I guess I’ll go along with it.” With that, Halter shouldered the gear launcher and aligned its sight on the target.

As he did so, he couldn’t help but think of the day the world had ended—and had been reborn in gears. As he stood before History as witness to the second advent of that epic event he thought, I guess no matter how old I become, I’ll always be just another brat like those two. Halter rubbed his slippery bald head with a tired smile, and gently pulled the trigger.

—Click, clack, click, clack.

The gears turned and turned.

Systematically, mechanically, inexorably.

They marked the march of time effortlessly just by fulfilling their function.

Even if a clock were to stop ticking, it wouldn’t matter.

Even if the cogs of time became broken or twisted, they would surely simply continue to turn.

Systematically, mechanically, inexorably.

Click, clack, click, clack—

—The gears simply continued to turn in the direction that they ought to turn—

But as for just whose dreams had determined that they ought to turn that way, not even the gods could say...