The Gear Girl
The Gear Girl
Afterwards, the priestess lady tried to cheer me up, saying things like, “I’m sure things will turn out alright” and “Let’s have tea sometime.”
The priestess’s reactions were half the reason I was so depressed. But now that I’d dipped a toe into this unknown realm of gears, I didn’t have the energy to point that out.
I stayed the night in the neighboring town, and then returned to the town of Cardiff by carriage.
The time was just before noon.
A day ago, I’d been so full of hope.
The familiar old-timer manning the gate called out to me.
“Hey there, Annie! How’d it go?”
He was asking about the Skill Bestowal, right?
As I was now, I didn’t even have the mana in me to force a smile.
“Yeeeah. I’ll see you at the shop later, alriiight?”
“...? R-right.”
After exchanging that vague greeting, I headed towards my house.
How will I explain things to Dad and everyone...?
I walked down a path that veered away from the center of town for a bit. Before long, I saw a line of people and smelled a delicious smell wafting through the air.
The shop that everyone was lined up for had a flashy orange sign hanging up in front of it.
“Proud to boast the greatest taste in all of Cardiff! The Kythera Eatery.”
I was home...
As I entered through the rear entrance, I heard the voices of the customers yelling out their orders.
“Pops! Two of the ‘makes ya’ dizzy’ specials! That round chicken dish!”
“I want a heading helping of the rice ‘kaboom!’ special over here!”
“Coming up!”
A musclebound blond man called out from the kitchen while waving around a pot. Ah, that’s my dad.
“Ooh, Annie, welcome back!”
That came from a woman calmly chopping vegetables at high speed: my mother.
“Waaaaaah, Boss, I’ve forgotten how to prepare the meeeeeat!”
“Shove it into the wheat, you idiot!”
“B-but the eggs....!” Pryce, the assistant, yelled out. He was four years older than me, but he still had a long way to go when it came to stuff like cutting up meat.
Haaaah... good grief. I guess I’ll have to descend upon the noontime battlefield myself, huh?
“Then you’ll be fine if I crack the eggs for you, right?” I asked.
“Y-young miss!!”
“Don’t call me that!!”
I quickly threw on an apron, washed all the way up to my elbows, and headed into the kitchen.
“You’re a lifesaver, Anti!”
“I’m glad I gave birth to you!”
“Yeah, yeah. Should I go with fifty to start?”
Crack, crack, crack...
I cracked the eggs in a practiced motion. Using both hands, naturally.
It sure would be nice if I could be this skilled at using magic...
Ugh... I had finally started to forget, but now I’m feeling down in the dumps again.
“You’ll have to tell us all about your magic later, alright?”
Gah. I know you’re just being considerate, Mom, but that’s the worst thing you could have said right now.
Ugh, what’ll I do? They paid so much for my tuition, and yet...
Gears... Gearcraft... what even is that...?
“Uuuuuugh...”
“Hey! What’s the matter, poster girl?!” “Yo, Annie, yesterday was your birthday?!” “Yeah, but she’s still positively shining today! Just like the shop’s sign itself!” “Huh? Yesterday was her Skill Bestowal?!” “That’s amazing! Our little poster girl’s a full-fledged magician!” “What do ya think she learned?” “That’s obvious! Magic that’ll help her cook a delicious meal!” “Bwahaha! What’s that about?!” “Hey, you all are making a ruckus!” “Phew, finally done the morning shift! Is there any of the daily special left?” “Hey, could I get some raw egg on top?!”
“Agh, you’re so loud! Here!”
Fwoosh!
I tossed the contents of the egg while cracking it, and it landed into the customer’s small bowl.
“Ooooooooh!!” “That’s amazing! It’s magic!” the customers yelled out excitedly.
Oh shut up, you don’t even understand how I’m feeling! I’m the gear girl special!
Damn... how’d it turn out like this, sniffle?
The noon-time rush caused me to forget my gear-driven sadness for a bit. However, time is a cruel mistress. Once those stalwart men were stuffed, they all returned to their jobs or headed back home.
The last customer for the day departed just as it was getting dark. It was dangerous at night, so the restaurant didn’t stay open. The Kythera Eatery was only open for breakfast and lunch.
After Pryce tottered off back home, the topic was broached at last.
“So, how’d it go?”
“Gah.”
Dad brought out some bar munchies after he finished tidying up the plates. He may not have been a big drinker, but he sure loved his snacks.
“Still, to think that my daughter’s finally a magician!”
My warm and gentle mother was drinking from a mug.
Mom, you really should make sure you’ve got something in your stomach. Filling it with nothing but booze is bad for you.
“...”
“...?”
“...?”
H-how should I explain?
“I learned Gearcraft. Look at it spin!”
...I-I’m doomed...
I may have gone to school, but I didn’t have even a tiny hint of magical talent to show for it.
Even after I finally reached the age where God would take pity on me, all I got was magic (ish) to make a dinky little gear spin...
I’m pathetic...
I’ve got no excuses for my parents, who worked so hard, or anything to repay them with.
“U...”
“U...?” both of my parents repeated.
“Uwaah!”
“Hey, hey...”
“Oh, my...”
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!”
I finally broke down crying.
“There, there. Just calm down.”
“Would you like some hot milk, Annie?”
Mom held up her hand, and a small flame appeared beneath the pot.
Dad and Mom both used Fire magic. It was an ideal match for running a restaurant, even if it wasn’t useful for much else.
In comparison, I...
Dad saw where I was looking and gave a slow sigh.
“Listen, Anti... It’s true that Sola and I can both make fire. But that’s all. Even people without Fire magic can do the same with a Fire magic stone and oil.”
“That’s right, Anti. There’s more to you than just magic. I mean, look at all the eggs you cracked during the lunch rush. Even some big-shot magician from the royal court couldn’t do that!”
“Hahaha, that’s for sure!”
She placed the hot milk on the table in front of me.
I understood what they were saying, and that they were trying to cheer me up, but...
“So, what kind of magic did you get anyway?”
“...It’s not magic.”
“Hmm?”
“How do I explain it? It’s got a different sort of feel...”
“Is that so?”
“It’s really, really, super odd. The priestess said she’d never seen it before. It’s an abnormality, she said.”
“It’s that unusual?”
“She said you could normally see a level or something, but she couldn’t for me. So she didn’t know if I’d become strong or not.”
“You don’t really need to become strong,” Mom said with a smile.
“Right. You already help us out a lot around the restaurant,” Dad said kindly, his arms folded.
But, but...!
“But, you guys worked so hard to earn that money! So that I could go to school! But I’ve got nothing to show for it!”
“Anti.”
“I know how hard it was to pay off the tuition with the earnings from the restaurant! If... if I knew this was going to happen, I’d never have gone, and just worked here the whole time instead!”
“Annie...”
“I’m a good-for-nothing! I’m useless, just a joke for my classmates to laugh at! If... if I had at least been born normal...”
“Anti!!!!” Dad shouted.
“...!! Ah...”
“Anti, don’t just stand there. Have a seat,” Dad said, pulling out a chair.
I looked over at Mom. Normally she always had a smile on her face, but now her expression had gone serious.
“A-are you... mad?”
“Yeah, we are. Sit down.”
Right. That made sense.
They worked so much every day so their daughter could go to school, so of course they’d be angry...
It was just like they’d tossed that money straight in a ditch...
My shoulders sagged as I took my seat.
As I stared at the steam coming off the hot milk, I felt like my heart was being crushed.
“Anti.”
Yes, what is it? Sorry you ended up with a daughter like me.
“What?”
“Look at me.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Just look at me.”
“What is it?”
“Just look at my hair and eyes.”
...? His hair and eyes?
“Why do you want me to do that?”
I couldn’t tell what Dad was thinking.
“Anti, my eyes are brown, but my hair’s a shining blond, right?”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
“When I was young, I worked in a mine on the outskirts of Cardiff. I dug up coal and magic stones and the like.”
I had heard just a bit about this, back when I was little. When the town was just getting started, coal and magic stones were an important source of funding, and he helped out with that.
“Magic stone ore reflects light really well, you see. So my light blond hair showed up in them real well. My buddies would say, ‘It’s great digging alongside Derek, because it makes finding the stuff go so much quicker!’”
...That’s true. Mines are dark, so a bright color would stand out, wouldn’t it?
But why is he talking about that now?
“Your mom was the one who carried lunches to us miners.”
“R-really?”
“Hehehe.”
“Anti, look at your mom’s eyes.”
I did as I was told, turning my whole body towards Mom, who was giving off a kind, gentle impression. Her hair was black, and her eyes were orange.
“...I fell for those eyes and that smile of hers. I didn’t know such a beautiful color could exist. Like a fool, I’d thought my hair was the greatest gift in all creation. But I had just been conceited. Sola’s eyes were the color of the sun, shining like it does when it rises in the morning, and burning the same way it does at sunset. The second I saw that brilliance, Dear, I fell for you completely!”
“Oh, my, Dear! I’m blushing!”
I love Mom’s eyes, too. There’s a depth to the orange of her eyes, sort of. Like there’s all sorts of emotions imbued in them, and like they’re not just one single color.
“And then? Well, I wooed her, and then we were blessed with you!”
“Hehehe, Derek was so cute back then!”
Wow, so Dad talked her into it, huh...?
I guess he was just as straightforward back then as he is now.
“And then, there was a certain thing we discussed when you were in Sola’s belly. I said I wanted my kid to have Sola’s eyes.”
“And I said I’d be glad if my child was born with Derek’s hair.”
“Of course we said we’d love you if you had either of them, or neither.”
My face went beet red. Being so open at a time like this just wasn’t fair.
“Then a bit later, you were born. I remember it like it was yesterday... After Sola had some time to rest, I got to meet you. I held you in my arms, and we both looked at you. Your blond hair was just like mine.”
“We were both grinning from ear to ear when we saw you.”
“And then you opened your eyes for the first time, and you looked at me. I can still recall how I felt then.”
“I said, ‘Oh, so that’s what the color of my eyes is like?’ didn’t I? It was totally different from looking at myself in the mirror.”
“My hair, and Sola’s eyes. I didn’t believe in God, but at that time, I sure did thank him. I mean, it was just the best, wasn’t it? The absolute greatest? There was no way that I, that we, wouldn’t love this daughter of ours. To us, you’re a blessing from God. It was like we were being told ‘Keep going for it, living like you are!’”
“Before we knew it, both of us were crying. That seemed to surprise you, and it was just so cute!”
I... I started crying. And it wasn’t like those tears from before.
These two really are the best parents a girl could have.
I really am loved.
“You’re a full marks, 100/100 daughter. I won’t let anyone insult my daughter, even my daughter herself!”
“Saying it would be better if you were born different is the dumbest thing anyone’s ever said!”
...I’m glad... that I’m their daughter...
“I’m sorry, and thank you... Dad, Mom...!”
The best parents in the world kindly waited for me to stop crying.
At this point, I was sitting on my mother’s lap. I was small for 15, you see.
“Annie, your hair sure has gotten long, hasn’t it?” Mom said, running her fingers through it.
My hair was the same as Dad’s, which he was so proud of: a light blonde, but very thin. If I tied it up with a ribbon, it would soon slip out of place, which made it tricky to deal with.
“Is it about time that I cut it?”
“That’d be a waste!”
“But if I can’t put it up...”
When I was seated, my hair reached all the way down to my knees. Mom had kept me from cutting it until now and it had kept on growing, but it seemed to be at its limit. Even if I didn’t go a lot shorter, I’d probably need to at least maintain the length.
“And so, my beloved daughter! What sort of bizarre magic did you come up with?”
“I-I didn’t come up with it!”
Don’t talk about it like it was my idea, geez!
...But after hearing that story, I couldn’t keep on hiding things from them. I worked up my nerve and said, “Gearcraft...”
“Gearcraft?” they both asked.
“It’s a skill... to create... gears...”
“Ooh, what’s that?”
“Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”
“No it doesn’t...”
I raised my hand, palm upward.
Just above it, a metallic disk suddenly appeared.
“Ooh!”
“Oh, my!”
Sproing, sproing, sproing.
Spin, spin, spin.
I had made an impressive gear.
“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?”
“Ahahaha! Hey, it’s spinning! Amazing!”
“But the way it came out all gold-colored like that sure is mysterious, isn’t it?”
“You wouldn’t call it a pale orange?”
“Then it’s golden-orange? It’s so cute, isn’t it?”
“No, I think it’s weird to call a gear ‘cute’...”
I was shocked that they would accept it so easily...
I feel like an idiot for getting so worried.
“So, how many can you make?”
“Huh? I-I don’t know...”
I faced the palm of my other hand upward.
Fwoosh.
Sproing, sproing, sproing.
Spin, spin, spin.
...And now there were two.
“Ahahaha! Great! That’s just great, Anti!”
“Hey! Don’t make fun of me! This is hardly better than a party trick!”
“Ah, it got bigger just now!”
“Huh?!”
“When you yelled, Annie, the gear got bigger for just a second.”
“So you can change the size, too?”
“U-um...”
Woosh!
“Ooh, it expanded!”
“It sure is spinning!”
Oh, I changed the size...
I’d been too depressed to actually try anything before.
Ah, it went back to normal.
“Oh, that’s it! I was wondering where I’d seen that before!”
Mom suddenly lowered me down off her lap and headed off to the second floor. When she returned a bit later, she had a picture book in her hands.
“That’s...”
“You used to love this picture book, didn’t you? The Medium of the Sun.”
Wow, I hadn’t thought of that book in ages! I used to read this all the time...
To sum up the story, The Medium of the Sun went off on some sort of journey, and was helped out by all sorts of people, and protected peace with the power of the sun in some way or another.
“Here, look at this page.”
“I see! It really does look just like it!”
The page Mom had opened to was the last scene. The illustration was of a woman holding up one hand, with a distorted sun above her. The color and shape almost made it look like my gear.
“Wow, it really is similar, isn’t it?”
“Maybe the medium from this book was actually The Medium of the Gear all along!”
“W-what are you saying?!”
“But look, when you put them side by side, don’t they look identical?”
Just as Dad had implied, the official title of this book wasn’t actually The Medium of the Sun. The book was apparently originally found as images in some ruins, which were then studied and finally sold by the publishing guild, becoming a rather famous picture book. The size of the small gear spinning in front of me now and the sun (?) in the picture book were practically the same. Lining them up, they really did look identical.
“But I can’t do anything with this magic!”
“That’s not true at all. You could scramble up some eggs with it, I’m sure.”
“Hey!”
“Ahahaha! Well, I was half-joking there, Anti. But I don’t think it was a mistake that you ended up with that magic.”
“W-why’s that?”
“Well, I can’t really explain it well, but it’s gotta be the color!”
“C-color...?”
“The color of those gears really makes me think of your hair and eyes.”
“That’s true! It really does!”
“So that’s the only reason...?”
“But still, it just looks fitting somehow, having that gear spinning next to you. It’s definitely your skill.”
Hmm, I get the feeling that I’m being coaxed in a weird way...
“And also, Anti, you said that you can’t do anything with your magic, but come over here for a minit.”
“Hnm?”
I followed him outside, through the entrance to the shop.
It was just between between sunset and nighttime. That made for a wonderful sight, but there were people hurrying around to get home before the soon-to-come darkness.
“Take a look at that.”
“...The kids?”
Were they heading back home? They were holding pinwheels made of straw paper.
Spin, spin, spin.
“They’re spinning, right?”
“Yeah? R-right...”
Those are just toys, right?
“And look at that.”
“Alright.”
A carriage? It looked to be in a rush because of the impending darkness.
The wheels screeched a bit as they headed off into the distance.
“They’re spinning, too, aren’t they?”
“Huh? Um, yeah.”
“And then there’s this.”
Dad pointed to the gear spinning by my side. Even now, it was spinning happily along.
“What’re you trying to say?”
“Listen, Anti...”
He had a look on his face that seemed to say “Good grief...”
“Anti, pinwheels spin to bring children joy. Carriage wheels spin to carry people along.”
“...”
“‘Spinning’ brings about different types of power. I was kidding before, but if you stuck that gear into some eggs, you’d have them scrambled in no time. There’s sure to be plenty you can do with it.”
I understood what Dad was trying to say. He meant that it was possible that this power would be of some sort of use.
“I’m happy to hear you say that, Dad. That really may be the case. But I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with the lessons in school with this skill.”
“Ah, right. You’re 15, after all.”
“Yeah. Since all the students in class are 15 now, the lessons will all be about practical skills, and the lectures are getting switched out for self-study. I could make it through with bare minimum honors if I just ace the exams covering our lectures. But I could never go on to higher learning or get a magic-related job.”
“Listen, Anti... The truth is, your mom and I didn’t get you into school because we wanted you to become good at magic.”
“Huh?”
“Back when we were kids, this town wasn’t around yet, so there weren’t many places for kids to meet.”
“We wanted you to make a lot of friends your own age.”
“...”
I wouldn’t call them “friends” so much as “nasty brats” and “mean girls,” but......
“Ahaha, I’ve got no idea who’s got you making that face, but most of the kids in your class come to eat at our place, right? That makes them a pretty good group, wouldn’t you say?”
“I mean, maybe it’s just because I hate them, but I don’t see it that way...”
“You always look like you’re having so much fun when you’re squabbling with everyone, Annie!”
I mean, I’d say the fact that we’re squabbling means that we’re not getting along, though...
“B-but Dad, Mom... I feel bad for you two, but I get the feeling I’m destined to just be the poster girl for the restaurant...”
“Then here’s what we’ll do, Anti.”
“...?”
“This may not be the right way to phrase it, but we don’t care how skilled you are at magic. You’re still a good daughter. And if you’re working in the kitchen, it’d be a huge help!”
“In that case...”
“However, Anti, you can be our poster girl whenever, right?”
“Right. So why not try out other things first?”
“What do you mean?”
“We mean finding out what your little partner spinning by your side can do, and what you can do with that skill.”
“Hehehe.”
This thing is... my partner?
But... that’s true. I’ve got the opportunity, so I should at least give it a bit of a shot.
“Alright... I’ll try things out, at least a little.”