Chapter 18: Girl, Picked Up
Act 4: Makina Logical
Chapter 18: Girl, Picked Up
THE river appeared tranquil from above, but it was monstrous once she plunged into the water and was pummeled mercilessly by its rapid current.
“Wah! PUH!” Nichika gagged on the water as her head resurfaced, only to be pulled back down again.
Nichika wasn’t a bad swimmer, but she certainly wasn’t a professional one either, so her struggles against the raging current were futile. Swept away, she tried to swim for the riverbank, but being jostled around by the rapids had thrown off her sense of which way was up.
Shoot! Where’s the surface?!
She kicked hard toward the light, but both her movements and thoughts were sluggish from suffocation. Just as she felt she was in dire straits—
Something caught on her mantle behind her neck and lifted her out of the water. Her view slowly shifted up and her back was pushed slightly forward as if she were hooked on something spherical. Thinking someone must’ve rescued her, she turned her neck to get a look at them, but it wasn’t a person; it was a large wooden contraption.
“…Waterwheel?” In the midst of her haze, the wheel pulled her to its peak, then proceeded to gradually drag her back down toward the water. “W-Wait!”
Frightened by the possibility of being returned to the rapids because she was hooked on the waterwheel, she kicked her legs and flailed her arms in hopes of knocking herself loose. Suddenly, an arm came out of nowhere and wrapped around her waist.
Yanking her forward, they both fell onto the bank. Feeling her back collide with solid ground brought Nichika a wave of intense relief.
She gasped for air and let the tension ooze out of her tired muscles, taking a moment to realize someone had fallen on top of her. Wiping the water off her face and out of her stinging eyes, Nichika squinted to bring the blurry figure into focus. She found herself face to face with a kind-looking young man wearing round glasses. He was holding himself up to keep from squashing her under his weight.
“What a relief. I’m glad you seem to be okay now.” A voice matching his gentle appearance showered down on her like warm rain.
He appeared to be around the same age as Nichika. For some reason, soot smeared the brown hair he had pulled back in a ponytail, but even if that detracted from his charm, his face was still very handsome. He wore moss-green coveralls and stared down at her with eyes as brown as his hair.
“U-Um, thank you very much!” Nichika hurried to sit up, but she was soaked to the bone, which made every limb feel like lead. And she wasn’t just soaked; she was chilled to the bone too.
Seeing the shivering girl, the young man held out his hand and offered, “I don’t know your story, but you should probably change and warm up. Come to the village with me.”
“What village?”
“It’s close. It’s less than a five-minute walk.”
“But I’ve been separated from my friends. I carelessly slipped and fell into the river…”
Debating what to do, Nichika looked to the cliffs above the winding, surging river, but she couldn’t find the silhouettes of a man dressed in black or a wolf anywhere. It looked like she had been washed a good distance away from where she had fallen in.
The young man turned his face in the same direction. To confirm the situation, he asked, “Did you come from Cherry Blossom Kingdom?”
She gave a big nod. A faint smile touched his lips. The expression wrinkled the corners of his eyes, and with that alone, he exuded a terribly compassionate air.
“Then you don’t have to worry. Anyone who comes from that direction has to pass through my village. I’m sure you’ll see them again if you wait in the village.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I doubt the people who are traveling with you would want you to stay here and catch a cold, either.”
Nichika had to really wonder about that one. She could almost hear Oswald’s infuriated voice griping, “You never fail to amaze and disgust me. A careless idiot like you should just go catch a cold so you can learn how to behave for a bit—oh, wait, idiots can’t catch colds, can they?”
“…Even I catch a cold sometimes…” she mumbled in protest to her auditory hallucination.
“What was that?”
“Oh, sorry. Is it all right for me to take you up on your offer then? My name is Nichika.”
“I’m Makina. It’s nice to meet you.”
Nichika’s heart skipped a beat over his carefree smile. Her type of guy had always been someone sweet and sincere, and somehow or another, this young man felt close to her ideal prince.
“The terrain is rough there, so watch your step.” He offered her his hand and escorted her like it was only natural. Being treated courteously was a new sensation, and it gave her butterflies in her stomach.
When it comes to that teacher of mine, he’d sooner shove me on the ground and use me as a bridge than escort me. Would my life be quieter if I had met Makina first instead? Oswald’s wicked smirk crossed her mind, and she shook her head back and forth to rid herself of the image. Annoyingly, that guy’s just the teeniest bit my type when it comes to his looks, but it’s wasted since his personality is beyond difficult!
“That’s right!” she said to herself, “Not only that, but he causes trouble left and right, and he comes up with dangerous ideas on the go. And let’s not forget how much he loves to look down on others and make a fool out of them on a daily basis!”
“Nichika?” Makina asked, hearing her mumbling.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just talking to myself. Ahaha.” Nichika snapped out of her daydreams and blinked at the view before her.
Several steps ahead, Makina swept an arm out to introduce the village. “Welcome to Lolo Village.”
The direction of the wind changed, carrying the scent of bittersweet flowers to them. Lolo Village was a simple village, but the flowers blooming in profusion around it transformed the area into a splendid sight to behold.
With Makina as her escort, Nichika stepped foot into town and heard what sounded like hammering, pounding, and other noises related to construction work. When she took a closer look, she noticed that the villagers were making frames and stages out of wood as if preparing for something big. Their bright smiles and the atmosphere of restless excitement for the festivities to come rubbed off on Nichika, filling her with the sense that something fun was afoot.
“The village festival is close,” Makina explained, seeing the sparkle in her eyes. He gestured, “My house is this way.”
Various people sparked conversations with them as they strolled through the peaceful, high-spirited village. They came in droves from the left and right to speak to Makina, which made the pair’s walk take much longer.
“Oh my, Lord Makina! What happened to your friend there? She’s soaked from head to toe!”
“Young Master! I finished repairin’ the watchtower like ya asked.”
“The flower festival is the only huge event we get every year! We gotta make it go off with a bang!”
Makina took the time to politely respond to each villager while he led Nichika to his house. Nichika was surprised to hear people refer to him with such formality.
“Lord Makina? Are you someone important?”
“I’m not the important one, my father is. You could say it’s like I’m riding on my father’s coattails,” he replied with a strained smile before shaking it off. The way he scratched his sooty hair and smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world certainly made him look indifferent to power. “So you don’t have to call me lord. Acting polite is a no-go too!”
“Just Makina then?”
“Yup.”
Their close age seemed to help them converse naturally without feeling awkward. Nichika revealed that she was traveling from city to city to accomplish a certain goal, taking him completely by surprise.
“You’re on a journey at your age then?” he asked, awed. “That’s incredible.”
“Is it? I feel like it’s just the way things turned out for me.”
“It is! Going on a journey at this age is a big deal. In comparison, I…” His expression abruptly stiffened, perplexing Nichika.
She cheerfully filled in the silence with a casual remark, “The way I see it, you’re a lot more incredible than I am.”
“I am?”
Nichika shifted her gaze from Makina to the villagers, who were seeing the two of off with broad smiles. Everyone warmly watched them—she didn’t sense even a sliver of hostility or wariness, despite her status as a stranger.
“An outsider like me is walking around without experiencing any suspicion or contempt from the people that live here. Isn’t that because you’re standing beside me? Everyone loves you, Makina, and they trust you so much. Trust is one of the most fundamental things we need, but it’s a lot harder to earn than talent or courage, in my opinion.”
“Trust…”
“You even saved me, and you’re going on to help me out like this. I can understand why all the villagers say you’re a great man.”
Nichika’s wide, flowery smile accelerated Makina’s heartbeat, captivating him with its childlike innocence. She was a completely different type of woman from any he’d met before. He knew he had to say something instead of just standing there and blushing, but he stumbled over his words and only managed a formal, “U-Um, thanks.”
“Ahaha! I’m the one who should be thanking you for saving me! Silly guy.”
“I guess that’s true. Haha!”
Time flew by as they enjoyed their peaceful chat, and they were soon at the front of a massive western-style mansion that was sitting on top of a hill. Strangely enough, gloominess hung over the property. A woman waiting beside the overdone, decked-out gates politely bowed to them.
“Welcome home, Master Makina.”
She was a mysterious woman, with violet hair elegantly tied in a bun on top of her head and long eyelashes that bordered her violet eyes. Her supple white skin looked like porcelain, engendering an inhuman aura. Moreover, she seemed to be no more than two or three years older than Nichika and Makina.
“Violette…” Makina’s expression clouded over, but he strode past the woman and promptly ordered, “This girl is an important guest of mine; treat her cordially. She has the shakes from falling in the river, so draw a bath and prepare a change of clothes.”
“As you command.”
“Okay, Nichika, go with Violette. I’ll see you later.” Makina briskly disappeared into the mansion as if he were running away.
Left behind, Nichika timidly glanced at the woman next to her. The woman’s posture was so perfectly straight that Nichika wondered if there was a rod stuck down her back. She stared at Nichika with emotionless eyes.
“H-Hi. I’m Nichika. Sorry for dropping by unannounced like this.”
“Don’t be. Such is my lord and master’s wish.”
“Lord? You’re Makina’s wife, Violette?!”
“……” She didn’t react to Nichika’s sudden loud outburst. After a short pause, she somberly shook her head. “No. I am merely a maid who serves Master Makina. Being his wife would be an honor too great for me.”
“Oh, I see. You surprised me there, because I thought you meant you were his wife when you said it that way.”
A master-servant relationship—Nichika thought back to Oswald and Wolfie’s relationship. Though Nichika referred to Oswald as her master too, she said it in respect for him as her teacher, whereas Wolfie and Violette used the term to indicate that they were in a subservient position.
So this is what a real maid looks like, huh? Nichika thought, checking her out.
Abruptly, without any prompting, Violette calmly confided, “For that matter, I am not even human.”
“You aren’t?”
Right after admitting such an absurd fact, the maid deliberately pulled down the front of her dress, baring her chest. Nichika quickly tried to avert her gaze from Violette’s voluptuous bust, but her eyes locked on a crystal embedded in the maid’s chest. A faint, pale glow shined from a gem the same violet as her eyes.
“What is this?”
“I am a homunculus who moves because of this core.”
“A homunculus?”
“You are welcome to think of it as a doll moved by magic.” Finished with her technical explanation, Violette pulled her dress back up and finally showed Nichika inside the mansion. “Forgive me for taking up your time with this unnecessary detail. I shall prepare a bath for you at once.”
***
“PHEW… The water feels so nice,” Nichika murmured to herself, her aimless comment bouncing off the bathroom walls. She sunk into the bathtub. Engulfed in the hot water, she felt her freezing limbs and core slowly thaw. “Baths really are the best thing in the world. I wish there was a portable bathtub in this world. Maybe I should have Oswald make me one?”
In good spirits, Nichika scooped up the steaming water and happily watched it spill down her hands. The clawfoot tub she used sat in the center of the room. Feeling guilty for wasting water, she regretfully pulled the drain plug. The water swept past her as it rapidly went down the drain.
“It feels like such a waste, but it’s not like I can shower outside.” She hopped to her feet and turned on the bathtub’s showerhead. Taking the flower-scented shampoo off the hanging rack, she diligently scrubbed the top of her head. Next, she rubbed a bubbly soap bar all over her body.
“Mm…!” she unconsciously moaned as a sudden sensation ran through her body, giving her goosebumps. Shocked by her own reaction, she turned bright-red and scrubbed herself hard enough it hurt to prevent it from happening again.
Oh my gosh! How could I moan over soaping myself up?! It’s like I’ve become a pervert!
The thought brought back the memory of a conversation she’d had with Oswald right after they’d left Cherry Blossom Kingdom.
***
“I didn’t find anything on how to get rid of the parasite, but I came across an account of events that seemed like it could be related.”
“Really? What did it say?” Nichika asked, jogging to catch up to the black figure walking in front of her. From the sound of it, Oswald really had done research on her behalf. Grateful for his help, she urged him to tell her more.
“Did you know that Cherry Blossom Kingdom was originally a refuge for prostitutes?”
“Oh yeah, I heard about that from Princess Yura. She said the first people here were women who escaped from other towns.”
“Apparently, among those prostitutes was a woman who had been parasitized by the Fake Lover seed. It was a typical case, where an owner had forced her to take it as an aphrodisiac. That happened quite a bit in the past.”
“What…happened to her?” Nichika asked hesitantly, a bad feeling tugging at the back of her mind.
Oswald coldly described the poor woman’s end, “She staved off the parasite with her male customers for a time. Around the time Cherry Blossom Kingdom was founded, she decided to accept the condition as her fate and committed suicide. The book said she died peacefully.”
“…So she never found a cure…”
Nichika hung her head, squeezing her fists until her knuckles turned white. Currently, the parasitic seed nesting in her stomach was behaving due to Oswald’s temporary treatments. But as long as they didn’t have a way to remove it, she’d have to live in constant fear of it someday bursting out of her again. The grim reality weighed heavily on her.
Oswald noticed his apprentice’s despair, but he didn’t offer any words of comfort. Instead, he indifferently continued listing his findings, “The book I was reading used the woman’s notes on the parasitic seed to summarize its effects. First, if the patient doesn’t consume bodily fluids from the opposite sex once every twenty-four hours, the seed will germinate, killing them. You know that one well, don’t you?”
“I live in fear of it every day.”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll give you so much love every day that you’ll wish you were dead,” he gleefully promised, stressing the last part. He turned only his eyes on her, their icy depths glinting with his mischievousness.
Heat rushed to her cheeks as she processed the double meaning in his words. “Don’t be sarcastic about it! And don’t talk about ‘death,’ even as a joke! I’m sensitive to that word right now!”
“Yes, sensitivity—that’s the first side effect.”
“Excuse me?” She blinked at the unexpected turn of conversation. “What’s going to be sensitive?”
“The parasitic seed is after men’s bodily fluid. If it hasn’t been fed yet, it’ll force sexual excitement onto its host.”
“Huh? What? Seriously?!” Nichika thought she’d misheard him—rather, she was hoping she had—but Oswald (un)helpfully went and restated it for her in detail.
“Sexual excitement—biologically speaking, the urge to procreate. It causes the host’s body to put out pheromones that lure in the opposite sex by making them aroused. Naturally, to get what it wants from the opposite sex, it makes the host sexually sensitive toward every—”
“P-Pervert!” Nichika yelled at him, turning redder than a tomato.
He leveled her with a biting glare the temperature of absolute zero, his mood soured beyond repair. In a deep growl, he warned, “…You know, you should watch what you call people when they’re providing you with valuable information.”
“Aaaaah! I’m just kidding, Master Oswald! Please go on!”
“Sheesh. In short, men will blindly flock to even an urchin with zero sex appeal like you, provided that the parasitic seed is starving. Watch out.”
“Okay, I will—HEY, don’t call me an urchin!”
***
IN other words, this is a sign that the parasitic seed is starting to get hungry?
Nichika sprayed herself down with the showerhead and washed all the bubbles off. She climbed out of the bathtub, slipped on the bathrobe set aside for her, and stored the magic orb in her pocket. Finally, she stepped into the hallway and tried knocking on each door near the bathroom in search of Violette.
Luckily, she found Violette two rooms down. Seeing Violette folding clothes and putting them in a basket, she assumed it was a laundry room.
“Oh, here you are, Violette. Did you wash my clothes yet?”
“No, I was just about to. Did you forget something in your clothing?”
“Thank you for washing my clothes. Um, I think I left something in my skirt pocket…” Nichika retrieved her clothing from Violette and pulled out a round, folded paper from her school uniform. She was struck with relief to find it hadn’t been swept away by the coursing river. She had clung to the magic orb like her life depended on it, so she had ensured its safety, but she figured it’d be smart to get a proper case for it soon.
“Are you done? I need to close the lid.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Here you go.” Nichika returned her skirt and saw something so foreign next to Violette that she doubted her own eyes. “Is that a washing machine?”
It looked like a tall box with a large horizontal handle attached to the side of it. Turning the handle rotated the drum inside the box and stimulated the flow of water. Though it obviously wasn’t the same as the washing machines on Earth, it seemed fairly modern for a world that appeared to be around the Middle Ages in terms of technology.
“Master invented it and gifted it to me. I do not know the official name for it.”
“Cool, Makina made that? How talented!”
Now that Violette said so, Nichika realized that she hadn’t seen anything like a shower in all the inns she’d stayed at since arriving in this world. Had he created the setup in the bathroom too?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Violette, who spoke with the same unreadable expression, “By receiving this box, my work time was reduced by a third. Are you knowledgeable about objects like this, Lady Nichika?”
“A little?”
In any case, the modern world she was from had machines and technology everywhere she looked. She couldn’t deny its convenience, but a part of Nichika also liked the analogue ways of this world. She found it relaxing not to be bombarded by technology at every corner.
“Then I suggest you tour the workshop located in the courtyard. I believe you will find it fascinating.”
“There’s a workshop?”
“Yes,” Violette answered, walking into the adjacent room without Nichika. She returned soon after with a deep-red dress. “You mustn’t walk around the mansion dressed in a bathrobe. Please wear this instead.”
“Thank you for everything…”
Nichika began changing into the dress, feelings of guilt nagging at her conscience for all she received from them. First, she tugged on a simple blouse that had cute frills decorating the chest piece. Then she slipped the dress over the top of it, and had Violette tie the bow behind her. Suddenly, Violette placed her ice cold hands on Nichika’s neck.
“EEK!” Frightened, Nichika fearfully looked over her shoulder. “S-Something wrong?”
“……”
The violet eyes that lacked even the faintest emotion sent chills down her spine. Violette squeezed Nichika’s neck ever so slightly before quickly releasing her.
“Yes, we should tie your hair up with this ribbon…” she said, holding a ribbon up for Nichika to see.
***
WH-WH-WHAT the heck?! What was that all about?!
Nichika ran through the mansion while quelling her still-pounding heart. By all appearances, no one but Makina and Violette lived in the mansion, because she didn’t run in to anyone else on her way out. Outside the eerie aura and under the warm sunlight, she could finally stop and relax.
I feel bad thinking this about her, but Violette is scary! She’s pretty, but it only really triples her dreadfulness!
Sighing, Nichika opened what she assumed was the door to the workshop. Despite its old appearance, the door opened quietly as if it had been recently oiled.
It’s dark in here…
The workshop had high ceilings, and the only windows were a tiny row at the top to let in the light. Nichika quietly pressed on within the building that reminded her of her school’s gymnasium. When she snuck a peek inside some of the many unorganized wooden boxes stacked along the walls, she found gears and screws packed to the brim.
Oh…
At last, she picked out the shape of Makina’s back as he leaned over an old, large desk in the darkness. He appeared to be earnestly writing something.
“That’s not it. This won’t work. This method won’t do…” he muttered.
“‘A Proposal for a New Energy Alternative to Replace Magic,’ huh?” Nichika spontaneously read aloud, using her newly developed mastery of the language’s written form.
“Whoa!” Makina jolted right off his chair. When he recognized who she was, he pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled nervously. “Oh, it’s you, Nichika. Don’t scare me like that.”
“Sorry. Say, what is that?” She intently peered down at his diagrams, brimming with curiosity.
Bewildered, Makina let her see his plans. “Umm, this is just a theory I’m currently considering, but…um! I really only just randomly came up with it and—”
“Neat! This is a proposal for an energy source that doesn’t rely on magic at all, right?”
The civilization of this world was currently at what Nichika considered equivalent to Earth’s Middle Ages—in other words, it lacked either electricity or steam power. At night, they had to depend on candles or magic to light the darkness. Yet, in a world like that, the young man before her was trying to come up with an energy source that wouldn’t rely on magic from scratch.
“This is remarkable! If you can make this possible, everyone’s lives will be much better,” Nichika remarked, giving her honest opinion.
Makina gaped at her in return. A long pause hung between them before he suspiciously asked her outright, “…You aren’t going to ridicule me?”
“I’d never ridicule you. Why would I?” she replied inquisitively.
Makina removed his glasses and rubbed his misty eyes. “I’m only doing this as a hobby, and everyone I’ve ever told about it laughs at me,” he confided, “They all mock me by asking why I’m wasting my time on useless research when we already have magic and Witch’s Items for these purposes.”
Witch’s Items undeniably came in handy. Nichika thought back to all the various items her teacher and master, Oswald, had pulled out on different occasions. Magic items made the impossible possible.
“Yeah, but Witch’s Items and magic can only be created and used by specific people, right? But what you’re coming up with is something everyone can use equally. That’s a groundbreaking invention, Makina! You should be more proud about this in my opinion! Be confident!” she insisted.
Makina’s face lit up to hear she thought his inventions were something to take pride in. Taking both her hands in his with zeal burning in his eyes, he exclaimed, “That’s right! You understand me, Nichika!”
“Whoa!” she said, startled.
“You’re absolutely right. Right now, the disparity between those who can and can’t use magic is growing bigger. People need to be equals who make the most of the talents they were born with. That’s what this new energy will make possible! It’ll close the gap! Not to mention, lately mana has been unstable. Humans need to have technology they can use without relying on the spirits for help, in case worst comes to pass!”
Nichika could see his eyes twinkling as he spoke passionately about his technology. He beamed at her in his excitement. “Thank you, Nichika! You’re the first person to agree with my stance!”
“Ah, no problem. You’re welcome.”
Had magic advanced so far in this world that scientists and researchers like Makina were laughed at for their inventions? Would it be the same if Nichika went back to Japan and proposed that magic existed? At any rate, she obviously couldn’t tell him her understanding resulted from her being from a technologically advanced world, so she smiled reassuringly back at him instead.
“Don’t worry. Your efforts will definitely be fruitful someday, Makina.”
“……” He wordlessly stared at her.
The kind confidence ringing in her voice made Makina’s heart leap once then violently hammer away in his chest. To him, it appeared as if this slender and elegant girl was glowing brightly in the dark and damp workshop. Her cheeks looked softer than pillows, her shimmering eyes like a gorgeous lake’s surface at night. The faint aroma of flowery soap wafted from her shiny hair.
“Were you possibly at the waterwheel for your research?”
The innocent voice slipping its way through her parted, plush lips tickled his ears. Without even registering it, Makina swallowed back the lump forming in his throat.
“Makina?”
“Ah, um, sorry. I zoned out there.”
“Don’t you think it’s because you’ve been cooped up in here too long? Working your butt off in a dark place like this will do that to you. Say, if it’s not a bother, would you mind showing me around the village? It can double as a chance to get you out of here for a bit!”
The young man felt ashamed of the lust that had temporarily surged in him when he had seen her vivacious smile. He forced himself to smile and stretched to his feet. “Good idea. It’s still too early for dinner, anyway. Why not?”
***
THEY went outside to find that the sun had already begun to set, dyeing the village and the surrounding fields a soft orange. A gentle breeze blew by, sweeping up their hair.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful here!” Nichika breathed.
The mansion was situated on higher ground than the village, revealing a 360-degree view of the landscape. Makina couldn’t take his eyes off of Nichika as she leaned over the fence.
“Oh, there’s the river. I might’ve been swept past this point if you hadn’t saved me, Makina. Ahaha!”
“Even if I hadn’t picked you up then, I would have found you eventually.”
“You would have?” Nichika queried, clueless to his tone of voice, “You really are a nice guy.”
Her red dress fluttered in the soft winds. He was about to muster the courage to say something as she held down her blowing hair, when—
“Lord Makina! We’ve got trouble! Big trouble!” A villager was running up from the foot of the hill. The red-faced, middle-aged man panted heavily and bent over to catch his breath.
“What’s wrong?” Makina asked.
“The devil! They’re saying the devil that makes flowers wilt to death has appeared in the village!”
“The devil?” Instinctively drawn by the term that was out of place in this peaceful village, Nichika came closer to the villager.
The man wiped his sweat with the cloth he had hanging from his neck. “Yah. It’s a man dressed in all-black, and the instant he entered the village, all the flowers at the entrance withered away at once!” He trembled and rubbed the sides of his arms as if holding himself. “An’ according to the village girls, he’s got eyes colder than ice and a face so handsome that whoever looks at it swoons! That’s gotta be the devil! The devil, I tell ya! May god help us all!”
“That’s…” Nichika held a palm to her forehead. These were characteristics she knew all too well. She was 99.999 percent sure she knew who it was.
“Something wrong, Nichika?”
“Sorry, I’ll go check what happened!” she shouted, racing off.
Makina hesitantly reached out for her, but she didn’t wait for his response as she made a mad dash down the hill.