The Auto-Memories Doll and the Curse of Gender-Bending Chaos! - Is that you, Major? — The Lost Form of Love

The evening light stretched long through the windows of the C.H. Postal Company. Orange rectangles lay scattered across the office floor. "That's why I'm telling you, I'm staying by Violet's side!" Benedict's shrill voice echoed off the walls. They slammed the desk, their semi-long black hair swaying. The hem of their skirt fluttered. "Benedict, calm down a little. You're making things hard for Violet." Cattleya pressed down on Benedict's shoulder with a large hand. Their low voice only made the atmosphere heavier. Their shortened brown, frizzy hair hung over their forehead. "Why are you getting in my way, Cattleya?! You were just going on about Violet yourself a minute ago—" "Wha—what are you talking about! I was just worried about her as her senpai!" Cattleya's cheeks flushed red. "Ohhh, worried, huh. While staring at her with those heated eyes?" "You're the one who's been touching Violet way too much! Just because you turned into a girl doesn't mean you can take advantage!" Sparks flew between the two of them. At the center of it all, Violet simply stood there. Her golden hair, cut neatly at the shoulders, glowed translucent in the sunset. Her blue eyes looked back and forth between the two, troubled. "Whose side should I be on?" She clasped her mechanical prosthetic hands together in front of her chest with a click. "[angry/embarrassed]My side." Their voices overlapped. The two looked at each other. Sparks flew again. "Ugh, seriously, how did things end up like this—" That was when Benedict clutched their head. Thunk. The heavy sound of a cane striking the floor. The office door was open. "Good grief. I thought the postal company had turned into a circus." A man with neatly combed black hair streaked with gray stood in the doorway. He leaned on a cane. His gray eyes, equal parts kindness and exhaustion, surveyed the room. The president of the C.H. Postal Company. Claudia Hodgins. "P-President!" Benedict jumped. "Mr. Hodgins... you were listening?" Cattleya also looked down, embarrassed. Hodgins let out a deep sigh. A sigh that seemed to seep with years of fatigue, yet held warmth. "Your voices carried all the way up to the president's office on the third floor. Especially you, Benedict. Hasn't your voice gotten even higher because of the curse?" "Ugh... I can't help it, my body's changed..." Benedict covered their mouth, turning red. Leaning on his cane, Hodgins advanced into the room. A limping gait. A disability from a war wound. He stood before Violet and gazed steadily into her blue eyes. "Violet. I'd like you to tell me more about the box you brought home last night. And show me the letters carved into it. Ah, yes—first, let's brew some tea. Staying calm is what matters most at times like this." "Understood." Violet nodded firmly. Ten minutes later. On the office desk sat the black box—the Fluch Kasten. Ebony-like wood with silver filigree patterns. The item Violet had purchased for eight dollars at "Stern Trödel," an antique shop in the old town. Hodgins turned the box over. He traced the inner lid, where ancient Telsis script was carved, with his fingertip. "'A kiss between those who love each other from the heart shall break the curse.' And—'Wish upon one who carries the blood of the box's maker.' Hmm." He looked up. "Cattleya, judging from the changes to you and Benedict, I surmise that the gender of any human within the range of the purple light this box emitted—an estimated radius of two hundred meters—was swapped. You two were likely within that range." "Yes... we were certainly having dinner nearby last night." Cattleya nodded. "Me too. Why, of all people, did I end up looking like this..." Benedict was still fussing over their skirt. "I was not affected. Most likely because I was not nearby when the box was opened. I was visiting a comrade-in-arms on the opposite side of town." Hodgins picked up his teacup. Steam rose from it. "However. Because I wasn't affected, I can now observe the situation objectively. That, conversely, might be a stroke of luck." He took a sip of tea. That was when it happened. Footsteps climbing the stairs. Light, feminine footsteps. "Ah, everyone's here." A woman with short, light brown hair appeared at the office entrance. Deep blue-green eyes. A gaze both gentle and strong, exactly like Major Gilbert's. An old military dog tag hung around her neck. —A woman who looked exactly like Major Gilbert. Hodgins's hand stopped. The cup clattered softly. "...Gilbert." He had stood up. The hand gripping his cane trembled slightly. His usual composure was gone. (*That voice. Those eyes. That way of standing.*) Memories as a comrade-in-arms came flooding back all at once. The battlefields of the Continental War. The days they fought together. And—the day he went missing. "Hey, Hodgins. It's been a while. But I wish you wouldn't make such a scary face." The woman smiled. A light tone that Major Gilbert would never have used. But that smile was unmistakably his. Hodgins tightened his grip on his cane. "...Who are you?" "I'm—exactly the person you know." The woman looked towards Violet. Her blue-green eyes narrowed. Hodgins exhaled quietly. Then, as if steeling himself, he raised his head. "Everyone, listen." All eyes gathered on him. "I know Gilbert. He was my comrade-in-arms. And—at the end of the Continental War, he went missing. However, the circumstances of his disappearance are strange." "Strange how?" Cattleya asked. "The last time he was seen was during a battle with an enemy army's curse-weaver. That curse-weaver handled an ancient relic that emitted a purple light. Exactly—the same color light as this box." Hodgins pointed at the Fluch Kasten. The air in the room grew tense. "In other words—this woman is not a different person whose gender was changed by a curse. Is it not possible that the missing Major Gilbert himself was bathed in that same cursed light back then, turned into a woman, and has been hiding ever since?" Silence. The sound of Benedict gulping could be heard. "W-wait a minute. So, this person who looks just like the Major is the real—" "...No way." Cattleya covered their mouth with a hand. Violet couldn't move. She clenched her prosthetic hands tightly in front of her chest. The mechanical fingers made a small clicking sound. (*Major.*) A voice echoed in her head. *'I love you.'* The last words she had heard. *'You are fine just the way you are.'* Words she had never understood the meaning of. "President Hodgins. Is that a fact?" Violet's voice was smaller than usual. "Whether you believe it's a fact or not is up to you, Violet." Hodgins gently placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "But—I am speaking from the intuition of a comrade-in-arms. This woman is Gilbert. I am certain of it." At that moment. "Heh. Hodgins is as sharp as ever." The woman who looked exactly like the Major took a step forward. Slowly. She approached Violet. "But, Violet. There's only one way to know if I'm the real one." She traced the inner lid of the box with her finger. *'A kiss between those who love each other from the heart.'* "If you love me—if we kiss, the curse will be broken. My body will return to normal. Then, you'll know if I'm the real Gilbert." "However, I do not understand love." Violet's voice was trembling. She didn't even know why it trembled. "That's fine. I want to know how you feel." She gently touched Violet's cheek. Warm. The temperature of a human hand. A living warmth, different from the cold of the prosthetic hands. Deep in Violet's chest, something throbbed violently. Thump. Thump. More intensely than ever before. (*What... is this?*) Violet was confused. It wasn't an order. It wasn't a mission. And yet, her body wouldn't move. Her prosthetic hands trembled with a clatter. She felt her breathing grow ragged. "Violet." She slowly brought her face closer. Deep blue-green eyes were right before her. Close enough to feel her breath. Their lips—drew near. (*Major.*) (*He said he loved me.*) (*But I don't understand love.*) (*Is this love, or is it fear?*) (*I—cannot judge.*) Their lips were about to touch— "—!" Violet turned her face away. On reflex. Instinctively. "...Major, I..." A trembling voice. Tears she didn't understand welled in her eyes. "I—do not understand love. So, whether this is love or not... I might end up lying to you, Major. I..." Her words cut off. A single tear. Trailed down her cheek and fell. She didn't even know why the tears came. That she, so lacking in emotion, would cry. "...I see." For an instant, a sad expression crossed the woman's face. But it immediately returned to a gentle smile. "It's alright. This isn't something you should apologize for." She gently stroked Violet's head. Her fingers touched the golden hair. "I love you. That hasn't changed. But—if you're confused, it's not good for me to stay here any longer." She pulled her hand back. And turned on her heel. "P-please wait." Violet reached out her hand. But her prosthetic hand cut through empty air. "See you later, Violet." Without looking back, the woman descended the stairs. The footsteps grew distant. The front door—opened, and closed. Silence. "...Major." Violet stood rooted to the spot. The tears wouldn't stop. (*I—hurt the Major.*) (*Because I don't understand love.*) (*Because I can't answer his feelings.*) Deep in her chest, it hurt. Even though she had a mechanical body. Even though she didn't understand emotions. Even so—it hurt. "Violet..." Benedict gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Did I... do something wrong?" "That's something even we don't know. But..." Cattleya placed a hand on her other shoulder. Their large palm was warm. "But the fact that you can cry means something must have changed." Hodgins approached, leaning on his cane. "Violet. In the past, you couldn't even cry. Now, you are crying. Isn't that—proof that emotions are budding within you?" He placed a hand lightly on Violet's head. Through her tear-blurred vision, Violet looked outside the window. Twilight was beginning to envelop the town. The figure of the woman who looked exactly like the Major—was no longer visible. (*Did I lose the Major?*) (*No—perhaps he was never here to begin with.*) Violet clenched her prosthetic hands in front of her chest. Now, she didn't even know what she could do. Only—the sound of her heart still echoed noisily. A faint purple. The color the box had glowed with was seared into her mind and wouldn't leave.

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Episode 4

Name: The Auto-Memories Doll and the Curse of Gender-Bending Chaos!
Author: Novelia

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