The Auto-Memories Doll and the Curse of Gender-Bending Chaos! - Moving Forward, Two and One

There was a knock at the door. For a long time. A very long time. "Hey, Violet! I know you're in there! Open up!" That was Benedict's voice. High-pitched, but trembling with anger and desperation. "Benedict, if you pound that hard, you'll break the door. ...Violet, it's us. We'll leave the door unlocked, so please... we want you to hear us out." Cattleya's voice was calm. But beneath that low tone, there was something desperate. On the bed, Violet hugged her knees. The curtains were still drawn. The room was dark. The air was heavy. "...Please come in." Her voice was hoarse. The door opened. "Whoa, it's pitch black! Why are the curtains shut tight?!" The sound of slippers pattered across the floor as Benedict ran to the window. The curtains were yanked open with a sharp hiss. Light. Blinding. Violet squeezed her eyes shut. "You... your face looks like that?" Benedict's voice suddenly went quiet. She opened her eyes. Benedict stood before her. Black semi-long hair. Brown eyes. A woman's body. But the posture was the same old Benedict. Arms crossed over the chest, brows furrowed, looking down at Violet. The hem of the skirt was crooked. The frayed edge was still there. Apparently, they'd fallen again. "Benedict. Your skirt hem is torn. Did you fall again?" "Sh-shut up! Right now, we're talking about you!" Benedict's cheeks flushed bright red. "Oh my, Benedict. Such a tone... Still, I'm a little surprised to hear Violet crack a joke." Cattleya approached from behind. Shortened brown, curly hair. Sharp, keen eyes. In their hands, they clutched several old scraps of paper. "So, anyway. Violet. We did some digging. The writing on that box." Benedict snatched one of the papers from Cattleya's hand. Rip. "Ah!" "Oh, crap! It tore!" "Honestly... we spent all night deciphering that..." Cattleya let out a sigh. "Deciphering...?" "Yes. Violet, while you were shut in your room, we've been going to the Leiden Municipal Library. We cross-referenced it with a dictionary of Old Telsis script and deciphered all the text on the inside of the box's lid." "That's right! There's another way to break the curse besides a kiss!" Benedict leaned forward. Their black hair swayed softly. "'Make a wish to one who carries the blood of the box's creator.' This is it! We just have to find a descendant of the person who made the box and cast the curse, and ask them to lift it! You don't need a kiss or anything—you can go back to normal!" Benedict's face shone with hope. But. "...I am." Violet hung her head. Her golden hair fell over her face. "I am a doll. I hurt the Major. Because I don't understand love. So, no matter what I do, I will only hurt someone again." Silence fell. The room went quiet. "...Don't give me that crap." The voice was trembling. "Don't give me that crap, Violet!!" Benedict shouted. Tears were streaming down their face. "You're not a doll! I—I—!" Benedict's slender arms wrapped tightly around Violet's body. Benedict, now in a girl's body. Crying. "My chest hurts so much right now I can't stand it! Seeing you cry makes me cry too! Do you know why?! Because you're precious, and important, and I can't bear it!!" Benedict's tears fell onto her shoulder. Warm. "Why are you crying? I am a weapon. I only follow orders—" "No!!" The shout came right by her ear. "You're not a weapon! You're our—our precious comrade! It's not an order! It's not a mission! I'm crying just because you're precious to me! Isn't that enough?!" Deep in her chest. Something clenched. Tight. "...Benedict." Cattleya placed a hand on Benedict's shoulder. A large hand. "Violet. Let me say something too." Cattleya's voice was quiet. But that low voice trembled just a little. "Neither I nor Benedict approached you just because our bodies changed. We've been watching over you—for a long time now." Cattleya placed a hand on their own chest. "In this body, I feel a surge of strength. I feel a powerful urge to protect you. But that's not just because of the curse." "I once lost my fiancé in the war. I couldn't protect him. That regret has always been inside me. ...So this time, I want to protect. You. This feeling isn't a curse." Cattleya's green eyes looked straight at Violet. "Violet. You are not alone." Benedict's arms tightened. "That's right! You've got us, don't you?! So don't shut yourself away alone anymore!" Tears. From my eyes too. They fell. "...I." Her voice trembled. "I want to see the Major." It overflowed. The words. "It's not that I want to apologize. I want to hear the Major's words—one more time. I want him to call my name in his voice. That is... my feeling." "Violet...!" "Yes! That's it, Violet!" Benedict looked up. A face messy with tears and snot. But a beaming smile. "Let's go see him! To do that, first we break the curse! We'll find the creator's descendant and beg them!" "Yes. We have a lead." Cattleya held out the scraps of paper. "We found out at the library that the creator of this box originally came from a southern port town. The port town of Encross. There's a rumor that their descendants still run an antique shop there." "Encross..." "Let's go! I'm coming too!" "Huh?" "Ah... no, would I just complicate things if I went? Still stuck in a woman's body and all..." "Hehe." Cattleya laughed. "You're right. Let's leave Violet's matters to Violet herself. Our role is to wait here for the results." "Dammit... Violet, don't you run away! Make sure you come back!" "Yes. I will, without fail." Violet stood up. With her mechanical prosthetic hand, she grasped Benedict's hand. "Benedict. Cattleya. Thank you." It was not an order, nor a mission. It was my own will. --- The next morning. The sky was high and blue. The morning sun sparkled off the domed roof of Leiden Central Station. In the vast space of glass and steel, the whistle of a steam locomotive echoed. White smoke rose like pillars toward the ceiling. The platform was crowded with people. A merchant with a large bag. A mother holding a child's hand. A soldier reading a newspaper. "One ticket to Encross." Violet held out coins at the ticket counter window. "One-way to Encross. Departs from Platform 3 in ten minutes." She took the ticket. A small slip of paper. But this was the beginning of a path she had chosen for herself. Inside her bag, a pen and paper. To write a letter to the Major. She still didn't know what to write. But there was something she wanted to convey. "Take care, Violet." "You come back, you hear me! Absolutely!" Beyond the ticket gate, the two of them were seeing her off. Next to Cattleya stood Mr. Hodgins, leaning on his cane. "Go on, then. This is your journey." Violet gave a small nod. She passed through the ticket gate. She stepped forward, heading for Platform 3— At that moment. From behind. Snatch. The ticket in her hand suddenly vanished. "—Huh?" "Well now, Violet. It's a fine morning, isn't it?" A voice. That voice. A chill ran down her spine. No. Not a chill. It was heat. She turned around. Backlit by the morning sun, she stood there. Short, light brown hair. Deep blue-green eyes. Hair neatly trimmed in a military style, swaying in the breeze. A woman who looked exactly like Major Gilbert. In her hand, Violet's ticket. "W-why... are you here?" "Did you think I'd let you go alone?" She flashed another ticket with a flourish. "I reserved the seat next to you. It's about five hours to Encross, I suppose. It'll be a long trip. We'll be together the whole time." Thump. Her heart leaped. Thump, thump. Her chest ached. "I-I—" "...The fact that you wanted to see me." She took a step closer. Her eyes held a serious light. The Major's eyes. "That makes me happier than anything." The wind blew. The hem of her skirt swayed gently. A train whistle sounded, loud and clear. The train began to move, slowly. "Now then, shall we go? Violet." A hand, extended. I— By my own will. I grasped that hand in return. "...Yes. Major." The train picked up speed. The scenery outside the window streamed by, faster and faster. The streets of Leiden grew smaller and smaller. In the seat across from her, she was smiling. Just that made her heart pound, loud and unruly. (I still don't understand love.) (But—for now, this is enough.) Violet gently touched the pen and paper inside her bag. The journey had only just begun. She didn't know what awaited her. But she wouldn't run anymore. She would move forward on her own two feet. With the Major—together. --- Two figures remained on the platform. "Hey, Cattleya. That was the Major just now, right?" "Yes. It seems Violet isn't the only one who'll be swept along." "No kidding. Honestly, what a high-maintenance boss." The two of them kept waving until the train was out of sight.

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Episode 6

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

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