by Kamiya Yuu
–Right, time to prepare myself. She thought.
What you’ll know later on is knowledge completely different from what you know.
What he’ll be teaching you, telling you, and whether you can understand it yourself–
Shake off these thoughts now.
–It’s not whether I can, it’s that I will.
How exactly does this abnormality in front of me views this world–
Doesn’t matter whether I can understand, even if it’s a fragment.
No matter how illogical it is, I have to absorb it. I must personally recreate it–!
With much anticipation, Marie awaited Naoto’s words, and the latter merely told her,
“I suppose you already understood, more or less, Marie.”
“…I already understood…?”
Marie raised her eyebrow as she repeated what Naoto said.
Naoto nodded, saying,
‘You already knew…you learned about these little unique quirks I have. You already did so when you attached uncle Halter’s head, didn’t you?”
“…What are you saying? Well–I just know of the blueprint–”
“Really?”
Naoto flatly noted,
“You modified it in such a short time, without thinking at all, you know?”
Naoto’s grey eyes showed admiration as he concluded,
“You saw it, Marie, you saw the ‘result’–you saw the future you should connect to.”
No–right when Marie was about to deny it instinctively, she shook her head.
Right–I should have admitted it in the first place.
Naoto Miura–he knew things he logically shouldn’t have.
I don’t know the logic and rationale behind it, but if I don’t think of it this way, I can’t explain it.
So if Naoto says that I can do it–I can do it.
This guy is simply stating his admiration, and right now he’s assuring me for my genius. Is there anything more trustworthy than this?
Marie believed.
–That Naoto Miura simply had a little better hearing than ordinary people.
As he described himself, it was simply abnormality.
Assuming that he was viewed specially because his ears were far more precise than current equipment–Marie Bell Breguet would not lose out to him in this regard.
To refute this–despite her capabilities, she was willing to use current equipment to create equipment that that far exceeded her capabilities.
That was simply a unique quirk, a personal difference that was so miniscule, a simple matter of everyone having their own strengths.
But when that meshed with the delicate touch–
The human brain would surpass common sense.
Halter proved it.
Naoto’s existence proved this.
–I too proved this countless times already!!
And then, an image appeared in Marie’s mind like a flash, causing her to widen her eyes.
“–I see…so we’re ‘opposites’…you’re completely different from me.”
“Opposite?”
Naoto muttered with skepticism, and Marie looked at him, feeling confident.
Right, opposite.
Marie Bell Breguet was able to derive the answer from the events that led to the situation.
Naoto Miura was the one who created a scenario based on the ‘ideal answer’ he wanted.
And thus, by changing the methods–what they had to do was simple.
Backtrack.
Marie lifted her face, and said with enthusiasm,
“Naoto, tell me the major circuits or cores you hear in the ‘Heaven’s Pillar’–anyway, tell me everything you find that’s important. You know the outcome, so tell me what it is.”
Upon hearing that, Naoto answered skeptically.
“…Okay, but I don’t have the confidence that I can describe it perfectly, you know?”
“It’s fine–I’ll analyze everything, remember them, absorb and digest it all–how about it? Are you going to say that I can’t do it? Have at it!?”
Marie sneered as she said this.
And upon seeing that, Naoto showed a serious glint in his eyes, nodding lightly,
“…Now then, Marie. I’m not as smart as you are, and I’m not good at explaining with words, but if it’s you, I’m sure you’ll understand. Thus, I’m going to express what I feel.”
“–Alright.”
Bring it on–Marie swallowed back these words she was about to blurt out, and bit her lips.
Then–
“Marie, what I say from now on, ‘hear it, and forget it all’.”
“–Eh?”
Marie inadvertently squealed due to the setback from the conflicting words. Naoot however did not mind as he continued on,
“It’s fine if you can’t remember but don’t forget to hear it all and don’t listen so don’t think but think about”
“–”
“Everything right and everything wrong is all a paradox that is correct and right is left so there’s nothing and everything–”
“—-”
“I don’t know and yet I do.”
–Huh…?
“I know and yet I don’t.”
–Wai…!
“You may not remember and yet you have to so here I go.”
–Wait…!
“…Marie, you awake?”
“——Eh?”
The palm shaking in front of Marie’s eyes finally caused her to blurt out.
She was inadvertently gasping–what did Naoto just do to her? What did he say?
“Right, looks like you’re awake. You remember everything?”
“–Ack? Eh? Remember what?”
Marie was tongue-tied for a moment, tilting her head in skepticism.
She had a vague impression, but Naoto seemed to have told her a lot of things–?
“Right, okay–looks like you ‘remember’.”
“W-wait!? What did you just–”
“I said before that I want to express what I feel, right? I just converted what I felt in my mind into words.”
“W-wait a sec! I said I’ll remember! What you just said, I–”
“You remember.”
Naoto pointed up to the day, as though indicating ‘the sun has risen’, chuckling,
“Marie…you remembered all the products of the Breguets company, all the weapons and machines in the world, and even RyuZU’s blueprint…right?”
Marie nodded blankly, and Naoto continued,
“Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you, alright? No ordinary person–is able to do such a thing.”
Naoto seemed to be returning the favor as he grinned away, saying those words, causing Marie to widen her eyes.
“I said it, didn’t I? You already knew, Marie. The only difference between us is just a matter of eyes and ears…ah, I’ll say it here. I do remember everything about RyuZu’s structure, down to he wire, you know?”
Marie blankly watched Naoto state this proudly with a defiant streak, and went silent.
–Ponder the meaning of what Naoto just said.
Was that all just about ‘remembering’, or was it that she ‘already knew’?
While she continued to brood with vague thought, Naoto told her,
“It’s fine–my senses have been converted to words successfully, so you’ll definitely be able to understand.”
“…Really?”
“Marie, you remembered what I said. You don’t remember, yet you do. The Marie I know–the genius Marie would definitely be able to ‘understand the entire floor’.”
“–Why do you think I can do it?”
“It’s not about what I think, it’s about what I know. Your memory, Marie–is why I’m so envious, and respect it so much. It’s embarrassing, but I got to tell you this.”
Naoto took a deep breath.
“–It’s the same, just like that. You didn’t simply ‘memorize’ it, Marie, you simply ‘grasped’ it somewhat.
So–I felt maybe I could do it too.”
Naoto showed a somewhat gaudy smile.
And then, he showed an expression Marie never did see before–an expression filled with confidence and trust.
“It’s fine. Believe.”
Naoto merely told Marie this, and stood up.
He picked up the tools that were scattered on the floor, and returned to his position. Marie watched his back with her eyes, and gulped, before following what he did.
With tools in her head, Marie naturally walked on, and moved to her ‘post’.
However, at that moment–her hands stopped, and then…
She got frustrated.
To be honest, Marie did not understand what Naoto just said.
What do I do? What shall I do? Where do I begin from–?
Marie thought–before she proceeded to mock herself.
“Ha–”
She was laughing at herself several minutes ago. In other words–she would certainly be so anxious at this moment, falling into despair again like usual, being the Marie Bell Breguet who was unable to move.
But the current her was different.
That Naoto, the image of a hero she admired, the ideal image she aimed to be, the undoubted genius…
With countless repeated convictions–he wanted Marie to ‘believe’.
The ideal hero she had went out of the way to assure her.
Very good–Marie boldly smiled.
Right–now’s the only time.
With that as guarantee, I’ll go along with that expectation, and enter the world that guy sees–!
“–Count to 4, take a breath….count to 3, take a breath–”
Marie muttered, trying to force her concentration to its maximum.
She was aiming for the sensation she felt when she connected Halter.
And once she was confident that she was in the realm where she could see the entire city–
“Count to 3, take a breath; count to 2, take a breath, count to 2, take a breath again, count to 1–”
–She closed her eyes. All the sounds vanished, her consciousness became clear, ridding itself of all noise.
And then…in the consciousness she was submerged in, her imagination proceeded to open their eyes.
–Right in front of her was a deep, deep hole.
That hole was dark, the bottom nary to be seen, and the wrecked doors remained ajar.
The wrecked doors had some words inscribed on them, similar to something she saw in a collection of classical poems,
–“‘Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate’.”
I see, Marie thought as she grimaced, and firmly believed,
That beyond these words, would be the actual hell–the world ‘Naoto Miura sees’, the ‘other world’.
Marie smiled–abandon hope. Hope?
Such a vague, God-given thing was not something she would have to give up. She already lost it.
In that case–the ‘greed’ and ‘pride’ to reveal everything about this world…
With these two ‘great sins’, it was easy for her to jump forward–!
And right when Marie was about to step forward, what was left of her remaining sanity warned her,
“Jump inside here,, and there’s no way back.”
–I’m already prepared. But is this really the world–the world Naoto is leading me to–?
This little hesitation caused her consciousness, once buried, to appear in her eyes.
Right in front of her was Naoto Miura–already at work.
At first, he was listening intently to the void as usual, and then, he slowly–yet without hesitation, kept working without stopping.
He was an undisputed–an impressive ‘clockwork technician’ to whoever looking on.
Marie was fully convinced of it–that Naoto had changed.
His movements were not as fast as hers, and neither was it as polished as a Meister; there were a few times where he took the wrong tool, but–there was no hesitation as to ‘where he was supposed to touch’ as he worked fast, and easily surpassed the Meisters who first started out.
To correct what Marie assumed–Naoto did not change.
–That, that was truly, how he was, the real thing, the one being that caused ignited hatred in her subconsciously.
(–What amateur is this? Isn’t this a real genius?)
Marie felt an ember burn increasingly within her heart, becoming a bonfire that burned everything.
–I’m going to catch up to that. I’m willing to go anywhere for this aim…!!
She was again submerged in her consciousness, imagining herself standing in front of that hole.
She was in this world devoid of sound–but,
“…Hey, Marie.”
…The voice echoed so clearly however.
And when her eyes focused, she saw Naoto, standing deep within the hell–far beyond the gates of Hell, slowly turn his head around.
“–What are you scared of?”
Naoto’s voice and back were reaching out to Marie, seemingly mocking her.
At that moment, Marie’s heart was scorching.
“–Don’t get cocky now. I won’t allow you to stop and turn back, and no helping me–I’m going to catch up to you, and send a flying kick at your back–!”
Marie growled furiously, and charged forth with all her might.
–She was headed towards the place she yearned to be.
And as she took the one way route to Hell–
And then, at that moment–time stopped.
This feeling…of course, she had an impression of it.
She did have such a sensation when she was so focused on repairing, her concentration at its maximum.
A fish swimming freely in its dream, the senses she knew of extended to infinity–till this point, it was still a familiar concept to her.
However, for Marie, whose eyes were widened due to reality…
–The world changed.
She looked up, and the sight of gears rattling together was as usual–but…
It appeared the wind was dyed with color, for the forces, operations, flow, directions–they appeared to be spinning like a vortex.
The ‘wind’ she saw at this point was something she normally could not see.
The ‘color’ she realized at this point was something she should not be able to know of.
For the thing Naoto recognized as a ‘voice’, Marie saw it as a ‘color’.
Naoto imprinted massive information upon Marie’s mind–and the latter recognized it as ‘synchronization’.
The overwhelming amount of information was scorching the mind, causing a sense of riveting blissfulness.
The visualized blueprint. The image version of physical laws.
And as she sensed the boundless omnipotence driving her, Marie thought,
“–Why, I guess I’m a genius after all.”
Marie recalled the despair she felt in Akihabara, the ludicrous delusions.
Ahh, I guess I’m somewhat useful after all–Marie mocked herself, and picked up a tool.
–‘Everything is just an illusion’, that impression itself, not that sensation–was correct.
Everything she could see was all wrong.
No, she could not look deep below the world covered by the surface.
It felt as she she revealed an ‘illusion’, as though a ‘membrane’ was shed from the world.
Marie, who had abandoned all concepts before this, could firmly believe–
Naoto was able to use his ears to affirm the ‘abnormalities’ in the ‘Core Tower’ or the ‘Heaven’s Pillar’.
Vermouth was able to use something that was not exactly a prosthetic, and fight an ‘abnormality’ to such an extent.
No, that was not all.
At this point, Marie abandoned all the concepts she had–everything she accepted till this point–and eliminated them…
She was able to realize that everything–everything on this world was ‘abnormaliti
es’, and ‘normals’.
Resonance non-contact gears? Nanogears? Clockwork AIs that replicated human thoughts?
They were all ‘abnormalities’.
–If one was to think about them logically, how could such things possibly exist…
The one who designed those things, or the ones who analyzed the details, probably subconsciously, or occasionally, latched their fingertips upon the ‘Core of the world’, and created–and then…
After that, they created theories.
All theories, science, and technology was as such.
First, the results were obtained, and then, they would explain the theories by ‘handwaving it’.
If they understand, it was nothing–but if current theories could not explain, then what?
–The Earth used to be flat.
After that, humans looked at planets, wrote mathematical formulae, constructed astrology, and understood that the Earth was spherical. They learned that the Earth revolved around the sun–but what about before this was proven?
Was the Earth flat? Were they the center of the universe?
–No, nothing changed.
The world was always being reconstructed. That was–through ‘humanity’s own hands’–!!
And this time, through the hands of a somewhat mad man, the landscape was reconstructed into gears.
That was a thousand years ago…
But, perhaps–was the world already mechanized at that point?
Having understood this sensation at this point, Marie found this to be skeptical too–and upon thinking of this, she smiled,
‘Y’ wanted to use clockwork technology to recreate the world–that was what was said.
In that case–Marie looked at the surroundings, the swirling scenery that was dyed with color due to her resonated senses, thinking,
–I guess this is how the world really looks like–after the ‘illusion’ has been peeled off.
Marie began to work.
She refined her consciousness, conjuring images.
Her accelerated thoughts were extracting the knowledge she wanted from the compressed information within her.
What she should do, what she had to do.
–Everything was clear, consistent.
“I’m right, no? If I can, so can you, right Marie?”
Naoto exclaimed in elation.
Through his voice and breath, it was certain that he sensed the change in Marie–