After dinner, Charlotte ended up staying at the Kuonji residence for the time being, until she had to report to the school.
And so, Alice began a period of intense and stimulating study.
She asked Charlotte many questions about Machinart, which Charlotte answered one by one. However, when it came to the specifics of how to make automatons, she wasn't very knowledgeable.
"The greatest automaton maker of this era is undoubtedly Shouko Karyuusai, but no one knows her whereabouts." Facing Alice's question, Charlotte shrugged helplessly.
Though Alice's face was expressionless, Charlotte could still sense a flicker of disappointment in her features.
It was as if she was saying, 'So this is all you're capable of.'
"My main studies aren't in this area," Charlotte said, crossing her arms and looking at Alice with some displeasure.
Well, it was true. Jack-of-all-trades masters didn't really exist.
Sighing inwardly, Alice picked up the black tea Charlotte had brewed and took a sip.
One day, after Alice had brought out the tea, she saw Charlotte sitting at the table looking expectant, practically chirping with hunger. So, under the pretext of paying rent, she tasked Charlotte with brewing the tea.
While her tea-brewing skills still had room for improvement, her progress was remarkably fast.
Alice nodded to herself, deciding to increase Charlotte's tea-brewing training load, aiming to coach her to a satisfactory level sooner rather than later.
Come to think of it, Charlotte needed to report to the school soon. If she didn't go, she'd miss the deadline.
"Charlotte, are you reporting to the school this afternoon?"
"Yes. By the way, you've pretty much finished analyzing Sigmund these past few days, right?" After pouring herself a cup of tea, Charlotte looked cautiously at Alice. "Can I... still come here afterwards?"
Alice gave her a strange look.
Feeling Alice's gaze, Charlotte's cheeks flushed slightly. She gave a light cough. "It's just... for the convenience of our future cooperation."
Is this what they call a 'tsundere'?
"Fine. I'll give you some funds later, and you can keep the key I gave you before." Alice nodded in agreement.
"Great! Ahem... This will certainly make our cooperation proceed more smoothly." She started to cheer but cut it short, realizing it was undignified. Pretending to be calm and elegant, she slowly sat back down.
Sigmond, lazily perched on Charlotte's head, awaited his 'imprisonment.'
"By the way." Alice took out a small glass vial and placed it in front of Charlotte. "Use this from now on when you want Sigmund to come out."
"What does this do?"
Charlotte looked curiously at the small vial. Its semi-opaque glass had a faint bluish tint, and irregular carvings on the outside made it reflect a brilliant rainbow.
Seemingly anticipating what came next, Alice curled up the corners of her mouth slightly and pulled out the stopper.
"Charlotte."
"What is it?"
The moment Charlotte responded, the scene around her suddenly twisted and distorted.
As the stopper was replaced, it was as if Charlotte had been transported to another world.
The air felt tangible, tightly wrapping around her body. The intense feeling of restraint made Charlotte struggle involuntarily.
Her hearing worked fine, but the complete disorientation of her senses, something she'd never experienced before, sparked a thread of fear within her.
Her distorted vision gradually settled. Having calmed down a little, Charlotte could make out the objects in the sunroom, Alice's enormous face, and a frantic Sigmund nearby.
Charlotte finally realized she hadn't gone to another world—she had been shrunk into the tiny bottle.
"Calm down."
Perhaps Alice's reassurance worked, or maybe Sigmund had spotted the tiny figure inside the bottle, but his frantic movements gradually stilled.
"Charlotte, are you okay?"
Alice removed the stopper and called Charlotte's name once more.
The air in the sunroom shimmered slightly, and Charlotte reappeared on her chair with a dazed expression.
"How did it feel?" Alice looked at her, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"...Not good." Charlotte's face fell as she caught Sigmund, who flew over to check on her.
Robin, meanwhile, was laughing so hard in the air he nearly crashed.
"We might find a more convenient method later, but for now, just use this bottle."
Stopping herself from swatting the bird, Charlotte nodded and carefully picked up the vial.
As if just processing everything, Charlotte's lips parted slightly in surprise. "What kind of magic is this? It's almost like that gourd from Eastern legends that can trap people inside."
"It's a similar concept. Be careful not to drop it."
"What would happen if I did?"
In response, Alice merely offered a faint, enigmatic smile.
Charlotte immediately understood the consequences and stored the small vial away with great care.
"Don't worry, others can't break it."
"Don't scare me like that!" Charlotte puffed her cheeks, glaring at Alice.
Yet, in the end, she placed her full trust in Alice.
"Well then," Alice proposed, changing the subject. "Let's have omelet rice from that place for lunch."
Fortunately, the restaurant they'd visited that night did offer delivery.
Charlotte gave a thumbs-up and went to place the order, with Sigmund chattering about wanting chicken as he followed her.
Alice, meanwhile, continued refining the component in her hand. It was an abdominal section she'd created based on the structure of Suigintou's upper and lower body. She had even completely disassembled Suigintou for this part and hadn't put her back together yet.
She should be able to finish the improvements by tonight.
Nodding in satisfaction, Alice found herself looking forward to lunch.
--+--
Nighttime, Alice's Room.
Charlotte had already left for the school. She'd been disappointed to learn she wouldn't be there to see Suigintou wake up.
Alice sat upright by her workbench, performing final checks on the components. Suigintou lay on the table with closed eyes, two vintage suitcases resting flat on the floor by her feet.
After realizing it was one of the Rozen Maiden, Alice had moved the suitcases into her own room.
Robin watched curiously from the side. Knowing that disturbing Alice now would result in becoming '2D' (in the physical sense), he remained perfectly quiet.
Just then, Alice stopped her movements and let out a long, slow breath.
The checks were complete. No issues.
Click—
With the sound of connecting joints, the assembly began.
Wiping everything meticulously, she integrated the abdominal component, threaded the strings, and tightened them.
Just as Alice was attaching the head...
Achoo—! Robin's nose suddenly tickled, and he let out a massive sneeze, sending feathers flying everywhere.
Alice jolted violently. With a sharp click, she forcefully snapped Suigintou's head into place.
"Wait, hold on! Have mercy! The sneeze is already done!"
He was then promptly hurled out of the room by Alice's magic, hitting the ground outside with a thud, after which there was no sound for a good while.
Alice returned to the workbench with a displeased expression, lightly patting her skirt clean.
"Finally done." She opened her palm, activating the Machinart she had been studying, causing her magical energy to resonate with the magic circuits.
Click-clack.
Suigintou on the table twitched several times, her joints twisting. As if defying gravity, she floated up and stood on the table.
Whoosh—
A pair of black feathered wings materialized from the hollow space on Suigintou's back. The feathers drifted gently in the air, as gorgeous as falling flower petals.
The automaton staggered a couple of steps, steadied herself, straightened her posture, and opened her eyes.
Stunning crimson eyes now existed within Alice's room.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.