"Miss Charlotte, where's my lunch?"
Robin, left without a meal, clutched his stomach and stood dumbfounded by the table.
Around him, the others ate cheerfully, especially Charlotte, who occasionally let out a satisfied sigh.
"Oh? Not calling me 'little girl' now?" Charlotte smugly swallowed her food.
"My apologies, Miss Charlotte, I was in the wrong." Robin bowed his head without hesitation.
"Hmph." Charlotte turned and rummaged through a bag.
There wasn't an extra lunch, but thankfully, she'd come prepared.
She pulled out a fresh pack of bird meat and placed it before Robin.
A giant question mark practically materialized above Robin's head.
'This was meant for pranking you, but it works perfectly now.'
"This is the most popular food outside right now," Charlotte said with a perfectly serious face, looking utterly convinced.
'This dumb bird definitely doesn't know a thing about the outside world.'
"You're lying." Robin saw right through her even more bluntly.
Huh?!
Charlotte's eyes widened in shock.
'How could my perfect plan have been exposed?'
"You're looking down on me, aren't you? You see I'm a robin and you're looking down on me, right?" Robin said with a look of utter contempt, stepping onto Charlotte's head and starting to peck at it.
"What's popular outside right now is definitely not bird meat!"
His reply was absolute.
'So he doesn't actually mind eating bird meat?'
"Ahhh, I'm sorry!" Charlotte covered her head, dodging Robin's attacks.
"I'll make it up to you tonight."
Hearing this, Robin finally calmed down, though still indignant, he started digging into Charlotte's recent activities.
"Little girl, quite a few boys have been coming to see you lately, haven't they? And you beat them up good."
Charlotte froze, frantically trying to recall who had visited her recently.
Alice and the others nearby looked over curiously.
A moment later, a look of sudden understanding dawned on Charlotte's face.
"Those who came to see me recently... you mean those seniors who couldn't keep their hands to themselves?"
Remembering the incident, she frowned in distaste.
"I don't know if they wanted me to join their club or what, but they kept trying to get handsy, so I taught them a lesson."
Charlotte viciously stabbed a piece of meat on her plate, took a bite, and looked strangely at Robin. "How do you know about that? The school doesn't allow external automatons in."
"Heh heh." Robin puffed out his chest, saying proudly, "If you fly high enough, no one can spot me."
'Oh, right. If this guy doesn't talk, basically no one can tell he's an automaton.'
'Does that mean this bird could be watching me even inside the school?'
Charlotte's face fell into an unhappy pout.
"How is life at school?" Alice's cool voice suddenly cut in.
Surprised that Alice would ask about her, Charlotte was taken aback for a moment before replying, a little happily, "It's... it's alright."
'Ahh, a friend suddenly brings up school. What should I say now?'
Charlotte, who didn't have many friends, agonized over how to continue the conversation.
Oh, right!
"Right after enrollment, there was the school's regular assessment." Charlotte slightly adjusted her glove, revealing a line of text on her wrist.
"Tyrant Rex." Robin tilted his head.
"This is the glove only those qualified to participate in the Night Party possess, and I'm one of the top thirteen!" Charlotte declared proudly, puffing out her chest. "So, Alice? Your collaborator is quite capable, right?"
'A capable tool, very convenient.'
Alice wordlessly nodded, though a slight hint of pleasure was clearly visible in her demeanor.
Beside them, Robin gave a wicked smirk, opening his dainty little beak.
"Your codename is based on that time you beat those upperclassmen so badly they ended up in the hospital, isn't it?"
"You damned stupid bird!" Charlotte slammed her fork down, flushed with anger and embarrassment, and chased after the fleeing Robin.
Watching this scene, Alice sighed helplessly and picked up her black tea.
Meanwhile, Suigintou, also drinking tea, frowned slightly. "This method of brewing... is rather mediocre."
"Well, excuse me!"
Charlotte, who hadn't caught Robin, gasped for breath as she retorted.
"So you brewed it. No wonder," Suigintou said, her brow smoothing as if she'd just understood everything.
Feeling insulted, Charlotte puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, gave up the chase, and walked back.
"I believe this is our first meeting. I am Charlotte Belew." She crossed her arms and looked sternly at Suigintou. "Are the Kuonji family's automatons usually this rude?"
"My name is Suigintou." Seemingly displeased at being called rude, Suigintou elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand in a curtsy, then met Charlotte's gaze defiantly. "But it's the truth, isn't it? The skill level is average."
The gaze from two pairs of eyes collided in mid-air.
Struck by the truth, Charlotte's confidence wavered, while Suigintou's gaze remained calm and steady as water.
After a stalemate, Charlotte yielded, slowly averting her eyes.
'Dammit, why are the Kuonji family's automatons so intimidating too?'
Muttering discontentedly, Charlotte said, "I've only been learning how to brew tea for a few days..."
"Ara." Suigintou covered her mouth in surprise. "To reach this level after just a few days, you should be praised."
"..." Blinking in astonishment, Charlotte turned her head away somewhat awkwardly and whispered, "Th... thank you."
The previously tense atmosphere instantly warmed.
This somewhat comical scene made Sigmund unable to hold back a laugh.
The next moment, Charlotte's icy glare swept over him.
"Tomorrow, you get nothing but breadcrumbs."
"My apologies."
The speed of his bow was astonishing, so fast that even Robin, who was frequently squashed, would have felt inferior.
Having decided that Sigmund would be dining on breadcrumbs tonight, Charlotte sat back down and looked curiously at Suigintou and the other doll.
"Alice, is your magical energy sufficient?"
Hm?
Alice tilted her head curiously.
"For daily life it's fine, but if a fight breaks out... Suigintou, and this one..."
"Shinku."
"Suigintou, Shinku, Robin, and the chess-piece automaton from last time." Charlotte counted on her fingers the known automatons Alice possessed. "You definitely have more than just these, right?"
Alice nodded.
"For daily life it's fine, but is your magical energy sufficient to sustain them all in a fight?" Charlotte pressed.
Hearing this topic, both Shinku and the other doll simultaneously looked at Alice.
The two dolls hid their concerned gazes.
Though they hadn't been together long, living with Alice was quite comfortable. The tea was delicious, and the residence was cozy.
Even though Alice had said the Alice Game forbade killing, they weren't so easily convinced.
If magical energy proved insufficient during a fight, they might have to leave Alice.
Shinku took a sip of tea, hiding her thoughts. The other doll also lifted her cup.
On the other side, Alice stroked her smooth chin.
This was something she truly hadn't considered.
Magical energy supply was absolutely sufficient.
But she could use this opportunity to understand the consumption of the Rozen Maiden in combat.
Well then...
Clap clap—
Two crisp claps drew everyone's attention.
Alice rose slowly, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. Her cherry lips parted slightly.
"Let's have a fight."
--+--
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.