"Go on, take it off, Charlotte."
Standing at the bathroom door, Alice stared at Charlotte, who was frantically covering her chest.
"You... you go first."
Avoiding the sharp gaze of Robin outside the door, Charlotte clutched her chest and nervously shuffled outward.
If Alice found out about this, she'd never hear the end of it. Especially from that stupid bird.
Alice gave Charlotte's chest a thoughtful glance, then carried the two dolls into the bathroom.
"She noticed, didn't she."
Sigmund's voice drifted faintly into Charlotte's ear.
"Shut up!" Charlotte hissed under her breath, immediately clamping a hand over his head as she hurried away.
--+--
Gently, Alice undressed the dolls, revealing their pale, delicate forms.
Silver and golden hair cascaded down, draping over their owners' flawless backs.
Alice's dark eyes narrowed slightly, trying to discern something through the strands of hair.
Her gaze drifted lower...
So they don't have that anatomy?
She let out a silent sigh and closed her eyes, a flicker of disappointment passing through her. Even in a different world, she'd hoped for some variation.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she picked up the shampoo, squeezed a dollop onto Shinku's head, and began gently massaging it in.
Shinku closed her eyes, soothed by Alice's skilled fingers.
After a moment of bliss, she asked softly, "Alice, is that doll your strongest?"
"No."
Still hung up on winning and losing, are we?
Alice gathered Shinku's long hair in her hands and murmured reassuringly, "You've both done very well. Snark is among the top tier of my Ploys."
The two dolls visibly relaxed.
Shinku then asked, "Ploy?"
"It's what I call my automata." Alice lifted the water basin and warned, "Close your eyes."
Shinku obediently shut her eyes.
A stream of warm water, perfectly tempered, rinsed over her head moments later.
A few seconds later, Shinku wiped the water from around her eyes, stepped aside to wash her body, and then slipped into the bathtub.
"Your turn." Alice gestured to Suigintou.
Suigintou hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and gave Alice's smooth calf a light kick. Alice had removed her stockings before entering the bathroom.
Suigintou was still upset.
After a disdainful 'hmph!', she slowly sat down on the small stool in front of Alice.
"Now, my servant, attend to me properl— Eek!"
Before she could finish, Alice's slender fingers found her waist.
Suigintou immediately straightened up, her cheeks flushing pink. The fair, smooth skin of her back and hips formed a graceful curve.
"Stop touching me like that," she grumbled, lightly swatting Alice's hand away.
"I did help create parts of this body, you know. Let me check if everything's in working order."
Shinku's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
Alice began washing Suigintou's long silver hair, which felt just as silky as Shinku's.
But...
"Suigintou."
"Hm?"
"Disperse the wings."
"..."
Annoyed, Alice pressed down slightly harder on Suigintou's head. "If you shed feathers everywhere, you're cleaning the entire bathroom."
"...Tch."
The black wings dissolved into a flurry of feathers, which flew precisely into the trash bin by the door without missing a single one.
After rinsing the suds from Suigintou's hair, Alice slowly stood and made to leave.
"Aren't you going to bathe?" Suigintou asked, pushing back her hair in confusion.
"Later. Your clothes are dry; they're by the door."
"Got it." Suigintou replied offhandedly, picking up a towel to dry herself. She'd lost interest in soaking any longer.
"Suigintou."
"Hm?"
"What did she mean... about parts of your body being made by Alice?"
Suigintou's hand, holding the towel, froze mid-air.
Silence instantly fell over the bathroom.
The previously harmonious atmosphere was broken only by the sound of dripping water.
A moment later, Suigintou hurled the towel squarely into Shinku's face.
"None of your business."
With that, she unfurled her wings again and flew out.
Shinku removed the towel from her face, a deep frown forming.
--+--
Fresh from the bath, Alice was still wreathed in a light steam.
She settled comfortably into a chair and took a sip of the steaming hot tea Charlotte had brought her. Charlotte herself was notably not steaming.
Alice nodded in approval. Her skills were improving quickly.
Watching Alice drink, Charlotte opened her mouth, then closed it, hesitating.
"What is it?"
"Well... it's just..."
"About Snark?"
Charlotte nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"How does that doll use two magic circuits? Or is he naturally a mist-type automaton?"
"...The latter, though 'oily' might describe Snark better."
As she replied, Alice reached for the tea sets for the two dolls. They were almost at the door.
The two dolls entered with noticeable space between them. Suigintou strode in first, a scowl on her face, and beelined for the seat to Alice's right. Shinku trailed in a few seconds later, moving slowly.
Did they have a fight just now?
Alice tilted her head, puzzled.
"Could you tell me about Snark's magic circuit functions?" Charlotte's curious voice pressed on.
Hearing this, Suigintou and Shinku immediately knew the topic. They subtly pricked up their ears.
"Simply put, you could say it revives the world of fairy tales."
"Fairy tales?"
"You've seen quite a bit of my magecraft by now. Noticed anything?"
Alice's magecraft?
Charlotte furrowed her brow, thinking carefully. It seemed to involve a lot of items... The little bottle before, the tableware, the twins, Robin... Robin!
Fairy tales, robins, Robin.
Putting it together, that must be...
"'Who Killed Cock Robin?'—from the Nursery Rhymes!" Charlotte shot a glance at the proudly preening Robin, then looked excitedly at Alice. "And those twins! The dolls you use are all connected to fairy tales."
"Correct." Alice extended a finger, and Robin fluttered over to perch steadily upon it.
"Snark can deploy a bounded field that revives the surroundings."
"The more storybook-like the environment, the better the revival works," Robin added. "Not much point reviving other kinds of places."
Their combat effectiveness would probably plummet in a desert.
"We actually had something of a terrain advantage in that last fight."
She didn't voice the next thought—that Snark could still summon ice chunks elsewhere, even with fewer minions—not wanting to dampen the two dolls' spirits.
Sure enough, hearing Alice's words, both Suigintou and Shinku let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
That doll needs a specific environment to go all out.
Victory!
The Rozen Maidens are powerful and versatile.
Victory!
And cuter.
Victory!
Well, aren't you two just winning at everything.
Alice took a sip of her tea, nodding inwardly.
Across from her, Charlotte was gazing at Robin with shining eyes.
Alice's automata are all so amazing. So what's this silly one's magic circuit?
Robin stood tall and proud on Alice's finger, his blue feathers shimmering with an almost dreamlike radiance under the light.
--+--
T/N: A Certain Scientific Railgun Fanfic Up!
--+--
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.