Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was dark and cold in the old laboratory. No one had gone down there for ages.
No one human anyway.
Every month, a robotic maidservant would go down there to clean. 

This month, it was Tsubaki’s turn.
As was her duty, she ensured that there was not a spot of dust, grime or mold left before she returned upstairs, and that was just how she liked it.
A layer of dust had accumulated on the smooth glass surface of the large computer screen at the end of the room, as well as the eight pods evenly placed along the left and right walls, but that was expected and swiftly dealt with.

Once her task was done, the little maid surveyed the room with a critical eye, ensuring there was no more work to be completed in the old laboratory today.

The robotic maid was diminutive, about three feet tall with fair skin, a young face and white hair cut into a neat bob, her bangs held in place by a black headband. She was dressed like your traditional maid, in a long sleeved black dress and a white apron with frills along the shoulders and poking out from beneath the skirt.
Her white pinafore was decorated with a black star shape on its front.

Tsubaki nodded to herself in confirmation and smiled. She’d even taken care of that pesky spot of mold that kept reappearing on the wires behind the console, taking the opportunity to fix a leaky filter that was causing the moisture in the first place.

Now to go back upstairs and tidy the rooms on the second floor. Again.

Tsubaki ex-vented a short sigh.
Sometimes she wondered why she bothered to clean this large, empty manor at all if there was no one but herself and her four sisters living there. 

If you could call it ‘living’ as humans did.
They’d been active ever since an intruder came upon the manor, the first after their creator had gone.
Whoever they were, they didn’t stay long nor did they take anything. The sight of the small, doll-like androids must have given them a fright.
At least, that’s what Tsubaki always supposed happened.

The Flower Maids, as their creator dubbed them, had their work cut out for them soon after. The manor was in shambles, but the building itself was still miraculously intact.
They’d started on the ground floor, working their way up to the second floor, then the attic, then the grounds, and then finally the basement. 

It wasn’t exactly back to its former glory, as the village at the bottom of the hill the manor rested upon was in a similar state of ruin, and the environment had certainly seen better days. 

Tsubaki looked back into the dark room, at the eight human sized pods lining the walls.
That is why, she reminded herself.
The manor had to be neat and tidy for when the Maidens would awaken.
It was as much an oasis in the desert as it could get, hoping to attract anyone willing to wake the eight individuals resting in their black pods.

The Flower Maids had been made as prototypes. 

She was the first of the line, and as such had more time to develop a personality than the others. She knew this.

Just as the memories crossed her cybernetic mind, she noticed something out of the ordinary.
It appeared quite suddenly, and the white haired maid was sure it wasn’t there a second ago.
A cyan colored ball of light, orbited by two intersecting rainbow rings, floated across the room.

‘Curious thing…’

Tsubaki thought as she watched it approach the console at the far end of the room.
There was a protocol concerning uninvited persons entering the Manor, but Tsubaki wasn’t sure that this… whatever it was counted as a person. 

It could be an animal or insect for all she knew.
The maid held her broom offensively as she took a few steps down the center aisle between the pods. That console held the keys to awaken the Maidens, so she couldn’t let anything happen to make it malfunction, lest all the Lady’s hard work go to waste. 

“Hey! I just cleaned in there!”
The fairy-like being seemed to notice the maid’s presence as it floated before the large computer, its light reflecting off the dark screen.
Just as it seemed to turn to face her, the screen suddenly lit up, thousands of lines of code flitting by so fast the human eye wouldn’t be able to decipher it.
But Tsubaki was not a human.
Her dark robotic eyes picked up a couple of lines, though she had to shield them for a moment to let them adjust to the sudden brightness. 

She caught the words ‘activation’ and ‘008’.
‘Activation? Did that thing just..!?’ 

She turned to look at the console proper, where eight golden keys decorated with color-coded jewels were lined up parallel to each other. Four were on either side of the keyboard.
Sure enough, the key on the far right, with a turquoise gem embedded on its top, was turned perpendicular to the others.
The activation process for the Eighth Maiden had begun.
When the screen turned dark again, the odd flying orb had seemingly vanished.

‘I suppose it doesn’t matter whether that thing was a person or not. It activated one of the Maidens. That satisfies the protocol.’

Tsubaki thought. 

“I have more important matters to attend to!”
She scurried upstairs to try and track down the mysterious orb, as well as inform her sisters of this development.

No one was present when the pod closest to the door on the right side of the dark room hissed open, and a girl in a cyan colored dress was exposed to the musty air. 

After a moment, the girl blinked her eyes open. 

“…”
She sat up in her pod, surveying her immediate surroundings. It was still dark, so she couldn’t see very much aside from the vague silhouettes of the other pods. 

Slowly, she swung her legs up and over the side of the pod, then hoisted herself up onto it before hopping down. 

“Cold!”

She squeaked, shivering a little as her bare feet made contact with the tile floor.
She gasped at the sound of her own voice. 

“I can speak?”
Wait, of course she could speak! An internal diagnostic revealed her voice box and all related functions were working perfectly.
Why would that be strange? 

The girl kept a hand on the side of the pod as she walked around to the front. 

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and she was able to make out outlines of shapes around her.
Just as she was about to remove it she accidentally placed her hand on a panel that was slightly indented.
With a hydraulic hiss that startled the girl for a moment, a compartment opened next to it. 

Carefully, the girl felt for the opened compartment, sliding it open completely when she found it.
Inside was what felt like a hard wooden box with metallic etchings on the corners and a single rosette in the center.
The girl grasped the handle attached to the box and pulled it out. On the front of the box, written in gold cursive that seemed to shine in the faint light of her eyes, was a name.
Her name. 

She squinted as she tried to make out the letters. 

“C H R Y S O… Chryso… pfau. Chrysopfau?”
It was German, translating roughly to ‘silica peafowl’. 

“Hm…” 

She frowned, not liking the sound of what was apparently her name. 

Maybe she could come up with something better? Translate it into another language maybe? 

Holding the case like one would a regular suitcase, Chrysopfau looked around for a possible exit, or at least a switch or something that would turn the lights on. 

She wandered out into the center aisle, looking up and down it, wondering which way was out.
She needn’t have wondered for long, as a series of bright fluorescent lights suddenly sprang to life. 

“Ah!”
She squeaked as she shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness. 

After a moment, she opened her eyes again. Now that everything was lit, she could see much better.
She looked back at her pod, noting how it was the only one open out of the eight in the room.
‘Should I close it?’ 

She pondered.

“Welcome, Miss.” 

A voice said.
Chrysopfau whirled towards the source, but not finding anyone else in the room. 

“Do not be alarmed. I am speaking to you through an internal communications system, an inter-com. Do you see the speakers high on the walls?” 

The girl looked at where the voice said, and she did see black, square things attached to the corners high above her head.

“Yes!” 

She responded. 

“Very good. I shall open the door for you. Please wait a moment.” 

To Chrysopfau’s amazement, a section of the wall opposite the computer moved backwards, then slid away to the right.
Once the ‘door’ was fully open, Tsubaki stepped into the frame. 

The little maid bowed respectfully to the Eighth Maiden.
“Hello. My name is Tsubaki. I am the First of the Flower Maids, caretakers of Rozen Manor.” 

Chrysopfau didn’t really know how to respond to that, so she started by mimicking what Tsubaki did. 

“Uh… H-hello.” 

She bowed back, a bit awkwardly.
“My name is uh, Chrys-Chrusopf-fau.”
She stuttered out her name. She frowned.
She still didn’t like it.

Tsubaki smiled, hiding a laugh. 

“A pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Chrysopfau. Please follow me. I shall take you to your room.” 

“Um… okay.”
The girl held her case in both hands as she toddled after the white haired maid, the lights in the room turning dark behind her.
As she ascended a set of well maintained wooden stairs, neither android noticed the return of the ball of light. 

It seemingly phased through the computer screen, its gaze fixed on the retreating back of the auburn haired girl in the turquoise dress. 

“Well… I wasn’t expecting that to happen.” It mused to itself.
In an instant, a holographic image appeared overtop the ringed orb, that of a man in a cassock-like robe and a round helmet, a rainbow halo hovering above his head. 

“This definitely isn’t the place I was looking for. But… I think I should keep an eye on it. Just in case.”
The image disappeared, as did the cyber elf form of the legendary MegaMan X as he phased back into the computer screen, re-entering cyberspace. 

Chapter Text

Chrysopfau had just reached the top of the stairs, the door being held open for her by Tsubaki.

Stepping into the hallway, the girl couldn’t help but be awed.
It was so different from the pod room, from the lighting to the temperature.
The floor was a warm wood, the walls decorated in pretty wallpaper with two or three paintings hanging.

One of the paintings was a simple still life, depicting a bouquet of red, yellow, white and pink roses in a glass vase with black feathers, green leaves and a blue porcelain butterfly all laid out on a wooden table with a turquoise table cloth.
The colors reminded her of the jewels on the keys downstairs. She idly wondered if there was a reason for that.

Tsubaki didn’t try to hurry the girl along as she took in the Manor. It was all still very new to her, of course she would be curious about everything.

“Tsubaki, what are those?”
The girl pointed at the roses in the painting.

“Those are roses. A type of flower that typically blooms in late summer.”

“They’re so pretty! Is that what’s on this?” She held up her case, pointing to the golden rosette in the center.

Tsubaki nodded an affirmative.
“Yes. That is a rose, though not a real one. That’s quite observant of you.”

“Can I see real ones?”

“Of course. There is a rose garden here at the Manor. My sister, Ajisai, tends to it. You’ll be meeting her soon enough, along with the rest of the staff here.”

The girl tilted her head in askance.
“Staff?”

“It means Servants. Maids.”
Tsubaki clarified.
She paused for a moment, her eyes going blank as she stared into space.

“Um, Tsubaki?”
Chrysopfau walked up to the maid’s side in curiosity and concern.

She was back to normal in an instant.
“Apologies. I received a message from my sisters. They are excited to meet you but are currently occupied with their tasks. In the meantime, I shall take you to your room and get you a change of clothes.”

Chrysopfau looked down at herself, then back at Tsubaki with a questioning gaze.
“What’s wrong with this? I think it’s nice.”

“It is nice, my Lady. But you are meant to sleep in that dress, not walk about outside in it. I do remember Lady Alice saying that those dresses would make suitable nightgowns.”

The girl nodded as she took in that information, following Tsubaki once more as the maid took the lead.

“Who’s Lady Alice?”
Tsubaki paused as the hallway turned left into a grand foyer.
Red carpet decorated with a rose vine design covered a section of white tile floor from the front doors to a double staircase that led to the upper floors.
Doors on either side of the room led to who-knew-where, and a set of double doors were situated between the staircases on the upper floor.

“Lady Alice is.. was Master Rozen’s daughter. The amalgamation of the seven Rozen Maiden, as their father wanted. After her birth, Alice became fascinated with robotics, and in following that passion created myself and the other Flower Maids. She created you as well. Like us Maids, you, Lady Chrysopfau, are an original creation of Alice’s.”

“Really?”
Chrysopfau breathed.
They kept walking as Tsubaki continued.

“Yes. She had a different name for you, however. Chrysopfau is your German name, to match your sisters, as her father was born and raised in this country of Germany. Instead, she called you by your Japanese name. Keikujaku.”

“Keikujaku…”

She tested it on her synthetic tongue.
She found she liked it better than her German name. It’s translation was similar, meaning ‘pale peacock’, though phonetically it sounded more like Cake Jack. The thought made her giggle.

“I like it!”

Tsubaki smiled at her enthusiasm, leading her up the stairs and to the right. They passed by three other doors before they arrived at Keikujaku’s room.
She noticed that they were each marked with a different colored flower. She asked Tsubaki what they each were as they passed.

“Those are red roses. We have an entire hedge dedicated to them.”

“These are wild roses. They are different in that these can be found growing in the wild as opposed to a garden.

“These are white chrysanthemums. I’ve been told they represent grief.”

“And lastly, your door, Lady Keikujaku, has blue hydrangeas. They represent forgiveness.”

The brunette smiled.
“They’re all so lovely. Will you tell me about the other four?”

“Of course, my Lady. We can do that once you’ve changed, and before we meet the rest of the maids if they still haven’t gathered yet.”
Tsubaki said as she opened the door for the youngest Rozen Maiden.
As she stepped through, she took a good look at what was to be her personal quarters for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve always called it the Turquoise Room.”
Tsubaki said as she entered behind Keikujaku.

“I can see why.”

The room had a primarily turquoise and cyan color scheme, broken up by shades of white, black and gold. She set her case down on the foot of the bed.
That reminded her, she never opened it.

She looked at the handle, and spied two latches next to it. Unhooking them allowed her to open the lid of the case, revealing a set of neatly folded clothes that somehow survived the jostling Keikujaku gave it while carrying it.

She picked up the topmost piece, what appeared to be a turquoise colored dress with a white collar, cuffs and diamond pattern going down the sleeves.

“This is…”

The fabric felt nice. It was a different texture to that of her nightgown, but still pleasant to the touch.
She held it against her body, to see if it would actually fit her.
She looked around the room, spying a mirror in the corner opposite her bed.

She scurried over to it, still holding the dress up.
She lowered it upon seeing her reflection, seeing herself for the first time.

Keikujaku saw how her reddish brown hair framed her face, sitting at a nice shoulder length cut with her bangs parted to the right.
She looked young, maybe 14-15 years old.

How she determined that, she didn’t know.

Her skin was fair with a pinkish hue, complimenting the red in her hair. Her eyes were a pretty jade green.

When she was done admiring herself, she held up the dress again. It certainly looked like it could fit her, from the size alone.
Now she just needed to try it on.
Setting the dress back down on the bed, she looked down at the shortsleeved nightgown she currently wore.

“Um… Tsubaki?”

“Yes?”

“Could you uh, tell me how to get this off?”

“Of course.”

With a little instruction, Keikujaku was able to pull the nightgown up and over her head, revealing a white slip and hose underneath. She didn’t wear bloomers like her sisters used to.

She needed a little help getting the dress on, as she had to undo a set of buttons first, but once it was on, she went back to the mirror.

“Wow!”

She looked herself over in a few different angles.
“It’s so cute!” 

“I’m glad you like it, my Lady. Alice made that just for you.” 

“She did? What about the rest of it?” 

Tsubaki climbed up on the bed and leaned over the case, examining its contents for a moment.
“Hm… I’d recommend wearing the shoes to look presentable. The rest is for decoration, unless of course the Lady wishes to wear the rest.” 

Keikujaku walked back over to her case, taking out the aforementioned shoes. She also took out a long piece of clothing with a hole for her head in the middle and brown ribbons along the sides. 

She folded it and set it down next to her nightgown, glancing at what was left. 

A simple blue ribbon and a square shaped hat with lace and more ribbon on it. She picked up the blue ribbon, eyeing it curiously. 

“What am I supposed to do with this?” She muttered as Tsubaki slid off the bed, returning to her post by the door. 

“Tie it around your neck, through the collar. Would you like assistance?”

“No, I think I’ve got it…”

It was simpler than she thought, though the maid did have to show her how to tie a knot.

“Shall we go greet the staff? They eagerly await your arrival.”

“Yes, let’s! Where are we going exactly?”

Tsubaki opened the door for the eighth maiden as she walked back into the hallway, now fully dressed.

“The closest to us would be Hinageshi in the kitchen. She’s prepared something for you to try. Are you hungry?”

“Um… I don’t think so?”

She didn’t feel especially hungry… until her stomach growled.
“Or maybe I am.”
She muttered embarassedly.

“I thought you would be. Alice built all of you with the ability to eat and drink both human and android food. Just as your sisters were able to as dolls. Please follow me.”
Tsubaki bowed before leading the way back down to the foyer and through one of the side doors.

They entered a large room about the same size, if a bit shorter, than the Pod Room. Keikujaku paused to marvel at the filigree and paintings decorating the walls. Then her eyes caught sight of small statues and baskets set evenly along a long table, with twelve chairs and place settings, one at either end.

There was a bay window facing the outside behind the head of the table, with a red cushion on the sill.

“What’s this room?”

“This is the dining room, where you traditionally take your meals. There are extra chairs in case you have guests staying over.”

“Oh…”

Just then, a white door opened from the far side of the room opposite the one they just came in.
A metal trolley was pushed into the dining room by a girl the same height as Tsubaki, except with her wine red hair pulled back into a neat bun and berry red eyes.
She had a red heart shape decorating her apron.

The red haired maid turned to face Keikujaku and bowed respectfully before speaking.
“My name is Hinageshi. Its a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Keikujaku.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. What’s that on the uh… ?”

“It is called a trolley. And I have prepared some simple snacks for the Lady to try. You have never eaten before, correct?”

Keikujaku shook her head.
“No.”

“Shall we see which flavors you like best? Please sit down and I shall serve you.”

Tsubaki went ahead and pulled out the chair at the head of the table, its back facing the bay window. As she moved to sit, Keikujaku glanced outside.

“What time is it?” She asked idly.

“It is 7:43 in the morning. So consider this your breakfast.”
Hinageshi answered as she served the first plate of seven that had been on the trolley.

Keikujaku could smell it as it was deposited in front of her.

There were seven evenly spaced foods (she assumed they were food?) on the large plate, with one in the center forming in a star shape.

There was plain popcorn, a slice of lime, a piece of kale, a couple slices of porcini mushrooms, a piece of cheddar cheese, a single habanero pepper and a single strawberry.

“Try each one and then tell me what you think. Several of these were procured from our very own garden. Ajisai can tell you more about that later, if you wish, my lady.”
Hinageshi boasted.

“Um, alright.”
Keikujaku shyly said, picking up a piece of popcorn and looking at it before putting it in her mouth.

Her eyes widened as she rolled it around in her mouth.

“It’s… good! What do you call this?”

“It’s popcorn, known for its particularly salty taste when eaten plain.”

“Popcorn? It is… salty. What about this one?”
She picked up the cheese and ate it.

“Mmm~ it’s… I dunno, creamy?”

“That’s one way to describe it, but please don’t speak with food in your mouth, my lady.” 

“Huh? Then how do I get rid of it?” 

“You typically either spit it out or swallow it, though the former is usually considered rude, and only done if you don’t like it.” 

“Oh, okay. So how do I… oh, nevermind I think I got it.”

She said as she actually swallowed the piece of popcorn and cheese in her mouth. 

One by one, Keikujaku tried the red maid’s offered snacks, and she determined she didn’t much care for the spicy or bitter tastes.

“No coffee for you in the morning, then. Very well, shall we continue the tour?” Tsubaki asked, walking towards the door opposite that of the kitchen.

“Yes, where are we going now?”

“The garden is next. Ajisai will be waiting for us there.”

“Okay.”
As Jackie followed the white maid out, Hinageshi took the dirtied plate and went to put it in the sink.

“She’s just like Alice that way. It’s likely her sisters will be similar once they’ve awoken.”

She mused to herself.

Meanwhile…

It had taken longer than X had initially expected for him to return to the Resistance Base via cyberspace networks, popping in and out through physical outlets, but he still managed it without being detected by Neo Arcadian forces.

He could only hope that little blunder with the computer wasn’t detected either.

He emerged from an outlet in the Commander’s quarters, noting the time as he materialized.
Glancing around the room, he found said commander hard at work at her computer desk, her dexterous fingers typing away.
Taking a glance at the screen, it appeared she was working on something relating to surveillance software.

“Good morning, Ciel.”

The commander gasped, turning in her swivel chair to face the cyberelf. His greeting seemed to startle the girl out of her focused state.

Now that he had a good look at her face, X saw more than a few bags under her eyes.
“X! Hey! You’re back. Did you find anything?”

“I did, but it wasn’t what we were looking for. First things first, young lady. Did you sleep at all last night?”
He asked sternly, concern evident in his verdant gaze.

Ciel looked away guiltily, struggling to hold back a yawn.
“… no.”

X sighed exasperatedly.
“Ciel, we talked about this. This is your third all-nighter in a row. You’re going to get sick again at this rate.”

Ciel grumbled, though X couldn’t help but notice her shaking slightly.
“I know. But there’s just so much work to be done, and as Commander- “

“You can delegate it to your subordinates if you have to. They wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t want to overburden them...”

“You won’t be. I’m sure they’d want to ensure your health over anything else. You are human, after all.”’

“I know… “

The laws of robotics, even if they weren’t programmed into Reploids, were still prevalent laws that mechanical life could choose to abide by. And most did out of common courtesy.

Being the only human in an organization primarily made up of Reploids had its pros and cons.

“Yeah. Okay. I-I’ll send them what I have left for today. But did you find anything?”

“If I tell you, will you go to bed? And stay there until tomorrow?”

Ciel nodded, letting out a long yawn.

“Very well. Yes, I did find something. As I said, it’s not what we were looking for, but I think we should keep it in mind.”

“What is it?”

“A manor. To the far north, around where the Germanic States used to be. There’s synthetic life there, completely undetected and separate from Neo Arcadia.”

“What? How?”
Ciel gaped at him.

“Did they escape? Or…”

“No. I think they’ve been there since before I founded Neo Arcadia. I took a look through their systems. They have more in common with those from 200 years ago than now. Plus their electric system is… practically archaic. If I had to take a guess, most of it dates back to the vintage era, at least.”
His inner history nerd squealed in excitement at the discovery, but he had to stay focused.

“But that means… how did they survive the Elf Wars? I… I have so many questions!”

“As do I, but it can wait. I’ll check back with that place eventually, but I’ll look someplace else first. You get some sleep in the meantime, alright, Ciel?”

Ciel pouted.
“Okay… but I would like to visit this mysterious Manor too once we’ve found him.”

“I think we can arrange that.”
X smiled, floating past Ciel towards the door that opened as he approached.

“Now go to bed. I’ll get someone to check on you later.”

“Ugh, you’re such a nag!”
The teenager complained, in typical teenager fashion. But she smiled back.

“Good night, Ciel.”

With that, X phased through the door, accidentally startling someone on the other side.
“Ah!”

“Oh! Sorry, Alouette. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

The little reploid girl was quick to calm down once she saw him, clutching her little cyber-cat doll close.
“It’s okay, Mister X. Is Ciel in there?”

“She is. Honestly, she’s been in there for the past few days.”

“Is she overworking herself again?”
Alouette asked concernedly.

“I told her to go to bed. But could you do me a favor?”

The little one nodded, attention focused on the cyber elf before her. Alouette had developed a fascination with cyber elves and had started raising a few of her own.

“Could you go in and check on her in about… half an hour? Just to make sure she actually gets to sleep?”

Alouette mock-saluted him.
“Okay! She’s not good at taking care of herself, is she?”

“No, she’s not. I worry about her, but I understand why.”
‘Maybe I should ask Neige for some melatonin gummies or something.’
He thought as he continued down the hall towards the command center.
‘For now, I need to find wherever they put Zero.’

Chapter Text

Since her activation, Keikujaku was basically given free reign of her home.
If she ever had a question, she could track down one of the maids, but she found she preferred to discover the answers herself.
She was naturally curious about everything, having only been activated for about a week.
Which Tsubaki told her was seven days. 

In that time, Keikujaku had learned how to get dressed by herself and navigate her way around most of the Manor without getting lost.
Himawari had taught her about how to count coins and what currency was, Hinageshi had introduced her to a variety of foodstuffs that she liked and disliked, Ajisai told her all about the plants those foodstuffs were made from, and Sumire had shown her the library. 

Keikujaku spent a lot of her time in the library, learning how to read and write as well as other subjects from the various books.

At the end of her first week, Keikujaku found herself… she wasn’t sure how to describe it. 

“Hey, Hinageshi?” 

“Yes, Lady Keikujaku?” 

“What do you call it when you… aren’t interested by the same things anymore? Not that the manor isn’t interesting! I’m just… I dunno…” 

“Sounds to me like you’re getting a bit bored.” 

“Bored?” 

“Yes. You’ve only lived in the manor for a week, of course a curious mind like yours might find it a bit boring after a while. Tsubaki showed you to the library, didn’t she?” 

“She did. She started me on reading and writing lessons.” 

“Oh? And how’s that going?” 

“It’s going okay. Turns out I already know how to read most languages. My handwriting needs work though… and I have trouble speaking languages that aren’t German or English.” 

“At least that’s two. Being multilingual is a useful skill. It couldn’t hurt to learn more.” 

“I suppose… but I think I want to work on my writing more.”

Hinageshi nodded as she took Keikujaku’s finished plate. It was a simple meal of fruit and bread. 

After a moment, Keikujaku stood up from her seat. 

“I’m think I’m going to go explore some more.” 

“Alright. I’ll see you at 1:00.” 

“See you then.” 

For the next hour, the auburn haired girl took to wandering the manor, letting her curiosity guide her.

She didn’t bother with any doors that were locked. Tsubaki had told her that the Manor was very, very old and its components easy to break if too much force was applied.
She didn’t want to break a perfectly good door, no matter how curious she was about its contents.
Instead, she took a peek inside each of her sisters’ rooms, whose doors were left unlocked for the maids’ ease of access.
Despite Tsubaki having shown her them before, they were mere glances.

She wanted a better look, but didn’t dare touch anything. 

The door with violet day lilies painted on it on the far left held a room with a primarily black, white, violet and gold color scheme.
Most of the furniture was covered in white sheets, which Tsubaki explained were to protect them from collecting dust and preserve them longer.
There were also black feathers in odd places.
“Did she own a crow or something…?”
She wondered to herself. 

The next room, with yellow trumpets on the door, was comparably much brighter, both in colors and general vibe. It was yellow, orange, brown and white and made Keikujaku think of sunflowers. She found a black, oblong case on the bed.
Tsubaki told her it contained a violin, a sort of string instrument that Lady Kanaria had a talent for.
“I’d like to hear her play sometime…” 

The next two rooms, with green orchids and blue hyacinths on the doors sequentially, belonged to The Twins, Jade and Lapislazuli Sterne. They were referred to as gardeners, like Ajisai, and Keikujaku could tell judging from the amount of plant pots in their rooms. 

There weren’t any plants in them.

Jade’s room was primarily green, brown, black and white while Lapis’ was the same except with blue and silver instead of green and brown.

The next room, with red roses on the door, reminded Keikujaku of the ones growing in the garden. It was primarily red, white, gold and black and looked like it belonged to a queen rather than just a girl like herself. 

The room after that, with pink wild roses on the door, she could only describe as ‘cute’. It was pink and white with green and red thrown in to accent it. There were several plushies that Keikujaku was tempted to take into her own room to cuddle with, but she restrained herself. She didn’t want this sister to notice anything was missing. Might leave a bad first impression. 

The last room before her own, with white chrysanthemums on the door, was mostly white with some pink and gold. It was pretty.
Her eyes lingered on a small spot of cobweb that the maids had apparently missed in one corner of the ceiling, before moving on. 

Having visited each of the rooms a third time, Keikujaku’s thoughts again went to her older sisters, who still slept in their pods downstairs.
‘I hope they don’t mind me looking at their things like that.’ She thought.

“I’d like to meet them.”
She said to herself, but just the thought of doing so made her stomach bubble, a jolt of mild fear leaping up into her throat.
‘This feeling is… nervousness, right? I’m… nervous about meeting them. But I want to meet them.’
Her mind wandered as her feet walked the corridors, thinking of how to solve this problem. Eventually, her feet took her right to the place she’d just thought to go.
“The library. Maybe there’s a book about them? Tsubaki did say the Rozen Maiden were famous. Perhaps… if I knew more, then I wouldn’t be so nervous.” 

Opening the door to the spacious room, Keikujaku was still taken aback at just how many books could fit into all those shelves.
“But how do I find the right one…? Oh! Sumire!” 

She spotted the unmistakable blue ponytail of the second-in-command of the Flower Maids as it disappeared around a corner.
The eighth maiden flagged her down before she got much further.
Sumire wore a blue spade on her apron, a feather duster tucked within the pocket. 

“Lady Keikujaku. Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, actually. I was wondering if there were any books about the Rozen Maiden in particular in here? I… wanted to learn more before waking them up. I… I’m nervous.”
She admitted. It felt kind of nice to say it out loud to someone else. 

“I see. Unfortunately, there are not many that will describe them in detail.” 

“Oh…” 

Sumire looked apologetic.
“I apologize, my Lady. Unfortunately, neither myself nor the others knew them personally. We were created after Alice was born.” 

“Right, Tsubaki said that she was an… amalgamation? What does that mean?”
She had to pronounce each syllable of the word carefully to get it right. 

“An amalgamation is something that is made up of several smaller, separate things that combine together. For example, the dust I clean away is an amalgamation of dirt and fibers of crushed materials. In Lady Alice’s case, she was created from the amalgamation of the seven Maidens’ Rosa Mystica.” 

“Rosa Mystica? That sounds pretty, what is that?” 

“Rosa Mystica were essentially what they called a Rozen Maiden’s soul, or heart. They were pieces of Master Rozen’s own heart, which in the end combined together to create his daughter.” 

Sumire paused before continuing.
“I hope that clarifies things.” 

Keikujaku looked more confused.
“Is that what I have? A Rosa Mystica?”
She touched her upper chest, where her heart would be. 

“Not quite, but according to Lady Alice, it is very similar.”

The maiden nodded. 

“Thank you, Sumire. Is there really no information on my sisters in here?” 

“There is, but you’ll have to do some searching. There are novels written by other members of the Rozen family as well, if you would like to learn more about them.” 

“Okay… I’ll let you get back to work now.” 

“It was no trouble, my lady. If you need anything, just ask.”

As the blue maid continued her duties, Keikujaku ran a finger along the spines of the books closest to her, skimming their titles for anything relevant to her search.
“R… R… “ 

Looking for ‘Rozen’, she ended up walking to one of the back shelves, where one book caught her eye.
She took it off the shelf to read the title in full, wiping off a thin layer of dust.
“Die Puppe und die Rose by Adelaide Rozen. Adelaide… that’s a pretty name.”
It was a hardcover with a blue velvet finish on the front, a gold embossing below the title showed a blooming rose.
Naturally curious, the girl took the book and sat down in one of the armchairs, opening it once she was comfortable.

She spoke the words aloud to practice her pronunciation, as Tsubaki had advised.
“I… In liebevoller Erinnerung an meinen lieben Bruder Alaric und seine verstorbene Tochter. Mögen sie beide in Frieden ruhen
(In loving memory of my dear brother Alaric, and his late daughter. May they both rest in peace).” 

She filed the new names away to investigate later.
‘Alaric. And he had a daughter. Just like Master Rozen.’

As she started reading the first chapter, entitled Die Puppe verlässt das Haus, she heard footsteps approaching.
She looked over and saw Sumire with a book in hand. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, if a little worn.
The maid presented her the old book, plopping it in her lap on top of the book she was reading. 

“Here you are, my Lady. I found this just now while I was cleaning.” 

“Oh, um… thank you. What is it?”
She put down the book she’d started reading and looked at the title of this new one.
It read My Ruby Doll by Sarah Witteman. 

“It is a story written by one of Lady Shinku’s past masters. I remember Lady Alice mentioning her.” 

“Really? Thank you Sumire.”
Keikujaku smiled at the blue maid.
“What can you tell me about this one? I like the story so far, it’s rather cute!”
She held up the book she picked up originally so Sumire could see. 

“Oh! A good choice, my lady. That was actually written by Master Rozen’s sister.” 

“Wait, really!?”
Keikujaku was greatly surprised by this revelation.
“I didn’t know… so that means Alaric must be…” 

Sumire nodded, smiling knowingly.
“Yes, that is Master Rozen’s true name. He forgot it over time.” 

“He forgot it? Why?” 

“I’m not sure. But Lady Alice did say that living for as long as he did in the N-Field greatly affected his mind, and not in a good way.”

“How long did he live?” 

“Some say he lived for over 2,000 years, but I highly doubt that. Be sure to return those when you are finished with them.”
With that, Sumire began to walk away, likely to finish her task of cleaning the library. 

“Alright, I will.”
Setting aside Adelaide’s book for now, Keikujaku had to take a breath before carefully opening the pages of Miss Witteman’s novel.
The pages definitely looked old, so she wanted to be careful in case she accidentally ripped one. 

The novel started with Miss Witteman going over her childhood, how her mother and father often left her alone at home with the servants and few other children to interact with. But that was when Shinku came into her life. 

Sarah went over what she remembered of the mysterious living doll, noting that she had a fondness for tea and treated Sarah how her mother treated her favorite maid. 

Keikujaku giggled at one section where Sarah went over an incident where Shinku gained a fear of cats.

She’d just started the third chapter when Tsubaki had come to find her.
“Hinageshi is waiting with your midday meal.” 

“Is it noon already?” 

“It is. Did you lose track of time reading?” 

The girl smiled sheepishly.
“I suppose I did. But it was really interesting!” 

She handed both books to Tsubaki as she got up from the chair.
“Could you bring these to my room, please? I can get to the dining room on my own.” 

“Very well, my lady.” Tsubaki bowed. 

After lunch, Keikujaku hurriedly went up to her room to read more.

She decided to stop after the fourth chapter, as the story was starting to go in a direction she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear yet.
Namely the Alice Game and its stakes. 

“They… they had to… oh my…” 

Sympathy welled up inside her. She was so glad they didn’t have to do that to each other now.
She didn’t know if she could handle that. 

Well, at least now she knew some more about a few of her sisters.

“All but one…” 

Sarah had written about six out of seven of the Rozen Maiden, as told to her by Shinku. Suigintou was written about in greater detail due to the author having met her in person. 

But she never talked about the seventh.

“What was her name again…?”
Keikujaku tried to remember if Tsubaki had ever mentioned a name as to the owner of the White Room. 

“I don’t think she ever said. I’ll ask her now!”
With that, Keikujaku set both books down on her bedside table and left her room in search of the white maid, or any of them.
Surely, they would all know. 

Her wandering led her to the garden, where Ajisai was preparing some small tomatoes for the evening meal.
Keikujaku had met the green clad maid before, who wore her green hair in twin tails and had a clover symbol on her apron.

“Hello, my lady. How are you today?” 

Ajisai greeted upon seeing Keikujaku approach. 

“I’m alright. Do you know where everyone is? I haven’t seen them since lunch.” 

“Oh? Well, I know Hinageshi is likely in the kitchen. Tsubaki and Sumire are off cleaning something. Himawari should be guarding the antiques. She’s especially protective of the more ‘valuable’ ones, seems to think we can sell some of them off if need be. We’ve all told her to wait and see what you and your sisters think before doing anything rash.” 

“I know. She kept trying to tell me about them. I… didn’t really understand. Thank you, Ajisai.” 

“It is no trouble, my lady. Was there anything else?” 

“Yes! Do you know who’s supposed to be in the White Room?” 

The gardener maid looked surprised but thoughtful.
“The White Room? Well, that would be Lady Schnee Kristall. She also went by Kirakisho.” 

“Kirakisho…” 

Keikujaku tested the name on her tongue.
“She sounds pretty… what else do you know about her?” 

“Well… I know she was the last doll that Master Rozen ever made. She was created as an experiment, to see if Alice could be reborn without a body.” 

“Without a body? So… “ 

Ajisai nodded solemnly.
“Yes. I remember Lady Alice ranting about it.
Kirakisho was created without a body, leaving her trapped in the N-Field, a metaphysical plane composed of thoughts of dreams. At least, that was what she believed.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“In reality, she was indeed created with a body, but without her knowledge she astral projected out of it when she was never wound up. That body was hidden from her, in the one place Master Rozen forbade his daughters to go.” 

“That’s… I can’t imagine… that’s so cruel!” 

“It was indeed cruel. And Alice admitted that she secretly resented her father for that. But after gaining her body, Kirakisho got better. That’s all I really know.” 

“Thank you, Ajisai. I think I’ve made my decision now.” 

“Decision about what?” 

“I’d like to wake up my sisters one at a time, and I’m starting with Kirakisho.” 

“Of course, my lady. Do so however you see fit.”
The gardener maid seemed excited at the prospect.
‘There’s no protocol that says she can’t wake them herself. Alice never specified that outsiders had to be the only ones. Just that we couldn’t do it’.
She thought as Keikujaku scampered off to the basement. Ajisai got back to work, sending messages off to her fellow maids to tell them the good news. She made sure to pick a few extra tomatoes, seeing as there was going to be an extra mouth to feed that night. 

The auburn haired girl made her way down to the basement, a place she hadn’t visited since she followed Tsubaki out.
As she entered the foyer, she spotted the hall on the opposite side. She followed it down until she saw a familiar painting.
“It was this way…” 

A little further down the hall and she found the door to the basement. Opening it, she was met with the same wooden staircase except it was shrouded in darkness. 

Keikujaku wasn’t afraid of the dark.
She’d learned a few days ago that she had night vision, after an incident where she’d tripped on the stairs in the middle of the night. 

Activating it only took a concentrated thought as she descended, closing the door behind her. 

Looking around, she found another door off to the side. This one was unlocked as well.
Inside was a room with desks full of buttons and a few levers extending out of the walls.
There was a black box attached to something in one corner, held up enough so Keikujaku had to look up to see its reflective surface. 

The girl turned her attention back to the buttons.
There was a small row labeled ‘Lights’.
A thought occurred to her.
“Is this where Tsubaki was when I woke up? That explains some things.” 

With some hesitation, she pressed the first of the Light buttons on the right.
She heard a noise, and looked up at the black box to see that something on its surface had changed. 

There was now a single, long line of light on it, illuminating what looked like a picture of the Pod Room.
She pressed another button, and another line of light appeared. 

“Is that… is it showing the Pod Room?”
She remembered the camera from her first awakening.
“It must be connected to the camera.” 

She pressed the rest of the light buttons and suddenly, the entire room on the other side of the wall was lit up.
She looked around the Control Room, as she’d dubbed it, for a light.
Glancing at the wall, she saw something that stuck out.
Her hand touched the wall, feeling a small lever.
With a press of her finger, she heard a ‘click’ and the lights in the control room turned on.

Her night vision turned off automatically, allowing her eyes to adjust more easily. 

“That’s better… let’s see, where’s the button for the door?” 

She scanned the boards and quickly found a lever labeled ‘Door’.
She pulled it, and heard a grinding noise from outside the room. 

She smiled at her success getting a handle of the controls, turning off the light in the Control Room as she left.
She entered the fully lit Pod Room, taking the time to actually inspect the pods, including the one she came from. 

There was not a speck of dust on any of them.
“Looks like the maids have already been here today.” 

When she got to the other end of the room, she glanced at each of the golden keys until she found the one she wanted.
It was right next to hers, with a white gem imbedded on top.
She reached over and turned it perpendicular to the others, matching her own cyan key. 

The large computer screen flared to life for only a few moments before it went dark again, so fast that Keikujaku couldn’t catch the text that flashed. 

A hissing sound from behind her caught her attention, turning to face the pod directly across from her own. 

Keikujaku waited in nervous anticipation as the activation process began, stepping towards her older sister’s pod. 

The roof of the pod opened, some steam billowing out before evaporating.
Risking a look inside, she saw a girl that appeared to be 15 to 16 years old, with long perfectly wavy blonde hair that Keikujaku couldn’t help but envy.
She noticed there was a pinkish tinge to it that made her think of the rose gold coloring in the White Room.
‘Fitting.’ 

She backed off, inhaling sharply as she noticed the other girl’s eyes twitch.
After a moment, she saw a pale hand clutch the side of the pod as Kirakisho tried to sit up.
She looked around the room, golden eyes blinking in the bright light.
Until they fell upon the girl in the light blue dress standing awkwardly next to her resting place. 

They stared at each other curiously for what felt like seconds before the seventh maiden spoke.
“Hello.”

Keikujaku blinked, not expecting her to speak so soon.
“Um, hello. Do you need help out of there?”
She asked. 

Kirakisho looked down at her pod, then at herself. Her eyes widened as she looked at her hands, then her legs. She was seeing her new body for the first time.

“… could you?”
She looked at Keikujaku, unsure. 

The younger girl nodded, holding her right hand out for the older to take.
Kirakisho slowly moved her body so she was sitting on her knees, then placed her right hand in the other’s.
Keikujaku took a careful step back, causing Kirakisho to lean forward and catch herself with her left hand on the side of the pod.
She moved her right leg up, getting into a crouch before carefully sitting down on the edge. 

Another step back, and Kirakisho hopped down.
Her yellow eyes widened. 

“Cold!”
Keikujaku couldn’t help but smile, trying to be reassuring.
“I know. I had the same reaction when I was activated for the first time. There should be a button on the side of the pod. It’ll have your case, and your clothes in it.” 

Letting go of Keikujaku’s hand, Kirakisho thanked her before turning back to the pod. She felt along the side until she found the button for the hidden compartment. 

As she did this, Keikujaku felt a conspicuous lack of warmth in her hand. She didn’t realize they were all that warm. 

Kirakisho gasped in surprise and delight as she took out her old doll case and opened it.
“Oh my! They’re so much bigger!”
She rifled through the mass of white ruffles and frills until she pulled out a pair of the longest boots Keikujaku had ever seen. 

The older girl leaned against the pod as she put them on, lacing them up expertly as if she’d done this a million times before.
The tops of the boots reached her thighs, hidden under her white dress, similar to the one Keikujaku had worn. 

‘She probably has.’
Keikujaku thought, with some melancholy.
It wasn’t lost on her that she was the only Rozen Maiden who wasn’t originally a doll.
While she didn’t know if she would have preferred being as small as the Maids, she wondered… 

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kirakisho spoke, finished tying her boots and taking a few steps to orient herself.
“Wow! I feel so tall now!”
She giggled with delight, twirling in place causing her skirt to float up a little. 

“Oh! How rude of me, I didn’t even ask your name!”
She turned back to Keikujaku with a clap of her hands.
“I am Kirakisho, seventh of the Rozen Maiden! Its nice to meet you, Miss…?” 

‘Oh, I guess I should introduce myself now.’
“Um, my name is Keikujaku. The eighth Rozen Maiden.”
She smiled shyly, hoping she did it right. She’d never had to introduce herself like that before. 

Kirakisho looked at her in shock, hands covering her mouth. The older girl looked her up and down, stepping closer to inspect her face.
Almost too close. 

Keikujaku stepped back, blushing at the proximity.
“Uh-please, not that close.” 

“Oh, sorry! I can’t help it sometimes!”
Kirakisho smiled apologetically, before she grinned and started bouncing in place.
“But you’re really the eighth!? I didn’t think there were more of us! When did Father make you?” 

“He didn’t, actually. Alice made me, after she finished remaking all of you.” 

‘Wait… but if Alice created me, then wouldn’t she be my mother, and Rozen my grandfather?’
Thinking about it made her synthetic brain hurt a little, so she ceased that train of thought in favor of seeing how Kirakisho took that information.

“I see… honestly, everything after we completed the Alice Game is fuzzy…” 

Kirakisho said, rubbing her head as if that would help her remember.
“But I guess, if she did what I think she did in order to revive us, that you’re the parts of Alice that didn’t originally come from us.” 

‘That makes sense’
Now that Keikujaku thought about it. 

“Which means you’re one of us! And I’m not the youngest anymore!”
Kirakisho lifted her arms up, a happy grin gracing her features.
“I’m so happy to meet you, little sister!” 

Without warning, the peach blonde girl pulled the auburn haired girl into a hug, which Keikujaku awkwardly returned.
It felt… nice. Comforting, even. 

The embrace ended as Kirakisho turned to grab her case, already closed in preparation for travel.
“So… where are we and how do we get out of here?” 

“We’re in the basement of Rozen Manor. I’ll show you upstairs. The maids are probably already waiting to meet you.” 

Kirakisho cocked her head to the side.
“Maids?” 

“Yeah. They’ve been a great help to me after I woke up. Alice made them too.”
Keikujaku said as she led the way, the lights turning off automatically as they left the room. 

The white maiden was silent as she took in the manor from her new height, following her baby sister down a familiar hallway to the foyer.
She believed her when she said she was a Maiden of course. She saw the open pod across from hers and the turned cyan key.
She wasn’t as stupid or naive as she was in her younger days. 

As they entered the foyer, they saw Tsubaki and Sumire waiting for them. The white and blue maids bowed respectfully. 

“It is wonderful to meet you, Lady Kirakisho. I am Tsubaki, the head maid.” 

“And I am Sumire, the deputy. I apologize that the others could not be here to greet you.” 

“Nice to meet you both. There’s others?” 

“Mm-hmm. There’s three.”
Keikujaku piped up.
“There’s Himawari the treasurer, Hinageshi the cook and Ajisai the gardener.” 

“Gardener? I’m sure she and the twins will get along well.”
Kirakisho quipped, adjusting her hold on her case.
“I trust our room is still intact?” 

Tsubaki nodded.
“It is. However, Lady Alice has ensured that each of you receive rooms of your own. My fellows and I have since been using it. I hope you do not mind.” 

Kirakisho seemed intrigued, if not a little disappointed.
“Hm… yeah, you have a point there. I suppose it’s okay if you stay in it. At least it’s being used, right?” 

She smiled, putting one hand on her hip as she shifted the case to her other hand.
“So where’s my new room?” 

“It is just upstairs, next to Lady Keikujaku’s room.”
Sumire said.
“Would you like to show her to it, my lady?” 

“Oh! Sure!”
Keikujaku said, smiling at her older sister.
“Follow me!”

As they headed up the stairs, the younger turned to the older.
“What did you mean, ‘our’ room?” 

“Back when we were dolls, we had to sleep in our cases to stay functioning. We put them all in one room for convenience’s sake but we had our own spaces around the manor for other things. Hm… I wonder if my sewing room is still intact…” 

“I think I get it. Must have been nice, all of you sleeping in one room.”

“It was, eventually. I must say it’ll be a good change of pace to have a room to myself. Our sisters are nice, but they can be a bit… testy at times. Especially when you’re trying to sleep and someone else just can’t.” 

Before she could fully go into a rant, the two girls arrived at Kirakisho’s room.
She admired the painted white chrysanthemums on the door before opening it.
Her eyes widened, mouth agape as she took in the room. 

She turned 180 degrees, looking around before she started taking the white sheets off the furniture, revealing a white lounge chair, a full-length mirror, a desk and a bed.
She glanced up at the spot of cobweb, a wry smile forming as she remembered her own makeshift webbing. 

“Do… you like it?” 

“I love it!”
Kirakisho went in for another hug, almost knocking her younger sister over.
“I’ve never really had my own room before! At least, not in the physical plane! This is great!” 

“I’m glad. I’m sure the maids would love to hear that from you too. They’ve worked really hard to keep this place clean.”
Keikujaku said as they separated, Kirakisho moving to put her case on her new bed. 

“Yeah, I probably should thank them! God knows how long they’ve been doing that for. What year is it, by the way?”
She opened her case, laying its contents out. 

“Um… I’m not sure, actually.”
She checked her internal clock.
“It’s almost three, dinner won’t be ready until five. I’ll see if I can find one of the maids and ask them.” 

“Okay, you do that. I think I’ll get dressed and do some decorating in the meantime. See you at dinner?” 

“Yeah, see you then. You know the way to the dining room?” 

“Of course! I lived here before, sweetie.” 

“Right! Yeah… uh, okay, bye.”

With that awkward goodbye, Keikujaku left her older sister’s room in search of one of the maids.

Kirakisho smiled fondly as she laid the last piece of her case‘s contents out.
“She seems like a sweet girl. A bit awkward, but in a charming way!”
As she moved to take off her nightgown, she grinned and giggled.
“Oh, I can’t believe I’m a big sister now!”
She said giddily. 

The seventh maiden looked towards the mirror in the corner of her room, seeing herself in only a slip and pantyhose.

A curious, almost lewd smile graced her lips as she reached a hand under her slip and cupped her own chest.
“Ooh~ They’re all jiggly now~” 

She watched herself in the mirror, jumping up and down and seeing her new synthetic breasts do the same. 

“Heehee~ Jiggle jiggle~” 

Being as touch-starved as she was in her younger years, the moment she gained her real body she had wanted nothing more than to touch, taste and smell everything, which led to her developing some… interesting tendencies.
She had a reputation among her sisters for being a bit of a perv and maybe a masochist, but only because she had to learn what she could and couldn’t do physically.

Right now though, she was very curious about this new body of hers and what she could do with it. Slowly, she stripped herself down to nothing and walked up to the mirror. 

“Hm~ Not bad. No ball joints…” 

She moved her arms around, moving and bending them at the joints. 

“All completely articulate. I look like I could be human. Won’t that be fun?”
She giggled at the thought of flirting with human men, and maybe a few girls, as she was now.
Kirakisho stood in front of the mirror for several minutes, looking her new body over, top to bottom, front to back, playing with her hair, and concluding with feeling out the area between her legs. 

“Oh! I actually felt something! Do I have…?”
She looked down, blushing and moaning a little as she squished.
It elicited a feeling she could only describe as what humans called ‘pleasuring themselves’.
“Oh my god I do! This will make things very interesting indeed~” 

Removing her fingers from her newly-discovered vagina, she turned back to her bed.
She then turned to look at the mirror with nostalgia.
A thought crossed her mind.
“I wonder if there’s still anything in my N-Field…?” 

Neo Arcadia, Unknown Location within Cross Tower

A blip appeared on the radar again, an unknown energy signature. It had appeared for only 2.23 seconds, but it was there. He hadn’t imagined it the first time. 

That had been a week ago, when it lasted for about the same duration of time. But he’d dismissed it then, in favor of focusing on finding anything concerning the Resistance Base.

CSS-12 reported the repeated blip to his superior, triangulating the approximate location in case of future investigation. 

Hidden Phantom responded within two minutes.
“Log it in. Keep an eye out, but focus on your current task.” 

CSS-12 did as told.
He logged it in.
“Unknown energy signature detected, approximate location: 47.8571 degrees N, 12. 1181 degrees E. Former Germanic States. Energy is unrelated to Neo Arcadian electrical grid.” 

Hidden Phantom would look over the report later in the day, and raise an eyebrow.
If there was Resistance activity in the area, what on Earth would they be doing there? Last he knew, that area had been heavily irradiated by the destruction of the Elf Wars, leaving the area inhospitable to humans, let alone Reploids. 

Still, if there were more signatures and evidence leading to the area, he would investigate further. For now, he still had a job to do. 

And that was locating the elusive Resistance, which all evidence currently pointed to being somewhere in the wastelands surrounding Neo Arcadia. 

“Where are you…?” 

He muttered frustratedly, staring at a screen display of the badlands. There were a few areas marked as possible locations, all former Maverick Hunter outposts and depots. 

Those marked with a red X were already searched and came up empty, though there were some valuables to be found. 

Those marked with a blue X were yet to be searched, and now they would have to go further out into the desert to get to them. 

Phantom typed a new location into the computer, the image changing to a view of Western Europe. Readings from stations in the area told him that the radiation around the location had lessened to near-nonexistence. 

That was good news at least. It hadn’t suffered the worst of the bombings from the Elf Wars. 

He marked the area reported by CSS-12 with a blue X, for later investigation. 

“Last resort.” 

Phantom muttered to himself. 

It was highly unlikely, but if all other locations were exhausted and there was still no trace of the Resistance, then they’d be pulling at straws anyway. 

“At least it would get us out of this damn desert.” 

Chapter Text

“You wish to see Alaric’s old workshop?” Sumire asked, head cocked to the side.

Keikujaku nodded affirmatively, Kirakisho standing next to her. 

“May I ask why?” 

“Well, I was telling Jackie here about how we were originally made, and then we wondered if the workshop was still intact after all these years. I haven’t even seen the town yet. You said it was 22XX now, right? I still can’t believe it’s been two whole centuries...”
The older maiden explained. 

This was her first time experiencing what her sisters called Time Orientation. 

“When you wake from your case, you have no idea whether it has been two months or two decades since you were last wound up. It is difficult to orient yourself.”
Shinku had explained it once. 

Sumire quirked an eyebrow.
“Jackie?” 

“It’s a nickname we came up with for me!”
Keikujaku said, bringing Kirakisho out of more somber thoughts.

“Isn’t it cute? And it’s much easier to say.”
She added. 

The blue maid nodded.
“It is… and you’re right. You used to be part of the community here. At least, Alice was. I should tell you now, however, that there isn’t much of the town left to see.” 

Kirakisho looked concerned.
“Eh? Why? Did something happen?”

Sumire looked pensive, debating with herself (or more likely, her sisters via their internal communication), before answering.

“You’ll see. Please follow me.” 

The two sisters looked at each other, concern and curiosity in their gazes, as Sumire started walking. They hurriedly fell into step behind her.
As they approached the big double doors at the front entrance to Rozen Hall, the small maid dragged over an ottoman and used it to reach the keyhole by the door handle. She fished a set of keys from her apron pocket. 

After an audible click of the lock coming undone, the maid pushed one of the doors open with some effort.
The maidens exited, walking out onto the circular driveway while Sumire closed the doors behind them. 

She then gestured to their new surroundings.
“From this point to the bottom of the hill are the grounds the Rozen family once owned. Anyone can walk upon it now without penalty, but we maids are vigilant as to those who try to come inside. You never know who could be thieves these days.” 

“Have there been thieves in the past?” 

“Several. At least, back when we activated after Lady Alice… left.” 

They started down the dirt path, likely once worn down by foot, carriage and car traffic, now completely untouched save for small footprints that Keikujaku recognized as belonging to the maids. 

“We surmised those people were likely scavengers. I don’t know if or when they’ll return. We’ve frightened them off for now.” 

Kirakisho looked around, shocked to see how much the environment had changed in her absence.
No wonder there were scavengers. 

The maidens breathed in the outside air, noting how it was different from the air within the garden or the house.
“*sniff* Hey, Sumire… what’s that smell?” 

“Which smell are you referring to, my lady?” 

“The… I don’t know. It’s… like something is burning, but faint.”
She’d smelled her dinner a few nights ago almost get burnt, which was how she knew. 

“It’s also… sour?” 

“I think the word you’re looking for is smoke, Jackie. It smells like smoke out here.”
Kirakisho coughed as the odor made her throat scratchy. 

“Smoke?” 

Sumire took on a somber expression as they approached the base of the hill.

“That would be the odor of this town. Some time ago, a mass burning occurred, decimating many of the buildings and surrounding forest. Enough time has passed that the trees are starting to sprout again, as for the buildings… a miraculous amount remain intact, but not all.” 

She pointed to the mountain range somewhere west of their current position. 

“It is likely due to those mountains that they didn’t suffer worse. They blocked the wind from fanning the flames, and instead allowed rain to put the fires out. But not before the people that lived here either fled elsewhere and never returned… or perished.” 

Jackie understood half those words, but she could gather that something awful had happened here.
Something involving fire, and that the mountains somehow kept it from getting worse. 

“That’s awful… was there a war or something?”
Kirakisho said.

“We assume so. Luckily for us, one of the buildings that survived was Master Rozen’s original workshop.” 

“What else survived?”
Kirakisho asked, rubbing her arms as if a chill had passed over her. 

“Some of the surrounding buildings, mostly the ones closest to the town center. They were made of sturdier materials it seems.”

The three girls walked further into the ruined town, down what was once the Main Street leading into the center.
Keikujaku looked around at all the blackened and charred buildings, weathered by exposure to the elements. 

She tried to read what signs were still intact, but the letters had eroded away or were otherwise illegible.

Kirakisho looked around too, eyes lighting up in recognition as she made out familiar shapes in the blackened wood.
“The butcher… flower shop… the bakery…” 

She muttered the names, the devastation still incomprehensible to her. 

“How do you know so much about this place?”
She asked. 

“After we awoke, and ensured the manor was thoroughly cared for, some of us ventured outside. What we found was… this.” 

Sumire paused.
“We didn’t bother with much of it. Really, we only come down here to gather necessary materials sometimes. We even ventured as far as Rosenheim. It’s just as abandoned.

We did agree to take care of the late Master’s home-away-from-home.” 

Just before they reached the main crossroads, Sumire stopped at a particular building.
It stood out due to the fact that, unlike the others around it, the walls had been cleaned of dust and grime and a pot of fresh flowers sat on the small balcony next to the door.

It provided a spot of color among a sea of blacks and greys. 

Sumire gestured for Keikujaku to go first. Once at the door, the maiden tentatively grasped the handle and pulled. It opened with an audible creak, making her wince at the volume. 

The inside was dark, but from the sunlight pouring in from behind her and the windows she could make out a desk to her right and several cabinets and shelves. 

Kirakisho and Sumire came in behind her, the maid walking behind the desk. There was a sharp clicking sound, and suddenly electric lights flickered on, illuminating the old storefront. 

Kirakisho whistled as she took in the old shop.
“Well… the layout is just as I remember it. Except all the displays are gone. And the dolls…” 

Sumire nodded, melancholy. 

“Yes. Unfortunately, much of it was lost in the blaze. The roof caved in, so we had to replace it. As for the dolls, we tried to salvage as many as we could and stored them in the back room. None of them are alive, not like you were.” 

Kirakisho turned to the maid.
“Show me.” 

“As you wish.” 

The doll-sized android led them to a door by the front desk, leading to the back portion of the building. 

It was considerably darker back there, with fewer windows and no lights. 

The main room looked like it could have once been someone’s study, with a hallway to the left that contained a few closet doors.
The room was long, extending to a back door with cabinets and drawers on one side. 

“Well, this is where the magic happened!”
Kirakisho said theatrically, gesturing to the room.
“This is where the Rozen Maiden were made! Father kept a bunch of doll parts back here, and even made our outfits.” 

Keikujaku nodded in acknowledgment, indicating she was paying attention as she took a closer look at the room.
It was completely empty. Even checking the drawers, she found little to nothing of note except for a few burnt tools and semi-melted doll parts that were fused to the old wood. 

She found a furnace in one corner.
“What’s this for?” 

“That’s a pottery kiln.” Kirakisho explained.

“It was used to harden our porcelain bodies, before we were painted and put together.” 

“Oh.”
Keikujaku kept forgetting that Kirakisho, and by extension the rest of her sisters, were once fragile porcelain dolls. Well… not that fragile. 

At the far end of the room, underneath a window, she noticed a full-length mirror, similar to the ones in their rooms. 

“What’s this doing here?” 

“That was here when we were renovating.”
Sumire said.
“It wasn’t damaged, so we kept it where it was.” 

Kirakisho hummed as she came up from behind her sister, approaching the mirror with a calculating gaze. 

“Say, Jackie. Want to see something cool?” 

Before the younger girl could properly answer, Kirakisho placed her right hand on the mirror’s surface, closing her eyes as she concentrated. 

After a moment, the mirror’s glass lit up like a beacon, white light filling the room and causing Keikujaku to momentarily close her eyes.
She felt a hand take hers and pull her forward. 

“Come on!” 

Kirakisho pulled her sister into the mirror with a final tug, the younger girl losing her footing and falling forward. 

“Waaah!” 

Next thing she knew, she’d been caught in her sister’s arms, preventing her from falling on her face. 

“Whoa there! Sorry if I scared you.” 

Keikujaku looked at Kirakisho with a confused expression. 

“What was that you did with the mirror? Where… where are we?” 

They were in another room, one that looked remarkably similar to the one they were just in, except the colors were brighter, more saturated. 

“This is Father’s workshop in the N-Field. It doesn’t look like he’s here, though.” 

“Or anything.” 

“Yeah… that’s odd. It has been a while since we were here last. Maybe he moved out?” 

Kirakisho assumed as she led her sister through the room into the shop portion. 

“Ah! Here they all are!” 

The front room was definitely different from its real world counterpart. All the furniture was present and intact, with painted flowers decorating the side panels.
On the shelves and some of the displays were a myriad of dolls, all of them in varying stages of decay and disrepair. 

“I guess the Maids brought them here in hopes Father could fix them. Guess he left before that mysterious war happened.” 

Keikujaku looked at the damaged dolls. Their appearance frightened her a little, their porcelain faces stained with ash and many were broken in several places. One doll even had half their head caved in.
But it also made her sad. 

“Poor things…” 

She said, walking up to the doll with the caved in head. Her regency-style dress was torn at the hems, blue fabric stained black.

“It’s tragic, what happened to them. What happened to the town.” Kirakisho had a sorrowful look on her face.
She was glad to have been safe and protected in her pod at the time, but part of her also felt guilty. 

‘Is this what Survivor’s Guilt feels like?’
She thought.
‘We could have helped. Herded everyone into the N-Field and waited, or fight whatever was attacking. But what if it was too sudden? We wouldn’t have been able to do anything…’ 

Before her mind could go any further down that track, something else caught her attention. 

Just a few inches away from her hand was a light blue tendril of light, almost like a string. It extended from the door they’d come through, more specifically, the mirror.
“Huh?” 

The other end seemed to be attached to- 

“Jackie?” 

“Yes?” 

“What’s that string attached to your hand?”

“Huh? What-?”
The eighth maiden looked down at her right hand, seeing the string attached to it.
“I don’t know… This has never happened before.”
She said, confused, a slight panic in her voice. 

“Hey, calm down. I’m sure it’s nothing to be scared about.”
She clapped her hands together, gasping happily as a thought came to her.

“Oh! Maybe this is your power!” 

“My… my power? What do you mean?” 

Kirakisho glanced around at the dolls, subtly noting how their eyes started to turn towards them. 

“Come on. Let’s go somewhere less… stuffy and I can give you a demonstration.” 

The seventh maiden gently guided her sister towards the door, hands on her shoulders.
Once outside, Kirakisho gasped again. 

“This is… the Miniature Garden! Right, I forgot they were connected.”

“It’s pretty!” 

Keikujaku said as she took in the change of scenery. Instead of an intact version of the city like she imagined, instead she was greeted by an elaborate garden. There were many different kinds of plants that she could see, some she recognized from Rozen Manor.
She spotted a gazebo in the middle of a hedge maze, except, as the name implied, it was miniature.
Doll-sized. 

“I think it’s too small for us.” 

“You’re right. But it’s perfect for what I have in mind.” 

Kirakisho closed the door behind her and moved to stand in front of Keikujaku, backing up a few paces. 

“Observe!… huh? Why isn’t it..?” 

She held her hand out, clearly expecting something to just appear there. A frustrated look crossed her fair features as she again tried to summon her power. 

She took a deep breath.
“That’s strange. I should be able to summon my vines here. Maybe if I…?” 

“You can summon vines?” 

“Yes, white ones with thorns. I can also create white crystals. But for some reason, it’s not coming to me like it used to.” 

“Huh… maybe we can ask the Maids for help? They were around when Alice was making us. They might know something.” 

Kirakisho sighed in defeat.
“Yeah, let’s do that. I’m sorry, Jackie. I wanted to show you something really cool.”

“It’s okay, schwester. You can show me once we’ve figured out how.”
Keikujaku smiled, trying to reassure her sister. 

Suddenly, she felt said sister hugging her tightly.
“Aww! That smile was so cute!” 

She pulled away, beaming.
“Weird you called me sister in German, though.” 

“Huh? Really?”
Keikujaku asked worriedly.
Had she done something wrong?

Backpedaling her previous statement, Kirakiaho waved her hands in a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture. 

“Well… I guess it’s not that weird. German is our native tongue. I just wasn’t expecting it. I’ve been speaking Japanese, French and English for the past decade or so.” 

“Oh. Okay. Um… should we go back now?” 

“Yeah, but let’s find another opening. I don’t really want to go back in there.”
Kirakisho shuddered.
“There should be another around here. Come on, let’s go look.” 

Keikujaku nodded, taking her sister’s hand again as she led the way through the Miniature Garden. There was a path leading into the center of the pocket dimension, where there were another eight paths that split in different directions.
Each path was decorated with flowers on either side for a few feet. 

“Aren’t those the same flowers that are on the doors?”
Keikujaku observed. 

“Yeah…” 

Kirakisho said, noting the path with white chrysanthemums.
“That one must lead to my N-Field then.” 

She glanced at Keikujaku, noting the thread still attached to her hand.
“Do you even feel it there?” 

“Hm?”
Keikujaku glanced at the string.
“A little bit. It’s not hurting me or anything.” 

‘That’s good.’
Kirakisho thought. 

‘Since it’s so close, I bet we could get to the Manor’s N-Field from here pretty easily.’

“Come on, let’s find another door out of here and go back to the Manor. I think Sumire will have gone back by now.” 

“Wouldn’t she wait for us?” 

“We know the way back. She has duties to attend to anyway.” 

“Right…” 

After a bit of searching, Kirakisho found the portal out of the Miniature Garden and into the N-Field proper, hidden under an archway in the hedge maze. 

“Hold on tight, Jackie. You can get lost easily where we’re going.” 

“Okay.” 

And she was right. Jackie couldn’t tell which way was up, down or sideways after they crossed the threshold. The area they came to was massive, with the two of them floating in midair past countless doors of varying sizes and styles.
The ‘background’ was a kaleidoscopic mess of watercolors that almost made Keikujaku’s head hurt to look at for too long.
Instead, she decidedly focused on staring at Kirakisho’s hair. She let her older sister lead the way, figuring she knew her way around the N-Field better than anyone, considering her past. 

After what felt like a few minutes of flying, a weird but exciting experience for the younger girl, they came to a floating rock with a pool of water in the middle.
They stood on the edge, peering into the pool.

In its reflection, Keikujaku could just make out a room, and Tsubaki tidying up in it. 

“That looks right. Shall we?”
Kirakisho said.

“Shall we what?” 

“Dive, of course!” 

“Wah!” 

Without warning, Kirakisho jumped into the pool, dragging her sister along. The pool glowed brightly just as the mirror did, and soon the two girls were sprawled on the floor of the room in the Manor, a bewildered Tsubaki frozen like a deer in headlights a few feet away from them. 

“Ow… I didn’t think that through…” 

Kirakisho groaned, getting up off the floor and smiling bashfully at the white maid. 

Keikujaku was thrown onto her butt as her sister sat up, the brown haired girl following suit not a moment after.
“We are not doing that again.”
She stated, staring grumpily at the peach blonde. 

“What? The pool-jumping or going into the N-Field in general?” 

“The pool-jumping.”
Keikujaku stood up, dusting her dress off.
“Sorry about that, Tsubaki. Did we startle you?” 

“Yes, you did give me quite the fright. But I’m alright now. Oh?”
Tsubaki glanced at the mirror they’d exited out of. 

“The glass has changed color.” 

She observed. 

“What?”
Both Rozen sisters looked at the mirror, noticing that the glass had indeed changed color. It had a more bluish tint. 

“That’s interesting…” 

Kirakisho remarked as she looked the glass over.
“The rest of it hasn’t changed. I wonder…” 

She laid her hand on the glass, making it glow just as before.
She stuck her head inside, then pulled it back out almost too quickly. 

“Jackie! It’s… the workshop. The N-Field is gone!” 

“What?”
Keikujaku took a look on the other side of the glass, and saw the real world counterpart of Rozen’s back room instead of the creepy N-Field version. 

“Hey, that string is gone!” 

“Really?”
She looked down to see that it had disappeared.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
“Wait… you don’t think…?” 

Kirakisho looked at her, the glow vanishing from the mirror. The glass was still that bluish hue. A similar hue to the dress she currently wore. 

“Did I do that?” 

“Do what exactly?”
Tsubaki asked, a little confused. 

“I think I made a… an alternate way to get to the town? We used the mirror in Father’s workshop to visit the N-Field. Kira showed me around a bit, and then we exited through here. The whole time we were in there, there was this weird string attached to my finger. Maybe I attached them?” 

Kirakisho nodded as she thought about it, then she grinned and clapped her hands excitedly.
“I think you did! That must be your power! Connecting two points of the N-Field together!” 

“I see… “ 

Tsubaki said contemplatively.
“And you might be right, my Lady.” 

“My… power? What do you mean?”
Keikujaku asked, confused. 

“Every one of us has a special power. Like I told you, I can make things out of crystals and grow rose vines, for example.”
Kirakisho frowned as she again tried to summon forth said vines and crystals. 

“Argh, why can’t I…!?” 

A white glow emanated from her abdomen for a moment before it faded.
“… what was that?” 

“Allow me to explain, but I think it best if we move to a larger space. I shall be waiting in the garden. Feel free to take some of Alice’s old clothes from the closet here. Most of them should fit you.” 

With that, she bowed to the maidens and made her exit. 

Kirakisho was a little stunned but shrugged it off.
She smiled mischievously to her younger sister. 

“You heard her. Let’s raid Alice’s closet and then we can figure out how to use our powers. You’ve probably got a weapon to use too.” 

“Why would I need a weapon?” 

“Self-defense? I don’t know if the Maids told you this already, but Father originally made us to compete for the title of Alice, for which we needed weapons.” 

She noticed the look of panic on her sister’s face as she went to open the closet doors.
“We don’t now, obviously, but given the state of… everything outside right now, probably best to be armed. Just in case.” 

“Yeah… “ 

After finding a few articles that caught their fancy and stowing them in their rooms, the sisters made their way downstairs into the garden. 

They didn’t bother to change out of the clothes they currently wore. 

Once out in Manor’s garden, the girls saw Tsubaki talking to Ajisai. 

The two Maids turned their attention to the girls as they approached. Tsubski stepped towards them as Ajisai bowed and scampered off to tend to the garden. 

Tsubaki stood with her hands behind her back in a parade rest position. 

The lesson began. 

“I am aware that, in the past, you drew power from external sources, such as the N-Field and your Masters, to replenish your Rosa Mystica. Is that correct?” 

“Sounds about right.”
Kirakisho confirmed. 

“When Alice recreated you, she created a mechanism so that you no longer needed that external source. It can be replenished by simply eating, sleeping and drinking.” 

“That’s… different, but way more convenient. We don’t need Masters anymore?” 

Tsubaki shook her head.
“No. You no longer need a human master to use your powers. Instead, you must simply feel it inside you and pull it outward.” 

“Pull it outward?”
Keikujaku asked. 

“That is how Alice described it.” 

Kirakisho looked deep in thought.
“Reach inside and pull it out…” 

She closed her eyes, concentrating.
In her mind’s eye, she imagined reaching inside herself, through the cybernetics and metal that made up her new body into her core. A white light, reminding her achingly of Rosary, shone bright.
She imagined tugging on it, like it was putty.
A piece followed her imaginary hand until it broke off. The white light traveled up her body to her shoulder, down her arm and to her hand. It stopped at her palm, where Kirakisho willed it to emerge through her synthetic skin and take shape. 

This part was more familiar to her, shaping the light into a crystalline form. Once the process was done, in her hand was a small crystalline figurine of a rabbit. 

Keikujaku marveled at her sister’s creation.
“Wow! It’s so pretty!” 

Kirakisho smiled.
“Thank you! It’s not my best work. I feel like I’m starting from scratch again.” 

She held the figurine out to her sister.
“You can have it if you want.” 

“Can I?” 

“Sure! Call it a gift.” 

Keikujaku took the rabbit from her sister’s hand, feeling how smooth its surface was.
“Thank you, Kirakisho.” 

“Shall I take that to your room, my lady?”
Ajisai asked, watching the lesson from nearby. 

“Yes, please.” 

Keikujaku gave the figurine to the green maid. 

“How did you do that?” 

“I just did as Tsubaki said. Imagine a bright light at your core, and pull at it until a part breaks off. Then wait until it reaches your hand, and let it take shape.” 

“Okay…” 

Keikujaku closed her eyes, and tried to imagine her core as a bright light. Instead of white, it was a calming pale blue. She struggled to break a piece off, the light just extending like slime. Still, she then willed that extended piece to travel up her body, to her shoulder, then her arm then her hand.
It exited her palm as a stream of pale blue light, taking shape in the air until the light cut itself off.
Keikujaku caught the shape as it gravity took hold of it. 

Kirakisho recognized it as a weapon.
“It a bow…” 

She said, looking it over appraisingly.
It was a short bow painted white with a light blue diamond pattern that matched that of Keikujaku’s tabard.
“But where are the arrows?” 

“Arrows?” 

“Yes. You use bows to shoot arrows at targets. People that use them are called archers.”

Tsubaki explained. 

A thought occurred to Kirakisho.
“Try practicing with it. I’m not much of an archer myself, but I’ve used bows before.”
She stepped behind her sister, helping her to position her arms to properly hold a bow. 

“I think you’re supposed to hold your elbow up like this… yeah, that looks right! Now pull back the string with two fingers… that’s it!” 

Keikujaku found pulling the thick string back harder than pulling at her own core. It was hard and taught, the cord creaking as she tried.
She grunted at the feeling of the string digging into her fingers. 

“Pull it back until it reaches your cheek.” 

The younger sister did as told, and suddenly, she felt that stream of warm light come up her arm again, this time exiting from her fingertips and forming an arrow of light. 

Startled, she fired, sending the light arrow flying in an upwards arc. It flew over the garden, landing somewhere on the grounds. 

Keikujaku ran to see where it landed, going around the other side of the vegetable garden.
She found a scorch mark on the ground where she thought she saw the arrow land.

Kirakisho followed close behind, noticing the spot as her sister did. 

“Well… it’s a start. Maybe we should set up a practice range for us. You’re not the only one with long range attacks.” 

“I shall have one arranged.”
Tsubaki said, marveling at the maidens’ budding abilities as Kirakisho tried to help her sister pull on the cord again. 

‘They’re just as powerful as she said they’d be.’ 

She thought, a hopeful smile on her face. 

‘They will be able to help this world recover.’ 

The white maid looked southwards, towards where she knew was civilization. She and her sisters were hesitant to tell the maidens anything about it yet. 

‘They’ll find it eventually, now that they can access the N-Field.’ 

Tsubaki told herself. 

‘It’s only a matter of time.’ 

Chapter Text

“Hey, Kira?”

Keikujaku called as she stepped through the door into the library.
It had been a few hours since they’d had breakfast together, a small meal of fruit and bread.
They’d since gone their separate ways, Kirakisho returning to her room to change clothes while Keikujaku took the opportunity to take a morning walk through the garden. 

Upon going to look for her, the younger sister was told Kirakisho had gone to the library again. She had been spending a lot of time in there recently.
Keikujaku assumed she was reading up on current events or something.

The older girl looked away from what she was doing.
“Are you finished already?”

“Yes, I’m done with my walk. It’s starting to get colder. I was wondering if you wanted to… what are you doing? 

“Oh, I’m just adjusting this mirror.”
Kirakisho had her hands on either side of the frame, having just put it down when Keikujaku came in. There were grooves in the floor from where the mirror was previously. 

“Couldn’t the maids help you with that?”

“Perhaps, but I’d rather do it myself.”
The older girl grunted a bit as she moved the full size mirror to the side. She stepped back to admire her handiwork, and nodded.
“That looks better!” 

She turned to her younger sister with an excited grin. 

“Hey sis, want to explore the N-Field?”

“Uh...” 

After their last excursion a few days ago, Keikujaku wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to that place. It made her dizzy and she didn’t want to get lost if she got separated from her sister.
“I dunno…”
She mumbled, unsure. 

“Oh come on! I know that place like the back of my hand! I can guide you.” 

“I don’t doubt that. It’s just… it makes me feel uneasy. Why do you want to go?” 

Kirakisho frowned thoughtfully.
“Honestly, I just wanted to see if we could find civilization. There’s nothing around here, and I… noticed that there seems to be less doors than before.” 

Keikujaku tilted her head in askance.
“What do doors have to do with anything?” 

“Didn’t you see them last time? Every single one of those doors leads to someone’s dream world, including ours.” 

Keikujaku seemed to understand. 

“So… if there’s less of them, that means there’s less people?” 

“Yeah. That has me concerned. But it also makes me want to know what happened. We can’t find that information here. But we can… somewhere else.” 

Smiling knowingly, Kirakisho placed her right palm on the surface of the mirror. She closed her eyes in concentration. 

A familiar bright light erupted from the mirror’s surface. It wasn’t so bright that it was blinding, but the auburn haired girl still had to shade her eyes for a moment. 

“Ah!” 

Kirakisho looked apologetic as she turned to her sister.
“Sorry! I forgot how bright the entryway could get. Come on!” 

She held out her left hand, making a ‘come here’ motion while keeping her right hand on the mirror, its surface now obscured in the light.

Keikujaku took her sister’s hand, who gave her a reassuring squeeze before she pulled herself and Keikujaku through the portal.
The younger girl had to close her eyes as she sped toward the light. 

Next thing she knew, she was floating out the other end. She could still feel Kirakisho’s hand holding hers, but… she couldn’t feel the ground.
That meant they were in the N-Field proper and not a Dream World like the Miniature Garden.

Opening her eyes, she looked all around her. It all looked relatively the same as before.
Everywhere was a dizzying kaleidoscopic landscape of colors, dotted with doors of various shapes and sizes.
The string was back on her hand, ready for another connection to be made. 

She looked to Kirakisho, who only gestured widely.
“This area is called the Forest of Doors. Not sure if I explained that before.” 

The older sister then flew in a seemingly random direction.

“Is this what you’ve been doing in the library?” 

A sheepish look crossed the white maiden’s face.
“Guilty… I’ve been looking for a few days now. So far, I’ve managed to find a few interesting Dream Worlds. One guy owned a shop in someplace called Neo Arcadia? So that’s what we’re looking for.” 

“Neo Arcadia. Got it.”

Keikujaku nodded, committing the name to memory. 

The sisters flew through the Forest of Doors, Kirakisho chattering every so often to fill the eerie silence.
“You know something else we can get from civilization? We can stock up on food and new clothes without having to rifle through ruins. Not that we couldn’t find a few hidden treasures.” 

Kirakisho smirked at that. 

“Really, though, we need to find out about the money situation.” 

“Money?” 

“Yeah. We don’t know what the currency looks like now. We’ll need it if we want to buy anything from the humans.” 

The thought of encountering real humans made Keikujaku nervous, but also excited. 

She’d read their old works and seen pictures of course, but she didn’t really know what to expect from those of the current era. 

‘I hope they’re nice…’ 

They eventually came upon a specific series of doors, one of which Kirakisho opened.
“I’m pretty sure this is the door belonging to that antique guy. So a mirror should be…”
Through another door, they saw a glimpse of a room with a lot of paintings.
The sisters floated through, the door closing behind them. A blue string attached itself to its handle, a connection created.

When she stepped out, Keikujaku found herself someplace completely different. 

It took her a moment to reorient herself, the sudden presence of gravity causing her to stumble a bit.
At least she was back in the real world. 

“Where are we?”
She asked. 

Like she saw through the door, all around her were old paintings, statues and other vintage items, some of which she now noticed were covered in white cloth, much like some of the furniture back home. They all seemed to be covered in varying layers of dust. 

“A… a… achoo!” She sneezed. 

A might too dusty in here, it seemed. 

“Gesundheit.”
Kirakisho said.
“I’m not really sure. I assume it’s some sort of antique shop? That what the man said.” 

“Do you know where he is right now?” 

“No. I assume he’s out, or maybe asleep. We shouldn’t stay too long. I don’t want to get caught. The place looks closed.” 

“Yeah…” 

Just ahead, she could see light shining through glass. A window perhaps?
Jackie approached a tall window, segmented by thick black pieces that cut it into four squares.
Through it, she could see a road with lots of people walking by.
She stared for a moment. It was more people than she’d ever seen in her short life. It was a little intimidating.

As she pressed against the glass, she almost didn’t notice half the window give way.
“Woah!”
She caught herself on the handle attached to the vertical black piece that ran down the middle.
“So this is a door? How curious…” 

Glass doors were new. But she supposed she could see the merit of them, especially where places of business were concerned.

Kirakisho had told her about such places, ‘shops’ she called them. Where humans came to exchange things for items they wanted, and there were all sorts from food to furniture. 

Keikujaku stepped out through the door, turning around so she’d remember where to come back to. She just knew she would need to because of the mirror, whose glass was now tinged blue.
Kirakisho caught the door before it closed all the way, keeping an eye on her sister as she backed up. 

Looking up, Jackie saw the name of the ‘shop’ she’d stumbled into.
“Blackstone Antiques…”. 

“Knew it.”
Kirakisho muttered, pumping a fist. 

They turned back around, facing the midday crowds on the street.
Jackie took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
She was outside the Manor, someplace entirely unfamiliar in a time unfamiliar.
She smiled in anticipation, her curiosity burning. 

“Time to explore!” 

Kirakisho matched her enthusiasm with an excited grin.
“Yeah!”

…… 

It didn’t take long for the girls to get separated. The early afternoon streets were very crowded with people coming to and from home and others going out for an afternoon on the town. Their attentions were drawn to different things. 

Keikujaku tried calling out to her sister once she noticed she was gone, but to no avail. The auburn haired girl determined that the best course of action was to find someplace to wait and that Kirakisho would eventually come back the way they’d came. 

With that in mind, she looked around and spotted a little cafe nearby.
The sign read ‘Rose Cafe’.
“That sounds cute…” 

Keikujaku shyly opened the door. The little cafe seemed pretty busy, and all the seats were full. 

Just as she was about to close the door and find someplace else to wait, she spotted displays of food inside a glass container.
‘I am getting hungry…’ 

She thought as she stepped inside to get a closer look. 

“Hey!” 

A voice caught her attention. She looked up to see a pink haired man in a light blue shirt and black pants looking angrily at her.

“You work here, don’t you!?” 

“Huh?” 

She looked at the uniformed people busily running around the small space. Her outfit did look similar to the uniforms the girls were wearing. 

“What are you doing just standing around!? We need all hands on deck, grab an apron and get to work!”

“Ah! Y-yes, sir!”
Keikujaku squeaked, running off towards the door the pink haired man was pointing at. It’s label read ‘employees only’. 

She didn’t stop to think until she was beyond the door. 

“That man is scary… I don’t actually work here…” 

Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity to explore. 

The Employees Only section of the cafe seemed nice. It was one long hallway with an office room to her right and a room with a table and chairs on her left.
Further down the hall emanated sounds of clinking pans and shouting. 

‘Must be the kitchen…’ 

Peering into the office, the girl saw a lady sitting at a computer desk. She looked up when she noticed Jackie staring at her. 

“Hello. Can I help you?” 

“Um… hi?” 

“Hi?” 

The woman parroted, brows furrowing. 

“Are you new here? What’s your name?” 

“My name is Jackie, Miss.” 

She stepped further into the office space, noting the presence of a table and a shelf with computers along the far wall. 

She wrung the hem of her dress as the woman regarded her curiously.

“Jackie? That’s a cute name.” 

The receptionist said, typing her name into a blank space on the computer.
A few more clicks later, and the small machine by the computer made a whirring noise.
A small slip of plastic printed out, with ‘Jackie’ written in black font in the center. The slip was bordered in pink on the top and bottom.

“Aaand here you go! Your name tag.”
The woman handed the name tag to Keikujaku, who took it gingerly.

“Um, what do I do with this?” 

“You pin it to your uniform, like this.”
She tapped her own name tag, situated on the shirt of her uniform just above her heart. 

“Uh… I think I should tell you, Miss… I don’t actually work here?” 

She smiled sheepishly. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“Um, I just walked in and some guy with pink hair was yelling at me?” 

“Wait…” 

The receptionist got up from behind her desk looked Keikujaku up and down.
“Now you mention it… that outfit is different from our uniform. Ah geez… I’m so sorry. The boss must’ve been so stressed out, he mistook you for one of our employees. You can leave.”

‘Boss? So he’s the one in charge?’ 

“Really? But you obviously need people.”
She counted maybe three employees earlier, including the manager. 

“Well, if you still want the job, I can give you an application.” 

“Um, okay. What’s that?” 

The woman gave her a wry smile. 

“It’s just a little paperwork you have to fill out. You can even take it home with you and bring it back whenever.”
As she said that, another printer along the back desk whirred to life, the receptionist having typed something on her computer. 

A slip of paper came out and the lady handed it to the still-somewhat-confused girl.
“Here. You don’t have to fill it out if you change your mind. But like you said, we need people. We’ve been short-staffed ever since our reploid employees were… let go.”
She looked like she was about to say something else, but thought better of it.

Keikujaku frowned but didn’t say anything either. 

‘What’s a reploid?’

She wondered.

“Okay, well, thank you. I’ll uh, think about it.” 

Before she could walk away, something else printed out. The lady handed it to the girl.
“Here. A coupon for a free pastry.” 

“Are you sure that’s okay?” 

“It’s fine. An apology for the trouble. I’ll explain the situation to him.” 

“Oh. Well, thank you very much!” 

With that, Keikujaku excused herself and walked back out to the main room of the cafe.
It looked like it had calmed down a little in the few minutes she was back there, but the pink haired man, the Boss, didn’t seem to notice her with how many people he was tending to. 

She eyed the pastries in the display.
‘What do I want?’ 

“Excuse me?”

She asked the young man behind the desk. 

“Yes? What can I get you Miss?” 

“I’d like one of those please?”
She pointed at a strawberry danish. 

“Alright… that’ll be 2 Zenny.” 

He gave her an expectant look, making her flounder a little. 

“Uh… “ 

‘What’s Zenny? Is that what money is called here?’ 

Luckily, the cashier came to her rescue. 

“Is that a coupon you have there?” 

He pointed to the paper in her hand. 

“Y-yes, it is.” 

She handed the coupon to the cashier. 

“Lucky you! This is for five Zenny. Would you like anything to add?” 

“Um… what’s for three Zenny?” 

“Well, there’s these cake pops, scones and our simple teas.” 

Keikujaku glanced at all the items the cashier pointed out, looking up at the menu above his head to see the drinks. 

The language was the same as the sign above the antique store, modern English. 

“I’d like… a white cake pop please.” 

“Good choice! Will that be for here or to go?” 

“Uh… to go?”

The girl said, a little unsure as to what that meant. 

With a smile that seemed a bit strained, he used a pair of tongs to take a danish and a cake pop out of the display and put them in a bag.
“Here you go, Miss! Have a good day.” 

“Uh, yeah! You too.”
Keikujaku took the bag and exited the cafe.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she was outside, still holding the piece of paper and bag of pastries in her hands.
She walked a few paces away before finding a bench and sitting down. She opened her bag and took the danish out.

It was soft and warm, and smelled like strawberries and cream. 

She took a bite, and hummed as she tasted it.
“Mmm~” 

She devoured it after a few minutes, wiping the stickiness on her fingers onto the bag. The cake pop was left untouched, as she intended to give it to her sister. 

She still didn’t see her anywhere. 

‘I hope she’s okay…’ 

While she waited, she decided to take a look at the application the receptionist lady had given her.
“Let’s see… personal information… what’s an email?”

After reading through it, vaguely aware of the people passing by her, she noted how the shadows had gotten longer around her. 

“How long have we been here? Well… she hasn’t found me yet. Maybe she went back?”
She got up, carrying the bag in one hand. 

Luckily, it didn’t take her too long to find Blackstone Antiques again, and no one seemed to see her go inside. 

She had to pause before the mirror. 

“How did she do this? Just… put my hand on it, right?” 

She placed her right hand on the smooth glass and closed her eyes. 

As she concentrated, she felt a tug on her mind, and something resonated within her. 

The surface lit up, and with a triumphant grin she stepped through. 

Unbeknownst to her, a street camera in the shape of a bird was trained on the outside of the antique store. It had been watching her ever since she and Kirakisho mysteriously appeared from those doors. 

It saw the inside of the store light up briefly. 

……… 

“Hey, Kira! Are you home?”
Keikujaku called as she crossed into the Rozen Manor library. 

“Jackie! Where were you? I was so worried! Where did you go? Tell me all the details!”
Kirakisho jabbered as she excitedly bounded up to her younger sister, embracing her.
“I’m so sorry! I got distracted by pretty dresses and lost track of you. I was about to go back for you, but here you are!” 

Kirakisho pulled her sister into a hug.
“Thank goodness you’re okay. But seriously, where did you go?” 

She sniffed.
“And why do you smell like baked goods?” 

Keikujaku returned the hug before stepping aside so her sister could see what she had.

“Uh… well, I tried to wait for you in this cafe, but the boss thought I was an employee? He sent me to the back and this nice lady gave me these and told me I could have a free pastry for the trouble.”
She showed her older sister the application form and name tag, which she’d stuffed into the paper takeout bag.

“Apparently this dress kinda looked like their uniform. Oh, and this is for you!” 

“I see… lucky girl! Thanks!” 

The white maiden took the cake pop happily, her golden eyes lighting up. 

“A cake pop! I saw these around but never got to eat one!” 

She smiled as she took a bite. 

“Mmm~ it’s like a vanilla cupcake on a stick! Truly ingenious! So good!” 

“I’m glad you like it.” 

“I love it! I still can’t believe they mistook you for an employee.” 

“Yeah, the lady realized the mistake. Guess I shouldn’t have worn this dress… But um, I was wondering if you could help me with something?”
She held up the application form. 

“Yeah, sure. Let me see that. You look cute in that, by the way.”
Kirakisho took the paper from her sister and looked it over.
“Is this a job application?” 

Keikujaku nodded.
“The lady said they were short-staffed, and I felt kind of bad, so I thought…” 

“No, no, don’t feel bad. You don’t owe these people anything. It was their mistake to begin with. But… we don’t exactly have modern currency, I think they called it zenny? It’d be nice to have money to buy necessities.” 

“Huh?”
Keikujaku looked confused. 

Kirakisho noticed her confusion. 

“You know how I said people went to places of business to exchange money for goods? Well, where do you think people get that money?” 

“Uh… I don’t know.” 

“Usually, they earn it by working jobs. They get paid. A lot of the money that’s used to buy stuff goes to the person or people in charge, and then they use it to pay expenses, their employees being one of them.” 

“Ooh, I think I get it. How do you know so much?” 

“I did a lot of people-watching back in the day, and I started my own little shop once. My master at the time had to explain all this to me.” 

She waved her hand nonchalantly as she held the papers. 

“Anyway, sure I’ll help you fill this out! I might even come with you and ask for one myself. We could work together!” 

“Really? That’d be great!” 

“Wouldn’t it? We’ve got some time until dinner, so how about we get this started? We need to find a pen first…”

“You need a pen?”
Tsubaki asked, her sudden presence startling the two maidens. 

“Gah! Tsubaki! Yes, we need a pen. Are there any working ones in this house?”
Kirakisho asked, pretending she wasn’t startled. 

“Of course. There should be some in the study down the hall. Will that be all?” 

“Yes, thank you. Wait, why are you here?” 

“I came to tidy your rooms. Apologies, it’s been my routine to do so in your absence.”
She bowed apologetically. 

“Oh, that’s alright. Habits like that are hard to break. But we can tidy our own rooms from now on.” Kirakisho assured the maid. 

“Of course. Shall I fetch that pen for you?” 

“If you would, please?” 

Keikujaku asked. 

A few minutes later, Tsubaki returned with a working ballpoint pen in hand.
“It’s a little dry, but it should suffice.”

“Thank you, Tsubaki.” 

The white maid bowed again before leaving the library.

The white maiden placed the application on a nearby writing desk, letting Keikujaku sit at it with the pen in hand. 

“Now… to start with, write your name where it says so.” 

“Okay… “ 

Though she was still working on her handwriting, she carefully wrote each letter within the space provided. 

“I don’t have a middle name?” 

“So don’t put anything there.” 

“Okay.” 

“Now the date…” 

A quick glance at her internal clock.
“Today is April 15th, 22XX.” 

“Okay.” 

“Address… well, this is Rozen Manor, Lebensbaum, Germany. I honestly don’t know if there’s any numbers in there.” 

“Why would there be numbers?” 

“There usually are for houses on a street, so people can differentiate them.” 

“Okay. So… about the email?” 

“Well, you don’t really have one. But we do have a phone number. Its…” 

The two Maidens spent the majority of the evening filling out the application, having to summon Tsubaki to make sure they got all the information accurate. 

They paused for dinner, leaving the application forgotten on a writing desk in the library. 

The sisters returned to Neo Arcadia the next day, intent on exploring the city and getting a lay of the land so they didn’t get lost in subsequent excursions. 

It wasn’t until a week later that Keikujaku remembered the application and thought to deliver it to Rose Cafe. 

One of the employees, Robin, kindly escorted her to the back where she gave her application to the receptionist, who introduced herself as Josie. 

“You caught us at a good time. It’s been a rather slow day.” 

“I hope it hasn’t been too boring for you.” 

“Nah. I know how to entertain myself when there’s not much else to do.” 

She nodded her head to a notepad she had on her desk. It was full of handwritten notes and little drawings. 

“We should have this processed in a few days, and then if we want an interview, we’ll give you a call. Sound okay, hon?” 

“Sure!” 

As Jackie exited the building and went off to look for her sister, Josie took a look at the application she was given.

She raised an eyebrow. 

“Lebensbaum…? In Germany? That can’t be right. Unless she means the Germanic Sector…” 

She turned to her computer monitor, minimizing the excel document she was working on and opening an internet browser. She input the name of the town. 

Few results came up, maybe five in total, but some caught her eye. 

One was a news article from Germany, from around the 2160s. 

It was a death report from the time of the Elf Wars, counting how many people had been lost and cities destroyed in Western Europe. 

When it came to Lebensbaum, the author of the article noted that only the Rozen Manor remained miraculously intact in all of the town. The nearby Rosenheim fared better as well, due to its remote location compared to the capital city of Munich. 

There was another article dated to the 2020s. When a mysterious buyer claiming to be a descendant of the Rozen family purchased the historic Rozen Manor and moved into it. 

Their name was Alice Rozen, a robotics engineer who specialized in crafting simple toys for children. Namely dolls with little to no advanced A.I. 

“Huh…” 

Josie muttered. She glanced at the application again. 

“Rozen Manor. That’s where she lives, according to this. And it’s not in the city.
How is she getting here if it’s all the way in Europe…?” 

Neo Arcadia was located in a part of the world known as the Horn of Africa, where the oldest and longest-lasting of human civilizations were said to have cropped up. 

Germany was over 8,000 kilometers away.

As much as she questioned whether Jackie was being truthful in her application, they did need new staff. Desperately. 

Two of the three remaining wait staff were supposed to go back to school soon and they probably weren’t coming back the next summer. 

“Here goes nothing…” 

She said as she input the information. She’d ask for a background check from the Employment Bureau later. 

Chapter Text

It was a bright, clear morning, and the two sisters of Rozen Manor saw no reason not to enjoy it. 

They sat on a veranda above the dining room, overlooking the manor’s garden. 

A small table and two chairs had been set up for them, along with a spot of breakfast.

“Has it been a month already?” 

Kirakisho asked wistfully, looking out over the property and enjoying some morning tea. 

“Mm-hmm.” 

Keikujaku nodded, holding her teacup gently as she sipped from it. 

Each of the maidens had their own color coded tea sets with rose motifs, which the two had taken to using everyday. 

Kirakisho’s was a pale pink while her sister’s was turquoise. 

Today’s selection of tea was chosen from what they had in the pantry, a simple English Breakfast that provided that little boost of caffeine to get their day started. 

Not that they really needed it. 

They’d both finished their food already, some simple buttered toast and strawberry jam. 

“I don’t really believe it myself. It feels like no time has passed at all.” 

“I know the feeling. At least we can leave the Manor whenever we want to. That makes the days go by much faster.” 

Kirakisho said, her tea sitting in its saucer as she placed her chin on interlaced fingers. 

“It does. I’m still not used to Neo Arcadia. It’s so big, I’m afraid I’ll get lost if I go too far.” 

Keikujaku admitted, setting her cup down. 

“Again.” 

Kirakisho added with mirth. 

Jackie pouted grumpily. 

“I only got lost looking for you, you know.” 

The white maiden rolled her eyes. 

“I know, and I said I was sorry. But hey, at least I got paid for that modeling job. And I got to keep the clothes!” 

“You did look nice… but you only had it for a day.” 

“Yeah, but we still got money to use. We were running low on stuff anyway, remember? The guy in charge said he’d contact me if he wanted me to model for him again.” 

“Did you give him the Manor’s number?” 

“Of course I did! Neither of us have cellphones and we can’t really afford one right now. I can’t imagine how expensive they must be.” 

Jackie cringed. 

“Yeah… “ 

“Speaking of jobs, has that cafe called you about an interview yet?” 

The cyan maiden shook her head. 

“Not yet. It’s only been a week.” 

“It normally takes less than a week for a company to get back to you if they want you. Wonder what’s taking them?” 

“I dunno. Did your old master tell you that?” 

Kirakisho nodded. 

“She told me some things about the hiring process. Mostly because she was job hunting herself. I say give it another week and then go look someplace else for work. Hey, maybe we can model together?” 

“Maybe...” 

Jackie mumbled, eyes looking down into her half-drank teacup a little disappointed. 

Part of her actually wanted to try working at that cute little cafe. It almost reminded her of the manor, like a piece of home away from home. 

“I’m afraid I won’t like the outfits they put me in. And… the people scared me.” 

“That’s understandable. It’s a lot of people watching you. But you don’t have to like the outfits, you just have to show off how they fit on you.” 

Kirakisho loved the attention herself, even if it was only a couple of hours. She was eager to get a call back. 

“…” 

Kirakisho could see she was making her little sister uncomfortable. 

“I’m sure the maids will tell you if the cafe calls. In the meantime, what do you want to do?” 

Keikujaku took a moment to think, glad for the change of subject. 

“… can you tell me more about our sisters? I was thinking about waking the others up. But I’m too nervous to do it all at once.” 

Kirakisho smiled understandingly. 

“I get it. I was really nervous when I first met them all too. You want help deciding which one?” 

“Yes please.” 

“Alright… well, since you’re the youngest, and I’m the second youngest. Why don’t we just go in that order? Wake the third-youngest!” 

“Who’s that again?” 

“That’s Hinaichigo, the sixth Rozen Maiden. She and I have a… had a bit of a rocky relationship at the start. We’re better now, though.” 

Jackie gasped. 

“What happened?” 

“Well….” 

Kirakisho ran her fingers through her hair nervously. She wanted Jackie to know the truth. 

“You know how I didn’t have a body at first?” 

Jackie nodded. 

“I may have… tried to take Hina’s? My logic at the time was that since she wasn’t using her body, I might as well! She lost the Alice Game!” 

Kirakisho put on a child-like voice, making an impression of her younger self. 

Keikujaku frowned at the mention of the infamous Game. 

“You told me about that. I still don’t think it was right of Rozen to do that to you all.” 

“Neither do I. Never did, really, but we all learned from Father’s mistakes.” 

She took a sip from her tea. 

“Anyway, I tried to take her empty body. It didn’t work. So I retreated back into the N-Field to work on Plan B. The poor girl suffered a bit of trauma from that whole ordeal.” 

Kirakisho looked into her teacup, nostalgia reflected in her golden eyes. 

She idly swished the liquid around as she continued. 

“After I finally found my real body, and we discovered the true way to win the Alice Game, Hinaichigo was restored to hers. I was eager to make amends with my sisters, even if they weren’t so eager towards me. To my surprise, Hina was one of the first to forgive me. Well, she didn’t forgive me completely, but she understood why I did what I did, and she wanted to get to know me.” 

“That’s nice of her.” 

“It really was. I think having a good big sister in Shinku made her want to be the same to me. She told me that’s what she thought I needed. And she was right.” 

She laughed, before she looked back at her sister and smiled apologetically. 

“Sorry, I’m getting off topic. Um… I know Hina likes to draw. She got really good at it, and started getting into using paints. She likes the color pink, drawing, cartoons, sports, board games, interior design… her favorite food is strawberries…” 

Jackie was reminded of something at the mention of strawberries. 

“We have strawberry plants here at the manor, don’t we? We should bring her some!” 

“I bet she’d like that. Oh! Even better, if we brought her strawberry cake! She loves strawberry flavored stuff, sometimes even more than the berry itself.” 

“Really? Do we even have the ingredients to make a cake? I thought we were low on stuff.” 

“We might still be. We should ask Hinageshi, just in case.” 

Kirakisho tilted her head back and finished off her tea in one gulp. 

“Let’s go!” 

Jackie nodded, mimicking her sister and finishing her tea before taking Kira’s offered hand. The older sister led the younger back into the house and downstairs. 

They burst into the kitchen, expecting to find the red haired maid, but they didn’t see her. Nothing was being prepared yet either. 

“Hinageshi?” 

Keikujaku called. A clattering noise sounded from the back of the room. 

“Ah, just a minute, my lady!” 

Hinageshi called, holding the door open with a foot while she carried a heavy bag of flour. 

Keikujaku jogged over to the pantry door and took the bag from the diminutive maid.

“Here, let me help you with that!” 

The red maid sent the maiden a grateful smile. 

“Thank you Lady Jackie. But you don’t need to do that.” 

“No, it’s alright. I can carry it. It looks much too heavy for you.” 

Hinageshi sighed as the bag left her small arms. 

“If you insist. Could you put that down on the counter there?” 

“Sure.” 

With a heave, Keikujaku set the bag down. A few white powdery grains escaped from the top of the bag. 

“What are you going to do with this?” 

“I was going to make some quiches. Why? Did you have something else in mind?” 

“We were actually going to wake up Hinaichigo, and we thought it’d be nice to surprise her with a strawberry cake!” 

Kirakisho said. 

Hinageshi nodded. 

“I see… well, there should be enough flour in that bag for both a quiche and a cake. But I’m afraid we won’t be able to make much else after that. That’s our last bag.” 

“What?” 

Jackie gasped. 

“I suppose that means we’ll need to either scavenge more… or buy it from the city.” 

Kirakisho said, crossing her arms. 

“What about other ingredients?” 

Hinageshi hummed as she reviewed the manor’s inventory in her mind. 

“We’re good on baking powder and baking soda for now. We still have salt and sugar. We also have eggs, though we’ll only have four cartons after I make the quiche. We still have vanilla extract… all we need is butter and sour cream.” 

“What about the strawberries?” 

Keikujaku asked. 

“We can get them from the garden. But if there’s not enough… I think Hinaichigo can handle that herself.” 

Kirakisho snickered with a knowing look. 

Jackie gave her a confused look. 

“How?” 

“You’ll see. Anyway, you said we need butter and sour cream?” 

Hinageshi nodded. 

“Yes, that’s all we’ll need for the cake.” 

“Well, then I suppose a trip into town is in order! Good thing our refrigerator is working!” 

Kirakisho clapped her hands together. 

“Ask Himawari how much we have to spend. In the meantime, I’ll get started on lunch.” 

Hinageshi said, dragging a stepstool over to the counter. 

“Alright. Thank you, Hinageshi!” 

Keikujaku said as she and her sister left the kitchen. 

“My pleasure, my ladies!” 

As the sisters trotted through the foyer, intending to make their way up the stairs to the treasury room, Jackie glanced towards the hallway leading to the basement. 

“Hey, Kira?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Should Big Sis Hina come with us to Neo Arcadia?” 

“Hm… I don’t know. It’d be a lot to take in after just waking her up. You know how long it took us to want to venture outside.” 

Jackie pondered on her sister’s reasoning. 

“You’re right… but having three of us would make finding the stuff easier, wouldn’t it?” 

“Yeah, but I don’t know if we can trust her not to wander off on her own. One of us is going to have to keep an eye on her.” 

“You’re one to talk.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Still, I think it’d be better if we waited until after we got back to wake her. She can help make the cake.” 

“Oh! Yeah!” 

Keikujaku nodded, enthused with the idea. 

‘I should check in with the cafe too.’ 

She thought as the two found the door to the treasury room. 

Upon opening it, they saw a blonde Flower Maid with her hair tied in a neat braid, a yellow diamond shape decorating her pinafore. 

She was holding a black book and a pen, sitting at a large mahogany desk on a chair that seemed to dwarf her. 

Himawari looked up as they entered. 

“Good Day, Lady Keikujaku, Lady Kirakisho. What brings you here? Need to make a withdrawal?” 

“Uh… something like that. We were told we need to get some groceries.” 

“Ah. Well, since your last excursion, I’ve managed to determine the value of these Zenny you brought me. I do hope they have a bank in that city that can exchange euros.” 

She spoke in a clipped, professional tone, like an experienced bank teller. 

She reached down and handed the white maiden a medium sized brown pouch the size of her hand. 

“That’s what you earned from your fashion show, and some euros to exchange.” 

“Thank you, Himawari.” 

Keikujaku said. 

“It is no problem, my ladies. Have fun.” 

“We will~” 

Kirakisho sing-songed as she exited the room. 

She made a pit stop at her room to grab a purse large enough to hold the money before dragging her younger sister through the house towards the library. 

Later, outside the Bank of Neo Arcadia

“Well… that took longer than I thought.” 

Kirakisho complained, exiting the large building through the glass rotating door. 

“Yeah. Though we probably should have expected it. At least we have an account now.” 

“Right, and plenty of cash. I imagine we’ll have to come back sometime later and exchange some more, but for now…” 

Kirakisho linked her arm with her sister’s as they descended the grandiose staircases. 

“To the Market!” 

“Whoa, sis! Slow down!” 

Keikujaku stammered as she almost tripped on her own feet. 

The way to the main marketplace in that sector of the city was easier to find than the first time around, as they’d had to pass through it from Blackstone Antiques to get to the bank. 

They were soon lost in the throng of people passing through the street, looking at various wares and enjoying foodstuffs. 

Keikujaku had to wonder if there was a holiday or something going on, there were so many people! She held her sister’s hand tightly so as to not lose her in the crowd. Again. 

Her own bag of coins was held securely in her dress pocket, a quick check proved it was. It held Zenny, which she’d learned was based upon the Japanese yen from the reploid bank teller. 

Once they spotted the vendor they were looking for, a semi-outdoor dairy goods shop with refrigerators plugged in somewhere, the girls made a beeline for it.

“Here we are!” 

Kirakisho remarked triumphantly as she took a couple boxes of butter from the refrigerated display. 

As she turned around to look for the other ingredient she needed, she spotted another vendor across the way, and then she noticed the conspicuous absence of her sister. 

“Eh? Jackie?” 

She turned wildly, spotting her younger sister looking at the milk and cheeses on display. 

She sighed in relief, but just as she was going to join her someone bumped into her. 

“Sorry.” 

She said as she turned her head to see who it was. 

“It’s okay.” 

Said a dark haired young man with long bangs that covered one dusky violet eye. 

“Oh, it’s you!” 

The peach blonde smiled. 

“Thanks again for the directions.” 

“It was no trouble. I know I had a hard time finding my way when I first moved to this part of town.” 

The young man rubbed the back of his head bashfully. 

He wore a short sleeved dark hoodie and black baggy jeans with sneakers and gloves. Under the hoodie was a long-sleeved white turtleneck shirt. It looked awfully tight in the white maiden’s opinion. 

“What are you buying?” 

“Oh, just some things to make a little surprise treat for our sister.” 

“You have another one?” 

Kirakisho nodded. 

“Mm-hmm! She’s our older sister. Jackie and I are the youngest in the family.” 

The man smirked. 

“Same here. I have two older brothers and one sister. They can be a real handful sometimes.” 

“Tell me about it… imagine having to live with six older sisters.” 

“Six?” 

“Kira, I found the sour cream. What else do we…?” 

The eighth maiden trailed off as she saw her sister was talking to that boy from earlier. 

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

“It’s okay, sis. Let’s get these and go find some more flour.” 

She turned back to the young man. 

“It was nice to see you again… “ 

He disappeared. 

She frowned, hand on her hip while the other held the frozen butter. 

“Well that was a little rude. He didn’t even give us his name.” 

“Maybe we’ll see him again?” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Unbeknownst to them, the young man Kirakisho was just talking to was now hidden behind the entrance to the store, watching the two girls intently. 

Hidden Phantom had been tracking them since the moment they exited the antique shop. 

He had originally been in the area just to patrol the city, dressed in a civilian disguise, when the girl in white spotted him and asked him for directions to the bank. 

He was surprised she was able to spot him from among a crowd so casually, and part of him had to wonder who she was. 

He searched the database, and found nothing other than CCTV footage that wasn’t available to the public. 

These two had no IDs, no records in Neo Arcadia or otherwise. 

That in itself was unusual, so CSS-12 was told to look into it. With the Resistance, you could never be too careful. 

He later learned they made an account with the Neo Arcadia Central Bank, and exchanged euros for Zenny. 

‘Euros. That means they’re likely from Europe, but to use currency at least two centuries old…’ 

He thought to himself as he watched them buy their ingredients and go for the baking supply shop next. 

The energy they detected in Germany came to mind. 

He then received a message from CSS-12. 

The younger girl had been seen going into an establishment near the antique shop some time ago, and even filled out an employment application. 

Phantom was sent a copy of the application as well as a search history related to it that the establishment’s secretary had conducted. 

‘Lebensbaum, eh?’ 

Rozen Manor, Basement 

A few hours later 

Kirakisho and Keikujaku waited with bated breath as the activation sequence for the sixth maiden started up. Kirakisho had done the honors of turning the key with the pink gem before joining her younger sister in standing by the corresponding pod. 

The lid opened with a hydraulic hiss, a small cloud of steam escaping from the sides. 

They peered into the pod, both of them pleasantly surprised. 

Inside was a young woman with blonde ringlets that framed her heart shaped face, a nicely curved body covered in a pink dress identical in style to the one Keikujaku first awoke in. 

After a moment, the young woman’s eyes fluttered open, revealing a pretty spring green. She gazed up at Kirakisho, recognition flashing in her eyes. 

“Kira… kisho?” 

She asked tentatively. 

Her voice and body were more mature than Kirakisho remembered, but that was just as well. She looked to be in her late teens as opposed to a small child. 

“Yeah, it’s me.” 

She held out her hand to help her older sister sit up in her pod. The pink maiden took it. 

Her eyes met Keikujaku’s, who stared back with much curiosity. 

“Who’s this?” 

“I-I… I’m Keikujaku. But you can call me Jackie, if you like.” 

The youngest maiden introduced herself. 

“She’s our younger sister!” 

Kirakisho announced. 

The sixth maiden gasped, hand flying to her mouth. 

“Really!?”

“Yup! Turns out Alice remade all of us, and she put the leftovers in her!” 

Kirakisho said excitedly, putting her hands on her younger sister’s shoulders. 

Keikujaku disliked the term, frowning at it, but admitted that it was an accurate description. 

The blonde smiled brightly. 

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Jackie! I’m Hinaichigo, the sixth Rozen Maiden.” 

Hinaichigo lifted herself out of her pod and swung her legs down to the ground in one movement, after which she sprung forwards and enveloped Keikujaku in a bear hug. 

The younger girl’s breath hitched at the sudden contact, but relaxed after a moment. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Big Sis Hina.” 

Hinaichigo pulled back as a happy squeal escaped her lips. 

“Aah! Kira, did you hear what she called me!?” 

“I did. She’s been calling you that since I told her about you.” 

“Oh my gosh, that’s so adorable!” 

“I know, right?” 

Hina giggled, as she released the youngest sister. 

“What did she tell you?” 

Her tone was suddenly more serious. 

It startled Keikujaku a little. 

“Um… how you met, and how she got better because of you. Oh! And that you like drawing and strawberries.” 

Hina nodded, a more melancholy smile playing on her lips. 

“That’s a lot.”

Her gaze flicked to the white maiden. 

“I’m glad we’re all better now. I mean, look at me!” 

She twirled in place, her skirt flying up around her thighs. 

“I feel so grown up!” 

“You look grown up. And speaking of strawberries…” 

Kirakisho said, pausing for effect. 

“Yeah?” 

“We have a little surprise for you~” 

Hina gasped with childish glee, clapping her hands together and hopping a little. 

“Oooh! What is it, what is it!?” 

“Come upstairs with us and find out. Don’t forget your case.” 

“My case? Oh right!” 

She quickly turned back to her pod and opened the secret compartment, grabbing her suitcase as she followed her younger sisters out the sliding door and up to the manor proper. 

They were greeted by Tsubaki and Sumire in the foyer, who introduced themselves to the sixth maiden. 

“Please follow me to your room so you can change.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” 

Once she was dressed, Hinaichigo was led to the kitchen where Hinageshi was waiting for them. 

“What’s all this?” 

Hinaichigo asked. 

“How’d you like to help us decorate your surprise cake?” 
Kirakisho asked with mischievous glee. 

“We made the base already.” 

Keikujaku said. 

“Now we just need to mix the frosting.” 

“Aww~ That’s so sweet of you guys! Sure, I’ll help!” 

Kirakisho took the undecorated cake out of the fridge and set it on the counter. 

It was only one tier, made of angel food cake with diced strawberries mixed in. 

“Oh, it’s looks so good already!” 

Hinaichigo remarked. 

“Hm… do we have buttercream?” 

“Unfortunately, no.” 

Hinageshi admitted. 

“Okay… what about whipped cream?” 

“That we have.” 

“Alright! Give me the can and I’ll finish it!” 

The blonde maiden removed her pink overcoat, putting it on a rack next to some aprons. This left her in just her slip, stockings and red shoes with long ribbons. 

Kirakisho obliged, taking out a jar of whipped cream out of the fridge while the red maid fetched a piping bag. 

“Here you go.” 

“Oh. Does Reddi Whip not exist anymore?” 

“We honestly don’t know. But this is what he gave to work with.” 
Kirakisho admitted. 

“Okay. Yeah, I can work with this.” 

Over the next fifteen minutes, the sixth maiden got to work decorating her own cake. 

Her younger sisters watched with fascination as she filled the top with spirals of whipped cream, making little dots around the perimeter and in the center. 

“Now for the finishing touch…” 

Hinaichigo held out her hand, expecting something to happen. 

When nothing did, she looked at her hand in confusion. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, I had to re-learn how to use my power too. See, you gotta reach inside yourself, with your mind, and pull it out. Like this!” 

Kirakisho demonstrated by letting white light travel up her arm to her hand, manifesting as a small crystal oval. 

Hinaichigo watched her do this, eyes widened. 

“Alright…” 

She closed her eyes, and after a moment, a streak of pink light could be seen traveling up her own arm, manifesting as a green vine that sprouted from her hand and curled as it grew towards the electric lights of the kitchen. 

It stopped before it touched the ceiling, only for small buds to form and quickly bloom into white flowers. Those withered and fell, replaced by a familiar red fruit. 

The rapid growth stopped once the fruit was ripe, the pink maiden picking them off and laying them down on the counter. There were maybe five in total. 

Once they were picked, the vine detached from her body, still green. Hinageshi picked it up and set it aside. 

“Wow…” 

Keikujaku breathed. 

“So that’s your power? Growing your own strawberries?” 

“Yep! Really, it’s growing the vines that produce strawberries. It has its uses.” 

Hinaichigo said, taking the berries and washing them in a nearby sink. She then took a knife from a nearby drawer and cut the tops off before carefully placing them on the cake. 

“There! All done!” 

She stepped back to admire her handiwork, the berries placed where she’d put the dollops of whipped cream before. 

“Ooh! That looks so much better!” 

“Yeah, it looks great!” 

“Admirable work, Lady Hinaichigo!” 

Hinageshi said, rolling a serving tray around. 

“I’ll take care of the rest.” 

“Of course.” 

The sixth maiden said, putting her overcoat back on as she headed towards the door to the dining room, followed by her sisters. 

As soon as they were all seated, with Hina at the head of the table with her sisters on either side, Hinageshi brought out the cake. 

Hina smiled in delight it was carved up and served onto plates. 

“Thank you both so much! That was fun! Now to taste it!” 

Hina took the fork provided and cut herself a piece of cake, which she promptly popped into her mouth. 

She paused, eyes widening before she smiled brightly, humming. 

“This is so good! Its the best strawberry cake I’ve ever had!” 

“Really? I’m so glad!” 

Keikujaku took a fork and started eating her slice. 

“Mmm~ It is good!” 

“We did good!” 

Kirakisho concurred as she dug in. 

A quick glance at her internal clock told her it was almost three in the afternoon. 

‘Perfect!’ 

“Hey, I think it’s about time for afternoon tea.” 

“Oh, some tea would be great with this!” 

“I shall fetch you some cups, my ladies.” Hinageshi bowed before she took the tray with the rest of the cake back into the kitchen. 

The girls all decided to move out onto the veranda outside the dining room, where a small table and three chairs were waiting for them. 

A third set tea set had been placed, this one a cheerful strawberry pink. 

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since Hinaichigo had been awoken, and things were settling into a new routine for the three sisters. 

They all gathered in the dining room for breakfast, after which they went their separate ways. Sometimes they’d pair up to go exploring around the Manor. Hinaichigo had yet to really see outside, and she didn’t express a desire to yet. 

Kirakisho was helping her older sister settle in and remind her where everything was. She was still getting used to her new body and manifesting her power without having to draw from outside energy. 

As for Keikujaku, on this particular day she retired to the library to see if she could find any more books of interest. She’d already finished with the ones she checked out before, but decided to keep Adelaide’s diary. For the time being. 

As she browsed the shelves, she glanced at the mirror set up on the far wall, next to the window. 

It was tinged a light blue, indicative of her power to connect two places together. She then glanced to the rotary phone on the writing desk.

The cafe still hadn’t called her. 

‘Maybe they will now that I have a bank account? They couldn’t very well pay me without one.’ She logically concluded. 

Like Kirakisho told her, she’d give it a few more days and then go look for someplace else. 

‘Maybe I can take Big Sis Hina with me. Take her to see the city and job hunt together.’
The thought excited the youngest maiden. Even if they didn’t find work, she’d be happy just having spent time with the sixth maiden. 

Just then, the door to the library opened and the seventh maiden came in. 

“Jackie! There you are! I need your help with something in my room.” 

“Your room? Uh, sure, what is it?” 

When they got to Kirakisho’s room, Keikujaku could see that she’d already done some redecorating. 

“I like what you’ve done in here.” 

“So do I! It’s so much more my style, don’t you think?” 

The room was largely the same as it had been the last time Keikujaku had seen it, except now all the sheets covering the furniture were stored away somewhere and the furniture itself had been rearranged. 

There were some white roses growing out of an ornate white crystal vase on the dresser, and some other crystalline pieces were added to various spots. Even the mirror propped up against the wall had bits of crystal decorating its frame. 

“All the crystal stuff is pretty!” 

“Thanks! I’ve been practicing with my crystal making. But that’s not what I need help with.” 

Kirakisho gestured to the mirror. 

“Could you connect my mirror to my N-Field? Please?” 

She held her hands in a position of begging. 

“There’s something I want to show you, and it’ll make the journey there easier in the future.” 

Keikujaku sighed fondly. 

“Fine. You know, I should do this for Big Sis Hina too, and probably my own mirror.” 

“That’d be a good idea. I’d like to see your N-Field sometime. Though you should get Hina’s permission first if you want to see hers.” 

“I definitely will.” Keikujaku said as her sister laid her hand on the glass surface. 

It didn’t take long for them to reach Kirakisho’s N-Field. She knew the way by heart, since it was her World. 

For a Maiden to show their personal N-Field to another was a sign of trust, as their worlds were reflections of themselves and could reveal things that others might find unattractive. 

Once Kirakisho opened the door, the string around Keikujaku’s finger tied itself to the knob, creating the connection. 

As they touched down, Keikujaku had to stare in awe. All around them was a barren landscape of pinkish sand, but just before them was a large crystalline castle. 

“Wow…” 

“Impressive, right?” 

“Yeah! And this came from your imagination?” 

Jackie asked as they walked through the main gate. 

“Well… kind of. I looked to others’ Dream Worlds for inspiration. Several had castles from picture books or movies, but I found a few that belonged to actual architects. They taught me a lot about how stuff is built. I made some modifications to it over the centuries, but I mostly based my castle on the rococo period. You… wouldn’t know what that is, but it’s a style of architecture from medieval France. I just really like the look of it, you know?” 

“I see why. It really is like a fairytale castle.”

Keikujaku’s curiosity took over as she was given permission to explore what was her sister’s home for the first several centuries of her life. Despite getting sidetracked multiple times, Kirakisho eventually led her sister to a large room near the center of the castle. 

It resembled a ballroom, with the walls made up of multi-faceted flat crystals. 

“This is my Observation Room.” 

Kirakisho announced. 

She had a mischievous look in her golden eyes as she summoned one of her white rose vines. 

“Watch.” 

Like a snake charmer, she made the vine rise up into the air until it made contact with one of the crystal facets in the walls. It lit up like the mirror portals, but once the light died it showed an image of a large room with multiple shelves holding nothing but books. 

“Thats amazing!” 

Jackie said, looking up at the image trying to identify where it was.

“Is that the real world?” 

Kirakisho nodded. 

“It is. This was the only way I could interact with it without a body.” A melancholy look passed over her face as memories of lonely years flashed through her mind. 

“I don’t use it too often anymore. But when I do…” 

The look of sadness was replaced by mischief as the rose vine seemed to emerge from wherever the portal let out, slowly creeping towards one of the shelves. Kirakisho held her right hand out, moving it back and forth as she used it to conduct the vine. She used her left to seemingly manipulate the window, looking left and right. 

“What are you doing?” 

Jackie asked. 

“Right now, I’m making sure no one sees what I’m about to do. People don’t tend to react well to long spindly things coming out of nowhere.” 

Once the vine was close enough, it began to peruse through the various titles on the shelf, until Kirakisho found one that caught her interest. She smiled confidently as the vine wrapped around the book as securely as it could before retracting. 

The window glowed again as the vine came back through with its prize, which it deposited in Kirakisho’s waiting hands. 

The book was a novel, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. There was an image of a sparrow sitting on a branch on the cover. 

“Wait… did you just steal that?” 

“… maybe. But is it really stealing if no one is going to buy it?” 

“Someone might. Put it back right now! We have books in the Manor! You can go buy it later if you want it that bad.” 

Kirakisho rolled her eyes and groaned. 

“Ugh… when did you become no fun? Fine, I’ll put it back.” 

Jackie smiled, though her expression was still stern. “Good. Are you going to stay here much longer?” 

“No, just long enough to return this.” She held her ill-gotten gain in her hand. 

“Okay, well, I’m going to go back. It’s almost lunchtime.” 

“See you in a bit then, Jackie. Don’t get lost.” 

“I won’t! … probably.” 

Kirakisho’s lips quirked in amusement. 

“She’ll be fine.” She assured herself while she waited for her younger sister‘s footsteps to dissipate. Once she was gone, Kirakisho turned on her heel and walked to her old room in the castle, the stolen book still in her hand. 

She put the book on a shelf, next to a few other stolen items from over the centuries. 

“I’ll give it to Shinku as a welcome-back gift. We should do that with the others, since the cake thing went over so well.” 

She mused. 

“Wonder when we should wake her…” 

Meanwhile… 

Keikujaku found Hinaichigo outside in the garden, enjoying the warm sunlight. She was sitting in front of an easel, paintbrush in hand. 

“Big Sis Hina?” 

The sixth maiden startled as she was about to put brush to canvas, splattering a little bit of blue paint onto herself and her canvas. She turned to see her younger sister approaching. 

“Oh, hey, Jackie!” 

“What are you doing?” 

Hina took a nearby rag and wiped the paint off her face. 

“I’m painting. I was surprised to see Alice kept my paints so I wanted to see if they were still any good. I’ve had to throw away some of them already.” 

“That’s too bad.”

Hina sighed woefully. 

“It is. That’s why I’m trying to use up what I have left before I get any more. I understand there’s a city nearby?” 

“Er… well, yes, but it’s not nearby. We get there through the N-Field. Actually, have I shown you my power yet?” 

“Your power? … no, I don’t believe you have. I know you’ve seen mine.” 

Hina said as she put her paints down and turned toward her sister. Her hands and the front of the smock she wore were dappled in various colors. 

“Did you want to show me now?” 

“Uh, sure! But uh…” 

Just as she was about to suggest Hina go wash up first, one of the maids came running outside. 

“Lady Keikujaku! There is a phone call for you!” Sumire called. 

The eighth maiden all but ran back into the house where the phone was put to the side of the rotary dial, left on hold. 

She quickly picked up the phone. 

“Hello? This is Jackie.” 

“Hey, Jackie!” 

The familiar voice of Rose Cafe’s office lady responded. 

“I was just calling to see if you wanted to come in for an interview?”  

“Yes! Yes, I’d love to!” 

“Perfect! How does around 10:00 tomorrow sound?”  

“That sounds good. Do I need to bring anything?” 

“Your I.D. and bank information, but that’s just for your personal reference. The interview will include a few of the standard questions, so just be prepared for that.”  

“Uh, what questions are those exactly?” 

“You know, like what prior experience do you have? Any allergies we should know about, any concerns about working with food and money. And people. Stuff like that.” 

“Oh. Okay. I think I can do that.” 

“Great! So, we’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah! See you then.” 

“See ya hun.” 

With that, Josie hung up and Keikujaku put the phone down on the receiver, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“What was that about?” 

Hinaichigo asked, walking inside with her smock folded up in her arms. 

Keikujaku turned to her older sister with an excited grin. 

“I have an interview tomorrow!” She exclaimed. 

“An interview? You’re getting a job?” 

Jackie nodded enthusiastically. 

“What!?” 

Kirakisho flew down the stairs upon hearing those words. She enveloped her little sister in a hug that almost knocked them both over. 

“That’s great news! When!?” 

“Tomorrow.” 

Jackie gasped once she could breathe again. 

Hina was confused as she looked between the two. 

“Wait, what’s going on? Where is this job?” 

“Ah, right. We need to let you in on all the details, don’t we?” Kirakisho said sheepishly as she let go of her younger sister. 

“Come with us to the library. That’s where we put the portal.” 

“Portal? What portal?” 

“Let me explain.” 

Kirakisho said as she wrapped an arm around her older sister and led her towards the library. She sent her younger sister a thumbs up as she passed. Jackie smiled at the gesture. 

As the two left the foyer, leaving Jackie alone, she realized something. 

“What do I wear to an interview? What do I say? I don’t have any experience.” 

“Perhaps I could assist you with that?” 

Sumire said. Jackie jumped, the blue maid seemingly appearing from nowhere. 

“Could you, please?” 

“Very well. Let us start with what you will wear. Your wardrobe should have some suitable articles. If not, we can check Alice’s.” 

Keikujaku nodded as she and Sumire walked up the stairs.

Meanwhile… 

As Josie put the phone down, she glared behind her at a certain reploid. 

“Happy?” 

The Cutting Shadow General deigned to answer, holding up a copy of Keikujaku’s application form and setting it down on the computer desk. 

“Keep a close eye on her. She is new to this city and will need all the guidance she can get.” 

Josie frowned. 

“Yeah? Is that why you walked in here and forced me to call her?” 

“She is an unknown. With the Resistance at large, we can’t afford to take any chances.” 

“What if she’s not with those hooligans? Sweet girl like her doesn’t seem the type.” 

Phantom fixed the human with a contemplative gaze. 

“… if she is not, then there may be other uses for her and her kin.” 

Josie raised an eyebrow. 

“’Kin’? You’re saying there’s more like her?”

Hidden Phantom again didn’t answer, instead making for the back door of the cafe. 

“Remember what I said, Joselyn. If you glean any information from her, your customers or even your coworkers, you will let me know.” 

Josie’s glare deepened. 

“Yeah, yeah. I get the gist, Boss. Now get out, will ya? I have an interview to prepare for.” 

When she looked up from her computer screen, he was gone. She grumbled. 

“Ninjas, I swear… can’t believe I ever was one.” 

Chapter Text

“Kira, I’m back!” 

The sixth maiden announced as she stepped into the library from the mirror. 

“Hey, Hina. Did you make it?” 

Kirakisho greeted from an armchair. She’d decided to sit there and wait for her sisters to return from Neo Arcadia, passing the time by reading. 

She’d come across an interesting book titled the Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero, which she bookmarked with a piece of crystal the shape of a nail file. 

“Yeah, I made sure Jackie got to her interview. They told me I could leave if I wanted to. And I got this!” 

The sixth maiden held up an application form of her own. 

“Oh good! Hopefully, they’ll be quicker about calling you and you two can work together.” 

The elder sister was still a little annoyed at that cafe. 

“My thoughts exactly. Why don’t you apply?” 

“I don’t know… being around that many people during rush hour sounds kind of scary…” 

She didn’t do well with trying to manage large crowds. Being isolated for most of her life, she wasn’t used to dealing with crowds in general. Not with them all pushing and shoving each other. 

While she didn’t like being completely alone, she didn’t like the idea of being trampled either. 

Hina nodded, understanding. 

“I get it. Besides, someone needs to hold down the fort while we’re gone.” 

“I don’t have to be the only one…” 

Hinaichigo nodded. 

“Yeah. As much as I would love to wake up Shinku right now, I think we should wait until Jackie gets back.” 

“Agreed.” 

Kirakisho put her book aside and got up from the chair, stretching her arms over her head. 

“So… what do want to do in the meantime? Besides filling that out?” 

Hina put a finger to her chin. 

“Hm… I suppose I could finish what I was working on yesterday. But it’s cloudy today.” 

She looked out the window where grey clouds were indeed gathering. 

“Well… you haven’t seen the village yet, have you?” 

“I haven’t. Is it as bad as Jackie told me?” 

Kirakisho pursed her lips. 

“… yeah, unfortunately. Do you want to see it anyway?” 

“I feel like I should. The maids tell me Rosenheim is in better shape, though.” 

“It is. We can go there and scavenge before it starts raining.” 

Hinaichigo nodded, moving past her sister. 

“I’ll just put this in my room for now. Meet you in the foyer?” 

“Yeah, see you in a bit.” 

Meanwhile… 

The environment in Northern Europe was not as bad as it was in the Horn of Africa, all things considered. 

While the last bastion of humanity had yet to move out of their desert-based utopia, MegaMan X had made efforts to coax life back out of the rest of the world after the devastation of the Elf Wars. He’d made good strides in regions where freshwater could be sustained, such as mountains and their valleys, before he ‘returned from his leave’ almost a decade ago. 

He recalled his Guardians and their workers back to Neo Arcadia, and had them bulk up the city-state’s military. 

The radiation from the Wars had subsided for the most part, allowing life a chance to grow anew. But around the area of Bavaria, and Lebensbaum in particular, plant life was thriving in the wild like almost nowhere else in the world. 

A small platoon of Pantheon Hunters had landed just outside the limits of Rosenheim, and had observed this fact. 

Hanumachine, a Mutos reploid that resembled a macaque, alongside the surveillance crew were watching the live footage from Neo Arcadia, a monitor screen dedicated to each Pantheon. 

They were there to scout, not necessarily to engage. That was why only the basic model of Pantheon was sent away for the moment. Still, their standard buster cannons would be more than enough if they needed to defend themselves. 

That was what CSS- 12 thought anyway, as he supervised the mission his superior had given him. 

The Pantheons had to wade through tall grass the height of their midsections before they could enter the abandoned city. Grey clouds hovered overhead, threatening rain.

That was another thing. 

Neo Arcadia hadn’t seen a natural rain shower in over a hundred years. All their weather patterns were dictated by the dome that covered the city. 

Much of the water around the world had dried up or was too polluted, so seeing rainclouds in an uncontrolled environment like this was unusual, if not a miracle of nature. 

CSS-12 and his fellows marveled at the natural environment around Rosenheim for a moment before giving the Pantheons their orders. 

“Move in. Keep a lookout for any suspicious activity. Follow it, but do not engage until we can confirm it is the rebels.” 

The simpler A.I. of the foot soldiers would follow orders to the letter. 

Now, they just had to wait. 

Half an hour later 

Kirakisho had just shown Hinaichigo the remains of Lebensbaum, and now were walking down the road that led to Rosenheim. 

Tire and wheel marks could still be seen in the dirt, though it was faint due to how much time had passed. 

The sixth maiden had a forlorn expression on her youthful face. 

“I can’t believe it… all of that because of a war?” 

Kirakisho nodded. 

“That’s what Sumire told us. Since we started visiting Neo Arcadia, I’ve learned some more about it. Apparently, there was some big event called the Elf Wars a hundred years ago. Silly name, but I hear it was really, really deadly. It affected the rest of the world about as badly, but I’ve been told there’s been recovery efforts made.” 

“Oh, that’s good! So we’re not the only people outside of that city?” 

“Um…” 

Kirakisho looked unsure. 

“I don’t know. Neo Arcadia seems to be the largest settlement in the world right now. I looked, and I think it might be the only one…?” 

Hinaichigo looked thoughtful, and a bit concerned as she walked. 

“But the maids said there were thieves before… so it can’t be the only one. Unless those thieves were actually animals or something…” 

Kirakisho hummed. 

“That could be. But we don’t know for sure.” 

A thought occurred to her. 

“Wait… there have to be people around here somewhere for Jackie to wake up. Tsubaki told me about their protocol. Anyone who came into the manor had to wake one of us or they’d be forced out.” 

Hinaichigo raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous. 

“That seems like a silly rule. But… I can see its merit. It’s like that message all our old Masters would get.” 

“Exactly. If they didn’t ’wind’, then we would sleep for a while longer.” 

Hina nodded, remembering how they’d sleep for long stretches of time, their minds returning to the Miniature Garden where they could spend time together as sisters. Like they used to, before someone eventually wound them up again. 

“But if that’s true, then why hasn’t Jackie mentioned anyone?” 

“I dunno. Maybe they left before she actually woke up? She did say she was alone.” 

“Oh… that’s right, poor girl. At least she had the maids. Speaking of, shouldn't they have seen who it was?” 

“They should’ve if they let that person in… we’ll have to ask them sometime. I’m surprised Jackie never asked them.” 

“Maybe she doesn’t know about the protocol?” 

“That could be.” 

Kirakisho supposed. 

The conversation fell silent for a few minutes, the girls admiring the scenery before Hinaichigo spoke up. 

“So, why are we going to Rosenheim again?” 

“Scavenging, mostly. Jackie and I haven’t been yet, but the maids tell me there’s still some buildings that are intact, and goods to be found. We still don’t have that much Zenny on us, so…” 

Hinaichigo finished the thought. 

“So we’re trying to be frugal. I can’t say I approve, but I admit… this is kind of exciting! Exploring an abandoned city! Who knows what we might find?” 

“That’s the spirit!” 

Kirakisho approved, smiling at her sister’s enthusiasm. 

“We might even find whoever woke up Jackie.” 

“Yeah!” 

There were some breaks in the grey clouds above them, allowing rays of sunlight to peek through. 

It would be another half hour of walking before they reached the once-bustling economic center. 

At the same time, their younger sister emerged from the mirror in Rozen Manor’s library. 

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she stepped through. 

“I’m home!” 

She called, though she half-expected no one to answer. 

“Welcome back, Lady Jackie.” 

Sumire greeted. 

“How was the interview?” 

“I think it went well. They told me to come back in two days for my uniform, so… I think I’m hired!” 

She jumped up and down happily. 

“That’s wonderful news! This will give you some good experience in working with others, and meeting different people.” 

“I know… I’m still pretty nervous about that.” 

Keikujaku admitted. 

“I’m glad Big Sis Hina’s going to apply too though. So I won’t be going alone.” 

Sumire nodded. 

“Speaking of her, I should inform you that Lady Hinaichigo and Lady Kirakisho are currently out.” 

“They are? Where?” 

“They went to explore Rosenheim, last I was aware.” 

Jackie pouted a little as she walked towards the door. 

“Aw, I wanted to see it too.” 

“Perhaps you will at a later date. Or you could meet them there?” 

Sumire suggested as she dusted off an armchair. 

Keikujaku considered the latter. 

“Hm… but by the time I get there, they’ll probably have explored most of it already…“ 

She was disappointed, but she supposed she could go with her other sisters. It’d still be their first time. 

‘Maybe Shinku or Suigintou would go with me.’ 

She thought, remembering Miss Witteman’s descriptions of the red and black maidens.

The youngest maiden yawned as she walked to the door.

“Goodness, I’m tired.” 

That interview had taken more out of her than she thought. After the initial questionnaire, Jackie was given a tour of the workplace and a run-down of what everyone did. 

Since she was being hired as a waitress, the only member of wait staff that was there and the manager helped explain some of what she’d be doing. 

It was a lot to take in. 

She went to her room for a quick nap, figuring that someone would wake her later. 

Meanwhile, in Rosenheim… 

Hina and Kira had found a building to explore, some kind of mall with plenty of shops and food places. 

The girls were currently walking through an abandoned retail location, rummaging through the clothing racks for items that were both still intact and fashionable. 

With the electricity unable to function, they had to use something else as a light source in order to see anything. 

Kirakisho had it covered. 

“You know how our bodies light up when we use our power?” 

“Yeah? … oh. Oh! Kira, that’s brilliant!” 

“Right? You caught on quick.” 

The girls used one hand for light, shining their respective colors of white and pink. 

They both observed that several of the items in the stores were still there, positioned the same way a century after everyone had fled. 

“They must have left in a hurry for everything to still be here.” 

Hinaichigo commented with some concern. 

“Yeah. It must have been sudden too. At least some of this stuff won’t go to waste.” 

Kirakisho tried to lift the somber mood, shining her hand-light on a dangling sign that marked the women’s section. 

After a while of perusing through dusty racks and even going up an escalator to explore the second level, the two girls reconvened outside the store to share their spoils in the sunlight. 

They had each taken plastic bags from behind the cashier counter for their own convenience. 

“So… what’d you find? I got this!” 

Kirakisho pulled a pretty white blouse from her bag, along with lingerie, a pair of nice flats and sneakers. 

“They fit me pretty well.” 

They figured they didn’t need to use the fitting rooms since it was just them in the abandoned building.

Besides, they were all locked. 

“Those are nice! I found this cute hat, and a couple dresses. Oh! I also found these pink shorts that’ll go great with this cardigan.” 

Hinaichigo gushed as she displayed her own lucky finds. 

“They’re still a little dusty, but it’s nothing a good beating can’t get out.” 

“I grabbed some things for Jackie too.” 

Kirakisho said as she rummaged through her sack. 

“I think she’ll like this bag. Look! It’s got a cute little bear on it!” 

“Aww! Does she like bears?” 

“I dunno, I don’t think she’s ever seen one. But it’s her color.” 

“It definitely is.” 

The bag in question was a cloth shoulder bag with the image of a teddy bear on the front. 

“We should keep this place in mind.” 

“Yeah! We should probably bring bug spray next time through.” 

“Why?” 

“I found a few…” 

Kirakisho grimaced.

“… spider corpses… and some kind of beetle?” 

“Ew…” 

Suddenly, a peal of thunder sounded in the distance. It sounded too far away to be upon them. 

“Oh, should we find a weather goods place? We might need umbrellas.” 

The sixth maiden glanced outside the nearby windows, where the clouds had gotten darker, threatening to spill their contents. 

“That’s a good thought, but maybe another time. Besides, I can make us a shield.” 

Hina reluctantly conceded as the two made their way out the building, shopping bags in hand. 

‘I would’ve preferred an umbrella…’ 

The thought reminded her of one of her older sisters, particular one who fancied the color yellow. 

As they passed the threshold back into the city, a strange noise caught their attention.

It was silent the entire time they were inside, so the noise came as a surprise, and it put them on alert. 

“What was that?” 

Hinaichigo asked. 

Kirakisho scanned their surroundings for anything unusual. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, they heard it again. 

It sounded like footsteps, but metallic, slow and rhythmic. 

The two girls stood still as the footfalls got closer. It sounded like they were coming from their right, around a corner. 

“We should hide.” 

Hina insisted, tugging her sister’s sleeve. 

Kirakisho nodded, the sisters darting behind an old fountain in the middle of the street. They watched as whatever it was came around the corner, but then stared at it in confusion. 

“… what is that?” 

Kirakisho whispered. 

It was like nothing she’d seen before. 

It looked like some kind of robot, with a rounded head and armor in colors of blue and cyan. Its main body was jet black with white hands, and its face was nothing more than a big hole with a red light emanating from it. Glass seemed to cover the hole. 

It paused, surveying the area as it turned its head. It suddenly turned in their direction, raising its arm as it transformed into some kind of gun. 

Energy gathered inside the barrel for a second until it was released as an energy bullet, striking the building the girls had been shopping in. The impact burned a hole through one of the walls, but did no further damage. 

They both froze, not daring to move as the robot stared at the spot before looking away. Its gun was still activated. 

“What do we do?” 

Hinaichigo whisper-asked. If the robot heard her, it made no indication of it. 

“Do we wait for it to leave?” 

“No.” 

Kirakisho said, a wicked smile gracing her face as she thought of something. 

“Let me handle it.” 

Placing her hand at the edge of the fountain, Kirakisho summoned her rose vines, which slithered from out her sleeve and into the dry fountain. 

They pooled inside the structure before emerging again, creeping towards the robot as it made to move further down the street. 

They caught its attention by latching onto its left leg and crawling up its body, restricting its movement. 

The robot looked down at the vines, pausing as it assessed the situation. 

After a moment, it deactivated its buster cannon and tried to rip the thorny vines off by hand. This worked, only for more vines to replace them. 

The robot seemed startled at this, as more vines started crawling up its right leg. 

Kirakisho pulled, and the robot fell onto its front with a thud. 

The vines then began to constrict the robot’s limbs, crawling inside the cracks in its armor. 

Alarms went off in the Pantheon’s vision as the vines damaged its internal systems, wrapping themselves around its body so that the thorns pierced through its synthetic skin. It couldn’t even reactivate its buster from the position it was in. 

Only once it was thoroughly wrapped in a cocoon of thorns did Kirakisho and Hinaichigo come out of hiding. 

They approached the downed robot with some caution, Kirakisho kicking it to see if it would react. 

Nothing. 

“Well… that worked better than I thought.” 

“Yeah, you’ve really got a handle on your powers.” 

Hina observed, keeping a wary eye on the mass of vines at her feet. 

“I think we should go now.” 

“Not just yet.” 

Kirakisho said, putting down her bag and holding out her hand. 

White light transformed into a crystal blade, reminiscent of a certain lavender copycat.

The vines parted slightly over where the robot’s neck was, loosening their grip on its head. 

The Pantheon’s single red eye stared up at the peach blonde. 

Though it was incapable of emotion, Kirakisho thought she could see fear in its gaze. 

She brought the blade down on its neck several times, moving it back and forth like a saw blade until she severed its round head from its shoulders. The wires and cords that kept them together were surprisingly thick. 

The Pantheon tried to struggle against its bonds as it felt the crystal cut through its synthetic skin. Though its strength was superior to a human’s, it wasn’t enough to break the vines before its captor could finish the job. 

New prize in hand with some black stuff dripping from it, Kirakisho picked up her bag and turned to her sister. 

“Okay, now we can go home. I want to put this up somewhere.” 

She grinned triumphantly. 

Hinaichigo’s face whitened as she stared at the robot head with some horror, her mind flashing back to a time before her younger sister had her doll body returned to her. 

“Uh… y-yeah.. let’s go. I-I think Jackie should back by now a-anyway…” 

Kirakisho noticed the tremble in her older sister’s voice, looking between her and the robot. 

Her golden eyes softened. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry Hina. Did I scare you?” 

The sixth maiden nodded. 

“Yeah, a bit. At least you killed it.” 

“Yeah. It won’t be shooting at anything anymore. What even is this thing?” 

She asked, looking the head up and down as if it would start speaking to her. 

It didn’t, the light in its lens was extinguished. 

Another peal of thunder sounded overhead, this one much closer, signaling an oncoming rainstorm. 

“Come on, let’s just go home now.” 

Hinaichigo insisted. 

“Okay.” 

Kirakisho stowed the head inside a second shopping bag she had placed inside the one she was carrying for the moment. She snatched several more for future trips, folding them up so they fit better in the single bag. 

Her hand glowed again and turned the sword into a flat crystal surface just large enough to cover both girls as they carried it with one hand each. 

In the half hour it took to get back home, the rain had started to come down harder. The two were uncomfortably wet by the time they made it inside the Manor. 

Kirakisho was quick to dispel the shield and trudge up to her room. 

Hinaichigo did the same, intending to put her new clothes away after beating some of the dust out of them and drying them. 

As she approached her room, Kirakisho glanced at her younger sister’s room. 

She opened the door a crack, spying the form of Keikujaku curled up on top of her bed, still wearing the nice dress she’d worn to her interview. 

Kirakisho smiled fondly before closing the door, opening the one to her room instead. 

After putting away her new clothes and changing into something that wasn’t soaked, the white maiden picked up her second bag and all but skipped downstairs with it. 

She knew exactly where to put her little trophy. 

In the foyer, just to the left of the grand staircase was a reading nook complete with a few chairs, a single bookshelf and a fireplace. 

Above the fireplace was an ornate mantle with a painting of Alice and Rozen above that. 

The mantle was already decorated with a couple of pretty little paperweights, but Kirakisho decided to add the robot’s head to the collection. She turned it so its eye faced outwards into the foyer. 

She stepped back to admire her handiwork, and smiled.

“Perfect!” 

She checked her internal clock, noting the time as 3:00 local time. Neo Arcadia was only an hour ahead of them in terms of time zones. 

“Dinner should be in a couple of hours.” 

She smiled. 

“Just enough time to get her settled~” 

Kirakisho ran back up the stairs to fetch her sisters, having to wake Keikujaku up with a gentle shake of her shoulders. 

Thirty minutes later found the three of them down in the Pod Room standing around the pod opposite Hinaichigo’s, anxiously awaiting the awakening of the their next-oldest sister. 

Hina had done the honors of turning the ruby red key on the console. 

The moment the pod opened and the woman within sat up in it, the sixth maiden all but pounced on her in excitement. 

“SHINKU! Thank goodness you’re awake, I missed you!” 

“Ack! Good gracious, Hinaichigo!” 

Shinku exclaimed, but her ice blue eyes softened as she beheld her younger sister. 

“It’s good to see you as well. I almost didn’t recognize you!” 

“Yeah, we all look a little different now. You should see yourself!” 

At that, the red clad maiden looked down at herself, rubbing her pale fingers through long golden locks. 

“Oh my goodness…” 

She breathed, before attempting to lift herself out of the pod. She accepted Keikujaku’s hand in assisting her. 

“Hello.” 

The youngest maiden greeted once Shinku was out. 

“I’m Keikujaku, the eighth Rozen Maiden. It’s wonderful to meet you, Big Sis Shinku.”

She gave a charming smile to the fifth maiden, who looked surprised but returned her kindness. 

“The pleasure is mine, Keikujaku. And… Kirakisho?” 

“Yes, it’s me. Hello, Shinku.” 

The seventh maiden said, waving in greeting. 

“We have a lot to catch you up on. But for now, why don’t we show you your room so you can change before dinner?” 

Shinku nodded, turning to retrieve her case from the pod. 

“Yes, that is agreeable. May I ask, where exactly are we?” 

“Under the manor.” 

Hinaichigo answered, taking Shinku by the hand as she led her towards the door. 

“Come on!” 

“Slow down, Hinaichigo! My, you’re as full of energy as ever!” 

Shinku almost laughed at the pink maiden’s antics. 

The four sisters exited the Pod Room quicker than the last time, Keikujaku noted, but she wasn’t complaining. 

She didn’t really like going in there. 

As they passed through the foyer, the red maiden spotted something unusual. 

“Hold on. What’s that?” 

Using her free hand, she pointed towards the robot head on the mantle. 

“Just a little something I got off a robot in Rosenheim today.” 

Kirakisho said, sounding rather proud of herself. 

“A robot?” 

Keikujaku asked. 

“In Rosenheim?” 

“Yes, I was there.” 

Hinaichigo confirmed. 

“It wasn’t very friendly. It shot at us! It had this cannon thing in its arm!” 

“Truly?” 

Shinku asked, intrigued and concerned. 

“But I took care of it!” 

Kirakisho boasted. 

“I can see that, but… couldn’t you have mounted it somewhere less… conspicuous?” 

“Aw, but I like it there! That way, everyone can see it and know to look out for it. If there’s one, there might be more out there.” 

Shinku frowned disapprovingly, but she could see the logic. 

“Very well. If that is the case, then we must be prepared. Let us hope they do not find the path to Lebensbaum, but just in case, I would feel safer if we took measures to defend the Manor.” 

“Me too.” 

Hinaichigo agreed. 

“I’m sure the maids can help with that.” 

“Maids?” 

Shinku sounded curious but also a little happy at the mention. 

“Yes.” 

Tsubaki said, startling the four maidens as she seemed to appear out of nowhere. 

“Ah!” 

“Tsubaki, you scared me!” 

“Apologies, my Ladies. I just came to inform you dinner is ready… and to greet the latest addition.” 

The white maid bowed respectfully. 

“My name is Tsubaki, Lady Shinku. I am the head of the Flower Maids.” 

Shinku examined the diminutive android with her eyes, and nodded approvingly. 

“Very well, Tsubaki. Thank you for informing us. I will attend as soon as I am ready.” 

“Of course, my lady. Will you require any assistance?” 

“No, I think not. You are dismissed.” 

Keikujaku and the maid were a little stunned by the curt tone, but the maid did as told and left them be, presumably to inform the other maids. 

“You didn’t have to talk to her like that.” 

Keikujaku said, disapproving. 

Shinku looked at her youngest sister, confused. 

“Why shouldn’t I? She is the maid, I am the mistress. I was perfectly respectful.” 

Keikujaku wrung the hem of her dress in her hands, mulling over her words and what she wanted to say back to that. 

“I… I just think you should be nicer to her. All the maids have been really helpful, especially to me! I woke up here all alone, and they taught me so much.” 

Shinku seemed to consider her statement. 

“I see. Tell me, Keikujaku, when exactly did you awaken?” 

“Huh? I woke up… about two months ago.” 

She had to stop and think about that for a moment. 

“And when did Father create you? I don’t remember an eighth maiden.” 

“That’s because Father didn’t make her. Alice did, as she recreated all of us.” 

Kirakisho explained. 

“Jackie is the only one of us who wasn’t a doll. This, here and now, is all she’s ever known. And guess what? She’ll be working an actual human job starting the day after tomorrow!” 

The seventh maiden threw an arm over her sister’s shoulder, pulling her in. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of her!” 

Jackie smiled bashfully at the compliment. 

“I’ll be working at the same place soon.” 

Hinaichigo said.

“It’s a cafe in another city. It’s far from here, but Jackie has the power to connect two places together through the N-Field, so we can use mirrors like portals. It’s really cool!” 

Shinku’s brows furrowed at all the information dumped on her, unsure how to respond. She gathered that ‘Jackie’ was Keikujaku’s nickname. 

“Does she? Well… good for you both. I must admit that this new appearance of ours is rather advantageous. We look almost human.” 

“Exactly. And we don’t need Masters anymore either!” 

Kirakisho grinned. 

“We can explain more during dinner. Go change!” 

The white maiden made a shooing motion. Shinku frowned but complied as she ascended the stairs. 

“Ah, your room is the one with red roses on it. We all have our own rooms now.” 

Hinaichigo informed her. 

“Thank you, Hinaichigo. I’ll be back down shortly.” 

Shinku said. 

Honestly, she needed a moment to process all of this, and so soon after waking up in a new body. 

She was still getting used to her new height. 

She glanced back down at her three younger sisters as they chatted, smiling fondly. 

‘I could get used to this. Heh, I wonder how Suigintou will react?’ 

She wondered with an amused smile playing on her lips as she reached the top of the stairs. 

‘Her wings will have to be much larger…’ 

In Rosenheim… 

As the rain poured down on the silent city, the small group of five Pantheons were standing over the prone body of one of their own, rendered headless and covered in dead plant life. 

The rose thorns had lost their grip the moment Kirakisho cancelled her concentrated control over them, falling limp to the ground and withering to a sickly grey. 

CSS-12 couldn’t believe what he had witnessed through that particular pantheon’s camera. 

They couldn’t see the path to the assailant’s home, but they still saw some of the interior. 

Their words piqued his curiosity, but also his anxiety. 

‘What was that about dolls and Masters?’ 

He pondered. 

“General Phantom will want to know about this.” 

Hanumachine advised, interrupting the reploid’s thoughts. 

“This… occurrence is highly unusual. Someone should look into the area’s resources as well.” 

“It will be done, sir.” 

Chapter Text

It was a slow morning at Rose Cafe, which wasn’t too unusual for the middle of the week.

Hinaichigo had started working there a few days ago, about two weeks after Shinku had been awakened.

Jackie happily showed her older sister how things worked, to the best of her ability.

Truthfully, she was still learning herself, but the youngest maiden praised Robin’s teaching skills.

“He taught me pretty much everything my first day. It was kinda overwhelming…”

“I know. You came home all dazed. And you looked tired.”

“Yeah… I didn’t think this job thing through very well…”

“That’s okay. This will give us good experience. So… where is he? I haven’t seen anyone else except Josie.”

“Oh, well… the manager scheduled for him to come in later. I looked at the roster. Right now, it’s just us!”

Jackie smiled as she spread her arms wide, gesturing to the entire empty cafe.

They’d positioned the chairs and cleaned the tables in preparation.

“We should probably make sure everything in the display is still good. Oh, and check the stock.”

“That sounds good. Where’s the stock?”

“Uh… I think it’s behind that door.”

She pointed to the door behind the cash register.

“It should be unlocked.”

Hina nodded, giving her sister the thumbs-up.

“Got it!”

The sixth maiden opened the door, finding a small kitchen-like area with boxes and other supplies.

“Let’s see… I assume she meant food stock… oh, there’s a fridge!”

Just as she headed toward the refrigerator, she tripped over something.

“Whoa!”

She caught herself on the countertop.

“What…?”

Hina looked down and saw a couple of small paint bottles. She picked up the one she’d accidentally knocked over.

It was labeled as Cherry Red.

Upon further inspection, she found more colors and even a brush tucked away in a cupboard under the counter.

The paints still seemed usable.

Her artistic brain was already getting ideas.

She checked the stock of food, utensils and other necessities before giddily walking back into the front room, paints in hand.

She didn’t see Jackie anywhere.

Hina shrugged.

“She’s probably doing something else for prep.”

About an hour later, and still no customers, Hinaichigo was deep into her latest painting, which she was applying to the outside of the windows.

It was a border of green vines with red, white and yellow roses decorating them.

“Hey, that looks pretty good!”

Hina startled at the sudden voice, almost dropping her paintbrush. She looked back at the person who had spoken, a faint blush painting her face.

“Thanks!”

She said, recognizing the man.

“Hey, you’re Robin, right?”

“I am.”

The red haired man said.

“The only reploid employee here. Hope I won’t be the last.”

He laughed nervously, before stepping closer to get a better look at the painting.

“Did the boss tell you to do this?”

“No. I hope he doesn’t mind, but I thought it would be a nice addition. I like to paint.”

“You have a talent.”

“Thank you… I um, I found these paints in the stock room. They weren’t being used, and we’re still empty right now, so…”

She twirled one of her blonde ringlets in her fingers.

“It looks nice. Is there anyone inside?”

“Jackie should be. And Josie.”

“Gotcha. I’ll let you finish this before your real work starts. Let’s hope it attracts some customers.”

“Yeah! I hope so too!”

Hina and Robin smiled at each other.

As the reploid entered the cafe, Hina felt her cheeks warm.

‘He’s kinda cute…’

She turned back to her artwork, determined not to let her senior employee down.

Jackie had told her that when the actual manager wasn’t around, Robin was in charge.

So, right now, he was the boss.

Their shift started around 8 AM, but it was around 11 o’clock when their first customer of the day showed up.

They were a haughty-looking older woman wearing an expensive-looking red suit.

“Welcome to Rose Cafe, ma’am!”

Robin greeted, Hina and Jackie standing by. The sixth maiden had cleaned herself of paint, but come color still managed to get stuck to the bottom hem of her uniform’s skirt.

The woman eyed the stains briefly.

“What can we get started for you today?”

The woman stared Robin down with an indifferent gaze.

“Ugh, I don’t care. Just get me a venti macchiato with caramel and cold foam. I’m supposed to meet a client in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll get that out as fast as I can for you, ma’am.”

Just as Robin turned to operate the coffee machine, the woman sneered.

“No. Not you.”

“Hm?”

The woman pointed a scarlet manicured nail to the two girls standing nearby.

“I want one of them to make my coffee.”

“Uh, ma’am… they’re still training. They don’t even know how to-“

“Are there any other human employees here?”

She demanded, tapping her black flats impatiently.

“Um… well, yes, but they’re our HR Manager. She doesn’t work the front.”

Robin said truthfully.

The woman glared at the employee.

“Um… I can try to make it.”

Jackie said shyly, raising a hand.

She didn’t like the tension she felt in this situation.

“I’ve made a macchiato before.”

“Well, get to it then, girl!”

The woman ordered, gesturing a finger to the coffee machine.

Jackie jumped at the tone, but scurried to obey.

“Uh, y-yes, ma’am!”

She gave an apologetic look to Robin as she passed him, going to the coffee maker to prepare the customer’s order.

“Honestly… at the rate you reploids go maverick, it’s a wonder why anyone keeps them around anymore.”

Robin held his tongue at the woman’s uncaring scathing words.

Hinaichigo just looked confused, but saw that Robin was upset by what the woman said.

He kept an eye on Jackie as she made the order, standing by in case she needed help.

A few minutes later, Jackie placed the order on the counter.

“There’s your drink, ma’am. That’ll be 3.50 Zenny.”

The callous woman gave Jackie her card, which was returned before she snatched the paper cup.

The woman turned up her nose as she left, leaving the three employees with a vague sense of anger.

“I don’t like her.”

Hinaichigo said.

“Me neither.”

Jackie agreed.

“We get those kinds of people, unfortunately.”

Robin said, fists clenched.

He took a breath to calm down.

“Nice save there, Jackie. Good job!”

“Thanks!”

Jackie smiled at the praise.

“I’m sorry what she said upset you.”

“Ah, it’s alright. There’s been a lot of anti-reploid sentiment lately.”

He paused, as if he wanted to say something further but thought better of it.

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask…”

Hinaichigo said, swaying back and forth on her heels.

“What’s a reploid exactly? I’ve heard the term thrown around, but I don’t know what it means.”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering that too.”

Robin’s eyes widened, turning to the two sisters with disbelief.

“… you’re serious?”

“Yeah…?”

Hina said, confused at his flabbergasted expression.

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Neither of you know what reploids are?”

“No, that’s why we asked.”

Robin had to laugh at the absurdity of it. They’d been in the city for at least a month and a half!

When he realized both of them were still waiting for an answer, he sobered up quick.

“Wow. You both really don’t… okay, well, I’m a reploid. For starters.”

“You said that before. But what’s it mean?”

Hina asked insistently.

“It means, that I’m not a human.”

He said simply.

“I am an artificial life form with a computer for a brain and synthetic cosmetics.”

He pulled on his cheek for emphasis.

The way it stretched was similar to human skin, but it lacked a certain quality neither of the girls could pin down.

Hina mentally compared it to latex.

“There’s hundreds of others like me in this city. You can mainly tell us apart by our armor-skin and the earpieces.”

“Ohhh! So that’s what those are!”

Hina gasped with realization.

“We thought they were some weird fashion statement or something.”

“Pfft-hahahaha!!”

Robin laughed.

“What!? No! They’re- these are audio receivers.”

He tapped the white earpiece on the left side of his head.

“All Reploids have them, in some form.”

He chuckled.

“I can’t believe you didn’t know. Where did you come from?”

“Um…”

Jackie and Hinaichigo shared a nervous look.

“Very far away.”

Jackie said.

Robin raised an eyebrow at the evasive answer, but chose not to pursue it. The fact he had to explain what reploids were to these two told him a lot, and it set off soft alarm bells in his brain.

Meanwhile…

A polite knock on the door announced her presence before Shinku opened the door to her younger sister’s room.

“Kirakisho?”

“Hm?”

The white maiden looked up from where she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, mending some small holes in the clothes she found in Rosenheim.

“Oh, hey, Shinku! What’s up?”

“I was considering awakening the twins. I wanted to let you know.”

“Oh… well, thanks for telling me. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Hina and Jackie to get home first?”

Shinku nodded.

“I’m sure. I imagined they’d want to be present for the awakening, but I don’t want to overwhelm the gardeners.”

Kirakisho nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there. Sui especially wouldn’t like that.”

She turned her gaze back down to her needle and thread.

“Go ahead, then. I’ll be down to greet them in a minute.”

Instead of leaving right away, Shinku stared at what she was doing curiously.

Kirakisho noticed.

“… what? Is there something else?”

“I had almost forgotten you became interested in sewing. Jun taught you, didn’t he?”

“He did. I’m glad you got that boy to open up. He was a wonderful seamster, and an even better dollmaker.”

“Better than Father?”

Shinku asked incredulously.

“Arguably, yes.”

Kirakisho said with finality.

“At least he took the time to get to know his son.”

“He did. I could never thank him enough for that. Speaking of, I wonder where his sons and daughters are now?”

“Who knows? I imagine they’re either in Neo Arcadia or the Cha Niwa… should we visit sometime?”

“Perhaps. However, I think our new appearances might startle them.”

“Haha. You might be right.”

With that, the red maiden left her sister to her sewing, making her way downstairs and into the basement

Shinku agreed with Keikujaku’s logic of waking the maidens one at a time, and she could admit it was rather nice with it just being the four of them.

“I’m sure Alice didn’t intend for us all to stay asleep forever.”

She muttered to herself as she entered the Pod Room, making a beeline for the green and blue-topped keys. She took one in each hand, turning them at the same time.

Back upstairs a few moments later, Kirakisho held up her new dress with a satisfied sigh.

“That looks much better!”

She exclaimed as she put the article in her closet, next to the small collection of clothes she’d already mended.

There were still a few to go, but she decided she’d done enough for one day.

The white maiden stretched her arms above her head.

“I think I’ll go for a walk, get some fresh air.”

She exited her room wearing a simple white T-shirt with a pretty pink flower pattern on it and khaki shorts.

She’d styled her long peach blonde hair into a braided ponytail, and wore off-white boots fit for the wilderness.

As she descended the grand staircase, she spotted Shinku emerging from the side hall, followed by two familiar figures wearing green and blue.

“Hey! Suiseiseki! Souseiseki!”

She waved from the staircase as the twins looked up.

“Kirakisho!”

Souseiseki exclaimed.

“It’s good to see you!”

“Same here!”

Suiseiseki said, though her smile seemed more reluctant.

“Aw, it’s good to see you guys too!”

Kirakisho said as she leapt the bottom two steps to the floor, running over to the three.

“I was just about to go for a walk outside. Care to join me?”

The twins looked at each other.

“Uh… maybe later.”

Souseiseki said.

“Right now, we’d like to get changed and get something to eat.”

Suiseiseki nodded.

“Yeah. I, for one, would like to see what’s become of our garden!”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that! The maids have been tending to it for you. Just ask Ajisai!”

Kirakisho said, waving her hand in a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture.

“Ajisai?”

Suiseiseki asked, curious.

“Yes.”

Tsubaki said, appearing just next to Shinku.

“Gah!”

The green maiden screamed, latching onto her twin.

“We need to put a bell or something on you!”

Kirakisho said.

“Please stop doing that.”

“Apologies, my ladies. But to answer Lady Suiseiseki’s question, Ajisai has been tending to the gardens primarily for as long as we have been active. She’s there now, if you would like to speak with her.”

“Oh, uh… maybe later. After we get some food.”

Tsubaki bowed.

“Of course. Shall I lead the Ladies to their rooms?”

“Please do.”

Souseiseki said.

As they started following the white haired maid, the blue maiden paused.

“Shinku… we really appreciate you waking us at the same time.”

Shinku smiled.

“I predicted you would.”

About half an hour later found the twins in the dining room, eating a quick snack to tide them over before the midday meal.

Afterwards, they both ventured outside, spotting the green haired maid busy with watering the garden vegetables.

“Hello.”

Souseiseki greeted as they approached.

“Oh!”

Ajisai squeaked in surprise, almost dropping her metal watering can.

“L-Lady Souseiseki! Lady Suiseiseki! Might I say, it is an honor to finally meet you both!”

She bowed respectfully at the waist.

“The pleasure is ours. It’s good to know someone’s been preserving our hard work.”

The blue maiden said, glancing at all the plants she remembering growing from seeds in the once-overgrown garden.

“I see there have been some additions.”

“Yes.”

Ajisai her hands through her hair bashfully.

“Lady Alice thought it might be best to plant some fruit trees here. And keep a beehive. And a chicken coop.”

She gestured to each in turn.

A small orchard made up the rear of the manor where there was once just grass and a pond. Set up against a dilapidated stone wall was in fact a beehive, though it looked like there hadn’t been any bees inside for a long time.

The chickens were gone from the coop as well.

“What happened to the bees and chickens?”

Suiseiseki asked.

“I’m not sure, but it can be assumed they died while we were all asleep. I attempted to find some birds to replace the chickens at least, and plant pollinators to attract honeybees.

But… “

She sighed mournfully.

“I was unsuccessful.”

Souseiseki patted the green maid on the shoulder.

“It’s okay. We’ll just have a look around.”

“Of course! I hope my work is satisfactory.”

“We’ll be the judges of that.”

Suiseiseki said, walking over to the vegetable patch.

“Hm… well, they seem healthy. Plenty of food and water. Have you been using compost as fertilizer?”

Ajisai nodded.

“Yes. The fruit trees help with that. We are solar powered, and cannot eat. So the fruit is useless to us. We have been preparing it for your arrival. And for guests, of course.”

“I see. That’s clever. Any pesticides?”

“Only natural ones. We don’t have any chemical ones in the manor, nor could we find any in the city.”

“Good, good.”

Suiseiseki nodded.

“You did a good job.”

“Thank you very much, Lady Suiseiseki. That is high praise coming from you.”

The green maiden puffed out her bust in pride, allowing a smug smile to grace her face.

Souseiseki meanwhile went to inspect the small orchard.

It was primarily apple, cherry and lemon trees, though they didn’t look to be in season for the fruits yet.

The leaves were still spring green, with blossoms peeking through.

Suddenly, Kirakisho came running up to her.

“S-Souseiseki!”

The white maiden cried.

She looked panicked.

“Kirakisho? What’s wrong?”

“There’s more of them!”

“More of what?”

“The robots!”

“… robots? What robots?”

“Oh, right. You weren’t here when I brought that one’s head in. You didn’t see it on the mantle?”

“Uh…”

She did see something strange on the mantle by the staircase.

“That was a robot?”

“It’s head, yes. But there’s more of them. I saw them by the road from Rosenheim. Thought I’d come back and let you guys know.”

“Oh, well, that’s thoughtful of you.”

Souseiseki was still confused.

“What’s going on?”

Suiseiseki asked.

“Robots, apparently.”

Souseiseki said.

“Robots? Really?”

“Yes! They’re dangerous! They’ve got cannons in their arms! I managed to take one down with the element of surprise before, but I’m not sure I can handle this many by myself.”

“How many are we talking?”

Souseiseki asked.

“Um… I think at least five. Or ten. I just know there was a lot of them.”

The twins shared a glance.

“I’ll go with you. Suiseiseki, Ajisai, you stay here and defend the manor if any come close. Kirakisho, what do they look like?”

“They’re humanoid, with jet black skin and blue armor. They’ve got round heads with a big, red eye in the middle. Like the one on the mantle.”

Souseiseki nodded.

“Got it. Let’s go.”

As the fourth and seventh maidens jogged back towards the forest, Suiseiseki started to walk back inside.

“Where are you going, Lady Suiseiseki?”

“To get Shinku.”

…………….

After a quick tutorial on how to use her powers, a pair of shear-like blades appeared in Souseiseki’s hands in flashes of azure light.

Instead of her usual oversized gardening shears, it’d been broken apart into two blades.

She’d used them that way before, always able to put them back together with a screwdriver.

Now, she could summon her signature weapon in either form, which suited her fine.

The white and blue maidens spotted the intruders on their land rather quickly, about half a mile down the road between the manor and Rosenheim.

Kirakisho was right. There were a lot of them. Five or six by Souseiseki’s count.

They were meandering about, but still walking in unison.

As if they were exploring the area.

For searching for something.

The blue maiden doubted they could be reasoned with, since they were quick to fire upon the two women upon spotting them.

“What do we do now?”

The older sister asked.

“We rush ‘em.”

Kirakisho said, darting out from behind the boulder they’d used as a shield. She tossed a crystal blade at the nearest robot, striking it in the ‘eye’.

It was a little off center, but it still stuck in the glass.

The injury didn’t deter it, but it did make its targeting system malfunction.

Its comrades continued to hail plasma on the maidens, who ducked and weaved through the trees and the shots like a pair of gazelles.

Despite having only been awake for a couple of hours, Souseiseki was surprised by her own agility.

‘This is amazing!’

She grinned as she deflected one of the shots with her blade, sending it back to its source.

The shot hit it dead in the chest, creating a gaping hole. It collapsed to the ground, only for another robot to replace it.

Souseiseki rushed forwards, swords crossed in front of her as she dodged stray shots.

Once she got close enough, she slashed the robot’s cannon arm off. Or she tried to.

Her weapon was not plasma based, so it couldn’t cleanly cut through a reploid or reploid-like unit. Instead, the slash created a gouge in the pantheon’s arm, making it leak a red fluid that looked eerily similar to blood.

Its arm was unresponsive, its auto-repair function slow to react.

Then it was stabbed in the face, and it too collapsed.

“I got two!”

Souseiseki shouted.

“I got one more!”

Kirakisho called back, impaling a robot in the core with a crystal spear.

She held another up with her vines, before violently slamming it down twice.

“And another!”

Of the original six robots they saw, there was only one left now.

The blue and white maidens cornered it as it attempted to retreat, acting on orders from its superiors to do so.

But it was too slow for Kirakisho’s vines.

She caught it by the foot, causing it to fall on its face. It tried to fire at the girls from its position on the ground, but Kirakisho stuck a crystal spear into the barrel.

She and Souseiseki stepped back as they heard an ominous rumbling sound, resulting in the robot’s arm cannon exploding. The force knocked the robot back, landing on its back.

The girls approached cautiously, Souseiseki dealing the killing blow by impaling the robot through the eye with one of her blades.

Shinku screamed at the sight of them when they returned to the manor, covered in red stains and signs of battle.

“What happened to you two!? Suiseiseki told me there were intruders?”

“Yeah, but we took care of ‘em!”

Kirakisho smiled proudly, dragging the body of one of the robots behind her.

Shinku stared at it with disgust.

“You are not putting that in the grand hall.”

The white maiden pouted, but otherwise consented to putting it in her room.

Souseiseki meanwhile vanished her blades before making a beeline for her room, intending to take a shower.

Neo Arcadia, Surveillance Room

CSS-12 and the rest of Hanumachine’s unit delegated to the impromptu investigation of the Rosenheim area had seen the entire altercation between the pantheon scouts and the two women.

The macaque-like reploid could admit he wasn’t expecting such skill from outside Neo Arcadia. Then again, they’d only bested the weakest variant of Pantheons in their armies.

“Still…”

He mused, stroking his staff like one would a beard,

“Their abilities are… quite unique. Especially that one in white. What is her name?”

“Kirakisho. The seventh in the line, from what we’ve heard.”

Supplied CSS-12.

The Cutting Shadow Squadron members had actually been watching the goings-on in Rozen Manor for the two weeks the pantheon head had been sitting on the mantle, until its secondary core finally gave out recently.

Pantheons had a second, smaller and weaker core in their heads that allow them to continue functioning should the main cores in their chests be destroyed or otherwise disconnected. They only last for two weeks without the main core to sustain them.

That was why they sent the rest of the pantheon units in when they did, in the hopes of gathering more information about the area and its potentially hostile female inhabitants.

“I shall have to look into sending a more… difficult challenge their way.”

Hanumachine said.

“In the meantime, we should run this by the General. He might be interested.”

CSS-12 nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing. Thank you for allowing us this opportunity, sir.”

“It was my pleasure. To learn there is potential for growth so far from home. It is a gift.”

Later that day, CSS-12 reviewed the footage captured by the head and the pantheon scouts, compiled into a single video from various viewpoints.

He occasionally fast-forwarded to when activity was relevant, not leaving anything out.

He had every intention of showing this footage to General Phantom and potentially Master X, as part of a presentation he was planning in his processor.

Suddenly, an urgent message appeared in his periphery.

“What is it?”

He muttered annoyedly, though the sender couldn’t hear him.

“…activity in Sub Arcadia? … rebels on the move.”

He frowned, disappointed that he would have to continue work on this little side project later.

Strange manors in the north could wait; this message came from the General.

CSS-12 was needed in the field. Immediately.

Somewhere in Sub Arcadia…

“Are you sure they can be trusted?”

A woman with short red hair asked, holding a transceiver to her ear.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

The voice on the other said assured. “They didn’t even know what Reploids were until today. I… haven’t told them the extent of it yet.”

The woman frowned.

“I wouldn’t say anything. Only tell them if one of them asks you about it. Even then, be careful. I’ve heard things from the shadows. These girls can be real nasty.”

By ‘shadows’, the woman referred to her contacts within the Cutting Shadow Squadron. They weren’t many, but it was enough to stay on the down-low and learn the goings-on in Cross Tower.

“I’ll do that, Miss Neige. I should go.”

With that, the connection was cut.

Neige sighed tiredly as she leaned back against the seat of her desert vehicle, currently parked in a hidden sector of Sub Arcadia.

“That was strange.”

Commented the only other passenger in the vehicle.

“Yeah, well. It’s not every day you hear about mysterious ladies from the Outside appearing in the city. And working at a cafe. And kicking Pantheon butt.”

Neige turned to the other occupant, sitting contentedly in the passenger seat.

“When will Mr. Kraft be back?”

“Dunno. He’s been gone a while.”

Neige gave the passenger a reassuring smile.

“He can take care of himself, don’t worry Shinju.”

Shinju was a very small person, about the size of a very young human boy.

Despite his diminutive height, he acted like a young man in his prime, and his face reflected that mentality.

Neige thought he was some sort of doll-like robot, and continued to believe it to wrap her mind around the concept of living dolls.

Sitting next to her was a living doll, one with long blonde hair that curled at the ends, brown eyes, fair skin, and a gold and white outfit resembling that of the 1700s, complete with black boots and a white frock coat.

He went back to a video game to keep himself occupied while he waited.

“He still wants you to forward this to Ciel.”

“I know. But the poor girl’s so busy running a rebel organization… not to mention the risky move she’s taking. I mean, finding the Red Ripper?”

“I believe she could do it. If X is to be believed.”

“Yeah…”

Neige sighed impatiently as she stared out the window of the vehicle, glancing down at a golden ring on her right hand.

It was decorated with a circle of cherry blossoms. It was pretty, all things considered.

‘Just wish getting it didn’t hurt so damn much.’

She still remembered the white hot pain when she first made her contract with the doll in the passenger seat. Kraft had been so worried.
He still didn’t like Shinju much.

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since the activity in Sub Arcadia was detected. 

Investigations concluded that the rebels were searching for something in that sector. 

What it was, General Phantom had one of his units looking into it. 

Another unit, Hanumachine’s, was monitoring something else that concerned the General. A group of individuals that didn’t seem to be affiliated with the rebels, but were able to come and go from Neo Arcadia whenever they pleased. 

The Zane’i had begun to refer to the individuals as Outsiders, but some had taken to calling them Thorns. 

Both in terms of them being thorns in their collective sides, and in reference to a certain individual’s abilities, which the General was curious to see for himself after CSS-12 forwarded a copy of compiled footage to him. 

Hidden Phantom took the time to watch said footage on his personal monitor, in his room in Cross Tower. It was probably one of the most secure rooms in the entire building. He also made sure there wasn’t anything malicious attached to it before transferring the file to the monitor, the images displayed on a large TV screen. 

The footage started from when the pantheon units first touched down outside the abandoned German city of Rosenheim. 

The footage then skipped to an encounter with two individuals, one of which Phantom recognized. 

‘That one must be the older sister she spoke of.’ 

He surmised. 

Then he saw what Kirakisho did to the Pantheon. 

The woman in white, Kirakisho, was strong enough to incapacitate a single Pantheon without any actual weaponry. Just… rose vines.

He would admit it was a little unnerving.

The footage skipped ahead again after she audibly stuffed the pantheon’s head into a bag, to when she’d placed it on the mantle for everyone to see.

It was an advantageous vantage point, within sight of the foyer and the side hall that seemed to lead to some hidden laboratory. 

He watched some interactions between the sisters and who he learned were the staff at their manor. 

At the two week mark, the pantheon head went dark, and the footage changed to one of the pantheons still wandering Rosenheim. 

“That will need replacing…” 

The scene changed to a dirt path leading away from the city into a forested area. 

Phantom would admit he was also interested in the abundance of natural growth in the area, and knew his siblings (particularly Fefnir) would be interested as well. 

“Hm… perhaps I should pay them a visit.” 

He mused. 

He knew the approximate location of where the Thorns were hiding out. He just had to confirm it.

He unpaused the footage, just as it cut to when Kirakisho and Souseiseki arrived on the scene. 

Phantom’s eyes narrowed as he took in the appearance of the maiden in blue. 

Her eyes… one was green, and the other… red. 

Maverick red. 

He hummed, continuing to watch the feed as the blue and white maidens took out the entire squad of pantheons, Kirakisho taking the body of one as a trophy. 

He watched as she dragged it into the manor and up to her room, where she propped it against the far wall. 

He could see the entire room. 

The footage then cut to the white maiden later in the day, wearing a white nightgown and walking towards a full-length mirror. 

His eyes widened as he watched her place a hand to the mirror’s surface, whereupon it glowed a bright white after .00023 seconds. 

She stepped through the light, and disappeared. 

Sometime later, a couple of hours by the time stamp, the mirror’s surface glowed again, and the woman returned. 

“Mirrors… is that how they travel?” 

Phantom muttered, glancing warily at the mirror on the far wall. 

This required further investigation indeed. 

Later… 

The rich sound of a violin reverberated through the trees outside Rozen Manor, the chords and arpeggios shaking the very air around the musician. 

The wind picked up, creating a couple of dust devils that skittered across the dirt. 

The violinist was a woman who appeared to be in her late teens, with shoulder length summer green hair tied into two low ringletted tails with yellow ribbons. 

Kanaria had been awoken only a day prior, and she’d already been given the crash course in using her power again. 

Unbeknownst to her, the strong air currents summoned by her string instrument accidentally knocked a couple of aerial surveillance units out of the sky. 

They came crashing to the ground just behind her, the sound of their impact causing her to jump and lose focus on her music. 

“Ah!” 

She whirled around to see what had interrupted her, spotting two drone-like devices in the bushes. 

“Oopsie…” 

Clapping brought her attention back to her small audience. 

Keikujaku was giving her a standing ovation, with Shinku and Suiseiseki nearby.

“That was wonderful, Big Sis Kanaria!”

The youngest maiden cheered. 

“Where did you learn to play like that?” 

“Thank you! I tried to teach myself, but I really learned from one of my past Masters.” 

Kanaria explained, stepping down from her makeshift stage of a large tree stump. 

“I called him Arcie, but his real name was Arcangelo Corelli. We learned together!” 

“That’s nice.” 

Keikujaku said, unfamiliar with the name. 

“Who’s he?” 

“Uh… I’m pretty sure he went on to become a famous violinist sometime in the… 1600s, I think? I’d have to double check some records.” 

Kanaria vanished her violin and bow, stretching her arms over her head. 

“We should probably do something about those.” 

She gestured to the drones in the bush, walking over to them and reaching out to pick one up. 

The blades on the drone spun, startling the yellow maiden as it tried to fly again. 

And then they stopped. 

“I think they might be busted.” 

Suiseiseki said as she came up next to her older sister. 

“I think you’re right.” 

Kanaria said as she lifted a unit out of the bush by a wing. 

Its appearance was similar to a bird crossed with a bi-plane, a pair of camera lenses in its eyes. One of its wings was broken, and so was its ‘beak’. 

The one Kanaria held was painted grey-blue while Suiseiseki took the second one, painted blue-green. 

“The heck even are these?” 

Kanaria asked. 

The green maiden shrugged. 

“I’m guessing something from that Neo Arcadia place. They’re supposed to be really technologically advanced.” 

“I’m not surprised they’ve noticed us by now.” 

Shinku remarked. 

“Some of us have been frequenting that place rather often.” 

“That’s because we work there now.” 

Keikujaku said defensively. 

“I did notice a lot of street cameras over there. You don’t think we’re in trouble, are we?” 

“Assuredly not.” 

Shinku said, placing a comforting hand on her littlest sister’s arm. 

“They’re merely observing us for now. We haven’t done anything too aggregious.” 

“Besides trespassing into their city and destroying their robot soldiers.” 

Souseiseki pointed out, walking towards the group. 

She held her shears in her hand, having been pruning while listening to the conversation. 

“How do you know those came from there?” 

Her twin sister asked. 

“I asked Kirakisho if I could look at the head she brought in. There’s labels all over its parts that say where it’s from. That city has a pretty distinct insignia.” 

“I see. I suppose they were curious about us, so they sent scouts.” 

Shinku reasoned.

“Yeah, scouts with deadly laser weapons.” 

Souseiseki countered. 

While the fourth and fifth sisters started to argue, the eighth attempting to mediate, General Phantom was listening in. 

He hid himself several feet away, towards the orchard in the back of the manor. 

He kept his eyes on the two partially red-eyed Thorns. They didn’t seem to display any Maverick tendencies. Then again, he wasn’t sure if they were human or reploid. 

‘Where is Kirakisho?’ 

He thought. 

He knew the pink maiden was working at Rose Cafe, her younger sister not scheduled to show up until later in the day.

It was around 8 AM as Phantom managed to discreetly approach the manor, intending to place another observation device within and out. 

The more they knew about the Thorns, the more they could determine if they were potential friends or foes. 

Not to mention the environmental data that would be invaluable to natural scientists, as well as the rest of Phantom’s siblings. 

He’d noticed it was raining in one part of the footage. 

It hadn’t rained naturally in Neo Arcadia for over a century. 

He slipped into the building through the servant’s entrance on the opposite side of the house from the garden. 

From there, he navigated his way to the kitchen, where a red haired maid unit was busily making something. 

Phantom avoided her detection, using a kunai to knock over a can of beans from the pantry. The noise distracted Hinageshi long enough for the shinobi to exit into the main hall. 

He only paused to take stock of the new room before moving towards where he spotted the deactivated pantheon head. 

It still sat proudly on the mantle. 

Grimacing a little, Phantom placed small circular object just under the head on the old wood of the mantle. 

It was as small as a needle prick, virtually undetectable in the shadow of the pantheon head. Unless one was looking for it. 

The object was a camera, which would wirelessly feed information back to Neo Arcadia. 

Phantom had already placed one in the garden. 

From the sitting room, Phantom ventured back out into the hall. 

“Hello.” 

The sudden greeting made him stop in his tracks. 

Looking down, he saw another maid unit, this one with dark blue hair and an unimpressed expression. 

He’d been caught. 

‘So careless!’ 

He berated himself, not giving the maid a verbal answer. Instead, he nodded to her in acknowledgment. 

“I should report your presence to my Mistresses. But I suspect you won’t let me do that without consequence.” 

Phantom nodded. 

She was a smart one. 

“In that case, I propose a condition. I shall remain silent about your trespassing if you wake the last of my Mistresses.” 

Phantom raised an eyebrow. 

‘Wake her?’ 

“Why?” 

“It satisfies the protocol Lady Alice gave to us. If anyone should be found inside the manor that ought not to be, they may be allowed to stay as long as they awaken one of the Rozen Maiden. There is only one left.” 

“What happens after they’re all awake?” 

Sumire paused. 

“She didn’t specify. But Lady Alice told us that we could retire to the N-Field if we feel we are not needed anymore.” 

The mention of retiring oneself made Phantom vaguely uncomfortable, but his curiosity piqued at the mention of this N-Field. 

“What is the N-Field?” 

The ninja asked. 

The blue maid kept silent, staring at him expectantly. 

“You’re not going to answer unless I agree to the terms, aren’t you?” 

She shook her head. 

“… fine. Where is this Mistress of yours?” 

“Please follow me.” 

Sumire lead the Zan’ei General into the side hall and to the right, all the way down into the basement. 

He quickly found the surveillance room and the switch for the lights and the door to the Pod Room. 

The fact there were pods at all gave him credence to the Thorns being more reploid than human in origin. 

All the pods had been opened, except for the one closest to the console on the left hand side of the room. 

He spied the plaque on the pod’s exterior. 

“Quecksilber Lampe… Mercury Lamp.” 

He translated aloud. 

“That is her given name, yes. But she also goes by Suigintou.” 

Sumire informed him. 

‘Suigintou… how mysterious and elegant.’  

He thought as he tried to get a look at her through the dark glass. 

All he saw was a humanoid shadow. 

He searched around the pod for a button, of some sort of mechanism. 

He found a cord attached to the head of the pod, following it back to the console. 

All the keys were turned except for the one on the far left, which had a purplish-black gem embedded in it. 

‘There’s no way that works…’ 

Phantom thought as he hovered his hand over the key. 

It was an unusual method of activating a reploid, to be sure. It almost reminded him of the old stories about how Dr. Isaac Cain found MegaMan X. 

He glanced back at the blue haired maid, who just stood there between the rows of pods. 

She gestured for him to go ahead. 

Against his better judgement, he turned the black gem key, and the activation sequence began. 

Meanwhile… 

‘Zero hasn’t said anything in a while…’ 

Ciel worried, standing by on her computer while she waited. 

She hadn’t heard any correspondence from him since she helped him get into the Disposal Center. 

‘I hope he’s okay…’ 

So engrossed in her own thoughts, she startled slightly when a certain cyber elf phased into her room. 

“Ciel…” 

She whirled around in her seat to face him.

“Oh, hey, X. What’s up?” 

“Is he in?” 

“He’s in. You think he’ll make it?” 

“I know he can. Aztec Falcon, for all his bravado, is no match.” 

X said reassuringly. 

“There’s something else I wanted to run by you.” 

“Oh? What is it?” 

“Remember that old manor I found a while ago?” 

“The one in the north? Yeah, kinda. What about it?” 

“Well… from what I’ve been told, there’s been a lot of activity in that region lately. And that girl I woke up has been seen in Neo Arcadia.” 

“Really? How? It’s such a long way…” 

“According to Neige and some new information she’s dredged up, the residents of that manor have their own kind of teleport. She wouldn’t say much more than that. But she thinks they might be potential allies.” 

Neige had gotten ahold of the unedited footage CSS-12 had sent to the Cutting Shadow General. 

It took a while for her to get through all of it, but she kept good notes on the important stuff. She was a journalist at heart. 

“Who are these residents exactly?” 

“We don’t know. They’re probably not human, seeing as one of them came from a pod. They’re fully capable of defending themselves, but they might still need protection from Neo Arcadia should anyone find out.” 

Ciel nodded. 

“Do they look human enough though?” 

“Yeah. Apparently, two of them are working in this little cafe in Sector R, and one had a short stint as a fashion model.” 

“That’s good. Let’s hope they can lay low for a while longer. Are you sure they’re not… you know…” 

“Real Mavericks?”

Ciel looked ashamed just asking the question. 

“Yeah…” 

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. That place was so old, it probably bypassed the entire 22nd Century. I think there’s very little chance, if any, that they’re infected.” 

“Oh. Okay. Then I think I’d like to meet them sometime.” 

“I’m sure we can arrange that, but it might be later rather than sooner. You’re needed here.” 

“I know. But that doesn’t mean you can’t check in on them.” 

“And I plan to, after I make sure Zero gets some rest tonight. I’ll try to get some tea and scones for you.” 

“Mm… that sounds great, but you don’t have to do that.” 

“Even if I can’t, I still think you deserve something nice for all the hard work you’re doing.” 

“Aw, thanks, X. Oh! Hold on!” 

A sudden communication came through her receiver, the girl turning away from her friend and co-leader to answer it. 

“It’s Zero! He says he’s disabled the Retirement Facility and helping anyone he can out.” 

“That’s great! Send a squad to help him.” 

“Way ahead of you.” 

As Ciel continued to speak to Zero remotely, X anxiously disappeared back into cyberspace. He wanted to make sure his old friend got back alright, before anything else. 

Chapter Text

It was quiet when Suigintou woke up.

Too quiet.

The white haired maiden slowly sat up in her pod, red-violet gaze scanning the room.

She almost jumped out of her synthetic skin when she spotted the doll-sized maid standing in the aisle, staring at her with her calculating blue gaze.

“Good morning, Lady Suigintou.”

Greeted Sumire, bowing to the eldest maiden respectfully.

“Shall I escort you to your room?”

Suigintou regarded the diminutive maid with some skepticism.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

She looked down at herself, feeling her whole midsection.

“What’s happened to me?”

She asked that last question a little shakily.

The last thing she remembered was giving up her Rosa Mystica to Shinku. By popular vote, she was chosen as the rightful Alice.

The eldest Maiden didn’t see any of her sisters in the room, but all of the other pods were opened.

“All your questions will be answered in due time, my lady.”

Sumire assured. She saw the impatient look Suigintou fixed her with.

“But to start, my name is Sumire. Second in command of the Flower Maids, caretakers of Rozen Manor. Alice created us.”

“Did she? Very impressive.”

The black maiden praised, lifting herself out of her pod.

The name jogged her memory a little, though her memories as Alice were vague and foggy when she tried to remember anything from that time.

But her own from before then were clear as crystal.

“To answer your last question, Lady Alice recreated you as well.”

“Really?”

A shiver went up her legs as bare feet touched the ground, standing to her full height.

“Well, I must say she did a marvelous job of scaling me up!”

She said as she retrieved her case from her pod, pausing to look at her reflection in the black monitor in front of her.

She smiled appreciatively, striking a provocative pose.

“Quite marvelous…”

The first maiden turned to face Sumire, case in hand.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

As she led Suigintou out of the Pod Room, the person who had woken her was already up the stairs and out of the foyer.

He just missed the twins coming inside from the garden, Souseiseki still steaming a little from her argument with Shinku.

“It’s not a big deal, Sou. You took care of ‘em!”

“Yeah, but now there’s drones monitoring us! Drones! It’s…”

She trailed off as she saw Sumire come into the main room, followed by…

“Suigintou!?”

The gardeners exclaimed at once.

The maiden in black had a hand on her hip as she locked eyes with them.

“Hello, you two. Mind telling me why I was the last to be woken?”

She asked with some irritation in her voice.

“Nice to see you too.”

Suiseiseki groused, before she smiled. “Really, it’s good to see you awake.”

“It’s good to be awake. I have a feeling I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Souseiseki nodded.

“Oh, definitely. We’ve all missed a lot in the past 300 some odd years.”

“300!?”

Suigintou exclaimed, surprised.

“I don’t think any of us have slept for that long before…”

“We haven’t. But don’t worry, we can explain some of it. And for the record, waking you last wasn’t our idea. It was Jackie’s.”

Suigintou raised an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“Jackie. Or Keikujaku. She’s our youngest sister, and was woken first.”

Suiseiseki explained.

“She decided to wake everyone in order from last to first. She’s right outside if you want to talk to her.”

Suigintou hummed in consideration, putting the alarming time gap aside for now.

“I think I might. I assume Alice made her as well? I don’t recall ever meeting her before.”

“No, she’s new. In fact, we think she’s the parts of Alice that didn’t come from one of us.”

“Interesting… I’ll meet her later. For now, I’d like to see my room and change into something more presentable.”

“Right. Should we tell everyone?”

Souseiseki asked.

“Hm… no, better leave it as a surprise!”

Suigintou said mischievously as she ascended the stairs.

“See you two later!”

A smirk played on her face as she imagined what Shinku’s reaction might be.

‘Wait… what was that about drones?’

She wondered.

She knew what drones were. Those remote control things with four propellers and cameras. She’d had to avoid a few of them running around 21st century Japan, though Megu had to explain the concept to her.

‘Humans come up with the most perplexing things. Perhaps I could fly up and take them out if they become a nuisance.’

She was looking forward to flying in her form. The wind in her hair and the sense of freedom it allowed her always brought her some joy in her younger years.

Sumire left Suigintou to explore her room and change in privacy.

After changing into her signature black and white ensemble, she looked at herself in the mirror just to make sure everything fit where it was supposed to, patting her dress down as she turned this way and that.

“Not bad…”

She appraised, smirking a little as she adjusted the top of her underdress.

She exited her room not long after, noting the black lilies painted on her door as she descended the stairs into the foyer. She didn’t see anyone else, so she decided to take a walk around the manor.

It felt smaller than she remembered. Then again, she had been smaller.

Later…

Come midday, Suigintou was informed by Sumire that lunch was almost ready.

As she wasn’t doing anything other than reacquainting herself with her family’s home, she took initiative and headed for the dining room. She was the first to arrive, and so took her seat.

As the eldest, she sat at the head of the dining table, watching as everyone else gathered for the midday meal. She found her sisters’ reactions to seeing her there more amusing than she probably should have.

She accidentally scared poor Kanaria, the second eldest surprised and happy to see her.

The yellow and black maidens talked for a few minutes before the twins walked into the room, closely followed by Shinku.

The fifth maiden seemed a bit put out upon spotting Suigintou, glaring haughtily as she marched up to the head to the table.

Suigintou couldn’t help the smug smirk that formed on her face.

“Yes?”

“You’re in my seat.”

The older woman raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Last I recall, the head of the table was reserved for the head of the family. Traditionally, that would be me. Thanks for keeping it warm, though.”

Shinku looked like she wanted to complain further but instead, she smiled softly, a laugh on the edge of her voice.

“You haven’t changed a bit. It’s good to see you, Suigintou.”

“Right back at you, Shinku.”

“Oh!”

She looked up as the now-second-youngest sister walked into the dining room, pausing in the threshold and staring at her in shock.

“Big Sister!”

The white maiden gasped before she rushed over to the eldest sister, hugging her from the side.

“When did you wake up!? Who woke you up?”

“Ack! Kirakisho!”

She pulled the white maiden into a brief one-armed hug before they separated.

“As spirited as ever, I see. How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine! Life has been very interesting thus far.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Suigintou said as the red and white maidens sat down.

“Where is Hinaichigo?”

“She’s working right now, along with Keikujaku.”

Shinku informed her.

“I see. We’ve got some breadwinners.”

She turned to the youngest maiden in the room.

“As for your question, I honestly don’t know. I only woke up a couple of hours ago.”

“Huh. That’s strange. You didn’t see anyone?”

Kanaria asked.

Suigintou shook her head.

“No one. Except for Sumire. Did any of you?”

The sisters made various noises and gestures of negative.

“I didn’t see anyone.”

Souseiseki said.

“The maids aren’t allowed to touch the keys. So it couldn’t have been her.”

Shinku pointed out from her seat, second down on the left from the head of the table.

“She’s right.”

Souseiseki said, sitting across from the red maiden.

“Perhaps we should ask them?”

Shinku suggested.

“Good idea. I’ll ask Hinageshi-“

“No need.”

Shinku cut Suiseiseki off.

“Sumire!”

She called in a stern tone.

“Yes, my Lady?”

The blue maid asked not a minute later, startling some of the girls.

“How long has she been there?”

Kanaria whisper asked.

“We were just wondering… who woke me up, if it wasn’t you?”

Suigintou asked.

Sumire hesitated for only a second before answering.

“I can tell you that it was not one of your sisters nor a maid. There was an intruder in the house.”

That startled the girls further.

“An intruder!?”

“Who? When?”

“Just before Lady Suigintou woke. I found him in the sitting room. He satisfied the protocol by waking you, so I saw no reason to reprimand him.”

“I see…”

Suigintou said, a little disconcerted.

“Who was he?”

“I do not know. He would not give me a name. I can describe him, however.”

“Please do.”

Kirakisho encouraged.

“Very well. He was about Lady Hinaichigo’s height, and wore a white mask that obscured his face. His eyes were a dark violet and he wore black and white armor. It was similar in style to the robot Lady Kirakisho has in her room.”

“So he was Neo Arcadian?”

“Most likely.”

“Oh dear…”

Suiseiseki worried, while her twin’s eyes hardened.

“Should we be worried?”

“Definitely! If they can sneak into our home without our knowledge like that!”

Souseiseki argued.

“But Sumire found him. They’ve acted as good security for a while.”

Kirakisho pointed out.

“That may be true, but the more of us there are, the more their attention will be split.”

Souseiseki counterpointed.

“Lady Souseiseki is correct on that.” Sumire said.

“So what do you suggest we do, Souseiseki?”

Shinku asked.

“I suggest… that I act as additional security for the manor. While Hinaichigo and Keikujaku are at work, and some of us are out doing shopping or something, the rest of us can hold down the fort.”

“I understand your logic.”

Shinku said patiently.

“And it is sound. However, aside from the robots, none of these Neo Arcadians have been hostile towards us. The man Sumire saw didn’t even take anything, did he?”

“He did not. I have checked for stolen valuables. He left some time ago.”

The blue maid confirmed.

“We need not provoke them further by militarily fortifying our home.”

“Who says we’re provoking them?”

Souseiseki countered.

“She’s got a point.”

Kanaria said, albeit timidly.

“We showed up out of nowhere! Of course they’ll want to know everything about us. How would we react if some unknown being from centuries ago woke up in our home, huh?”

“Fair point, Kanaria.”

Suigintou said.

“But as far as I am aware, most of us have not been to Neo Arcadia. I would like to see this city for myself before we make any hasty judgements.”

Shinku, Suiseiseki and Kanaria nodded in agreement.

“That sounds splendid! When shall we go?”

Shinku said.

“Hina should be getting off work in a few hours. Jackie won’t be off until this evening. Perhaps we could pick them up and then go about town?”

Kirakisho suggested.

“That sounds nice.”

Suiseiseki said.

“They work at a cafe, right? We can start there!”

“Some afternoon tea at a real cafe sounds lovely.”

Shinku said, already imagining it.

“You could pick up an application while you’re there if you want too.”

Kirakisho said.

“Hm… I might.”

Kanaria said.

“The more the merrier! Not to mention the pay.”

“That’s true.”

Souseiseki conceded.

“We still have euros we can exchange though.”

“Yeah, but we shouldn’t exchange it too often. We don’t want to look suspicious.”

“Alright! Sounds like a plan!”

Suigintou said, clapping her hands together.

“We’ll have time to get some training in before we go. Now how about we have our meal?”

“Of course, my ladies.”

Sumire bowed before heading through the door into the kitchen.

“You want to train? Already?”

Shinku asked.

“Of course! I already tried summoning my wings, but they just won’t come!”

“That’s because our powers work differently now.”

Kirakisho said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you later.”

Suigintou nodded to her second younger sister, eagerness in her eyes.

She was also looking forward to meeting the newest member of the family, since she never got to introduce herself before the youngest left for work.

Meanwhile…

The silhouette of a person streaked through the trees surrounding the ruins of Lebensbaum, following an internal GPS.

Before embarking on this self-imposed reconnaissance mission, Hidden Phantom had gone ahead and found a few points of interest to check out while he was in the area. One of them was the ruined town, a recent addition since he first laid eyes on it.

It did not appear in the Pantheons’ nor in any aerial footage.

Most of it was, overall, unremarkable. It was one of many settlements destroyed in the Elf Wars as collateral damage. The only building of interest was an old shop, though its shelves were empty and there wasn’t much in the back. There was evidence to conclude it was a craftsman’s shop of some sort, a doll maker, from the parts he’d found.

‘Interesting… ‘

He remembered Alice Rozen’s father was a dollmaker, according to records.

He left the town only a few minutes ago, towards another point of interest. The scouts’ sensors had picked up a signature in the area, a sort of energy similar to E-Crystals.

If they were able to extract it, it could prove invaluable to Neo Arcadia.

Phantom followed the signal into the nearby mountains, part of what used to be the German alps, where vegetation grew steadily thicker. He still marveled over the fact that none of it was artificially grown, and had to wonder how it survived the devastation that the town clearly suffered.

Following a long forgotten path, he found evidence of old structures, made of grey brick and wood.

‘An outpost?’ He supposed.

Among the structures were the remains of what he assumed to have been a watchtower, its exterior cracked open on one side allowing for easy access to the ladder.

He had to climb halfway up a sheer rock face, finding the general location of his quarry but unable to see it from the ground.

As his hand found purchase on a ledge, he hauled himself up, standing in the entrance of a dark cave for a moment to get his bearings. He could feel something in the walls, resonating from further in. It was faint, like the tremors of construction machines felt from several stories up.

Before he could even take a step further inwards, he felt a call coming in.

With a tinge of annoyance, Phantom answered. He didn’t need to say anything to know who the caller was.

“Ourobockle.”

“Sir Phantom. Master X is looking for you. It seems… urgent.”

Phantom suppressed the feeling of dread creeping up inside him.

“I will be right there.”

He ended the call, just before activating his remote transerver system. All the X Guardians had one, for ease of travel should ever their Master need them.

With a flash, he was beamed away from the cave entrance.

Now that he knew its location, he could return when he found the opportunity.

Chapter Text

It was blessedly quiet in the cafe that evening, after the afternoon rush had finally subsided and Jackie’s shift was almost over.

She leaned forward on the cashier’s desk, green eyes watching the clock hung above the door with increasing anticipation.

As much as she enjoyed having a job, she would admit that she enjoyed being able to go home and do what she wanted more.

‘4:55… 4:56… 4:57…’

Robin entered the front room, returning from his break.

“Time to go home, already? Have a nice evening Jackie.”

“Thanks!”

The girl said as she and Robin swapped places, immediately running into the back room where she grabbed her things from her locker and changed out of her uniform.

Putting on the day clothes she wore when she arrived that morning, she folded up her uniform and placed it into her locker.

She then clocked out, all but skipping out the door.

Robin chuckled at her enthusiasm.

As the door closed behind her, she was just going to walk down the street to the antique shop when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

“Hey, little sis! Glad to be off work for the day?”

Jackie stopped and looked, smiling happily.

“Oh, hey Kira! Yeah, I am!”

She walked up to her older sister and further greeted her with a hug.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, we just thought we’d wait until you were off to have a girls’ evening about town. I came to get you.”

“That sounds nice. Wait, ‘We?’ Is everyone here?”

She looked around, as if she’d spot the rest of her family nearby.

“Yep! C’mon, they’re all waiting!”

Kirakisho took her younger sister’s hand and led her down the street to where the their older sisters were idly chatting amongst themselves.

“She’s here!”

Kirakisho announced, bringing the younger girl up to the group.

Keikujaku noticed there was one extra among them.

“Ah, good. Keikujaku, we’d like you to meet the oldest member of our family.”

Shinku said, gesturing to the girl dressed in black next to her.

“This is Suigintou.”

“H-hello.”

Keikujaku greeted.

“It’s nice to finally meet you!”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

The oldest maiden said, looking her youngest sister up and down.

She squinted her eyes a little.

‘Where have I seen her face before…? It can’t be Alice’s.’

Suigintou thought, quickly dismissing it.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go have fun!”

“Yeah!”

The other six maidens chorused.

“Kira, you said there was a mall near here?”

“Mm-hm! You can see it through the alley over there!”

She pointed to an alleyway across the street from where they stood, leading to a grassy park and the aforementioned shopping center.

“Oh, are you talking about the Midcity Mall?”

Jackie asked.

“Oh yeah! That’s what it’s called!”

Kirakisho said.

“I guess so!”

“That’s awesome, because Robin told me about a really good gelato place there. Oh! And it’s supposed to have a nice movie theatre on the third floor.”

“Ooo, gelato?”

Hinaichigo said, eyes sparkling.

“I wonder if they have strawberry flavor?”

“They most likely do.”

Shinku assured her.

“I, for one, would like to see if they have a China shop.”

“Looking for new teacups or something?”

“Yes. While I do prefer the set we have at the manor, it is only one, and I can’t use it all the time. It needs to be washed properly.”

“That’s a good point.”

Jackie nodded, chiming in as the group walked towards a cross section, intending to cross the road towards the park instead of taking the sketchy looking alleyway.

“Anyone want to watch a movie?”

Kanaria asked.

“Do we know what’s playing?”

“Uh… no. I’m sure there’s posters or something.”

The yellow maiden said thoughtfully.

“There should be a food court if we get hungry.”

Jackie said as they crossed the street.

As they walked, a street camera seemed to be following them.

CSS-12 and a small team of Zan’ei operatives were tasked with watching the Thorns on Phantom’s orders, just in case.

“We’ve got eyes on them.”

Reported one of the surveillance personnel.

“Good. Just watch them. It’s doubtful they’re Mavericks at this point, but they’re still unknowns. So we can’t too careful.”

CSS-12 advised as the camera feed cut to one from the Midcity Park, the Maidens using it as a shortcut to the mall.

Another of the cameras was trained on a different individual, though the Zan’ei weren’t focused on him at the moment.

Sage Harpuia had left Cross Tower earlier that afternoon after he was deemed fully healed.

He had been so steamed up after his fight with the legendary Zero, that the doctor advised him to go cool off before resuming his duties.

Leviathan gave him similar advice.

He decided to heed it, and so dressed himself in civilian garments, threw makeup over his cheek markings and disguised his earpieces just to wander around Midcity Park.

The grassy area and cool breeze blowing through helped ease his nerves.

Neo Arcadia had an abundance of natural areas and parks like this one, a wonderful decision on Master X’s part in Harpuia’s opinion.

He glanced towards the mall on one side of the park.

He’d never been to this particular shopping center before, and he would admit he was curious to see what was there.

‘I could eat.’

He thought.

One of the perks of being an X Guardian was that he could eat human food like Master X could.

Not a lot at once, of course, but everyone had their preferences.

As he walked inside the mall, cool air conditioning wafting over him, he halted as he spotted frighteningly familiar shades of red and gold pass around the corner.

‘It can’t be!’

Trying not to seem suspicious, he followed them to the escalators.

The person indeed wore the same red color as Zero, and similar golden blonde hair.

‘That can’t be him, right? Lots of people have blonde hair and wear red. Ugh… why am I so paranoid?’

He groused to himself.

He decided to ignore this person and go straight to the food court on the second floor.

It wasn’t until after he’d had his fill of mint gelato that he encountered them again.

Harpuia walked up behind them and tapped them on the shoulder while they were perusing a crockery store.

A woman with the most beautiful blue eyes Harpuia had yet seen turned to face him.

“Yes?”

The woman looked at him more closely when he didn’t say anything in response.

“Sir, are you alright? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Ah… I’m fine, miss. Don’t worry about me. I simply mistook you for someone else.”

“I see… I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

“You didn’t frighten me.”

He laughed with some irony.

“What is your name, if I may ask?”

“It is Shinku. Shinku Rozen. And you are?”

“Har… Harry. Harry Light.”

He caught himself before he said his real name. He didn’t want this civilian to freak out.

He internally searched the city’s civilian databanks.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Light.”

“Shinku!”

Harpuia and the blonde maiden turned to see who addressed her.

“Suigintou. Are you finished already?”

Harpuia took a step back as he took in the silver haired woman’s appearance, his gaze lingering on her unnervingly red eyes.

“Yep!”

She held up a shopping bag holding her newly acquired purchases, meeting Harpuia’s emerald eyes.

“You done browsing, sis?”

“Almost. I’ve narrowed it down to two, but I just can’t decide which set to get.”

“Can I help?”

Shinku nodded, consenting to the idea.

“It’s these two here.”

She pointed to two tea sets, the full images printed on boxes. One was on the third shelf from the bottom and the other on the shelf above it.

The set on the third shelf was primarily bright red in color with gold handles and a rose pattern on it.

The set on the fourth shelf was white with gold rims, and red and pink roses on it.

“They’re both pretty.”

Suigintou commented, looking the sets over.

“You like roses?”

Harpuia asked, curious about these sisters.

The red eyes immediately made him think of what his father told him about Mavericks.

Red eyes were less of a taboo nowadays, especially since humans could wear them as contacts if they so wished.

He assumed that was what this Suigintou girl was doing.

‘She looks like the type that likes to scare people.’

“I do. Especially red ones.”

Shinku said.

“They have such a lovely fragrance and the color is quite beautiful.”

“I agree.”

Harpuia said, looking at Shinku and her tasteful red dress.

‘She is rather pretty.’

“They make a wonderful tea, and a nice extract in baking. Did you know rose extract is used in a lot of middle eastern dishes?”

“I didn’t. You know a lot about roses.”

“I should, considering we raise them.”

“Really? I should like to see your garden sometime.”

Shinku paused at the mention. 

“Perhaps. If the twins will let you. They’re rather particular about who gets to see, and more importantly, sample their hard work. They’re proficient gardeners.”

‘Twins?’

“There are more of you?”

“Oh yes. I’m only the fifth eldest. Suigintou here is the first. The twins are the third and fourth respectively.”

“I see.”

Harpuia said contemplatively.

“Rather large family. I can relate.”

He and Shinku smiled at each other while Suigintou smirked mischievously to herself, looking between the tea sets with a critical eye.

“This one.”

She announced, pointing to the white tea set.

“No offense, but the other one would clash too much. Not to mention, it’d blend in with everything in your room.”

Shinku blushed slightly as she thought about it, knowing her sister was correct.

“The white one then.”

“Would you like me to carry it for you?”

Harpuia offered.

He was starting to like this woman, even if the search came up empty.

‘Are these the unknowns Phantom was talking about?’

“My, what a gentleman! If you would be so kind?”

Shinku said, pleasantly surprised.

Suigintou just rolled her eyes, but snorted with laughter.

‘Oh, she’s got him around her little finger already.’

She thought as she left the crockery shop, waiting outside for her sister and their new acquaintance.

While she waited, yelling from down the hallway caught her attention.

She looked down the way and across the hall from where she stood, noting that the store it seemed to come from was a plant shop on the first floor.

Suiseiseki was being escorted out by security, screaming and yelling something about the employees not taking good care of their wares.

The eldest maiden didn’t really care, but Shinku emerged just as the third maiden went under them.

“What’s going on?”

Someone else asked.

The red and black maidens turned to see Kanaria and Hinaichigo approaching, lemon and strawberry gelatos in hand.

“Looks like Suiseiseki is causing a scene.”

Suigintou said nonchalantly.

Kanaria winced.

“What’d she do?”

“No idea. We’ll probably find out later.”

Harpuia watched as another girl chased after the girl being escorted out. They looked remarkably similar to each other, except the other had shorter hair and a blue outfit.

“I suppose that should be our cue to go home. Where are the other two?”

Kanaria asked.

“Who knows? I think Kira said she wanted to watch a movie.”

Hinaichigo said.

“We should find her and Jackie by the theater then.”

Shinku said.

“I’m so sorry, Harry, but could you wait here for us? We’ll be right back.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Harpuia lied, shifting the box in his grip.

“We’ll stay with him.”

Kanaria volunteered.

“Thank you, you two. Come on, Suigintou.”

“For the record, I prefer black roses.”

The black clad woman said before following after her younger sister.

“They have a certain… elegant quality about them.”

Harpuia stared after her.

Internally, he messaged Phantom about this development.

‘Whatever Master X wanted him for, he should know about this.’

Seconds later, he received a brief response of ‘thank you’.

“So…”

Kanaria started, looking the brunette man up and down.

“You have questions?”

“Several.”

Later…

All the maidens met outside the Midcity Mall where Suiseiseki and Souseiseki were waiting.

“I can’t believe the nerve of those stupid humans!”

Suiseiseki ranted.

“I was just trying to give those poor things a better home, and they accuse me of stealing!”

“You did try to steal.”

Souseiseki said sternly.

“You’re lucky they let you off with just a warning. You really tore into them.”

She said that last part with a smirk.

“I don’t disagree with you that those plants deserved better, but you didn’t need to blow up at them. They’re not like us.”

Suiseiseki deflated a little.

Their ability to communicate with plant life was one unique to them and only them, even among the Rozen Maiden.

“… you’re right.”

Then she grinned wickedly, reaching into the front of her shirt.

“But I managed to snag these~.”

She produced five packets of seeds, previously on display near the front of the shop.

Souseiseki gave her a disapproving frown, before it turned into an equally mischievous smile.

“Nice. Let’s talk to Ajisai when we get home.”

Suiseiseki nodded in agreement, stowing the packets as they saw Kirakisho and Keijujaku turn a corner.

“There you guys are!”

The white maiden said, slowing to a stop where the twins sat by a fountain.

“Shinku told us what happened. You got kicked out?”

Jackie asked with concern.

“I did.”

Suiseiseki admitted.

“They needed to be scolded.”

Kirakisho snorted.

“I’m sure they did.”

“How was the movie?”

Souseiseki asked.

“I thought the effects and costumes were pretty good. Writing could use some work, though.”

The white maiden criticized.

“Come on, everyone’s ready to go home.”

Walking them back towards the front of the mall, Suigintou took over carrying the tea set box for Harpuia.

“It was nice to meet you, Harry. I hope we can meet again.”

Shinku said.

“Likewise.”

The two shook hands before they parted ways.

“He seemed nice.”

Kirakisho teased.

Shinku blushed a bit.

“We just met today. He is simply a gentleman who helped carry my things.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

Suigintou said, looking back at the brunette with a sultry look in her eyes.

“Besides, your heart still belongs to Sakurada, doesn’t it?”

Shinku’s heart panged at the thought of her last Medium, turned father of their shared doll children.

“… yes. I will always love him. But… I also believe he would want me to be happy, even if that means I should find affection for another man.”

“Well said, Shinku.”

Hinaichigo praised.

“I know Tomoe would want the same for me.”

“And Mitsuru.”

Kanaria said, memories of her own former Medium flashing through her processor.

Harpuia watched them all go with a calculating gaze, unable to hear their conversation.

He could see why they caught his younger brother’s curiosity.

‘We have bigger problems now. But it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye on them.’

Once they were far enough away, he turned back towards the mall.

‘I wonder if Levi would want anything…’

Rozen Manor, Lebensbaum

Upon returning home, all the sisters went to their separate corners.

The twins retreated to the garden to plant their ill gotten gains.

Kanaria and the three youngest maidens went straight to their rooms.

Suigintou dropped the tea set off in the kitchen for Hinageshi to unpack, grabbing a snack out of the fridge before she went off to look for a certain blonde sister of hers.

Her mentioning Jun earlier put a contemplative look on her sister’s face, and she knew where to look when Shinku wanted to be alone to think.

Suigintou was proven correct when she flew up to the roof, finding her younger sister standing by the railing of the second floor balcony.

Shinku looked out over the ruined townscape, the faint scent of smoke that lingered after two hundred years scratching her nose.
She felt the urge to sneeze.

Beyond the ruins of Lebensbaum, the setting sun cast heavy shadows over the valley. It colored the sky in familiar shades of pink, orange and gold.

“At least the sunsets are the same.”
The red maiden remarked.

“It is.”
Her elder sister said as she landed behind her, black wings folding themselves behind her back.
“But not at the same time.”

“Yes.”
The blonde agreed.
She sighed, accepting and melancholy.
“It is never easy adjusting to a new time period.”

Suigintou nodded, coming up next to the red maiden.
“No. Especially this time. We’ve never been asleep for this long before. And…”

She looked down at her arm, flexing her fist.
“These new bodies Alice made for us will take some getting used to.”

“Indeed.”

Shinku agreed.
“But I will admit I rather like it. There is so much we can do now that we are no longer dolls.”

“Yeah, like go shopping at a mall. Or reach the doorknob.”

Suigintou smirked at her younger sister’s insulted pout.

“More importantly, we are also able to interact with humans more freely. I wonder if there are more near us?”

Suigintou sighed.

“Shinku, you heard what the maids told us. That war took out Lebensbaum and a good chunk of the rest of the world. How do we know if any humans survived outside Neo Arcadia?”

“Surely some did. If there is one thing I know, it is that humans are more resilient and resourceful than that. There must be another settlement out there somewhere.”

“Hm… from what I’ve seen, Neo Arcadia is pretty cool, but it also feels… stuffy? I could fly out and try to find something.”
Suigintou offered.

“I’m curious now.”

“You can do that anytime you wish, sister. You do not need my permission.”

“I know. I just wanted you to know in case something happens.”

Shinku quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m sure you can handle it. However, a little more practice with your sword before you depart would be wise.”

Suigintou groaned.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sucks I have to relearn how to fight in this body. You should be practicing with your powers too, you know.”

“I am.”
Shinku insisted.
A red light shone from her core, traveling up her arm until a flurry of red rose petals erupted from her outstretched hand. The petals flew along the evening breeze towards the ruins below, glowing red-gold in the bright waning sunlight.

“I’m surprised you can summon your wings already. It has only been a day since you woke up.”

Suigintou puffed herself up proudly.
“Impressed? Granted, I can’t fly very far yet, but once I can, I’ll see what’s out there.”

The two sisters fell into silence for a moment, staring out over the darkening sky.

“We could always try the N-Field.”
Shinku suggested.
“Kirakisho found civilization that way.”

“We could, but where’s the fun in that? No offense to our little sister, but I’d rather stay out here for now.”

Shinku nodded.

“Agreed.”
She couldn’t blame her eldest sister.
The N-Field was where the Alice Game was finally won, and held a lot of less than pleasant memories for all of them.

The two maidens stayed outside, standing on the balcony overlooking the town until the sky turned to twilight.
A familiar, yet unfamiliar sight.

So much had changed in two hundred years.
Shinku wasn’t sure she wanted to know the full extent of it.

Later that night…

The ghostly visage of X phased through the walls of Rozen Manor, keeping as quiet as he could during his impromptu visit.

Zero had defeated Maha Ganeshariff and occupied the E-Crystal factory all in one day, and X insisted his old friend get some rest that night.

He had followed the now-somewhat-familiar network to the basement of the manor, where the pods were kept.

Even with the lights off, he could still see well enough from his own ambient glow.

Just from a cursory glance, he saw that all the pods were empty.

“So they’re all awake now. Huh.”

The door to the room suddenly slid open, startling the cyber elf and revealing the diminutive white haired maid he’d glimpsed before.

“Oh. It’s you again.”

Tsubaki said, entering the room with a feather duster in hand.

“I did not expect to find you loitering in here.”

“I wasn’t loitering.”

X said defensively.

The maid gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him.

“I was just… checking in. It’s my fault that first one woke up.”

“Yes, it is.”

Tsubaki said bluntly.

“Her name is Keikujaku, by the way. She goes by Jackie.”

“Jackie.”

‘That’s a cute name.’

He thought.

“So… how is she?”

“She is doing well, all things considered.”

Tsubaki said monotonously.

“Who are the others?”

“From oldest to youngest, they are Ladies Suigintou, Kanaria, Suiseiseki, Souseiseki, Shinku, Hinaichigo and Kirakisho. Together, they are known as the Rozen Maiden.”

“Rozen Maiden…”

Something about that name felt familiar, but X couldn’t quite pin down why.

“Could you… tell me more about them?”

“Certainly. What would you like to know?”

As it was the middle of the night, and the maidens were all asleep, it was safe for them to talk in relative privacy.

They did so for a couple of hours, the white haired maid answering any questions the cyber elf may have had, barring the ones she deemed too private to share and those she couldn’t know the answer to.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since Suigintou was woken up, and the eldest Rozen Maiden was making the most of those days in her new body.

She spent the majority of her time training, between sparring with her sisters and flying through what used to be German airspace, she was hardly seen inside the house except for mealtimes.

On her fourth day, Shinku caught her eldest sister just as she came back inside from flying practice.

Her hair was a mess, windswept in all directions with bits of debris in it. Her clothes weren’t much better. It was a good thing she opted not to wear her signature black dress for these training sessions, instead wearing a more aerodynamic ensemble of a black leotard, white shorts and black boots.

“Good afternoon, sister.”

“Hey, Shinku. Is it afternoon already?”

The white haired maiden sounded tired.

“It is. Would you like to join me for tea?”

“That sounds great. Let me go shower and change first, though.”

Shinku delicately sniffed the air between her and her sister.

“Indeed. I shall be waiting for you in the library.”

“The library? Why?”

“So we can visit our younger sisters. I’ve been meaning to sample that cafe’s selection.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I want to see how Hina deals with customers.”

The sisters shared a laugh.

“I would as well. Now hurry up! I’m not waiting forever.”

Suigintou rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah, little miss princess.”

About half an hour later, it wasn’t just Shinku waiting by the mirror now. The rest of their family was gathered there too.

“Are we making this a family outing now?”

Suigintou asked as she entered the library, part of her miffed that it wasn’t just going to be the two of them.

“Kind of! We were actually hoping to turn these in!”

Kirakisho chirped, holding up an application form for Rose Cafe.

Kanaria, Suiseiseki and Souseiseki held up forms of their own, looking both nervous and excited.

“We figured we could use the money. And the job experience.”

Souseiseki said.

“We have backup locations in mind in case they can’t take all of us.”

“Yeah! The antique shop for example.”

Kanaria pointed out.

Suigintou nodded.

“That might be good. And you’re right, you could use the experience. Heaven knows how many humans we’ll need to deal with now that we’re their size.”

She moved past her younger sisters to the mirror with a smirk, placing her hand on its surface.

Later…

It was a slow day at the Cafe, with only one or two customers coming in almost every hour. Jackie supposed she should be grateful that she wasn’t running around like a madwoman, but she was also getting rather bored.

Robin was on break, so she was manning the register while Hina cleaned tables and took orders.

The young couple that had stopped in earlier had just left, complimenting the cafe on his cute vibe and good food.

“Thank you very much! Come again!”

Jackie called after them, though she didn’t think they were paying her any attention.

After that, it was just the two girls in the front room.

Hina delivered the dirty dishes to the kitchen and had just gone back to clean the table when the bell above the door rung.

“Hello! Welcome to- oh, hey guys!”

Keikujaku greeted her older sisters as they came in.

“Hey, Jackie!”

Kirakisho greeted back.

“Not too busy today?”

“You have no idea…”

The youngest Rozen sister complained.

“It’s been this way since yesterday.”

Hinaichigo piped up from the table she was cleaning.

“It’s kind of nice, but…”

She trailed off, looking up at the clock.

“Time just slows to a crawl.”

Shinku nodded.

“Well, allow us to remedy that. Do we have to wait to be seated?”

“Nope! Go ahead and pick a seat.”

Keikujaku said, gesturing to all the empty spots.

The sisters found and quickly occupied a corner table meant for multiple people by the front window, within view of the cashier’s counter. Four of them took up the booth and the twins moved an extra table over along with a couple of chairs for themselves.

“I’ll be right with you guys!”

Hina called as she finished cleaning, going to grab some menus and laying them down in front of her sisters.

“I heard a lot more restaurants are using digital menus, but we’re more old-fashioned.”

“I think we prefer that.”

Shinku said, taking a menu and looking it over.

“I wouldn’t know where to start with a ‘digital’ menu.”

“Me either.”

Kanaria said as she helped pass menus to the rest of her sisters.

That was when Robin returned from break and saw the group. He peered at them from around the desk.

Hina glanced back, noticing him there.

She gestured for him to come closer.

“Guys, this is our senior coworker, Robin!”

She introduced the blonde reploid.

“Robin, these are mine and Jackie’s sisters.”

“Hello, ladies! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all!”

He said as he came up behind Hinaichigo.

“Can we get anything started for you today?”

Some of the girls giggled at his introduction.

“Some tea would be lovely, thank you.”

Shinku said.

“Alright. What about the rest of you?”

“Tea for me as well.”

Suigintou said nonchalantly.

“And me!”

Kanaria piped up.

“Also water.”

“Tea and water for us too.”

Souseiseki said, pointing to herself and her twin.

“Just tea for me.”

Kirakisho said, eyeing Robin flirtatiously.

“Alright, I’ll just get an assortment out then.”

Robin said, jotting down everyone’s orders.

“I’ll be right back with your drinks, ladies.”

“Thank you very much.”

Shinku said graciously.

“He was nice.”

Kirakisho said after he disappeared into the back.

“He really is. He makes sure we all know how to do our jobs.”

Hina said gratefully.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to work the kitchen.”

“Yeah… no offense, Hina, but you’re not the best cook.”

Suiseiseki said wryly.

Hina grimaced.

“I know…”

She straightened, adjusting her work apron.

“I’m gonna go get some cups and saucers for you all! Think about what you want to eat with that tea.”

The pink maiden said cheerily as she turned and hurried towards the kitchen, where they kept a cabinet full of clean dish wares.

Keikujaku watched her go, tapping her fingers on the desk.

Moments later, Hina returned with the cups and saucers, laying them out for her sisters.

Robin also came back with the assortment of tea and a pitcher of hot water.

“Here you are! Careful, it’s still hot.”

“Thank you.”

Souseiseki said, taking the pitcher and pouring the steaming hot water into her cup.

She did the same for her sisters, knowing Shinku nor Suigintou would lift a finger to do it themselves.

“Man, now I want tea too.”

“Me too.”

Hinaichigo and Keikujaku muttered, both standing nearby the counter.

They glanced out the windows.

There were people outside, but none were coming close to the cafe. There were also less than there were the day prior, and less before that.

‘Traffic outside has been getting less and less.’

Jackie observed, worrying slightly.

‘Is it really that bad?’

“Why don’t you two join them? I can run things alone for a little while.”

Robin said, bringing the auburn haired girl out of her thoughts.

“Really? Are you sure?”

Jackie asked, wondering if he meant it.

“Yeah. I don’t think we’re gonna get any big rushes anytime soon, and it’s about your lunch break time anyway. I’ll holler if I need you.”

The cyan and pink maidens smiled happily at each other and then at their coworker.

“Thank you!”

They cried together before running to the back to wash their hands and grab two more cups for themselves.

They sat beside the twins, pouring themselves hot water and picking out teas.

The eight sisters descended into idle chatter as they enjoyed their tea together. Shinku, ever the connoisseur, critiqued the tea, but found it adequate for her tastes.

“It was nice of him to let you guys join us for afternoon tea.”

Kanaria said.

“Yeah, I’m glad!”

Keikujaku said.

“We don’t always get to do this together.”

“You can say that again.”

Kirakisho complained.

“I feel kinda sorry for you guys.”

“It’s not all bad.”

Jackie assured her.

“Although… today does have me worried.”

“How so?”

“Well… we’ve been listening to the news broadcasts.”

She pointed to a TV mounted on the wall nearby.

“Apparently, there’s been a lot of recent activity with the Resistance and a crackdown on suspected Mavericks. So everyone’s trying to stay indoors more.”

“It got so depressing, we had to turn it off.”

Hina said, nodding sadly.

“Resistance?”

Suigintou said, intrigued.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“I’ve heard rumors, but nothing concrete.”

Kirakisho said.

“Apparently, they’re a bunch of anti-establishment Reploids rebelling against Neo Arcadia’s rule. I mean, I’m not against fighting for your freedom and whatnot, but I learned the hard way where to draw the line.”

“Yeah, thanks to us.”

Suiseiseki quipped.

“So what? Have they attacked civilians or something?”

“Not as of yet, but that’s what they’re all afraid of.”

“Yeah… Robin told us about them.”

Jackie said.

“They’re just trying to live their lives as they always had, and suddenly they’re criminals.”

A worried look passed over her features.

“Thinking about it… part of me is afraid that’ll happen to us.”

“Don’t be silly, Jackie!”

Kanaria reassured her youngest sister.

“If that happens, we can just stay home and they’ll never take us!”

“Except they know where we live.”

Souseiseki pointed out, glancing around to make sure no one unwanted was listening.

“We can handle a couple troops of Pantheons on our own… and we can grow our own food. But… “

The blue maiden nervously tugged at her shirt sleeve.

“I’m afraid to know what they’re truly capable of.”

The sisters all silently agreed with that statement.

‘She’s right. We’re strangers here.’

Jackie thought.

“Hey, don’t be such a Debbie Downer! That’s a future problem. Right now, we’re here as a family, having tea. No one is after us. Okay?”

Kanaria said, semi-serious with a reassuring smile.

Her enthusiasm made Jackie smile.

“Yeah… oh, have we all decided what we want to eat?”

The change of subject was a needed one, bringing them out of darker thoughts.

Standing at the counter, Robin heard everything. He smiled, grateful that Jackie and her sisters seemed to be good sorts.

He soon took their orders, consisting mostly of sandwiches and cakes.

After their meal, four of the sisters approached the cashier’s desk with employment applications in hand.

He directed them to the back where Josie’s office was, finding the woman hard at work. Not at her computer, but drawing something on a notepad.

She looked up as Kanaria, the twins, and Kirakisho came in.

She raised an eyebrow at them, all hanging their applications to her.

Meanwhile…

Down the street from Rose Cafe and across a crossroads stood Blackstone Antiques.

Street cameras had been trained on its doors for weeks, watching anyone who came and went.

CSS-12 had attempted to contact the owner, an aging man named Leonard Blackstone, several times. Be it by phone call, email or text message, the man refused to respond digitally.

He tried Leonard’s children, of which he had two. Neither of them had time or interest in contacting him themselves, but the daughter informed the team that Leonard had received more than one eviction notice in the past five years. He somehow managed to keep the store despite all that.

Apparently, that particular district of Neo Arcadia didn’t care enough to follow through on the threat.

Fortunately, the same day that the eight Rozen Maidens were enjoying afternoon tea at the cafe, Leonard Blackstone’s grandson stood before the door to his family’s antique shop.

“Why did I agree to this…?”

The teenage boy groaned with displeasure. He was dressed in mostly black, a hoodie, T-shirt, sweatpants and sneakers, with some red and grey to break it up.

His hair was dyed black and hung loosely around his shoulders. His nails were painted the same color, but he wore nothing on his face. Not even to hide the acne.

Everyone knew this place had little to no customers, but somehow it still stood with its wares still pristine.

As the boy entered, the bell above the door announcing his arrival, he noticed one piece of furniture that wasn’t covered.

A full length mirror.

Not that he really cared.

“Hey, grandpa!”

He called into the empty, dusty room full of white sheets.

He sneezed as he walked further in, the floorboards creaking under his footfalls a bit.

He made a beeline for the staircase that stood in the back right corner of the showroom, to the right of the cashier’s desk and down a hallway.

The steps creaked as he ascended, the upstairs landing only illuminated by sunlight filtering in through the curtains.

“Creepy…”

The boy muttered, already feeling uneasy.

He could see cobwebs in the corners and a faint smell of rot coming from a room to his left.

He vaguely remembered coming here as a small child, visiting his grandpa and uncle when they both still lived there.

Things went downhill when his uncle left the shop to live in another part of the city.

The teenager tiptoed towards his grandpa’s room, the smell of rot getting stronger.

He had to plug his nose as he opened the door, which was already ajar.

“Grandpa…? You in here? It’s me, Meguro.”

He whisper-called into the room. All the lights were off, casting everything in shadow.

He felt the wall right of the door for a light switch, eventually finding it and flicking it on.

He gasped audibly as the light flickered before staying on, revealing the source of the awful smell.

There was a bowl of what might’ve been soup laying half eaten on the beside table, untouched for a long time.

In the bed was Leonard Blackstone, appearing as if he were asleep, with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Daring to look closer, Meguro saw that his grandfather’s skin was pale, almost grey or blue. He couldn’t hear or see any breathing.

He started to breath harder himself, trying not to freak out as he tentatively shook the old man’s shoulder.

He only succeeded in dislodging Leonard’s tongue from his nightshirt, making it flap around.

“Ew… gross…”

Meguro complained, before it dawned on him.

“Oh God… oh God!”

He ran out of the room, not bothering to turn off the light as he fished out his phone and dialed emergency services.

“Hello!? My name’s Meguro Blackstone. My grandpa’s dead!”

Later…

“Oh my!”

When the maidens attempted to return home, after both Keikujaku and Hinaichigo had clocked out for the day, they found their usual mode of transport blocked by EMTs and police cruisers.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Kirakisho asked an onlooker.

The man turned to her.

“Not sure. But I think that’s the owner’s kid or something.”

He pointed to Meguro, sitting against the wall next to the door.

A woman was there with him, most likely his mother from the way she held him close.

He looked really upset.

“Poor boy. I wonder what happened.”

Kanaria said, a look of concern passing over her face, as well as several of her sisters’.

Before anyone could stop her, Shinku was approaching one of the Pantheon Units standing guard around the police cruiser.

“Excuse me. We need to get through.”

The Pantheon’s head turned towards her, its cyclops-like red optic regarding her coldly.

“Apologies, ma’am. This place of business is closed.”

It spoke with an automated voice, likely a pre-recorded response.

Shinku narrowed her eyes.

“There is something in there we need to retrieve. Urgently.”

She spoke calmly, though her eyes betrayed the annoyance she felt towards the emotionless machine.

“What is it?”

Shinku turned to see the woman who was with Minoru.

She looked upset as well, dried tears staining her cheeks. She also looked tired, and not in the mood to deal with people.

“My deepest apologies for disturbing you, ma’am. I am here for a mirror. We were in there earlier today, just browsing.”

The red maiden gestured to her sisters.

“We planned to return for it after lunch, but… it seems we won’t be able to now.”

“No…”

The woman sighed sadly, biting back a sob.

“I just can’t believe… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

The woman took a deep breath.

“If you want that mirror or whatever, then you can have it.”

Shinku blinked with surprise.

“Truly? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Dad hasn’t had any business in months. Ironic he gets some now…”

“Indeed… how much for it?”

The woman looked surprised at Shinku’s question, wiping away a new well of tears.

“I… I don’t know. God, how much would he charge…? Um… 300 Zenny? Yeah, that sounds like him.”

The woman nodded to herself.

“300 Zenny? Did I hear that correctly?”

Shinku asked, taking out a purse from the folds of her dress.

“Yeah… you don’t have to pay it all right away. We’ll probably be getting rid of it all at auction or something…”

“That is a good idea. But not to worry.”

Shinku said, giving the woman a reassuring smile as she held out three 100 Zenny bills.

The woman’s eyes bugged.

“A-are you sure?”

Shinku could see her sisters’ silent protests from the sidelines.

“I’m sure. We really do need that mirror. And I mean no offense, but I think you could use the money.”

The woman shook her head.

“None taken. This will help, thank you Miss. Thank you so much.”

With that, the woman marched up to the Pantheons, who let her through without issue.

Shinku followed close behind, Souseiseki and Suigintou joining her.

Moments later, the three maidens emerged with the mirror in hand, its glass tinged cyan.

“Thank you very much, Bertha.”

“You’re welcome. Shinku, was it?”

“Yes. My condolences, again. Will you let me know when the funeral will be?”

“Oh, I completely forgot. I don’t know…”

The woman seemed stressed again.

“I’ll figure it out. Can I have your number?”

“Of course.”

While the eldest and fourth-eldest maidens handled the mirror, Shinku typed the Manor’s number into the woman’s phone.

“This is my house phone. I don’t have one of my own right now.”

“I see. You take care now!”

“You as well!”

As Shinku walked back towards her sisters, they seemed a mix of shocked, angry, and awestruck.

“Himawari is going to have your head.”

Kirakisho said, still wondering how and why Shinku had that much money on her.

“Let her say what she will. It needed to be done. Now… what to do with this.”

She nodded towards the mirror, still being held upright by Suigintou and Souseiseki.

Jackie looked between the mirror and the antique shop, then back down the street at the Cafe.

“I might have an idea.”

Elsewhere…

“Hey, Rouge, come take a look at this!”

A female reploid called to her friend, who sat in a little makeshift cubicle with a computer screen in front of them.

Rouge was also a female unit, with long auburn hair while the other was blonde.

The redhead didn’t bother getting up from her seat as she looked over her friend’s shoulder.

“What is it, Jaune?”

“So, you know that little town in Germany Master X found?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Well~ I did some research on it. There’s from pretty interesting lore here!”

“Oh?”

Interest piqued, Rouge leaned back in her seat a bit as she let Jaune explain.

The two of them worked for the Resistance as data miners, primarily scouring Neo Arcadia’s internet the best they could to stay on top of news reports, activity in Cross Tower and any ‘mavericks’ they could recruit to their cause.

They also monitored the Base’s systems.

“Okay, so, the town is called Lebensbaum, right? That’s German for ‘tree of life.’”

Rouge nodded.

“Well, it’s called that for a reason. Supposedly, it’s the location of a mythical Tree of Life, like Yggdrasil or something.”

“Like the Dark Elf’s prison?”

“Same name, different thing. Its history goes waaay back!”

Jaune said with fascination.

“Too bad a lot of it is lost. But apparently, it started as a Roman fort town and expanded from there.”

“That’s the case with a lot of old European towns, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. But maybe they found this Tree of Life and wanted to stick around… until the natives kicked them out.”

Jaune added with a smirk.

“Wonder if we’ll ever get to visit that place. Bet it’d make a great new base. I heard we might be moving.”

“Lady Ciel and Master X have been discussing relocation lately… but only in the event that we have to evacuate.”

Rouge looked worriedly at her own screen.

“I’m afraid that’ll be sooner rather than later. I’m grateful for Zero’s help as much as any of us… but he is drawing far too much attention.”

Jaune nodded.

“Our transervers could go as far as Germany. But with how many of us there are…”

“That is a shame. It would take much too long to get there on foot, or by vehicle without getting caught.”

“Yeah… sometimes, I wish I could just turn into a cyber elf and go places like Master X can.”

“You know the old saying, careful what you wish for?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jaune said, getting back to work on her main assignment for the day.

She only did that research out of curiosity, learning some things X might want to know.

If she ever got the opportunity, she planned to share it with him.

Chapter Text

The sound of Rozen Manor’s landline phone cut through the peaceful morning silence like a particularly shrill birdsong.

It took a moment for Souseiseki to come answer it, having been busy in the garden and just come back inside to wash up.

She politely dismissed a Flower Maid who had attempted to answer it first.

“Hello?”

Souseiseki said into the receiver.

“Oh! Miss Josie. Good morning!”

The blue maiden’s twin poked her head around the corner, having just come in from the garden herself when she heard the familiar name.

“Yes, we’ll be there as soon as we can! Thank you so much!”

Souseiseki put down the phone before turning to face her older sister.

“We got the job!”

“What? Really?”

Suiseiseki said, surprised.

“Yeah, all of us!”

“All of us!? Even-“

“Yep, even those two.”

“Wow, already? It’s only been a day.”

Suiseiseki said incredulously, one hand on her hip.

“I know. They must really need the help. Or Hina and Jackie put in a good word for us.”

Souseiseki said, leading her twin back to the foyer.

“That could be. Should we wake them?”

“I think so. It’s almost breakfast time anyway. We should probably change too.”

The younger twin looked down at her dirt and grass stained clothes.

“Yeah, we should. I’ll get Kana, you get Kira?”

“Deal.”

The twins agreed as they ascended the stairs to their rooms.

Roughly an hour and a half later, four of the Rozen Maiden stood in the library, ready for their interviews.

Kanaria nervously checked her hair in the mirror before activating the portal through the N-Field.

“We all ready?”

“Ready!”

Her younger sisters chorused.

Walking through the portal, the four found themselves inside a storage room inside an empty building. Few to no people came there from what they saw, save for the graffiti on the walls and old evidence of someone living there in one corner.

This was where they’d moved the antique mirror after Shinku bought it, propping it up where the glow of the N-Field couldn’t be seen from the outside.

The building was part of the same strip mall, separate from the Rose Cafe building but allowed for them to exit into the same side alley.

From there, it was only a short walk to the front doors of the cafe.

Upon entering, they were greeted by Hinaichigo and Robin, who were already busy serving one or two guests.

“Hey, guys! I heard you got interviews!”

“Yeah, we got the call this morning.”

Suiseiseki said, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dress shirt.

“That’s great! I’ll take you to the office real quick.”

The pink maiden said as she finished cleaning a table. She looked towards Robin, who gave her the go-ahead.

As they filed into the back rooms of the building and down the hall, Hinaichigo stared at her third eldest sister.

“… something’s different. Did you cut your hair?”

“What? No!”

The third maiden glared at the sixth, insulted.

She loved her hair! No way she’d cut it.

Hinaichigo squinted at her, before her eyes widened in realization.

“Oh! You changed your eyes!”

Souseiseki nodded, placing a hand on her older twin’s shoulder to help her calm down.

“We did. We figured it would help.”

The twins had figured out how to change their eye colors just the night before, and made the decision to adjust the shade of their red eyes.

From their interactions with the locals, they learned red eyes were considered taboo.

Instead of red, their alternating eyes were now pink.

Hinaichigo giggled.

“I think it’s pretty! They look like watermelon colors!”

Kirakisho snorted with laughter.

“Ha! Watermelon. That’s funny.”

“How?”

Kanaria asked, genuinely curious.

“Not that I disagree. It does make me think of watermelons.”

Kirakisho smirked.

“Heehee. You remember the word for watermelon in Japanese, don’t you?”

“Uh…”

Kanaria searched her memory for the translation.

“It’s Suika, isn’t it?”

“Yes! Suika! Hey, Suiseiseki!”

“What?”

The green maiden quipped annoyedly.

“How about we call you Suika for short from now on?”

Suiseiseki scoffed.

“No way!”

“What? It’s easier to say! Suika! Suika!”

Souseiseki smiled with mirth.

“You know… it is easier to say.”

“That’s that supposed to mean!?”

Suiseiseki griped, crossing her arms and pouting indignantly.

It only made the white maiden laugh.

“She’s got a point.”

Kanaria said, the laughter making her smile.

“Customers might have trouble calling you guys by your full names. Why do you think most of us called you Sui and Sou most of the time?”

The twins looked thoughtful, Suiseiseki calming down as she realized her older sister was right.

Just then, Kanaria was called into the office room, where Josie was waiting for them.

“Welp, I guess I see you guys later!”

Hinaichigo said, waving goodbye as she went back to work.

“See ya!”

Kirakisho said.

Her sisters were interviewed one by one, and by the end of it, to their surprise, all of them were hired.

They even had their name tags printed and uniforms waiting for them.

“Why do you have four extra uniforms?”

Souseiseki asked Josie as she showed them where the lockers were.

“We used to have four other employees. Don’t worry, the uniforms are clean.”

The receptionist said.

Also, until we get your schedules figured out, I suggest you all work the rest of the afternoon. You know, to get a feel for the job.”

“That sounds reasonable. When do you close?”

“Five. It’s… around noon now. So you got about five hours.”

“That should be enough to get our feet wet!”

Kirakisho said, twirling in place as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall.

“This is so cute!”

“I’ll get the schedules done by tomorrow. Maybe. Good luck.”

Josie said noncommittally, before returning to the office.

“Thanks!”

Kanaria called after her.

“You want the boys’ uniform?”

Suiseiseki asked her twin, noting that there were only three girls’ uniforms.

Souseiseki shrugged.

“Sure.”

A few minutes later, the four of them walked out into the cafe proper.

“Wow, you were all hired?”

Hina said, equally as surprised as they were.

“Yeah. Guess you guys really need the help.”

Kanaria said.

“To be honest, we really do.”

Hina smirked upon seeing Suiseiseki’s name tag.

“You went with it?”

“Yep.”

The brunette woman grimaced, but shrugged, adjusting the tag.

It read ‘Suika’.

Souseiseki came up beside her, her tag reading ‘Lapis’.

“Kanaria was right, so we thought we’d keep it simple. Kirakisho too.”

The white maiden practically skipped into the main room, her tag reading simply ‘Kira’.

Kanaria was the only one whose tag showed her full name.

They all stood by the cashier’s desk, waiting for their assignments.

“Alright, ladies!”

Robin announced.

“Since this is your first day, and a slow one at that, we’ll start with some simple tasks, and rotate each of you at the top of the hour. Sound agreeable?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

“Alright.”

“Right. Kira and Suika, you’re on waitress duty first. Collect the customers’ orders and bring them to the kitchen, and then clean the tables when the customers are gone. Lapis and Kanaria, you’re in the kitchen. You’re to clean any dirty dishes that come through and make sure we have fresh supply of goods.

Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

The girls chorused.

“After the next hour, you will switch positions. In the meantime, Hina, you’ll be on cashier duty.”

“Sure. What about you?”

“I’ll be making drinks, and training you lot. That’s my job, after all.”

That elicited some giggles from the sisters, before they were all encouraged to get to their training.

Robin started with the white and green maidens in the kitchen while Hina took initiative and started teaching the blue and yellow maidens on how to be waitresses.

Jackie showed up for her shift at around 1PM. She had to stop and stare for a moment at the amount of employees the cafe suddenly had.

She helped to train the others when they switched positions, showing Kirakisho and Suiseiseki how to carry trays and clean tables.

All in all, it was a good bonding experience for them, even if they didn’t get to practice a lot of what they learned that day.

Meanwhile…

Deep within the cave near Lebensbaum, a lone reploid walked the old manmade tunnels. From his cursory knowledge of the area, Hidden Phantom deduced that this must have been an old mining site once upon a time.

There were rotting wooden beams and evidence of mine tracks the further he went in.

He eyed the beams warily, keeping his auditory sensors primed for any sign of a cave-in.

Even with the danger, he opted to follow the tracks to wherever they led him.

They were old and rusted, relics of a time long past that Phantom would admit piqued his curiosity.

He checked the time periodically, having started around 10 AM in the morning.

Part of the General knew he shouldn’t be pursuing idle curiosities like old mines in the middle of nowhere, but he had to get to the bottom of the strange energy readings.

‘It could help Neo Arcadia’

He rationalized.

If he could find it, at least.

He hadn’t received any messages from home yet, so there was no urgency in his search.

Considering it was a mine, Phantom found out what exactly the people had been mining as soon as he saw the glittering ores in the walls.

“Salt…”

He muttered, running his fingers over the crystals.

‘Too bad it’s not e-crystals… ‘

He thought with some disappointment.

He knew of experiments being done to transform sodium into energen… but no real results had come of it yet.

“I don’t blame Master X for thinking of canceling funding… but I still think it has potential.”

He muttered to himself.

He could still feel the odd energy readings, leading him deeper into the caves.

It became much stronger as he approached a wall of solid rock.

Using his night vision, Phantom saw that there were carvings in it, depicting a tree and some humanoid figures.

There were symbols he didn’t recognize, but he mentally catalogued them for future reference.

The time read 2PM

He decided to head back for now, having created a sufficient mental map of the cave system. He would analyze his findings and return at a later date.

It took him far less time to trek back to the entrance than it had to explore, but when Phantom emerged, he found a familiar face waiting for him.

A less than pleased familiar face.

“… Harpuia.”

“Hidden Phantom.”

The Strong Air General addressed him with barely concealed anger.

“Is this where you’ve been all day?”

That was a redundant question.

If Harpuia had been tracking Phantom’s signal, which only he, the other Guardians and some of the Zan’ei were privy to, then he’d know where he’d been all day if and when he bothered to check.

His green eyes glanced at the cave entrance with distaste, hovering above the ground just in front of it.

“Not all day.”

Phantom answered honestly.

“I was tracking a foreign energy signature. I was about to return to my regular duties.”

Harpuia looked intrigued.

“Is it anything to do with the Thorns or the Resistance?”

“Perhaps. I have yet to conclude anything.”

“Hm… I’d like to see your findings. But first, Master X wants a word.”

Harpuia said.

“Whatever this mystery signature is, it will have to wait. You wouldn’t answer his calls, so I came to fetch you.”

A sting of guilt penetrated Phantom’s core.

‘Curious. I wonder if the energies in there were blocking the signal somehow.’

He made a mental note of the abnormality.

Out loud, he responded,

“I will find you afterwards. Let us go.”

The airborne reploid nodded stiffly, both Guardians teleporting back to Neo Arcadia in flashes of white light.

Chapter Text

Sage Harpuia sighed tiredly as the doors to the meeting room closed behind him.

‘That was intense…’

He thought, going through the topics of discussion in his head as he walked.

‘The Resistance is getting bolder… first they take out the Retiring Facility and now an E-Crystal factory… I understand the need for resources, but…’

He could never have shared these thoughts while he was in the room. Never show an ounce of sympathy or understanding for the enemies of Neo Arcadia.

Even though he knew the other Guardians felt similarly, even if they were good at hiding it.

‘Zero… he’s their ace now…’

Part of him still trembled at the thought of facing the legendary Red Ripper again, though whether it was from fear or excitement he wasn’t sure.

As the Strong Air General reached the nearby elevator, his youngest sibling stepped up beside him.

Hidden Phantom was silent while they waited for the elevator.

“Master X doesn’t seem to care about your little project.”

Harpuia remarked.

“He never mentioned it once.”

“No.”

Phantom agreed, the two of them walking into the elevator as it opened.

“He did speak to me of it beforehand.”

“Oh? … what did he say?”

The elevator closed, allowing them a semblance of privacy.

“He is… impressed with what they can do, as I thought he would be.”

He chose the word carefully.

“He told me to keep an eye on them, see if I can’t gather some more information. Maybe recruit them to our forces.”

Harpuia chuffed with laughter.

“I wish you luck with that, little brother. Will you be returning to that cave?”

The elevator doors opened, the two brothers exiting onto a floor they dubbed The Lounge. It was accessible only to the Four Guardians, Master X, the Gentle Judges and anyone else they deemed worthy of access.

No one else was around at the moment.

Phantom hummed as he thought of a response.

“… perhaps. For now, I was going to stake out a certain cafe. I hear they have some good tea. Would you care to join me?”

Harpuia smiled as he considered the offer.

“As tempting as that is, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

Phantom nodded.

“Of course. You have your own duties to attend to. I’ll let you know if the tea is any good, though. Maybe bring you back something.”

“That would be lovely, Phan.”

Harpuia paused, considering his next words.

“As you know… I got to meet them myself recently.”

“Yes. Is there a Thorn in particular you would like to know more about?”

Harpuia’s cheeks tinged pink.

“… perhaps. The… blonde one? With blue eyes. And the red dress. Her… her name is Shinku.”

Phantom raised an eyebrow under the mask.

“Ah. I see. I shall ask about her.”

Then he smirked despite himself.

“And I won’t tell Levi.”

“Please don’t. She’d tease me endlessly.”

Harpuia groused, blushing a tad harder.

Phantom internally laughed at his brother’s misfortune.

‘I wonder what she did to earn his interest? Suppose I’ll find out someway.’

They parted ways after that, the two of them making for separate transervers in Cross Tower.

Later…

The Rose Cafe was decently busy when Phantom arrived, wearing civilian clothes to disguise his reploid features.

He wore a white beanie over his earpieces, as well as a black long-sleeved shirt, military pants and boots.

Without his signature masked helmet, no one would know he was the mysterious Zan’ei General.

“Hello, welcome to Rose Cafe!”

Said the cashier, Robin, as he stepped in.

“Please seat yourself, and we’ll get to you in a moment.”

Phantom nodded, wordlessly finding an unoccupied seat in a mostly secluded corner of the venue.

He noticed the wallpaper was decorated with stylized silhouettes of roses.

Glancing around, he dug a small object out of his pocket and stuck it to the wall where it wouldn’t be noticed.

That task done, he picked up a provided menu and started skimming it, while also observing his targets.

There were three Thorns here. He recognized Jackie from before, but the green haired one, the blonde and brunette he only saw in the surveillance footage from the Midcity Mall.

He recalled the brunette from the incident with the flower shop.

They all wore the cafe’s waitress’ uniform.

”Hello, sir.”
A cheery voice interrupted his musings. Phantom looked up to see the waitress with green hair and eyes.

“Can I get you anything from the menu?”
Her name tag read ‘Kanaria’.

“Some tea please.”

“Of course! What kind would you like?”

Phantom shrugged.

“Surprise me.”

Kanaria blinked, not expecting that response. But then she smiled.
She could roll with that.

“One surprise blend, coming right up!”

As she dashed to the kitchen, Phantom took a moment to ensure he had connection to the object he had hidden.

Ten minutes later, Kanaria came back to his table with a teapot and cup, as well as packets of cream and sugar.

“This is Rose Cafe’s signature tea blend, genuine rose tea. It’s non-caffeinated.”
She said as she set the cup down before the customer and poured the tea into it.
It had a pink tinge to it, and was rather aromatic. It really smelled like roses.

“Let me know if you’d like anything else, alright?”

She tapped her name tag, indicating he should call for her by name if he needed to.

“I will. Thank you, Miss Kanaria.”

She blushed a little.

“Please, it’s just Kanaria. Kana is fine too, everyone forgets the ‘ria’ part.”
She made a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture.
“Oh! I don’t think I got your name, Mr…?”

‘Isn’t she talkative?’
He thought.

“… call me Kuro.”

Kanaria smiled.
“Welp, I hope you enjoy your tea, Mr. Kuro. It was made with roses grown in my family’s garden.”

‘There we are’

“Your family? Now you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. What part of Neo Arcadia are you from?”

“Uhh…”

She faltered.
‘Should I tell him the truth? Oh, but we’re in public!’

“I uh… we only recently arrived here. So we don’t know much about this city, or how it works. Forgive me if I make any mistakes I should be aware of.”

“How recently, if I may ask?”

“Um… “

She actually had to think about that.
“About a month… I think?”

‘That tracks’

Phantom thought.
They’d started seeing activity from the Thorns around that time, starting with the girl in the blue dress. He remembered her from about a month ago, when he’d helped her and her sister locate the bank.

Speaking of which…

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Jackie serving another customer.

“If that’ll be all, sir?”

“That will be all. Thank you.”

“My pleasure! Just holler if you need anything.”

Phantom nodded in acknowledgment, and Kanaria left to tend to the register for a while.

He idly sipped his tea as he watched the workers and customers come and go for the next fifteen minutes.
He ordered something to eat to go alongside his tea after the first five.

He would later admit that he enjoyed the strawberry cake, which Kanaria boasted was also made using produce from her family’s garden.
“It’s Hina’s favorite. She’s the blonde over there.”
She gestured to another waitress with blonde ringlets who was currently cleaning a table.

“I don’t think I’ve seen many of the workers here before. Did you all come here recently?”

Kanaria looked nervous for a moment before she answered.
“Yeah, actually. My sisters and I all came here together. I’m the second eldest.”

‘Sisters?’

“How many, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“There’s eight of us, all living under the same roof. It gets pretty crazy sometimes, I tell ya.”

“I understand. I have siblings myself, and there’s only four of us. I can’t imagine handling eight.”

“Yeah, it ain’t easy, but we manage. Everything is so different now…”
Kanaria smiled fondly, hand on her hip, muttering that last part. But it didn’t escape Phantom’s ears.

“Does one of your sisters happen to be named Shinku?”

Kanaria looked at him with surprise, and a hint of suspicion.

“Uh… yeah, actually. Why do you ask?”

“My eldest brother met a girl with that name. He told me all about how she made him carry a tea set around for her. For some reason, he’s smitten.”

Kanaria smirked, laughing a little.

“Oh really? What’s his name?”

“Harry.”

The second eldest maiden seemed to recognize the name.

“Is he brunette with green eyes? Tall, kinda lanky?”

“Yes.”

“Then I think I know who you’re talking about. It doesn’t surprise me, though. Shinku has the looks and the personality to charm anybody. Well, if you can get past her highness’ demands.”

Phantom let a small smile grace his face.

“She sounds rather haughty.”

“Oh, she is. But she has a good heart. Ask any of us.”

She gestured to herself and her sisters present.

Phantom nodded.

“Thank you for the tea and conversation, Miss Kanaria.”

“Huh? Oh, you’re very welcome Mr. Kuro! Leaving already?”

“I’m afraid I must. But I think I’ll be visiting again soon.” 

He said as he placed his payment for the meal on the table.

“By the way, l’ll take another slice of cake to go.”

“Coming right up!”
The green haired maiden gave her best customer service smile, which seemed genuine.
She enjoyed getting to talk to people like this.

She collected his payment, taking it to the till with him following behind.

He left the cafe after she handed him a plastic container.

“Have a good day!”

What she didn’t realize was that all the intel Hidden Phantom had collected was now being stored in a database, which the Cutting Shadow General would surely add to in later visits.

“What a nice guy. Pretty handsome too.” Kanaria snickered to herself in embarrassment.

“Oh, what am I saying?”

She glanced at the clock.
“2:00 already? An hour till closing.”
She sighed tiredly.

“Man, when I agreed to take this job I didn’t think it’d be so exhausting.”

“Same here…”

Groaned Hinaichigo, joining her older sister cleaning tables as business winded down for the day.

“I don’t know how humans do it, dealing with other people like this. I can almost understand why Jun became a shut-in.”

“Ha. Yeah. But the kid had to come out of his shell eventually. Now Mi-Chan, she had her own business going, remember? She used to complain about women called ‘Karen’s’?”

Robin shuddered, causing the two girls to turn to look at him.
“We don’t get many here, but you’ll know a ‘Karen’ when you see one. Trust me, no one likes dealing with them.”

“You’re telling me. All they do is complain and when you try to be nice to them, they’ll lay into you and demand to see your manager.”
Kanaria complained.
“I watched a few videos about it. People can be nasty.”

“They can be, but not all are like that. Thankfully.”

Suiseiseki piped up, walking to the front.

“I have half a mind to lay into them myself.”

“Yeah, there’s some good eggs out there too. Hey, uh, speaking of eggs, do we need any more?”

“Huh? I dunno, I think we’re good for now. I’ll have to ask the Boss.”

Robin said, cleaning another table.
“I gotta say, those roses and strawberries you guys brought in were a godsend. I heard you tell that guy they came from your own garden?”

“Yeah! I guess you could say Sui here has quite the green thumb. Not me, though, I couldn’t grow a plant without it dying on me.”

The green maiden smirked.

“You know, I seem to recall you trying to grow a tulip once. It died before it could bloom.”

Kanaria frowned at her older sister.

“Yeah, I remember. Gardening isn’t my strong suit. I’m more… musically inclined.”

“Music? I take it you play something?”

Robin asked, his interest piqued.

“Yeah, Big Sis Kana’s the best at the violin!” Keikujaku said.

Kanaria blushed at the praise.
“Aw, stop it. I’m not that great…”

“I’d like to hear you play sometime. Might attract some more business.”

Robin suggested.

“Hey yeah! That’s a good idea actually…”

“You could start tomorrow. You work tomorrow, right?”

Suiseiseki said.

“Yeah, I do. I can try and practice a few tunes after I get home today.”

“Sounds good. Just don’t do it after nightfall. Last thing we need is that devil screeching keeping us all awake. Again.”

Kanaria scowled.

“That was one time! And I’ve gotten better!” 

Robin chuckled nervously at their banter, looking between Hinaichigo and Keikujaku.

“Your family sure is… lively.”

“That’s one word for it.”

Hina said.

“Hey Kana! What do you think you’ll play?”

“Huh”

The yellow maiden turned to her younger sister, a thoughtful look on her face.

“You know… I dunno. I’m sure I’ll figure something out!”

She flashed a confident smile, just as another customer walked in.

“Hello, ma’am! Welcome to Rose Cafe! What can we get started for you?”

All the while, Hidden Phantom was testing the range on the device he’d hidden in the cafe, walking further away while listening in on everything.

‘Perhaps I’ll return to hear her play. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a violin.’

He thought, considering asking Harpuia to join him again.

Kanaria seemed to be the most likely to give him valuable information unprompted, as was shown.

“A promising informant…”

He muttered to himself, making for Cross Tower with the small container of cake in hand.

Chapter Text

A beautiful sunset colored the sky, bathing what buildings it could reach in a golden glow and casting long shadows behind them.

Suigintou walked under and out of these shadows on her way back home, arms laden with recently purchased groceries.
“I hope Hinageshi can make good use of these.”
The silver haired woman grumbled, adjusting a plastic bag filled with various food items on her right arm.

It was all things that they couldn’t very well produce on their own without livestock, and in her left arm were needed replacements for chemicals the maids used regularly.

Having their own housekeepers was a little… unusual, Suigintou would admit, but it was nice. It freed up time for the maidens’ hobbies and training, though the majority of them still preferred to do some of the more mundane activities themselves, such as shopping and cooking. The Flower Maids respected the effort since they would definitely stand out among the humans and reploids in Neo Arcadia.

The silver haired woman glanced at the list the kitchen maid had written up for her, held in her dominant hand.

She had added some blue tint to her eye color, changing it to a reddish violet to avoid being thought a ‘Maverick’.

“I think I got everything. And then some.”

She grimaced at the extra bag she carried in the crook of her left arm, containing a few impulse purchases and one thing a particularly stubborn merchant wouldn’t let her leave without.
It was an admittedly pretty black and white brooch in the shape of a butterfly. She’d probably only wear it on special occasions, though.
‘Maybe I should give it to someone else.’
She thought.

She thought of that stubborn merchant, grimacing as she imagined those ugly glasses coming anywhere near her sisters’ place of work.

“If she ever visits the cafe, I’ll be sure to ask Kirakisho to give that woman a taste of her own medicine.”

This was the first time she had gone into Neo Arcadia alone, and only her third time in the large city-state in general.

‘So far so good’ 

Suigintou was grateful nothing egregious had happened so far on this market trip. Call her paranoid, but one could never be too careful with humans.

As she turned a corner, the setting sun nearly blinding her, she heard screams from the crowd around her.
She turned to see what was going on, and saw several people pointing and looking up at something. Suigintou followed their gazes to the top of a nearby apartment building.

Her eyes widened.

‘I jinxed it.’
“What…!?”

There was a young man standing up there, on the edge of the roof, his face shadowed by black bangs. Suddenly he held his head up, so all below could see his young, tear-stained face.

“Oh my god!”

“Is he..!?”

“Don’t do it, kid!”

“Someone call the police!”

Suigintou tuned the voices around her out as she looked at the boy’s face.
She thought she recognized it, even from a distance.
“…!”

She quickly looked around her, spotting a bench with a black haired man sitting at it. He seemingly paid no mind to the commotion in front of him.
Suigintou carefully laid her purchases down on the bench next to the man.
“Hey, could you watch these for me for a moment?”

She turned back around, not bothering to wait for a response as she darted into the growing crowd around the apartment building.
Grunting and muttering apologies as she collided with more people than she would’ve liked, Suigintou kept glancing up to make sure the boy hadn’t done what everyone thought he was going to do yet.

She eventually made it to the other side of the street and ducked into an empty, shadowed alley.

Making sure no one saw her, Suigintou concentrated, allowing a faint violet light to glow within. The glow could barely be seen beneath her black shirt, but it soon moved, splitting apart into two pieces that moved in opposite directions towards her shoulder blades.
The glow extended outwards as soon as the two pieces were in position, forming a pair of large wings.
The light died down once the feathery limbs reached their full size, ebony feathers soft against Suigintou’s touch.

She stumbled a little as she walked, still not quite used to the weight of the appendages. They were heavier than she remembered her wings being, but in a matter of seconds, her body adjusted thanks to her programming.
Just as she was peeking up and around the corner of the building, she heard a scream of alarm from the crowd.
‘Crap!’

With seconds to spare, Suigintou flapped her large wings and took to the air.
She was glad to have gotten some flight practice in at home as she banked 90 degrees around the building.
She looked up, just in time to see the boy descending into her line of sight.
Arms outstretched, she caught the young man just as he was going to fall past her, grunting from the effort it took to keep them both airborne.

She then flew away with him high above the building and down a few blocks, away from the crowd that was likely bewildered at what just happened.

Suigintou landed, a little clumsily on top of a different apartment complex, as she wasn’t used to carrying something as cumbersome as a person with her new wings.

She unceremoniously dropped the boy on the ground, leaving him to land on his back in a daze.

“What…? What just happened?”

He muttered to himself, blinking.

“I was falling… and then…”

He seemed to stare into space as his mind struggled to catch up with reality.

Suigintou took a sharp intake of breath, walking a few paces away to gather herself before rounding on the human she’d saved.

”Stupid boy! What were you thinking!?”
The silver haired woman yelled as she walked back towards the young man, her wings folding up behind her back.
“Don’t go throwing your life away like junk!”

The black haired teenager was too stunned to properly respond, his brown eyes trained on her large, black feathered wings rather than her scathing words.
“You better hope I don’t catch you doing such a stunt again!”

No response.

She stared at him hotly, before pinching her nose and growling slightly.

“Oh, mein gott- Earth to Stupid Boy!”
She promptly snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

He startled, sitting up and averting his gaze.
“Ah! S-sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!”

He cried, raising his arms to cover his face.

Suigintou was confused. 

“Eh? I’m not going to hurt you, kid. I just saved your life!”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The boy blurted out, lowering his arms a bit as his eyes met her red-violet.

“I… I just…”

He looked away, eyes downcast with a hint of anger.

“I don’t understand… who even are you? Some kind of… new anti-suicide unit?”

Suigintou shook her head.

“Nope. I’m not associated with Neo Arcadia. I just saw you up there and decided to save your sorry ass. That’s all.”

He was silent for a moment, before he laughed wryly. Tears pricked his already red and puffy eyes.

“It’s funny… for a minute there, I thought you were an angel of death, come to take me away.”

He looked back up at her tiredly, still sitting on the concrete rooftop.

“Are you…?”

Suigintou blinked.

For a split second, his words invoked a vision of an old friend over this boy, almost mistaking him for her. They even had the same hair style, she noticed.
They looked almost too much alike.
‘He must be Megu’s descendent.’

“No. I’m not an angel of death, or an angel at all really. I just look like one.”

She extended one of her wings for emphasis, striking an arrogant pose. 

She then held a hand out to him.
“Come on, get up. I’m not carrying you to wherever you live. You’re walking.”

Hesitantly, the boy took Suigintou’s offered hand. She helped him up, letting go once she confirmed he could stand steadily.

The boy seemed to be calmer now, wiping his tears away with his black hoodie sleeve.

“You alright now?”

“Uh… y-yeah. Um… thank you.”

He said sheepishly, face red with embarrassment.

“But you didn’t need to help me.”

“The hell do you mean!?”

Suigintou yelled, getting in the boy’s face.

“I just said not to let me catch you doing that stunt again!”

“Why do you even care? You don’t know me!”

He shot back with all the teenage angst he could muster.

“I feel like I do…”

Suigintou muttered, unsure if he heard.

“You remind me of someone I know. She had… issues, and she yearned for death for a long time.”

The memories made her smile sadly.

“I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, and quite frankly, I don’t need to right now. I just… thought I should act.”

She turned around, her back facing the boy. 

“By the way, what’s your name, kid?”

“Me? I-I’m Meguro.”

“Meguro..? Nice name.”

She smiled, a mixture of amused and nostalgic as she looked at the teenager.

“What’s yours?”

She heard the boy ask.

She paused as she approached the edge of the rooftop.
“Call me Mercury. Like the planet.”

With that, she spread her ebony wings, glistening gold in the light of sunset.

“Tell your mom I said thanks for the mirror.”

Before he could respond, she took off, diving into a back alley once she returned to around where the incident occurred.
She could see some people in uniforms and blue robots (Pantheons, they were called?) milling about the apartment where she dropped the boy off, likely climbing the stairs to get him down.

She spotted her purchases still sitting on the bench where she’d left them, the black haired man keeping guard.
Once she landed in the alley opposite the one she dove into before, Suigintou concentrated again. The purple light encompassed her wings and shrank them back down, condensing back into a mass of energy that traveled back down into her core.

A minute later, she was running across the adjacent street back to the bench.
“Thank you so much! I’ll just take these now.”
She said to the man, who didn’t seem to so much as flinch.

She found it odd, but didn’t comment as she was now in a hurry to get home.
The sunset was starting to fade away into twilight now, the shadows growing longer and darker.

Unbeknownst to her, the man who had been guarding her bags had seen the entire exchange between Suigintou and Meguro through cameras installed on the rooftops, putting two and two together. 

He looked at her retreating form through his bangs, dusky violet eyes narrowing.

Hidden Phantom stood up, brushing off his coat as he started making his way towards the center of the city; Cross Tower.
At his silent command, one of the Pantheons came over to him.

“Inform the Zan’ei unit about what happened here. Watch this block for any other… persons like the winged one.”

The Pantheon nodded in acknowledgement. It walked away, stationing itself on a corner where it could clearly see the apartment building… and Rose Cafe a few blocks down. Suigintou ducked into an alley near the restaurant.

Phantom made a note of it, subtly following the black clothed maiden.

When he entered the alley, he identified the door she most likely went through, but went no further.

He marked the location for later investigation.

At the same time, the human police officers had finally reached the teenager trapped on the roof and was escorting him down via Aerial Pantheon.

He couldn’t stop thinking about that woman who saved him, even as the officer asked him all the expected questions.

‘Mercury.’

The more he thought about her, the more he realized he might’ve seen her before.

‘The mirror from the antique shop? Is that a clue?’

He thought as he began the walk home, assuring the officer he didn’t need a ride in the car.

He lived nearby anyway.

No doubt the street cameras could keep an eye on him. He glanced up at a bird perched on top of a street lamp. Only it was a mechanical bird, its eyes trained on him.

He tried to keep his mind away from darker thoughts, focusing on this new and exciting mystery instead.

As soon as he got home, he found himself alone in the house. His mother was still at work.

Feeling drained from the roller coaster of emotions he’d experienced that day, he went straight upstairs to his room where his laptop computer sat on his desk.

He laid down on his bed, intending to sleep, but he kept glancing at his computer, curiosity nagging at his brain.

With an annoyed grunt, he grabbed his laptop and sat cross-legged on his bed, opening the laptop to see a document he’d typed before… his stunt earlier.

He hurriedly deleted it, instead opening a search engine.

“Black winged girl…”

He muttered as he typed in the words.

The search brought up images of girls with black wings, both humans in costume and Reploids, but it wasn’t what he was looking for.

“Mercury…”

He added on, and after he hit the search button again, it showed several websites and social media posts.

Scrolling through them, he saw a few from news websites about what happened just an hour ago.

He felt an embarrassed blush form on his face, hoping no reporters would come knocking on his door anytime soon.

He saw phone camera footage of his rescue from the ground, some zoomed in images. None of them really got a good look at him or his savior.

Continuing to scroll, something caught his eye.

It was a listing for a book from some library’s website, titled ‘Mercury Angel’ by Megu Kakizaki. It was one of several pieces of early 21st Century literature that survived the Elf Wars.

Curious, Meguro clicked on the link and read the description.

His eyes widened.

On a hunch, he decided to buy it, opting to go into the library itself the next day to pick it up.

‘It’s an excuse to get out of the house.’

He rationalized.

Meguro wanted to do a little more research before he went to bed, though he doubted he’d get much sleep after all that had happened that day.

Chapter Text

High in the skies above what was once known as Bavaria, Suigintou whooped and laughed as she turned, rolled and spun through the air, reveling in the feeling of the high winds whipping through her silver hair and her ebony feathers.

She’d always loved being able to fly, and had thanked her Father profusely for that gift, even if they once caused her most egregious flaw.

Back when she was a doll, she had not discovered the ability until after she had been given her artificial spirit, Meimei and left the Miniature Garden.

Of course, since she had not initially been built with flight in mind, her feathers manifested within her and forcefully pushed themselves out through her back, creating cracks in the ceramic.

She was fortunate the wings themselves and her hair usually covered up the cracks, but it had been a very painful experience that she never wanted to have happen again.

With her new energy-based powers, she needn’t worry about that pain anymore, and she could enjoy flying about as much as she liked.

For the purpose of aerodynamics, she wore a slimming ensemble of a black leotard, fingerless gloves, borrowed ballet slippers tied to her ankles, her usual white hose and a short skirt.

Her hair was tied into a tight bun, though strands of her bangs still came loose.

Kirakisho had helped her with it before she left the manor that morning.

She also wore a pair of aviator goggles to protect her face during flight, as suggested by Kanaria. Her body adjusted to the colder temperatures accordingly.

Smiling wide, Suigintou slowed to a steady glide, letting the wind carry her wings for a few miles to let them rest.

“Hoo… quite the workout today!”

She felt much more confident in her flying skills than she had when she first awoke, or even as a doll.

A day had passed since her rescue of Meguro from his own demise, so Suigintou decided to stick closer to home to evade the media hunting her down.

Jackie had told her the previous day that there were reporters swarming the apartment buildings where the attempted suicide took place, and several had entered the Cafe asking if any of the workers had seen anything.

Jackie herself denied witnessing the event, which was true, she hadn’t.

But her sisters and Robin weren’t spared.

Suigintou almost felt sorry for them, but she still took Shinku’s advice to stay away from Neo Arcadia for the time being.

‘She’s right, of course. Besides, I have a few more moves I want to try.’

She thought excitedly to herself, gliding closer to a swath of treetops.

Carefully, she angled herself so that she landed on the very top of one of the trees, folding her wings just enough so she wouldn’t be swept away in the winds again.

She looked out over the canopy, not immediately recognizing where she was.

‘I think I see a building over there…’

She thought, squinting as she looked southwards to what looked like a grey stone structure hidden in the trees.

‘A castle maybe?’

She glanced up at the sun, approximating the time and cross referencing it with her internal clock.

“Looks like it’s past noon already. I think I can take a break there and then head back.”

She nodded to herself, unfurling her wings again and launching herself towards the structure.

It wasn’t a castle, but rather an old church. It was still mostly intact but worn down from exposure. The roof had caved in sometime ago, providing Suigintou a landing spot.

Coming in through the hole in the roof, she landed gracefully in the center aisle, the wooden floorboards overgrown with weeds and mushrooms.

The pews sat silent, similarly overtaken by nature, as was the podium and the figure of Christ just behind it.

In fact, the cross had fallen from where it was hung, now lying on its side by the wall. Parts of the brass statue were oxidized or broken.

Suigintou sighed, glad to be out of the hot sun for a moment as she stretched her arms above her head.

She sat down in one of the pews, uncaring as to the foliage and filth covering it, leaning back against the aged wood.

She closed her eyes, momentarily imagining herself in a different church.

‘That’s where Megu found me, wasn’t it?’

She reminded herself.

When she opened her eyes again, she had to squint as something shiny caught the sunlight above her, and was reflecting it into her eyes.

“Agh… what the-?”

She held up a hand to block the light just as the shiny thing seemed to lower itself.

Trying to get a better look, and out of curiosity, Suigintou walked out the front doors of the church and looked up.

“What is that? Another drone?”

‘Was it following me?’

The thought made her eyes narrow in suspicion.

She ducked back inside the ruined church, hoping that whatever it was didn’t see her.

‘What am I doing? I can take it!’

She admonished herself. She’d taken out the drones that had been sent to the manor before.

This would be no different.

“Well… if it really is following me, let’s see if it can keep up.”

With a mischievous grin, she launched herself up through the skylight and high into the air, continuing to pump her wings to go higher.

She passed the shiny thing on her way up, and it wasn’t like the others before.

It was much bigger, for one.

Once she was high enough to almost reach the next layer of atmosphere, she looked down to see that the aerial unit was still there, and still following her.

The sun wasn’t reflecting off of it this time, so she could make out a few more details.

Mainly that it was green and white and… humanoid?

‘A green Pantheon or something?’

She surmised, deciding to tease it a little as she dove to her right, flying as fast as she could go in whatever direction the wind took her. In this instance, it was southwards.

The unit easily fell for her ruse as she led it back towards the ruined church, and the dilapidated town it was part of.

She looked back, seeing that her pursuer was still rather far away.

She laughed out loud, until she saw a stream of strong air erupt from the unit’s back, propelling it forwards until it almost caught up with her.

Panicking slightly, she beat her wings towards the unit, loosing a few black feathers that transformed into darts.

Some of them seemed to hit, momentarily dazing her opponent. She took the opportunity to get some distance, until she chanced another glance behind her and saw a wave of pink energy coming right for her.

“Yipe!”

She cried as she dove under the energy wave, letting it collide with the trees ahead of her.

It chopped off several canopies.

She grinned.

Undeterred, the winged maiden dodged and weaved her way through branches of pine trees until she came to a large clearing.

She turned 180 degrees to face her pursuer, flapping her wings again and loosing more darts.

Only this time they were covered in an ethereal blue flame.

Suigintou almost crash landed into the grass as she evaded another energy wave, skidding to a stop.

Grounded, she summoned her sword and prepared for a duel with this flying unit.

She looked up, eyes widening with intrigue as she saw him approach, diving towards her and his own blades drawn.

She blocked his initial strike, to both their surprise. As far she knew, Suigintou’s sword was made of steel while her opponent’s were energy-based.

Surely, they would’ve been able to slash right through. But they didn’t.

Suigintou used the realization to shove the other combatant away.

They stood a mere ten feet from each other. Well, Suigintou stood.

The reploid in green armor was hovering a few inches above the ground.

He stared at her with piercing, hawk-like emerald eyes until they widened in recognition.

They were silent as they stared each other down, neither making any moves.

“Identify yourself.”

Harpuia commanded.

Suigintou huffed, holding her sword defensively.

“You first.”

He seemed slightly taken aback at the noncompliance.

“Very well… I am General Sage Harpuia of the Strong Air Squadron, Neo Arcadia’s aerial forces.”

He seemed to puff up a little with pride announcing his title.

“And you are, Madam?”

“Suigintou. First of the Rozen Maiden.”

Harpuia’s eyes narrowed.

“Miss Suigintou. Are you aware you were illegally within Neo Arcadian airspace?”

She raised an eyebrow, lowering her sword.

“No? How was I supposed to know?”

“If you were a reploid, you should have received a signal from one of our Comms Towers. No human can fly like you can.”

She smiled arrogantly.

“You’re sweet. But I’m not quite a reploid. Compatible, yes, but definitely not the same.”

She placed a hand on her hip, looking at the general with an almost flirtatious gaze.

“Impressed?”

“Your skills are rather… extraordinary.”

He admitted begrudgingly. He scanned her, finding no means of utilizing long range weaponry on or in her person, nor a sheath for her blade.

“How did you fire those projectiles?”

She shrugged.

“I dunno. I’ve always been able to do that. Call it magic.”

He gave her a deadpan, disbelieving look.

“Magic?”

“It’s the best explanation I can give. I don’t know all the fancy, science words for what I can do.”

She twirled the handle of her blade in her hand.

“So Mister General… why did you really chase me down? Neo Arcadia is much too far away from here for me to have triggered anything.”

She frowned.

“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

He paused, glaring at her indignantly.

She called his bluff.

“How dare you.”

She smirked triumphantly.

“I’m right, aren’t I? So answer the question, Fin-Head. Or would you rather continue our duel? I haven’t had a good sparring partner outside my own family.”

He eyed her with suspicion.

His honor as a gentleman prevented him from immediately taking the woman up on her challenge.

“… Not until you answer a question of mine.”

She huffed.

“Alright, shoot.”

“Speaking of them, I’ll be blunt. What are you and your kind doing in Neo Arcadia? Are you working with the Resistance?”

Suigintou looked confused.

“First of all, that’s two questions. Second, you really needn’t worry about us. We just woke up in this era… what? A couple of months ago? Our youngest did, anyway. I only woke up recently.”

He kept his face placid, but internally his curiosity was piqued.

“How recently?”

“A week or two ago? It’s been an adjustment, both to this age and this body.”

She dismissed her blade in a flash of violet sparkles, feeling her abdomen for emphasis.

Slowly, Harpuia too sheathed his weapons, but remained in the air.

They both seemed to relax a little more now that the weapons were put away, but not entirely off their guard.

“I see… so you have no relation to the Resistance?”

She shrugged.

“I’ve heard rumors, but no. We’ve never met them.”

“…”

Harpuia considered taking her word for it, but he wasn’t that naive.

‘Phantom can tell us a definitive answer.’

“I take you are actually older than your model?”

“Indeed I am. Tell me, General. How much do you know about us? The Rozen Maiden, outside of what your spies have observed?”

He stiffened slightly at the mention of the Neo Arcadian drones.

“We noticed you’ve retired every single surveillance unit that was sent. I’ll admit I’m impressed with your sisters’ battle skills against the Pantheons.”

Suigintou scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Of course we got rid of them! We value our privacy and don’t appreciate anyone peeping on us, or attacking us for that matter.”

Hands on her hips, she took a few steps towards the hovering green reploid.

“I assure you that we’re not doing anything nefarious.”

“The Eight Gentle Judges will determine that in time. As for your query… I haven’t had much opportunity to conduct my own research on the subject. But… from what I’ve been told…”

He paused, gauging her reaction.

“You are much older than you appear.”

“Damn straight. I could be your great-great-grandma.”

Suigintou teased.

“If you want to learn more, why don’t you come back with me? You can meet my sisters, have some tea. Might be nice.”

The way she offered the invitation made Harpuia feel a might flustered for some reason.

She seemed to notice, smiling teasingly.

“You can drink, can’t you?”

“Of course I can.”

Harpuia insisted.

“But I’m afraid I will have to decline your offer.”

“Aw, what’s the matter, flyboy? Are you shy?”

She beat her wings to lift herself to his eye level, doing so at an angle so that she hovered only three feet away.

He tensed, one hand inching towards one of his sheaths.

She couldn’t help but tease this man.

Now that she was so close, she got a good look at his face.

“Wait… have we met before?”

Harpuia internally debated whether he should reveal the truth or not.

“… indeed. I carried Shinku’s purchase for her, if you recall.”

Suigintou had a look of recognition and realization.

“Oh yeah! You were that beanpole she had wrapped around her little finger. Pathetic, if you ask me.”

She laughed at his insulted expression.

“Then again, she’s got the looks to charm anyone.”

Then her expression hardened.

“I don’t mind people flirting with her, or even if she dates a couple of men. I know she can handle herself. However…”

Her pupils narrowed into dangerous slits, cloud-like wisps of blue flame appearing around her as she leered into Harpuia’s face.

“If anyone, including you, hurts her… I will hunt you down and I will turn you into pieces of junk. Understand, Fin-Head?”

He nodded, his head almost colliding with the silver haired maiden’s.

“I understand perfectly, Miss Suigintou. Now would you please get off me?”

“Hm?”

She hadn’t realized how close to the Strong Air General she’d gotten. She was practically on top of him, her right pointer finger pressing into his green chest armor.

With a beat of her wings, she backed off.

“Thank you. It is… unfortunate we had to meet again like this.”

“Agreed. The offer to come by the manor is still open. Or we could meet at the mall again?”

Suigintou suggested.

For some reason, she thought she’d like getting to know this Sage Harpuia.

“Or… maybe… go flying together? Just a thought.”

Harpuia looked at her with surprise.

“I… will consider it. I am quite busy with my duties.”

“I’m sure. You had better get back to it, then.”

Suigintou tried not to let her disappointment show.

“I’ll be heading home myself soon.”

“Right, then. Farewell.”

The green reploid said, somewhat awkwardly. He bowed in a gentlemanly way before he took off into the sky, leaving a blast of air in his wake that nearly knocked Suigintou over.

Suigintou felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she watched him go.

“He is rather good looking…”

She remarked to herself.

“A bit stuffy though. Just like Shinku.”

She sighed, taking off towards home as she thought about how to tell the red maiden about her encounter.

Meanwhile, Rose Cafe…

Hina grunted as she hauled the heavy trash bag out the back door of the cafe into the alley.

It was one adjacent to the alley she’d used to get to work that morning, cut off by a wire fence with the door latched closed.

Propped against the opposite wall was the dumpster, the contents of which the pink maiden could smell as she approached.

She wanted to plug her nose, grimacing as she opened the lid.

“Ew… why do I have to take out the trash?”

She complained, lifting the first bag by its tied end and all but throwing it into the bin.

She repeated the process with the second and third bags, sighing as she slammed the lid back down.

Turning on her heel, she fully intended to go back inside and wash her hands before clocking out for the day.

Before she could take two steps away, she heard rustling noises nearby.

Hinaichigo paused, looking towards where she thought she heard it, but she saw only others’ discarded trash bags, one of which was torn open and spilling garbage.

She grimaced at the sight.

Then she heard the rustling again.

It came from the open bag, or rather, behind it.

Hina kept her eyes on it, slowly stepping towards it with her hand glowing pink, ready to ensnare whatever it was in strawberry vines if it tried to attack her.

She’d learned that trick from Kirakisho.

After a moment, an animal emerged from behind the bag, a banana peel in its mouth that it futilely tried to gnaw on.

Hina gasped.

The animal was a dog, a small to medium size with floppy ears and fur so dirtied it just looked brown.

“Oh, hello.”

The maiden cooed, kneeling down slowly so she didn’t startle the pooch.

From her hand grew a single strawberry vine, producing a single berry that she carefully plucked and held out towards the dog by its leaves.

“Hey, doggy.”

She called, the animal looking towards her.

It tensed, moving into a defensive position with the banana peel clenched tightly in its mouth.

“Want something fresher?”

She inched closer, the strawberry still in her hand.

The dog growled, but then its nose twitched and its big eyes locked into the offered food.

“Sorry.”

Hina placed the berry on the ground and backed away a few inches.

The dog stopped growling, eyeing the berry hungrily. It glanced between it and its maker, before slowly letting the peel fall from its mouth and padding forwards.

It sniffed the berry, before it snatched it off the ground and wolfed it down.

It looked towards Hinaichigo expectantly.

Smiling amusedly, Hina produced a few more berries from her vines which the dog happily ate, its wagging tail sending dirt into the air.

“Aww. There you go.”

The maiden said, kneeling down in front of the dog. It didn’t seem opposed to her presence now, going up to her and rubbing its head against her hand.

It seemed used to people.

She scratched it behind the ears, her hand and nails coming away with a layer of grime.

“Eugh… Aw, you’re a friendly puppy, aren’t you? Where’s your owner?”

Peering around the dog’s neck, she didn’t see a collar.

“No collar… you must be lost, poor thing. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

She stood up, the dog following her as she went back inside, going straight for the restrooms to wash her hands.

“Hey, guys! I’m leaving!”

“Already?”

Suiseiseki asked, poking her head around the corner. Her pink and green eyes looked down at the animal standing next to her younger sister.

“Where’d you find that?”

“By the dumpster. I’m was going to take him home and clean him.”

“Okay…? Why?”

Hinaichigo scoffed.

“Well, look at him! Don’t you think Shinku would adore him?”

“I mean… it is kinda cute. But are you sure we need a dog in the house?”

“Why not? I think it’d be nice if we had a pet.”

Hina said innocently.

“Besides, it hasn’t got a collar.”

Suiseiseki still looked unsure.

“What’s going on over here?”

Robin said suddenly, joining the green maiden in the hallway.

“Gah! Don’t do that!”

Suiseiseki jumped as he came up behind her.

The blonde reploid only smiled apologetically.

“Sorry. … is that a dog?”

“Yep! Is it okay if I go home early to wash him?”

“Hm… I’ll allow it. But I’d advise taking him to a shelter to get him checked over after you’re done. You’ll need to go there anyway if you want to adopt him.”

“Got it!”

Hina said excitedly, mock-saluting her boss.

“Come on, puppy!”

The dog wagged its tail as Hinaichigo bent down and picked the dog up in her arms.

“Oh… I’ll uh… wash the uniform too.”

“Your clothes will still be here.”

Robin assured as the girl went back out the back door and into the alley.

He noticed the look of dread Suiseiseki wore.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m just not looking forward to having to clean its poop.”

She said with a barely concealed groan.

“I should talk to Sou about making the garden dog-proof too.”

The last thing she wanted was to come home to find all the vegetables dug up.

Or worse.

Robin laughed a little.

“Adopting a dog is a lot of work. From what I hear, it’s worth it.”

“I hope so.”

The brunette grunted as she and Robin returned to the front room, where Jackie, Kanaria and Souseiseki were waiting tables and taking orders.

Suiseiseki narrowed her eyes suspiciously at one customer, a black haired man who always sat in the same seat at the same time of day.

He was one of their new regulars.

A Mr. Kuro, whom seemed to prefer the company of Kanaria over any of the other maidens.

Robin insisted it was fine, he wasn’t complaining about the patronage.

The man just rubbed the gardener the wrong way for some reason, but she was too shy to confront him about it.

She was called away before she could dwell more on it, unable to see Kuro as he seemed to stare into space for a moment after Kanaria left.

He chuffed amusedly.

“Thank you for telling me, Harpy. But you know Master wants us to focus on the tasks he assigned us.”

….

“I know, and I am.”

He said solemnly, cutting communication just as the yellow maiden returned with his usual order. They smiled at each other, the girl blushing a little as she poured his tea.

As she left again, Phantom sighed, a steely resolve in his eyes. It was reflected back at him in the tea he held.

“I will be ready.”

Chapter Text

The N-Field always seemed the same every time Kirakisho visited, and yet at the same time, it wasn’t. That fact held true centuries into the future, even when she couldn’t come and go as she pleased.
As a dimension born of the human consciousness it was always fluctuating, changing with the times. Old doors disappeared to make way for new ones as the older generations passed on, often taking their Dream Worlds with them. Though some remained as alternate worlds born of the odd person’s imagination.

Kirakisho hadn’t casually explored the N-Field since she had first reawoken in this new era, giving her little sister the grand tour.

Since then she’d been preoccupied with getting herself and her sisters acclimated to the state of current affairs.
She had been extremely curious to see what else had changed in her absence, as she’d only seen the 0th Level and her own N-Field so far.
World 42951 was much the same was it was the last time she checked in, everything scaled up to match her new physical stature.

From there, she followed a path to the Miniature Garden, which was also largely the same as she remembered it. Everything was still doll-sized and thus a tad too small for the Maidens to truly enjoy now.
‘Perhaps the Maids could get better use out of it. And I mustn't forget Sakurada’s children!’
The White Maiden hadn’t seen the Sakurada Knights since she’d met them back in the 21st Century.

Her nieces and nephews had been quite young then, just learning about the world.

It reminded the white maiden of herself when she was their age.
‘I hope they’re doing alright…’

She had a hand in creating a space similar to the Miniature Garden that their father created for them, based more on a traditional Japanese garden than a European one.

Jun was a good Father like that, taking the time to raise his children with Shinku.

Unlike Rozen. The thought of him left a bitter taste in her mouth.

As Kirakisho considered visiting the Cha-Niwa, as it was called, she noticed a new path had appeared in the Miniature Garden’s hedge maze, leading out from the Garden to presumably Keikujaku’s N-Field.

“I wonder what my dear little sister’s world is like.”

She mused.
“There’s probably not much in it yet. It has only been a couple of months…”

After a moment of inner debate, she decided it would be rude of her to intrude upon Jackie’s N-Field without permission.
“I should ask her if I can see it sometime. I don’t think she’s seen it herself yet.”
She smiled at the thought of another potential bonding experience, making her way out of the Garden and into the Forest of Doors.

The kaleidoscopic environment would drive anyone else insane if they stayed too much longer, but it didn’t bother her anymore.
It hadn’t since the 17th century.

“Maybe I should head back. It should be getting rather late now.”

As she looked around at all the doors on her way back home, she found some familiar, some not.

She noticed at least three turquoise colored strings connecting two different doors together, including the door to her own N-Field. She could only access it through her bedroom mirror now. That was Keikujaku’s power, making connections.

‘In more ways than one’

Kirakisho thought fondly.

Then she happened to glance upwards and spotted a door suspended further away from the others.
Much further than normal.

Kirakisho had figured out long ago that the location of a person’s N-Field Door corresponded to their general location on Earth.
The fact that this Door was so far away… it reminded her of when she’d accidentally peered into the minds of the humans in the International Space Station.

That had been an enlightening experience.

“How unusual… are they in orbit? I thought the Space Station would have been abandoned by now.”

Times like this she really missed her little artificial spirit. Rosary would say something like “Dunno. Wanna find out?”
And Kirakisho would let her curiosity lead the way.

She angled herself and shot upwards, reaching the mysterious door in a matter of minutes.
It looked to be a reddish wood, like cherry or redwood, with a pyramid shaped knob.
It poked her palm as she grasped it, opening the door and peeking through.

She gasped at the sight that greeted her, opening the door fully and stepping across the threshold. 

Her foot almost hit a dark, shapeless blob drenched in liquid, which she carefully avoided stepping on.

Upon closer inspection, she quickly realized that the blob was actually a horribly mangled corpse, beaten and broken until it was almost unrecognizable.

It stunk of blood and rotten meat.
Was it a human? An animal? She really couldn’t tell.

The air smelled acrid and metallic, like a combination of ozone, blood and burning mechanical parts. It nearly burned her nostrils and stung her eyes, causing her to blink rapidly in an effort to block the smoke in the air.
She resisted the urge to cough.

Looking up, the sky was red like fire, as if locked in a permanent sunset. The ground was equally red, stained with what was likely blood from the various organic and inorganic corpses that littered it, or whatever passed for blood within Reploids.
Even the sparse patches of vegetation weren’t spared. The trees were shriveled and blackened into ashen husks and the grass was dry and dyed the same red hue as the soil.

“My God… whose World is this…?”
This… this was horrible! So much carnage- she couldn’t even begin to describe her horror and disgust.

She wouldn’t pretend like she hadn’t seen worse in various humans’ psyches, or imagined something similar herself, but whoever’s dream this was, they either had one of the worst cases of PTSD she’d ever seen or they were severely sick in the head.

And she would know.

A sickening squelch caught her attention as she accidentally stepped on a stray piece of corpse, staining the bottom of her white shoes red.
She grimaced in disgust.

It was then she noticed how eerily silent it was here. No birds, no wind, not even the near-constant background white noise of the N-Field that she swore was there even if others didn’t always believe her.

Like the calm before a storm.
It put her on edge, making her feel like a mouse that had just wandered into a lion’s den.

“I may need to get the twins.”
She muttered.

“This one’s Tree must be so twisted…”
She had moved past the massacre site into a more open area with bits of rubble, run-down concrete structures not nearly large enough for her to hide behind in case this World’s owner felt her intrusion.

A morbid curiosity formed as she continued into the hellscape, glancing back to make sure she left the door ajar a little bit in case she needed to make a run for it.
‘This place is making me so jumpy… I don’t like it, but… there’s something about it. I want to know more.’

As a precaution, Kirakisho took the time to create a white crystal sword, similar to the one Barasuishou used once upon a time. She wanted something to defend herself with, just in case.

Tightening her grip on her newly made weapon, she marched forwards, eventually coming upon the copse of shriveled up and blackened trees she’d previously spotted from afar.
She rested her hand upon one, pieces of its ashen bark breaking off at her touch.
‘Poor things… Suiseiseki would be heartbroken.’

A sudden noise, like a sort of humming, caught her attention. She peered out into the distance, where she spied flashes of violet light occurring in tandem with the humming.
The chilling sound of someone laughing maniacally also reached her ears.

A jolt of fear ran through her at the sound, as if telling her to flee before They discovered her trespassing. She almost gave in to the fear, one foot positioned to run, but something told her to stay and investigate. Whether it was her own curiosity or this World, she couldn’t be sure.

After a moment of indecision, Kirakisho cautiously stepped closer towards the source of the laughter and the violet light, using the blackened trees as cover.

Peeking out from behind one, she spotted a piece of rubble large enough for her to properly hide behind.
Just as she started to make to her way to it, she saw him.
His back was turned to her as he all but slaughtered a small incoming army of robots and humans in one swing of his energy sword.

“Oh… my…”

It was like nothing she’d ever seen, except perhaps in sci-fi horror anime, and she hadn’t seen many of those.
He was definitely a reploid, similar in build to the others in Neo Arcadia, and yet entirely different.
His weapon reminded her of what Sage Harpuia reportedly wielded.
‘What were they called again…? Sabers?’

“HAHAHAHA!!!”
The stranger cackled as he sliced another small horde of dreamed-up opponents to shreds in seconds, his blade of violet light and fire reflecting off his long pale blonde hair and crimson armor.
The color scheme almost reminded Kirakisho of Shinku. Though she was certain the Red Maiden would be insulted to be compared to such a brutish man.

Brutish.
That was a good word to describe him, but Powerful and Beautiful were also good descriptors in Kirakisho’s mind.
He suddenly started to turn towards her, seemingly bored with the enemies constantly assaulting him.
Realizing she’d been rooted to the spot in the open for too long, she tried to hurry towards the boulder.
Luckily, he never saw her.

“Come on! Don’t you hunks of junk have anything new to offer me!?”
The warrior frowned when no answer came.
No more enemies appeared, and the ones he’d already downed didn’t dare try to get up.
Then his visual and auditory sensors picked up movement out the corner of his eye.

Though she was a fair bit away, hidden from his sight behind the boulder, the girl couldn’t help but blush after seeing his face and hearing his deep, masculine voice.
‘He’s so hot… Wait! No! Bad Kirakisho!’
She berated herself.
That sadist was likely the owner and creator of this Dream World, and thus very much dangerous and in desperate need of Soul Tree maintenance.

Just as she made to sneak a peek to make absolutely sure he didn’t see her, her crystal sword accidentally hit the boulder she was hiding behind.
It made a ringing sound that would’ve been pretty if it didn’t cause a cold pit of dread to form in Kirakisho’s synthetic stomach.
Immediately, the red clad warrior turned towards the noise, a manic grin spreading on his face.

Thinking quickly, Kirakisho started forming a white crystal shield as the warrior approached.
She wasn’t given much time before the boulder split apart like a cracked egg, and only then did she see the blood red eyes of her attacker.

Part of her wanted to flee immediately, but another wanted to stay and fight.

“Oh? This is different.”
He stated when he saw the white shield obscuring Kirakisho from his view.
‘Oh no his voice is hot too…’

She shut down that train of thought before she could get too flustered to pay attention.
Standing her ground, she used white rose vines to tie her hand to the hilt of her sword so it couldn’t be knocked away, and tried to telekinetically shield-bash her opponent.

Only for him to grab her shield by its side and toss it away like it was nothing.

It shattered on impact with the ground.

He paused when he saw the woman in white, pointing her crystal sword at his face defensively.
“Finally…”

He growled, raising his violet light sword to meet the white crystal, refracting its light within.

“A new challenger…”

He stared into her golden eyes, taking in her appearance with morbid curiosity.
“And such a pretty one too.”

She blushed but didn’t waver in her stance.
“You think I’m pretty? I’m flattered, but it won’t get you anywhere with me.”
She teased, covering up her jitters.

The red warrior raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk forming on his face.
“Huh. My opponents here don’t usually speak to me like that. It’s a nice change of pace.”

He shrugged.
“But it doesn’t really matter. I’m still going to enjoy destroying you.”

At that, Kirakisho smirked, masking her fear.
“Think again, handsome.”

All at once, she summoned her signature white rose vines and ensnared the warrior’s legs.

“Tch!”
He looked down at the thorny vines with distaste, already breaking them apart with sheer strength.
“What’s this? Flimsy bindings like this won’t be enough to hold me.”

“Call it a special power only I possess. It might not be able to hold someone as obviously strong as you for long… but there’s much more where they came from.”

With a mischievous grin, the girl suddenly vanished.

“What-? A trick?”

Confused, but excited at the new and unique challenge, the blood red warrior tore away the vines that held his legs with his saber.
He backed up, looking every which way for the mysterious opponent.

“Where did you go?”
He muttered, red eyes glimmering like a predator searching for prey.

“Over here!”
He spun around at the call, seeing the girl in white, stark against the red environment a short distance away. She stood among the corpses of robots he’d slain mere moments ago.

“An illusionist, eh? Your tricks won’t save you forever!”
He yelled as he sped over, only to almost crash headfirst into a giant white crystal spike that emerged from the ground. Slicing through it with his energy blade, he was almost impaled by another as he made to jump off the makeshift platform.
Several more large spikes sprang from the ground, growing tall and surrounding him.

Energy built up in his right palm.

“Grr… annoying…”

With a mighty roar, he ground pounded the crystal platform, creating a shockwave that blasted the makeshift crystal prison into millions of fragments. Each were sent careening in different directions, but Kirakisho stopped them before they hit her.
She then redirected the shards and launched them back at the warrior.
He was quick to use his sword to slice through the projectiles, inching ever closer to his target.

A grin, not as manic as before but still excited, spread on his face as he marched forwards.
“Haha! Yes! This is what I’ve been missing!”

“I’m glad you approve. This World you’ve conjured up needed a little… something. I mean no offense, but it’s… well, it’s a bit boring, don’t you think?”

The stranger bellowed out an amused laugh.
“I couldn’t agree more! I’ve been stuck in here for God knows how long, honing my skills, waiting for the day when I can finally dominate the world as I was meant to.”

Kirakisho couldn’t help but be bewildered.
“What do you mean ‘dominate’? I’ll admit you’re a very powerful warrior, but a ruler? I think not.”

He huffed, once again raising his blade in preparation.

“And who are you to say such blasphemy to a God?”

Kirakisho quirked an eyebrow, still holding her sword ready.
‘A God? Really? Someone has a complex…’

“Who am I? My name is Kirakisho, the seventh Rozen Maiden. And you are…?”

“HA! As if you don’t know who I am.” 

He said rather arrogantly.

Silence followed, during which realization dawned in his crimson eyes.
“Wait… you really don’t, do you? Ha ha ha…”

He laughed.
“Has history already forgotten me? ME?”

His laughter turned hysterical, bordering on maniacal.

Her grip tightened on her crystal sword again, this time with a solid plan in mind.

“My name is Omega! Remember that, Kirakisho! For I AM THE MESSIAH! HAHAHA!” 

With that, he suddenly blasted forward, almost knocking the white maiden to the ground as she blocked his blade with her own.

It surprisingly held up against the heat of the energy blade. But at the same time it wasn’t surprising at all.
‘This may be his Dream World. But the N-Field is my domain. Anything goes in dreams.’

After a bit of struggle, Kirakisho managed to kick her assailant off, giving her some room to breathe.
The moment didn’t last long before he was upon her again, this time forcing her to dodge a skewering attempt.

What he didn’t notice was the slithering web of thorny white vines the maiden had hidden among the robotic corpses.

One stray vine suddenly shot up and tangled itself around the red-eyed blonde’s wrist, and then another around the other wrist, and another around his neck and torso.
He easily broke his bindings, again lunging at the girl in white with his violet blade.
She dodged again, his weapon only grazing the ends of her peach blonde hair.

She threw an array of crystal darts at him, only for them to be shattered by an energy wave from his blade.
Kirakisho was forced get out of the way, landing on her side in the dirt and her sword’s binding severed by the wave. It fell from her hand.

Before she could get up, Omega was upon her, ready to plunge his sword into her chest.
She barely blocked it with a crystal shield, slowly getting back on her feet as they both pushed.

She screamed in frustration as she tried to push forward against the intense pressure, several white vines jumping at the Dark Messiah like snakes, seemingly in response to her distress.

“Grah! Damn pests!”

He growled, for every vine he broke two more took its place.

This went on until his limbs were completely encased in rose vines, the thorns digging into his exposed synth-skin.
Panting a little from the exertion, Kirakisho converted her shield into a layer of white crystal over the bindings just to ensure the they held.

Omega had been forced to drop his own blade.

The White Maiden quickly snatched it up with a vine and encased it in crystal, deactivating the plasma construct.

Omega glowered hatefully at the yellow eyed girl.
“You little Miststück“

Kirakisho smirked playfully, knowing she’d won for now as she stepped on her fallen blade and let it shatter. 

She knew she should probably leave while she could… but she couldn’t help teasing this man.

“Oh, I didn’t know you spoke German!
Seid ihr auch in deutschland entstanden?“

Were you created in Germany as well?

“… no.”
He seemed surprised, yet defiant.
“Germany doesn’t exist anymore. I made sure of that.”

“Really? It looked fine to me, but I wouldn’t really know. I only woke up a few months ago.”

Omega seemed intrigued.
“You said ‘woke up’, not ‘activated’.”

“I did. Though, I suppose this body was activated then. Just between you and me, I wasn’t always an android.”

“Oh?”
Just a little longer…

She smiled almost wistfully as she started to walk away.
“Yes. Originally, I was but a doll. Built by a master of his craft.”
She put a finger to her chin as she thought about something.

“I believe I was originally created sometime in the… late 1500s? Give or take a couple decades. I’m not really sure.”
She turned to face the bound reploid, pointing an authoritative finger at him.

“That does not mean you get to call me old!”

”I won’t. It’d be an insult to your creator’s lovely craftsmanship.”
The compliment was likely meant to fluster and confuse her, which she knew, but she couldn’t help the blush.

She noticed him struggling against his bindings, and remembered what he said about being trapped in this place.
“But you know… when I was created… I was without a body.”
She suddenly disappeared, reappearing in Omega’s peripheral vision.

“I know all too well what it’s like to be stuck in a plane of non-existence. My father hid my body from me for CENTURIES… led me to believe I was created without one. It. Was. Maddening.”

An insane grin spread on her face as she just appeared in front of her captive, rose vines surrounding her and reinforcing the ones holding Omega.

Just as quickly as it happened, she was back to normal.
He seemed surprised by it, processing this new information. He didn’t know if this woman was something he conjured or an invader.

That was when she finally decided to leave the bloodstained Dream World.

“Hahaha! That was fun! We should do this again sometime! Get that rust off my skills.”

The statement only seemed to fuel Omega’s anger, urging him to struggle more against his seemingly flimsy bindings.

When she reached the dead trees, Kirakisho heard an explosion behind her, the shockwave helping her forwards as she booked it towards the Door.

She spotted it as soon as she left the vicinity of the trees.

“KOMM ZURÜCK, DU ALTE HEXE!”
Get back here you old hag!

Omega screamed as he dashed his way towards where he saw the white maiden last.

He saw her, wrenching open a strange red wood door.
She looked back at him, the fear in her eyes melting away to mirth.

“Well then, Komm und hol mich!”

come and get me!

With that, she slammed the door behind her.
She breathed a heavy sigh, a bit exhausted after the ordeal.

Her curiosity was sated. For the moment.
As she floated away, she looked back at the door.

“Hm…”

As a precaution, Kirakisho bound the door closed with her vines. Not too soon after that, she heard violent banging from behind it.
But it held firm, undamaged.

She looked down at the crystallized hilt in her hand.
“Well… at least I have an excuse to see him again.”
She giggled to herself.

Despite how harrowing it was, she could admit that the experience was actually quite fun.

“I’ll have to prepare some new tricks so he won’t get too bored of the same old-same old.”

This would be her little secret for now.