Story Reader / Affection / Liv: Limpidity / Story
The battle ends with you and Liv disarming the unit known as G94, though it still nervously keeps its gun turret raised.
Wh-what do you want?! Even if your voice sounds like my little master's, I w-won't let you pass, you wretched Punishing Virus!
You think... we're the Punishing Virus?
A glance passes between you and Liv, a shared moment of bewildered amusement faced with such an absurd accusation.
My master's orders were clear! Anyone who tries to get near "Gray Wing" who isn't the little master is the Punishing Virus. They must be eliminated!
Little one... no, Mr. G94. This "little master" you mentioned—
She's a human girl called "Liv".
What if I told you... I am Liv?
The two of you spend what feels like an age explaining the Punishing Virus and Construct modifications to the mechanoid G94, all while correctly answering no fewer than ten security questions about Liv's mother...
By the time G94 achieves its moment of clarity and finally acknowledges you both, the forest is already steeped in dusk.
Oh... I see. I knew your voice was a comfort to my circuits... So you are the little master... just in a new form. A "Construct". And this person with you is your commandant.
G94 leads you and Liv deeper into the verdant gloom, its gun turret rotating with a soft whir as you walk.
We've arrived. Here it is.
Brilliant silver light flares against your retinas. Your brain takes a full five seconds to resolve the spray-painted letters on the surface.
An aircraft. "Gray Wing-537".
It is a flying vessel from the Golden Age, with an impossibly wide wingspan and cabin windows designed to open and close.
You remember F.O.S.'s aviation magazine featuring this unique model.
Its wind capture system could maximize the transformation of wind energy into engine power.
It relies on manual power for low-altitude flight, engages its engine in strong winds, and handles turbulence with remarkable grace.
The magazine's final assessment called it an excessively "romantic" design.
Now, those horizon-spanning wings rest in the twilight, their metallic coating reflecting a shimmering, water-like dance of light.
The vessel has sunk into this deep ocean of trees, and you feel yourself drowning alongside it—your breath caught in your throat, a cry lodged silent within.
The swaying sunlight weaves a glistening film that ripples just beyond your fingertips, beckoning—
"Return to the sky..."
The forest is an ocean where beasts slumber, but a bird's heart knows no peace here.
The leaves rustle as the wind arrives. Your heartbeat thrums, faint at first, then growing more eager... Thump. Thump. Thump...
You leap into the boundary between sea and sky.
Gales howl with savage fury, thunder shattering the soul within your shell.
Such agony. Such joy. This is where it belongs.
The sky.
"Return to the sky..."
Commandant? Commandant!
A moment of weightlessness washes over you.
Your senses snap back. The solid ground is beneath your feet, your palm pressed flat against the cold, silver-gray wing.
Liv watches you, her eyes etched with worry, silently asking if you are alright.
You have just shared an inexplicable journey with this aircraft, a vivid adventure that unfolded entirely within your mind, something profound and beyond words.
Commandant, you were totally spaced out for a second there. I almost thought a ghost had taken away your soul.
Rather than calling you back, I'd much prefer to hop in the cockpit with you and take it for a spin.
Well, the God of Wind's not on our side today. Gray Wing needs a stronger breeze than this. Let's try another day.
Before that, I really want to find that fairy tale book... Come on, we're almost at my "secret base." My mom's stuff should be right up ahead.
Right. We're almost at my "secret base." My mom's stuff should be right up ahead.
As the doorknob turns and the two of you step inside, a soft rustling from behind the door catches your attention. The opening door has touched something—something light and made of paper.
Sunlight, the carefree gold of childhood, spills into the room with your entrance.
The windows are filled with a dreamy, platinum glow, as if gazing out would reveal a future where imagination ran wild and free.
Searching for the source of the sound, your eyes find what is scattered across the floor behind the door.
Paper airplanes...
Weathered by years, the old paper has yellowed, gone brittle, seeming ready to crumble at the slightest touch. Liv kneels and carefully cradles some in her palms.
I must've folded all these paper airplanes when I was little... but why are there so many?
What for... Hmm, it's not coming back to me...
They say if you write a wish on a paper plane and let it fly in the monsoon air, the God of Wind will grant it. It's a way to ask for the divine blessing.
—The paper is completely blank.
The child who folded them seemed too shy to confess her wishes, leaving not a single character behind as a trace.
She tries another. Also blank. Not a single airplane in the entire scattered fleet carries little Liv's wish.
It's been too long... I can't even remember what I wished for as a kid.
After gathering them all, you take a few steps deeper into the room. The wooden floorboards creak a soft, joyful welcome. Then, your foot bumps against something solid. Looking down, you find a small chair.
It's a table. Calliope had a carpenter make it specially for me. That's why it's so low that people often mistake it for a chair. It may look like nothing special, but actually...
Like a magician unveiling a trick, Liv draws a drawer with trinkets gleaming inside from beneath the slender table.
Ta-da! These are all my treasures.
The usually serene girl flashes a proud smile.
Neatly arranged golden candy wrappers, translucent glass marbles, and perfectly smooth river pebbles... These childhood treasures shimmer in the sunlight, glowing with vibrant energy.
Just as she is about to hand the entire "table" over for you to inspect, a small glass marble slips through a gap and tumbles onto the floor.
But before it can roll more than a few steps away, she catches it deftly between her fingers. Slowly rising to her feet, she turns toward a massive wooden frame standing dormant before her.
Is this... a bookshelf?
As she draws away the cloth covering it, rows of colorful books are revealed like unearthed artifacts, bathed in the reverent glow of sunlight.
Gazing at the shelves filled with fairy tale books, Liv unconsciously reaches out, letting her fingers trail gently across their spines.
It's been so long...
She murmurs softly, as if greeting a friend she hasn't seen in years.
After losing herself in memory for a long moment, she finally turns to you, twirling a strand of her long hair with a touch of shy embarrassment.
Commandant, this might sound a little silly, but...
Would you want to read these fairy tales with me?
Yes!
So the little frog, after traveling all by himself for so long, finally saw it—what he thought was the real ocean, glittering up ahead! But when he got closer, he realized it wasn't water. Those were stars, all around him. He'd actually hopped all the way to the moon without even knowing...
There was a legend about an evil dragon that stole a princess. When the knight finally tracked them down to a cave, ready to fight, the dragon had shapeshifted. It looked exactly like the princess...
Oh, and this one too...
With visible delight, she introduces one fairy tale after another, painting the wondrous scenes that once filled her childhood.
Night has fallen by the time Liv finally closes the last book, her reluctance palpable. She prepares the beds in silence, heats water without a word, and continues quietly to...
Hmm? Oh... yes?
The girl, who had been pacing restlessly, finally comes to a halt.
In the dim light, her expression is difficult to read, a mixture of dejection and deep thought shadowing her features.
I'm starting to think... maybe I remembered it wrong.
We've looked through every book, but it's not in any of them...
It's a secret.
You're the one I especially can't tell.
A story she's deliberately keeping from you? Liv rarely refuses your requests, yet she's surprisingly firm this time.
At least not now... not until I know how it ends.
A warm blush blooms across her cheeks, her eyes darting away in a futile search for escape.
What if it's a bad ending?
But... I really do believe in them.
She answers softly, her eyes gleaming with the pure, innocent wonder of a child.
The Little Prince will find his way back to his planet, the frog receives a kiss from his beloved, Snow White awakens from her slumber...
I believe that stories like those are truly happening, somewhere in the world.
Even if it's in some tiny, forgotten corner of the world... that little bit of hope is all people need to cherish life, to live on.
As if to catch an invisible ray of light, she gently extends her hands, tenderly cradling it in her palms.
This story I'm trying to find... it's like a match flame on a cold night. It's not very bright, only flickering faintly in my memory.
But even so, I still cherish its warmth... because in that flickering light, I can almost see you there...
Ah! I-I must sound so childish, talking about believing in fairy tales...
Huh?
I'm so glad to hear that... Then you must understand how I feel. I can't tell you yet, because I'm scared...
Yes... But if it's a happy ending, I'll tell you right away!
Uh...
As if she were a child seen right through to her soul, she ducks her head in bashfulness, her fingers fidgeting nervously before she slowly surfaces from the depths of her feelings.
Th-there's no teacher around!
Caught completely off guard by such an unexpected response, the girl, already adrift in her emotions, suddenly finds herself in a whirl of confusion.
She always falls for that impossibly long title she can't recite in a single breath, and ends up unwittingly agreeing to your supposedly "unreasonable" requests.
I suppose that's true... Well then...
...Then don't sit across from me.
It's just... telling a story like this, face to face... feels so embarrassing...
Come over here and lie down on my bed. Like how I did when my mom told me stories... Rest your head here.
She looks away, shyness overtaking her, and her hand pats her lap.
Mhm, that's good... Ready?
She begins to stroke your hair, her touch impossibly gentle. When she speaks, her voice is soft and tender, like a mother's soothing whisper at bedtime.
Today's story is called "The Maiden of Eden".
In a world from a long time forgotten.
The azure sky stretched endlessly overhead, while the emerald earth spread boundlessly beneath.
Light streamed through the clouds like the solitary gaze of gods, watching over the land below.
In that vast expanse, a maiden stood alone.
For ages beyond count, she remained here in solitude.
One day... two days? One year... a hundred years? Time had long since lost all meaning.
Oh my goodness... She must feel so lonely!
Yes, she was very lonely, but... cough... cough... cough...
Mommy? Mommy! Are you alright?
It's nothing, sweetheart. Mommy's just a little tired. I need to go somewhere to take a vacation...
What about me? Will I have to stay here all alone?
Daddy and Calliope will stay with you...
But I want you to be here too, Mommy. Can't you stay with me?
I will become a little star in the sky, watching over you, Liv.
Then I'll fly up to the sky to find you... I'll use... I'll use... this gray plane we're sitting in right now!
Little Liv proudly patted the cockpit beneath her feet.
...The little stars are very far away, you know. Gray Wing can't fly that high.
...Then what should I do?
It might not fly very high, but maybe it can keep you company. Just like I do. It might even... keep the other girl company, the maiden from the story.
Really? But it's just a plane...
This is a fairy tale, sweetheart. You have to use your imagination.
But Daddy said fairy tales are all made up...
Oh, Daddy's a big silly. You can't believe what a silly person says.
So... Cinderella and Pinocchio and the Little Prince... they're all real?
Of course they are! You're still little now, Liv, but when you grow up, you'll get to meet all of them.
And not just them, you'll also meet someone who will love you very, very much.
Who... who is it?
I don't know either... Let's just call that person Liv's special someone, okay?
And that person will stay by your side forever. Even longer than Daddy and I can.
So... how long will it take for that person to come to me?
It might be tomorrow, or you might have to wait a little while...
Really...? Will I have to wait for a very, very long time?
I promise, when you're all grown up, that person will be there before you even know it.
Come here, bring your ear close... I'll tell you a secret... When you finally meet that person...
...
She couldn't remember how long that night was, only the perfect clarity of the sky—the stars hanging brilliantly above, winking like kindly, smiling eyes.
Lulled by that bittersweet tale, she listened to her mother's voice linger by her ear, her face as hazy and distant as the starlight itself.
She saw her mother close the book of fairy tales and felt gentle pats on her back as her own eyes fluttered shut, carrying her into soft, sweet dreams.
Now, years later, she opens her eyes... She hears that story again, this time from her own lips, and a warmth of tears blurs the room into a shimmering haze.
