Story Reader / Affection / Karenina: Scire / Story
Karenina: Scire VI
The sun sets, and the CPF hums in the silent night. As the reconstruction effort progresses steadily and with the resources gradually arriving, the residents of the conservation area no longer sleep in fear.
It is a full moon tonight. With the sky looking brighter than usual, the children are allowed to play outside for a little longer while those who have finished their work gather in small groups around simple campfires.
Before you realize it, you are surrounded by children, their blinking and twinkling eyes widening as you tell your heroic tales in the Task Force.
Not all your stories are suitable for them, however. They have seen enough cruelty even at their age.
What happens aftterward? Can Karenina defeat the monster if it's so powerful?
What are you guys talking about? It sounds fun. Mind if I join you?
The supervisor arrives with a pot of cold stew, sitting next to the children.
Lee can hit an auto turret of the Corrupted from 800 miles away! Twice!
Jonathan jumps up, spinning the small plastic pistol in his hand before blowing at the tip of the barrel.
Lucia's sword dance can freeze a room!
Kelly makes a convincing stance with her wooden sword. You recall the supervisor telling you that she has been practicing combat techniques ever since she was rescued.
Liv can fly and control eight Levi-Guns at the same time!
The children relate the stories of Gray Raven to the supervisor, each one adding their flourishes. The supervisor chuckles as the stories go on, his tiredness swept away from the warmth by this campfire.
Except...
You cannot help but be impressed by the children's creativity...
Especially the part where Liv performed a suplex on a Musashi IX.
Still, you are giggling like the rest of the people by the fire.
And! And! Bossma'am can make beautiful fireworks with her cannon!
Go with us, Commandant! We'll ask Bossma'am to show us when she's free!
Wright dances around in his seat with his drone in his arms. That is when you notice that someone has painted an angry rabbit on the small machine.
You immediately think of the raging expression of a certain individual and how her rabbit-ear-shaped Inver-Devices flip over.
Similar to what?
What?!
Even her angry screams sound like... Wait a minute.
You quickly turn around to find Karenina standing behind you with a look as furious as the little rabbit on the drone.
Karenina is here!
You promptly deny any wrongdoings on your part. Fortunately, she does not look angry anymore, only tilting her head in confusion.
The engineer behind her, however, is chuckling quietly. Noticing your gaze, he pretends to cough before giving you a huge thumbs-up.
Baffling... Whatever!
The supervisor said you were looking for me?
Where is it? I want to go too! I want to...
Wright springs up energetically, only to be held back by the supervisor before he can finish speaking.
Don't be a third wheel on their date, you little punk.
...Date...
Karenina's expression shifts. Stoically she turns to you, her face screaming, "Explain immediately."
...Oh.
You were hoping to explain yourself, worrying that she would get upset, but Karenina looks even angrier right now...
Her expression does not change, but her Inver-Devices stand up in a snap.
Jeez! Move! Start walking!
Going for broke, Karenina grabs your hand and heads out. Without the light from the fire, you can only see the slight hint of red that frames her ears.
What?!
Without turning around, Karenina keeps walking straight with your hand in hers.
...
Tell me sooner next time!
You lead Karenina to the fairground, stopping before the Ferris wheel.
Why did you take me here?
You head to the control room and make one final safety check before initiating the power system of the Ferris wheel step by step.
You have rehearsed it with the engineer once already, but you cannot help but feel nervous right now.
Karenina hears the familiar sound of giant machinery running and finds herself bathed in light.
The sleeping Ferris wheel begins to spin. Kaleidoscopic neon lights brighten the night sky, illuminating the desolate fairground.
A breeze gently caresses Karenina's face. She finds herself inside a fairy tale.
D-did you do this?
I see... Fixing the Ferris wheel...
Hmm... Captain was right. Machines of this scale often come with their own power system.
That Ferris wheel is in pretty good condition. Pretty sturdy too. Shouldn't be too difficult to make it run again.
Sure.
Let's give Captain a surprise!
That's alright. This isn't anything complicated.
Not to mention that Captain has completed several reconstruction plans all by herself... We're actually quite free at the moment.
The engineer scratches his head and grins, shamefaced.
...
Standing before a cabin of the Ferris wheel, you extend your hand toward Karenina.
Since you asked... I'll begrudgingly agree!
Despite what she says, Karenina looks far from reluctant. Instead, she quickly pushes you inside the cabin before jumping in herself.
Your passenger car slowly rises, and your view gradually expands.
The conservation area turns into small blocks, the horizon in the distance fading in and out. You might be used to seeing the surface in a bird's eye view, but this slow and calming climb is giving you new perspectives.
As if, for a brief moment, this small corner of the world is free from dangers and worries.
Why did you want to fix the Ferris wheel?
You point to the horizon.
Repaired street lamps and reconstruction sites pave the space between the conservation area and the CPF... Warm lights shine where people are, twinkling like stars, forming an unbreakable net, connecting and extending.
Lights...
Staring at the stars underneath her, Karenina understands what you are trying to say.
Grandpa once told me that cities in the Golden Age shone even at night. They were so bright that you could see them from space.
But the earth I saw on Babylonia after I became a Construct has always been shrouded in darkness...
Your cabin stops briefly as it reaches the top of the Ferris wheel, and the whole city lays bare before you. Karenina places her hands on the fence and looks into the distance.
Hey! Look at that!
Once that highway is fixed, we can transport supplies between those three nodes.
Conservation area 073 has a sizable farm. The temporary hospital here is almost complete. The power station to the west has started working.
People can be self-sufficient by exchanging resources between the different nodes.
The dots connect into lines... and the lines form planes. As if passing a torch from one to another, they will soon light up this world again.
She holds out her hand as though she wants to grasp the lights below. Karenina grins, her eyes glistening with pride.
But... I won't be satisfied!
One day, we will retake our home and put a light on every corner of every city! The Engineering Force will not stop fighting! Not now, not ever!
Karenina lets out her grand visions, her eyes radiating with a fire more fierce than any flame.
W-why are you looking at me like that?!
Hmph... Did you just notice it now? Better late than never, I suppose.
I'll do even better in the future, so watch carefully!
...
Blushing redness spreads from her cheeks, all the more apparent under the bright moonlight. Karenina seems to want to say something, but she just lowers her head in the end.
"Stupid." You seem to catch her mouthing that word before she turns away.
Your passenger car soon reaches the ground once again. In the distance, a few children are dragging the engineer and the supervisor toward here. You reckon they have seen the Ferris wheel and all its lights turning on.
Way too fast...
The Ferris wheel! It spins way too fast! What fun is there if it ends so quickly?
I still haven't... Aaargh! I'm going to calibrate it tomorrow! You're coming with me!
Go back and get some rest. We've got a lot to do tomorrow! You're not going to slow us down by napping at work!
Karenina jumps out of the cabin, waving at you spiritedly.
And you step forward.
