Volume 15 Chapter 4 The Dolls' Tea Party
'――It's been about 1000 years since we last talked, Onette?'
In the Holy King's room, there was a tea table.
On it, Juju was enjoying tea time.
Surrounding the table were Fuuko, a girl in a wheelchair, and a gigantic doll-like figure with a goddess-like appearance, Onette (also known Onette Marionette).
'......Zzzz.'
'Don't sleep, it's impolite. This is my presence, you know?'
'Mu......I was found out.'
Onette said without any signs of remorse, her voice devoid of emotion, like a machine.
'...Juju is still the same. It feels like no time has passed at all.'
'You've changed a lot, haven't you? Your feminine power has decreased, hasn't it?'
'Is that so? In my heart, I'm still the same as when I was a maiden.'
'Let's get to the main topic already.'
She placed the teacup on the saucer.
'Onette...you're the one who brought me and Noroa together, aren't you?'
Juju said, narrowing her eyes.
Noroa thinks that Fuuko, the doll maker, is the mastermind, but in this world, it's common for dolls to pull the strings from behind the scenes. That's why Juju had suspected Onette from the start.
After all, only Seven Dolls know about Juju and Noroa's powers.
'Ah......'
The goddess-like figure scratched her head.
'Probably, that's correct.'
'Both the master and the servant are useless.'
"We're not master and servant? We're friends?"
Fuuko quickly corrected.
"More importantly, Onette? My tea is running out."
'Ah......I'm sorry, Fuuko. I'll refill it right away.'
'It still looks like a master-servant relationship to me.'
It didn't seem like they had a bad relationship, but it was a hard-to-understand connection.
'At least... I thought about the letter's content myself and had Fuuko write it for me.'
'As expected. It's my excellent deduction, after all.'
'But about the curse in Town of Mahariji...... I haven't done anything about it yet.'
'......yet?'
Juju makes a suspicious face.
'Well, whatever. So, what's your goal? You're using Noroa's power, but what do you plan to do?'
'Eh, th-that's...'
"...Collecting the Seven Dolls?"
Fuuko answers instead of the hesitant Onette.
"Using the power of the Seven Dolls to control the world. A world where equipment surpasses humanity. That's our ardent desire, Onette and mine?"
'...I thought you'd be thinking of something ridiculous, but...collecting the Seven Dolls, huh?'
Juju glares at the 2, her eyes narrowing.
"Does that...'include Noroa', too?"
'Of course, it does.'
Onette laughs, her voice echoing "Clack, clack, clack..."
'Because he's one of the Seven Dolls, right?'
'...Yeah, that's right.'
The artificial hero ―― Multicolored Puppet, Noroa Homunculus.
One of the Seven Dolls, controlling the colors of desire.
The only equipment that can equip equipment.
A powerful weapon created to become a hero, with unparalleled strength and ignorance.
That's the true identity of Noroa Rator.
Noroa once said he couldn't love humans, but that's only natural.
If love can only be nurtured between the same kind.
The object of his love is ―― equipment only.
'...You know about Noroa, and yet...'
'We won't do anything bad, I promise. I just want to get my family back...'
Onette's tone suddenly becomes serious.
'I want to create a utopia for equipment...where we can live happily with our family, just like before. That's my dream.'
"For that, we will borrow Noroa Rator's power a little?"
'...What a ridiculous reason.'
There's no sign of them lying to each other. If Noroa use the Compass Eye, he'd probably get the answer "There's no liar in this room."
'This country hunts "Cursed Users"...to free equipment from humanity, right?'
"That's part of it, too."
'Well, I think I understand about 20% of what you're saying.'
'80% of the time, I didn't get it...'
'Honestly, I don't care what you guys are planning. But...'
"But?"
'...if you do something to Noroa, I won't forgive you.'
Juju summoned a shining needle in her hand.
Delicate, provocative, and beautifully cursed
――A sewing needle to curse her own body.
It was the form of love of the Cursed Doll (Juju Wala Doll).
'Noroa is no longer bound by the past. Nor is it a weapon or a hero. Noroa is... "already"...'
She thrust the shining needle tip at the 2 of them like a declaration of war.
'...What a shame. I wanted to get along with you guys.'
"Really?"
Fuuko narrowed her eyes.
"So, if we were to do something to Noroa-Rator... what would you do?"
'I'll Juju-punch you!'
'...You won't use that needle, will you?'
'I might use it sometimes.'
'...What's with you, going that far for him?'
Onette tilted her head, looking puzzled.
'I thought you were always bullying him in my memories.'
'...Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's why they say you're lacking in feminine power, don't they?'
'You're telling me this for the first time today.'
'You don't understand the heart of a maiden.'
Juju brushed her hair back.
'A maiden is someone who wants to be mean to the person they're interested in, right?'
'...Exactly... Has it been that long?'
Juju smiled mischievously.
Fuuko and Onette opened their eyes wide in unison.
* * *
"A lost doll? A girl doll with a sullen face..."
"No, I haven't seen it. Why would there be a doll in the Great Holy Castle?"
"I always carry it with me."
"Huh..."
I went back to the Great Holy Castle to look for Juju, but couldn't find her
I asked around if anyone had seen a lost item, but there was no response.
If I had to think about it, I'd say I forgot something in Miss Fuuko's room... But even if I wanted to, I couldn't just casually enter the Holy King's room.
"Ugh... I'm beat."
I wandered around the corridors of the Great Holy Castle for a while, feeling lost.
"I'm back~."
Juju returned, looking carefree.
She climbed onto my body, making herself at home on my shoulder, like it was her designated spot.
...It's surprisingly heavy.
'Were you lonely without me?'
"No, not particularly."
'......'
"Rather, where did you go? The restroom?"
'Ew, a beautiful girl like me wouldn't go to the restroom! Even if I did, I'd just lay eggs or something!'
"What kind of ecosystem do you have, anyway?"
As always, she's a mysterious doll.
"Rather, let's head back quickly. Cirrul and the others are waiting outside."
'Wait a minute.'
Just as I was about to leave, Juju pulled my ear to stop me.
"...That's not a control lever, you know."
'Rather, do you like equipment, Noroa?'
"What's with you suddenly bringing up something so obvious?"
'So, what do you think of me? Am I still cute?'
"...No, that's what I find weird too."
I chuckled wryly and scratched my head.
"You're somehow my type, but I don't know why. Maybe I was bullied by you in a past life or something..."
'......'
"What's with the silent treatment and the face-pulling?! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
'...Hmph.'
Juju turned away, pouting.
'...You don't understand the heart of a maiden.'
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