“So — Doctor Regina Babylon built a sky-floating island called Babylon more than 5,000 years ago. And now it’s broken apart and drifting in the sky across the world?”
“Yes, that is correcT.”
Leen circled back to confirm. The scale is too big for me to wrap my head around. The whole group had filed back to the gazebo to hear Cesca out.
“Something like that floating in the sky — surely it’d cause a fuss?”
Elze, very reasonably.
“Babylon is enveloped in a magic barrier that prevents external visual confirmatioN. From the ground, identifying its form is essentially impossiblE.”
Right. The ancient genius (pervert) Doctor had used every flavor of ancient magic to give Babylon perfect stealth.
The only way to find one is to enter through a transfer circle. And only an all-element holder like the Doctor herself can do that.
“So how many of these floating islands are there, indeed?”
“My garden, a Library, a Research Tower, a Hangar, a Tower, a Rampart, a Workshop, an Alchemy Hall, and a Storehouse — nine in totaL at the time. How many remain now, I do not knoW.”
Nine! …Then again, world-wide, maybe that’s not many. This garden is supposedly the largest. That Doctor — truly extraordinary. …Even if a pervert.
“Personally, the Library draws me. Surely it has the depth of ancient knowledge stored.”
Beside me, Leen smiled a sly little smile. Iffy, that. It’s this Doctor’s library — could be a mountain of porn-collection. Very suspicious. And the “Storehouse” too… If it’s stocked with erotic items, please no.
”…Can’t, you contact the other islands?”
Linze asked Cesca cautiously. Shy as ever. Though the other party isn’t technically human.
True — if each module has a manager like Cesca, getting in touch with them would be the fastest route.
“Unfortunately, the link with my sisters is currently severeD. The barrier levels are set higH; no communication magic gets throuGH. Unless Master grants permission, the level will not be lowereD.”
“Link? And what’s Master?”
Yumina tilted her head at Cesca. Some of the terms don’t transfer. “Glass” and “knife” and other proper-noun loanwords get through; everyday spoken loanwords pass too. Specialty terms apparently haven’t made it into general circulation.
“Link means connection, joinT. Master means beloved husbanD.”
“Don’t teach them wrong. Master means lord or chief.”
This girl’s transmuting “lord” → “beloved husband” to suit herself. For a robo-girl (technically not, but) she gets carried away with the bits. Doctor Regina Babylon’s influence, probably.
Regina implies the Doctor was a woman. Not the type I’d like to get acquainted with…
”…Lord — what do you mean by that?”
Linze furrowed her brow and pressed me. Eh — why am I getting interrogated?
“Lord Touya saw my panties, so I devote myself body and souL. Hence — my Master.”
“Oi——!! Way underexplained!!”
Snap. The air froze. Leen, Kōhaku, Sango, and Kokuyō aside, every eye turned on me — without a hint of warmth.
Linze drifted to stand in front of me where I sat, folded her arms, and looked down. Her eyes shone with absolute-zero light. Eh — who is this? Where did soft, mild-mannered Linze go?
”…Touya-san.”
“Y-yes?”
“Seiza.”
Lady Linze is angry. Quiet types in fury are the hardest to defy of all. I obediently sat formally on the ground.
”…You saw ours before too, and now this again. Do you really like panties that much?”
“No, that was an accident, they were just exposed—”
”…And this time you saw of your own will?”
Will or no will, how was I supposed to prevent that — she was showing them. Wait — am I in the wrong here?
“Wasn’t yesterday’s swimsuit show enough? You were looking, weren’t you. At all of us.”
“No, that was, uh——”
“I went to all the trouble of getting a matching bikini with Onee-chan, but no good? Swimsuit and underwear are different, is that it. Of course they are.”
W-wait — terrifying! Linze-san’s gone off on a tangent muttering to the air!? The other three are backing away slightly!
“At this rate, should I show my panties too?”
“Sorry, you — be quiet for a moment.”
Leen wore a mean little smile. Completely enjoying this!
Anyway — why am I getting hammered like this.
“That face — don’t understand why you’re being scolded?”
Mind-read. I almost flinched. Esper? Or a null-spell!? Give me that!
“That’ll do. Pressing further means you have to settle your own standing with him. At minimum, you’ve got to stand on equal footing with that princess over there.”
”…Yes.”
Linze nodded a small nod at Leen and stepped back.
…Eh? Meaning? Elze, smiling wryly, patted Linze’s shoulder. Not sure what just happened but it seems I got saved?
“Lowering the barriers that block communication requires Master-Touya’s command. But Touya’s only the master of this Hanging Garden. Unless the other side lowers theirs by chance, the other modules can’t be found.”
“Quite sO.”
Leen brought us back to the topic; Cesca answered.
I tried searching Babylon on the smartphone map. No hit. Couldn’t even hit the garden I was standing in. [Search] interference, presumably.
“In all this drifting, you’ve never encountered the others?”
“Twice. 3,028 years ago and 985 years agO. The first encounter was with the Library, the second with the StorehousE.”
So, as Yumina pointed out, encounters do happen. But on a millennium-scale. No way we wait for the next encounter.
“In the end, finding the other Babylons means finding each transfer circle.”
Leen sighed. …Wait, you’re going to look for them? Not exactly excited about that.
“For reference — do you know where the other transfer circles are?”
“I do not knoW. I do not even know where Master himself came froM. Speaking oF — where is this garden’s transfer circle?”
“South of Eashen, in the sea.”
“Eashen…? An unfamiliar place namE.”
Ah, right. 5,000 years ago, Eashen probably hadn’t been founded.
Either way, Cesca doesn’t know where the other circles are. Thinking about it — this is going to be a real chore to search out.
The one I found was underwater; the rest might be in even worse condition after 5,000 years… Their surviving in ruin form would at least leave a chance.
“And — why did the Doctor break it into pieces in the first place… If they’re scattered around the world, gathering them again seems nearly impossible.”
“The reason the Doctor divided Babylon, I do not knoW. I never asked, eitheR.”
Some reason for it, presumably. …Not just trolling, right?
Damn — my opinion of the Doctor is collapsing fast. Rude to label a person I’ve never met as a weirdo, though.
“Anyway, Touya. What do we do with the kid?”
“Even asking that…”
At Elze’s question I had to think. She’s been alone here for 5,000 years. Feel bad for her, but…
“Cesca — what do you want?”
“I want to be with MasteR. From good morning to good nighT. From the bath to in beD.”
Now I’m seriously worried. Maybe the right answer is to pretend none of this happened and walk away. Linze-san just started muttering again!?
“Wait — would leaving this Hanging Garden be a problem? With the manager out, if something happens…”
“No needeD. If anything happens to the Hanging Garden I will know at oncE — and I have transfer ability into the gardeN. Auto-management is sufficient for the gardeN. No issuES.”
Ahh — I see. Retreat blocked. I have to take her, don’t I.
“AccordinglY, I would have you complete the Master registration for the Hanging GardeN. I am already Master’S — but the garden itself must also be properly Master’S.”
“Registration? How?”
“Pardon mE.”
Cesca rounded the chair to face me. She placed both hands on my cheeks and — as if it were nothing — pressed her lips to mine.
“Hum——!!?”
""""Ahhh——""""
Quartet of screams. But ignoring those entirely, Cesca’s tongue slipped in. Hey hey hey! What is going ON!? Explanation, please!
When her lips finally pulled away, the realization that I’d been kissed caught up.
“F-fwa——!?”
Embarrassing sound. Cut me some slack — it was my first one! Stolen. Stolen——
The thief herself was running her tongue over her lips, as if savoring the taste, eyes closed.
“Registration complete. Master’s genome stored. Henceforth ownership of the Hanging Garden transfers to my Master, Mochizuki TouyA.”
“Wait — what are you doing!!”
Yumina advanced on Cesca. Small arms raised, her whole body radiating fury.
“Out of nowhere — k-k-kissing! I haven’t even! I haven’t even!”
Why did she say it twice. Face crimson — somewhere between angry and panicked. Why does it strike me as kind of cute, I wonder.
“It is the most efficient method of genome acquisitioN. I cannot bear childreN, but the alternative methods carry various problemS.”
“Ch-children!?”
Yumina’s face went a shade redder. Could swear there’s steam coming off her.
Blocking my view, someone stepped in front of me. I looked up — hand on her hip, severe expression — Linze.
Ah — bad pattern, this. I’ve finally learned to recognize these. I resigned and closed my eyes.
”…Touya-san.”
”…Y-yes!”
“I like Touya-san.”
Eh?
At the abrupt words I opened my eyes and looked up — Linze stood there, face as red as Yumina’s.
And as if she’d resolved something, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to mine, riding the momentum.
Unlike Cesca’s, it was an inexperienced, hard-pressed kiss.
“M-mguh——!?”
"""AHHH——"""
A triple-scream — one less than before — rang through the Hanging Garden.