The White Girl

Today was a day when my luck was completely flipping back and forth.

Gate 13. Commonly known as the emergency passage, its gatekeeper, Roger Gravis, walked the night streets thinking exactly that. No, calling it bad luck didn't even cover it. This was straight-up misfortune. Even if some once-in-a-lifetime stroke of good fortune had come his way, what meaning did it have if he wasn't holding it in his hands right now?

Knowing that all too well, he couldn't help but recall the series of events that had happened today, one after another. The more he thought about it, the more it stung. It was enough to drive him crazy with regret.

'This is all because of that bitch.'

The whole mess had started when a traveler appeared during his fifth year on the job. He'd been stunned like an idiot by the arrival of a girl with a beauty he'd never seen before. But when he tried to talk to her, something felt off. So he'd decided she must be an ownerless, slightly broken doll.

Naturally, he'd gotten excited and come on strong. Honestly, he'd been so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠horny he'd planned to fuck her for real. But the doll had resisted. She'd even ignored the clause that prevented her from harming people, attacked him, and left him injured.

Still rubbing his aching jaw, Roger narrowed his eyes at the feel of the bandage under his fingertips.

'And then I even got robbed.'

The girl had threatened him while he was down, then stolen his coin pouch. It was shocking enough that a doll had hit someone, but robbing them too? At that point he probably should have realized she was just a slightly unusual person who smelled like a doll. Yet for some reason, he still didn't doubt that she was a doll.

Obviously some kind of enchantment magic had been cast on her, but honestly that didn't matter. The real problem came after that.

The doll girl who'd taken Roger's coin pouch had tossed him the large Rima Crystal she'd been carrying. To be precise, she'd kicked it over to him, but her intention was clear. It was compensation.

Honestly, it had wounded his pride, but the temptation of a Rima Crystal worth twenty times its weight in gold was stronger than he'd expected. Anyone could see it was an incredibly profitable deal. If he'd sold it properly, he could've lived without working for over ten years. That said everything.

But Rima Crystals were the core power source of modern human civilization. Naturally, they were strictly controlled, which meant the one he'd obtained was almost certainly stolen goods moving through illegal channels. A lowly grunt like Roger had no way to sell something like that properly.

Instead, his quick brain had come up with the idea of finding a partner in crime. His target was the platoon leader—one of the most corrupt figures in the already rotten security force. But the problem was that the platoon leader, who'd laughed and readily agreed to split the profits fifty-fifty, had suddenly changed his attitude not long after.

The man had said he was going to check the market price ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and left the barracks. When he returned shortly afterward, his face was deathly pale. He'd grabbed Roger by the collar and started yelling.

Where did you get this? Who gave it to you? Do you even know how you got it?

Apparently some higher-up had confiscated it and issued strange orders. And so on.

The platoon leader had spewed a bunch of barely coherent nonsense before demanding that Roger confess everything. Knowing that something like this would never come out of this rotten organization unless it was serious, a terrified Roger had spilled the entire story without hiding anything.

And then.

A few hours later, a wanted notice had been issued for a red-haired autonomous doll.

It was an astonishingly swift response—so fast that anyone familiar with the security force's usual pace would be shocked. The charges were assault and illegal distribution of a Rima Crystal. The fact that robbery wasn't included left a bad taste in his mouth, but he couldn't protest something so minor.

After all, the moment he'd written in his duty report that an unidentified autonomous doll passed through at such-and-such time on such-and-such date, the responsibility was no longer his. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.

He would simply remain the diligent gatekeeper who had faithfully followed the directive of the respected fortress commander he admired:

If there were any problems or responsibilities to bear, the red-haired doll girl would have to shoulder them all.

One additional note: it probably involved matters that only made sense in the world of those important people living up there. Honestly, he wasn't interested, and he shouldn't be. Still, it was a shame. Maybe he should have just chopped it up and sold it off piece by piece. Wouldn't a fence in District 11 have been able to handle something like that?

All kinds of regrets flooded in, but it was already too late. The twenty-kilogram giant Rima Crystal had left his hands, and he would probably never see it again.

And now here he was—one of many common grunts—wandering around in search of the red-haired doll girl from the wanted notice. In other words, unpaid overtime. His attendance tomorrow was already confirmed.

No matter how easy the job was, no one actually enjoyed working. It was human nature to rest whenever possible. That was why Roger was currently extremely irritated.

Just like how having something given and then taken away felt worse, today's events—comparable to winning the lottery only to have it canceled—had plunged his mood straight into the abyss.

Come to think of it, that damn doll woman had cleaned out an entire week's living expenses. Payday was still a few days away. How was he supposed to survive until then? On top of that, he'd been kicked out without even eating dinner, so the smell of food wafting from every corner of the darkened streets was only adding to his stress levels.

Given the situation, it was only natural that a sinister aura had begun to seep from his entire body. He'd become the very picture of a gloomy man—one that no sensible person would want to approach.

Though he had a scrawny build and an unimpressive physique, he was still part of the security force. He carried a rifle and live ammunition capable of easily killing a person at all times, and he had the right to self-defense if threatened. Because of that, no one deliberately approached him.

Even the big thugs who prowled the night streets looking for prey would spot him, step down onto the carriage road to avoid him, and keep walking. That was the usual perception citizens had of security personnel on night patrol.

…Or so it should have been.

“──Huh?”

On the sidewalk that curved slightly to the right. Under the scattered glow of streetlamps, a small figure was walking straight toward him without hesitation.

Long silver hair. A small, adorable face. Golden eyes that shone clearly even in the dim lighting. And a girl who stood around 140 centimeters tall.

A wanted notice had been issued.

For an ordinary, law-abiding citizen like me—who had never properly spoken with the police in her entire life—the sentence felt incredibly alien. But what I'd done wrong was crystal clear. Even if I'd been sexually assaulted, I'd still used violence, and it was true that I'd brought in unauthorized material(?).

It was like bringing some random medicine from abroad only to get arrested because it turned out to be a narcotic. That interpretation made it easy enough to understand.

I'd briefly entertained the escapist thought that maybe there was someone else with a similar appearance, but of course such convenient things didn't happen. The headline on the newspaper that Nia’s father, Norma Serita, had handed me unmistakably referred to me.

It was so blatantly obvious that I couldn't deny it. In the end, I confessed that I was indeed the wanted person in a way that even felt refreshingly cool to myself.

Naturally, everyone reacted with surprise.

Norma Serita burst into loud laughter and shouted, “What an interesting turn of events!”

Nia said something along the lines of, “Berry, a criminal? That’s impossible, right?” in a strangely blind reaction.

And Meida Ren asked an absurd, dimension-transcending question like, “More importantly, can you even eat?” while shoving a piece of chicken at me…

In other words, that was the problem.

Even though a criminal was standing right in front of them, they showed absolutely no wariness. It wasn’t that they lacked intelligence, but for some reason I couldn’t sense any rational thought in the way they looked at me.

Meida Ren was always in weird-person mode, so that was one thing, but even Norma Serita—who seemed like a normal person aside from occasionally saying he was disappointed I wasn’t actually a child—and Nia, who was undeniably normal, didn’t hesitate to defend me.

I hadn’t given them any prior explanation. I hadn’t properly told them anything about what had happened before I entered their home. And yet they believed without a doubt that I was a good person.

It was clearly different from the lustful gazes of the men I’d seen on the street, yet somehow it felt similar. A kind of discomfort? Or maybe artificiality?

I couldn’t quite put it into words, but I strongly felt that the flow of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠events was too contrived.

If I left things like this, they would really become accomplices for hiding a wanted fugitive. The moment I realized that, I immediately took action.

I couldn’t just stand by irresponsibly when I knew that completely unrelated, good people might suffer because of me.

Right then and there, I borrowed another set of clothes from Nia and headed outside without explanation. I asked her father to hold her back when she tried to follow me, received a piece of chicken from Meida Ren—who only let me go after I ate it—and left their leisurely farewell behind as I stepped alone into the night streets.

My current outfit consisted of a white blouse and a short black plaid skirt. It was one of the clothes Nia had worn when she was younger. At least my original enamel shoes hadn’t gotten wet, so I was still wearing those.

I’d felt too ashamed to keep borrowing other people’s clothes and had tried to change back into my original outfit, but Meida Ren had dodged the issue by saying, “I soaked them completely and washed them. They won’t be dry until tomorrow evening,” leaving me no choice.

Since I was borrowing underwear too, I’d probably have to come back once this situation was resolved. Still, just in case, I’d secretly left all the money I was carrying at Nia’s house. I still didn’t understand the value of the currency, but it should at least be enough to show my conscience. I wanted to believe that for now.

Therefore, the only things I had with me right now were the silver metal pipe (translator) engraved with the name Berry and my sense of ethics.

I was a sensible person who knew how to obey the law. It was unsettling that I had no idea how the legal system here worked, but surely they wouldn’t just throw me in prison without explanation… right?

Even while wrapped in anxiety, I kept walking down the street, recalling the relaxed words Meida Ren had said while seeing me off: “If there’s some misunderstanding, just go to the security force. Head left down the main road and keep going. It’s a big building, so you’ll see it right away. Slip them a little bribe and they’ll let you go, so don’t worry and just cooperate with the investigation. And stay out of the alleys—they’re dangerous.”

Main road, then left and straight. Main road, then left… By the way, it really is quiet at night.

Streetlamps—whether powered by electricity or magic—were lit here and there, but the streets were far darker than during the day. There were no carriages passing by, and the number of people had decreased dramatically compared to what I’d seen earlier.

The only ones visible were a few drunkards staggering along, people making a racket with women in the corners, and thugs smoking cigarettes or shoving their hands in their pockets and muttering among themselves.

I was grateful that the darkness meant I wasn’t drawing as much attention as I had in broad daylight. Using the shadows created by the streetlights, I walked along the edges of the road and observed my surroundings.

Perhaps because of the strange tension, every time I turned my head I became acutely aware of the sensation of my hair swaying against my back. For reference, before leaving I’d had Meida Ren help me tie my long hair into a rough ponytail. It changed my impression quite a bit, and since she’d suggested it would be much easier to move around this way, I’d accepted the minor transformation.

Maybe I should just keep it like this for a while. It feels a lot lighter with less hair falling to the sides.

…No, my hairstyle doesn’t matter right now. More importantly, I just need to find a building that’s at least three stories tall.

It was hard to see far in the darkness, and all the buildings were roughly the same height, so my field of vision felt narrow. Did that mean I had no choice but to keep walking aimlessly…?

Just as a hint of impatience began to rise, I glanced across the street and spotted a man in a strangely familiar uniform.

“──You’re a doll.”

I flinched. Even though the words clearly weren’t directed at me, my shoulders jumped.

The man wearing the dark blue military uniform I’d seen up close not long ago wasn’t alone. There was another small figure standing in front of him. It felt like he was conducting an inspection. The tension between the two of them was so thick it was palpable.

Anyway, standing in front of the man whose back looked somehow familiar was a girl who appeared to be around the same age as me. She had a height and build similar to my current body, but the long hair hanging down past her waist held a mysterious white glow that stood out even in the darkness.

Her outfit had a gothic feel similar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the black dress I’d originally been wearing, and it was entirely white, as if matched to her hair color.

“Did you even dye your hair in the meantime? But your face is the same? Fuck, you’re pulling something. Anyway, it’s good I found you quickly. Shut up and follow me, you damn doll.”

The man in uniform spat out curses while aiming his rifle. His demeanor was far from normal.

“───────Die.”

“What did you say?”

The girl opened her mouth. It felt like she had only lifted her gaze from the ground after the gun muzzle was pointed at her, finally meeting the man’s eyes.

I could hear her words clearly. A chill ran down my spine. It was a mechanical, eerie voice that lacked any trace of intelligence, like a recorded message being played on repeat.

Yet for some reason, even though he was right in front of her, the man in uniform showed no sign of understanding the bizarre sound.

“What the hell did you just say? Speak so a person can understand!”

“…I said get lost.”

The man shouted. The girl whispered back as if tickling his nerves. Then, like cracking ice, a spine-chilling sound echoed around them.

Suddenly, a pale blue radiance burst from the center of the girl’s body, driving away the surrounding darkness in a miraculous phenomenon.

And even as I reflexively squinted at the sudden light, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene. I saw it clearly.

The space near the girl’s small white hand tore open. From within that rift emerged a massive greatsword, white as if covered in frost. It was a beautiful sight, like a sharp-thorned flower of ice blooming.

But the dreamlike atmosphere lasted only a very brief moment.

“Yumi is busy. Interfering with Master’s orders. Will kill.”

The enormous two-meter-long blade of ice glowed as it rose high. Before the man, frozen stiff, could react, the guillotine-like blade came crashing down.