Endless Silver Machine

Luoluo walked along the corridor holding a basin.

"Ah, brother..."

Aika was coming out of her room and met Luoluo.

"Luoluo, good morning...Ling hasn't woken up yet?"

He already knew the answer, but Aika still asked because there was nothing else to say.

After Liuyin and Aika returned from the Holy See, they did not tell everyone the reason why they did not return late at night.

"If the huge machine you are talking about is a weapon, neither the Holy See nor the nobles will sit idly by. Leave these matters to the adults. We have done everything we can."

Liuyin was not obsessed with the mission this time. She stayed at home after passing on the information Aika told her to Sethis.

Aika and Luoluo entered Ling's room without knocking, and there was already a person sitting by the bed.

"It's so early today, Wei Xi."

"I woke up in the morning and couldn't sleep..."

Wei Xi didn't say anything more and moved her gaze back to the bed.

Ling's sleeping face was peaceful. Only the rise and fall of her chest due to her weak breathing could prove that she was still alive.

"Brother, please go out first."

Luoluo put the tray on the bedside, and Wei Xi helped Ling up.

The heavy responsibility of taking care of Ling has always fallen on the girls. Although Aika and Shun took care of all other chores, they still felt that they could not repay them.

"Thank you for all your hard work."

"Don't say that. This is also my request."

Looking at Luoluo's pretending to be strong smiling face, Aika could no longer say any depressing words.

"How's it going?" Shun leaned against the door and waited for Aika to come out of the room. After seeing his face, he understood, "...Sorry, I asked a nonsense question."

"What should we do..."

Aika punched the wall hard. Only by leaving their presence could Aika vent her pent-up emotions like this.

Shun frowned as he looked at his friend's painful expression.

"Let's go out for a walk."

This was the first time in several days that Shun wanted to say something to Aika.

…………

Someone outside hit the wall hard. Luoluo knew that Aika was venting his emotions, and he felt relieved after hearing Shun's voice.

"Are they... okay..."

"If brother and brother Shun are together, I don't need to worry."

Boys seem to have ways of doing things that they can't understand. This is not a topic that Luoluo can interrupt.

She took off Ling's pajamas from her upper body, leaving no wounds on her slender waist. Even so, Ling was still in a coma. Wetting the towel, Luoluo wiped Ling's body from the back.

"Senior Tiruya came to ask about Sister Ling last night..."

When she suddenly received a text message from Senior Tiruya, Wei Xi struggled for a long time on the format of her reply.

"Senior Tiruya, shouldn't you know about Sister Ling's injury?"

"Everyone in the student council has heard from Principal Phyllis..."

"...After all, we have been away for such a long time. Senior Tylua is the leader of the 'Discipline Team', so she must have started to care about it a few days ago."

Two days have passed since Aika and Liuyin came back. During these two days, nothing has changed.

Professor Cocona said last night that her work would end today. However, she planned to stay here until Ling woke up, and Liuyin did not refuse.

"I'm going to change the water."

"Um……"

…………

"Just now Luoluo seemed to be looking at you from the window."

"I just happened to walk by. By the way, why are you so sure you are looking at me instead of you?"

"If it were me, would you be willing?"

"I don't want to."

Aika answered without hesitation. After speaking, his eyes moved away. He had no intention of talking about this kind of topic now.

"I'm telling you, how long will this state last?"

"What do you mean?"

Feeling that Shun's tone suddenly became serious, Aika turned his head, and his eyes were indeed serious.

"Do you think they won't find anything? Occasionally when we meet in the corridor or during meals, they deliberately don't talk about Ling. In the end, they can't say anything. This kind of atmosphere makes me Enough is enough! Do you still expect that 'time will dilute everything'?"

Shun's words were always very direct, but he had never used such a harsh tone.

"Nonsense! I can't stand it either!" Aika was suddenly aroused, and her tone became rude, "I feel more uncomfortable every time I see them. I have worked hard to put on a smile, and you are still preparing Let me do it!"

Shun suddenly smiled evilly, and it was clear that he had a resolute look on his face just a few seconds ago.

"Then go and make a scene now."

"ha?"

Shun's thinking was so fast that Aika couldn't keep up.

"At times like this, you should not act according to common sense!" Shun patted Aika on the shoulder boldly, "If we suddenly burst into their room, the object of their attention will become us. After the nonsense, we will update It’s easy to open up to each other.”

For some reason, Shun's words were inexplicably persuasive.

…………

"I counted three, two, and one, and the two of us rushed in together."

Shun whispered instructions to Aika from the door, and he gently put his hand on the door handle.

In order to prevent the lock from making any noise, the lock was turned very slowly.

"three……"

"Wait a minute, aren't they changing clothes..."

"How can it be such a coincidence? Two..."

"..."

"One!" Shun immediately turned the doorknob to the end and pushed Aika into the room. "Leave it to you."

"Eh?"

Aika didn't expect that Shun would suddenly do this, and he had already run away from the scene.

The expected scream did not come, and Aika's speed of avoiding the scene was slowed down by Shun's unexpected behavior.

Ling appeared in Aika's eyes in the same posture as when he was just born. Luoluo was putting a small piece of white cloth on Ling's legs. Wei Xi was holding Ling's body and turned her head blankly to look at his posture. .

"Brother, brother?"

"No, I was the guy who was shunned..."

While Aika was rushing to defend herself, Luoluo hurriedly covered Ling and Wei Xi with a quilt.

Wei Xi, whose eyes suddenly turned into darkness, didn't seem to react yet. There was not even a movement of struggle inside the quilt.

"But I only saw my brother standing here. Where did Brother Shun go?"

After taking the emergency measures, Luoluo asked Aika breathlessly. Although she was indeed smiling, Aika felt a chill down her spine.

"Hooah..."

Wei Xi finally got her little head out of the quilt, her eyes were spinning as if she had been stuck in the quilt for too long.

"Brother Aika... it's wrong to peek..."

"I told you it was an instant..."

"Anyway, brother, please go out first!"

Luoluo seemed to be really angry. He grabbed the pillow at the head of the bed and threw it over.

The soft pillow didn't hurt at all when it hit his face, and it still had a familiar scent, but Aika wasn't careful enough to enjoy this kind of thing.

For Luo Luo now, he is both her brother and her lover. There was no way she wouldn't be angry if she did something like this.

"Sorry...I'll explain it after you finish it."

"Stop explaining!"

In this way, Aika was forcefully driven out of the room by Luoluo.

Normally, Luoluo would never throw a pillow at him, this could probably be a precious experience.

"Ah, I forgot to put it back..."

After standing outside the door, Aika realized that she was still holding Ling's pillow.

After "making a big fuss" as Shun said, Aika no longer had the energy to find Shun who had secretly framed him to settle the score. But the burden on her heart has indeed been relieved a lot. Even if it is just an illusion after making a fuss, Aika hopes that this illusion will never disappear.

Thinking like this, maybe he should thank Shun for his suggestion, so Aika decided that just punching him hard would be enough.

At this time, Shun had already rushed to the Imperial Capital Defense Bureau with Professor Cocona to carry out the final work, temporarily hiding where Aika could not catch him.

…………

After receiving Luoluo's half-hour lecture, Aika was already in a state of complete exhaustion.

Moreover, the whole process was watched by Wei Xi and Liu Yin who were doing nothing. This was what made Aika most embarrassed.

However, this was probably the first time that Luo Luo had said so many words since Ling's accident.

Seeing her looking so "energetic", Aika finally felt that the stupid things she did made some sense.

Of course, Luoluo chose to forgive him in the end, because when Aika defended himself, he put all the responsibility on Shun. Of course, he was indeed a victim.

Then the judge who took over this incident changed from Luoluo to Liuyin, because she claimed that Shun must be solved by herself.

In fact, it doesn't matter if it doesn't have to go to that level, but seeing Liuyin's indignant look, Aika gave up applying for a "probation" for her friend.

Aika's PDA was with Wei Xi, and Liuyin encouraged Wei Xi to check whether there were any strange photos secretly taken in the PDA while Luo Luo was preaching.

Of course, there were no pictures inappropriate for children on his PDA, and Aika knew it very well, so he safely handed it over to Wei Xi for inspection.

"Brother Aika..." Wei Xi, who was slowly sliding the screen, suddenly raised her head, "I received a text message from someone I don't know..."

"stranger?"

Not many people know Aika's contact address, and they are all people close to him, so he has never received a text message from an unknown address.

Taking her PDA from Wei Xi's hand, Wei Xi politely did not open the text message sent to Aika.

The main page is displayed on the screen, but there are still programs running in the background. Aika opened it and looked at it. It was the mailbox where the text messages were stored.

Wei Xi was not checking inappropriate pictures just now, but was looking at text messages that Aika had sent.

Probably because she was too hasty when closing it, Wei Xi didn't notice that she only minimized the page instead of completely closing it.

"Wei Xi, peeping is wrong."

"Ugh...I'm sorry..."

It doesn't matter if she sees this kind of thing. It's basically just a simple communication with her family. Aika just wants to bully her by saying this.

With this thought in mind, Aika opened the text message sent from an unknown address.

"Um...is this a text message..."

If it were just a text message, the content would seem too cumbersome. But Aika always felt like she had read this style of writing somewhere.

Feeling this sense of dissonance, he continued to look down.

——…I sincerely hope to spend a pleasant time with you. Lan Ming

At the end, Aika suddenly remembered that he had indeed read such a rigorous style of writing.

The only time was when I received the invitation letter from Lan Ming.

Originally designed to convey information in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, Lan Ming took up three-quarters of the page with official polite words, and finally explained the designated location and name.

"Is it really from Her Royal Highness Princess Lan Ming?" Liuyin checked the sending address dubiously, "It doesn't look like the address used by the royal family."

"Lan Ming seems to have never used a PDA, right?"

Luoluo no longer remembers the days when he was with Lan Ming, so Aika can only confirm with Wei Xi.

"I'm not sure...but I haven't seen her use it..."

"Well……"

What should we do? The people in August probably thought they trusted Lan Ming, and this might be a fraudulent text message using Lan Ming's name to lure them into the bait.

But if this was indeed sent by Lan Ming, he must not break the appointment.

"Should we confirm with Miss Charlotte first..."

Wei Xi discovered the blind spot that Aika had ignored.

"By the way, Charlotte, if you contact her..."

"Brother, 'Lan Ming' and 'Charlotte'..." Luoluo suddenly asked, and Aika felt her uneasiness from her wandering eyes, "I was wondering if they are also to you. Where is a very important person..."

"What are you thinking?" Aika knocked Luoluo's little head, "Lan Ming is the third princess of this country, and Xia Luo is her personal knight. The relationship is different from what you imagined. And We all lived in her castle for a while."

"That's it..."

The uneasiness in Luoluo's eyes finally disappeared, and Aika was a little worried that she would always have such random thoughts.

Aika really doesn't understand girls' thoughts, but he has also heard from his classmates that girls are imaginative creatures, and the slightest carelessness in their words may cause misunderstandings.

He once thought that it was impossible to be so exaggerated. Although Ling and Wei Xi, who had been together day and night, both behaved like this to some extent, Luoluo did not do so, so Aika felt that it could not be generalized.

After Luoluo lost his memory and confessed his feelings to himself, Aika realized that he was wrong. It's not that Luoluo has never had fantasies, but because of the constraints of her identity, she hides them all in her heart.

Aika will never forget how many tears Lolo shed after untying this bondage.

Until now, I have always regarded her as my "sister" but ignored her other identity.

She, Ling and Wei Xi are both girls who have longing for the future and are bound by reality.

Aika has always been too flippant with her, and he didn't realize it until now.

"A lot of things happened between us in August, so I hesitated for a long time when I brought you here to live."

"Is it something very bad?"

"Well, you may not remember it. If I have time later, I will tell you everything."

When Aika lived here with the amnesiac Lolo, she did not mention the family and Augustus. Even telling her at that time would only increase the psychological burden.

But during that time, he also felt Luoluo's strength from the inside out, so he had already made plans to tell her everything.

"Well... I'm sorry, I was willful again..."

"I will accept all your willfulness."

Aika touched her head, at least she could feel at ease now.

Turning around, Aika remembered that Wei Xi and Liu Yin were within reach of her, and they had just seen the end without making a sound.

"oh!"

"oh……"

The two of them saw Aika turn her head and make such sounds one after the other.

Liuyin was obviously just laughing at Aika. Weixi probably didn't know what he meant and was just imitating her.

"Anyway, let me confirm the authenticity of the text message with Charlotte first."

Aika coughed dryly and turned her back to them to change the subject.

There seemed to be malicious snickering coming from behind. Aika could only pretend not to hear it and sent a text message to Charlotte.

Charlotte's reply was sent back in a few seconds. Could it be that she had been looking at the PDA the whole time?

——Various things happened... In short, Her Royal Highness the Princess sent it to you personally, and we are here now.

Charlotte was obviously urging Aika to come to the appointment immediately, but there were many things that were not made clear.

"are you sure?"

Liuyin swayed her calves on the chair. She didn't know when she let Wei Xi sit on her lap and hugged her waist from behind.

After Aika looked over, Wei Xi, who felt very shy, twisted uneasily in her arms.

It seemed to disturb them... Aika deliberately ignored the strange place and nodded.

"They are indeed waiting for me in the store now. I'll go out first. Although I don't know what they have to do, it shouldn't take long. If I don't come back at noon, I will let you know in advance."

Aika put on her coat and got ready to go out.

"Wait a minute, I'll go with you."

Liuyin released Wei Xi from her arms, who lowered her head in shame, and called to Aika who had already put on her shoes at the entrance.

"Do you have anything to ask them about?"

Aika thought there was some special relationship between Liuyin and Lan Ming. She didn't have many opportunities to meet with the royal family, so she wanted to take this opportunity to understand.

"No," Liuyin denied Aika flatly, "It's just that it would be better if I was there too."

"Where can it be better..."

"You have made such a big noise in August, and you have met privately with the royal family on the cusp of the storm. If you are caught by someone from a hostile faction, you will definitely become the target of public criticism."

"Do the other factions refer to those who don't support Lan Ming?"

Forming cliques is an inevitable development in power disputes, and no independent person can stand for a long time. Birds of a feather flock together, and over time they become a small group that holds the same beliefs.

What is certain is that the person who planned the high-altitude airship accident and intended to eliminate Lan Ming and Xia Luo from the power dispute must belong to that faction.

"Don't you know yet? I thought the relationship between you and Her Royal Highness Princess Lan Ming was such that we could talk about this kind of topic with each other."

"She has never told me about the internal affairs of the royal family. I just know that there is indeed such a thing as you said."

"There are many factions of the royal family and the nobility, and the relationship is very vague. Every day, someone will suddenly become an opposing faction. I am not very clear about this. The factions with the biggest differences in opinions now are the 'left' and 'left' factions in the Senate. 'Right'."

Hearing Liuyin's words, Aika remembered that when everyone met with the Senate, there were indeed differences in opinions between the two sides.

Aika had speculated at the beginning whether this would be the case, and it turned out to be the case.

"What do the words 'left' and 'right' mean?"

"Isn't the Bisi Empire now at a critical moment of post-war reconstruction? Then the Senate put forward two opinions on the current situation. The 'right' believes that all material and manpower should be used in reconstruction work, and actively cooperate with surrounding countries and To establish friendly and diplomatic relations between races, Her Royal Highness Princess Lan Ming attended the state visit to the Kingdom of Tebiri for this purpose; the 'Left' believes that the reconstruction speed of the Bisi Empire has far exceeded that of other countries, so it can now develop a large amount of military power , so we...the Holy See and the 'Left' suspect that this magic burst in the northwest region is related to the development of weapons."

Liuyin probably chose to say it so that Aika could understand it. There was a lot of information, but Aika could barely understand it.

"To put it simply, the 'right' advocates are moderate and the 'left' advocates are radical. Is this what you mean?"

If Aika was asked to repeat Liuyin's words now, he would definitely not be able to do it, but now he already has an overall concept of the general form of the Senate.

"You can say that. Both the 'left' and the 'right' opinions are correct, and the two sides have been in a stalemate. Her Royal Highness Princess Lan Ming should belong to the 'right' faction."

"That must be it."

Aika knows Lan Ming's belief and firmly believes in it. She is a princess who would never want to use force to compete for interests.

"Therefore, Lan Ming's actions should be monitored by the 'Left' or some other people. If I were present, I would become a representative of the Holy See, and some people should not dare to act rashly."

Liuyin's status is second only to the Pope. If he attacks them here, he will declare war on the Holy See and Lan Ming's group at the same time. There should be no such hot-headed people.

Aika didn't quite understand the inside story of these power disputes, but he could believe Liuyin's words.

"I understand, then please ask Luoluo and Wei Xi to wait at home for us when we come back."

"Brother Aika...if you need me..."

Wei Xi seemed to have forgotten that she had left the Holy See. After hearing Liu Yin say this, she also looked at Aika expectantly.

"Thank you, but Luoluo also needs help, right?"

Aika couldn't decisively reject Wei Xi's kindness, so she left the topic to Luo Luo who was standing aside.

"Ah..." She immediately understood what Aika needed her to say, "Xiao Xi, you have to stay at home to help me take care of Sister Ling."

"……Um……"

Although Wei Xi was still a little disappointed, it was much better than Aika's direct rejection.

Liuyin went back to the room to get ready, and still wore his private clothes when he went out.

"Her Royal Highness Princess Lan Ming should travel in casual clothes so that she will not stand out."

That's what she thought.

The meeting place designated by Lan Ming was the second floor of a cake shop on Center Street. This choice should be to avoid the sight of the monitors. Aika gradually became able to understand Lan Ming's hardship.

…………