Chapter 4: Hello, France!

Several days have passed after the negotiations in the dusk. It has been decided to follow the silver coin found by Kanaria as a clue, despite some participants being sceptical regarding it. But the major fight was focused around Sakurada siblings, what in the world was able to trigger Nori´s overprotection and Jun´s stubbornness to the point of them not finding the compromise in days? The answer to this question is Jun´s own initiative. The boy wished to participate in further research himself, so he decided to travel to Europe along with Rozen Maidens. The reason for such a decision was girls' weak performance and teamwork due to the lack of leadership. Some of the girls are indeed strong-willed and ready to burden themself with their sisters´ caprices, but the amount of these strong characters overlap with each other and create obstacles that should not be present in the first place. In addition, he was quite curious about the far west, with the possible reason being his parents' adventurous blood.

Nori, on the other hand, was strongly against this idea, to the point of her patrolling the only way to the N-field in this house even at night. She did not want him to skip school yet again, plus this whole venture might be way too dangerous for her young brother. Who knows which dangers are awaiting him not only in N-field but also the unknown streets of Europe. Only with the help of Rozen Maidens, who were not entirely in favour of placing one of their mediums in danger, Nori´s tender yet spiky hands loosened.

Their last dialogue before Nori accepted her brother´s wish was following:

"Jun… skipping school will once come around to you. Your performance already is not the best."

"I know, but I was able to get back on track after a greater pause, so I do not see a problem in skipping a few days."

"Catching up is always hard! Did you forget how ill you were from all the studying!?"

"Ill!?... I ended up in such a state because I had to do research regarding Shinku as well! If we bring her back, half of my duties will be completed. How can you not understand it!?"

"But, Jun! You have never been to Europe, what if something happens to you?"

"The hell might happen to me with 6 fighting dolls on my side!?"

"What about Laplace, Rozen? That rabbit is clearly onto something… your parents-"

"-As if they are concerned about me!"

"Even if you doubt their care, I am still here!"

"Nori…"

"Is being worried about your little brother seems so wrong to you?..."

"Nori… no need for worries, in the end, I am not fighting alone. And this is not like I am hopeless or anything. I still have Rozen´s powers."

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The research team, which contained 6 dolls and 1 human, gathered in tight storage along with three people, who were seeing them all off.. Kanaria and Hinaichigo hug their mediums as if it is the last time they are seeing each other. Nori also spread her arms, inviting Suiseiseki, but the 3rd doll only hid behind her twin sister's back and spat Nori by showing her tiny tongue.

"Take care, everyone." declared Tomoe modestly, releasing Hinaichigo from her arms. She glanced over Mitsu, who was not ready to part with Kanaria. Tears were coming from her eyes as she spoke.

"It will be so lonely without you, ah, please, do not get into trouble. You too, everyone!"

"Do not worry, Micchan, I will protect my sisters and Jun, and they will surely repay me the same, I suppose! Also, I am working on a new ballad, and you will be the first one to hear it, I suppose."

"Is it true!? Ah, you truly are a miracle!"

While Tomoe was watching how Mitsu released her grip from Kanaria, she commented on her dramatic departure with a soft smile.

"Despite it not being the first departure, your reaction does not change at all, Micchan."

"Of course! I must give these sweeties as much positive energy as possible!"

A cackle burst from both their lips, and now it was Nori´s time to say her last words. She looked over all Rozen Maidens and stopped at Jun. Noticing her peculiar gaze, Jun frows, but after hearing her out, a surprise overtakes his face. With a sweet smile, Nori nods, while casually saying: "Take care."

Jun quickly turns away, making sure that nobody sees him smiling. Unsurprisingly, only Hinaichigo, Souseiseki and Kirakishou were still present in the real world. Seems like Suigintou was tired of this soup opera and departed without saying a word. Older sisters, though, noticed this and left as well to not lose a track of her majesty.

Jun was processing a cool way to finish their farewells, but no idea was pleasant enough for him, thus he left with a simple phrase, which sounded unexpectedly peppy.

"See you soon!"

Such was the start of their trip through the N-field, full of uncertainties and paranormal views. The company's guide was Kirakishou, the one who knows this place as her own home. Despite the N-field not being able to stay constant, the 7th Rozen Maiden was somewhat able to remember the pattern behind its changes. As an alpha in the flock, she was moving forward while observing the place for dangers and possible shortcuts.

Her sheer concentration and awareness of everyone regarding Demon Laplace´s return filled the whole journey with silence. Jun was especially nervous since he was carrying the majority of girls' luggage, which decreased his field of view and erased any possibility of using Rozen´s powers for self-defence. His entirety was wide open, with Rozen Maidens being his shield. Not such a big deal at first look, considering Rozen Maiden´s combat potential, but for the one who knows them well, such a position is a bit alarming.

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About an hour passed since their arrival at the N-field, fatigue from excessive alertness took some of the minds over and diverted their thoughts from observation to personal struggles or internal amusements. Kanaria was further writing the promised song in her head, involuntary humming it quietly; Hinaichigo´s lids were working slower and slower, signalising about her half-asleep state; Suiseiseki was murmuring something to Souseiseki, who appeared to be one of the few to stay alert; Kirakishou, along with Suigintou were still full of energy and seriousness regarding surveillance of surroundings; and Jun´s head was a total mess, with the reason being the excessive number of thoughts.

At first, Jun was thinking of Odille, who was sincere enough to let him and the girls stay at her home. Even though he was planning on booking the hotel room beforehand, it would still be an annoying task. His finances are quite lacking, especially for West-European prices, this trip could evaporate his life savings completely, but his age does not let it be possible in the first place. Jun was still a young teen, which meant plenty of restrictions for a lone traveller. For the boy, it was uncomfortable to receive such help from a person he barely knew, but since there were no other options, he accepted Odille´s offer. Another waggon of the thought train was regarding Tomoe, who was surprisingly calm regarding this whole idea. Jun expected her to become the second Nori with her overprotection, but it was not the case. Could it be that the girl put more trust into a person like Jun, or it was a fear of opposing his stubbornness and being hated? Without her own confirmation, it is impossible to know. And lastly, Nori… to Jun´s astonishment, it was truly difficult to change his sister´s mind. Seems like a year of living with noisy neighbours strengthened her resolve, giving life to the opposing force for Jun´s stubbornness. Just the thought of such an attitude being able to force him back to school put a wry smile on Jun´s face. He whispered: "Hope this freak will not get any idea of having control over me." but no one heard him with the reason being Kirakishou´s sudden announcement.

"I think we are getting close to the right door!"

The scene surrounding adventurers did not change at all from first sight. Floating doors, mirrors and other objects were under cover of pitch-black darkness and rare light from magically working lamps. Such were the views throughout their journey, yet Kirakishou is confident about their position. Her knowledge regarding this place is truly breathtaking, even her sisters, who supposedly must know the N-field fairly well, looked at each other with cheer and amazement. Only one sister brought her scepticism to the light by making a fair point.

"How can you be so sure? All the previous times, our trip was surely much more time-consuming."

"Sister Suigintou?... This is tough to explain, but I just feel like the right door is further ahead, I promise!"

"This is not a time for your complaints, desu! Even though she is hopeless, I put all my trust into her knowledge of the N-field, desu. Keep it up!"

Suiseiseki showed thumbs up to Kirakishou, which did not seem too inspiring for the youngest doll. She puffed her cheeks at Suiseiseki´s unintentional mockery but did not say anything. It became a perfect opportunity for Suigintou to further express her doubts, yet only a tired sigh parted from her pink lips.

"I see it, there! There!"

Kirakishou energetically pointed at the remote mirror, the dark wood of which contained an artful pattern. Hinaichigo caught her younger sister´s excitement and announced.

"Yup, this is surely a mirror to Odille´s house!"

Jun frowned at this suspicious finding and asked everyone.

"You yourself said that we arrived much earlier than planned. Isn't it a bit suspicious?"

"I was examining surroundings all this time but was not able to detect anything. This phenomenon surely is strange, but not impossible in the N-field, right?"

Souseiseki gave a quick explanation of the situation and turned to Kanaria, who tilted her head due to incertitude. For the time being, Kanaria was busy with her new song, but after snapping back to reality she hastily looked around. Her gaze caught the mirror, which was getting closer and closer to the company. That made Kanaria wonder.

"Were not we supposed to reach it much later, I suppose? What did you ask from me, Souseiseki? Sorry, I have not been paying attention to your words, I suppose!"

Kanaria giggled at her airheadedness, which resulted in Jun frowning, but not Souseiseki. The 4th Rozen Maiden calmly repeated her last line that took the attention of every other sister, with Hinaichigo and Kirakishou being, following the mirror, exceptions.

"Ah, I get what you mean, I suppose! Last time, when we arrived in Europe, our mirrors to the outside were closer, compared to their state during our return, but… we used another mirror that time, I suppose."

"You also mentioned that during your arrival to Austria, you came out of the wrong mirror. I remember that." Confirmed Jun and diverted his gaze to Souseiseki, who appeared to be in deep thought. Judging by the slight blush quickly appearing on her visibly calm face, she made a mistake in her speculations. It was not a big deal for everyone around, because now even the bigger problem occurred unexpectedly.

"So it might be Laplace´s trap, desu! This rabbit surely overheard our discussion and now is trying to mess with us, desu!"

"This can be a possibility… we must check that exit first or maybe find another path- what?"

While Jun was analyzing the situation out loud, someone pulled his sleeve lightly, and when the boy removed the luggage from his field of view, he found Suigintou. The girl turned around and said with a cheeky expression while pointing at the distance.

"Seems like we will find out whether it was a trap or not quite soon."

Jun raised his brow but as soon as he saw Hinaichigo and Kirakishou entering the mirror his face became pale. He immediately accelerated and started screaming to stop the girls.

"What are you doing, dammit!? Do not enter!"

But his voice did not reach those who were already enveloped in the wavy surface of the mirror. Jun groaned and proceeded to speed up, totally forgetting about his safety before the unknown. He could not bear the thought of them getting into trouble, especially since one of them is a weak combatant in the real world and the other is the weakest doll overall.

After reaching the mirror, he flew into it without a stop, which was an unusually brave action of his. The vision became blurry for a second but was swiftly restored into the shape of a bright, orange hallway decorated with several doors, paintings and house plants, standing on miniature tables. The next thing Jun noticed was a young European beauty, whom he saw in profile. Her blond hair, blue dress and bright smile was enough for Jun to recognize Odille in this gal. He was relieved that she was the one who appeared in front of him and not the face of a rabbit or any other animal, but... the boy flew into the world, which contained laws of physics, quite fastly, which resulted in him flying into one of the doors with a terrifying thud. The luggage scattered around was not the biggest problem from this incident, in fact, a crack could be heard from several parts of his body followed by a huge wave of pain. Jun did not scream, just passed out quietly, hearing someone calling him in the distance.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

The world of darkness was still before his eyes as if Jun never left the N-field, but this time only one object was somehow distinguished from all-consuming emptiness. It was a small scene for puppet shows which were endearing for himself from the distant past. He moved closer to the table but abruptly stopped after hearing a line from the person the boy was not familiar with.

"Boy… do you want to hear a story?"

These words echoed in Jun´s head, activating memories that did not belong to him. Images started flashing before his eyes, and several voices caressed his ears which caused inexplicable nostalgia. They should be frightening, terrifying! Yet Jun felt fascinated about the sceneries and people of the distant past. Only one question was able to break through his trans: Whose memories are these?

For the boy, it felt like he could stay in this dream forever, but his wish will never come true due to the ones who were calling for him on the other side. He heard his name several times but was able to wake up only after something blocked his lungs. Jun opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was a watering can with tiny water streams coming right into his mouth. The boy swallowed half the liquid, and the other half he coughed out from his lungs right onto the floor. Jun found himself in a spacious bed, but before questioning his current location, he diverted his angry face towards Suiseiseki.

"What are you doing, stupid doll!? Were you trying to drown me?"

Suiseiseki did not say anything. Her sad expression and eyes full of tears were talking by themself. She hid behind Souseiseki´s back, whose face was just as concerned. Right after the boy took a sitting position, a few dolls jumped into his arms and started talking while shedding tears.

"Master… master! I thought you would die, master!"

"Hina thought Jun would die as well, I was so scared!"

The boy was visibly annoyed yet did not interfere with their mourning. His interest was taken by the huge bedroom which contained the same colour pattern as the hallway. Several cupboards and a luxurious writing table were placed in the middle, to his right, Jun noticed a small drawer with a fancy lamp at the top. The wall was as if made of curtains with only a big window blocking their advance further. Like death itself, Suigintou peeped from the curtains, with her expression being unclear. Jun turned his head to the left, passing a glowing chandelier with his sight and concentrating on the person and a doll sitting next to him. Kanaria waved her hand while smiling as soon as Jun made eye contact with her, and then he saw Odille. The girl was a bit hesitant at first, but in the end, her lips parted, revealing practically fluent Japanese.

"Good afternoon, Sakurada Jun, I was aware of your arrival but did not expect it to be this imposing." Odille giggled a bit and then continued, "How do you feel? I was frightened at first, but then girls started fixing you with their powers. Hopefully, no bruises were left."

Jun was looking at her with his mouth wide open. He learned a bit of French in case they would need to interact, but his struggles appeared to be quite worthless. He thought for a bit and then wondered, ignoring Odille´s previous question.

"Ah, how did you learn a language in one year!?"

Odille processed Jun's words, and after a while, she smiled and gave a simple, yet completely unsatisfying answer for Jun.

"With practice, everything is possible."

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

A spacious residence of the Fosset family is located in Lyon city right beside Parc de la Tête d'Or. After a short recovery, Jun took a look out of the house´s window along with Odille, who appeared to be the only one tagging along with him. Jun was aware of this house´s location being at Boulevard des Belges, thus he mentally prepared himself for the great view to the park, yet his eyes were wide open out of its majesty. A flock of colourful leaves were dancing in the wind and slowly falling to the ground, forming a carpet made out of warm colours. Between this physical appearance of breeze, tiny birds were flying around in search of even smaller bugs to eat. Their song could be heard even through the glass window, such a peaceful and calming melody… it reminded Jun of a certain doll whose name was suddenly pronounced in a thin voice.

"I wonder if Kanaria could compete with their songs."

"Not sure about that, but that bird brain would surely try if given a chance."

They both laughed at this silly joke, and Odille continued talking in a slightly more serious manner.

"Is it true that you are reaching the finale of your long journey? I am not quite sure about this clue, its detection was so sudden…"

"I get what you feel. We were not really sure at first as well, but this is the only thing we can define as a clue for now… ah, and where did everyone go!? Were not we supposed to find information about this Gramont guy together?"

Jun took the coin out of his pocket and began observing it in the golden light of the sun. Odille took a peek at this mysterious finding as well which Jun noticed and placed the silver coin at the windowsill. The girl nodded lightly and took it with her slender fingers. After close inspection, she made an unsatisfied sigh and returned the coin back to Jun, claiming.

"Non, this gentleman nor the depicted location are unfamiliar to me."

"I see, guess we have no choice but to ask nearby museums or libraries if they are familiar with this coin or Duke Gramont."

"Have you tried googling it?"

"Of course. Strangely, there was no information even about this duke, who must be quite an unpopular figure, or…"

Due to the approaching footsteps and cheerful voices, Jun did not finish his line. He tilted his head to look behind Odille and noticed Kirakishou along with a small girl running from Hinaichigo. They ran past the duo without saying anything and entered one of the rooms. Jun raised his brow while looking at Odille, and the girl realised that the boy was not familiar with the inhabitants of this house.

"I am sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my family… maman and papa are at work and will return only in the evening, but that girl is my little sister, Cossette. She is really fond of Hinaichigo and other dolls."

Odille´s soft smile was charming yet not convincing enough for Jun to mitigate towards children. A querulous snort came out of his nose as he made a remark.

"Running like wild, they will surely break something!"

"No need to worry, in the end, Rozen Maidens have the power to fix the mess."

"Wait, did it actually happen during their visits?"

"...Whoops, pardon." saying that Odille covered her mouth with the palm. Apparently, it was a secret that they kept from the boy, predicting his fury. Surprisingly, Odille was a part of this affair, despite her being a victim of their carelessness. As much as Jun wanted to complain, Odille´s apologetic gaze made him reconsider his wishes. A sigh departed his lips, and the boy said with a wry smile accompanied by the crossed hands.

"Ah, whatever… sorry for that."

"As I said, no need to worry… Since we are left alone, don't you want to go on a stroll? We can also interrogate a museum nearby."

This sudden invitation took Jun by surprise. At first, he planned to propose this idea but was too shy to ask. Her suggestion, though, brought him confidence. Jun nodded, and they went together towards the exit while chatting about their lives and duties.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

In a room on the second floor of the Fosset family house, three souls were sitting on a carpet whilst chatting loudly. Cossette and Hinaichigo had perfect synergy with each other, but Kirakishou, due to the lack of knowledge of French, had troubles with following their flow.

"That guy is so scary! I am worried for Odille, what if he will do something to her"

"Jun indeed is scary, but actually a good person. He will never do anything like this."

"But you said that he used to scream a lot on you and your sisters… Did he change?"

"Hehe, hard to say, but now Jun is much more composed and cool… but he still looks like a potato with glasses."

"Haha, Hinaichigo, you are so funny!"

This compliment was taken by Hinaichigo with full dignity, and she puffed her chest out with the pink lace on her chest, swaying energetically. Cossette changed her target from the 6th Rozen Maiden to the youngest one and asked as fast as she could, not considering Kirakishou´s lack of experience with the language.

"You are Hinaichigo´s younger sister, right, right!? Why are you bigger than her? Does it mean I may outgrow Odille as well?"

"Um… I do not really know."

A faint blush appeared on Kirakishou´s cheeks, and she cast her gaze aside. Cossette blinked several times in amazement and blitzed towards the doll to hug her. Cossette´s cheeks were rubbing against Kirakishou´s snow-white dress, which made her brown hair magnetized. Kirakishou was astonished by this sudden tenderness and could not say a word. Hinaichigo, on the other hand, laughed at how dumbfounded her sister appeared to be. Finally, Cossette spoke, making clear the reasons for her actions.

"You are so cute, Kirakishou! I wish I had Rozen Maiden as well…"

Any other doll would probably ditch the unwanted contact, especially if it's not their medium, but Kirakishou did not mind it at all. As the hands of a child were going through her body, a sad expression took up Kirakishou´s face. She outstretched her tiny arms and involuntarily locked them around Cossette´s neck. A tear appeared in a corner of her only eye either from melancholy or from ticklish hair, Kirakishou announced.

"This is possible, dear Cossette, miracles are possible."

Suddenly Hinaichigo jumped into the two, announcing: "Unfair, unfair!" and knocked them to the floor. When Kirakishou took a look at her older sister, she witnessed an envious pout. Cossette also noticed Hinaichigo´s grim expression and pressed the red cheeks with her fingers, which resulted in the air being pulled out of them. After a second of silence, the three of them laughed, spreading the voices of joy through the spacious building.

The girls got up from the formed pile of bodies, straightened their dresses and started thinking of a new activity. The first suggestion was made by Cossette.

"How about we play tag again?"

But Hinaichigo immediately abandoned this proposal, giving another variant.

"No! You both are taller than me! You will easily outrun me, and this is unfair. How about hide-and-seek? This house is huge, which provides lots of places for hiding."

Kirakishou and Cossette looked at each other and, with a smile, nodded to Hinaichigo´s idea. Cossette blinked at the older doll, making sure Kirakishou did not notice this nefarious move.

"Then how about deciding it with rock paper scissors? Come closer, show your fists and are you ready? One, two,..."

"Wait, but what should I-"

"-Three!"

Both Hinaichigo and Cossette relaxed their hands, showing an open palm to Kirakishou. The 7th doll, on the other hand, further stayed with her fist being outstretched, questioning the rules. Even though she was not aware of this game in the first place, the girls forced her to take the role of seeker, the detective, which she was not really fond of in the first place. She was planning on objecting to their dirty game, but upon seeing their cheering faces, Kirakishou let that slide and started counting.

"I will surely find you!" audibly cheered Kirakishou herself up, while being alone in a now silent room that just seconds ago was bustling with mirth.

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The roof of Odille´s family house opens up a spectacular view of the streets of Lyon. Modern architecture is smoothly blended into a historical part of the city, fully implementing the tourist´s sight into the 19th century or even further into the past. Suigintou, on the other hand, is not impressed by the magnificent looks at all, with the reason being her own participation in the previous epochs. For Rozen Maidens, this is not just a mere history but precious and sour memory. So the sparks in people's eyes, their investment into the past is nothing but a pitiful sight. Yet Suigintou did not laugh at their attempt to retain the memories they never had, she was observing them, hugging her knees, under which was hiding a blank expression. Before, she would surely find their tries amusing, but, for some reason, it is not the case anymore.

"Sui… gintou! Here you are, I suppose!"

A voice of her sister rang behind, but Suigintou did not turn her head to greet her. Instead, she sighed and proclaimed in a slightly irritated tone.

"Of course, someone will distract me as soon as I find a perfect place to rest. Why don't you play with your younger siblings, Kanaria?"

After saying this, an annoyed snort could be heard and, after a while, Kanaria jumped onto Suigintou´s back, appearing in the corner of her sight. Instead of the expected sullen expression, Suigintou witnessed a bright smile and later on a treat in her right hand. It was a cookie that Kanaria brought in her suitcase as emergency food.

"How can I leave the biggest child alone, I suppose?"

"The biggest-!? Stop spilling your nonsense!... And I do not want your trash of a cookie!"

"Hey, stop! I will fall, I suppose!"

Suigintou expanded her wings in an attempt to brush away clingy Kanaria. But the resistance and screams of the second Rozen Maiden soon drove Suigintou to the conclusion that there is no point in fighting attentive stubbornness. She sat back in her place, stole the cookie from Kanaria´s grip and took an aggressive bite out of it. Surprisingly, it made Kanaria let go of her shoulders, especially when Suigintou hummed at the unexpectedly good taste of a treat.

"You like it, right? Mitsu can't possibly make trash don't you agree, I suppose?"

No answer was brought forward. After some temptation, Kanaria sat near her older sister and soon after felt a slight inconvenience on her head.

"Ah, my hair is all messed up…", while making this comment, Suigintou peeked at Kanaria and noticed her curls being tied at the back and the heart-shaped accessory being swiped to her chin. This caused a quiet cackle from her mouth, to which Kanaria immediately reacted, "What are you laughing at? It is your fault, I suppose! Better help me out a bit."

"I hope this serves as a lesson for you."

Kanaria showed her tongue and turned away from her sister while correcting the accessory. Despite her mocking words, Suigintou gave Kanaria a helping hand and untied her tangled curls.

From now on, they both were observing the bright and narrow streets of Lyon. Kanaria was much more enthusiastic about it. While munching on another cookie, she was pointing at cars, buildings, animals and people, either commenting on their beauty or making silly jokes in an attempt to raise a smile on Suigintou´s face.

"Does our father hate us, Kanaria?"

The second Rozen Maiden could not believe what she heard, and the red eyes, which were full of questions, further deepened her dumbfoundedness. She thought for a while and answered with a question.

"W-why do you think so, I suppose?"

"Think of it yourself, despite Shinku… being a winner of the Alice Game, nothing has been concluded because of this idiot´s ideals. Despite meeting all the conditions, she was not the perfect girl father wished to have. What is Alice for him? I can't understand it…"

"I… really do not know. But it does not matter, I suppose? In the end, we have another goal in mind, so-"

"Sometimes your running away from the displeasure is truly annoying, Kanaria."

This phrase plunged into her heart like a knife, and no further comments came out of Kanaria´s mouth. Thoughts about the disgraceful past crawled upon her mind, and only sightseeing was able to loosen its spiky grip. At one point, Kanaria noticed quite an unexpected visitor of the day, sitting on a tree. It was a little owl that curiously observed the girls from a distance. As soon as Kanaria faced Suigintou, pointing at the bird, it fell off the branch and rapidly shortened the distance.

"Hey, watch out!"

"Kyaa!"

Suigintou grabbed Kanaria by her coat, but instead of the girl, an owl bit into the cookie and flew away as fast as it arrived.

"Ah, why is it always me whose food is stolen, I suppose!? Owls do not even eat cookies…"

Kanaria´s attention was vastly taken by something right on the road near the front yard. It was two people, Odille and Jun, to be exact, they were moving towards a car with a gentleman escorting the two. She excitedly turned to Suigintou again, but a sharp look into the distance summoned the restraints of hesitation. She was able to address her sister only after Suigintou noticed her desire to destroy the hush.

"What?"

"Ah, um, Jun and Odille are going somewhere, I suppose! Leaving so quietly is pretty suspicious, which is a perfect opportunity to master the art of espionage. I am inviting you as well, I suppose."

"I refuse."

"Oh, come on! Going for a walk will not hurt."

Kanaria pulled Suigintou by her sleeves in an attempt to pick her up. Suigintou withstood the pulls, and Kanaria decided to make use of extreme measures.

"Pizzicato!"

A dazzling yellow light was summoned and immediately began spinning around, increasing its brightness. Soon enough, a yellow parasol materialised out of the light, and both girls soared to the sky with their hair and puffy outfits swaying in the winds. Suigintou, yet again, showed her grim expression, but a cheerful motto of her sister: "It will be fun, I promise, I suppose!", loosened her manner to a softer one and, with a sigh, Suigintou murmured.

"Guess it can't be helped."

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Despite Fosset's residence being near the Parc de la Tête d'Or, the backyard of their house was still quite spacious and contained a small pond, an exquisite gazebo made out of dark wood and lots of unique plants. Odille´s father, from an early age, was interested in plants, and this little hobby of his rapidly overgrew into a botanist profession. Thanks to these circumstances, this small yet glorious garden was born under his hands.

Only two guests, the twin gardeners, were so interested in the garden that it quickly became their top priority. They both already saw this green work of art, yet every new visit still felt like the first. The gazebo´s location is at the right corner of a garden; a few square-shaped rose bushes are surrounding it, protecting the peaceful place with their thorns. Several grapevines are going upwards of the gazebo, making it look more antique, and light reddish grapes were further advancing this image.

The centre and left corner of the garden is occupied by a pond, surrounded by trees and bushes of differing sizes. Moving forward, the road made of flat stones, twins are observing the trees dancing in the wind, birds flying from branch to branch, and leaves floating in the pond, with their mouths open in astonishment.

Early autumn has painted some of the leaves in yellow and red, but most of the colours are still on the trees, making this moment a perfect treat for one's eyes. Suddenly, Souseiseki noticed a slight inconvenience near the gazebo. One of the bush sides is not perfectly flat, with the reason being leaves that outgrew the necessary length.

"Lempicka."

Said Souseiseki, while moving towards the square bush. A blue dot of light flew out of her sleeve and summoned a pair of garden scissors. Too small for a human, but the perfect size for the doll. Suiseiseki, at first, did not understand her sister´s intentions, but as soon as she caught a cropped bush edge she giggled and left a comment.

"Willing to work even in someone else's garden, you are truly unchangeable, desu."

Souseiseki turned her head, showing a smirk to Suiseiseki.

"Garden caring is a priority for the gardeners like ourselves, look, the soil is a bit dry here."

"Huh, dry, desu!? Sui Dream!"

Suiseiseki ran closer, calling for her spirit. A green dot answered to her command by creating a watering can out of thin air, but as soon as the girl came closer to Souseiseki, who was already cutting the overgrown bush, she did not notice any cracks in dirt.

"...But where, desu?"

"There is none, but as a disciplined gardener, you reacted immediately, did not you?"

Only now did Suiseiseki realize that Souseiseki was only teasing her by showing that they both are not much different. The girl puffed her cheeks, crossed her hands and turned away from her twin so fast that the puffy, green dress swayed several more times before stopping. At that moment, another object took her interest, and she started moving towards it, leaving Souseiseki behind.

A last metallic sound of the 4th Rozen Maiden´s scissors was made, and soon enough, it disappeared into nothingness along with the blue spirit. Souseiseki glanced over a lonely tree towards which her sister was slowly moving like in a trance. It became her next destination, and as soon as she had a better look at the small and seemingly weak tree, she realized why Suiseiseki was so interested in it. This poor plant looked exactly like Sakurada Jun´s tree of life, with a thin stem, short branches, tiny leaves and lots of weeds surrounding it.

Suiseiseki faced her sister with a surprisingly cheerful expression and suggested taking care of it. The two did not waste any second and tidied up the tree in a split. After watering its soil with her can, Suiseiseki exclaimed.

"Ah, all this mess could be solved so easily, desu… but that chibi-human decided to work on it by himself, and he succeeded, desu!"

"Indeed, the master put lots of effort into improving himself. I wonder what his tree of life looks like now."

"I saw it, desu… and I was not disappointed."

Souseiseki gazed at Suiseiseki in astonishment. A soft smile rested on her face. She was proud of Jun as a parent would be proud of their child.

"Can't wait to see Shinku´s reaction to it, desu. Oh, wait, you did not see the tree either, Souseiseki, despite being his doll. How about we look at it all together after that sleepy head will be awake, desu?"

Souseiseki silently nodded, not because she was uninterested in Jun´s tree, but because of another thought that bothered her since the week-old negotiations. Suiseiseki noticed her attitude, snorted annoyingly and stole her tophat, but her sister did not react. After a while, she placed the hat on her own head and called Souseiseki.

"You are again thinking of Alice Game, desu! Did we not decide to discuss it later, desu?"

"Yes, but-!"

Souseiseki finally noticed the missing attribute of her clothing and took it back with immense speed. Suiseiseki did not even have a chance to somehow react. Then she continued, holding the hat tight on her head.

"I am worried about that New Game… or rather… our purpose. Was it not our only goal to become Alice? And despite the second chance being given to us, we ditch it so easily-"

"-What do you want to say, desu!? Do you think fighting further will be a good idea?"

"No, but… I do not understand what is right and what is wrong anymore. We exist only for our father, yet here we are, going against his will. I love my master, love my previous mediums, love all of my sisters, love my father, but am I supposed to love father more than everyone I know? If so, then why am I acting not as he intended?"

Souseiseki was clearly at a loss. The 4th Rozen Maiden was the most loyal doll out of any of her sisters. Her coolness and melee mastery should be enough to become a serious opponent and a strong contender to the place of Alice, yet she never won even once against any other Rozen Maiden. The reason for such a paradoxical occurrence was her subconscious restraints, which were created to fulfil her twin's desire to always stay together. She was fighting with enough effort to not lose her life or take someone else´s. A promise to Suiseiseki was the only barrier that held her back from the main purpose. She was relieved when there was finally a chance to get rid of that burden, but now, when they heard about the continuation of the Alice Game, a huge weight of guilt was staggered upon her shoulders. She realized how much she failed her father by not following their purpose. But since all her sisters agreed on a truce, should she still be bothered about it? The father will surely not forgive this attitude, but going against everyone around feels wrong for her, thus was born the incertitude in Souseiseki´s mind.

Only a sigh came out from Suiseiseki´s mouth as she heard her sister´s doubts, but, suddenly, another voice rang in the distance, driving their attention.

"S-sister Hinaichigo! Madame Cossette! Are you here?"

It was Kirakishou, calling for her friends. As soon as she noticed the twins, the girl started moving towards them with a dull expression.

"Dear sisters, have you seen… oh, wait, no, nevermind. If I ask for help, it will be cheating."

Suiseiseki incredulously gazed at her youngest sister, observing her white dress, which already had dusty stains. Because of how bright the white colour is, Jun and Nori regularly cleaned it due to Kirakishou not noticing any dirt by herself.

Meanwhile, Souseiseki questioned her gloominess.

"Did something happen, Kirakishou? Maybe we can help you?"

"No, there is truly no need. We are playing hide-and-seek, and sister Hinaichigo is really good at it, apparently."

"Why won't you ask Hollie to find them, desu?"

"...I can, but it will be cheating. Thank you for the advice nevertheless, sister Suiseiseki."

Kirakishou bowed politely and proceeded with the game, leaving the twins by themself. Suiseiseki shrugged at her truthfulness and faced Souseiseki, who was still seeing off Kirakishou with her sight. Souseiseki´s mood was not much brighter in comparison to her youngest sister. All of a sudden, Suiseiseki placed her tiny hand at her twin´s chest and declared, looking straight into her polychromatic eyes.

"About what you said earlier, desu. Did you forget what we have here, Souseiseki?"

"...Our rosa mystica."

"Wrong! Our souls, desu… you were reasoning like an object, but we are living beings like these birds, so yearning for freedom is essential, desu."

After these words, Suiseiseki removed her hand from Souseiseki´s chest and instead took her hand. The girl pointed to the pond and said with a sassy smile.

"Now stop whining about this, and let's look at these trees. Maybe we can somehow help them as well, desu."

Souseiseki stood for a second, but then started moving along with her twin. Soon enough, her dull expression was healed and replaced with a soft smile, especially when bright green shoots in her arms started swaying as if thanking her for the care.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Kirakishou was sluggishly moving through the right hall of the house while observing the tangled pattern of a long, red carpet. All the doors from all the floors had been searched by her, not even the attic, garden and cellar were able to escape her observant gaze, yet the girl could not find Cossette nor her sister Hinaichigo. As she was passing by yet another room, shaking off the dust from her white dress, a crimson dot flew towards her nose and began blinking. Kirakishou sighed and explained without any sense of enthusiasm in her voice.

"I am thankful for your condolence, dear spirit, but I have to find them on my own… I wonder why the master left us behind."

Earlier, when she was passing by the entrance, Kirakishou noticed Jun and Odille through the window. The pair got into a black car and disappeared deep into the city. Since then, she only bumped into the twins in the backyard and no more of her older sisters.

After a while of wandering in the empty mansion, Kirakishou sat on the floor, hugging her knees and began murmuring to herself.

"Yet again, all alone as if loneliness is my destiny…but I am so tired of it."

She did not cry nor scream for help, just closed her eyes and enveloped her mind in pure nothingness. Kirakishou boldly promised to be helpful to the endearing ones, yet here she is, not even able to find her sister in the house without any help. Even though she tried her best, there was no escape from her pathetic self, who does not know anything about her own sisters, the world and even her father…

Suddenly, Kirakishou felt a soft touch at her back, and after that, someone hugged her from behind. A new spark of light flew by, but a pink one and Kirakishou immediately recognized the intruder.

"Sister Hinaichigo?"

"I am sorry, Kirakishou. Even though I am your older sister, I left you by yourself in an unknown place. If Hollie did not say, sniff. I am so sorry!"

Kirakishou felt the moisture getting into her clothes from behind. The girl was not angry or disappointed in her sister, and an indicator of this fact is a calm smile. She got up and took Hinaichigo by the hands, wiped away her tears and declared.

"You are such a crybaby, dear sister. There is no need to mourn because I am thankful that you did come to me."

Although Kirakishou acted with splendid dignity, Hinaichigo still was her older sister and was supposed to act accordingly. She understood it better than anyone else could, thus not being able to forgive herself, despite Kirakishou's willingness to leave this minor inconvenience behind.

Later on, Hinaichigo recovered from the tears and made a suggestion, which was further expanded by Kirakishou.

"Since the game was unfair, I will help you to find Cossette, and even if you are against it, I will still do it!"

"I am gladly accepting your help, sister Hinaichigo, but why not teach this little human a lesson?"

"Um, this sounds like something Suigintou would say… but I do not mind! It is her fault for convincing me, after all. So what is the plan?"

Kirakishou involuntarily made a creepy grin, looking towards the mirror in the hall. Hinaichigo tried her best to raise an evil smirk, but her younger sister was much more successful in this regard. They both dived into the glittering surface of a mirror, and after about a minute a cry of terror spread through the mansion, which was followed by laughter, heated quarrel and then laughter yet again.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Jun and Odille went outside the mansion and proceeded to walk towards the road. Boulevard des Belges was quite spacious yet packed with relatively big buildings facing the Fosset family house and many others.

The boy was curiously observing the architecture, people of European nationality and French cars, but because of him spinning around for a bit too long, Jun lost sight of Odille, and his panic intensified the rotations. Luckily, he caught the girl talking with someone besides a Mercedes, with someone unfamiliar to Jun. Upon coming closer, a tall man in a prestigious suit pointed at him and said something Jun was not able to understand.

"Um, bonjour…"

"Ah, Jun, excuse me for leaving you alone and let me introduce you to Leo, he is our family chauffeur."

"Hello… Jun?" - said Leo now in English, stretching his hand towards Jun with a smile shining on his face. The boy understood him well, shook his hand, but then turned to Odille in surprise.

"Wait, what? Your family has its own chauffeur!?"

"Si, our 3rd most reliable servant!"

Odille laughed a bit and told the same to Leo in French, to which the man also giggled, saying: "Gentille mais grossière, madame(Kind, yet rude, my lady)".

And while the two of them were having fun, Jun was standing in dumbfoundedness and whispered to himself: "Am I too poor to understand this joke?"

After a while, the three of them sat into the capacious salon of the car, Leo began preparing the engine, whilst Odille showed a map of the city to the boy. Her slender finger lay on a place with a thin black circle around it.

"This is the museum we are heading towards, Musée d'Histoire."

Jun was not too familiar with the places girls were able to investigate, since he was immersed in a secret of Rosa Mystica. Even if they already examined everything at the location inside and out, asking about a mysterious Duke will not hurt. So the newly formed investigation team started moving towards their destination. Despite Odille, one of his employees, being nearby, all of Leo's attention strived to Jun. In good English with a moderate accent, he piled the boy up with various questions about Japan, his life there and thoughts on the city. Jun answered them as well as he could, occasionally peeking at Odille who, instead of helping him out, listened carefully to his poor English.

This shameful interview lasted for about 15 minutes, after which they arrived at the place of interest. Jun was a bit disappointed that he was not able to take a look at the unfamiliar western country because of the talks and the tinted glass of the car. Luckily, they had to stroll for a bit due to the museum located in the narrow streets of the old town where non-residential parking lots were a rarity. He stepped outside, listening to Odille´s appeal to Leo in French, but his attention was vastly overtaken by the views on the other side of the Saone river. Like an endless wall, European houses were spreading from right to left with only a bunch of trees, adding green colour to red roofs and pale walls. In the, crowded with buildings, distance, a church with two towers was peeking from above the roofs it observed Jun with its massive door through a narrow gap.

"E…excusez-moi, qu'est… is that?"

At this phrase, Leo and Odille turned their heads to Jun, only to find him with a bright red face and awkwardly outstretched hand, pointing at the church. Leo unsuccessfully tried to restrain his laughter, and only Odille´s elbow to sidekick was able to return his dignity. The girl did not laugh but politely answered, graciously looking him in the eyes.

"No need to be shy. I am pleased that you were trying to learn French just to talk with me. As for the building, this is Saint-Nizier Church. Magnificent look, isn't it?"

Only a slight blush remained on Jun´s face, and he nodded with agreement. Then, Odille sent a vicious glare at Leo. This made him giggle for a bit, and then he bowed in apology to Jun.

"Pardonne-moi… I mean, excuse me."

But before Jun even said anything, Leo turned to Odille, said something in French and dissolved in the city, leaving the two of them on their own.

"What is it with his attitude! I really do not like him!"

"Such is Leo, those outside of Fosset´s family are unimportant, though I am surprised how interested he was in Japan."

"I bet my English was just a song to his ears, dammit!"

"Leo seems to have some affairs here, so we will proceed without him. The museum is right there."

Odille pointed at the tight street between two buildings, seemingly from different epochs. Jun followed her lead, and soon they arrived at a small yet busy square with various shops and cafes surrounding it. Odille took a turn to the left and entered yet another narrow street. A fragrant aroma of bread mixed with the toxic smell of medicine was spreading through the air. Their mixture was truly unpleasant for the boy, but Odille did not flinch at all. Suddenly, she faced the entrance of one of the shops. Pretty strange place for the museum - thought to himself Jun and came closer, but upon seeing the place himself, he turned to Odille with a poker face. It was a pastry shop.

Odille noticed Jun´s bemusement and asked him: "Are you hungry?"

"Um, no."

"But I am."

She entered the bakehouse, stayed there for about five minutes and bought two pieces of pastry with glazed nuts at the top and one with whipped cream. They sure looked delicious, but even though Odille offered him one with nuts, the boy refused, saying that he cant pay for it. Odille tilted her head, wondering: "But I do not demand money for it."

"Yeah, but… we already are staying at your house without any payment or-"

"-But I am not asking for it in the first place! Aren't friends supposed to help each other?"

"F-friends!?"

Jun was astonished by Odille´s unexpected remark. He never considered her as a friend, more so as a partner. Seems like this was not the case for the French girl whose eyebrows are now lowered in indignation. Both her hands were still occupied by one already bitten pastry, and the other offered to the boy. Jun adjusted his glasses with one hand and said while averting his gaze.

"Well… if you don't mind, then I will take it… Thanks."

Odille´s expression immediately changed to the previous unfazed yet visibly positive one. She nodded, and they both proceeded walking down the street alongside each other. Since their mouths were busy chipping off from sweets, they were walking in mutual silence. After taking a turn to the right, Jun noticed in the distance a dark wooden door with a big blue sign and French writings on it. But upon raising his head further, a strange yellow illumination on the roof took his interest. It was not the sun or the lamp, something more bizarre.

"Is it… do not tell me! Odille, can we somehow get to the roof of that building!?"

"Ah, um…"

Even though Jun´s unease caught Odille off guard and she was not able to comprehend his fast Japanese, she managed to understand what he wanted through his index finger pointing at the rooftop.

"Um, roof? I do not know, but maybe on the other side of the building…"

After hearing the girl's unsure answer, Jun ran off to the stairs near the building, ascended them, but could not find the way upwards. He examined the surroundings, and as soon as Odille caught up to him, the boy started screaming.

"I know you are on the roof damn stalker!"

After a few seconds of silence, a small talk spread out there.

"And you were calling yourself the greatest spy? How shameful."

"He definitely noticed your wings or something, I certainly hid my presence."

"I noticed your spirit, idiot!"

"...Pizzicato, how could you!"

Two sparks of light, yellow and purple, flew towards Jun and Odille. They were dancing in the wind as if to justify their presence here. After the spirits, two dolls descended from the roof, Suigintou and Kanaria accordingly. The oldest Rozen Maiden was looking away with her hands crossed. Kanaria, on the other hand, was slowly soaring down, holding an umbrella. Neither of them spoke, allowing Jun to scold unexpected guests.

"You know you should not be here, what if someone will notice you!? I do not want the news about living dolls being spread around the world!"

"As if it was my idea."

"You came here by your own free will, or you want to say that Kanaria dragged you by force!?"

"Yes."

"Hey, you agreed-"

"-Someone is coming!"

Odille took Kanaria into her hands and faced the wall. Jun acted fast and did the same with Suigintou. Despite her struggling, the stranger did not seem to notice anything suspicious. When he passed them by, Rozen Maidens were not released but instead were still in the humans´ hands.

"Dammit, we can't just stay here and talk freely... Alright, please, be good girls and pretend to be normal dolls. We will visit the museum to ask about that coin."

"I don't really want to be in the hands which held Shinku before."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem, be quiet! Where is the museum?"

While Jun was trying to hold Suigintou in place, Odille was silently observing them with Kanaria in her hands. The 2nd Rozen Maiden´s lifeless expression impressed Jun, and a smack with a wing to the face further expanded his envy. Odille nodded at his question, turned around and started walking down the stairs. After returning to the street, she pointed at the sign above the dark wooden door and said: "Here it is."

As soon as more people were visible to Suigintou, she accepted her fate and became still as a rock. At first, Jun did not notice the writings on the sign, but their meaning indeed was a history museum and…

"A puppet art museum!"

"Quite."

It was great luck, not only kids with a pair of dolls will blend perfectly into such an environment, but there is also a possibility to find some other clues regarding Rozen and Rozen Maidens. A wry smile arose on his face, which was shortly cut by Suigintou, who whispered to the boy with her eye half-open.

"Do not have high hopes, human. We already were in this museum and were not able to find anything."

Despite Suigintou´s statement, Jun made a brave step inside the building and began searching for an employee. Odille noticed one earlier and called a young boy in traditional clothes, which matched the entourage of the previous centuries.

"Bienvenue! Comment puis-je t'aider?(Welcome, how can I help you?)"

"Oui, pouvez-vous jeter un œil à l'argent que nous avons trouvé?(Yes, can you take a look at the money we found?)"

An employee nodded in doubt, and Odille outstretched her hand towards Jun. Even though he did not understand all their phrasings, he knew well what Odille wanted. A silver coin was put into her open palm, and an employee took a peek at it. He was silent at first, however further observation gave birth to suspicious excitement.

"Ah... attends une seconde.(Ah… wait a second.)"

The man disappeared into the staff room and, after a while, came back with a puffy and well-dressed gentleman. He moved through the crowd, which was curiously observing the dolls in the kids' hands, came closer to Odille and took a look at the coin as well. At first, his slightly moist face was unfazed, but then his eyes widened, and the man whispered.

"Pièce d'argent du Duc de Gramont, incroyable!(Silver coin of the Duke of Gramont, incredible!)"

"Jun, seems like this gentleman knows the person on the coin."

"Yes, I grasped that much."

From the crowd, Jun with Odille and dolls in their hands were escorted into the spacious cabinet with antique wooden furniture and green carpet in the middle, illuminated by the old fashioned crystal chandelier. The candles at the bookshelf were giving off a pleasant aroma, though Jun was lacking a chance to enjoy it for too long with the reason being a sudden negotiation which came forth. Judging by Odille´s translations, that gentleman, who apparently is an owner of the museum, was interested in the silver coin they have a hold-off.

"We are not… Odille, can you explain to him that we do not want to sell it, but rather know the history of it."

Odille explained the situation to the gentleman, which made him look a bit disappointed, but after drinking a glass of water, he spread his words in a long monologue. Jun was not able to understand him, but judging by Odille´s concentrated glare and doll´s rare exhales, that information was crucial. Then it was Odille´s time to repeat the story to Jun.

"I think you will like this information. The value of this coin is due to its rarity. Their minting began in 1785, but because of Gramont's close relation to the crown, several lies and atrocities he committed against regular people, he became one of the first victims of the French revolution. His possessions were burned down, head impaled on a spear and his newly established coin, a mark of his terror, was perished. Only a few copies were left, including yours. But more important was his story of sorcery. It was believed that his lackey used to kidnap people for devil's rituals. His goal was the creation of homunculus in the form of living dolls."

"A living doll?..."

"That's right, I would say you are on the right path, Jun."