Chapter 223: The Latest Sleeper Train
It was the first time in her life that Saarya had seen a train, let alone ridden one.
She was more excited than she had ever been.
“Ooh! Amazing, amazing! It’s moving!”
“It is moving.”
As the locomotive slowly began to move with a whistle, the crowd gathered on the station’s platform waved their hands in unison. Saarya leaned out of the window and waved back enthusiastically.
“Do you think I’d stand out if I climbed on the roof!?”
“No. What are you saying?”
Ixia=Ayame Zero desperately stopped Saarya, who was actually trying to get out of the window. Communicator Dolls were robots created based on humans, so their physical strength was commensurate with their appearance.
Even with all her computational resources, it was extremely difficult to restrain someone bigger than herself who was seriously trying to break free.
“…Sorry.”
“I understand that you’re confident in your physical abilities, but you need to choose the time and place to use them. Passengers are prohibited from exiting the train cars outside of designated areas. Please refrain from reckless behavior. In the first place, getting off a train that has already started moving is out of the question. If you were to slip, you would be slammed into the ground at 20 tf (tarfu) per hour. You should be able to imagine what would happen if you fell from the roof of a carriage running at full speed. Even if you didn’t fall, there are many obstacles such as telegraph poles. If you were to accidentally come into contact with them, it would be irreversible. Do you understand?”
“…I won’t do it again.”
She never expected that she would have to start with a lecture.
Ixia sighed and stroked Saarya’s drooping head.
“Be careful next time. If you’ve learned your lesson, then don’t repeat it.”
After stroking her for a while, Saarya began to tremble, and then hugged Ixia tightly.
Ixia, without any particular reaction, naturally returned the hug and began to pat her back.
“You’re such a good girl, Ixia-chan! You’re such a good girl! I’ll never let you go!”
“Release. I can’t move.”
…And so, after such an exchange, Saarya had completely warmed up to Ixia.
Is this okay? Isn’t Saarya too easily won over?
“Meals will be served in the dining car. The hours are from 11:00 to 13:00, and a crew member will come to confirm the time later. At other times, the dining car becomes a cafeteria. The cafe menu here consists mostly of new creations by a dedicated chef. It’s very interesting.”
“Ixia-chan, do you like to eat?”
Saarya asked as she walked hand-in-hand with Ixia, who was explaining rapidly.
“……. Yes. It’s safe to say I like it. Delicious food enriches the heart.”
“Well, I like it too. But I was surprised by dinner last night. So many different kinds of dishes.”
Saarya and Ixia were walking down the corridor towards the dining car.
The dining car was located in the first and second-to-last cars. The one at the front was for VIPs only. The one they were heading to now was that car.
“It’s a style called a full course meal, which is currently popular in the Royal Capital. Dishes are served one at a time. It takes time, but it has the advantage of always being able to eat freshly prepared food. It also allows you to savor the dish itself, so it’s popular in restaurants.”
“I see. The capital is still advanced…”
Ixia was petite, but her legs and hips were quite strong. This was evident from the fact that Saarya, who should have been a head taller than her, had been restrained.
Her pace as she strode towards the dining car was not much different from Saarya’s normal walking speed. In other words, it was quite a brisk walk.
Her mind was completely focused on the cafeteria.
“Welcome. Are you here to use the cafeteria?”
A crew member was stationed at the entrance of the dining car, also serving as security.
“Yes. Ixia and Saarya from 2-12. May we enter?”
“Yes, please. Your seats have been reserved. Please relax and enjoy your time.”
Identity verification by room number and name. They had reserved seats before boarding, so they were smoothly admitted.
Saarya was abashed, but was pulled along by Ixia, who was walking ahead, and stepped into the dining car.
“Wow…”
The interior of the train, including the car where Saarya and the others’ rooms were located, was well-maintained. The carpets were laid out in calming colors, and each of the wall decorations was arranged to harmonize with the others. Saarya was a member of the ruling class, so her family’s home was also decorated with a fair amount of money, but it wasn’t as elaborate as this.
However, the dining car seemed to have even more effort put into it.
The passenger cars had a calm atmosphere, with colors that were rather dark and chic.
The dining car was decorated in bright colors, and it shone in the sunlight streaming in through the windows.
“Ixia-sama, Saarya-sama. We have been waiting for you. I will guide you to your seats. You can also place your order at the counter.”
“Going to the counter.”
“Understood.”
The current trend was to order in a cafeteria style. The act of ordering something at the counter itself had become popular. Of course, there were also customers who were unfamiliar with such trends, so it was also possible to order at the table as before.
“Hello, lovely ladies. Have a good time.”
“Hello. You too, have a good time.”
“H-hello.”
They were greeted by another customer who had entered earlier, and Ixia replied calmly, while Saarya replied with wide eyes.
Normally, it was unheard of to be greeted by another customer in a restaurant. In particular, it was outrageous for a man to speak to a woman, due to matters of etiquette.
But this dining car was another world.
The passengers were all excited about the new world of the state-of-the-art train. Moreover, this was Dining Car No. 1. All of the users were upper-class customers with clear identities.
By tacit understanding, they greeted each other in this way in order to spend this enjoyable train journey comfortably and to share that feeling.
“T-this is amazing… It’s like I’ve come to another country.”
“Enjoy it.”
For Saarya, a dreamlike time was passing.
The experience of eating while being rocked by a train was also something she couldn’t normally do. The dishes bounced from the train’s vibrations, and the misaimed forks clattered. The train seemed to be slowing down during meal times, but even so, eating in a swaying train was difficult.
But such an environment was also the real pleasure of the trip. The passengers in the dining car were enjoying such accidents. Of course, Saarya also enjoyed it. What a kind world it was, where you could enjoy failing at table manners.
And so, after spending two nights on the train, on the afternoon of the third day, the sleeper train arrived at the capital, Moor.
“Ooh, it’s not shaking… It feels strange…”
“It will take time for your body to get used to it. You might stumble if you run, so be careful.”
Saarya, with her hand firmly held by Ixia, who had completely become her guardian, stepped onto the platform. From now on, she had to pick up her luggage and meet up with Linanel, who should have already arrived.
“The luggage is over there. Saarya. Saarya.”
“Ixia-chan, amazing, amazing! There are so many people! I’ve never seen such a high ceiling before!”
“I understand, let’s go. You can look at it again later.”
Pulling Saarya, who stopped at every turn, Ixia strode forward. Ignoring the luggage car crowded with people, they passed through the VIP reception, checked the luggage that had been gathered for them. After confirming that there were no problems, they were guided to the pick-up area.
It was conspicuous for two young girls to travel alone, but there were always station attendants with them, so there were no particular problems. It would probably only become a topic of conversation among the upper class.
Then, they proceeded through the passage of the brand-new station building, and beyond that. In the dedicated pick-up area, Linanel was waiting.
“Welcome back, Saarya. From the looks of it, you enjoyed yourself. And you are…”
“Linanel. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Ixia.”
“…Yes, I’ve heard about you from Amadio-sama… Saarya, you’ve become quite close.”
“Ah, ah…”
Saarya and Ixia were still holding hands tightly. Saarya glanced at her, but Ixia didn’t seem to want to let go.
She wasn’t trusted at all.
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Happy New Year
Thank you for your support this year as well.
tentenko
Thank you for your continued support of “The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Great Battleship in Another World” this year as well!!
I’m sure this year will be a year of great upheaval!!