Nameless Doll ⚙ Chapter 6

(Base translation credits go to @harmonyleaf) 


[Scene - Department Store]

Shu: When I first met Mademoiselle, it was still prior to my encounter with the accursed thing that we call puberty…

I was a sweet, young boy with rosy cheeks- I would probably have been indistinguishable if you had lined me up next to those dolls over there.

Mika: (That’s Oshi-san for you. He really thinks highly of himself.)

(Hmm...is he talkin’ about sometime after he and I met in my hometown?)

(Now that I think ‘bout it, it feels like Oshi-san wasn’t holdin’ Mado-nee then…)

(Heheh, that means I got t’ meet Oshi-san before Mado-nee did.)

(O’ course, the one who stayed by Oshi-san this whole time, supportin’ him, is definitely Mado-nee, but…)

Shu: What are you grinning at? As always, you are a strange one.

Mika: Nn~nn…’bout your meeting...『how』 did it happen?

I remember hearin’ you say that Mado-nee was given to you by your grandfather...

Mado-nee, did you originally belong t’ his grandfather? (1)

Shu: 『No...as far as I can remember, my owner has always been Shu-kun.』

When I was young, I often used to confine myself inside the estate’s storage rooms, cellars, and the like…

Inside one of those was where I found her, sitting inside a showcase covered in dust.

『Fufu. Shu-kun was often being scolded by someone, so he’d just sulk and shut himself inside. And those mean-spirited kids from the neighbourhood would always bull-』

They were quite mean, yes. I was quite a delicate little brat back then, who’d almost cave at something to that mere extent.

Mika: Even now, you’re quite delicate, an’ shut yourself in a lot, too...fufu, it’s very Oshi-san like♪

Shu: It is not my wish for these pitiable characteristics to be recognised as “like” me.

In any case. Inside those storerooms and cellars I spoke of, slept a mountain of 『junk』that no one in the family held any interest in.

A mountain left behind by our ancestors, an untouched, unsorted heap of both treasure and trash.

Perhaps our ancestors held a dilettante approach to art- there were many miscellaneous items, placed inside with no regard of its time, or where it was from.

Although, I did dedicate myself to tidying it up whilst I was still in middle-school, so it is no longer in that state.

『Fufu. It was pretty troublesome, wasn’t it~? Even writing the list of things to be kept took around half a year.』

『And Shu-kun was such a perfectionist, too- he wouldn’t let anyone help him out, so it took him years to finish cleaning it up.』

『Well, I suppose Shu-kun likes doing these kinds of things, so it was probably fun for him♪』

Indeed. It was a thrilling piece of work- even now, I’d find myself viewing the finished products, tidied and on display, despite having no business there.

Even though I lacked the refined skill then, it was still a museum I created all by myself, after all.

In any case, allow me to steer the conversation back on track...when I was young, I would often find myself running into the cellar whenever something happened- and, eventually, began conversing with the Mademoiselle that was inside.

She was the ideal conversational partner- one I could express thoughts I could not share with my family or any other, to.

Of course, at that time, Mademoiselle was simply an unresponsive, lifeless doll.

But, mysteriously, as I spoke to her, while relying on nothing but a lamplight in the darkness…

It felt like she began to come to life- she began reacting to my words, and responding in turn.

She was likely an existence brought into the world by myself, much like the imaginary friends that many children create for themselves when young.

To express this in a poetic manner, one could say I breathed life into Mademoiselle.

Naturally, the people around me...my family and such, saw me as a strange boy, and worried over me.

I was frequently visiting the cellar- almost daily- to converse with a doll, after all.

My parents consulted with other households on the matter, and when the children heard of it from their parents, they began to ridicule me and such.

However, I never stopped going to see Mademoiselle.

She was a precious friend- I even already considered her as family, by then.

More than my unsympathetic, blood-related parents, brothers and sisters, she was the closest one to me- we were soulmates.

And out of my family, the one and only person who understood these feelings of mine...was my grandfather.

He had already entered retirement by then, and soon to be hospitalised- thus, he rarely voiced any input regarding the matters of the household.

Just that once, however, he exercised his authority- he gave my parents a harsh scolding, and demanded them to do as he said…

Aah, it was quite delightful. Afterwards, Mademoiselle officially came into my possession.

Under one condition...to treasure her forever, as if she was family, or a close friend.

I had nodded at my grandfather with absolute elation, and swore my oath to love her for as long as I lived.

And thus, even now, I hold her in my arms. No matter how much others mock me, everything of hers belongs to me…

So, I understand her worth more than anyone else in the world.

She is the one who comforted me when I could do nothing but cry, and bestowed upon me the will to live, after all. Thus, I will use my lifetime to repay this debt.

Mika: ……♪

Shu: Oh? You mock me as well, Kagehira?

Mika: Nnah~? No, I was jus’ really happy, thinkin’ that you entrusted someone that was so important t’ you, into my hands, for even a short moment…

‘m jealous, Mado-nee. I want Oshi-san t’ think that way about me too, someday♪

Shu:『Fufu~n. It is nice♪』

『To be loved is a wonderful thing. Even if you know nothing about yourself or even what you are, that love alone can keep you going.』

『I grew so tired of being trapped in that pitch-black cellar, merely collecting dust.』

『As a doll, I had given up, believing there was nothing I could do. Once people lose interest, that was the end- you are thrown into storerooms to be forgotten about.』

『But you are humans- and as humans, you are able to walk with your own two feet...』

『So, instead of shutting yourself inside somewhere, I want you to fully experience and enjoy this brilliant world.』

『And if I can be of any help at all, for the sake of your precious youths...then I will be the happiest doll in the world.』

『Because I will be able to return all the love that had been bestowed upon me. Humans and dolls have shown the capacity to love one another, after all.』

Notes:

(1) Mika refers to Shu’s grandfather highly- he uses the ‘さま sama’ suffix