()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_21winter_avg_mahaline</BGM><BIN>80</BIN><黑屏2>:2064, Sector S09, in the Griffin cafe. +It seems the noisy Dolls in the cafe are finally satisfied, and they leave the party in twos and threes. +Once the sky outside the cafe is completely dark, there are only two people left inside.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tableware</SE1>:Clink. +Springfield takes away the cup in her hands, her mouth opening, then closing. This look of surprise is very seldom seen on her. +She has always thought she knew Lee Enfield best in all of Griffin. +But...
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...I didn't know you had a past like that.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Drink_Tea</SE1>:She smiles bitterly and pours Lee a fresh cup of tea.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:I didn't think the Doll they mentioned in Operation Black Forest... +Would turn out to be you.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I never told anyone about it.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:No wonder you had such a conflicted look on your face...
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...I just don't understand. +Why did the matter come up again after so long?
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:Isn't it good that somebody was willing to dig up the past to exonerate you?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:There's nothing worth digging up. +I didn't go rogue, that much is true. +But it's also true that I made a mistake.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee shakes her head. +After looking at her expression, Springfield looks at the object Lee is holding.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...Was that the medal?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:Yes.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Lee takes out the object she's holding again.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I left it for Charlie when I left the Humphrank Estate. +I didn't spend a long time with him, but I knew he was a good kid by nature. +...But I couldn't do anything for him as his teacher. +At the very least, I hoped that he could have distanced himself from something he hated.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:You...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Springfield's voice trails off again.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...You've been blaming yourself for it all this time, haven't you?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I'm not blaming myself, Miss Springfield. +This is regret... Charlie was a child, and he was immature in many ways. +But his criticism of me was largely correct.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I should have been punished back then. My body and core should have been destroyed. +But after I was sent back to I.O.P., I learned that they recovered me so they could use me for research and development. +In the end, I've ended up fighting again for a while longer.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:So ten years is "a while longer" for you.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:It is a great honor for me. +But now, to so shamelessly accept a neural upgrade... +That is something I cannot do.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:I'm very sorry to have disturbed you for so long at a busy time like this.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee rises from her seat.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I've decided to refuse the Commander's good intentions.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...You've made up your mind?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:Yes.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Lee puts away the medal that sparkles like a jewel, then rises and prepares to leave.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:Miss Lee.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Upon hearing Springfield's voice, she pauses briefly in the doorway.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:Was that medal the only thing you were sent?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:... +...How did you know?
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:There was something else, wasn't there? +..."Operation Black Forest" was significant to all Dolls. +But for humans, it didn't mean anything much. +As of now, I cannot think of anyone else who would dig up the past for you.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee trembles silently for a moment, and then she turns around mechanically before heading back to the counter. +Springfield still has a bitter smile on her face.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:I saved you some cookies.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Lee shakes her head and takes an unopened package from her carry bag.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...Not going to open it?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:The sender told me... +It was left behind by "Charlie Lucius".
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee places the little package on the bar.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:I don't expect him to thank me for the medal.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:But he helped you uncover the truth, and he delivered his legacy to you.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:That is why I can't open it. +I didn't want to be chased by my past. +Yet now, it has appeared before me in the most mysterious of ways.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...I hate illogical mysteries like this.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Springfield looks at Lee for a while, still silent. Then, she picks up a nearby dinner knife and slices open the package in a quick swipe.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...!
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:The Lee Enfield I know would never run from her problems. +You always need to know the truth.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:Miss Springfield...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee sighs and opens the package resignedly. +There is a thick letter inside, as well as an intricate box. +Lee frowns and picks up the letter, then opens the box and takes out the contents.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...This is?
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:A medal?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Though the jewel on it is very dazzling, Springfield can tell with a glance. +Lee stares dumbly at this brand new medal and puts down the letter, taking out the other one with her other hand. +She holds two identical medals in her hands, left and right. +The difference is that one is covered in the dust of ages, while the other is still gleaming and bright.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...Could it be…
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Lee puts down the medal, and opens the sealed envelope.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:She knows this handwriting better than anything.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>269</BIN><黑屏2><回忆><BGM>GF_21summer_avg_Demon</BGM>:Xth of X 2051, East Anglia, at the Humphrank Estate. +During Lee Enfield's first week at the estate.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Rifle</SE1>:Bang!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Bullte_Ricochet</SE1>:Cling.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_weapon_reload</SE1><SE1>AVG_Bullet_Drop</SE1>:After ejecting the cartridge with practiced ease, Charlie raises his muzzle high, squinting as he looks at the distant target.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:Marvelous
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:...Don't bother me, go look for those three brown-nosers if you want to have class. +Aren't they stuck all over you?
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:You are also one of my students.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:...Humph.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:I've been observing you for a while, Charlie. +You're more talented than I imagined, and you're a hard worker. +Although I haven't known you for a long time, you have the qualities of a warrior.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:You don't need to kiss my ass.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:I understand why you think you don't need lessons.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:Humph...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Charlie snorts in annoyance.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:...So, what killer moves do you have? Let's hear them.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:There are no shortcuts on the road to becoming a warrior. +There's only daily practice, and a heart that seeks glory.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Charlie rolls his eyes at her.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:Father hasn't been bothering me recently. +You didn't tell him I skipped class?
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:I felt there was no need to.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:I'm not going to be impressed by Dolls sucking up to me, you know.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:No, that was not my intention. +However, I noticed that you had a distinct goal. +Rather than interfere with it, I wanted to provide the proper guidance.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:Only cowards resign themselves to their fate.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:...
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:You don't need to bow and scrape around people if you've done nothing wrong. +You won't get anyone's respect that way, especially in war.
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:War has never been about what's right or wrong.
NPC-Charlie(0)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:If you think so... +Then why did you tell them to harbor righteous hearts in class?
MLEMK1(4)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||:...
NPC-Charlie(2)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||:You clearly think that's right. +But you've never dared to admit it.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Charlie turns away and shakes his head at Lee in disappointment.
NPC-Charlie(2)<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:And here I thought you were different from the others.
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||<BIN>80</BIN><关闭蒙版><黑屏2>:...Miss Lee?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:No... It's nothing, I'm sorry.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Lee comes to her senses and hurriedly opens the letter.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Heartbeat</SE1>:Thump, thump. +Her heart is pounding, as though it's going to jump out of her throat—Even though she doesn't have a heart.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker><Position>0,90</Position>||<BGM>GF_22W_BGM_2</BGM>:This is a military postmark...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:She mutters to herself. +...He didn't use the medal. +...In the end, he chose to serve.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Lee opens the letter with trembling fingers. +The letters are much more mature, yet they still hold his earliest habits.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2>:Hello, ma'am. It's been a while.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框><BIN>99</BIN><黑屏2><回忆>:By the time you receive this letter, I will probably be dead. +...Cool, huh? I've always wanted to write that.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:I've wondered how I'd feel when I wrote that line. +I didn't expect to feel so calm.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:Alright, I've drifted off-topic. Back to the point. +...I want to give you my apologies.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<边框>2</边框><BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2><narrator>:I'm sorry.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框><黑屏2><BIN>276</BIN>:My foolishness, ignorance, and childishness led to others harboring an incorrect opinion of you and even subjected you to persecution. The truth is you are an excellent teacher. I have not met anyone better in my life.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:I have always regretted that we parted ways in the manner we did.
()||<黑屏1><边框>2</边框>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框><黑屏2><BIN>98</BIN>:My mother died in the fighting during World War III. +She was not a soldier, just an ordinary, kind woman. +But she was engulfed in the fighting, and lost her life all too easily.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:Thus, I hated war. I hated the meat grinder that took people's lives for no reason at all. +And I especially hated Dolls like you who were made to fight wars.
()||<黑屏1><边框>2</边框>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2>:I was wrong.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框><黑屏2><BIN>269</BIN>:You are nothing like the others, and the world I prayed for is filled with people with you. +In order to prove that, I enlisted in the army. I do apologize for wasting your good intentions. +By the way, I gave my exemption to Jordan. He's always been scrawny and small, so he'd probably end up biting it in a few days after enlisting.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:I chose to join the armed forces because I felt that I could not stand apart from it. +I wanted to experience the things you did.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:I once thought you were a coward, because I did not understand. +You did nothing wrong, so why did you accept such a ridiculous judgement? +I thought that once I was in your shoes, I would understand.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:But I still don't understand it. +So this is the one point which I will not recant.
()||<黑屏1><边框>2</边框>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2>:Ma'am, you are a coward. And you have done what is right.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<BIN>99</BIN><边框>2</边框><黑屏2>:I want to tell you that. +I want to prove it to you. +You have done nothing wrong.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:And so, I made up my mind. +Once I obtained a medal of my own, I would come find you. +My apologies, but it seems I cannot do that. +I am going to give my life for what is right.
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<边框>2</边框>:I sincerely hope that this letter will reach your hands. +I hope you know that your student gave his life for a lofty cause, because of your teachings.
()||<黑屏1><边框>2</边框>:
()<Speaker>Charlie</Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><关闭蒙版><黑屏2>:Lee Enfield, my teacher. +It is time you walked out of that black forest.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...
()||<黑屏1>:
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>80</BIN>:...
M1903Cafe(0)<Position>0,150</Position><Speaker>Springfield</Speaker>||:What did it say, Lee?
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:...Some trifling things that are very important to me.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2><SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Lee folds the letter and closes her eyes. Before her eyes is that blizzard and the dark, dense forest. +A ray of light slowly grows within it until it swallows her entire world. +She sees the manor she longs for, and the Griffin base, the home for which she fights for.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker>CSD-119A</Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2>:My name is Lee Enfield. +It comes from the English bolt-action rifle in service from 1896 to 1965.
()<Speaker>CSD-119A</Speaker>||:I am a member of the 6th Royal Dragoons, under the command of the No. 67 Military HQ. +I made great contributions to my nation in World War III.
()<Speaker>CSD-119A</Speaker>||:…I fight for all that I love, be it past, present, or future.
MLEMK1(0)<Speaker>Lee Enfield</Speaker>||:—As I always have.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...
()||<黑点1>: