第03章 旅途與自動手記人偶

No one would imagine that a single drop could be the start of something so big. However, it would earn itself great meaning after a while passed. Should it continue pouring, it could also summon boundless blessings and curses.

没有人会想到，一滴水会成为如此大的事情的开始。然而，过一段时间后，它会为自己赢得很大的意义。若是继续倾泻，也能招来无量的福祸。

Love was almost like rain.

爱几乎就像雨。

The Journey and the Auto-Memories Doll

旅途与自动记忆人偶

That one was a rain of betrayal.

那是一场背叛的雨。

It started with a calm morning, the sky unfolding without any hints of being enshrouded in dark clouds. Regardless, it did not take too long for the capricious rain brought by the heavens to turn into a downpour rarely seen in recent years.

它开始于一个平静的早晨，天空开阔，没有任何被乌云笼罩的迹象。然而，上天最终还是带来的阴雨连绵，进而又是倾盆大雨。

There was no longer any sign of the rain that had started to fall like gentle kisses from paradise on the black hats of gentlemen walking around town, over the backs of cats dozing under the sun or onto the cheeks of children who opened their mouths and burst into laughter. The current season was the end of summer, and it was raining for the first in a long while in Leidenschaftlich, where the skies were constantly clear in summer, but had the god that controlled weather gone crazy? With time, as if a bucket had turned over, the city was hit by a flood.

再也没有任何那样的雨，像天堂般温柔的吻落在城里走来走去的绅士们的黑帽子上，落在在阳光下打盹的猫的背上，或者落在张开嘴巴破裂的孩子们的脸颊上变成笑声。现在是夏末，莱顿沙夫特利希是好久没下雨了，可是掌管天气的神是不是疯了？久而久之，就好像一个水桶翻了个身，这座城市被洪水淹没了。

This story is about an uneventful day, which did nothing but pass, in the lives of people who worked at a certain postal company.

这个故事讲述了在某邮政公司工作的人们生活中平淡无奇的一天。

The rain and wind struck the entire building as if attacking it. The doorbell rang loudly because of this, a man standing in place and staring at it with unease.

风雨袭来，彷彿袭击了整座建筑。门铃也因此而响了起来，一个男人站在原地，不安地盯着它。

Creak-creak, the door moved. Ring-ring, the bell resounded. Since it was ringing despite there being no customers, he had become concerned and found himself coming down from his residence in the top floor.

咔嚓咔嚓，门动了。叮叮噹噹，钟声响起。由于没有顾客，电话铃响了，他很担心，而后从顶楼的住所走了下来。

In the previous year, the building had been shot with rocket artillery, and not only had it earned an enormous hole but a fire had also occurred – however, thanks to the quick skills of workmen, the hole was now closed and the walls had been neatly rebuilt.

前一年，这座建筑被火箭炮击中，不仅产生了一个巨大的洞，还发生了火灾——不过，幸亏工人们的手艺很快，洞已经堵上了，墙也被封了。建筑也被整齐地重建。

The man was a stylish redhead. He was the president of this company, which he had named after himself.

这个男人一头红髮。他是这家公司的总裁，这家公司是以他自己的名字命名的。

//Google翻译出来是一个时髦的红髮女郎，哇咔咔乐死我了

Claudia Hodgins had been left all alone in the empty postal office. Still, it was normal for him to be there, as it was both his home and workplace. However, since he was by himself at a time that would usually still be within business hours, no matter what, he looked like he had been abandoned.

克劳迪娅·霍金斯一个人呆在空蕩蕩的邮局里。不过，他在那里很正常，因为这是他的家和工作场所。但是吧，由于他一个人的时间一般都在营业时间之内，所以无论如何，他都像是被遗弃了一样。

The postal office had been in great turmoil because of the storm. Surely, so had its peers. With the deliveries stagnated, complaints were coming from the clients. Nevertheless, the transportation was not carried out by machines devoid of feelings. It was something done by humans, who had been given birth to by someone and who had families waiting for them when they returned home. In lieu of the unpreceded disaster, as the president, he had notified all employees that business would be closed for today.

由于暴风雨，这个邮政局一直处于停业之中。当然，它的同行也是如此。由于邮递停滞，客户纷纷提出投诉。然而，送信不是由无情的的机器进行的。这是人类所做的工作，他们由人所生，为人所侯。在这个前所未有的灾难中，作为社长，他已通知所有员工今天休息。

To begin with, the customers had stopped coming in the middle of the day. If he had to say so himself, this might be the expected. Deliberately going outside amidst such strong wind and torrential rain was an act of sheer madness.

首先，顾客在中午就不再来了。于他而言，这倒是意料之中。这么大的风雨中，故意往外走，简直是疯了。

Curious about what was going on outside, Hodgins had approached the entrance from the side. He felt like attempting to open the large doors just a little. He wanted to see how inundated the ground was. Just when he slow and carefully reached a hand towards it, the door opened with force despite him not doing anything.

霍金斯很好奇，从侧面接近了入口。他有点想试试打开大门，想看看地面被淹没了多少。就在他缓缓地小心翼翼地伸手去摸的时候，房门却被用力打开了。

//此处配图千反田

「Ow…!」

「哦…！」

「Oh, my bad. More importantly, we』re screwed; it』s just impossible, Old Man!」

「哦，对不起。更重要的是，我们湿透了；这没办法，大叔！」

Hodgins was teary-eyed as his precious nose took a hit. He was lightheaded for an instant due to the pain, but soon regained consciousness. After all, one of his employees had come back dripping-wet. Hodgins pulled him – whole body wrapped in rain gear – by the arm, bringing him inside and closing the door. Although it was only open for a few seconds, the entrance was already drenched.

当他宝贵的鼻子受到撞击时，霍金斯泪流满面。疼痛让他瞬间头晕目眩，但很快就恢複了知觉。总而言之，他的一名员工回来时浑身湿透。霍金斯拉着全身都裹着雨具的他的胳膊，把他带了进去，关上了门。虽然只开了几秒钟，但入口已经湿透了。

//配图：和泉宗正

The visitor took off the hood over his head, allowing his face to be seen. He was a splendidly handsome and fine man of sky-blue eyes and sandy-blond hair.

来访者摘下头上的兜帽，露出他的脸。他是一个非常英俊的男人，有着天蓝色的眼睛和金色的头髮。

「Benedict…!」

Benedict Blue. One of the postal company』s postmen, who had been working in it ever since its founding.

「It』s impossible – actually, it』s absurd! Working under this rain is absurd! I look like I』m in the bath already. I wouldn』t have come here if I weren』t soaked… Making the staff pull out was the right choice,」 Benedict said as if angry-yelling, shaking his head in the same way that a dog or cat would and splattering water splashes at Hodgins.

This wetted most of Hodgins』s shirt and face, but he was unable to reprimand his employee, who had been doing strenuous effort. He accepted it in resignation, wiping Benedict』s face with the sleeve of his shirt. 「Okay, stay put.」

「Uoh, what』s with you? Stop.」

「Welcome home. I was worried. Good thing you』re all right.」

「O-Oh. What, hum… I』m back… You were worried about me?」

「Of course,」 Hodgins said, to which Benedict turned away with an obviously embarrassed attitude after a moment of bewilderment.

Outside, vases and planters that may have been at the eaves of people』s houses, as well as shop signs, had been turning into weapons for a while now, dancing around the city along with the wind. Managing to come back unharmed and safely amidst this weather, where one could not know what would come flying their way, was something to be happy about.

「I』m just fine. This job』s easier than running around shooting guns. Anyway, I was left with the letters and packages of a guy who fell from his motorcycle and came back by myself. Was best to do that, right?」

「Aah, so someone got hurt?」

「That newbie, Clark. But he only scrapped his knees. He fell lots of times when he was learning how to ride, but for real, it』s surprisingly depressing when you fall off other than during practice. He was crying, y』see.」

「Aah~.」

Knowing who the person in question was, Hodgins pitied him. He was the youngest postman to join the company as of late. It was difficult to find human resources for postmen as they were quick to quit.

「He』s young, after all…」

「You call him young but… he』s already a grown man. I wonder if he ain』t lying to us about his age… I thought he was a baby or something.」

「You can』t compare him to a city boy fresh from the battlefield like yourself. I』m gonna get you a towel and a change of clothes now, so don』t move from there.」

「Why?」

「You』d wet the floor. Don』t tell me to go around cleaning up where you walked.」

「Clean it up,」 he said while laughing, to which Hodgins』s shoulders slumped. He was a reliable companion, but also a young man who knew not how to show respect for his elders.

——Well, guess I』m a so-called doting parent for thinking that』s cute – no, doting boss.

Anyhow, they needed towels, Hodgins thought as he went back to his room. He grabbed a few large towels and held a pair of trousers and shirt that Benedict would apparently fit into under his arm. Then returned to the ground floor. By the time he did so, the number of people had increased.

「Uwah… Amazing, it』s like squeezing a rag.」

There were three more other than Benedict. If they were to be separated by types, one of them had evacuated after receiving a report of work, one had evacuated after finishing work, and one had been ordered to clock out, but all had come back halfway through, as their bodies were about to be blown off by the overwhelming storm.

「Please stop.」 There was Violet Evergarden, whose golden hair was in Benedict』s grasp.

「Why? You said your hair was wet.」

「You just want to touch Violet』s hair, Benedict. Isn』t that right?」 Lux Sibyl, who had given up on wiping her glasses and was glaring at the empty space.

「That』s not it. Don』t say weird stuff, Lux.」

「You knooow, my hair』s just as long as Violet』s.」 And Cattleya Baudelaire, who scowled at Benedict with her arms crossed.

The members who had been there ever since the founding were Violet, Cattleya and Benedict, but Lux, having joined midway, was now a skillful secretary who covered up the schedule of the employees and president and moved them around like chess pieces. As the four people whose ages were close to each other』s came together, the conversation naturally livened up.

「You—You』re that kinda thing. If I touch you in a place like this, it』d be that kinda thing. This is our workplace, so there』s all that kinda thing. Morally speaking, it』s that kinda thing.」

「What do you mean 『morally speaking』?!」

「I wish you wouldn』t say those things even if you think about them. Right, Violet?」

「『Public morals』…? Benedict, what am I from your point of view?」

「V, you』re like a little sister to me… Aah, Old Man, gimme another towel.」

It was a terribly joyful thing that the company』s young aces had returned to it safe and sound.

「Everyone, don』t move from that spot no matter what. Hey, Cattleya! Don』t move!」

However, wiping all the water off the bodies of those four turned out to be a bone-breaking work.