A Doll

[ACMItM: Tokiwadai Dormitory - Movie Version]

The next day they met up with Arisa. They were a bit late but Arisa didn't mind.

"So is this about the audition?" Saten asked as they began following Arisa.

"Yes, Orbit Portal wanted to do the audition today and I-" Arisa paused for a moment before blushing "I didn't want to go alone, not after what happened."

Saten nodded but flinched and held her hand to her head "Yeah, I can understand that."

They reached the building in question quickly and, following Arisa's lead, they all signed in and headed into the elevator.

"Orbit Portal... They are really connected to all of this aren't they?" Saten asked as the elevator rose "I mean, the Idol event, The space elevator."

Kuroko was a little confused "Yes? They were just using the former to find a star for the latter. Seems natural to me."

"It's the same company that dealt with the Orion incident" Uiharu noted.

Joule held up a hand "Umm, I don't know what the Orion incident is."

Uiharu thought for a moment and explained "Three years ago, Orbit Portal had a space plane that took people between earth and space. However, something went wrong and it fell to earth and into Academy City. There's a monument for it. More interestingly, no one died. There was not a single death on the Orion."

Joule nodded and looked around only to see that Arisa was just looking out the window towards the space elevator. Maybe she was thinking about going up it in a few days.

Uiaharu continued talking about Orbit Portal "They would have gone bankrupt after that disaster, they had put all their money into it after all. However they were bought out and experienced an amazing recovery. Once they were prosperous again they began work on Endymion and the rest is history."

Misaka nodded and Uiharu continued "And you know what else? The president of the company is actually a young girl. She's only about ten years old now if I remember correctly."

At that Misaka reacted "Huh? You mean when the buy out happened she was only seven?"

Kuroko shrugged "She's nothing more than a figurehead for the company though isn't she? Putting a little beauty queen in charge of everything? Who would take her seriously? I hear she's pretty weird too."

Joule really hoped that it was only that. The idea of a child running a company and building a space elevator brought back bad memories.

Arisa smiled "Maybe it was her dream and she's been working hard for it?"

"At her age?" Kuroko looked doubtful.

The elevator dinged and they all entered a corridor full of paraphernalia, there were a lot of books, some globes and some large lens like things.

"So, I've got another urban legend for you guys." Saten started as they began heading down the hall. "Supposedly, this child president of theirs is really just a promotional hologram or robot or something."

"A hologram?" Joule asked "Wouldn't they have ways of checking that. Like if they ever made an in-person appearance and interacted with something?"

Saten held up her hands "Well it's a rumour, we know those have a good chance of being partially true at least."

Kuroko frowned as she walked past a doll sitting in an armchair "Maybe, but I really doubt this one has any truth to it."

"I mean," Saten tried "have you seen her, she really looks like a little porcelain doll sometimes."

Misaka, who was walking ahead of Joule, stopped and spun to look at the doll. Joule took another look herself and gasped as her Lumen spoke quietly.

"That's not a doll, she's alive."

Everyone else looked around in confusion.

"Why did you stop, is something the matter?" Saten had turned to look at Misaka.

"No, this doll just-"

"It's not a doll." Joule spoke a little shyly "I assume you are the president?"

"You assume correctly." Speaking quietly, the girl stood up from her armchair and nodded to Joule before turning until she was looking at Arisa.

Her face went from blank to looking like a sly smile, the "I know something fun that you don't" kind of smile.

"I like your songs, they're pretty." she left a moment before continuing "Which is surprising as I can't think of a singer I've liked since Jenny Lind. I wish you good luck."

With that, she turned and with a swish from her cape she walked towards the elevator.

Once they stopped hearing the click of her footsteps, everyone finally started to react with surprise.

After a moment to calm down, Arisa continued to lead them towards the room that she was meant to go to.

"She really is beautiful isn't she?" Uiharu asked with a sigh.

Kuroko nodded slightly "Yes, but I still can't see her running the company."

Joule shrugged before turning to Saten "I think that was the fastest we've ever got an answer from a rumour. Something like thirty seconds between you telling the rumour and it being disproved?"

Saten wasn't paying attention though, she was searching for something on her phone.

"Jenny Lind, Jenny Lind, who is that?"

Misaka thought about it "The name sounds european doesn't it?"

Finally Saten found what she was looking for and nodded "It is european, she was an Opera singer in... 1850?"

Joule paused at that before looking up something herself.

"What?"

"What is it Joule?" Arisa asked.

The Phonograph was only invented in 1877, the first sound recording device ever was made in 1857. How did the president listen to Jenny Lind?

"Nothing." Joule stammered out "Nothing, I was just checking something."

They kept moving until they reached their destination, some sort of room for recording. Lights were set up pointing towards a stage like area.

Arisa introduced herself to the crew working here. One of them came over to see who she had brought with her.

"We are some of Arisa's friends." Joule introduced themselves "She asked us to come with her."

"Oh?" The woman examined Joule before turning to look at Misaka and then to the rest of the group.

"You'll make for passable stage decorations."

What?

End of chapter.

I had to watch the subtitles to try and figure out what Ladylee actually said so I could check who the musician she talked about was.

I wonder why she was chosen specifically? Was it just to have someone for whom finding recordings is seemingly impossible?