【Re:write】Episode 19: Chaos in Scrap Alley

―Rewrite despair.

【For first-time readers】To grasp the world setting first,
here is the link to the beginning of the story, Episode 1
👉　Episode 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
For work information and summaries, click here
👉　For first-time readers | Please start 'Re:write' from Episode 1

Sound of water.
The stench of rotting sludge clings to the nasal cavity.

"Hmph."
Drake swings his warhammer. A dull sound of destruction. The thick iron grate twists like taffy, opening its mouth into the darkness.
"...That was a bit of a rough path for a princess."
"No... I'm fine with this much."
Aria's voice is brave. But her complexion is as white as wax. Only the body heat of Mimi, whom she is holding, supports her like a lifeline.
　
Pushing up the rusted manhole cover.
Kreee, a grating metallic sound.
Light shines in. But it is not the color of hope.
Stagnant gray sky.
Distorted, extended buildings squeeze the sky from both sides.
Rusted iron.
The greasy smell of some unidentifiable stew.
The smell of sweat and excrement.

Scrap Alley.
The genitals of the royal capital.
　
"...What a hell of a place."
Drake groans.
Gaze.
From the shadows of the pile of junk, countless eyes lick over the party. A sticky, appraising gaze.
Rustle.
The path ahead is blocked.
Three men. Filthy clothes. Chipped knives.
"Yo. Haven't seen your faces before."
The man in the lead wears a vulgar smile.
"Especially that high-class piece over there and... that fine hammer the old man is holding."
"Get out of the way, you punks. It won't end with just a burn."
Drake steps forward. His killing intent swells.
　
Hair-trigger tension.
But Kai's gaze passed right through the men.
He isn't looking at them. They are processed as noise.
What his retinas are capturing is behind the men.
A huge pile of scrap. Sitting at the top is the silhouette of an old woman.
　
"Greetings, everyone."
Suddenly, a clear voice rings out.
It is Aria.
While shielding Mimi behind her, she bows deeply.
"It seems we have lost our way. If it is not too much trouble, would you mind telling us the way to the library?"
"...Huh?"
The men's movements stop. Their faces look drained of venom.
An out-of-place politeness in the back alleys of the slums.
The laughter stops.
The men look at each other.
　
Kai's voice pierces through that gap.
"I have business."
Ignoring the punks, he looks up at the old woman.
"I want to pass through this district and go to the library. I will pay the price."
　
"...A price, huh?"
The old woman slides down the pile of junk.
The surrounding punks clear a path. Awe. The ruler of this street.
The surroundings hold their breath.
"I'm the Scrap Granny who takes care of this street."
"You say interesting things, kid with the ice mask."
The old woman—Scrap Granny—stops in front of Kai.

Sharp gaze. Appraising.

"You lot aren't just runaways, are you?"
Her gaze shifts to Aria, then to Kai.
"That girl there has eyes that have made up her mind. And you... you see through everything and calculate it all. I don't like it."
　
Granny taps a lump of iron beside her with her cane.
The remains of a huge security doll, covered in oil and rust.
"This is a discard from the Knights. A piece of junk my young ones gave up on."
Granny grins.
"If you lot can make this thing move, I don't mind showing you the way."
　
"...Interesting."
Kai's mouth twists slightly.
"I'll take that bet."
He turns around.
"Drake. Lend me your 'arms'."
"Huh? Don't go spouting technical jargon! What do I have to do!"
Kai touches the remains. Structural analysis.
"It's simple. Reconnect the circuits and replace the logic board. The power furnace is still alive."
　
Kai moves.
He pulls copper wire from the pile of junk. He picks up gears.
"Drake, twist those copper wires into a thread 0.5 millimeters in diameter. Five of them."
"Can I do such a god-like feat!"
"No, you can do it. Next, that gear. Fix the third rotation axis by shifting it 2 degrees."
"Tch, you're a taskmaster!"
　
Drake complains. But his hands don't stop.
The craftsman's fingertips translate Kai's blueprints into physical reality.
Logic and experience.
Ice and fire.
Two different talents mesh for a single purpose.
Aria watches, holding her breath.
Mimi's eyes sparkle.
The surrounding punks, too, eventually watch the scene with bated breath.
　
Thirty minutes later.
Kai connects the final copper wire to the chest.
"...Starting up."
Clank.
A heavy driving sound.
A red light illuminates the mono-eye that should have been dead.
The giant body stands up with a creak.
"Ooooooh!"
A roar. Cheers.
Granny's eyes widen.
And then, she laughs, her face deeply wrinkled.
"...Not bad at all. It's a promise. Follow me."
　
Granny turns her back.
The party follows.
The smell of rusted iron.
Angry shouts echoing in the distance.
The chaos that lies beneath the skin of the royal capital's glittering surface.
Their shadows are sucked deep into the miscellaneous alleys.

The sky above is narrow, and the sunlight does not reach.
Only the pile of scrap silently looked down on them.

Revised 2025/12/30

Thank you for reading Chaos in Scrap Alley. This is an infiltration from the 'shadow' part of the royal capital's light and shadow. Against a person who is not easily dealt with, Scrap Granny, Kai's intellect and Drake's skills spark.

To read the continuation/background

here is the link to the beginning of the story, Episode 1
👉　Episode 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
For work information and summaries, click here
👉　For first-time readers | Please start 'Re:write' from Episode 1

👉 Click here for a summary of the story so far in the novel 'Re:write'.