The Scholar and the Auto Memories Doll (学者と自動手記人形, Gakusha to Ōto Memorīzu Dōru?) is the fourth chapter of Violet Evergarden Volume 1.
Summary[]
The Shaher Astronomical Headquarters has hired a large number of Auto Memories Dolls to assist them with transcribing astronomy texts for a month. All the young men who work at the institution are excited for their arrival with the exception of Leon Stephanotis, a young astronomer who dislikes women and romance. The administrator of the codex department, Le Verrier, pairs him up with Violet Evergarden, who is actually filling in for Cattleya Baudelaire, a colleague of hers from the C.H Postal Company. Leon is struck by her beauty and feels the first stirrings of love.
Though Leon himself doesn't know the feelings he's experiencing, the other scholars tease him for falling in love for the first time. Leon and Violet work at a fast and efficient pace, outdoing all the other pairs. When Leon questions Violet about why she isn't tired, she tells him that it is far more tiring to travel to different locations, including battlefields. Leon realizes his view of Auto Memories Dolls as simple social climbers was wrong. Leon asks her why she would do such a difficult job. Violet replies that she doesn't find it difficult at all, because she finds the work of putting her clients' feelings to paper, or even copying sentences from ancient texts, to be wonderful. Leon finds himself relating to that feeling.
Violet becomes popular among the scholars for her beauty and coolness, and many of them also become jealous of Leon. One day, while Leon is getting books from the library, he overhears three other scholars corner Violet and attempt to convince her to change partners by disparaging Leon's personality and revealing his status as an orphan who relied on the observatory's kindness to survive. However, Violet defends Leon by revealing her own past as an orphan who only learned how to read and write recently. She tells the scholars that just like Leon, she didn't grow up in respectable circumstances, and in fact came from a lowlier position than him. She finishes by telling them that Leon is her master, so she will defend him if they tried to hurt him. The scholars hastily retreat. When Leon meets up with her again, she asks if she can borrow some books from the library as well. She remarks that they are somewhat similar, since they both have faces that cause people to mistake their emotions.
Three days have passed since the Auto Memories Dolls first arrived. Leon's roommate suggests that he invites Violet to observe Alley's Comet, a comet that can only be seen every two hundred years, with him. Violet will be leaving in four days, which is also when the comet will be arriving. Leon finds her eating outside by herself at lunch. She explains that this is a habit from her military days. Leon works up the courage to invite her to go view Alley's Comet with him, and she accepts.
On the day of the comet, Leon and Violet go into the mountains to view it. Violet remarks about Leon's kindness in bringing so many things to keep her comfortable during the cold night. Leon admits that he isn't kind and that he hates women, or rather, he avoids women because associating with them always ended up badly for him. He tells her about his parents. His mother was a wanderer who fell in love with his father in this city. His father worked for the documents collection department of the Shaher Astronomical Headquarters and was rarely home. One day, he didn't come back from one of his trips, and Leon's mother decided to leave her son behind to search for him. Leon hated her for choosing romance and love over being a parent to him, but he still waits for her return. He was taken in by Shaher after they learned of the disappearances of his parents, but he still holds a grudge against his mother to this day.
After listening to Leon's story, Violet guesses that his mother was very important to him. She tells him that she doesn't have any blood relatives, but that she had someone who took care of her when she was a child. When Leon asks her if she feels lonely without them, she admits that she doesn't understand emotions very well. Leon then questions her about her feelings, and she states that that person was like the world to her, and that if they were in trouble, she would drop everything to go help them. Just as Leon was caught off guard by the depth of her feelings, the comet appears.
Violet smiling happily.
The next day, Leon goes to see Violet off at the lift. He finds himself feeling empty at the thought of not being able to see her anymore. He gets the courage to tell her that he loves her. Violet responds by telling him that when she saw the comet and stars with him last night, she felt what it truly meant to have fun. She tells him that she doesn't know what love is, so she can't return his feelings like a normal girl, but if they ever meet again, she would like to spend time with him together. She apologizes, but Leon tells her that there is nothing to apologize for. He confesses that he actually wants to join the documents collection department like his father and travel the world like Violet. He had stayed at Shaher for all these years, hoping that his parents would return one day, but after he met her, he no longer wanted to just wait. He asks her if they ever meet again, they would look at the stars together once more. Violet agrees. Just before the lift leaves, Violet tells him the name of her company and to call her name if he saw her again one day, and until then, she would try to learn the names of a few stars.
In the distant future, Leon and Violet meet each other once again under the night sky in the desert. When Leon asks if she has learned the name of a few stars, she nods happily. As promised, the two spend time together looking at the stars.
Characters[]
- Violet Evergarden
- Leon Stephanotis
- Leon's roommate
- Dr. Orland (mentioned)
- Le Verrier
- Cattleya Baudelaire (mentioned)
- Leon's mother (mentioned)
- Leon's father (mentioned)
- Gilbert Bougainvillea (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- This chapter was adapted in Episode 6 of the anime.