Tyranny of Steel

As she awoke in the morning, with the sound of a mechanical clock ringing, Mizuno Ai quickly rushed to her wardrobe, searching for her cadet uniform. Her hair was a mess, and there were bags under her eyes from a long night of heavy drinking. As she opened her dresser, she muttered a thought out loud without paying any mind to it.

"I can't be late for class or that bastard Julian will hold it over me for the rest of the day!"

After saying this, she realized that there was no cadet uniform in her drawers, and that she was currently in the middle of her second life. A sinking sense of depression took hold of Itami's heart as she realized that she was all alone in this world. Forcing her to fall to her knees in despair. 

The boon of Inari turned out to be as much as a curse as it was a gift for the young empress. Though Itami's memories had expanded vastly, to encompass everything she had endured in both lives and all the knowledge that came with it, memories she had forgotten began to haunt her. Her mind struggled to separate the distant past from her present reality. 

The young empress struggled to fight back the tears in her eyes when the divine mirror caught her attention. Causing her to have a single question in her mind.

Would Julian waste his life away grieving over his past life?

The very thought of failing to live up to a dead man's expectations was enough inspiration to temporarily calm Itami's heart. She rose to her feet and took a deep breath, before muttering a single phrase beneath her breath.

"Thank you, Julian..."

After saying this, the woman collected the clothing that she intended to wear for the day, and went towards the bath. Where she spent the next hour soaking the alcohol out of her bloodstream. When she finally returned to her quarters, there was a bowl of ramen, along with some takoyaki which had been prepared by Momo, she knew that her sister had made the meal based upon the letter that was on the tray.

Onee-chan, I don't know what grief you have in your heart, but you need to eat properly. I hope you feel better after you consume the love I have put into this meal.

This caused a bitter smile to form on Itami's pretty face, which was no longer haggard from the previous days' worth of intoxication. She sighed heavily before muttering yet another phrase beneath her breath.

"Perhaps I'm not as alone as I once thought..."

Despite this sense of relief, she was still bitter in her heart, as memories flashed through her mind with every second. Unlike Berengar, Itami was not born with a perfect memory. She did not know how to cope with the constant information that flowed through her mind as if her brain was a search engine, and her thoughts were the query. 

These memories were intensely vivid, as if an augmented reality was overlaying her sight. Such an overwhelming ability would be enough to break most people if they were to suddenly acquire it. After all, who didn't want to forget things in life? But for Berengar, who was born with such a powerful gift, he had grown up knowing how to overcome its disadvantages and used it to achieve success in both lives. 

After struggling to maintain her thoughts in a manner that would allow her to get some work done. Itami sat down at her desk and witnessed the current layout of the Japanese mainland. For some years now, she had been working on a national railway system to connect the nation. 

Since the pax Germania had begun, the Reich had begun a transition to diesel locomotives which ran on the ever present bio-diesel which the German industry produced from hemp seeds. The newest locomotives were extremely powerful, and based upon the InterCity 125 design in use by the British from Berengar's past life. It was capable of high speeds up to 148 mph or 201 km/h, bringing Germany to a new area of nationwide transportation.

From the initial conception of Berengar's railway, he had designed it in a way that would allow it to be modified for high-speed use within the next few years. He had included concepts such as standard gauge tracks, with grade-separated rights of way and large radii. He also used primarily steel and concrete in the construction of his rails. 

However, the thing he was lacking at the time to truly make a high-speed rail was continuously welded rails. Something that could only be accomplished with welding. As his industry improved, and several types of welding were introduced, such as thermite welding, he had ensured that the rivets which held the rails together were removed, and the tracks were welded together.

Naturally, Japan was decades behind the Reich in terms of technological capabilities, and because of this, they were operating entirely with steam powered locomotives within their recently finished National Railway. They also had far more primitive means of construction, such as a heavy use of wood and wrought iron. 

However, a railway was a railway, and because of that, Itami had to look pretty for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Thus, she quickly got to work on her appearance, making sure that she was the flawless empress of Japan, and not some heartbroken drunk. 

After dressing in her most lavish attire, and putting on her makeup. Itami stood up from her seat and exited her room. As she entered the great hall of her palace, she came across the ministers of her Empire. Chief among them was the minister of transportation. 

The minister of transportation was a young man by the name of Asai Arikatsu, after the political purges which removed the conservative element of Itami's government, and replaced them with what many called the Young Guard, the overwhelming majority of her ministers were now men in their 20s and thirties. Along with a few women in certain positions.

These men no longer wore the traditional appearance of the samurai, and instead dressed in more modern clothing, with matching hairstyles. Asai Arikatsu was one of such men and had a pleasant smile on his face as he bowed before the young Empress and spoke to her in a servile manner. 

"Kami-sama, we were afraid you would be late for the ceremony. Please, we don't have much time. Will you follow me to the local rail station?"

Inari's words rang through Itami's head as she heard the words "Kami-sama" causing her to raise her hand in displeasure.

"Please, don't call me that. Itami-sama is good enough..."

Though the cult of the war goddess was the primary political party in the Empire of Japan, Itami feared the wrath of the actual gods after meeting them, and thus she tried to stop her follower's worship. Unfortunately, the hearts of men were not easily changed, and the group of ministers who were a part of her cult kowtowed before the young empress and professed their faith.

"Absolutely not! The war goddess is our only goddess, and we shall refer to her with the proper honorifics. Kami-sama, please tell us the name of whoever has convinced you that you are unworthy, so that we may behead him!"

Itami merely rolled her eyes, and she was not the only one. Not every minister was a member of the cult, and they too shared her same sentiment. Though they were surprised when they saw the same expression on the alleged war-goddesses' face.  Itami wanted to hide in her room again after hearing how fervent these fools were, but she knew that she needed to project strength, and thus sighed before shifting the subject.

"Whatever, just lead me to the venue, and I will cut the ribbon so that we can be done with this already!"

Upon hearing this, Asai Arikatsu quickly rose to his feet, and marched alongside with Itami, and her royal guard towards the site of the ceremony. People from all over the city had gathered in the street. Though the trains had been operable throughout various portions of Japan, it was not until this moment that the national railway was fully completed, and because of this, many people had gathered to celebrate. Itami stood in a traditional Jūnihitoe among her people, as she gave a brief speech.

"Today marks a monumental action for the Japanese people. As of this moment, we have truly entered the age of industry, where no power in the east can rival our might. Until today, we had difficulty traversing our great lands, but no longer. With this national railway, people and cargo can be transferred across the Japanese mainland with little effort, allowing for the rapid industrialization of our cities. 

However, just because we are greater than our neighbors does not mean we can grow slothful. We must maintain diligence, for there is a threat in the far west of this world. One whose industry is greater than our own. This Empire seeks to establish themselves as the supreme world power, and make no mistake, they have the means to do so! 

However, under my reign, I shall never permit a foreigner to dictate what the Japanese people must believe, or how they should behave. If this so called German Empire wishes to force us to our knees, and obey their demands, they have another thing coming. I will show them the might of our people. Today is just the beginning. Soon we will produce more machines that shall become a staple in our daily lives. For the future, for Japan!"

The various people who had gathered to witness this event broke out into applause for Itami's speech as the woman cut the ribbon and signalled the beginning of a new age of industry. Though they clapped and cheered, Itami knew that she and her people were in for a tough fight ahead.

Which only added to the pressure she was currently facing. For how much longer she could continue like this, Itami did not know, but she would keep going until she was no longer able. She had to, for Julian... Because it was what he would do.