Alice...
A whisper in the darkness.
People were lost in their dreams, waiting for the next day to come.
Some dreamed sweet dreams, while others were trapped in nightmares.
Yotsuya Miko opened her eyes in a daze, finding herself back at school, sitting in a classroom.
Am I...in class right now?
Her consciousness remained foggy, everything moving on pure instinct.
Looking around, the faces of the other students were strangely unclear, as if blurred by some filter.
Strange...I don't recognize any of my classmates?
Still half-asleep, Miko tilted her head slightly.
But since this was just a dream, she only felt slightly puzzled and continued sitting quietly at her desk.
The teacher at the podium was speaking.
She couldn't make out the words.
None of the surrounding sounds were clear.
What's...going on?
Clap clap clap clap clap—
Suddenly, the teacher began applauding.
The other students followed suit, cheering and clapping.
Startled by the sudden noise, Miko looked up in confusion at the figure everyone was staring at.
That was...
["Hello everyone, I'm Alice~"]
The voice giggled as it drew closer.
["Alice loves making friends! Everyone should be friends with Alice!"]
An innocent, cheerful, smiling voice.
["Let's all create wonderful memories together with Alice!"]
Amidst the cheers and gasps of the crowd, the laughing, joyful voice continued.
Who...is that?
Under the bright classroom lights, Miko only felt a creeping sense of terror.
No.
A voice seemed to speak in her heart.
No no no no—
Don't look!
Absolutely must not look!
She lowered her head, burying her face completely in her arms.
Must not look at that person, must not see her face, must not gaze upon her...
If I see...if I see it...
["Why won't you look up?"]
The smiling voice whispered by her ear.
["Why won't you look at Alice?"]
["Don't you want to be Alice's friend?"]
["Alice really wants to be your friend~"]
The laughter was as pure as a child's.
Completely untainted, crystal clear, as if born untouched by any impurity.
A voice that instinctively made people yearn to approach.
But no.
What she saw wasn't like that.
What she saw was completely different.
It was...
Blood...
A sharp needle piercing through the temple, puncturing the eyeball, slowly emerging from within the eye as it filled with blood, trembling uncontrollably.
Teeth being plucked out one by one, followed by sharp nails hammered into the gums with a raised mallet.
Peeling back the scalp, carefully using a dull knife and pen to separate the skin, gradually flaying it away piece by piece.
Most importantly, the limbs and body had to be secured properly.
How could they be good friends if they kept squirming?
After removing parts, they needed to be sorted neatly.
The dirty blood had to be cleaned up properly, no unpleasant odors for friends.
Making every friend happy was the most important thing.
Gifts had to be prepared carefully.
Guests must be entertained properly.
Being rude would make Mommy and Daddy very angry.
Mustn't make Mommy and Daddy angry.
Oh dear oh dear, your fingers are wiggling again.
Can Alice borrow them for a little while?
No...
This isn't...
Her chaotic consciousness suddenly cleared completely.
The only sounds reaching her ears were the shrill screams filling the classroom.
The stench of blood spread relentlessly.
Amidst the nauseating, sticky sounds, the singing continued.
She sang:
["Stepped on a kitty, stepped on a kitty~"]
Then giggled softly.
As if she wasn't part of this bloodbath at all.
As if the countless agonized screams had nothing to do with her.
As if she had just been born into this world, pure and untainted, perfectly innocent.
Cheers rose in the distance.
Somewhere unseen, someone was shouting, someone was clapping, someone was cheering.
That laughter drifted past her.
Then suddenly stopped right by her ear, even the breathing audible now.
She whispered to her:
["Alice wants to be your friend, okay?"]
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking came from somewhere.
["Alice wants to talk to you, okay?"]
Knock knock.
The sound seemed to come from right beside her.
["Alice is coming in now, excuse the intrusion~ Hehe~"]
Creak—
The door opened.
...
...
Even long after waking up.
Her body still refused to move.
Frozen stiff by indescribable terror, as if all her blood had turned to ice.
Yotsuya Miko gasped for air, taking a long time before finally managing to sit up in bed.
Faint morning light already streamed through the window.
It must be morning now—time to wash up and head to school.
"Just...a dream?"
The girl smoothed her messy hair, exhaustion evident in her eyes.
This bizarre dream featuring that self-proclaimed [Alice]—who seemed like a little girl yet clearly wasn't human—wasn't the first time. But each time, the dream's contents faded quickly after waking, leaving only a vague sense of fear and a hazy memory of that presence.
Why am I having these dreams?
With a sigh, Miko pulled open the curtains and looked outside, gazing at the faint, nearly transparent shapes still floating in the sky.
There was something Takakai didn't know—unlike him only being able to clearly see those things during twilight while their outlines blurred at night, Miko could now perceive these eerie phantoms all day long. No matter the time or place, nothing obstructed her vision of these horrors.
This weighed heavily on the girl's heart.
Come to think of it, when did these strange dreams start?
And though each night's dream was different, they always involved that [Alice] character?
Miko recalled the recent popularity of a mysterious ritual called [Alice's Game] at school, rumored to help people make friends. Many girls were drawn to it, with some even claiming it worked for finding boyfriends.
To Miko, the ritual seemed childish and silly—drawing a hexagram on a desk, lighting a candle, and chanting [Alice Alice please help me find good friends]—completely unremarkable and embarrassingly awkward to witness.
Though she had watched several classmates perform the ritual, she hadn't observed anything supernatural happening during it.
Whatever, it's just a dream. No need to worry about it.
Thinking this, Miko opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway.
Then froze.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, to the trail of wet footprints leading from the staircase all the way to her bedroom door before stopping.
"Huh?"
The girl blinked in confusion.
Where did these footprints come from?
Did I track in water without noticing?
She exited her room and closed the door behind her.
As Miko walked away, silence returned to the room, with only the faint morning light illuminating the simple girl's bedroom.
And the figure sitting beside the bed, head bowed low.
It was unclear when it had arrived—perhaps it had been sitting there for hours already—leaning forward on the floor beside the bed, its face nearly touching the pillow.
["Shh, Alice came to visit~"]
["Be good now, rest well~"]