[Alice...]
A voice seemed to whisper beside him.
[Alice...]
A murmur, both calling out and speaking to itself.
[Alice... is here...]
Pressed against his ear—a hushed giggle, like a playful introduction.
Takakai opened his eyes.
He turned his head to see Maki sleeping beside him, her brown hair splayed across the pillow.
She wasn't resting peacefully, her brows furrowing occasionally—likely because she had been teased a bit too much earlier. After the ordeal from yesterday and failing to recover properly today, she was probably still uncomfortable. Of course, this was her own fault for barging in at that moment.
Takakai then glanced to his other side, where Chika lay against him, her head resting on his shoulder.
She, too, seemed restless, occasionally shifting in her sleep until her shoulder slipped out from under the blanket, revealing a thin cord looped around her neck.
Ah, I forgot to untie that before sleeping.
Not that he knew how to untie it—he and Maki had just haphazardly knotted it earlier. They'd have to figure it out when she woke up. Or maybe just cut it off.
Pinned down by two sleeping girls, Takakai briefly considered getting up but ultimately resigned himself to staying put.
My lifestyle has really become degenerate, huh? Actually pulling off the two-timing scumbag move and enjoying it this much... Tsk tsk, what a sinful man I am. And why do I feel zero guilt, just pure satisfaction?
But this only seemed to push Kaguya further away from their little group.
Takakai fell into thought.
In a way, Kaguya had become the only "normal" one among them—the sole person not tangled up in this messy web. Huh? Why do I feel weirdly moved by that?
No, no, now's not the time for this.
He frowned, feeling like he'd forgotten something—something important, yet unimportant.
The only certainty was his returning drowsiness. Even with an S-rank physique, hours of "battle" with two energetic girls had taken their toll. Yawning, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The night remained deep.
Some were lost in sweet dreams; others trapped in nightmares.
Yotsuya Miko blinked dazedly, finding herself back in her school classroom.
Am I... in class right now?
Her consciousness was still foggy, her body moving on autopilot.
Looking around, the faces of her classmates were blurred, as if smudged by a filter.
I don't... recognize anyone here?
Still half-asleep, Miko tilted her head but didn't question it further. Dreams were like that.
The teacher at the podium was speaking, but the words were muffled, impossible to decipher.
What's... going on?
Clap clap clap clap clap—!
Suddenly, the teacher began applauding.
The students followed suit, cheering.
Startled, Miko looked up—toward the figure everyone was watching.
That was...
[Hello, everyone! I'm Alice~]
A giggling voice drew closer.
[Alice loves making friends! Let's all be friends with Alice, okay?]
Innocent. Cheerful. The voice of pure delight.
[Let's make happy memories together here~ The best memories~]
Amid the cheers and awed whispers, the laughter continued—bright, carefree.
Who... is that?
Under the bright classroom lights, Miko only felt a creeping dread.
No.
A voice screamed inside her.
No no no no—
Don't look!
DON'T LOOK!
She buried her face in her arms.
Don't see her. Don't acknowledge her. Don't meet her gaze—
If you do... if you do...
[Why won't you look up?]
The voice whispered right beside her ear.
[Why won't you look at Alice?]
[Don't you want to be Alice's friend?]
[Alice really, really wants to be friends with you~]
A childlike laugh.
So pure, so untouched by the world.
A voice that seemed never tainted by anything foul.
But—
That's not what I see.
What I see is—
Blood.
A needle piercing through a temple, puncturing an eyeball, the eye trembling as it flooded crimson.
Teeth pried out one by one, nails hammered into bare gums.
A scalped head, skin peeled back slowly with a dull knife and a ballpoint pen.
Of course, the most important thing is to secure the limbs.
How can we be good friends if you keep squirming?
After removing the parts, sort them neatly.
Wipe away the dirty blood—can't let friends smell bad.
Make sure everyone has fun! That's what matters!
Prepare the gifts properly.
Be a good host.
Mommy and Daddy will be mad if you're rude~
Can't make Mommy and Daddy mad~
Oh dear, your fingers are wiggling again.
Can Alice hold them for a while?
No—
This isn't—
Her consciousness snapped back to clarity.
The classroom was filled with screams.
The stench of blood thickened.
Amid the sickening, wet sounds, the singing continued:
[Stepped on a kitty, stepped on a kitty~]
Giggles followed, as if detached from the carnage.
As if she weren't standing in a sea of gore.
As if she had just been born—unstained, perfectly pure.
Distant cheers echoed.
Unseen voices shouted, clapped, rejoiced.
The laughter flitted past Miko—
—then stopped. Right beside her ear. A warm breath brushed her skin.
[Alice wants to be your friend. Okay?]
Tap tap.
A knocking sound. Somewhere.
[Alice wants to talk to you. Okay?]
Tap tap.
Closer now.
[Alice is coming in~ Sorry for bothering you! Ehehe~]
Creeeak—
The door opened.
...
...
Even long after waking, Miko's body refused to move.
As if her blood had frozen solid from terror.
Gasping for air, it took her minutes to finally sit up.
Pale morning light seeped through the window.
It was already late morning—time to wash up and head to school.
"Just... a dream?"
She combed fingers through her messy hair, exhaustion plain on her face.
This bizarre dream—the one with the thing calling itself [Alice], sometimes a little girl, sometimes something not human at all—wasn't the first. But each time, the details faded upon waking, leaving only a vague unease and the faint memory of someone.
Why am I having these dreams?
Sighing, Miko pulled open the curtains and looked outside.
At the sky.
At the things floating there—faint now, nearly invisible, but still present.
One thing Takakai didn't know: Yotsuya Miko didn't share his limitation of only seeing the apparitions clearly at dusk.
For her, these phantoms were now visible all day, every day. No matter the time or place, she could see them.
This weighed heavily on her.
Come to think of it... when did these nightmares start?
And why does every dream, no matter how different, always involve that [Alice]?
Miko recalled the recent trend at school—a mysterious ritual called the [Alice Game], rumored to help people make friends. Many girls, especially those hoping for boyfriends, had tried it, swearing it worked.
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 a good friend]. She saw nothing supernatural about it—just secondhand embarrassment.
Still, she had watched classmates perform it. Yet nothing strange happened during the rituals.
Whatever. Just dreams. No need to dwell on them.
With that thought, she opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway.
Then froze.
Her gaze dropped to the floor.
To the trail of footprints—starting at the staircase, leading straight to her door, then stopping.
"Huh?"
She stared blankly.
Where did these come from?
Did I track water in without noticing?
Shaking her head, she left her room, closing the door behind her.
As her footsteps faded, silence returned.
Morning light illuminated the simple bedroom.
And the figure sitting by the bed.
A silhouette that might have been there for hours—leaning forward, head bowed, almost touching the pillow.
[Shhh, Alice came to visit~]
[Rest well, okay?]
A whisper. A giggle.
But the empty room held no one.
No sound at all.