Disgust. Anger. Hatred.
Takakai sensed [Alice]'s emotions.
Or rather, [Alice] was no longer bothering to conceal them.
Its target of hatred… wasn't him.
It wasn't even the other rescue team member—the one born from Old Guo's lingering regrets. No, [Alice]'s revulsion was directed solely at Howard, the firefighter-turned-rescuer born from unwavering compassion.
Why does it despise Howard so much?
This level of loathing was unprecedented. What was it about Howard that [Alice] found utterly unacceptable?
The only answer Takakai could think of was Howard's inherent goodness.
Was it simply because Howard was a good person?
Or was it because Howard had clung to his principles even in the face of insurmountable darkness—saving lives within his power, never wavering even as the research facility persecuted him to death?
Or was there something deeper at play?
Regardless, Takakai finally understood how to avoid becoming [Alice]'s friend.
The Teacher identity couldn't constrain it. Even if players didn't actively collect items, [Alice] could force the game's mechanics by shoving "gifts" into their hands.
Thus, the only way to complete Alice's Game without befriending it was to emulate Howard—to embody something [Alice] despised.
But how?
Protecting Miko in the first loop hadn't drawn its ire. Neither had safeguarding the entire class at this loop's start.
Pure altruism wasn't the trigger.
The answer likely lay deeper within the dungeon. But at least he now had a direction.
Assuming he survived the next few minutes.
The Shattered Door
BANG—
The art classroom door exploded inward.
Through his link with the rescue team member, Takakai felt it being assaulted—an overwhelming, shredding force that should've annihilated it instantly.
Fragmented images flashed in his mind:
A sealed classroom.
Faces peering indifferently through the windows.
Twelve young students standing in a circle.
"Only one true New Human may emerge."
"Among you twelve, only the most excellent shall survive."
"You have one day. The one who walks out will be reborn."
Then—silence.
The classroom was locked.
No choices remained.
Or rather, even if alternatives existed, these students—warped by Fujisaka Academy—would never take them.
"I will be the New Human!"
"No, I am superior!"
"You're all beneath me!"
The room erupted into carnage.
Weapons had been laid out on desks—knives, axes, scalpels, even a pistol. The students tore into each other, desperate to prove their worth.
Takakai felt every wound as if it were his own.
Yet—
Wait.
No injuries manifested.
The link between him and the rescuer remained intact. Despite the onslaught, the entity hadn't taken any damage.
Like a game attack with flashy effects but zero actual hit points deducted.
So that's how it is.
Takakai clenched his fist.
[Alice] wielded terrifying power and freedom far beyond ordinary ayakashi.
But it still had rules to follow.
Its first rule:
Only those who complete [Alice's Game] can be harmed by it.
Without fulfilling this condition, [Alice] could still interact indirectly—hallucinations, candle snuffing, environmental traps—but direct harm was impossible.
For a human, this was still deadly. Hallucinations could lure victims into other horrors, and mental erosion alone might break them.
But the rescue team member wasn't human.
As a Relic-born entity, it lacked a mind to break. No sanity to drain. No fear to exploit.
Meaning—
It could hard-counter [Alice].
The Countermeasure
Step.
Eyes closed, Takakai moved forward, guided by his connection to the rescuer.
He stopped before it, pressed a white eraser into its hand, then—
Crunch.
Bit into his own wrist.
Blood splattered onto the eraser, dyeing it red.
The pain vanished.
Silence fell.
The oppressive cold dissipated.
Takakai opened his eyes.
The rescue team member stood motionless, facing the ruined doorway.
Behind him, Miko lay unconscious. Shigeno Rika and Shinda Ai were catatonic, teetering on madness.
The art room's grotesque exhibits remained unchanged.
Then he turned—
And saw [Alice].
Golden hair.
A face so flawlessly beautiful it couldn't possibly be human.
Petite yet curvaceous, every proportion inhumanly perfect.
But—
Takakai's vision flickered.
Another [Alice] superimposed over the first:
A body riddled with wounds—slashes, bullet holes, gouges—every injury inflicted in that death classroom.
Then it was gone. Only perfection remained.
"So that's it."
Takakai understood.
"You're the end result. The 'honor students' slaughter each other, and from their deaths, you emerge."
"You're human… but not. Ayakashi… but not. This school found a way to cultivate supernatural power, ensuring every cycle produces you. Are you… a vessel?"
A fragment of the school's secret had been revealed.
[Alice] said nothing.
Its ability to communicate, to cast illusions—all neutralized.
No matter what it truly was, it still obeyed rules. By giving the eraser (a game-clear item) to the rescuer (an entity that couldn't befriend [Alice]), Takakai had locked its mechanics.
[Alice] was frozen.
The dungeon's greatest overt threat had been contained.
(Though at the cost of losing Howard's rescuer. It couldn't even be recalled to the badge.)
Unanswered Questions
But Takakai's unease remained.
If [Alice] was born from Class 2-1's sacrifices…
What about the [Alice] in the black umbrella?
Were they the same entity? Or were there multiple [Alices]?
Each had recounted different pasts. Were those lies? Or did each incarnation genuinely experience separate lives?
Uncovering one mystery only revealed deeper, darker waters.
And this nagging sense—
Is [Alice] even the core Relic?
He'd uncovered critical intel yet felt no gaze like Li Zhaodi's or Hilda's.
What role did [Alice] truly play here?
The Aftermath
Ignoring the thoughts for now, Takakai turned to the girls.
"Hey. Wake up."
After dragging Miko, Shigeno, and Shinda away from the door, he slapped them awake—using Hilda's Blessing to shock their minds back to stability.
Shigeno and Shinda remained dazed, their cognitive functions temporarily impaired.
Miko recovered faster.
"Earlier… when that thing opened the door, Ogawa-san walked into the supply closet. She—she looked entranced. Takakai-san, please… she might be in danger—"
Though her heightened perception had knocked her out first, Miko had noticed Ogawa's disappearance.
"The supply closet?"
Takakai frowned.
He wasn't eager to investigate. With [Alice] frozen but possibly unstable, leaving the girls—still vulnerable—felt risky.
Then I'll send Old Guo.
The second rescue team member marched to the closet and opened the door.
Thirty seconds later, through its eyes, Takakai saw:
Ogawa Kyoko—gutted, organs strung up like macabre decorations.
And beside her, a mutilated ghost student, its work freshly done.
"She's gone."
He saw no point in lying.
Miko's face crumpled.
Then—
BRIIING—
A shrill bell rang.
The lights died.
The classroom transformed—walls charred, ceiling collapsed, exposing a blood-red moon in the sky.
The true face of Fujisaka Academy revealed itself at last.