Chapter 12
[S#.61 Blood-Stained Street (Night)]
Lumps of meat clad in school uniforms were scattered everywhere, enough to trip over.
Playing cards, crowns, and torn, blood-soaked corpses.
In the center of this scene, Alice sat collapsed on the ground.
Alice: No... Please, stop....
The girl muttered.
A shackle was fastened to her ankle.
The chain was connected to something right in front of her.
-Screeeech!!!
A bizarre shriek rang out.
The girl's face turned completely pale.
Alice: Ah... It's all because of me, I'm the one who....
Alice: Someone like me should have died right from the start.
A shadow was cast over the girl.
She didn't resist, as if she had already given up.
She stared at the player just beyond the camera angle.
Alice: Run away.
A close-up on her trembling blue eyes.
Shadows swarmed within her pupils.
Alice: Before I... turn into a monster.
Crunch. The girl died without being able to finish her sentence.
Her upper body was ripped apart, and her remaining lower half slumped to the ground.
After that, the academy collapsed.
The screen zoomed out, displaying blurred subtitles.
[Save me.]
A nightmare.
The video ended.
***
"I-I'm sorry for peeking...!"
The girl apologized repeatedly while sprawled on the floor.
Her distinct combination of black hair and blue eyes was striking.
She was the girl I had encountered countless times in the original illustrations, character PVs, and cutscenes.
My favorite supporting character.
'Alice.'
It was a welcome face, but there was no time to express that feeling.
Because the girl in front of me suddenly started tearing up.
The sound of her sniffling and holding back a runny nose.
"Ugh, uu... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to do it on purpose...."
Her eyes were brimming with tears.
This appearance was exactly as she was in the original work.
The girl who would get scared and shrink back even when I hadn't said a single word.
The lonely Alice.
"Please forgive me...."
"...."
How strange.
Even if I did pop out from behind her, wasn't she being unnecessarily terrified?
I knew Alice was originally a crybaby, but....
Was it to this extent?
Enough to have a mental breakdown just from running into someone?
That was when my bewilderment and questions arose together.
"I-I don't want to be forced to do a five-hour schoolyard sprint while doing a handstand...."
"Huh?"
"Sniffle... I don't want to play that weird game where we crash into each other while doing a head spin and yelling three, two, one, go shoot...."
"What."
"I don't want to travel by doing forward rolls all day long either...."
"...."
What truly bizarre sentences.
A chill ran down my spine.
'This is....'
The reverse sprinting play.
The top blade play.
The sonic play.
'...It's me, isn't it?'
The very games I had happily enjoyed with my classmates until yesterday.
In fact, I had only acted as a referee, but....
As I stood there momentarily dazed, the bat on my chest squirmed.
[It seems she saw you tormenting those kids.]
"No...."
[I told you to go easy on them. It would be strange if she wasn't scared after seeing a sight like that.]
"...."
I had nothing to say.
Alice showed no signs of calming down.
I couldn't carelessly approach her, so I just scratched my head.
The Princess must have been interested, as she peeked her head out.
'What do you mean?'
[That child... Did you say her name was Alice? I definitely haven't seen her in the classroom over the past few days, yet she seems to know everything that happened inside.]
'Ah, that's thanks to her ability.'
Alice's ability.
Nightmare.
One of its hundreds of variations.
The Heteromorphic Dream,
'Although it's within a limited range, she can see the world through the perspective of a target she desires.'
The third destruction route from the original work.
Whenever the ending veered in this direction, there were an unknown number of casualties.
Alice going berserk.
A seed of disaster that had fully bloomed.
The girl knew the exact locations and situations of everyone in the surrounding area.
Therefore, in the story, it was impossible to hide or run away.
Because everyone was slaughtered at a ridiculous speed.
It was considered one of the most difficult stages even in the original work.
'She may look so fragile right now, but....'
I fell deep into thought alone.
After all, she was the disaster responsible for perhaps the cruelest episode in the original work.
[What a mysterious ability. Just listening to your explanation, I can't figure out why she is the bottom student of the lower class.]
'That's not exactly true. The duration is short, and the applicable targets are limited. To share someone's vision, it has to be someone she holds goodwill toward, and that person must also hold goodwill toward her. There's also the condition that they must have made physical contact in reality at least once.'
Of course, even these restrictions disappear once she awakens as the [Queen].
A power that could threaten the peace of the continent, extending far beyond the academy.
Such was the potential that Alice harbored.
[Hmm... I understand that she watched the classroom over the past few days. If so, through whose perspective did she do it? It was the first day of enrollment to begin with, so was there even time to meet all those strict conditions?]
'It was probably Professor Javert.'
[Are you talking about that stiff child?]
'Yes, because those two have a connection. Javert is the dean's adopted daughter, and Alice is a student who was scouted by the dean in the past. As such, they must have bumped into each other quite a few times.'
[Scouted, you say... But, Victor, how do you know all these things?]
'Because I know how to read people's minds a little.'
[Is that true?!]
'No.'
The bat squirmed at my brief joke.
She thumped my chest in dissatisfaction, but she still glanced at the fallen Alice.
[...It certainly isn't a very welcoming aura.]
'It seems you can feel it. As expected of a pureblood, I suppose.'
[It's not like the source of her power can be clearly read, either.]
'I recommend you don't try it. Reading it carelessly could leave lasting aftereffects.'
Was it an instinctual realm?
Carmilla's reaction seemed to be one of wariness toward Alice.
Since she was a pureblood vampire, she probably sensed much more information than I did.
I gently calmed the Princess.
'Well... there's absolutely no reason to be hostile toward her.'
Having said that, I took a step closer to Alice.
I offered her my hand, as if telling her to grab it and stand up.
I spoke in the gentlest voice possible.
"Shall we calm down first? I know you must have been very startled, but."
"...Eh?"
Had she not imagined such a kind reaction at all?
As I extended my hand forward, the girl just blinked blankly.
Just what did she really see me as?
It's only natural to help someone up if they've fallen over.
Even such grumbling could agitate her, so I swallowed it back.
"I apologize for appearing so suddenly. I was being rude. I think I just acted rashly because of the thought that someone was watching me."
"Ah, yes...?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Y-yes... Th-thank you."
When I took the initiative and apologized first, a question mark seemed to pop up over the girl's head.
Alice hesitated, but eventually accepted my help and got up.
Her tears had stopped, but the edges of her eyes were still red.
I rummaged through my robe and soon held something out as if performing a magic trick.
"Ta-da. Please wipe your tears with this."
"...A handkerchief, and a b-balloon flower?"
"The flower is a gift."
"Ah, um... I will gratefully accept them."
Alice accepted the two items despite her trembling voice.
I raised both hands to show I was harmless.
"Please don't be so wary. I don't have a single thought of harming you."
"I-I'm sorry.... I was just so startled for a moment, so, um...."
"It's alright. I have a lot of goodwill toward you, Alice."
"Huh? How do you know my name...."
"First of all, may I ask why you were in a place like that?"
"Ah, well...."
Thank goodness.
I made a minor slip of the tongue, but glossed over it with the flow of the conversation.
Alice hesitated, but answered with a trembling voice.
"W-well... I lost something, so I was looking for it... Then I saw someone passing by, so I, without realizing it...."
"You hid behind a tree?"
"Yes...."
She's totally terrified.
Alice kept glancing around nervously, seemingly awkward at dealing with people.
It was, how should I say it. A sight that stimulated one's protective instincts.
"I-I'm sorry... I'm just, a little scared of people...."
"I see."
"That's why I've been skipping the academy for a few days...."
The point where Alice becomes corrupted is right after she enters her third year.
As the status window showed, there is a two-year grace period.
To prevent the nightmare from consuming her, the first thing I need to prepare is....
'First, I need to earn her favor.'
Because I can only access her nightmare if I break down Alice's guard.
It's an indispensable element to stop the manifestation of the nightmare .
The only problem is....
'If she's this terrified, it'll be hard to win her favor or do anything else....'
How should I win her over?
While I was agonizing over it for a moment.
'Ah.'
That's it.
Thinking of something, I immediately pulled a crystal ball out of my pocket.
A portable crystal ball provided to the students while they stay at the academy.
"Could I ask what it is that you lost?"
"Ah, well... It's a necklace...."
"I see."
Beep, beep-.
I clicked the small screen a few times.
After selecting a few people, I sent a short message.
"Don't worry, Alice."
"Yes...?"
"Because I, Victor, and my friends will help you."
Now then.
Bread Shuttles, assemble.
***
A little while later.
Alice's necklace was safely found among the bushes.
"I found it."
"Ah...!"
When I handed the necklace over, the girl's complexion brightened.
Her anxious blue eyes sparkled for the first time.
Alice approached with a joyful expression.
"Th-thank you...!"
"Don't mention it."
The necklace was found in just thirty minutes.
It was thanks to the fact that seven people, excluding Alice and me, helped with the search.
Through the bushes, I could see the shuttles sitting down with exhausted eyes.
"B-but... I never told you what the necklace looked like or anything, so h-how did you find it?"
"Well."
A necklace embedded with a blue crystal.
I dodged the question with a vague answer.
Of course, it was because I had seen it countless times while playing the original work.
An item that would later become the core of an episode.
"It's a secret."
I brushed it off rather suspiciously, but Alice didn't seem to mind.
She was simply overjoyed to have gotten her precious item back.
"How can I ever thank you...."
"It's alright. I just helped out of my own volition."
"B-but still...."
"You said we're in the same class. Since our paths crossed like this, how could I not help you?"
Alice kept glancing at me nervously.
She bowed her head repeatedly.
"Still, I have to repay you somehow...."
"Then how about this? Be friends with me from now on."
"Pardon...?"
"The semester just started, after all. It just so happens that I don't have any classmates I hang out with yet, so I was looking for someone to spend the semester with."
"B-being friends... Is that really all it takes?"
"Yes. Or do you not like me, Miss Alice?"
"N-no...! Th-that's not what I meant...."
"I'm just joking."
Words exchanged lightly.
Compared to the beginning, the atmosphere had lightened up significantly.
Afterward, Alice expressed her gratitude several more times before she finally left.
"Thank you once again!"
"See you tomorrow, Miss Alice."
"Ah... Th-thank you to the rest of you as well!"
Bow, bow-.
Alice even offered her greetings to the exhausted Shuttles.
There was no need for her to go that far, but she really was a thoughtful kid.
I gazed at her retreating back with a pleased smile.
"Hmm...."
Still, wasn't this pretty good for a first meeting?
She still seemed a bit wary, but I figured this was decent progress.
"Alright. Let's all clock out."
I said to the exhausted Shuttles.
It was a very rewarding day.
***
That night.
I secretly sneaked out of the Dormitory.
[Ugh... Victor, where are you going at this time of night....]
Carmilla mumbled with groggy eyes.
She rubbed her cheek inside the school uniform pocket, half-asleep.
I took light steps so she could sleep more comfortably.
"The Freshman welcome exam is in two days, isn't it?"
[That's right....]
"There's something I want to obtain before the Academy schedule starts in earnest."
[Something you want to obtain...?]
"It's a special item."
The thing I always stocked up on early in the game whenever I did a playthrough.
"Because it's in the Academy's underground dungeon."
[A dungeon...? There's a dungeon under the Academy?]
"Yes, it's a place managed by the Academy."
[Mmph...?]
Carmilla tilted her head, as if she found my answer questionable.
[How strange. If it's managed by the Academy, the Faculty would be standing guard, and the procedures would be complicated in many ways... Did you get permission? In the middle of the night at that?]
"Of course not."
She was right.
Because a student needed to go through countless procedures to enter the dungeon alone.
Permission from the Professor in charge, being at least a sophomore, and ranking within the top 50 of the grade.
On top of that, there was only one passageway leading to the dungeon.
Even then, you couldn't enter without an exclusive key.
It was thoroughly blocked off so that unauthorized students couldn't enter.
[How do you plan on entering...?]
"I have my ways."
Oh, please.
I've clipped through this place barehanded hundreds of times.
"Princess."
I smiled brightly from behind my mask.
"Do you happen to know about the wall clip?"
Once again.
It was time for some bug play.
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