Chapter 35
-Sway
The Nightmare Echo had hit me hard, and I was in bad shape.
My magical calculations were severely restricted, and my sense of balance seemed distorted too; my vision wavered as though I'd just spun around an elephant's trunk twenty times.
-Krrk
Apparently finding my appearance quite amusing, the girl wearing my face smiled even more brightly.
It was a more feminine outfit than the one I was currently wearing, and I knew that outfit.
And I also knew that its original owner couldn't possibly be standing before my eyes right now.
-Crack!!
-Kieeeek!!!
-Splat!
"There aren't any people around anyway... I'm not in good shape... and you just had to show up looking like that... so I can't go easy on you, okay? Understand?"
It copied Alice's appearance?
What was I supposed to do about that?
If it had also taken the abilities of the person it copied, it would have been a tremendous headache—more than that, it would have been close to a disaster—but all this thing could do was copy appearances.
Cowardly bastards that turned into whatever their opponent feared most, made them uncomfortable and reluctant to attack, and gained a psychological advantage that way.
It was the combat style I hated most.
If you're a monster, then fight like a monster—trading blows and brawling. Psychological warfare? Seriously?
-Crunch!
-Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!!
"Shut your mouth."
-Crack
-!!!!
It wasn't a face I liked, but hearing that face emit such a grotesque shriek without even bothering to imitate something minimally human was even more unpleasant.
I drove my shoe into the mouth of the creature that still had a human form, breaking its teeth and mangling its jaw so it couldn't shriek that disgusting shriek again.
Did it think I'd tremble and meekly let it have its way with me just because it transformed into what I feared most?
-Crunch
"Don't fuck around..."
If I'd been hit head-on by an A-rank Abyss One, that would be one thing, but if I could be beaten by some small fry trying to take advantage of a weakened opponent, I never would have managed to live as Alice until now.
If I were such an idiot that something this minor could shake me, even I would have disappeared long ago, and the world would already have forgotten the name Alice.
"Die."
-Crunch
"Die."
-Crack
"Just fucking die!"
-Crunch!
-Kie...rk...
-Psssh...
"Haa... haa..."
-Sway
I couldn't focus my vision.
Even though I was clearly breathing, it didn't feel as though I was; even while standing, it felt as if the world had turned upside down, and hallucinations and auditory illusions kept coming at me.
-Grab
"Tokkaengi... scan the surroundings..."
[I-I can't sense anything besides the one you just caught. It seems most of them are gathering around the Queen.]
[XX, you know Alice loves you, right? So XX has to love Alice too?]
"Fuck..."
-Collapse
I crushed the medicine and swallowed it by force despite having no water, trying to suppress the nightmare the Echo kept provoking, but would something be called an Abyss One for nothing?
This wasn't something medicine could easily calm down.
"I'll rest for a moment... Call me if it gets dangerous..."
[O-okay...]
Strictly speaking, I was abandoning the mission and taking a break without permission, but the others looked like they would be fine without me, so it should be all right to rest.
Just like always... if I endured the pain for a little while, the familiar reality would welcome me back again.
In my current state... I'd only be a burden if I rejoined them anyway...
* * *
"Ah, here she is. I've found her."
"This is the last place Aia's machine was detected, so it's fortunate she didn't go far."
"Miss Alice. Are you all right? The situation is over. We've confirmed the Nightmare Queen's disappearance, and the Nightmares that remained nearby have been dealt with. You can return safely now."
"..."
Alice suddenly disappeared when the Queen's Echo rang out during the battle, and she never returned before the battle ended, so Aia came looking for her at the place she remembered.
"Her condition looks quite bad. She appears to be unconscious."
"Look here. Although it's already dispersed, the traces indicate that this was a Nightmare Knight. It seems Miss Alice fought rather violently, unlike her usual self."
"Is that so?"
"Nightmare Knights are basically B-rank Abyss Ones. Miss Alice, who also excels at close-quarters combat, should have no trouble defeating one. It probably transformed into something she really hates. A spider, perhaps, or an insect."
...Hmm.
The sight of Miss Alice crushing the spider that the Nightmare had transformed into with her wand... was somewhat unfamiliar, but not exactly difficult to imagine.
One of Miss Alice's main fighting styles was to imbue her wand with magic and swing it.
"This is troublesome. I don't know Miss Alice's home address."
"How about staying together at a nearby hotel or motel for the time being? Aia is interested in interacting with you."
"That would be difficult for me; I have someone waiting at home... And Miss Alice probably wouldn't be happy about staying together, either."
"That's a shame. There was something I wanted to ask Miss Alice about, personally."
Aia's suggestion was rejected because I'd heard from my sister that although Miss Alice was usually kind to everyone and always showed them a smiling face, she valued her privacy very highly and still maintained certain boundaries.
Just as I was thinking that I should bring a car over and let her sleep in it,
"U... um..."
"Oh, it seems she's regained consciousness."
"Miss Alice? Can you recognize me? Miss Alice?"
Since she had been exposed to a Nightmare's attack, I placed a hand on her shoulder, accepting a little rudeness, and shook her back and forth.
"Huh, h-huh? Ueh? Miss Sapphire?"
"You recognize me. Yes, I'm Sapphire. The Nightmare Queen has been defeated. You can rest easy now."
"R-really? I see. That's a relief."
She didn't seem much different from her usual self, but there was an unmistakable weariness in her voice.
...Could she be exhausted?
"We were worried when you suddenly disappeared. Did anything happen?"
"Ah... N-no, nothing happened! I was trying to avoid the Queen's attack... but even though I fled far away, it still hit me... I only fought the Nightmare for a little while? B-because I'm Alice! Even if Nightmares swarm me, they won't faze me!"
Miss Alice demurely placed one hand near her chest and the other on the hem of her skirt, then let out a sigh of relief.
"Then, in this mission... Alice basically didn't do anything. I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Miss Alice is a source of strength for Aia simply by existing."
"Thank you for saying that, at least, Miss Aia."
I hadn't been terribly worried that something had happened to Miss Alice, but seeing how exhausted she was, she must have gone through quite an ordeal.
She had even been unconscious until just moments ago.
"Do you need a hug? For Miss Alice, Aia would gladly offer her arms."
"That's very kind of you, but I'll pass."
"Then what about Miss Sapphire's arms? They must be soft."
-Stare
At Aia's words, all three people's gazes converged on one spot.
"...If Miss Alice wants..."
"I'll pass on that as well."
Naturally, I hadn't expected Miss Alice, who even rejected my sister's hugs, to willingly fall into my arms.
"Then may Aia bid for that spot?"
"...I'll have to decline."
"Hmph. Aia wasn't built with them, so she couldn't have them. Enviable genes."
Giving them up wouldn't cost me anything, but I had no hobby of going around hugging various magical girls like my sister, so I refused.
If my sister had been here, wouldn't she have tried to hold one person in each arm?
I should brag about this when I got back. She'd probably be terribly jealous.
* * *
'...It would've been a disaster if I'd woken up just a little later.'
If they had decided they couldn't leave me lying there unconscious and carried me in their arms or on their backs, my secret might have been exposed.
'Tokkaengi. Why didn't you wake me?'
[I tried really hard to wake you! You were the one who couldn't get up!]
'Even so, that was a close one. Let's just not participate in Nightmare Queen missions from now on.'
It wasn't my first time facing a Nightmare Queen, but I suppose it was simply good luck that nothing had gone wrong before.
Even assuming this time had been unusually unlucky, after going through something like this once, my mental health would be better off if I never even looked at a Nightmare Queen again.
If I'd remained unconscious a little longer and Sapphire or Aia had carried me on their back to move me...
'I would've been caught immediately.'
Given the position in particular, they would have noticed something strange with absolute certainty.
"Ah, Miss Alice. Aia has something she's curious about."
"Yes, what is it?"
-Flinch
I answered while unconsciously slipping into the Alice persona, but thinking about it, I shouldn't have let her ask.
If she asked something truly strange...
"Do you have any siblings? An older brother, perhaps, or a younger sibling?"
-Crack
Ah.
...............This is bad.
'All right, Tokkaengi. Choose. 1. Kill myself. 2.Jump out the window. 3.Pretend I'm crazy.'
[Why are all the choices like that?! Calm down! There's a way!]
'What way?! How am I supposed to explain the relationship between Alice and Han Se-jin here... Ah!'
[Did you think of something?!]
'I don't know if it's a good method... but for now, this is the only answer.'
Aia already seemed nearly certain that there was some connection between Alice and Han Se-jin.
There was no helping the resemblance between Alice and Han Se-jin. I had copied Alice's old appearance exactly.
Still, since their overall air was completely different, I thought she wouldn't notice easily.
But, just in case, if someone ever appeared who suspected a connection between Han Se-jin and Alice, I did have a relationship I could claim—or, more precisely, one I could "act out."
...Miss Aia?
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Even Alice has secrets she wants to keep. I'm sorry, but Alice can't tell you about that."
I hardened my expression, unlike Alice, and reacted with such sensitivity that it was as though she'd touched something completely off-limits—as if she'd struck a dragon's reverse scale.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't ask about Alice's older brother."
I said I wouldn't tell her, but deliberately let slip the clue that it was an older brother.
If I let that information slip, the person hearing it would probably think, 'So she has an older brother, but they aren't on good terms, and Alice really hates being asked about him.'
On the other hand, if I shut the subject down completely, they would think, 'Oh, she's uncomfortable with it. I shouldn't ask,' while also becoming curious: 'But what could it be for her to react so violently?'
I had to reveal some information for it to end with simply, 'I see. I shouldn't ask.'
"Understood. Aia made a mistake without meaning to."
"And Miss Sapphire, too..."
"Ah, you don't need to worry about Miss Sapphire. Aia activated the machine for conversations between only two people, which blocks sound. From the moment Aia asked the question, only Aia and Miss Alice were speaking."
'...When did she activate something like that?'
I hadn't noticed at all.
Anyway, it was fortunate that Aia was the only one who had heard such a suspicious conversation.
'Tokkaengi. How did that go?'
[I think you did the best you could...]
Anyway, if my intention had gotten through properly, Aia would likely conclude that my real self—in other words, Han Se-jin—was Alice's older brother.
But since I'd acted as though I hated that older brother terribly in my role as Alice, she wouldn't bother digging into the connection between Han Se-jin and Alice.
Even if she did try to dig, at least she'd think Han Se-jin and Alice were different people, so that alone meant I had safely made it past this trap.
...Well, even if she really did dig, she wouldn't notice anything strange unless she dug very deep.
...Because it was true.