Chapter 56: Do You Think I'll Answer Something Like That?

...Aargh!

-Pow!

[Did you kick the blanket again? Now stop and go to sleep.]

"Do I look like I can stop?! I... I...!"

-Thump thump!

[The people next door are going to come over. If you're going to hit it, at least hold back. You'll ruin the bed I just fixed.]

After barely making it back alive from that situation, I lay down in bed to rest, dragging my exhausted body along, but memories of the past refused to let me rest easily.

[...It's all right, Senior. I don't know exactly what happened, but everything will be all right.]

"..."

-Thud!

[People can act that way when they're having a hard time. I know you've been exhausted in more ways than one, Sejin.]

"...If you wanted to cry that badly, you should have cried alone."

[Humans say crying alone and crying while still hugging someone are completely different, though? Crying alone is only more miserable, apparently...]

"Shut up."

[Yes, ma'am.]

Sleep probably wasn't going to come. I glared at Tokkaeng, who was teasing me for no reason, got out of bed, and headed for the terrace.

Smoking before bed obviously wasn't good for my health... but it was already part of my daily routine, so I didn't particularly care.

...Fwooo.

By now, Mia had probably returned too. There was a good chance she had. It had been late afternoon, close to evening, when the incident was resolved, and the sun had set by now, so unless she'd taken a detour, she should have been back long ago.

But I couldn't quite assume that either, because knowing Mia's personality, there was a high chance she'd come pounding on my door the moment she got home, since I'd run away first...

-Ding-dong!

"Sen... Mr. Sejin!! I'm back!!!"

'...'

What a predictable woman. It was both absurd and frightening that every single one of my predictions had come true.

I wanted to ignore her and pretend to be asleep... but she was someone who treated me kindly even after learning my secret. There was no reason for me to lower her opinion of me for no reason.

"...Yeah, I'm coming out."

-Creeeak

-Jingle

"How could you leave before me?! You just threw me into that crowd of people all by myself! Do you know how hard it was, getting bombarded with questions and interviews...?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I ran away when the Abyssal appeared, remember?"

"Huh? What do you mean by tha... Oh."

The reason I was pretending not to know now was simple.

I had been found out, and that was that. I wasn't going to erase that memory now.

But just as Mia called me "Senior Alice" when I was Alice and "Mr. Sejin" now, I would strictly keep the two identities separate.

Unless we were in a completely enclosed space where only the two of us could be together, I had no choice but to play dumb here in the building hallway, even if we were the only two people living in the building.

"Um... may I come in?"

"...I'm about to go to bed."

"Eek."

And regardless of that, I was going to sleep now.

I'd said I wouldn't talk to her in the building hallway, but that didn't mean I intended to let her into my home.

The house wasn't tidy, either. And I wasn't comfortable bringing a woman into my room before bed.

"...Then could we talk tomorrow?"

"That should be fine."

"Great! Then see you tomorrow!"

-Thud.

'...This is uncomfortable.'

Judging by the way she spoke, she didn't seem like someone who would expose my secret, but living under the same roof as someone who knew my secret still wasn't exactly pleasant.

...I still wouldn't let my guard down. People could change at any time. All of that could be an act, too.

If that woman tried to use my weakness to blackmail me with that innocent face of hers... then I'd have no choice but to fight back.

* * *

-Chirp chirp

"...Tokkaeng. What time is it?"

[I told you to stop asking me the time... 11:59 a.m... No, it's just noon.]

"...I slept until noon?"

I had slept incredibly deeply. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept this well in the past few years. It had been such perfect sleep that I hadn't even been aware I was asleep.

What had happened to make me sleep so soundly...

'...Oh. Mental Cure.'

Come to think of it, the treatment had finished.

Other than that, there was nothing I could think of that might have affected my deep sleep. Fatigue was certainly a factor, but there had been plenty of times over the past few years when I'd been so exhausted I felt like I was going to die. Even then, I had never slept this soundly.

...I had to admit, the effect was definitely impressive.

My eyes were clear, and for once, my mind, which usually felt shrouded in a pale fog, was clear as well. I felt like I was in peak condition... 120%, even, surpassing the usual 100%.

But sleep was sleep. Now I had to start another day.

And I already knew what was scheduled to happen today.

"...Sigh. I'll wash up first."

I opened the window to air out the stale air that had built up overnight, and since I was feeling relatively well for once, I decided to put some effort into it and wash the blankets too.

Just as I was thinking I'd wash up, clean the house, hang the blankets somewhere with plenty of sunlight, and maybe cook some ramen, I heard a familiar sound.

-Ding-dong!

"Mr. Sejin! I'm here! You haven't eaten yet, have you? I bought something delicious, so let me in!"

...Her timing really was perfect. At this point, I was almost wondering if she was watching me from somewhere.

"Do you like tonkatsu? A new place just opened right nearby! They were having a promotion, so I bought some!"

"...I like it well enough."

"Hehe. That's a relief. I was worried you might not like greasy food..."

I didn't actually like greasy food, but it wasn't bad once in a while. And since the restaurant was new, I was curious about how it tasted.

-Crunch

"How is it?"

"...It's good."

"Really? Let me try some too... Oh, it really is good. What a relief."

...Since it was a new restaurant, naturally she didn't know how it tasted either. Fortunately, we'd gambled and won.

"...So, what did you want to talk about? You came looking for me first thing in the mor... I mean, at lunchtime."

"I just came because I wanted to hang out! I'm really excited right now, you know! I like..."

"Why?"

"...Come to think of it, I did say that before, didn't I?"

"You did."

"Then I'll confess properly! Please officially date me!"

"I'm going to turn you down."

"That was an instant answer?!"

"I'm grateful that you like me, but think it over carefully."

Apparently, Mia couldn't process the fact that the Alice she liked and Han Sejin she liked were the same person, but mixing together two things you like didn't automatically make them better. It was like mint and chocolate—some things just shouldn't be mixed.

"The Alice you like, Ms. Mia, is probably Alice as a magical girl, right? Always kind, strong, and cool, defeating Abyssals before vanishing without a trace, all while maintaining her concept—she's probably like an idol."

"That's exactly right."

"But then you find out that Alice is actually a man who shamelessly wears a skirt and keeps up the act, then comes home, swears, and smokes like some middle-aged guy. Do you really like that? Normally, idol fans like the manufactured image of an idol on TV. Once they pry into that idol's everyday life, though, the illusion usually shatters."

These days, there were quite a few TV programs featuring celebrities' daily lives... but most of those programs still cared about maintaining a manufactured image... If they really showed celebrities' raw, unfiltered daily lives, most people would be horrified. Celebrities and idols were people too—did anyone really think they wore heavy makeup and smiled all the time, never swore, and never got angry?

So Mia needed to accept that too...

"Yes! I like it!"

"...Wow."

"There's a flaw in your reasoning! If I'd initially believed Senior Alice was that kind of person, I might have been shocked, but I liked both of you even before I found out that Senior and Mr. Sejin were the same person! I thought I just liked two different cards, but finding out they were actually the same card, with each one being the reverse side of the other, is even better!"

...Could it really work that way?

No, but even if Alice was one thing, why on earth did she like Han Sejin?

"Ms. Mia, you're still young. At twenty, you haven't even started working life yet, and getting involved with a lousy old man like me already won't do your future any good."

"It's okay! I don't have to work!"

"...Right. Let's move on to another topic."

"Then even if you don't accept my confession right now, could you grant me one favor?"

"...What is it?"

"Could you talk to me after transforming? Ah, more precisely, I want to see you transform. I want to see how you change, right in front of my eyes."

".........Sigh."

-Flash!

In the brief moment it took me to sigh, my clothes and appearance changed.

The hand that had been holding chopsticks was now covered by a white glove; my long pants had become stockings and a long skirt; and the accessory atop my head that made it slightly uncomfortable, along with the long white hair trailing down my back and tickling it, were familiar enough, but having someone watching me in a situation like this wasn't.

"Is that enough?"

"Your voice too, Senior!"

"...Ahem. Ahem. Is that enough now?"

"Wooooow... Yes! It's perfect!"

-Sparkling eyes

This was unbearably burdensome.

At this point, I almost wished she'd blackmail me using my secret. That would be easier to hate and deal with her.

But I genuinely had no idea how to respond to someone who showered infinite goodwill on 'me,' whether before or after transforming.

"...Can I touch your legs?"

"Do you think I'd let you?"

"Then your feet?"

"No."

"Can I lift your skirt and loo..."

-Crack.

"I'm not a doll, you know?! That's enough! Seriously, enough!"

"Then you shouldn't have discontinued and recalled the Alice figurine! Do you know how hard it was for me to get one?!"

"There was a reason it had to be recalled!"

"What reason?! I skipped school and stood in line from dawn just to buy it!"

"Why would you go that far?!"

"...Ah! Then just tell me this! What's under your skirt? Bloomers? Men's underwear? Or women's? Even on the figurine, you made sure that one thing was never visible!"

"Y... You... I said that's enough already!!!"

A new day after my secret had been discovered.

Before the sun had even set, I was already being subjected to all sorts of persistent questions.