Chapter 133
'Hey, hey. Did Kagami-san come back today?'
'I'm sorry, but Kagami hasn't returned today either. But please don't worry; I'm sure Kagami will be back tomorrow. Yes... let's believe that.'
The world she had wished for. The sight she had longed to see. With the help of her ally, Kagami, Alice had finally been able to live the everyday life she had always wanted. And yet, she had never once felt fulfilled.
'Let's wait for now... I'm sure Kagami will come back to us.'
'Well, if we wait, Kagami will probably just wander back sooner or later. That's just how they are.'
'Master will definitely come back. When that happens... I'll become a man who can stand by Master's side.'
'Does it feel like things aren't going well without Kagami-chan...?'
'Lady Alice... I understand that you're worried. But Kagami-dono said Kagami would return. All we can do is believe and wait.'
'You know... don't ask me every single day. Everyone's worried, too. Being asked every day... it must be hard on them. No one knows whether Kagami will really come back.'
She realized it. Her dream could not exist without Kagami. No matter how much the world changed, even if demons and humans came to live together in harmony, with each passing day she became more aware that she was unfulfilled. She could no longer hold back her longing to see Kagami.
Of course, in the world she had always wished for, many happy and enjoyable things had begun happening to Alice, a demon. But she had only wished for that world; she had never thought about how she would live in it.
Only after Kagami disappeared did she finally realize it. The days she had traveled with Kagami, the days she had followed along and learned about human culture, and the daily ritual of barging into Kagami's room every morning to wake them up—that had been her place in the world. And Alice had lost that place.
The world had become what she wanted. But the place she longed for wasn't here.
'...I know it's selfish of me. I have everyone here with me, but... it's still hard without Kagami-san.'
How long had she spent waking to mornings when she did nothing for anyone else?
Since Kagami disappeared, how much more time had she spent living only for herself?
Not having someone precious to her could hurt this much.
That was why Alice made up her mind. She would bring back the world where Kagami was, and the everyday life she shared with Kagami.
The everyday life Alice wanted most was one where she could be by Kagami's side.
'Please proceed forward. Please proceed forward.'
The repeated, emotionless voice served as her alarm as Alice slowly opened her closed eyes. A pleasant white light filled her vision—not too bright, yet not too dark.
"Where... am I?"
'Please proceed forward. Please proceed forward.'
In the space where the same emotionless voice echoed, Alice looked bewildered and confused.
Alice was sitting on a floor chair inside a white, spherical device set in the center of the room. The sphere had been closed while she slept, but its lid was now open, allowing her to get out.
In one corner of the white room, the clothes she had been wearing were neatly folded and laid out, as if she were being told to put them on before proceeding down the passage ahead.
"...Wait, why am I naked?!"
She had no idea what was going on. She had been with the Dark Dragon just moments ago, but when she came to, she was asleep, completely naked in an unfamiliar place.
"Is this... the next stage?"
As she hurriedly got dressed, Alice tried to make sense of what was happening. As far as she could remember, her memories stopped just after the Dark Dragon had used its power to send her to the next stage.
"Where is everyone... Where did everyone go?"
After changing, Alice followed the repeated, emotionless voice and hurried to the door at the end of the passage. Suddenly, the door made a sharp scraping sound and slid open automatically.
Startled that the door had opened on its own as she approached, Alice cautiously stepped through it.
"...Huh? What is this? Whoa...!"
Beyond the door, a passage stretched to the left and right, but through the glass she could see the outdoors spread out before her. The sight beyond the door made Alice's eyes sparkle.
It was a vast space enclosed by rock, with no sky in sight. And yet it wasn't dark; the entire area was bathed in pleasant light, as if the sun were shining directly overhead. Alice seemed to be quite high up in this space, since she could look out over the whole area. Below, she could make out people living among unfamiliar buildings with a simple, unadorned design, packed tightly together.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough to surprise Alice. What amazed her was the abundance of tools and objects unlike anything she had ever seen, visible even from where she stood.
Iron grates crisscrossed parts of the sky above the city, with steel boxes moving beneath them along the same routes. Other steel boxes traveled along stone roads. Devices shone with dazzling light as they shifted through various colors. Everything about the city was different from the places they knew.