Fate and Alice were confronting each other in the dusk streaming in through the window.

''Huh..........''

Ooh!
Huh!

　They exchange glances, breathing on each other's shoulders, and both run like they've been played.
　The shadows stretching into the room overlap and the outstretched fists cross............................sucked into each other's faces.


Mr. Fate... you are.

　And both crumble to the ground at exactly the same time, and a brief moment of silence falls over the area.
　The two clashed with each other with their fists, and now with a clear expression on their faces....

"...hmmm. It doesn't feel right.
...What?

　Fate, who raised her body with a bang, looks at the window where the setting sun shines with a difficult expression on her face.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it right.　Alright, Char-tan one-more set!
'What?　Wait, Mr. Fate!　This is the eighth time since Fate said, 'It has to be a double knockout at the end'!　Isn't it time to seriously stop?
"...I will always be an uncompromising woman in search of perfection.
You need to get rid of that obsession, immediately.

　Hearing Fate's words, which she tells with a smug look while staring at the window, Alice sits down at the counter after letting out a big sigh.
　Seeing Alice like that, Fate smiles lightly.

''Well?　Does it feel better?
...What do you think?　I'm not sure. Mr. Fate I'm not....
Do you feel guilty about pinning Kai on your dead best friend, like she's a replacement?
Huh?

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.
　That is to say, it was also the best proof that Fate's words were a figurehead.

''Or are you afraid that people will know that you came to this world 'looking for a place to die'?''
.........
Hey, Charu-tan?　To Charu-tan, Kai....is she still a replacement for his best friend?
No, no!　Mr. Kite, Mr. Kite....
So that's good, then.
...What?

　Fate was the only one in this world who knew about Alice's past that even Chrome-Aina didn't know, and that's why he understood what her pain was.
　On top of that, Fate said. It's a silly affair...

Char-tan loves and cares for Kai-chan........so why don't you just tell her all about it? I'm sure Kai-chan will be able to take it all in and still laugh at you.
....
Char-tan, you put a little too much pressure on your shoulders, don't wrinkle your eyebrows so much and push yourself so hard like I did, if you don't relax reasonably well, you'll lose it.
''........I think Fate-san is relaxing too much, but.......''
Ha-ha, maybe.

　Hearing Fate's words, which are loose even at a time like this, Alice smiles faintly.
　Seeing Alice's situation, Fate nods once, turns on her heel, and starts walking towards the door, as if to say that the conversation is already over.

''Don't.......spoil it. To Kai that's all you can say to me.
'............Thank you for that.
''Hmm, well, Char-tan and I are soul friends... 'That's how you can use my power in Hecatoncaire'... right?
Yes.
So long~!

　Leaving a final, all-seeing advice, Fate lightly waved her hand and left.









　After returning from the divine world, I stopped by Lilia-san's mansion once and then came to Alice's grocery store, but it was getting late there. It's completely dark.

''........Well, with the alter ego on guard, you know I'm coming......''

　I put my hand on the door, it was unlocked and he knew I was coming.
　As proof of this, I walked in and quickly found Alice sitting at the counter, but....

Why is the place so battered?
I was a little adolescent.
Yeah?

　For some reason, when I asked the ragged Alice, as if she had been in a fist fight, she replied with incomprehensible words, as usual.
　Well, it doesn't seem to be a tense situation in terms of atmosphere, so that's okay, I guess....

"Alice, I'm sorry to bother you on such short notice, but can I go in the back?
Yes, Kite, you're always welcome. Please~

　Hearing my words, Alice returns a bright smile........but it's still somewhat. It looks like she is forcing a smile.
　I'm tempted to pursue that, but now is not the time, so I hold back good and move behind the counter ... to a place where there are workshops and living spaces.

　A workshop and living space of unimaginable size from the exterior of the shop.......according to Alice, it seems to be an application of spatio-temporal magic.
　Well, since there are items like magic boxes, maybe it's not surprising that there's magic that can expand the room.

　I moved to the living room, which is located one room away from the workshop, and sat down following Alice's recommendation, and she made me a cup of tea without asking me anything.
　After thanking her for it, I take a sip of the delicious tea and slowly speak.

''Hey, Alice........''
Yes?　What is it?
I want to know about you.
　It's a classic, but it's goofy - hahaha....
....
...Ugh.

　When I get rid of all the detours and tell her straight away how I'm feeling right now, Alice is still somewhat mischievous as if she's going off topic, but I can see the tension in her voice. Unusually, she seems to be really upset.


Yeah. I know it's hard to say. So I don't want to force you to ask and that's not the only thing I want to know.
...What?
''Like Alice's past, I don't know much about Alice itself in the first place. It's one thing to hear it from her, but I think it's important to try to get to know her myself...

　Yes, it's not just about the past. I don't know Alice well because I haven't tried to get to know her properly until now.
　Thanks to Kronor's advice, I realized that it's not like me to go around asking people about it, so I decided not to just wait for Alice to tell me about it, but to make an effort to get to know her myself.

'....By the way, Alice. This living space is quite large, isn't it?
'What?　Yes, well, Alice is the type of person who also cares about where she lives, so... um... kite?
Okay, I'll just 'stay' here for a while.
What?

　I tell him to declare, and I take a change of clothes and a toothbrush out of the magic box.

'Wait a minute!　Mr. Kite, look, look, I'm worried about Duke Lilia...
Oh, I talked to Lilia-san and asked her permission.

'I brought the bedding with me, it's fine. Just let me sleep on the floor in the living room or something, and I'll be fine.
'Ahh....

　I've made all the preparations for that area. When I explained the situation to Lilia-san, she agreed, "That's typical of Kaito-san," and Lilia-san seems to know very well that I don't think about the future.
　Hearing my response like that, Alice was clearly troubled and attainted with an expression of annoyance, and it was kind of cute.

Well, of course, if Alice says no, it can't be helped. At that time, I'll get an inn nearby and say 'I'll come every day from early morning...'...
Well, really.... uhhhh... okay. I'll get you a proper room.
Really?　Thank you.
...Ugh.

　For now, the first step is a success, right?　Alice is the type of person who will cheat you if you hold back.....



　Dear Mom and Dad - I've decided to stay at Alice's grocery store as a first step in getting to know her. Knowing more about Alice on a regular basis will give me another good idea. Anyway, this time - I'm going to push the gun.