Beep beep beep beep. The alarm clock rang. Beep beep beep beep. The alarm kept ringing until Kazuma’s hand finally hit the snooze button. He briefly glanced at the alarm clock that read 7:50 am. He groaned as he cocooned himself with the blanket and his face down on his pillow. Kazuma then turns over and looks at the ceiling for a brief moment and then sighed.

(Just one more day and then its over…) he thought to himself.

As he was getting up from bed, he quietly headed downstairs to the kitchen while still dressed in his lounge wear. Kazuma caught a glimpse of Alice, who was still sleeping peacefully on the couch. He smiled and quietly went over to the kitchen without making a sound to make some breakfast.

Szzzt. The eggs on the frying pan sizzled and the crisp aroma filled the kitchen.

Moments later, Alice yawned as she sat up on the couch. She rubbed her eyes and the first she saw was Kazuma cooking in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Kazuma.”

He realized Alice was already awake when she had called his name.

“Morning Alice, sorry if I woke you up while I was cooking.”

“It’s alright. What is it you’re cooking?”

There was a ‘pop’ sound that came from the toaster, and Kazuma quickly turned to take the toast out. He also grabbed out a plate, put the eggs on toast next to each other, and put it on the counter where Alice could see it.

“Here you go, one plate of eggs and toast. Sorry if this isn’t much, I’m used to living alone and eating small portions to save money.”

Alice didn’t mind and just stared at the brown crispy toast and eggs that were sunny-side up. Her eyes widened and mouth drooled while looking at the scrumptious breakfast that was laid before her.

“Hello?” Kazuma waved his hand in front of her face, and Alice suddenly snapped out of her trance and cleared her throat.

“Well aren’t you distracted. You can go ahead and eat your food.” Kazuma said as he handed her plate.

“Ah, thank you. Um…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I think your eggs are burning.” Alice pointed out.

“Wait, what?”

Looking over at stove, there was smoke that indicated that his eggs were burning. Alice took her plate that was on the counter and went over to the dining table to eat her food. Meanwhile, Kazuma attempted to salvage his breakfast. In the end, Alice was happily eating her breakfast while Kazuma was sulking over his barely recognizable eggs.

After the two of them had finished eating their breakfast, Kazuma quickly prepared for school. Before heading out, he double checked to see if he was missing anything.

“Alright, I think that’s everything.” he nodded confidently.

His hand grabbed the doorknob but hesitated to open the door.

(Wait a minute. I’m forgetting something, aren’t I?)

Kazuma turned around and sees Alice looking straight at him.

“Oh right, I totally forgot.” he grimaced. “Great. Now I can’t just leave you here alone, can’t I?”

“Where are you going?” Alice asked.

“To school.”

“Why won’t I come with you?”

“No way.” he automatically responded without hesitation.

“Why not?”

“Well that’s…”

Kazuma caught a glance at the clock that read 8:15 am.

“Aw, crap. Okay look, I don’t have much time, so here’s how it’s going to go. I’m going to leave you with someone I know, and she’ll take you to the police.” he quickly explained as he opened the door and put on his shoes.

Before Alice could say a word, she had already ended up followed him as the both of them walked to the bus stop. When the bus had arrived, the two bus doors opened up and Akira welcomed them both with a smile.

“Morning, Kazuma.” Akira greeted. “Who’s that?”

Kazuma suddenly felt Alice cling onto his back. Alice peeked over as she hid from behind.

“Just some lost girl I found. If it’s not too much to ask, could you take her to the police?” he requested as he clasped his hands together.

Akira skeptically took a look at Alice for a moment. “Well… alright. I don’t know how this happened, but if you’re willing to help this girl here, then she’s fine with me.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“But you’re going to pay for her.”

“Wha—”

“You don’t think that she is going for free, do you? She’s with you, after all.”

“Yes ma’am…” Kazuma sighed as he surrendered five-hundred zeons into the fare-box.

Kazuma and Alice went over to sit at the back seat. As the bus began to move, Alice was fascinated at how they were moving from at such a quick pace.

“Is this your first time on a bus?” Kazuma asked.

She nodded.

“I’ve never been on one before.”

“What kind of transportation have you been on then?”

Alice thought for a moment. Then she shrugged.

“I’ve never really been outside much.”

(…Is she being serious right now?)

The bus suddenly came to a stop and Kazuma noticed that this was his stop. While Alice was still entertained by the bus ride, he stood up and turned to her.

“Looks like this is it.”

Alice looked up at Kazuma, who was waving at her.

“See you.”

Kazuma got off of the bus, and he walked all the way to the school’s entrance.

“Finally at the school.”

He checked his phone, and the time read 8:35 am.

“And with ten minutes to spare.”

“So this is what you call a ‘school’?” Alice said.

“Yeah. In actuality though, there isn’t much to it.” Kazuma replied as he shrugged.

He paused for a moment.

(Wait. Hold on a minute…)

He cautiously looked side to side and was surprised when she was standing next to him.

“Hey— I thought you left!”

“Don’t worry, I told her that I would be fine on my own.”

“But why though?” Kazuma groaned.

“Can’t I at least give my thanks to the person who gave me food?”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Alice ignored him and looked at the people that were entering through the school entrance. Some of the students that passed by were staring at the blond haired girl that was oddly dressed. Kazuma noticed this and grabbed her arm.

“Come on, we’re making too much of a scene.”

Kazuma dragged her all the way to class, and by the time they went to go sit down, the bell for homeroom rung. All the students are sitting in their proper seats except for Alice who was squatting next to Kazuma’s desk. Miss Tomika had entered the room and turned towards the class.

“Alright students, pass up your homework.” she called out.

Kazuma had passed up his homework to the person sitting in front of him. Alice tugged on his school uniform.

(“Who’s that? And what is that you’re passing up?”) she whispered to him.

(“That’s Miss Tomika, one of the teachers at this school. The thing we were passing up was that homework I was doing yesterday.”)

(“Hoh... interesting… so this ‘school’ has mentors as well…”) Alice whispered to herself as she curiously looked around the classroom while she squatted.

Tomika-sensei looked over at Kazuma’s desk as soon she heard whispering.

“Kazuma.”

Kazuma stood up from his desk the second she called out his name.

“Y-yes?”

“Who is that girl?”

“Um…”

Everyone turned to look at Kazuma and started whispering to each other. His two friends Shinji and Makoto were whispering to each other as well.

(“No way, Kazuma got one? How come we never knew about this?”) Makoto whispered.

(“Let’s not jump to any conclusions yet, Makoto.”) Shinji replied.

(“But it’s not really like Kazuma. Doesn’t it look suspicious?”) Makoto added.

Kazuma began to hesitate at the question when he saw that the entire classroom was staring at him.

(Agh, I can’t let them know she’s just a random girl I found on the street! I just met her, and it would definitely cause a huge misunderstanding! I got to think of something…)

“Kazuma.” Tomika called once more.

“Y-yes?” he gulped.

“I’ll ask one more time.” Tomika sternly spoke as she stared down at him, “Who is that girl?”

Kazuma hesitated since he couldn’t come up with any excuses to avoid the awkward situation. Alice looked around the room and wondered why everyone was directing their attention towards him. As Miss Tomika crossed her arms, she grew impatient by the minute. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

“S-she’s my cousin!”

“Huh?” Tomika-sensei fixed her glasses.

The entire class became speechless.

“A-Alice is my second cousin from uh… England! That’s right, and she’s here because of the transfer program at her school!”

Kazuma laughed awkwardly and his classmates began looking away from him, one by one. Tomika put her arms on her hips and sighed.

“…I see. Well, at least give her a desk to sit at so she can pay attention in class. She can sit in that seat since no one is occupying it for now.”

Kazuma sighed silently as he slumped back into his seat. Alice soon got a desk where she sat behind him. The day went well without any problems, and the after school bell rang shortly after. Alice gave out a big sigh of relief as she slumped on the desk.

“This is tiring…” Alice whined.

“Well it is what it is, every single day.” Kazuma replied exhaustively.

“Are we leaving soon?”

“Actually, we’re leaving right now. Let’s go.”

A large group of people suddenly swarmed around Alice. Alice jerked backwards into her seat, astonished to see so many unfamiliar faces.

(…Who are these people?) she thought to herself.

The students started to ask Alice questions as they closely swarmed around her desk.

“Wow! Alice, how old are you? Do you think you can hang out with us if you’re free today?”one student asked.

“Alice! Want go shopping later? What’s England like? Tell me about it!” another student offered.

Alice didn’t say a word as she became quiet and shyly looked down at the ground. She quickly glanced around to find Kazuma. He stood up from his desk to make his way towards the hallway. Alice almost fell out of her seat as she quickly followed behind Kazuma.

“Hm? Is something wrong Alice?” Kazuma asked.

“I-it’s nothing…”

Alice shook her head, and they both continued walking. Behind Kazuma were the many jealous glares of his fellow classmates. He felt a strange chill from his back.

“…Somehow, I feel like if I turn around now, death will be waiting for me.”

He sped up his walking a little to get away from the animosity he was feeling, and didn’t dare to look back.

Right when Kazuma and Alice had reached the school gates, Shinji and Makoto suddenly appeared right in front of them. Kazuma ignored the two of them as they teased him with silent judgment.

While Alice was trying to keep up with them from behind, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette. She shook her head and surveyed her surroundings to see if what she saw was a hallucination or not. Instead, she saw nothing but the bustling streets that were filled with city’s busiest people.

(That’s strange… it’s probably just my imagination.) she thought to herself.

“So your cousin huh?” Makoto suddenly brought up.

“Yeah why?” Kazuma replied.

“That was quite the bold move that you made today, if I say so myself.” Shinji said as he nodded his head.

Makoto leaned over to whisper to Kazuma, and Shinji joined in to listen from the other side.

(“Alright Kazuma, let’s just cut to the chase.”) Makoto interrogated in a hushed voice.

(“What?”)

(“She’s not really your cousin, is she?”)

(“Not now, damn it.”) Kazuma sighed.

(“…Is she your long lost sister?”) Shinji added abruptly.

(“What? No—”)

(“It could be. You never know.”) Makoto quietly suggested.

(“…Tell me why I’m your friend again?”) Kazuma face palmed.

(“It was Makoto’s idea, so we wanted to poke fun at you. But it’s true isn’t it? We are the unpopular bunch after all.”) Shinji explained.

(“That’s beside the point.”)

(“Anyways—”) Makoto interrupted. (“Just who is she? We won’t tell anyone. In return, however, teach us your ways.”)

(“Do I really have to explain any further? Other than what I said in class today?”)

Shinji and Makoto both glanced at each other before looking back at Kazuma.

(“Wait… so then… for real?”) Makoto asked.

(“Isn’t your guys’ bus is about to leave too?”) Kazuma pointed out.

Makoto and Shinji suddenly heard the engine of the bus turn on and began driving past them. For a moment, the two of them froze and stared at each other blankly before quickly running towards the bus for them to halt.

(Finally… at least I can get a break.) Kazuma took a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?” Alice asked him.

“Huh? Nothing’s wrong.”

“…I see. Those two are a bit… unorthodox.”

“Shinji and Makoto? Sure, they’re a weird duo, least to say, but they’re alright. What about you? Don’t you have any friends?”

“Not that I remember. I had mentors and peers, but I stayed inside most of the time. I rarely went out, but when I did, it would only be for errands.”

“Errands?”

Alice suddenly stopped for a moment and knelt on her knees as she held her head in pain.

Kazuma stopped walking and went over to her to check on Alice.

“I-I’m fine… it’s just a headache.”

Alice’s headache soon cleared up, and she was able to stand up again.

“Well at least you’re okay.”

She suddenly became silent and looked around attentively.

(“Wait. Someone is here.”) she whispered.

(“What?”)

Kazuma looked around and didn’t see anyone that was suspicious in particular. He turned to Alice.

(“I don’t see it. Are you sure someone is following us?”)

While he saw and heard nothing but noises of vehicles and the busy people of Tokyo, Alice was attentively scanning her surroundings.

Suddenly, all the noise was gone and everything had gone quiet. Kazuma at that moment was confused at what happened.

“…I knew it.” Alice sternly affirmed.

“Huh?”

“I thought I’d noticed someone was nearby, and it looks like my intuition was correct.”

There was no sign that there was anyone else out there. Everything was oddly quiet and empty. Then there were footsteps. The footsteps approached closer and closer, and then finally reached its destination. A few feet in front of them stood an anonymous person that gowned a long brown hooded cloak that concealed the entirety of their body. Kazuma and Alice had both stopped walking and stared at the hooded figure.

“Uh…c-can I help you?” Kazuma asked.

The figure said nothing and only pointed at Alice.

“The girl.” a stern voice said. the figure held their hand out.

“Hand her over.” they demanded.

Kazuma’s arm slowly reached out to shield Alice.

Alice squinted at the hooded figure closer and noticed a small black oval-shaped with an emblem of a white cross on the right of the cloak.

(That emblem…) she thought to herself.

“Who are you? And what do you want with Alice?” Kazuma questioned.

“That is none of your concern. Now hand her over.”

“…And what if I don’t?”

“You will face the consequences.”

“What could you possibly do?” Kazuma scoffed.

A smirk could be seen from under the figure’s hood.

“Foolish imbecile.” the hooded figure chuckled.

There was sudden rumbling from the ground beneath them.

“W-what’s going on?”

Two stone golems then arose from the ground, leaving two giant holes in the side walk and on the road.

“What the hell…”

Kazuma was speechless as he stared up at the two twenty-foot golems that both towered over them.

(I had to ask, didn’t I?) Kazuma thought to himself.

“Surrender the girl now, or face your demise.”

(Great. Now what ?)

“Wait.” Alice said as she stepped forward.

“You’re here for me aren’t you? Then you can take me. This has nothing to do with him. If you let him go, I’ll come along quietly.”

“Alice what—”

The figure contemplated for a moment and then raised their hand. The stone golems knelt down and became inactive. Alice nodded at the them and she turned to Kazuma.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go back.”

“Huh? Back where? I don’t understand. Where are you going?”

“…I can’t say for the time being.”

Kazuma’s hand instinctively grabbed Alice’s arm.

“…No.”

“What?”

“I won’t let you.”

“What is the meaning of this?” the figure questioned.

“Kazuma, I appreciate the gesture, but this has nothing to do with you! You’re a just a bystander!” Alice explained.

“What are you talking about? Do you even know who this person is?”

“It’s not just himself alone, Kazuma. He’s part of them.”

“Them…? Like in a group?”

“Enough.” the figure interrupted. “Are you proceeding with our agreement? Or do you withdraw?”

“Kazuma, this is something that is beyond your understanding.” Alice pleaded. “This is also for your own safety.”

Kazuma gritted his teeth.

“But… this… it just doesn’t feel right. I’m sorry Alice, but I can’t let you do this.”

“So you’ve disagreed then?” the figure asked.

“She’s not going with you.” Kazuma interjected.

Kazuma pulled Alice over behind him.

“I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, but you’re not getting her.”

“…Very well.”

The figure raised his fist and the golems that knelt down inactively, stood back up in their upright position.

“Prepare yourself.”