The Trap

Aoko, sitting in the student council office, suddenly heard a commotion outside the window.

She stood up and looked out, discovering a group of male students hiding in the shadows by the school gate, making it much noisier than usual.

What are these monkeys up to? Aoko thought, frowning. She narrowed her eyes to get a better look and found the reason.

It was a girl standing in the middle of the road at the school entrance.

She was wearing a black cloak, and underneath it, an outfit that strongly resembled a nun's habit.

Aoko of course recognized the outfit, as it belonged to the famous academy for wealthy young ladies, Reien Girls' Academy. She looked closer. Isn't that Alice?

Why is Alice here at Misaki High School?

The boys of Misaki were, naturally, drawn to Alice. Firstly, the reputation of Reien as a prestigious academy for young ladies was incredibly well-known. Secondly, Alice's appearance, standing in the middle of the road with a look of delicate vulnerability, was utterly captivating, making her look like a figure stepped out of a painting.

"You bunch of idiots," Aoko muttered, staring at the school gate. "Tsukashi, Kumari, I'm leaving the rest to you. I have something to do, so I'm heading out."

Without waiting for the other student council members to react, Aoko grabbed her jacket and motorcycle helmet and strode out of the office.

"Hey, hey, isn't that the student council president?!"

"She dyed her hair red, how scary... Is she going to eat that girl?"

"What do you mean dyed her hair red? Her hair has always been red."

"She's not trying to drive that girl away, is she? What a heartless person. That girl looks so pitiful—"

Aoko glared at the boys by the gate, and they immediately scattered like startled birds. She then put on her helmet, pulled her motorcycle from the nearby parking shed, and rode it over to stop beside Alice.

"Get on," Aoko said, gesturing to the seat behind her with her thumb.

Alice's Reien uniform made it impossible for her to straddle the bike, so she sat sideways on the back seat of Aoko's motorcycle in a very witch-like manner. She then reached out her slender arms and wrapped them around Aoko's waist.

"Wha—?!"

Seeing this, the boys let out a wail, as if something precious had been shattered.

Aoko Aozaki looked straight ahead, twisted the throttle of the Interceptor, and released the clutch lever. The motorcycle shot forward instantly, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped away from the many students of Misaki.

"Damn it, Aoko Aozaki! Can't you leave any dreams for our high school lives?!"

...That's how the boys wailed. Tsukashi Tsurumaru, standing by the office window, sighed after hearing them and closed the glass pane, returning to her seat.

"...You're quite popular at school, Aoko," Alice said from the back of the motorcycle.

"How can you tell?" Aoko replied. "I'm usually absent so often, how could I be popular?"

"...That male student who interacted with Touko, why didn't you kill him?" Alice asked, answering Aoko's question with a non-sequitur and a cold tone.

"Who?" Aoko feigned ignorance for a moment, then replied, "You mean that unlucky guy I used Suggestion Magecraft on?"

"You're not a novice anymore. Surely you understand the hidden principles of magi?" Alice continued to press, and Aoko felt the pressure from Alice on her abdomen.

"I've already erased his relevant memories," Aoko said in a relaxed tone. "If you insist, I can make him commit suicide right now?"

The wind from the speeding motorcycle whipped their hair into a slight disarray. Alice reached up to gently smooth her hair, not immediately responding to Aoko's words.

"...As you wish," Alice said. "If you cause trouble, don't mention my name."

Hearing Alice's reply, Aoko, wearing her motorcycle helmet, wore a smiling expression as if she had heard something delightful.

"Let's go to Dawn for a drink, Alice," Aoko asked. "You found something, didn't you?"

"Yes," Alice admitted. "Let's talk about it in detail later."

Sitting in the cafe, Aoko and Alice each savored the coffee the waiter had just served.

Alice took a sip of her Espresso, the rich aroma from the thick coffee oils giving way to a slightly bitter extract.

She looked up at Aoko, who was still adding sugar to her Caramel Macchiato, spoon by spoon, making one wonder if she'd fall ill from her excessive sweet tooth.

"You really do love sweets, don't you?" Alice couldn't help but tease. "Are you a child?"

"Life is bitter, so I like sweetness."

With that profound quote, seemingly plucked from nowhere, Aoko lifted her coffee and took a large gulp, humming with satisfaction.

"I found a trap," Alice said, placing her coffee cup on the table. "It looks like it's meant to lure us there."

"Huh?" Aoko looked surprised. "What trap? Is Touko out of her mind? Does she think she can trick us like this?"

"KistyLand," Alice said, speaking an English name. "Have you heard of it?"

"Ah, I know," Aoko took another sip of coffee, recalling. "That amusement park that went bankrupt and was abandoned a few years ago?"

"That's right," Alice nodded. "That's the place."

"You mean Touko set a trap there?" Aoko asked, confused. In her 'past life' memories, as long as she and Alice didn't fall out over Soujuurou Shizuki, there was no need to go to that place. "Is there anything special about it? I don't remember any ley line nodes or anything there."

The table where Alice and Aoko were sitting had been separated by an exquisite Suggestion Magecraft barrier, so no information about Magecraft could be leaked to ordinary customers at that moment.

"...That place is my Magecraft testing ground," Alice explained. "I used to have an exit for the Mirror of Slumber set up there, and a PLOY to guard that mirror, but they've both been hijacked by Touko."

Aoko understood. She realized why Alice considered the abandoned amusement park a good place. Alice's Fairy Tale Magecraft was based on various fairy tales from the early Industrial Revolution, and KistyLand, a man-made amusement park created and then abandoned by humans, was like a fossil of fairy tales.

Some of Alice's PLOY could exert 200% of their effectiveness in that location.

"It seems Touko wants to eliminate my combat power first," Aoko sighed. "I'm sorry, Alice, for dragging you into this."

"...It's fine," Alice shook her head, not angered by this. "It seems Touko has forgotten my capabilities. This time, I need to make sure she remembers them properly."