"It's too much... I can't take any more..."
Irori clutched her chest, her face flushed as she panted heavily.
The dignified composure she'd arrived with at Alice's place had long since vanished, completely stripped away by Trimmau's relentless clinging.
Ever since she'd gotten here, Trimmau had been watching her.
Whether Irori tried to clean or tidy up, Trimmau was always right behind her, snatching the work right out of her hands.
At first, Irori thought it was just one of Trimmau's peculiar quirks. That was, until she asked for directions to the kitchen and started preparing a meal. Trimmau stuck to her side like a vengeful spirit, and Irori finally couldn't take it anymore. She had to ask why.
Trimmau glanced at the vegetables in Irori's hands and said with a completely blank expression, "I want to learn how to cook."
"...What?" The graceful, proper Japanese girl let out a helpless sigh. "Please, just say so directly next time."
"Okay. I'll be direct." Trimmau's tone was utterly flat. "So, can I learn now?"
"...Please, come this way." Irori stepped aside slightly and entered the kitchen.
And then, she stood there, in this kitchen from the future, completely at a loss. Irori slowly turned her head, her eyes like those of a child in an unfamiliar place.
"Can you teach me?"
Trimmau blinked and stepped forward. "Yes."
Back to the present, Alice stood in the amusement park, feeling the loss of magic within her with a touch of dissatisfaction.
"The progress is a bit slow."
"Lady Alice," Irori said helplessly, a hand still pressed to her heaving chest. "A normal person couldn't withstand this level of drainage."
Alice couldn't actively transfer her life force into Irori. However, there was one method to speed up the accumulation of life force within the automaton.
That was overexertion.
Automata typically used magic to repair themselves and recover stamina, but the Setsugetsuka sisters could utilize their master's life force for this purpose instead.
And so, they had come to the amusement park.
Their opponent, of course, was Charl, who needed to improve.
Facing Irori, wielded by Alice, Charl stood no chance in a non-lethal battle.
"Haah... haah..." Charl braced her hands on her knees, breathing with difficulty.
"You call this slow now...?" she muttered under her breath, so faint it was barely audible. Sigmund lay half-dead on top of her head.
Irori truly was one of the finest automata in the world.
The entire amusement park had been plunged into deep winter.
The young dragon was covered in ice crystals, looking like a piece of frozen meat that would be instantly deemed unfit for sale at a market.
"And please consider Miss Charlotte's current condition," Irori's calm voice carried from across the field.
"W-w-what condition?! I'm perfectly fine!" Charl straightened up abruptly, snatching up the exhausted Sigmund. "I haven't even started trying yet!"
The golden-haired girl lifted her head stubbornly, while the young dragon hung his head in defeat.
Alice glanced at Charl, whose legs were trembling, and lightly patted her skirt, which hadn't gathered a single speck of dust. "Let's stop here for today."
Both Irori and Charl let out sighs of relief, equally worn out.
"Irori—" Suiseiseki's voice called from the amusement park entrance "—Trimmau says it's almost time~"
"Eh?!" Irori looked around frantically. "It's already that time?"
"Go ahead."
"Yes." With permission granted, Irori hurriedly ran back towards the mansion.
Silence fell over the amusement park, broken only by Charl's heavy panting.
The spine she'd so stubbornly straightened moments ago curved over again; the excessive exertion made spots dance before her eyes.
Was it still too much to ask of a teenage girl?
Alice walked softly to her side. "Let's go. It's Christmas today."
"Okay."
Charl brushed the sweat from her forehead. The temperature within the N-Field seemed different from the outside world.
She'd worked up a full sweat, and as she walked near the ice, the chill Irori had left behind made the corners of her mouth curl up in comfort.
She glanced sideways at the heavy clothes Alice wore. "Aren't you hot dressed like that, Alice?"
"It's fine."
"Even though it's so cold inside the mansion, I noticed you weren't wearing that coat of yours there."
"As long as she is within the mansion, the temperature is suitable for Lady Alice."
The sound of flapping wings echoed in the air as Robin swooped down like a fighter jet.
With a beat of his wings, he landed steadily on Alice's shoulder. "Let's go, let's go! I can already smell the food!"
"Mm."
Alice walked towards the mansion, her steps a little lighter than usual.
Charl, however, had to stay back for a moment to recover. Drenched in sweat, a sudden, drastic temperature change would surely lead to a cold.
Charl watched Alice's retreating back as she headed for the exit and pressed her lips together.
She wanted to leave now too, but she really didn't want to catch a cold...
Forget it. She didn't want to miss the moment when everyone started the Christmas dinner together.
Charl took a step, intending to catch up to Alice.
But the girl who should have been far ahead had stopped beside the carousel at the entrance.
The girl lightly hoisted herself onto one of the hanging horses. The suspended ride swayed with her movement, her skirt swinging along.
Alice's voice came from ahead.
"Rest a while. I'll wait for you."
"Okay!"
A candid smile, one she rarely showed anyone, spread across Charl's face.
--+--
The bright sunroom was a dazzling sight in the darkness. A large table stood in the center of the room, already laden with all sorts of dishes.
Alice had sent Trimmau and the others out to buy this very table.
Robin zipped over to one end of the table, his eyes fixed on a particular dish in the center.
Sigmund also lifted his head sharply, his keen sense of smell having already caught the familiar aroma.
A flame flickered beneath a large metal pot placed on the table—it was chicken stew.
"Alice, come quick!" Hinaichigo happily patted the spot next to her.
The dolls were already seated in their places. Shouko sat amongst them, looking at the feast with eager anticipation.
Watching the lively scene, Irori gently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "If only Yaya were here too."
"That 'Moon' automaton?"
Alice slowly took her seat.
"Yes." Irori responded softly, but her hands never stopped moving. After setting down the dish she was holding, she turned back towards the kitchen.
Shouko seemed to remember something, tilting her head back slightly. "They'll be coming to the academy soon too."
"Recently?"
"In a few months. Any later and they'd miss the Night Party." Shouko wiggled a finger. "That young man might become an asset to you. He has no interest in becoming the Wiseman or the Night Party itself."
"Oh?"
"He only thinks of revenge."
Alice raised an eyebrow slightly. "Against whom?"
"The one who destroyed his clan, his older brother—Akabane Tenzen." Shouko leaned back gently in her chair, watching Irori and Trimmau bustling about.
"There's no one by that name at the school."
"He suspects it might be the one you encountered before—Magnus."
Images of the living human components within Magnus's automata immediately surfaced in Alice's mind.
Clatter.
With the sound of a final plate being set down, both Irori and Trimmau took their seats at the table. The meal was fully served.
With the last dish placed, the Rozen Maidens looked at Alice with expectant eyes.
"Then... let's eat."
Crash—
Just as they were about to pick up their utensils, a violent noise came from the lounge.
Everyone turned to look. A doll with dark green spiral-twisted twin drills had suddenly appeared inside the lounge, standing right on top of a table.
"Henri, come out!"
She held a parasol, swaying as if she were conducting something.
It was Kanaria!
The Rozen Maidens' eyes widened. Trimmau and Irori, on alert, were the first to enter the room.
Alice walked forward slowly. A strange scene met her eyes.
A blonde girl was struggling to climb out of the television, but the ample 'assets' on her chest were firmly wedging her in the screen, making her look exactly like a certain female ghost.
This scene... it felt like she'd seen it in some manga somewhere.
Just as Alice's thoughts were drifting, a shocked voice came from behind her.
"Henri!"
Charl rushed forward, Sigmund taking flight beside her.
She grabbed Henri's shoulders and started pulling her out.
"Big sister?!" Before Henri could even express her surprise, a crushing pain erupted from her chest. "Big sister, that hurts...!"
With a sound like a cork popping, the two blonde girls tumbled onto the carpet.
Charl held Henri tightly, her voice filled with disbelief. "You're safe! Have you been well? Where were you all this time? What about Mother?"
"Calm down, Charl." Sigmund patted Charl's shoulder and gave Henri a warm smile. "It's been a long time, Henri."
"Long time no see, Big Sister, Sigmund."
Henri's initial tension slowly eased, a faint smile beginning to show.
"It's good that you're safe. Charl has been worrying about you constantly," Sigmund said with a chuckle.
Charl quickly turned her face away, tears scattering onto her clothes with the motion.
"...At a time like this, it's okay if I cry, right?"
"Of course it's okay," Alice said plainly. "But we can continue this at the dinner table."
Trimmau had already set two more chairs at the table.
Shinku and the others crowded around Kanaria. "What's going on with you? Why so frantic?"
"Because we're being chased!" Kanaria waved her parasol, as if illustrating the terrifying scene. "A bunch of knights started charging at us, yelling something about fairy tales and tyranny!"
She suddenly seemed to notice something and blinked. "Shinku, why are you all gathered together?"
"Is it the Alice Game?" Kanaria raised her parasol. "Even if you've teamed up, it's no use! I've got you all surrounded now!"
"Suigintou." Alice's light voice rang out.
Thwack.
A pale, delicate fist connected with Kanaria's head.
Kanaria looked tearfully at Suigintou, then slowly shifted her gaze to the black-haired girl who had given the order. "Wah..."
Suiseiseki hurriedly pulled her back. "Alice is the one who keeps Suigintou in check, you know? We don't fight in the Alice Game anymore."
"She can control Suigintou?"
"Mhm-mhm!"
"Little Hina thinks Alice is really amazing too."
Suigintou twitched the corner of her mouth and silently flew over to the dining table by herself.
Alice followed behind her, speaking over her shoulder without turning around. "Eat first."
"Okay~"
The dolls responded in unison. Charl also helped Henri to her feet.
The Christmas dinner at the Kuonji mansion began once more.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.