As per my usual routine, I was on my way home after completing my training at the abandoned amusement park.
Since it was winter break, there was no need to go to school. The two sisters at the church, who usually greeted me warmly, were out on business. With no other choice, I suppressed my disappointment and spent the day focused solely on my training at the amusement park before heading back.
While passing through Misaki City Park on my way home, Brother Soujuurou suddenly caught my eye.
"Soujuurou-san, what are you doing here? Are you on your way to your night shift?"
At that exact moment, Soujuurou clamped his hand over my mouth and dragged me behind a nearby tree.
I tried to quickly pull his hand away, but my frail child's body was no match for his firm grip, and I was forced into the thickets.
"Phew, what do you think you're—!"
"Shh, keep it down."
He silently pointed toward a corner of the park, and there, I witnessed 'something' unfolding.
A woman with long, straight black hair wearing a short skirt that seemed entirely out of place for winter—and a grotesque 'thing' with four arms that was attacking her.
After watching for a moment, Soujuurou suddenly scooped me up and began to sprint at an incredible speed.
I was worried that screaming would lead that mad monster to chase us, and I feared struggling would hinder Soujuurou, so I kept my voice low.
"Soujuurou-san, what on earth is that?!"
"I don't know either. But is it normal for things like that to wander around the city?"
"…There's no way that's normal."
Soujuurou was far faster than I had anticipated, and we escaped the park in an instant. He eventually set me down gently, and we began walking away with our backs to the park.
"By the way, what was that just now?"
"I wouldn't know. You live in the city, so I thought you might know better… but at the very least, one thing is certain: it's extremely dangerous."
"…I agree."
"It's just a hunch, but I think it would be best if you didn't wander around outside for a while."
"I think so too~ though it seems you saw it after all, didn't you?"
"…Eh?"
In that instant, my vision swirled as if something had descended from the sky to shroud the world, and I lost consciousness immediately.
* * * * *
As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a magnificent chandelier, the kind you'd only find in a massive manor.
When I shifted my body, I felt the distinct leather texture of a high-end sofa. Around me, an expensive-looking tea set was laid out haphazardly.
And at the center of it all was a woman with a stern expression, wearing a school uniform that resembled a nun's habit.
"…Um, excuse me, but where am I?"
"…"
"…"
Regrettably, the woman said nothing.
I shifted my weight and sat up from the sofa, beginning to scan the room (?) I was in.
The furniture was uniformly extravagant, and the woman's outfit in front of me was too ambiguous to be called a normal school uniform.
In one corner, forks were arranged neatly, while in another area, ornately decorated Easter eggs and blue bird ornaments seemed to be moving about.
Even as I surveyed my surroundings, the woman simply stared at me in silence.
"…I'm sorry, but where is this, and who are you, Miss?"
"…"
"Um… perhaps you're a foreigner? Do you speak English?"
"…"
"…Can she not talk? Or maybe she can't hear…"
I tried using hand gestures and broken English to initiate a conversation, but she continued to stare fixedly at me, offering not a single word in response.
Eventually, tired of waiting, I stood up and tried to walk toward the door.
"…Halt."
"Eh?"
Finally, the woman opened her mouth.
Her voice was cold and quite sharp; if heard from a distance, one might mistake it for the chilling whisper of a ghost.
"You can talk? Why didn't you answer me before?"
"I saw no need… to respond to useless chatter."
"Ah…"
While I was nursing my slightly bruised feelings, she suddenly pointed a finger at me and spoke again.
"You saw what happened in the park the day before yesterday."
"Yes… wait, the day before yesterday?"
"The day before yesterday. You've been asleep for two days."
"Oh…"
Let's calculate this for a moment.
I've been unconscious for two days—not at home, but in an entirely unknown location.
Analyzing the situation, it seems I witnessed 'something' in the park and was abducted to be silenced, and as a result, I remained unconscious for two days.
"…Where is Soujuurou-san?"
"He is in another room, under the effects of a Self-Enforcement Geas."
"…Can you let me go?"
"Not just like that."
As I suspected, this woman was involved in whatever happened at the park.
She had kidnapped me to keep me quiet, but it seemed she didn't intend to resort to murder for the sake of silencing a witness—at least not yet.
"From now on… you would do well to answer my questions honestly."
"Yes?"
"Name."
"…?"
"State your name."
Before I could even react, my mouth opened automatically and began to answer.
"Karma Kirigaya."
"Age."
"Eleven years old… what is happening to me—?!"
"Residence."
"The Kirigaya Estate… Gwah!"
"Quiet. Keep your answers as brief as possible."
She flicked her finger, forcing me back into the seat, and began to interrogate me for personal information like my school and my parents' occupations.
While my mouth moved of its own accord to provide answers, I began to slowly calculate in my head.
…Could I overpower this woman using the Rinnegan?
The answer was an absolute 'no.'
If I used Shinra Tensei at full power, I might be able to blow a person away, and if I transformed my fingertip into a gun, I could easily kill a human—but my intuition told me otherwise.
If I make an enemy of this woman now, I will die.
"You're smart."
"…?"
"I don't know exactly what you're thinking, but you'd better give it up. Regardless of what you do, you have no choice but to follow my words."
By this point, I was burning with curiosity about her identity.
A strange supernatural power that controls a person's will? And an 'intuition' that screamed I must never fight her, even though I possessed the Rinnegan—an ability that ranks at the very top of all subcultures I knew…
"While you were unconscious, we made a bet."
"…A bet?"
"Indeed. Once someone has seen our 'work,' the standard protocol is to eliminate them to protect the secret."
"What?!"
"…But my disciple opposed it. So, we settled it with a bet. We decided to follow the opinion of whoever won: my Flat Snark or Aoko's Magic Bullets."
Wait a minute.
"In the end, we reached a compromise to erase the memories, and Soujuurou was to stay at this mansion until then… But then there was you."
…Something felt familiar.
Names I knew, and a story I recognized.
"Initially, I thought about erasing your memories too… but since you have no Magic Circuits and your body isn't as robust as his, erasing your memories would only cause severe side effects."
I knew this story.
"…Therefore, you must make a vow with me. A Geas, ensuring that you will never disclose what happened today. Since you lack a Magic Crest, it won't be etched into your soul… but if you break the truth, the Self-Enforcement Geas will shatter your brain."
Self-Enforcement Geas. Flat Snark. These were all terms I had heard before.
Managing to steady my mind, I asked one question for the sake of confirming my suspicion.
"…What is your name, Miss?"
The woman replied, as if to fulfill my expectations.
"Alice Kuonji. Master of Misaki City and the Witch of Fairy Tales."
Oh, God.
Of all things, why did it have to be the Nasuverse?