It was a man in a yellow suit, smiling as he spoke.
...F-Father?
Sophie froze the moment she saw him.
Her father was a mysterious, terrifying man. Though he doted on her as his Vampire 'daughter,' he had wreaked havoc across Britain and Europe, and Sophie had never felt close to him.
Yet now he had flown from Britain to Japan just to see her...
Chapter 62 – Alice's doll
After three days of sketching outdoors, Chen Yao finally returned to his family home in Gunma Prefecture. Another three or four frantic nights of work saw him finish the manga chapter set against Mount Fuji and Lake Motosu, complete with campers racing to claim tent spots, cooking camp meals, and Kurara meeting a forest spirit while on a nighttime walk.
In short, Chen Yao had poured his own experiences into the story, giving the cozy yet slightly adventurous tale its flavor.
—[Manuscript received. This installment's surprisingly good—better than your recent ones. But are you sure that night scene won't scare kids watching the anime after dark?]
Isur Fuyumi phoned him from the editorial office, worried the sponsors might think the episode implied walking around Lake Motosu at night was dangerous.
No problem, Editor Isur. I figure it's a useful reminder to kids on vacation not to wander off after lights-out—educational, even.
Chen Yao explained.
—[Fair enough. I'll run it past the sponsors; if they approve, the episode should air week after next.]
The call ended; the serialization was safe for now.
Chen Yao exhaled, glanced at the scenery outside, and decided he'd earned a day of gaming to make up for two sleepless nights.
He'd barely plugged the PS5 into the monitor when the doorbell rang downstairs.
Curious, he opened the door to find no one—just a delivery box.
Did Uncle or Aunt order something online?
He lifted the box; it was heavy. The addressee label read plainly: [To Chen Yao].
Why would anyone send me a package? I didn't order anything.
Puzzled, he carried it inside, slit the tape with scissors, and opened it.
Inside lay an elegant wooden carrying-case, unlocked. He lifted the lid.
The box held a heap of unassembled doll parts—head, hair, torso, limbs, wind-up key—plus an instruction sheet.
Who sends a guy a doll? And why?
He checked the shipping label: the sender's address was blank.
The only prankster he knew who could afford such a gift was Sakayanagi Arisu, but she shouldn't know his home address.
He'd never built a Gundam in his life, yet the parts looked valuable, so he re-packed the case and shoved it under the bed until he could identify the sender.
He was about to text Sakayanagi when his phone rang: Sophie.
Why would she call in daylight, when Vampires normally sleep?
He picked up, and Sophie gushed: [Teacher Yokoyama, I got the Zashiki-warashi figure you sent—thank you! It's the best present ever.]
Glad it arrived. I pulled a few strings through my editor. After the whole angel-incident I wanted to make it up to you.
Chen Yao smiled at her delight.
[No, really—it's the finest gift I've ever received. Now I have every official Kurara of Haruta Street figure. They fill an entire cabinet; seeing them each day makes life worth living.]
Sophie sounded positively radiant.
Isn't that a bit much...?
It struck him as over-the-top, but Sophie was a hard-core otaku; he'd once peeked into a room of hers crammed wall-to-wall with figures—wait.
He glanced at the wooden case. Could she have mailed him an antique doll in return?
[By the way, Teacher, have you run into any strange men lately—tall foreigners in yellow clothes...?]
Her voice dropped, uneasy.
Yellow-clad foreigner? No. Why?
After a pause she admitted awkwardly: [My father's in Japan. Not my biological dad—the Vampire who granted me immortality. He treats me like his real daughter, but he's convinced every man I know is a beast out to harm me, so...he tends to attack my male friends.]
Right...got it.
Chen Yao's mood darkened; sounded like an over-protective monster dad was on the loose. He and Sophie were innocent, but caution couldn't hurt.
Putting that aside, he rubbed the box and asked, Sophie, did you mail me an antique doll? The kind that looks insanely expensive?
[A doll box?]
She echoed, puzzled.
[No, I didn't. What does the doll look like?]
A finely crafted Western-style doll...
He was still describing it when the doorbell rang again; he trotted downstairs.
The chime stopped just as he reached the door. Outside sat another delivery box.
Again? Who keeps sending these?
He hauled it inside—equally heavy—and tore the outer wrap to reveal another wooden carrying-case, nearly identical.
Sophie sensed something odd. Two handcrafted doll suitcases? In old Europe such packaging meant serious artistry; a three-hundred-year-old piece could fetch tens of millions of yen at auction.
[Teacher, can you describe any markings on the case? When I was human I collected dolls; different crests identify different master craftsmen.]
Let me see...roses, I think.
Chen Yao traced the carving; past fans had sent him flower seeds, so he recognized the bloom.
[I don't know a rose seal. Open the case and tell me how the doll feels.]
Following her advice, he cracked the lid.
Instead of loose parts, a single 40-cm doll in red gothic dress lay inside, serene as a sleeping Little girl.
Inside was a Little girl doll dressed in red gothic attire, with golden hair; it looked startlingly lifelike and probably cost a fortune.
Chen Yao grew even more puzzled. He couldn't imagine Sakayanagi Arisu sending him something so valuable. He poked the doll's cheek—soft, as pliant as real skin.
'And it even has synthetic skin. Miss Sophie, dolls like this must be expensive, right? I can't think of anyone who'd mail me a gift this pricey.'
Chen Yao asked Sophie.
'Check the back—see if there's a winding keyhole. If there is, I'll probably know what doll this is.'
Sophie listened half-doubtfully. In doll-collector circles she'd once heard a fairy-tale legend: a legendary craftsman had created six of the world's greatest dolls and named them all Alice. Dukes and nobles across nations collected them, but they were later deemed cursed and sealed away by the Pope. If they hadn't been lost, they should have been buried in the Vatican's underground necropolis of skulls—how could one be in Chen Yao's home?
After hearing Sophie's account, Chen Yao lifted the doll and looked at its back. Sure enough, there was a winding keyhole. No wonder it weighed over thirty pounds—it was a mechanical doll.
'I do see the keyhole, so this is a mechanical doll?'
Chen Yao studied it curiously and asked.
'…I think I'd better teleport over and see for myself. Put the doll back for now; I'll be right there.'
With that, Sophie hung up; she'd probably warp in any second.
Chen Yao fell silent, gazing at the doll girl who looked as if she were merely asleep. For some reason, she reminded him a little of Sakayanagi Arisu.
Just as he was about to place the doll girl back into the cushioned box and carry it upstairs, the landline beside him suddenly rang.
It rang twice, then switched to voicemail, and Sophie's voice emerged: 'Try winding the key—something good might happen.'
Then the line clicked dead again.
Chen Yao's doubts resurfaced—how had Miss Sophie known the landline number of his host family? Then again, Kagaribi no Kirie had investigated his household before; perhaps she'd passed the number along. Hearing that "something good" might occur, he glanced into the box and saw a golden key. Since Sophie encouraged it, he gave the key a turn.
He inserted the key into the hole and wound it. A clack-clack of gears sounded from within the doll, and, to Chen Yao's astonishment, the golden-haired figure suddenly stirred. First it rose like clockwork, then slowly opened its eyes.
'What high-end tech is this? That automation's incredible… huh? Why do I sense magical elements?'
Chen Yao froze. Something was off. Before winding the key the doll had felt ordinary; now a thick aura of magic suffused it, much like the mana of the dark soul world.
Right then, Sophie arrived in a wisp of smoke and saw the doll already standing, eyes wide open.
'Teacher Yokoyama… didn't I ask you to wait—'
It was Sophie's first time witnessing a doll revive before her eyes; she stammered in shock.
'What? Not Miss Sophie…'
Chen Yao realized he'd been tricked by someone using voice-changing magic. The call had probably come from someone who'd sensed his itch to wind the key and egged him on.
'So what kind of doll is this? How can it move by itself?' he asked, bewildered.
'It's called an Alice doll—the most inexplicable antique puppet in the world. They're said to be worth a fortune, but they come with ominous rumors. This is my first time seeing one…'
'…Miss, although I don't know how you learned about us, you're mostly mistaken. My name isn't Alice; I'm the fifth Rozen Maiden, named Shinku. Alice is the perfect doll form I shall attain only after I defeat all the others.'
Yet the beautiful doll girl stepped forward, studied Chen Yao for a moment, and spoke.
'Ah, the doll's really talking!'
Sophie exclaimed, thrilled—her dream of seeing a figure come to life had come true.
'By the way, who is this lady in black? Not only does she know about Alice, she doesn't seem surprised to see me moving.'
The doll who called herself Shinku looked at Chen Yao again. 'You're the one who wound my key, aren't you?'
'Of course. Your master is an Undead Lord who has slain gods, and I'm a Vampire older than you. I've seen everything; this is nothing.'
Sophie stated with perfect seriousness.
Chen Yao glanced at her—she'd clearly never seen anything like this moments ago.
'What? A Vampire!?'
Shinku's eyes widened. Hearing that the cute-looking girl was a Vampire, she stretched out an arm to shield Chen Yao and frowned. 'Why would a Vampire be in an Eastern country?'
Chen Yao was struck by the doll's action; she didn't seem like the ominous type rumored, apparently willing to protect her master. Still, it was all bizarre—he'd already met a Vampire at school and ghosts in Aokigahara; reality now brimmed with the inexplicable, and now this strange doll had appeared.
Who on earth had mailed the dolls, and why send him two?
Chapter 63 – The Undead and the Girl Living Together
In the room, two cups of black tea sat on the low table. Shinku produced a delicate teacup from her box, poured herself some, and drank. Chen Yao eyed her. 'That's hot tea—how can you drink it?'
'Rest assured, Rozen Maidens can eat and drink like humans. Still, you'd better prepare more pastries; three people won't be satisfied with what you have.'
Tiny hands raised the cup. Though she had a child's face, her tone and voice were those of an older sister.
To Chen Yao she sounded like a foodie who could really pack it away, making the doll seem even more incredible—and giving him the premonition that his living expenses were about to be devoured.
'So this Vampire is really your friend, Chen Yao?'
After finishing her tea, Shinku glanced warily at Sophie, who looked like an oversized doll, and asked again.
'Yes, but what sort of doll are you, exactly? And who dug you out of the Catacombs of Carthus?'
Chen Yao sat on a cushion, studying the miraculous doll.
'Teacher Yokoyama, not the Catacombs of Carthus—the Vatican's underground necropolis.'
Sophie promptly corrected.