Here to assassinate her?
Alice's eyes widened slightly. Kirakishou, nestled in her arms, had already covered her mouth with her hands.
Behind her, Suigintou nearly let out a laugh.
The warm spring breeze brushed through Alice's hair, snapping her back to reality.
She glanced at the window, apparently left open for trap-making purposes, and let out a soft sigh. "So you just let her play around like this?"
"We were planning to see what she was up to, stop her, and let you handle it when you got back," Shinku said, expertly rubbing Rabbi's head. "But she fiddled around forever and still hadn't finished. Then you came back, Alice."
"Yeah, yeah," Suiseiseki chimed in, popping out of her case. "Frey's prank skills are just awful."
She lifted her face, proudly puffing out her chest.
Across from her, Hinaichigo immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"Sorry, Master," Souseiseki said, standing beside Suiseiseki. "I couldn't stop them."
"It's fine. You wouldn't have been able to anyway."
Alice walked to the bedside and sat down gently.
Kirakishou had already flown over to Frey's side and was playing with her hair.
Frey seemed startled by the sudden voices in the room and had frozen mid-air.
"Because of the Night Party?"
Alice's question whispered near her ear. Frey's crimson eyes blinked, and she nodded quietly.
Just as I thought.
"I'm not participating in the Night Party for now."
Alice waved her hand dismissively. Suigintou drew her rapier and cut the ropes binding Frey.
Thump! Frey hit the floor. Hinaichigo stared blankly at the scarf in her hands. She'd meant to catch Frey in the air, but she just hadn't flown high enough.
Frey loosened the scarf wrapped around her neck and took a sharp, deep breath.
"Really?"
She looked at Alice, her voice tinged with hope.
Alice nodded silently. Frey's expression instantly relaxed, only to turn serious again a moment later.
The serious look, paired with her typically dazed features, created quite the contrast.
"So... can I go now?" Frey asked in a low voice.
"Please do."
Frey immediately stood up and headed for the door.
"Remember to come play with Hinaichigo," Alice said softly from behind her.
Frey paused. "...Okay."
She pushed the door open gently and stepped out, her retreating figure tinged with melancholy.
Rabbi struggled free from Shinku's grasp and trotted after her.
"...Feels like she didn't really believe you," Suigintou said, arms crossed as she watched Frey leave.
"Indeed."
Robin slipped in through a crack in the window. He'd taken Irori to buy luggage.
His nose for mischief had led him straight to the scene, and he'd watched the whole thing unfold from outside.
Right on cue, Irori knocked on the door. She was now registered as Alice's automaton.
Holding her luggage, she curiously surveyed the room. "So this is Lady Alice's dorm?"
"Mm."
"This is your bed," Alice said, pointing to the empty bed in the room. "You'll share the dresser with Souseiseki and Suiseiseki."
"Does Miss Trimmau not need a bed?" Irori already knew the Rozen Maiden slept in their cases, from her time living with Souseiseki and Suiseiseki.
"No need," Trimmau said, proudly lifting her head. With a sproing, she transformed into a silvery slime. A soft, pillow-lined nest sat beside the Rozen Maidens' cases—that was her spot.
The slime jiggled a couple of times before morphing back into the silver-haired maid.
"Also, please let me know what you'd like for breakfast."
"Okay," Irori said, tilting her head. A gentle smile graced her delicate features.
She began making her bed, her movements light and graceful, a soft curve on her lips.
"It feels like Lady Alice doesn't see them as mere automatons."
Whether it was the Rozen Maiden or Trimmau, they all had their own space, their own lives.
"You all have your own thoughts, your own feelings."
Alice sat on her bed, a faint smile on her face.
She spoke softly.
"How are you any different from humans?"
--+--
The cafeteria at noon was a swirling mass of students.
Especially during the lunch rush, the students surged towards the dining hall like a horde of zombies besieging a city.
In times like these, a good clearing effect was essential.
Suigintou led the charge, flying over the parting crowd to secure a table by the window. Trimmau and Irori went to fetch the food.
Hinaichigo, walking ahead of Alice, happily scampered to her seat. Kirakishou lay contentedly in Alice's arms, a picture of bliss.
"So, any progress?" Alice asked Charlotte across the table.
"None," Charlotte shook her head. They were discussing spirit magic.
"I looked through some materials, but there's no record of how to actually find the spirits."
She puffed her chest out indignantly. Sigmund sat perched primly on her head.
The young dragon pulled a newspaper from behind his back and handed it to Alice.
Blinking, Alice looked at the third-rate gossip rag in her hands.
"This is the material you consulted?" Her tone was a bit odd.
"Y-yes..." Charlotte looked up, saw the newspaper being offered, and her face instantly flushed crimson.
"S-S-Sigmund! Why did you give her that?!"
Her hands shot up, trembling slightly in the air. She wanted to snatch the paper back but didn't quite dare.
"So..." Alice lightly fanned herself with the newspaper. "This is the kind of thing you enjoy reading?"
"N-n-no, it's not like that!" Charlotte waved her hands frantically. "It has information about Divine Works, the sponsor behind Frey!"
"It's an automaton workshop that's risen in the last decade. I hear the president, Bronson, isn't a good man—human experimentation is just business as usual for him."
She glanced at the other students around and lowered her voice.
"I asked around a little. Frey and Loki are using new models from Divine Works. Their main goal in this Night Party is probably to test the new units."
"If they perform well, they might even go on sale."
Hearing this, Alice nodded. "I suppose if the test results are poor, the related plans will be scrapped."
"Is that why Frey did something like that?"
Hinaichigo, sitting beside Alice, puffed out her cheeks.
It was so unlike the ditsy, family-loving Frey to attempt an assassination.
Hinaichigo placed her hands on her hips, her indignation making her cheeks puff out even more.
"Probably."
Alice looked out the window. The leaves outside swayed in the wind, like fates beyond one's own control.
Then, a kimono-clad automaton caught her attention.
Her facial structure was strikingly similar to Irori's and Komurasaki's. Her beautiful features, paired with the elegant kimono, created a breathtaking beauty.
She looked every bit the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko.
This must be the 'Moon' automaton of the Setsugetsuka series.
Karyuusai's craftsmanship was far too distinctive. Alice immediately recognized this automaton as Irori's sister.
The 'Moon' automaton turned gracefully as a young man approached her.
Then, the dignified young lady lunged at him.
Her yandere-like display made Alice sigh inwardly.
Of course. There was no way one of Shouko's automatons could be that demure.
Irori acted refined and elegant on the surface, but in private, she was a worrywart of an older sister. Komurasaki loved to play, and this Yaya... was an obsessive fangirl.
I'll tell Irori when she gets here.
Alice glanced at Suigintou, who had also spotted Yaya. Suigintou looked back at her.
Their eyes met, and they nodded in unison.
Looking back, Yaya and the young man beside her were entering the cafeteria, walking straight in their direction.
Hm?
Has Shouko been in contact with them?
Alice watched them curiously as they gradually came to a stop right beside her table.
--+--
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.