Chapter Two: The Harsh Reality
Alice followed quietly, her voice as gentle as a breeze:
"Just… trust me."
Akira hesitated for a moment, then said in a neutral tone:
"Fine. I'll trust you… for now."
Alice smiled, that smile that knew no deceit:
"Thank you. I promise, I will raise you to the top of this world."
He did not respond. He simply turned and continued on his way.
The two walked in silence for several minutes until Alice finally broke it:
"Boy… you haven't told me your name."
He answered coldly without looking back:
"Akira."
Silence returned, but Alice did not let it linger:
"Aren't you going to ask my name?"
"What's your name?" he said, indifferent.
She stepped ahead of him, her smile radiant, eyes shining with something impossible to define.
"Although I have many names… for you, just call me 'Alice'."
Akira did not comment. He ignored her words, but a strange question began forming inside him:
"How can you appear like this?"
Alice smiled mischievously:
"Is that all that worries you? Well… I don't have a physical body."
She then approached him slowly and pressed her palms against his chest.
Akira's eyes widened in shock as he saw her hands pass through him, as if she were a ghost piercing the air.
He stepped back in fear, rubbed his chest, but there was nothing… no wound, no pain, nothing.
"W-What… are you?" he asked quietly.
"It's complicated…" she replied calmly.
Then, after a moment, she added:
"You need to understand something… you are the only one who can see or hear me."
Akira froze.
"You mean… I'm the only one who can see you?"
"Yes. That's why it seems like you're talking to yourself all the time. Like a madman."
Akira cast a tense glance around. Luckily, no one was there. Most people had apparently left this area long ago.
He continued cautiously, glancing back occasionally for anyone following him… even Alice herself did not walk beside him. She disappeared suddenly, just as suddenly as she appeared.
When he reached the eastern part of the slums, he noticed the area was more crowded. But Akira paid no attention. He ignored everything.
All he was looking for now was a place to sleep.
As he had done before, he gathered some scraps of metal and debris, piled them randomly, and crawled underneath to sleep.
His only shelter in this world.
Akira slept from the previous evening, only opening his eyes when the sun had passed midday. He lay under the heap of scrap he called his "shelter," which offered little protection—but in this world, little was better than nothing.
He opened his eyes to a familiar face. It was Alice, staring down at him. Flustered, he moved quickly, grabbing a metal rod beside him and raising it instinctively toward her head.
But the rod… passed through her.
It went right through, as if she weren't there, as if she were only light or smoke.
He stared at her in astonishment while she smiled faintly, speaking in a playful tone:
"Do you like attacking pretty girls as soon as you wake up?"
It took a moment before he recognized her. She was the same girl he had seen yesterday, whom he had thought was part of a dream or hallucination.
He whispered as if to justify his actions:
"Sorry… in a place like this, it's either get robbed or killed. No room for hesitation."
She responded with a calmer smile:
"That doesn't matter now. With me… you will live a better life."
Before he could reply, a loud gurgle came from his stomach, reminding him of something more urgent than questions.
He hadn't eaten since last night, and hunger had begun to gnaw mercilessly at him.
Alice spoke calmly, as if stating the obvious:
"You should eat something first."
Akira rose from under his scrap heap, stepping into the street. The sun was nearing its zenith.
He stopped suddenly, eyes wide:
"Damn… I missed the food distribution!"
He ran like a madman toward the central warehouse, as if his life depended on that meal. Luckily, the distribution was still ongoing.
He stood in line with the rest of the crowd, faces marked by hunger and despair.
Finally, he got his share: a small plastic box, covered with a transparent layer, showing its simple contents: a thin slice of gray meat, diced vegetables, and a dry piece of bread. A red label described the product, but Akira paid no attention; hunger had dulled his caution.
He sat in a dark corner away from the others, opened the box, and raised the piece of bread to his mouth… but Alice's voice stopped him.
"Before you eat… you should know this food is made with dangerous ingredients."
He froze, turning to her nervously, forgetting she had been standing beside him the whole time.
(Whispering) "You mean… it could kill me?"
Alice moved calmly, sitting cross-legged in front of him, like an ordinary girl on a picnic.
"No… not right now. But if you keep eating it… it will slowly kill you."
Akira stared at the food, then sighed and said softly:
"No choice."
He took a bite.
Alice watched silently. She knew he had no other option and did not comment.
.