"Oh, right, it's not Carthus. I accidentally got them mixed up."
Chen Yao snapped out of it. Once he came into contact with the familiar magic power, he started spouting dark souls lore again.
"I don't know about the questions you mentioned, but saying that we Rose Dolls were buried in a graveyard is quite unpleasant. Since you've acquired me, you must have accepted the answer from Laplace's Demon."
Shinku casually answered Chen Yao's two questions.
"Accepted an answer? No, I'm certain I haven't answered any strange questions from strangers lately."
Chen Yao carefully considered all sorts of questions, suspicious or otherwise, and stated clearly.
"You probably forgot, but it doesn't matter. Even if you weren't the initial medium chosen by Laplace's Demon, once you wound the key, you became my medium."
Shinku didn't care at all whether he was her originally destined medium or not and continued explaining.
This sentence somehow made both Chen Yao and Sophie understand why the doll had been sent to Chen Yao's place. Could it be the [NTL] curse at work again?
"Even if that Laplace sent you to me, what's the purpose? It's not like I'm supposed to raise you, right?"
Chen Yao asked doubtfully once more.
"This Vampire lady already told you. It's for the [Alice Game]. There are six Rozen Maidens in total. By defeating the other dolls, one eventually becomes the perfect Alice, and you, Chen Yao, are the medium who assists me."
Shinku stated Chen Yao's mission as if it were a great honor.
"So, is there any benefit after helping you become Alice?"
Chen Yao asked a crucial question. Since this sounded like a Holy Grail War-style development, the final winner should have a reward.
"There is. You get to become my servant. It is your supreme honor."
As a result, Shinku said something that shattered Chen Yao's worldview. The final winner becomes her servant? Who would want that? It sounds like a telemarketing scam.
Shinku quickly looked at this white room with a look of disdain and commented, "To be honest, this place isn't suitable for me to live in. But if there's no other way, I'll just have to make do and stay here."
Hearing this, Chen Yao looked at the Little girl. He figured she was a wealthy doll who had never suffered, actually disdaining such good living conditions. But if she disliked it, he might as well suggest she live elsewhere.
"Um, if you dislike it, Miss Sophie's food and living conditions are much better than mine. You can stay at her place."
Chen Yao suggested.
He could also see that Sophie seemed to like dolls, especially living ones. She could fully provide for the living conditions of a Gothic Lolita doll.
"Are you saying you intend to give me away to someone else?"
Shinku was stunned, clearly surprised. She was the most precious doll in the world, yet this human, who smelled of rust, didn't cherish her and wanted to send her away.
Beside them, Sophie nodded repeatedly, staring at her, seemingly really wanting this living doll.
"After all, I'm also staying at my father's friend's house and really can't take care of a child. If you live with Miss Sophie, it's a win-win situation."
Chen Yao glanced at Shinku and said.
Shinku's brow twitched repeatedly, appearing a bit angry, but she had good upbringing and said leisurely, "No. Because Yao, you have already formed a contract with me. We cannot be separated. At the very least, as the two parties of the contract, living together is necessary."
"So why do you have to live with me? When did I ever sign a contract with you..."
Chen Yao had signed contracts before, but as he spoke, he noticed a ring with a rose pattern had appeared on the ring finger of his left hand.
"Huh? When was this ring put on?" Chen Yao asked, looking at the ring that had suddenly appeared on his finger.
"The moment you wound the key, the contract was generated."
Shinku said.
"How is this contract signed like a telemarketing scam? It seems I can't even take it off. Not only is the contract overbearing, but you also put a ring on my ring finger. If others see it, they'll think I'm married..."
Chen Yao looked at the iron-colored rose ring that had suddenly appeared on his finger and complained awkwardly. After all, there were only ten days left of summer vacation. If he was seen at school, it would definitely cause gossip.
"All contract rings are worn on the ring finger. Don't try to force it off, or you might lose a chunk of flesh."
After finishing her snacks, Shinku wiped her mouth with a tissue, held out her left hand to show her ring, and said.
"Impressive. This contract is just like being married..."
Beside them, Sophie's cheeks turned slightly red. The magic user who designed this kind of contract must have had a head full of romance.
Chen Yao had worn rings before, especially the Chloranthy Ring and Havel's Ring, which were essential. But now, having one mysteriously on his ring finger was a bit awkward.
"However, Miss Shinku, I believe your Alice Game cannot be carried out at the moment."
Sophie glanced at her phone and informed Shinku.
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
Shinku was slightly taken aback and asked.
"I just asked my Vampire social circle. They investigated the movements in the Vatican. A week ago, two doll boxes were indeed lost from the graveyard, but the remaining four boxes are still there. It's speculated that someone very powerful stole the dolls separately, but the security in the Vatican is very tight. The remaining four are likely sealed even deeper underground."
Sophie explained.
"What did you say..."
Shinku frowned, finding it hard to believe. She wanted to find Laplace's Demon immediately and ask what was going on.
Although the situation was unusual—putting aside why they were sealed in the underground graveyard and why Laplace only managed to retrieve two before sending them out—Shinku quickly calmed down, sat upright again, and said, "Then forget it. I'm not interested in the Alice Game anyway."
"Then cancel the contract. This kind of ring doesn't have any buff effects; it's of no benefit to me at all, and it's a bit tight..."
Chen Yao reached out his hand, wanting to cancel the contract.
"Once a contract is signed, the ring will not disappear unless you complete the Alice Game or I am damaged."
Shinku glanced at Chen Yao's ring, then turned her head away and said.
"So you mean the contract will only end after the remaining four doll boxes in the Vatican's underground graveyard are dug up and I help you complete the Alice Game?"
Chen Yao asked, looking at the redundant ring.
"That's basically it. Yao, do you hate me that much...?"
Shinku looked him in the eye and asked.
As a doll, she was originally meant to be loved. But now, Chen Yao showed that he didn't want to accept her, which was a painful thing for a doll.
"No, he doesn't hate you. He probably just feels resistant to having signed a contract so unexpectedly. Teacher Yokoyama is someone who lives according to his own heart. If he wanted to, he could crush the ring with his fingers; he's just worried that doing so through the medium would hurt you."
Sophie explained from the side. Through his blood, she had glimpsed Chen Yao's power; he could indeed crush a contract ring of this level.
"..." Shinku fell silent. One should ask, if he can crush her contract ring with his bare hands, is Yao even human?
However, ever since the contract was signed, she could feel a continuous surge of power from the ring. Perhaps this confirmed that her medium was indeed a human with profound power.
"Teacher Yokoyama, how about... you keep her for now? Although I'm not sure why she was sent to you, I will investigate the matter. In the meantime, I will also provide you with Shinku-chan's living expenses..."
Sophie could see that Chen Yao's biggest dissatisfaction was actually the ring occupying his finger, so she pleaded on Shinku's behalf.
"...Fine, it can't be helped. But it doesn't matter; supporting you for a while won't cost much anyway. Perhaps I'll also ask that person named Laplace why they did this. However, Miss Shinku, I must make a three-point agreement with you. First, you are not allowed to disturb me when I am drawing manga. Second, you must not be seen by anyone other than myself; if you are seen, just pretend to be an ordinary doll. Third, I will not help you play any Alice Game. If I find that person named Laplace, I will have him change the contract."
Chen Yao's thoughts had already been voiced by Sophie. It wasn't that he disliked this doll that had suddenly appeared, but he didn't want the ordinary life he had worked so hard to obtain to be ruined. In any case, it was fine to take in this Little girl for the time being.
"I don't mind. After all, I truly have nowhere else to go right now. I will also ask Laplaces Demon about the situation of the other dolls. Let's leave it at that for now. I'll be in your care from now on, Yao."
Shinku looked at Chen Yao, revealed a smile, and spoke.
"Yeah, I'll be in your care too."
Chen Yao looked at the doll girl and said.
Although he wasn't sure what impact receiving such a strange box would have on his daily life, the Undead was inherently lonely. Even in a foster home, he spent most of his time working and studying alone. Having a girl doll that could move and talk suddenly appear in his white room felt very strange... ~·~·~·~·~
In the afternoon, Chen Yao finally welcomed a relaxing time like a summer break. He sat in front of the screen playing 'Mount & Blade II' for two hours, currently leading the Southern Empire's troops to suppress the Khuzait Khanate all the way. Sophie had already gone back, while Shinku sat on a chair with nothing to do.
"Looking at him like this, he just feels like an ordinary boy. His personality is a bit stubborn and a bit lazy, but the ring tells me that he isn't afraid of the power of the Rose Dolls..."
Shinku's small feet swung slightly on the chair as she silently observed Chen Yao for several hours.
"But in just an instant, I can also glimpse that his heart is filled with darkness and loneliness. This boy seems to have experienced something in the past; his personality is cheerful, yet dark. How pitiful."
Shinku thought silently. Eventually, she began to look for books to read, but in a drawer, she found a large stack of manga manuscripts.
"kura kura of haruta street? Did Yao draw these manga? I see. When he made the agreement with me, he said not to disturb him while he's drawing manga. I remember manga is a type of storybook for modern humans. I didn't think he was an author... If I read a little bit, maybe I can understand him a bit more."
Shinku sat by the drawer and began flipping through the animal animation Kurara drawn by Chen Yao.
Chen Yao had been playing the game for several hours without hearing any sound from Shinku. He became a bit curious, much like when a cat in your room suddenly goes quiet. He went over to check and saw Shinku reading manga in front of the drawer where he stored his manuscripts. An hour had passed, and she had actually moved most of the manuscripts out.
"Hmm? Are you reading the manga I drew?"
Chen Yao paused the game and observed the doll with curiosity. She was actually flipping through page by page; she seemed to not only understand Japanese but also the plot of the story.
"Ahem, so... what do you think of the story?"
Chen Yao coughed a few times and asked the doll girl staying in his dormitory.
"...It's very interesting. Did you really draw this, Yao?"
Shinku's eyes widened in shock. She turned her head to look at him and asked in astonishment.
"Ahem, r-really?"
Chen Yao suppressed his joyful expression. To be honest, other than being praised by Sophie for his manga being interesting, he had never heard a reader praise it in person. Now that even Shinku found it interesting, his sense of accomplishment was overflowing.
"Without a doubt, this is a very interesting work. The plot is lighthearted and easy to understand, especially the other protagonist, the Dog Detective source of knowledge, who is very brave and wise; he left a good impression on me. However, the cat inside is just too detestable, often using low-handed methods to seize territory, while only source of knowledge uses justice to investigate clues..."
Shinku spoke while sharing her thoughts on the reading. But just as she reached the exciting plot where Kurara and source of knowledge were thrillingly lost around Lake Motosu, she flipped to the next page and it was gone... Chapter 064: It Takes Two with the Girls.
The atmosphere became eerie. Chen Yao saw Shinku continue to search the drawer for manuscripts, but found that the manuscripts were already empty.
"Yao, where is the next chapter?"
Shinku turned around, looked at him, and asked.
"...I haven't drawn it yet."
Chen Yao felt a slightly wrong atmosphere and answered while looking at her warily.
Shinku fell silent, sighed softly, and said, "I understand. If I had known, I wouldn't have read so much in one go."
Chen Yao could see that Shinku truly liked his work, but that moment of silence just now made a sense of inexplicable unease well up in him, though he wasn't sure why.
"If you feel like reading, you can look at my other novels and manga from summer break. Cthulhu novels, Western fantasy novels, and I also have a collection of complete classic manga sets."
Chen Yao saw the doll's thirst for knowledge and recommended his cherished books to her.
"I looked through them while you were playing games; not many interested me. But it's okay, I'll look again when night falls."
Shinku began to move the manuscripts back in order. Although she was small, she had the strength to move these stacks of drawings. As she was moving them, she saw a photo album in Chen Yao's drawer.
After seeing it, she asked, "Yao, is this your photo album?"
"Yeah, it is. It's fine, you can look at basically anything in the room since you'll be living here."
Chen Yao looked over and said.
Shinku flipped open the album and found a photo of Class J from a spring outing in the first year of high school. Chen Yao, wearing a black suit, stood in the back row, while in the row in front of him to the left was a girl who was very beautiful and particularly striking, quickly catching her attention.
"What a beauty. Is she your Classmate? Even I have to admit she possesses extraordinary beauty."
Shinku looked closely and asked admiringly.
Chen Yao saw she was pointing at Yukinoshita Yukino and said, "Ah, she's my Classmate. Although she's a great beauty, she sometimes likes to be sharp-tongued."
"Is that so?"
The doll girl continued to flip through and saw a photo of a stage play. This time, among the people in the group photo, another girl who caught her eye appeared. She said, "This girl also gives me a very special feeling. Very beautiful, but with a dangerous aura."
Chen Yao looked over again and saw it was Sakayanagi Arisu. He said, "She's a junior from another school named Sakayanagi Arisu. Many people say she has a bit of a dangerous aura, but she's been good to me and has given me many gifts."
Shinku continued to flip through and saw the group photo of the Kessoku Band at the baseball field, as well as the group photo with Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka after the Deserted Island Exam... "You seem to know quite a few beautiful women."
Shinku finished browsing and turned her head to make a meaningful remark.
Chen Yao was startled and said helplessly, "I know many, but they aren't my girlfriends."
"The Alice Game is to fulfill the wish of our Father, who created the Rose Dolls, to create the perfect girl, Alice. So you should understand, only a girl seen as perfect in this world can be bestowed the name 'Alice.' However, after seeing your photo album, I'm suddenly a bit curious—is there truly only one Alice in the world?"
Shinku became thoughtful and asked herself.
"There's no such thing as a perfect woman in this world to begin with. Rather, humans having flaws is what makes them the most perfect creations. The person who created you was a bit too obsessive..."