We headed to the karaoke bar together.
The kids, familiar with the process, paid upfront, prepared drinks to have while singing, and entered the room.
It's more spacious than I expected.
"...I can't get used to this."
"Why?"
"It's my first ti at a karaoke, so it feels awkward."
I've never sung before, and my only friend... My senior wasn't the type to sing either.
The kids brushed off my reaction, saying it made sense for Alice... Sohow, the setting that I'm from the past seems to be holding up.
"It's my first ti too."
"Sa here!"
Jack and Little Red Riding Hood also seed to be at a karaoke for the first ti.
They were young, and they didn't have many friends in the past, so it made sense.
Whew, at least I'm not the only one who's clueless.
"Isn't Ariel coming? What about Pinocchio?"
"Well, I thought she liked singing, but she seems busy. Pinocchio isn't coming because she's busy doting on a kid nad Cassie."
"Can't be helped~"
We booked a relatively large room and pressed the controller to reserve songs... This is awkward.
I don't know any songs.
Even if I've heard them, I don't rember all the lyrics, so I feel really out of place.
What do I do in this situation?
While I was pondering, the song Eun-jeong reserved started playing.
It was an idol-style song I hadn't heard before.
Hmm, a dreamy, emotional song I'm hearing for the first ti.
Is this the latest hit... Maybe it's because I'm older, but it doesn't resonate with .
"..."
This is dangerous. I don't know the lyrics, so I need to look them up. It'll take ti to morize them.
"Ahem."
"!"
I imdiately handed the controller to Little Red Riding Hood.
If I pushed it to the last turn, I could morize the lyrics by then.
Soon after, Little Red Riding Hood, unsure of what to do, looked around and handed the controller to Jack.
"Umm..."
"!"
Jack also stared at the controller for a mont before looking at .
Why are you looking at ? I'm busy morizing the lyrics.
"Ahem."
In the end, the controller returned to my hands.
You too?
What are these guys doing!
I don't want my first karaoke experience to go like this.
I handed the controller back to Little Red Riding Hood, who then passed it to Jack, who then passed it back to .
In this endless triangular cycle, the next turn finally arrived.
The last one holding the controller was Little Red Riding Hood.
"Ugh...!"
Little Red Riding Hood, seemingly giving up, lowered her head and pressed the number with trembling hands.
[Three Bears]
The only song I knew all the lyrics to is a children's song.
I almost laughed, but this wasn't the ti.
I hadn't had a chance to look up the lyrics because of all the controller passing.
I exchanged glances with Jack, leaving Little Red Riding Hood's tragic fate behind.
Jack, while searching for lyrics on his phone, remained vigilant.
I, too, searched for lyrics while absentmindedly pressing buttons on the controller.
Then, the mont Jack let his guard down.
Whoosh!
I passed the controller back to him as soon as my turn ca.
Pressing the number was a fake; according to the unspoken rule of karaoke, you have to sing even if you're not ready.
It's evil, but what can I do? I'd just say, "What's wrong with a devil doing evil?"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Jack weakly pressed the numbers.
The song he was about to sing was
[The Frog by the Stream]
Thanks, Jack.
Thanks to you, my first karaoke song won't be a children's song like yours.
I successfully morized the lyrics before my turn ca, and although I was a bit shy, I received praise for singing well.
However, I overlooked one thing: At karaoke, you don't just sing once.
The only song I know the lody to is the one I just sang.
I can't sing a song just because I know the lyrics if I don't even know the lody.
But I couldn't bring myself to say I wouldn't sing.
Ah, fate seems to converge into one.
Tick tick tick...
[Mountain Bunny]
...
POV Switch - 3rd Person
Alice and the other Tale Devils sang their hearts out.
After about 2 hours.
They were only singing children's songs.
Suho, who had drunk a lot of beverages, went to the bathroom.
And Kyeong-min followed him in.
The two took care of their business, washed their hands, and chatted.
"They don't seem to get tired."
"Yeah."
They continued chatting while drying their hands.
"Are you happy these days?"
"If it's with Alice, then yes. You?"
" too. Where else would I get to experience sothing like this?"
Traveling with Alice is fun.
It's a rare experience, full of thrills and excitent.
Seeing devils up close.
Traveling around.
Yoo Suho was sure he enjoyed all of it.
"But..."
But the negative tone continued.
Lee Kyeong-min silently listened to Yoo Suho's words.
"Overcoming challenges isn't the only part of an adventure. I often feel like I'm not much help."
Yoo Suho is a shield.
A large shield protecting the children, sotis even protecting Alice, who was once a mirror ghost.
Among the attacks Yoo Suho has blocked, few were ones a child could withstand.
Yet, he deflected, restrained, avoided, and used all sorts of tricks to stand between the enemy and his allies.
But the enemies Alice faces are far stronger.
Facing an enemy as big as a house, a small shield would only get crushed along with her.
Lee Kyeong-min understood Suho's words.
"That's true. As Alice said, we might be playing on a stage too big."
Lee Kyeong-min's situation wasn't much different.
The mobility and versatility of using chains were still useful, but the option to restrain the enemy was almost nonexistent against powerful foes.
He realized why Alice said, during the conflict with Uncle Peter, that the enemies they would face were too great a threat and might be insurmountable. ɌἈＮ𝙤ВÊⱾ
"It's sothing we prepared for. It's bittersweet."
It's sothing I prepared for.
It's what I should expect after climbing onto a bigger stage.
Even if I face worse, even if I'm not much help.
I want to pursue fun things with Alice.
Soday, the day to shine will co.
They thought this as they left the bathroom.
"Do you desire power?"
"...You scared !"
Little Red Riding Hood, who had co out for so fresh air, suddenly appeared beside them.
"Sorry. I didn't an to scare you."
"You really seed like a devil just now."
Do you desire power?
A line with high devil points.
Yoo Suho said it in admiration, but Little Red Riding Hood's reaction was indifferent.
"That kind of hurts, you know."
"Huh?"
Since Tale Devils weren't devils by birth, that reaction was only natural. But there was no way for the boys to know that.
"Desire power? What are you talking about?"
Little Red Riding Hood rummaged in her sleeve and pulled out sothing round and red, showing it to them.
It even shined brightly, making it look attractive.
"Want to see this? It's a small red moon."
An ominous yet beautiful full moon.
Little Red Riding Hood said that by using this moon, they could gain the power they desired.
"If you use it, you can transform into a werewolf. Then you'll beco very strong."
"But lose your sanity?"
"Unfortunately, yes. You'll be surrendering your body to rage."
"Side effects?"
"Just so incomplete mories."
It wasn't a bad offer.
Little Red Riding Hood imdiately proposed a safety procedure using the red moon to the Institution, and it was accepted.
It was a procedure to allow agents to transform into wolves in ergencies, granting high resistance to erosion and physical threats to life.
This cooperative attitude impressed the higher-ups, granting her considerable freedom, much like Alice.
Though, more than the red moon, it was Alice's earnest request that played a bigger role... Suho stared at the red moon and then spoke.
"Then I'll pass."
"Why?"
"Even if I beco stronger as a wolf, I still won't be as strong as Alice."
Becoming stronger still wouldn't make him strong enough to protect Alice.
That was objectively true.
But that wasn't the only reason.
"I think mories are precious. Soday, they'll beco mories."
"...I see. That was short-sighted. mories are... Precious."
Little Red Riding Hood deeply agreed, picturing their still vibrant appearances in her mind.
Becoming mories ans...
...
POV Switch - Alice
Lazing around.
Eun-jeong, Ha-rim, and I were lazily lounging in the club room.
Kyeong-min went to the academy and would be back later, and Suho was spending ti with his younger sister.
Yeah. Such everyday monts are precious too.
We've already taken down two Rulers, and there's the schedule to find angels, so planning the in-between is quite burdenso.
Rolling around.
Lying on a blanket spread on the floor, sleepiness crept in.
Should I just sleep like this?
"Hey."
Thud.
Eun-jeong lay on top of like we were playing hamburger, squishing .
This kid never leaves alone for a second.
I don't dislike it, though.
"Alice... Isn't there anything fun to do?"
"This kid is doing that again. Can't you just stay still for once?"
"Hmm..."
Ha-rim said it's not good to bother Alice too much and pulled Eun-jeong off.
anwhile, she's pouting her lips.
I'll pull them.
"Alice. By the way. Didn't you mumble sothing about a mirror tour before?"
"Huh? Did I mumble it out loud?"
"I heard it too."
Mirror world exploration.
Simply put, it's traveling through the mirror world where monsters live.
To travel through my mirror, you need to be of a lower level... Because the mirror world repels higher-level beings.
It's like when I summon special monsters to this world, I need to et specific conditions to balance things out.
Conversely, powerful beings need to go through certain procedures to enter the mirror.
But these kids are of a low level, so they can travel through the mirror smoothly.
"Do you want to travel through the mirror?"
"Yeah!"
Ha-rim and Eun-jeong answered confidently.
But
"It's troubleso."
The look they gave seed to ask why not, since I brought it up.
They seem to be misunderstanding.
I didn't say no.
I said it's troubleso.
"Why is it troubleso?"
"...There are things not suitable for kids to see."
"Now you're treating us like kids..."
"Alice is a kid too. Just because you're well-developed doesn't an you can act like an adult."
Flick!
"Ouch!"
This kid, every word she says gets on my nerves.
I know she's doing it to get attention, which makes it even harder to ignore.
This behavior has beco part of our affection.
"Boys might be okay though..."
"That's discrimination!"
Eun-jeong protested.
Ha-rim, on the other hand, calmly asked .
"Only boys can do it? Is it sothing hard to explain?"
"Well... It's about sexual stuff."
"Sexual stuff?"
Hearing this, Ha-rim and Eun-jeong looked blank, glanced at each other, and then begged to explain.
Do girls like these kinds of stories too?
"It's nothing much. The world inside my mirror absorbed new concepts of fear when I beca Alice. There are more monsters there than the ones we've seen and defeated."
"Are there..."
"Yes. There are sexual monsters too. Trauma related to sex, cris, disgusting things. They exist in the mirror too."
Originally, there were no sexual monsters.
It seems they appeared after breaking free from the ga's constraints.
"Are they bad?"
"No, they're my subordinates and friends, so they don't have ill intentions. But just like even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, there's an elent of unpredictability..."
They still looked unconvinced.
After all we've been through, fearing an ominous possibility seems unnecessary.
Honestly, I'm not against the mirror tour, but with so many monsters outside, I don't want to take unnecessary risks.
I added one more thing.
"They look so disgusting that you'll probably be traumatized in a lot of ways?"
A lot...
Beyond grotesque and creepy, to the point of being eye-hurting.
"We've faced a lot of scary things, but is it that bad?"
"Well, if you put it that way, it's ambiguous..."
By now, they must have realized I was beating around the bush.
Ha-rim's eyes narrowed, so I ca clean.
"Alright, alright. I was embarrassed and didn't want to say it because I was fussing over a small possibility. First, let say this. I've considered the possibility of you developing trauma from stress during adventures."
"Hmm... That's not impossible."
"Right. If trauma occurs, I'll help you overco or face it to continue the adventure. And of course, you'll manage."
If you develop trauma from monsters, you can defeat them.
If you develop trauma from darkness, I'll give you weapons to protect yourself in the dark.
They're brave and confident kids, but if we dig into their weak spots, it'll leave big scars, so I think it's my role to find ways to heal.
"Okay... So?"
"Sexual trauma often manifests strongly towards the opposite sex. n fear won more than other n, and won fear n. Kids going through puberty might feel disgusted seeing the opposite sex's body. What I'm worried about is, while a kid afraid of the dark might overco it, sexual trauma lingers. In other words, I'm worried you might see sothing weird and end up unable to marry."
Plus, n can have performance issues just from nervousness.
If trauma occurs, married life would be a disaster.
"Isn't that overthinking?"
Can't argue with that.
Even if they look really creepy, kids who often see grotesque things might not be affected, and it might just be imagining the worst.
Should I just let them do the mirror tour... It's not like they'll definitely encounter sexual monsters... While I was pondering, Ha-rim seed to realize sothing was off and asked.
"...? Then why is it only okay for boys?"
Ha-rim seems to perceive the sexual monsters as just really creepy.
Actually, they're worse than that.
And I never said only boys could do it.
To be precise, if they must go, boys might handle it better.
"It's harder for to help girls with sexual trauma."
"Why?"
Don't ask so frustratingly.
Talking about this with kids is draining my ntal energy.
I really regret bringing this up.
"Well, how do you think I would help overco sexual trauma?"
Help?
Ha-rim looked unusually flustered, having never thought about such a question.
She probably never considered needing help in that area.
"Alice thinks facing things head-on is the right way... Huh?"
She's catching on.
I added a hint to avoid unnecessary questions.
"And whose body do you think would take responsibility?"
"..."
Ha-rim, quicker on the uptake than Eun-jeong, was shocked.
She stared at , mouth agape, unable to close it for a while.
Then she stared at my chest, so I turned away.
What are you looking at!
Probably, their way of thinking is correct.
The way to overco trauma related to the opposite sex is... Facing it head-on, right?
"Such a situation is unlikely, but... It's unsettling. Got it?"
If that happens, it's dangerous.
We wouldn't be friends anymore. In many ways.
I decided to keep this a secret from the boys.
After that, Ha-rim and Eun-jeong didn't ask to take them on a mirror world tour.
...
I was working on a clone that would be in my place in the isolation room of the Institution when Jack asked to co hang out at the Tea Party again.
Since I had nothing to do until Ariel finished preparing to find the angels, I agreed and moved to her space.
"Huh? Jack. Why did you bring Alice and these kids again?"
But it seed Ariel hadn't heard that other Tale Devils were coming.
I wondered why Jack had gathered the devils.
Jack grinned and then, out of the blue, suggested they determine the strongest devil among the gathered devils.
"Let's see who's the strongest devil!"
Did he gather the Tale Devils just to compare their strength rankings?
"No way!"
Ariel, Little Red Riding Hood, , and Pinocchio all unanimously refused.
"Boys are always like that. Can't resist rankings."
"It's not really like that."
"? Why are you getting mad?"
Oops.
It's not that I'm not interested... But I don't feel like fighting.
"This is trivial. I'm leaving."
"Uh, fighting. I don't like fighting anyone but monsters."
Pinocchio left first, and Little Red Riding Hood was fidgeting, unsure.
Disappointed by the lukewarm response, Jack said.
"Aww... Well, Ariel would be last anyway. Feeling sorry for her, maybe I'll stop."
"Hey."
"But you said you're weak yourself."
"There's a difference between saying it yourself and others saying it."
"The empty vessel makes so much noise. You're just scared of Alice, who's defeated multiple Rulers!"
Jack blatantly provoked.
Ariel took a stance, ready to charge at .
With her lower half being a fish, her martial arts stance looked ridiculous.
"Bring it on!"
"Why ?"
Imdiately after.
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