Thinking back, I really hated going to the hospital when I was a kid.
Of course, I wasn’t the type to throw a tantrum and resist violently.
I grew up in a strict household where acting up meant getting five times the punishment right away.
If I sensed something suspicious, I’d either quickly run away or quietly hide in the closet – more of an escape artist type.
Ultimately, I only went to the hospital when I was sick or needed a vaccination.
With good instincts, it wasn’t that hard to pick up on strange vibes.
But once at the hospital, I’d obediently get shots and take medicine without much fuss.
Why did I hate going so much back then? Thinking about it now, it’s pretty funny.
Maybe because I’d vanish without a trace at the mere mention of the hospital ‘B’ word,
My parents’ coping skills improved daily… one of which was deception tactics.
“Let’s go eat steak. I’ll buy you a toy. Want to go to the amusement park? Let’s check out the festival. A celebrity’s in town…”
How many times did I fall for that? The grudge is still deeply etched in my heart.
“A-ahaha… Yuria isn’t really into pork cutlets, huh? H-how about sushi?”
“….”
Maybe that’s why. Something about Alice felt distinctly fishy.
Wait, she should be at the office right now… it’s weird for her to be here in the first place.
There’s definitely some other purpose here.
Thinking this, I cautiously approached Alice while subtly shifting my gaze.
That’s when I spotted Karen giving a thumbs-up pose from inside the shop.
Considering the direction she was looking, she was cheering for Alice, not me.
So that means… they’re planning to take me somewhere I shouldn’t realize!
‘Even though I trust Alice since she likes me, hiding the destination makes me uneasy… But I’ll pretend to go along for now. If things get too weird, I’ll pretend to go to the bathroom and escape.’
Continuing my brief deliberation, I carefully approached Alice.
If it were someone who always treated me badly, I would’ve turned away without a second thought.
But since it’s Alice, who always lets me win, I couldn’t possibly ignore her.
Still, if it gets really unbearable, I’ll run away immediately!
Holding Alice’s hand as her eyes glistened with emotion, I remained highly alert.
A pro runaway never lets their guard down.
Right now, I was like a wild cheetah. Very fast.
“W-well! We’ll be going now! Thanks for your hard work!”
“See you later! Take good care of Yuria.”
“Hurry up and take her away. I can’t focus with that guy around.”
“Okay! Hehe… Yuria, let’s go!”
“….”
What, am I such a bother?
I glared at Greg with dissatisfaction, then turned and left the variety store with Alice.
I just wanted to help, but he had to say such harsh words.
He’s such a terrible boss.
“Heheh, This is probably the first time we’ve gone out together so early. Actually, Jin said he was too tired today and took a day off from Fixer Office work. So when Greg asked me to take Yuria off his hands quickly, I came here.”
“….”
Oh, so the office is closed today too.
Come to think of it… Raven must be exhausted.
After their intense battle, they had to handle all the case follow-ups without rest.
This morning, they didn’t even eat breakfast and passed out completely on the bed.
Guess they’re taking today off and planning to work again tomorrow. Rest is important after all.
…What? So Alice just came to hang out with me since she had the day off?
Was my worry just some kind of overactive imagination?
‘Wait. Now that I think about it, Alice seems different somehow. Was she just anxious about being rejected?’
Ugh, thinking about it now made me suddenly feel embarrassed.
What difficult thing? I’m just drumming up trouble by myself.
I subtly closed the distance I’d kept from Alice.
Sorry for misunderstanding. It was the maximum apology expression I could manage without speaking.
Perhaps she didn’t catch my inner thoughts.
Alice just tilted her head curiously, then smiled brightly and pulled me forward by the hand.
“I’ll treat you to anything today! Pork cutlet? Sushi? Ah, maybe raw fish is a bit challenging?”
“….!”
“Sushi sounds good? Hehe, I know a great regular spot! Let’s go there!”
Fortunately, it was still a bit early for lunch.
We could enter Alice’s favorite sushi place without waiting in line.
Alice was such a big eater that she reminded people of competitive eaters.
Since gaining telekinetic powers, I could eat as much as an average adult man.
Thus, both of us devoured sushi at an incredible speed, quickly stacking plates on our table.
“Whoa…! Does that pink-haired beauty have a black hole in her stomach? The sushi just keeps disappearing!”
“That masked child on the opposite side eats quite well too? What a rare sight!”
“Hoo, that’s about it for today… Excuse me, I’ll pay.”
“Hehe, thank you as always, young lady.”
While eating is always enjoyable, paying the bill afterward is always painful.
The unbelievable amount for just two people made me widen my eyes in shock.
But Alice seemed to have the mindset that she shouldn’t hesitate in situations like this.
She paid with practiced ease and exited the sushi restaurant confidently.
Her mature behavior was truly admirable.
“Eeek… My wallet got thinner again today…”
“….!”
“Eh, w-was that cool? Hehe…”
Well, since the amount was burdensome to pay upfront, she might have been showing off a bit.
Still, the way she casually flipped her card between her fingers and presented it was pretty impressive.
I gave her a thumbs up and praised her as the best.
After solving lunch, we happily roamed around various places in Night Haven.
On a whim, she said she wanted to buy me clothes and took me to a department store, where I tried on various children’s clothes.
Though winter hadn’t ended yet, we passed by a swimsuit section and checked it out.
By the way, Alice picked a blue bikini that matched her pink hair and curvaceous figure.
For me, it was a black one-piece swimsuit with lots of frills, something a child might wear.
Fortunately, what she chose didn’t look much like a swimsuit, so it was less embarrassing.
Though I had no idea if I’d ever actually wear it.
“Phew, that was fun! Let’s wrap up shopping at the department store… Shall we go somewhere else?”
“….?”
“Where to? Hmm, nothing specific in mind. Oh, want to check out dolls? Your room looks too barren. You need a big teddy bear in the corner!”
“….”
Well, dolls aren’t really my thing… But having one wouldn’t hurt, I guess.
Nodding in agreement, I willingly followed her lead.
Perhaps the doll shop Alice mentioned was far from downtown.
She and I took a bus all the way to the outskirts, then walked quite a distance further.
But I didn’t think much about it. I didn’t know much about dolls anyway.
Thanks to Alice chatting away beside me, I didn’t have time to get bored.
However, hugging the bag containing clothes and swimsuits, I only began to feel something off after entering a building while walking absentmindedly forward.
‘Huh, this smell… alcohol? Why does a doll shop smell like this?’
Whizz.
I straightened my back and stopped, quickly surveying the surroundings.
It was an instinctive movement, catching a strong sense that something was very wrong.
But perhaps it was already too late.
Alice, who had been holding my hand, now firmly grabbed my shoulders from behind.
“…?”
“Y-Yuria… Sorry. I was asked to do this… I had no choice…”
“….!”
Alice pushed my back, urging me forward.
Before I could grasp the situation, I stumbled forward in confusion.
You said we were going to a doll shop… But this doesn’t look like a place with dolls…
This puzzling feeling quickly revealed its true nature.
Someone with a peculiar appearance emerged from the clean interior of a rather well-maintained building.
It was a man with an extremely unique hairstyle.
One side parted 7:3 was blue, while the other side was white – a very distinctive style.
His pristine white coat was spotless, and his mouth bore a large scar as if sewn with thick thread.
His gaze carried an impressively menacing aura, as if he could easily slice through people.
In every way, regardless of how you looked at him, he appeared suspicious. He looked down at me, caught by Alice, and spoke.
“…Oh my, is this little girl today’s scheduled patient? My, my, wearing such cute clothes? How perfect her proportions are!”
“….”
His voice sounded like a man forcibly imitating a woman.
Based on my original knowledge, I immediately realized he was a doctor.
…I’ve been tricked again.
Cancel that earlier apology, seriously.
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