NOVPUBAlice is definitely the Alice from yesterday’s urban legend discussion.
Alice had to be a ghost.
That’s what I told the club members when I gathered them in the clubroom during lunch.
The others stirred at my claim.
“Would a ghost really be walking around so openly in broad daylight?”
Soo-ho was quick to argue back.
I didn’t have solid evidence to counter that.
But wasn’t that just a common stereotype? The idea that ghosts only appear at night?
Maybe we were lacking the right occult sensibilities.
The supernatural exists to break the laws of reality—that’s what makes it occult!
“Still, something’s off about her.”
“Hmm...”
On that, everyone agreed.
I was the first to list Alice’s suspicious traits.
“Alice... Let’s be honest, she’s super pretty. But the class barely pays any attention to her. That’s weird.”
If someone stands out that much, people’s gazes naturally gravitate toward them.
Yet the students showed no interest in Alice’s face at all.
Even if she weren’t pretty, at least as a transfer student, people should have asked about her hobbies or what she liked. But nothing.
“That’s true. No one but us reacted to her. Why is that?”
“Even kids from other classes don’t seem to notice how pretty she is.”
“What if she doesn’t actually exist? What if we’re the only ones under her spell?”
“No, everyone knows there’s a new transfer student, so that can’t be it.”
Opinions clashed.
But no one came up with a decisive answer.
I moved on to the next suspicious thing.
“When I asked her if she could go in and out of mirrors, she freaked out.”
“Maybe she just thought it was a weird question?”
“Not to the point of spitting out her drink.”
“That’s fair.”
When I asked Alice about mirrors, she had nearly choked on her water.
That had to mean something.
My instincts told me—Alice was hiding something.
“She’s definitely suspicious, but... we don’t have solid proof. How do we prove that Alice is actually a ghost?”
Kyung-min’s question defined today’s mission.
I dug through my memory for occult knowledge, and suddenly, I remembered Eun-jung leaving behind beans at lunch.
“Hmm... What if we scatter beans?”
“You mean like the Setsubun ritual in Japan? ‘Demons out, fortune in!’ They throw beans at oni because oni hate them—it’s like an exorcism.”
“Are you saying Alice is an oni?”
“Well... Oni are just one type of yokai. But we tend to lump unknown spirits under the same category, like goblins. So maybe it would work.”
“That makes sense.”
Soo-ho nodded in agreement.
It was a fun method, but too flimsy.
Since we weren’t sure if it would work, I decided we should come up with a few more ways.
“Alright! From today, the Mystery Exploration Club’s activity is finding out Alice’s true identity! Everyone will come up with their own method to test whether Alice is human or a ghost!”
A little bit of the extraordinary makes life thrilling, like a taste of honey.
From that day, for the next three days, Alice’s suffering began.
Each of us gathered different ways to distinguish ghosts from humans and tested them all on Alice, completely unaware of how much we were tormenting her.
Soo-ho and Kyung-min took relatively passive approaches, but since Ha-rim and Eun-jung, as fellow girls, had less of a boundary with Alice, they were far more aggressive.
Especially Eun-jung. She was relentless.
After three days, we regrouped in the clubroom for another meeting.
On the board, I drew an X over the word beans.
“Hmm... Throwing beans didn’t work.”
We had tossed beans at Alice under the pretense of a game, but nothing happened.
Turns out, she even ate bean rice just fine.
Since we had to be subtle, we all got covered in beans in the process, and now our pockets and clothes were full of them.
“Making her clap her hands didn’t work either. I thought ghosts would do everything in reverse, so I expected her to clap with the backs of her hands. But she clapped normally.”
Kyung-min marked an X over opposites on the board.
That’s when Eun-jung turned to him.
“Did you try making her do a handstand?”
Kyung-min gave her a bewildered look and shook his head.
“Alice wears a skirt. Asking her to do that would basically be the same as asking her to flash us.”
That would be straight-up perverted.
Yet, Eun-jung tilted her head as if she didn’t understand the issue.
“I insisted, and she actually did it. I guess she forgot she was wearing a skirt. Alice is too soft-hearted—she does whatever people ask!”
“...?”
Soo-ho, Kyung-min, and I all doubted our ears.
What the hell was she saying with such a bright smile?
“I got scolded for seeing her underwear... It’s not like it’s a big deal between girls.”
...Sometimes, I just don’t get Eun-jung.
I quickly changed the subject.
“The fox window didn’t work either... What about salt?”
“She just sprinkled it on her eggs at lunch.”
The meeting continued, and more and more X marks covered the board.
Now, only two tests remained.
If both failed, we would have to stop suspecting Alice.
“We failed most of them. Alright. Let’s try just one last test, and then we’ll give up.”
Just as I was about to choose one—
CLANG!
“Who said you could...?!”
The clubroom door slammed open, and Alice stormed in!
Her face was twisted in rage, and I instinctively started making excuses.
“Alice? We didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
She looked like she was about to lunge at us but instead took a deep breath and slowly walked forward.
Eun-jung, overwhelmed by her presence, squeaked like a cornered mouse.
“T-this room is for Mystery Exploration Club members only!”
“Shut up!!!”
“Eek!”
Alice seemed especially mad at Eun-jung.
“You threw beans at me! Made me do a handstand out of nowhere! Stuck weird talismans on me! Blasted loud noises into my ears! Aaargh... I really tried to stay away from you guys, but you just won’t leave me alone! Please, just leave me alone already!”
“We got hit by beans too, and we also had talismans and loud noises!”
“That’s NOT the point!!”
Uh... Did we really do that much?
Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I realized just how many things we had tried.
Alice looked exasperated, but as soon as her anger seemed to settle, it flared up again.
She pointed straight at Eun-jung.
“Especially you, Eun-jung! Why do you keep standing right next to me when I change into my gym clothes?!”
“But you always wait until everyone else is done and change alone. That’s suspicious.”
“Who cares?! It’s uncomfortable! I’m already embarrassed enough getting changed, and you just keep staring at me! I even told you five times how uncomfortable it makes me!”
“Well, you kept covering yourself up, so I thought you might be hiding something... Your skin is so white and pretty, though! You should be more confident!”
“Uuuuuuughhhhh!!”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Dangerous. Alice’s head might actually explode from rage. And I wasn’t joking—it really felt like it could happen.
“Ahem.”
“Ahem.”
Behind me, Kyung-min and Soo-ho awkwardly turned away, clearing their throats.
I decided to calm Alice down with an apology.
A half-baked excuse would only make things worse. A proper, straightforward apology was better for relationships.
I read that in a book once, and besides, I actually felt guilty toward Alice.
So I put it into action immediately.
“Alice, I’m sorry. I really thought you were a ghost. I never meant to bother you this much. Can you forgive me?”
When I bowed my head, Alice’s anger visibly softened.
I really shouldn’t be thinking this, but... people are too easy.
Well, whatever. This might go smoother than expected.
“Haa... But why did you think I was a ghost in the first place?”
Since Alice seemed willing to listen, I pulled out my phone.
“Here, take a look at this.”
I showed her the online Alice Urban Legend.
Her eyes widened as she scrolled through the text and the attached eerie illustrations of “Alice.”
What the hell is this? This is totally my story! Don’t tell me this happened while I was out of it?
They say anomalous entities that are hard to contain tend to become rumors... so I ended up being one of them too.
Alice had completely calmed down.
It seemed like she finally understood why we acted the way we did.
Smoothing down her hair, which had gotten messy in her rage, she spoke.
“You actually believe this nonsense? Well... I get that the timing was suspicious. I’ll let it slide this time. But you better not do this again. If you do...”
“If we do...?”
“Umm... If you do it again...”
Alice hesitated, as if she couldn’t think of a proper threat.
After a brief moment of deliberation, she finally came up with a warning—her face tinged with the faintest bit of embarrassment.
“I’ll tell the teacher on you...”
“Not that!”
Alice walked out of the clubroom.
Class was about to start soon, so she’d probably head to the classroom and, as she had done every day for the past three days, immediately lay her head on the desk to nap.
After the storm had passed, we were left facing our mistakes, as if the sky had suddenly cleared.
“...Maybe we were just straight-up bullying Alice.”
“I thought it was all totally natural!”
“Well, at least Eun-jung wasn’t natural about it!”
“Eh? Why me~”
“So, Alice wasn’t actually a ghost after all. Let’s apologize properly next time.”
We agreed to buy her something tasty and apologize together.
If we went to her right away, she’d probably just get annoyed, so we decided to wait.
She seemed like a good-natured person—she’d forgive us and open up soon enough!
“So, are we done investigating the Alice Urban Legend?”
Soo-ho asked, and I shook my head.
“No. Let’s try a mirror séance.”
“And if that fails?”
“...Then we’ll just be a little disappointed!”
“Oh, I see.”
I wonder if she would’ve just slipped into the mirror if we held one up to her. I really wanted to try it, but we already pissed her off. I don’t want to bother her any further... Oh well.
I pulled out the note where I had written down the necessary items for the séance and began preparing them one by one.
But now that I think about it, it’s really strange. Have I always been this sociable? It should feel awkward since I just met Alice, but it’s like we’ve been friends for a long time. Not just me—everyone else too.
It feels... nostalgic.
-----
"How's school life treating you?"
"Thanks to you, not bad. The perception-inhibiting device the organization lent me works well. Honestly, it makes me feel a bit self-conscious, but it's really convenient for hiding my identity. That said, it doesn’t seem to work on Ha-rim's group at all."
After parting ways with Ha-rim and the others, I was in contact with James.
James had been assigned by Carol to assist me in my daily life.
I asked him why the P-122, the heart-shaped mechanical device the organization provided, wasn’t effective on the kids.
James readily explained.
"That device suppresses recognition based on emotional distance. People who don’t know you will perceive you as just another passerby on the street.
On the other hand, those who are close to you will recognize you clearly, in proportion to how well they know you."
I thought about the kids who had approached me so openly, throwing beans at each other in celebration of Setsubun.
It had been annoying to get covered in beans, but it was amusing to see Eun-jung, who hated beans, gagging when one accidentally landed in her mouth.
To them, I should have been a stranger. And yet, they had shown so much interest in me.
"But their memories were erased. They shouldn’t know me."
"Emotions and connections transcend memory."
"...That’s kind of poetic."
...
Ah! I nearly got lost in thought. What was I even feeling sentimental about?
To shake it off, I changed the subject.
"Is that why you called? It’s still school hours, so you must have a reason for contacting me now."
James confirmed my suspicion.
"There’s something you need to know."
I listened carefully.
"There’s an esper who moves through mirrors."
"An esper?"
An esper... A human with anomalous abilities.
I had assumed people like that existed, but hearing about one now was still intriguing.
"He’s a petty thief who uses mirrors to get around. Right now, he’s stealing item-type containment anomalies from the organization and is on the run."
"You want me to catch a thief? Well, since he uses mirrors, I guess I am the best fit for the job. But just so you know, I won’t agree to kill him if that’s what you’re asking."
"I know."
James attached a map to the agency’s app.
It was marked with a series of winding red lines.
"Based on his movement patterns, he’s avoiding far-off shortcuts and instead looping through closer mirrors.
Our best guess is that he has a limited range—he can’t travel through mirrors that are too far apart. He also doesn’t seem to have the ability to generate his own mirrors like you do."
"So he’s similar to me... but a lower-tier version."
"Even so, tracking him hasn’t been easy. We’re using a tracking-class containment entity, but since he keeps teleporting through mirrors, he’s difficult to pin down.
We’re working on it, but teleportation abilities are always a pain to deal with. We’ve only barely managed to predict his possible movement routes."
"And those routes..."
"Yeah. You guessed it. His expected path overlaps with your school. Unlike you, he has a delay between jumps, so there’s some leeway. But still, you might run into him in the next few minutes, so stay on guard."
An esper, huh?
Unless he was carrying a bazooka, I wasn’t particularly afraid.
I’d already seen far worse monsters.
"I’m not the kind of demon to be scared of some petty thief."
"Maybe not. But that guy has a record of murdering children."
"..."
"He hasn’t only killed kids, but a significant number of his victims were minors.
Alice, we’re not assigning this to you just because you’re a good fit for the job.
We’re telling you to focus on protecting the kids.
Even if you fail to stop him, our agents have stationed forces at his predicted destinations. We’ve also removed any unnecessary mirrors in the area to cut off his escape. Once he’s cornered, we’ll move in for containment."
"I see. Thanks, James."
"Think nothing of it. Even a random guy on the street would warn someone about a lunatic like this."
"Heh... Alright. If I run into him, I’ll hold him down. Talk to you later."
"I’ll leave it to you."
I ended the call.
James really was a helpful guy.
Despite the fact that I’d fully become a demon, his attitude toward me hadn’t changed.
Then again, when you think about it, demon and mirror wraith are basically the same thing.
Besides, James had mentioned before that he had a past connection with demons. Maybe that’s why he didn’t hold any biases.
...I wonder when I’ll meet another demon.
If an entity has a "D" designation in the agency’s containment codes, it means they’re connected to demons.
But I hadn’t encountered one that could actually hold a conversation yet.
Not that I’m in a hurry to meet one.
Right now, I had a more immediate problem to deal with.
I checked the montage James had sent me.
Wow. He looked totally average.
And yet, this guy was both a serial killer and an esper who had the guts to rob the agency.
He’s got some nerve...
Still... would he really target the kids?
Out of all the mirrors in this area, what were the chances that he would use the ones at school?
...The more I thought about it, the more it seemed inevitable.
I closed my eyes and reached /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ out with my senses, scanning the mirrors inside the school.
The classrooms. The restrooms. Even the rooftop had mirrors.
Wait, aside from the gym and the equipment storage, there’s basically no place without a mirror.
The odds of encountering him might be higher than I thought.
I guess I won’t be sleeping through class today.
