That morning, Klein was preparing to leave for work when he unexpectedly received a request from the witch.
"You mean, you want to come with me?"
he asked, somewhat surprised, and couldn't help but repeat himself.
"Would that be difficult for you?"
Alice's expression was unusually serious, her eyes calm as she looked at him.
Klein awkwardly looked away, avoiding eye contact with those overly clear eyes.
"It wouldn't be difficult, but I only have one day off a week, so I have to go to the company even on Saturdays. Hmm, perfect timing, I'm planning to walk there today, if you don't mind walking a few kilometers..."
Uh... he suddenly stopped.
Klein realized that if she came with him to Blackthorn Security Company, wouldn't that be walking into a trap? And he simply couldn't explain the Night Watcher's wanted poster to her!
Should he rely on the witch's mysterious magical abilities? Could those spells that bewilder others' perceptions fool a seasoned Extraordinary?
Alice simply shook her head gently.
"Don't worry about me. Just think of it as having someone to chat with on the way. I'll say goodbye when you get to the company." Since
she'd already said that, Klein couldn't find any reason to refuse, so he nodded in agreement.
What used to be a ten-minute journey by carriage now took nearly an hour on foot.
So Klein deliberately left early, saying goodbye to Melissa and Benson before leaving home with his little shadow following him.
—During this time, he was completely used to the subtle expressions his siblings gave him, and could accept it all without batting an eye.
…Of course, yesterday, before Alice returned home, Melissa had seriously told him to consider self-restraint, saying that Alice wasn't even of legal age yet, and they should wait a year before engaging in intimate contact… By then, Klein could consider renting a place suitable for a young couple to live together, making life more convenient and comfortable.
Klein almost lost his temper, but thankfully his sister Melissa added that she believed they hadn't developed a close relationship yet, but living together could easily lead to unexpected situations. Therefore, she hoped her brother could find a suitable time to talk to Alice and persuade her to move into the empty guest room on the second floor.
Strolling along the daffodil-lined street in the early morning, Klein remembered this and tentatively brought it up with the witch, receiving a nonchalant reply.
"As long as you don't mind spending money on blankets and pillows," the girl beside him said with a slight smile.
Caught off guard by his penny-pinching nature, Klein felt his face flush.
"I'll have to buy them sooner or later... it's not a waste, and they can be used as backups..."
he stubbornly replied.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Klein thought of her current temporary accommodation: the full-length mirror in his room. This was a topic he hadn't dared to inquire about before, but since she was about to "move away," perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask?
"Hmm, are you curious about what's behind the mirror?" Alice touched her lips with her finger, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Shouldn't you ask this kind of question the first time you see it?"
"...Well, I just haven't found the right opportunity to ask." Klein forced a smile in response.
Alice seemed amused by his reaction. She stopped walking, the light tapping of her heels on the ground ceasing. Klein instinctively stopped as well, turning back to look at her with a questioning gaze.
"If you want to understand the subspace behind the mirror, just experience it for yourself." Alice said, making a strange gesture with her right hand.
This action seemed to trigger Klein's spiritual senses. He glanced around, vaguely sensing that the surrounding environment had suddenly become "frozen," as if an invisible wall separated his area from the outside world, forming a special, enclosed environment.
Klein noticed that none of the passersby seemed to notice the change, much like his first encounter with the witch—
"A little trick to avoid attracting attention from strangers,"
Alice said without further explanation. She took Klein's wrist and led him a few steps forward, past a fruit stand not far from them, to a street-front shop with a relatively clean window.
This was one of the more respectable shops in the area adjacent to Iron Cross Street, but the doors were closed, and for some reason, a "Closed" sign was displayed.
Klein was distracted by the soft touch on his wrist, paying no attention to the merchandise displayed in the shop window. His gaze, seemingly normal but slightly vacant, lingered on the glass in front of him.
There, the reflection of the street scene was displayed, as was the young couple standing in front of the window.
The petite and beautiful witch was dressed in a completely new outfit today: a V-neck, off-the-shoulder dress
with a ruffled hem. A necklace adorned with light blue gemstones adorned her neck, emphasizing her delicate and well-defined collarbones, making her frame appear even more slender and fragile, evoking a sense of tenderness. And her hand was holding the wrist of the young man with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black tailcoat…
Ah, she let go.
"Come closer, Klein."
Alice gestured for him to come closer as if nothing had happened, then reached out and lightly touched the dusty, stained glass window.
Without any apparent movement or incantation, Klein noticed a subtle ripple appear on the horizontal reflection before him, like ripples on a lake surface touched by a gentle breeze, but this change lasted only a moment before returning to normal.
Looking at the reflection in the transparent glass, it was exactly as it had been, without the slightest abnormality.
Alice turned and extended her hand to him.
Klein stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, not quite reacting, when he heard her sigh. Her gaze towards him turned helpless, reminiscent of Melissa's tender care for her intellectually disabled brother.
"Hand, Klein," Alice explained patiently. "If you don't want to get lost in the Warp, you'd better take the initiative... Hmm, perhaps you've never held a girl's hand before? Is that why you're a little nervous?"
As she spoke, she seemingly looked him up and down seriously, then nodded slightly, as if confirming something.
Klein, besides feeling embarrassed and offended by her blunt truth, suddenly felt a surge of anger and righteous indignation, and raised his hand to grab her fair and delicate hand.
"No, it's not nervousness. I'm just a little surprised… Was that spell just now? But I didn't see you use any casting materials."
Klein remembered clearly that when Alice briefly introduced the magic system of the other world to him, she clearly said that most spells there consisted of three necessary parts—the casting action, or gesture, a few short incantations, and a casting catalyst to guide the magic power.
But she clearly hadn't chanted anything, nor had she produced any materials; she had simply performed a... well, a spell he didn't quite understand.
—But come to think of it, are all girls' hands this soft? Like they have no bones... And her hands are so small, almost big enough for him to hold entirely in his palm...
Klein desperately suppressed the embarrassing thoughts surging in his mind, pretending to be completely absorbed in the magical power she displayed.
It's worth mentioning that, up until now, he hadn't noticed the change in how the witch addressed him.
"Hmm, so that's what you're focusing on? I thought..."
Alice clearly didn't have his many distracting thoughts; even after he took her hand, her attitude remained unchanged as she smiled, a hint of mischievousness in her eyes.
"Alright, I'm afraid you can't handle any more. Come on, remember to stay close to me. As for your question earlier—"
She started walking forward, directly in front of them was the glass display case where they had stood for a while. Klein subconsciously widened his eyes and was led forward by her.
Then he saw the scene he had witnessed in the room before.
The witch disappeared into the glass display case as if walking through a curtain of water, and unlike before, his own reflection was gradually approaching, getting closer and closer, until they collided completely—
Huh? He didn't feel anything…
Klein reflexively closed his eyes for a few seconds before realizing that he hadn't bumped into anything, and the hand he was holding was still warm and soft, as if reminding him that he was still in reality.
He opened his eyes, half in surprise and half in anticipation, just as Alice answered his earlier question.
"Because strictly speaking, it's not a kind of magic, um… you could say it's a talent."
Klein didn't understand what she was saying at all.
His attention was completely focused on the space before him.
Fragments…
This was a world seemingly pieced together from countless fragments.
Beneath his feet, all around him, above him, everything was composed of fragmented scenes reflecting various images. And from those scenes perfectly symmetrical to the real images, he could see a frail old man walking down the street, seemingly searching for work; a middle-class housewife fixing her appearance and hair in front of a mirror; a gentleman from Ruen adjusting his hat and shirt in front of a full-length mirror; even a worker wolfing down black bread in a shabby, cheap restaurant…
In just a few glances, he saw countless vivid scenes of life. From the different features of those strangers, their expressive faces, he felt, in that instant, the breath of Tingen in the early morning.
He felt as if he had… stumbled into the world of the mirror kingdom in a fairy tale. But unlike the fairy tale he knew, the one who led him into this world was none other than Alice, the protagonist of the fairy tale. (Note)
...Could she really be Alice from that other world? A character based on a fairy tale?
No, that's not right, the witch said Alice was an alias...
Klein was stunned for a moment, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the miraculous sight before him, until Alice tiptoed and gently patted his cheek.
"Don't look anymore, you'll get lost if you look too much... Come with me."
"Where to?" Klein managed to focus his attention on the girl's back and asked with difficulty.
"Hmm, you'll see when you get here."
Alice seemed to have a clear goal, pulling him a few steps before stopping, and drawing a rune in the air filled with various fragmented images.
Immediately, an inconspicuous fragment was abruptly magnified, and Alice walked into it without hesitation.
Although he wanted to take a few more glances at this fantastical mirror world, pulled by the force from her hand, Klein also entered the magnified fragmented image, which now presented a bright screen of light.
Similar to his previous experience entering the mirror world—in fact, he felt nothing at all—Klein felt his surroundings change the instant he opened and closed his eyes. It was no longer the bizarre, fragmented space, but…
a place that looked extremely familiar.
"This is… my room?"
The words had barely left his lips when he realized something was wrong. The room before him was indeed very similar to his bedroom, but upon closer inspection, he could see that almost all the furniture and decorations were symmetrical and opposite to his bedroom.
Moreover, he had neatly folded the blankets and placed them on the bed before leaving, but the bed with the clean white sheets before him was now a messy pile of blankets, and there was another blanket thrown on the bedside table…
He suddenly realized what was happening and dared not look any further; his face began to heat up without warning.
"No, something's not right… have you been staying here for the past few days?"
"Yes." Alice nodded, continuing to pull the wooden-like Klein along, heading straight for the dressing mirror by the door, and then passing through the final mirror.
Klein suddenly sensed something was different.
Perhaps because Alice's "little trick" had altered the environment before they entered the mirror world, Klein was always clearly aware that he was in a "stagnant and still" place.
But after they crossed the boundary defined by the dressing mirror, he clearly felt the activity around him.
Looking around again, Klein confirmed that the room with the familiar furnishings in front of him was his bedroom.
He carefully opened the door and could vaguely hear Benson and Melissa chatting downstairs.
Whew—
Klein gently closed the bedroom door, turned around with mixed feelings to look at the culprit, opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Scared?" The witch still had that unfathomable smile, as if she simply found pleasure in his astonished reaction.
...Well, actually, he wasn't particularly surprised. How could two different systems of power be explained by the same theory?
Klein silently exhaled and exhaled, finally calming himself down, and said slowly and deliberately,
"It's amazing, I can only say it's amazing. However, what you're doing is putting me in a bit of a predicament... I'll be late for work!"
The witch seemed to pause briefly before blinking and replying.
"Hmm, I forgot for a moment that you're a working person..." she said, even sticking out her tongue coquettishly, making Klein inwardly exclaim how shameless her malicious attempts at cuteness were.
After Klein "reluctantly" pointed out the approximate location of the company, Alice once again led him through that bizarre and fantastical mirror world, finally choosing a suitable fragment as an exit, and together they returned to the real world. In
just a few breaths, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Klein would have found it hard to believe that he had so easily arrived in another district of Tingen.
Fortunately, Alice seemed to have taken some precautions to conceal their presence, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street. No one paid attention to their sudden appearance by the roadside; otherwise, Klein felt he would probably be invited for questioning immediately…
The reason given would be: misuse of extraordinary abilities and revealing the secrets of a supernatural being in front of ordinary people…
He shook his head, shaking off the wild thoughts in his mind, and then carefully identified his exact location—
the witch indicated that she wasn't familiar with the street layout of Tingen and could only open mirror exits leading in a general direction, so the probability of them "landing" exactly on Zotland Street was low; there would likely be a deviation of one or two blocks.
Through the towering spire of St. Selena's Church in the distance, Klein recognized that he was currently on Henrit Street in northwest Tingen. It would take about twenty minutes to walk from here to Blackthorn Security Company.
He glanced at Alice beside him, silently muttering "Doraemon-like girl with the Anywhere Door" in his mind, then immediately looked away nonchalantly, praising her amazing magic while subtly implying that his workplace was not far ahead.
"Please don't go to the night watchman's workplace and do something reckless!"
Klein prayed silently in his heart.
"It's alright, I told you I wouldn't disturb your work." Alice chuckled and followed him, her face showing a thoughtful expression.
"...Is there something you want to tell me?"
Klein walked on, realizing that her actions today seemed to have only one explanation.
"Sort of." Alice nodded slightly, looking up at him. "I mainly wanted to ask you, about that wish, what's your decision?"
A wish...the witch's promise? Why did she suddenly ask about this...?
Thinking of a certain possibility, Klein subconsciously blurted out: "You've already found a way back?"
That's why she "kindly" reminded him before leaving, urging him to quickly decide what she wanted her to do?
"...No, not really."
Alice's answer made his heart sink back into his chest.
That scared me to death—Klein couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Then why ask so hastily..."
"You seem to really not want me to leave? Your wish wouldn't be this, would it? That you want me to stay here with you or something." Alice said with a smile, saying something that made him blush, but her next sentence made him both laugh and cry.
"Oh, right, I forgot to remind you before, those kinds of sneaky wishes don't count. If you dare to say to me, 'My wish is for you to grant me seven more wishes,' or 'I hope you will treat me as your master from now on and unconditionally fulfill all my wishes,' then I'll let you taste what despair is like—"
Miss witch, the way you say such harsh words with that pretty and cute face is really not authoritative at all...
Klein suppressed his laughter and nodded with a straight face, replying:
"I understand..."
In fact, if she hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even thought of it that way.
"So you're still considering it, right? It's okay, I'm not trying to rush you… Well, it's good to think it over carefully, but if it's beyond my capabilities, then I can only apologize."
Alice quickened her pace, approaching him and taking a step back, her movements revealing a purity and vitality rarely found in others. Yet, this purity was contradictory beneath the complex and enigmatic mystery surrounding her.
Klein looked at her intently, then frowned slightly, his spirituality turning calm and collected.
He seriously considered the problem that had been lingering for days.
How could he convey the existence of Earth to Alice and persuade her to help him find it… even, if possible, ask her to send "Zhou Mingrui" back to his home on Earth.
—Should he reveal his true origins to her? Both were visitors from another world, but he had unexpectedly entered the body of the deceased original owner, "Klein Moretti"...
But if he said it directly, would she still accept their agreement?
Miss Alice didn't know the 21st-century youth named Zhou Mingrui; the person she made the contract with was Klein Moretti. What if she suspected that the current Klein was an unknown soul that had usurped her body? Would she use some means to extract him from her body...?
No, no, he couldn't be completely open. He couldn't guess her reaction; the risk of revealing himself like this was too great!
Moreover, there were still too many doubts about himself and the truth behind the original owner "Klein's" death.
For example, the original owner's words in the notebook, "Everyone will die, including me," and the bizarre and terrifying resurrection, as well as the Antigonus family notebook that was still missing...
—!!
Klein suddenly stopped.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Alice stopped as well, blinking as she asked.
He unusually ignored her question, instead looking up in surprise at a building on the side of the street behind him—
why hadn't he noticed it?
This street always gave him a vague sense of familiarity, so why hadn't he noticed it?
Wasn't this the hiding place the kidnappers chose in yesterday's kidnapping case?!
How could there be such a coincidence? He had unintentionally come here again?
...However,
the reason he suddenly stopped wasn't this chilling sense of familiarity.
Just a moment ago, Klein clearly felt a familiar gaze!
Invisible and indifferent, a gaze from behind!
According to Captain Dunn, if he had a similar feeling, it meant...
it couldn't be wrong, the Antigonus family's notebook!
It was in that building!
"Miss Witch, can you do me a favor?"
In his excitement, Klein even unin