Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Dancing with Alice (4)
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If there are those in the world born showered in blessings,
then there are also those who are resented from the moment they are born.
And cruelly, Alice was unequivocally one of the latter.
It was because she had brought about the death of her mother, who was loved by all.
To be precise, her mother had died from complications after giving birth to Alice.
Worse still, the child born was a cursed ogre, unable to wield magic.
The negative feelings that followed were like an unstoppable, massive current.
“That’s… not really Alice’s fault, is it? It sounds more like a case of medical malpractice.”
“Exactly, what sin could a newborn baby possibly have…?”
Raven and Karen, who had been listening quietly to Lily’s story, couldn’t help but voice their doubts.
The tale of Alice losing her mother at birth was a profound tragedy.
But to place all the blame on Alice seemed too harsh—that was their argument.
Perhaps Lily, who was leaning her head on Raven as she spoke, knew this as well.
She sighed, her face shadowed with a dark expression, and said.
“You’re right. What could Alice have done wrong? In fact, no one in our family ever directly blamed or resented her. But… the problem, I guess, was that Mom’s presence was just too big for our family. After she died, the atmosphere at home became as cold as ice. No one talked to each other, and some of us just stopped coming home altogether.”
“That’s…”
“Alice wasn’t resented, but at the same time, she wasn’t really loved, either. Our family, except for me… especially Dad, needed a very long time to heal.”
Raven and Karen’s expressions hardened at Lily’s words.
A blurry scene flickered through their minds as they listened.
An Alice shunned by her only family, wounded by how different she was from them.
The thought of her unstable childhood, with only Lily to rely on, weighed heavily on their hearts.
However, Raven seemed to think there was something more to the relationship between Alice and Renji.
He looked at Lily, who was leaning against him, and asked with a serious tone.
“So, does Sakuragi Renji still hate Alice? Alice… she seems almost scared of her own father.”
“…I don’t know. He’s the type to only ever say what he wants, so I’m not sure how he feels.”
Lily shook her head, a faint, powerless smile on her lips.
It was clear she wasn’t fond of Renji’s headstrong attitude either.
From what she had just discussed with Raven, he was the type of person who spoke without any consideration for others.
Having lived with someone like that as family for decades, it was only natural she’d be fed up.
Still, it seemed there were some things she could answer. After a moment of thought, Lily closed her eyes gently and said.
“But I have a rough idea why Alice can’t stand up to Dad. She saw it, you see.”
“Saw what?”
“A video of our family, from when Mom was still alive. Haa… I hid it so carefully, afraid it would hurt her, but I guess she stumbled upon it by chance. I tried my best to comfort her, but she cried until she collapsed.”
“That’s…”
So that was it. Raven’s brow furrowed naturally as he listened.
He could now roughly guess the reason for Alice’s behavior toward Renji.
She was the type of person who looked out for everyone around her, with an upright and sincere personality.
As such, she was also sensitive to ill will and felt a great sense of responsibility for everything.
And that Alice had seen her family, happy and whole, in a time before she existed?
It was highly likely that she believed her birth had ruined everything.
‘And to top it all off, she was born a cursed ogre who couldn't use magic…’
He’d heard that for metahumans, magic was akin to what arms and legs were to humans.
Considering that, Alice could be seen as having a significant defect as a metahuman.
So, should he consider it remarkable that her family had accepted her as one of their own, even if they couldn't provide her with stability and affection?
Or should he be proud of Alice for growing up with such an upright character despite this environment?
As the group fell silent, contemplating a past far darker than they had imagined,
Lily, who seemed to have sobered up a little, spoke in a serious voice, much calmer than before.
“Anyway. Darling, what are you going to do?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“What Dad said earlier, he was dead serious. He plans to take Alice back home and get her engaged to some suitable man so she can't just wander off like this again. …So, are you just going to let her go?”
Lily pulled away from him and looked Raven straight in the eye.
Her usual playful demeanor was completely gone, replaced by a surprising seriousness.
Perhaps no matter how much they bickered, sisters were still sisters.
Her eyes seemed to convey a genuine worry for Alice.
But even after hearing her out, Raven seemed to have a lot on his mind.
He scratched his cheek in a troubled manner and averted his gaze slightly as he answered.
“Well, if she says she doesn't want to go, I’ll help persuade him somehow…”
“I’m telling you, she can’t say no in front of Dad! And it would be a problem for you too if Alice left, wouldn’t it!”
“Yeah, it would be a problem. She’s a valuable employee who’s been with us for almost a year now. I rely on her for a lot of things. But still… in the end, isn’t Alice’s decision what matters most?”
Raven finished with a small sigh, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky.
It was an incredibly irresponsible thing to say, as if he had no choice in the matter.
Yet, Lily couldn’t argue with his attitude.
She knew that if Alice expressed her refusal, he would fight Renji himself to make it happen.
So, after parting her lips a few times, she leaned against Raven’s shoulder with a complicated expression.
Silence descended upon them, broken only by the faint, cheerful cries of children drifting from afar.
***
Even after hearing about Alice's past from Lily, the situation remained unchanged.
Sakuragi Renji was still nearby, and Alice likely hadn't made her decision yet.
After taking a moment to catch our breath on the bench, we decided to head off to get our drinks.
We had only talked with Lily for a few minutes.
Not enough time had passed to say we were too late.
“Are you coming with us?”
“…Darling, I’m good. I want to be alone for a bit today.”
“Alright. Call me if anything happens.”
“…!”
“Bye, Yuria. See you later.”
Perhaps feeling awkward about facing Alice or Renji again after storming off,
Lily expressed her desire to stay behind for a while, remaining on the bench.
I returned her wave with one of my own.
Then, I fell into step beside Raven, who was already moving forward.
“…”
“Um…”
Indeed, had things become too complicated?
The cheerful atmosphere from before was now nowhere to be found.
Neither Raven nor Karen, who was walking on my other side, said a word, simply trudging along.
I glanced at the two of them before quietly thinking to myself.
‘Hmm, so far, this is playing out exactly like the original story. Renji showing up unannounced, his sudden declaration about taking her back, and Raven hearing about the past from Lily. If things continue this way, Alice should overcome her trauma and stay in Nighthaven, but…’
In a way, this was a rather positive development.
For me, who had experienced the original story derailing several times, it was rare for things to follow the script this closely.
If I just left things alone, there was a glimmer of hope that the problem might resolve itself.
But I couldn't be entirely sure that events would unfold just like in the original.
In the original story, Sakuragi Renji arrived in the summer, not spring, right in the middle of the rainy season.
It definitely wasn't during a festival at the start of spring, like now.
It seemed my meddling with history had caused Sakuragi Renji to arrive early…
This alone could change Alice’s answer, so I couldn’t see it as a purely good thing.
What if Alice couldn't overcome her trauma and decided to return to Japan?
She would start a family there and might never return to Nighthaven.
‘That would be the worst-case scenario. Not just for Alice personally, but for the future. Alice has the potential to become much stronger. She would be a great help in overcoming future crises. And besides… I really don’t want to part with Alice.’
Alright. In that case, I needed to act now instead of just waiting for the outcome.
Having organized my thoughts, I tugged on the hem of Raven’s clothes as he walked beside me.
Raven glanced at me, his eyes asking what I wanted.
Instead of answering, I just fidgeted, rubbing my thighs and glancing at him, hoping he'd get the hint.
He was quick on the uptake. Did he understand my meaning right away?
With an understanding nod, Raven turned to Karen and said.
“Karen, I think Yuria needs to use the restroom… Could you go with her? I’ll go on ahead to that café over there.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Awoo…!”
I was trying to slip away by pretending to go to the restroom, but having Karen with me would be a problem.
So, I shook my head as if to say it wasn’t necessary and patted Raven’s side.
I know where it is, so I’ll go by myself!
That was roughly the meaning behind my gesture.
But perhaps my actions seemed a bit too contrived to Raven.
He looked down at me quietly, his eyes narrowed as if asking what I was up to.
“Haha, Raven. It seems Yuria wants to go alone, doesn’t she?”
“Hmm… Alright, go on. I’ll be waiting at the café.”
“…!”
Karen, that was some excellent support.
I gave her a thumbs-up to show my gratitude.
Of course, she probably thought I really just needed to use the restroom.
Raven, who had been watching me with suspicion, finally relented and let me go.
He likely figured that since I was a psychic, worrying too much was pointless.
‘Okay. I need to move fast, before it’s too late. There’s no time to waste.’
Now free from the group, I immediately took the Echo out of my pocket.
I had to find Sakuragi Renji before things took a turn for the worse.