[I'm going to school and won't be back until the afternoon. I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to wake you. There are scrambled eggs with toast on the table that I made, you can eat that. I also cut up some pineapple and left it on the table. All the medicine in the house is in the first-aid box on the desk. Feel free to wear any clothes from my wardrobe...

  Oh, and don’t leave the house, okay? I saw from the window that early this morning, several imperial guards were already patrolling the area. They’re all armed.]

  —Thalia

  On the desk in the room, Alice found the note Thalia had left.

  It seemed that this kind-hearted little girl had thought of many details to help the "magical girl" she’d found and taken home, even preparing her lunch and some fruit.

  Of course, compared to this kindness, what Alice was more concerned about was the last sentence written by Thalia.

  "Armed guards patrolling early in the morning? That’s way too strange, isn’t it?"

  Carefully, Alice opened a small gap in the curtain, held her breath, and cautiously peeked through the fogged-up window.

  She saw, on the quiet street of the neighborhood, a floating patrol car from the Department of Security, and several lazy guards wandering aimlessly, all armed...

  What are they trying to do, anyway? This feels like a joke.

  Even an eleven-year-old girl knew that unless the nobles in the Nomeka government were completely brain-dead, they couldn’t possibly expect a team of guards with a few handguns to capture a "Entropist" without the support of warships or other strategic weaponry.

  No army, no matter how large, could hope to defeat an "Entropist." So if these guards really did confront Alice, they’d basically be signing their own death certificates.

  But if they weren’t here to face an "Entropist," were they investigating the three thugs who’d died in the alley?

  Well, Alice had to admit, those three scumbags had died in a pretty gruesome way. But precisely because of that, the Nomeka authorities probably knew exactly who was responsible for their deaths.

  And let’s not forget that last night, the imperial warship had taken action, destroying a floating train and leveling a hill. Anyone with the slightest clue about what was going on behind the scenes wouldn't dare ignore the existence of a "Entropist"...

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  “This is all so weird... Who knows what those ‘leaders’ are thinking. Are they worried about what I might do in Flaren? If I really wanted to cause trouble, what good would these useless guards do?”

  Looking down at the guards below with disdain, puffing on cigarettes and glued to their phones, Alice wondered if they even knew how to use their electromagnetic weapons.

  But, as Thalia said, for now, there was no reason for Alice to leave “a relatively safe place.”

  She wasn’t a terrorist and had no interest in killing innocents to ease her own pain. What troubled her more than the Nomeka government’s strange behavior was what she was going to do next.

  It was obvious now that, having become a wanted criminal, going back to school was no longer an option. So, what was a girl like Alice, at her age, supposed to do?

  "What a headache… Whatever, I’ll think about it later. Speaking of which, I’m starving. That vegetable soup from yesterday didn’t fill me up at all… Is it lunchtime already? Thalia left scrambled eggs with toast, I think I’ll try it."

  Calmly, Alice opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room, wearing only a top and panties.

  Though Thalia’s house wasn’t as spacious as Dr. Elock’s mansion, the living room was tidy. The curtains were all drawn, and the tranquil atmosphere gave the place a cozy feel.

  Alice quickly spotted the scrambled eggs and toast covered with a metal lid, and the pineapple wrapped in plastic on the table. She also noticed the time on the digital clock.

  "Four-thirty in the afternoon? Did I really sleep that long?"

  Surprised, she stared at the clock. She couldn’t believe she’d slept so much. Normally, when she went to school, she’d never have the chance to sleep in. Even on weekends, she had to get up to do homework. But now…

  Well, if schools in Flaren followed the same schedule as Kaminiya School, Thalia would be back soon, maybe within the hour.

  Alice wondered how Thalia would react when she saw that her wounds were almost fully healed.

  "Nisha, now you won’t be bored sitting at the school desk. Only thing is, there’s no more mint clay to play with."

  With a sigh, Alice picked up the plate of now-cold scrambled eggs and toast and, upon seeing Nisha dancing through the air as always, once again felt a stab of envy at the little spirit’s calm existence.

  Finding the TV remote on the couch, Alice quickly turned on Thalia’s television.

  She knew that maybe it wasn’t polite to use someone else’s appliances without permission, and that eating while watching TV wasn’t great for digestion, but in times like these, Alice felt it was important to stay informed especially about her own status as a fugitive, since criminal bounty notices showed up on all channels.

  As she enjoyed the cold scrambled eggs, which were still delicious, she reflected on the matter of her bounty.

  Indeed, this was a strange and singular experience.

  And of course, if she could choose, Alice would rather not have to go through any of it. Normally, when she turned on the TV at home, she’d go straight to the Magical Girl Ifa show. But now...

  "Nomeka News" was what mattered most.

  She had to admit: compared to the cold and quiet atmosphere of Thalia’s living room, today’s news broadcast was far more explosive.