“W-Wait a moment!”

  The voice behind her came from a blood-soaked alley, and in the stillness of the night, Alice could hear it with perfect clarity.

  It was clear the girl she had just saved had recovered from the shock and was now calling out to the girl walking toward the convenience store, asking her to stop.

  “Do you still need something? I don’t have much time.”

  With a slight frown, the girl though exhausted, didn’t ignore Thalia’s words.

  However, she didn’t seem willing to waste much time here either.

  There was no need to silence witnesses.

  After all, the city guards of Flaren weren’t fools. If an entire alley turned into a slaughterhouse, there would be no way to cover it up.

  Whether the saved girl called the police or not, the result would be the same. The only difference was the precious time Alice could use to get away from the “crime scene.”

  Besides, she was just about to rob a convenience store. Worried about her worsening wounds, she had no time or mental clarity to plan an escape route.

  “You... are you really one of those legendary superpowered people? And... and the blood on you? Are you hurt?”

  Almost collapsing, using the wall to remain standing, Thalia wiped the tears from her face.

  She didn’t run away in panic like one would expect from a middle schooler. After all, she was the “brave” one who had dared to follow delinquents. Naive, yes but now that she stood before a supposed “superpowered girl,” her fear was mingled with growing curiosity.

  Seeing Alice clutching her wound, tossing away the freshly stolen money from the delinquents’ bodies, and confidently walking toward the convenience store, Thalia already in her third year of middle school, vaguely realized what her savior was about to do. On pure instinct, she impulsively called out to that beautiful girl.

  Kind-hearted Thalia didn’t want to see someone who had just done a good deed take a dark path. She also didn’t want to see an innocent store being robbed.

  So...

  “You... you're going to rob that store, aren't you? It's because you're out of money, right?”

  Cautiously, she finally stepped out of the dark, filthy corner. Even with her legs trembling in front of blood-covered Alice, her voice grew steadier.

  It was clear this gentle girl had made a decision both naive and bold:

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  “Please, don’t do anything wrong. If you don’t mind... I mean... you can come to my house. I have medicine there to treat your wounds. I also make great vegetable soup. You can wear my clothes. I want to help you! Really.”

  “……”

  That wasn’t just an offer of help, it was practically a plea to let her kindness be accepted.

  Alice was, in fact, a bit surprised by Thalia’s attitude. She already found it incredible that a girl who looked only a couple of years older hadn’t fainted in fear.

  But she never expected her to be willing to take home someone who clearly looked dangerous.

  Was it foolishness or altruism?

  If it had been an adult man saying that, Alice would have thought he was only interested in her appearance or worse.

  But Thalia was, without a doubt, just a girl about her age.

  Putting herself in her place, Alice knew she’d never have the courage to do something so kind.

  So... was this little girl who showed up alone on the street in the middle of the night really trying to help her?

  “Should I accept her help, Nisha? It would be great not to have to rob the store... and it seems like she really does have medicine at her place... Okay, Nisha, you can sense danger, right? Check for me. See if this is a trap.”

  Faced with the sincere, if timid, invitation, Alice felt somewhat relieved, but still suspicious.

  She had no idea how far the Astralis Court would go to capture her. And she couldn’t rule out the possibility that those despicable rulers might use even “good intentions” as traps.

  Fortunately, Nisha had the ability to sense danger, something that had already proven useful both in the gang-invaded courtyard and aboard the speeding train. That “little ghost” and her instincts had always been trustworthy.

  Of course, Nisha could only detect the presence of danger, not say whether Alice could handle it. So, the absence of danger didn’t mean it was the best choice, and the presence of danger didn’t mean it should be avoided.

  But at least this time...

  “～～～～”

  “Seems like there’s no danger.”

  Nisha had no reaction at all.

  In fact, she had already turned into mist and was floating calmly through the blood-scented air. Her relaxed attitude clearly meant there was no problem.

  So, with her little ghost’s assurance, Alice now even paler decided to meet Thalia’s amber eyes and nod.

  She decided to accept the stranger’s help. Maybe she didn’t fully trust Thalia, but she trusted Nisha.

  “Alright. I’d love to go to your house. But just so you know, I’m completely out of money, and I have enemies very, very dangerous ones chasing me. Do you still want to take me in?”

  Not pretending or playing dumb, Alice made it clear what kind of risks she carried.

  Even if Thalia seemed older, Alice doubted she fully grasped the situation.

  Of course, Alice was also just eleven, and in the end, her understanding of the world was limited.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay. Magical girls are always hunted by dark forces. Could be a gang, could be the imperial army... lots of books say that. I won’t be scared. Come with me! I know a secret shortcut that avoids cameras. No one will know you went to my house.”

  Hearing Alice’s agreement, Thalia lit up. She already seemed to have forgotten the bloody scene from minutes before. She quickly picked up the camera she had dropped on the ground, straightened her still-shaking back, and made a solemn introduction:

  “Magical girls always need a regular partner. That way, when they’re hurt or sad, they have someone to lean on... My name is Thalia. Can I be your partner? I’ll do my best to help you. Just... please don’t rob the store.”

  Well... in a way, Nisha’s sense of “risk” was surprisingly accurate. Only, for a girl lost in fantasy, those risks seemed to be... normal?

  She had never seen the horrors of war, nor had she been hunted by battleships. So for her, everything that happened that night except maybe the “unpleasant” deaths of the three delinquents seemed to follow the script of a true magical girl story.