Standard disclaimer applied.

I need to go.

My childhood had been a very important memory for me because I that was the time when I met Hotaru.

I was ten years young when she went away and studied somewhere far. Somewhere that could meet up her high standards, where average and normal people wouldn't be able to enter.

But I was just an average and normal girl. Or so I thought.

So I gathered all my willpower to search for her.

Fortunately, luck was on my side and I managed to infiltrate the academy where Hotaru was in.

And then I met you.

You and I

Were we really meant for each other?

Was it just my illusion?

Or yours?

Dear Grandpa,

I'm really sorry for stealing money from your savings and for running away from home. I really have my reasons to chase her. I hope you would understand my situation. Right now, I'm at a school called Alice Academy. They said I don't need money to enroll and the exams wouldn't be a problem to me. So please don't worry about the tuition fee.

You may not believe it but I'm doing extremely well. The students in here are very friendly. They are all taking good care of me.

Please take care of yourself, jii-chan. Remember to drink your medicine. I'll make sure to send you lots of letters.

I remembered that I had been a very good liar when it came to writing letters for my grandpa.

Initiating memory restoration

Spring was the season when I first entered the Academy. Actually, I only thought of seeing Hotaru. Being a student of Alice Academy didn't enter my mind.

The guards at the Academy said that visiting students are prohibited. So, when luck came to my side, a weird teacher saved me from kidnappers while loitering outside the academy. Well, after that, he kind of offered me to study at the Academy.

Lucky? I thought I was, back then.

They say Alice Academy is only for the gifted and superior minds. I was none of that, but the strange looking teacher said that I qualify being a student. I kind of doubted him, because I really wasn't sure about my own abilities especially my math skills but my mind was settled to see Hotaru no matter means or rivers I must cross.

So, I just said yes.

After dealing with the kidnappers and the transaction with the teacher, I faced him for the first time.

He was the infamous black cat of Alice Academy.

My very first sworn enemy.

His name was -

Memory Restoration at 13%

By the time I was considered as a temporary student at the academy,I have seen many looks from many people.

I have received some looks of disdain, disgust, hate, irritation, annoyance, interest and amusement. It came from different students and teachers but none of those mattered because none of it mattered to Hotaru.

Being a very cheerful and optimistic person, I shrugged it off and continued making friends with everyone. Fortunately, I succeeded.

Before experiencing my first festival in the Alice Academy, my classmate Natsume got kidnapped before Sumire's eyes and mine. Much to our reflex, we rescued him without thinking about the risk.

And we succeeded.

I didn't notice that since then, my whole world began to spin in reverse. Everything changed because in the very day of the festival I- -

Memory Restoration at 34%

Summer was the season when I faltered and you caught me. The elementary school principal had his surveillance on me and I didn't know one bit about it before. He had his own pawn to observe and destroy me and her name is Luna.

I first saw Luna as a very despicable person. She schemed, broke souls, broke hearts, broke lives, and broke hopes of other people. Still, none of those quenched her thirst because I was the one that she wanted to break the most.

Everyone became against me including Natsume and Hotaru. Everyone wanted to hurt me. I was ready to give up because I thought that all of my friends have deserted me. Amidst all the confusion, frustration and doubts inside my head, I heard a faint yet motherly voice.

"Please give Mikan strength"

The voice that I heard was so warm that if I had a mother, I thought that she would feel just as warm. It gave me hope, somewhere; I knew that someone was praying for me. I remember closing my eyes and thinking that everything was just a bad dream. Everyone would come to their senses and stop beating me up.

And it worked like magic. Everyone excluding myself and Luna fainted. I remember seeing the shocked expression of Luna and wondered if I looked the same.

Luna came out of her stupor and warned me not to get close to someone if I wanted them to stay out of trouble. She must've figured that if she couldn't make everyone ignore me, then I should just ignore everyone.

Days passed and I isolated myself from everyone including Hotaru and Natsume. I saw everyone being back to their old routine; they were having fun without me but Natsume suddenly grabbed my arm and -

Memory Restoration at 43%

"Hurry up Imai, can't you hasten the restoration?"

"Please don't interrupt me when I'm doing my job"

"Tch."

Autumn was the season when you accompanied me even if your life was on the friend Yuu came back from home and he lost his alice along the way. He was isolated because people feared that they might lose theirs as well. I hated the person who stole his alice so when Hotaru and I heard that the thief was in the academy, we didn't hesitate to go and see for ourselves.

We hid behind the thick bushes as we saw the infiltrators. Unfortunately, I stood up to see them up close so they spotted me. Hotaru saw an intruder point a gun at me so she stood up and took the poisoned bullet for me.

Alice Academy was filled by talented healers but none of them knew how to make an antidote for the poison that Hotaru received. I vowed to rescue her by any means. She risked her life to save me from a bullet, so it was fair enough for me to risk my life to save hers.

I ventured together with Natsume, Ruka and Tsubasa-senpai to track down the suspects they labeled as the 'Z organization'. An organization filled with people who hated the Alice Academy. The adventure was a race against time; we needed to move as quickly as possible for Hotaru. I remember that a penguin that Hotaru invented snuck inside my backpack and ate all the rations that I've prepared. The penguin was deemed useless and I felt a bit of sympathy for it. It was like meeting another kindred spirit.

Eventually,we found their hideout and I accidentally stepped on a trap causing myself to be separated away from them. I got locked up in a cage together with a live skeleton. I was really scared but just remembering Hotaru suffering because of me snapped me back to reality.

A beautiful woman came inside the cage and I was infuriated. She was the one who stole my friend's alice. She snapped at me and hit me with her belt. Everything on her pouch flew across the room and I found what I was looking for.

The antidote.

And then, she disappeared giving me the perfect time to escape.

I searched for my friends immediately. I found them in a really bad situation. I made a move in an impulse, causing Natsume to get angry with me. He got off guard and was attacked by an explosion alice causing me to be at the hands of the opponent.

The woman I saw earlier was ordered by the man holding me to steal Natsume's alice. I saw Natsume unwavering, as if wanting his alice to be stolen. I screamed, "Move! Natsume! Move!" at the top of my lungs and he slapped the woman's hand away from his.

Speeding up restoration. Memory restoration at 52%Restoration on hold. Current memory restored: 52%.

"Imai, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Answer me first, what exactly do you plan her to do after restoring all of her memory?"

"I need my alice back"

"Then what? Let her fall into the hands of that stupid principal once again?"

"…"

"She has suffered long enough, Hyuuga"

"And who do you think was the one responsible for bringing her to a long sleep? Who cooperated with me to bring her back? Wait, I remember. Wasn't that you? You want her back."

"You know nothing about her, Hyuuga. Nothing."

Restoration on hold. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any memory restored: 52%

Winter was the season when I received my first kiss. I was so excited with the Christmas masquerade ball. Everyone is ought to help with the preparations. As expected to my alice, I cannot help with the tree decorating or with the costume designing. I wasn't needed, what good would a nullifying alice do? I sulked but Tsubasa-senpai came and cheered me up.

I was included in the cake making team. There, I met a girl named Nobara. She was so beautiful and shy; she had the alice of ice and I admired her for it. We quickly became friends and -

Ms. Imai, please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions

I was wearing a red halter dress for the Christmas masquerade party. I saw You-chan sad and sulking and asked him what happened. As the usual, he ignored me but Ruka explained why. It seemed like he wanted to play with Mr. Bear so I came and made a contract with Mr. Bear. Mr. Bear wanted me to clean the entire venue of the party. I knew that the entire venue was too spacious to be taken alone, cleaning it might mean that I won't be able to enjoy the party but I couldn't leave a child sad during Christmas so I agreed without any hesitation.

Ms. Imai, please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions

I went to the balcony to inhale some fresh air. You-chan approached me, gave me a quick peck on the cheek then ran off to Mr. Bear.

Ruka came after and said his thanks to me; he surprised me by giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek. I became flustered.

Ms. Imai, please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions

I was dancing with Natsume when I accidentally tripped and fell onto him. Everyone thought that we kissed and Natsume intensified their suspicion when he said that I was such a lame kisser. I was infuriated and I walked out from everyone. I heard some boys said "Natsume's such an adult!" "Maybe he kissed a lot of girls from before". I shrugged off the prick of pain I felt and stomped my way out of the party.

I climbed on the tree where Natsume was sitting at. I asked him, "Why did you say that? Is my humiliation fun for you?"

He kept quiet and I kept on blabbering, "Kissing must be a joke on you because you may have kissed a lot before" I just kept on ranting at him when he shocked me by grabbing my shoulders and kiss-

Ms Imai, an unknown user infiltrated the program.

Aborting memory restoration. Please input command. Access granted, unknown user.

Memory deletion in queue, continue? Please be reminded that deletion will be permanent, continue? Memory deletion in 5 seconds

5

"Imai, what is happening?"

"I don't know. Her alice is fighting mine" A raven-haired woman typed a lot of incoherent codes into the computer screen. Inwardly, she is feeling paranoid. She didn't want this to happen.

"…What's happening to her"

"Keep quiet, I'm trying my best to stop it."

"…"

4

A woman at her mid-twenties lay in a bed with wires connected in different parts of her body. Her long brown hair was messily tied into a side ponytail.

She lay there, asleep.

Two figures are watching her from a large window, one is facing the computer screen; typing furiously in the keyboard. The other one is watching the sleeping woman.

3

Blood trickled from the corners of her red lips. Her alice was working involuntarily.

Memory deletion, on hold

Memory deletion in 2 seconds

Memory deletion, on hold

The seat from which the raven-haired girl sat on was emptied. The computer was ignored.

The two figures watching earlier raced to the sleeping girl.

The tall man kept on calling his partner "Imai! She's bleeding"

The girl named Imai injected an unknown serum into the girl's body.

Memory deletion, cancelled.Unkown user left the program. Please input command, Ms. Imai

Relief is what they both felt at the moment.

But did the sleeping girl feel the same?

Dear Grandpa,

Are you doing well? I'm doing fine as per usual.

I might not be able to send any more letters.

I'm sorry, jii-chan. I know that they'll never send this letter to you but I miss home. I miss you. I miss home. I miss home. I want to go back. Please.

Please take care of yourself, jii-chan.

Please hear me out.