Notes: I've now seen the first of what I assume are the final three chapters. Not what I was expecting, and no considerable bombs dropped yet, in my opinion. I'll say no more.
The Berry Toll
A Rozen Maiden Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 2: Other Worlds Than These
Suiseiseki woke up from a nightmare, only to feel her twin yanking roughly on her cheek.
"You've slept long enough," Souseiseki said, giving her one more yank before letting go.
Pouting, Suiseiseki rubbed her aching cheek. "What did I do to deserve that?" she complained.
"Nothing," Souseiseki admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "But there really is no more time." She paused, then gently pulled Suiseiseki's hand away and lightly kissed her red cheek. "I'm sorry."
Suiseiseki stared, both her cheeks turning dark red. "W-What was that for, you?!" she demanded. "You're acting really weird, Souseiseki!"
"Perhaps. Today has been a really weird sort of day. We can discuss it later. Maybe. But there are things you should know, quickly. First, do you know where we are?"
Suiseiseki paused to glance around, her eyes widening. "I... this place. I know it! I think?"
Nodding, Souseiseki helped her twin stand up. "It's Father's workshop. You were... damaged. Suigintou and Kirakishou brought you here for repairs."
"What?! But they're probably the reason I was damaged in the first place, right?"
"Things have changed, sister. What's important is that they did bring you here. I am proof of that."
Suiseiseki frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You weren't aware of this, but while we were separated, I kept my promise and gave my Rosa Mystica to Suigintou."
Suiseiseki gasped and began to protest, but Souseiseki quickly cut her off by grabbing her cheek again.
"Sister, there really is no time for theatrics. Please, let me finish."
Frowning, Suiseiseki remained silent and nodded.
"Our Master Jun... the older one, I mean... somehow convinced Kirakishou to make a contract with him. Laplace's Demon appeared and said the Alice Game was over, but that Shinku had to pay a toll for opening the door to the Unwound World. That toll was one Rosa Mystica, and Shinku was willing to give up her own, so that Hinaichigo's would be kept safe. Suigintou desired Shinku's Rosa Mystica, so she paid the toll with my own, and took Shinku's instead."
At this, Suiseiseki could no longer keep silent. "THAT FILTHY, GREEDY, NO-GOOD, LYING, TERMITE-INFESTED WRETCH!"
Souseiseki blinked. "Yes, quite. Which leaves us with our current dilemma. When we leave Father's workshop, Laplace's Demon will present us with two doors. One leads back to our world. The other leads to the Unwound World. I understand that our older Master, Kirakishou, and Suigintou are all planning to go there."
"Why are they going there with Unwound Jun?" Suiseiseki demanded angrily.
"Kirakishou is... somewhat reformed now, and Suigintou is stalking her, for reasons that are unimportant right now. Each of us needs to make a choice, sister."
Suiseiseki frowned. "You... you're going there, aren't you? With them?"
Souseiseki didn't even flinch. "Yes. I have given this a great deal of thought. If not for you and Master, Kirakishou might still be using my body. And though he formed a contract with me, I have really not had much of an opportunity to serve him. This needs to be corrected. More than that, I wish to experience the Unwound World while I am not fighting for my life. This may prove difficult with Suigintou in the vicinity, but I suspect she will be otherwise occupied. And you know, you don't have to come with me, sister. I would understand. If you would rather go back to your Jun, you can."
Suiseiseki said nothing.
"Sister? Are you-"
"I'm thinking," Suiseiseki interrupted. "I mean, I haven't decided yet." With that, she brushed past Souseiseki and headed for the exit.
"Then perhaps you should wait before-"
"No," Suiseiseki disagreed. "It's been too long already." As she neared the door, Sui Dream floated into her path. After only an instant of silent communication, Sui Dream moved aside, and Suiseiseki marched through the door. Souseiseki got the vague impression of general panic from Sui Dream, and quickly followed her twin into the next room, where the older Jun, Kirakishou, her tiny replica, and Suigintou had gathered in front of Laplace's Demon and the two doors.
Souseiseki arrived an instant too late: she was in time to see Lempicka dropped her gardening shears into Suiseiseki's outstretched hand, and then to see Suiseiseki plunge the shears into Suigintou's back. Suigintou let out a startled scream, and then Suiseiseki ripped the shears out, along with her intended prize: Shinku's Rosa Mystica. Suiseiseki clapped her hands around it, turned, and ran past Souseiseki, back into the workshop.
If Souseiseki had been thinking clearly, she would have done everything in her power to stop her twin. Suiseiseki's intentions were good, but she lacked critical information. Their Father's workshop could repair virtually any damage done to a Rosen Maiden, was practically dutybound to do so. But there was a problem this time. Suiseiseki had been restored because both her damaged body and her Rosa Mystica had been present. Shinku had suffered no damage, so there was nothing to repair. More importantly, her body was back with younger Jun and the others. The workshop could not repair an undamaged Rosa Mystica, nor could it summon Shinku's body to it.
Still, the workshop recognized that a Rosa Mystica was not supposed to be outside of a Rozen Maiden. There were only two ways to correct the situation: insert the Rosa Mystica into the nearest Rozen Maiden, or send it elsewhere. Likewise, the workshop recognized that Suiseiseki was also undamaged, having just recently repaired her. Again, it had two options: send her where she belonged, or where she wanted to go. This was an easier task, since where Suiseiseki wanted to go, and where she belonged, just happened to be the same place.
The end result was that when Suiseiseki ran into the workshop with Shinku's Rosa Mystica, there was a bright flash of light.
Shinku's Rosa Mystica promptly vanished.
Suiseiseki was still trying to process this when she vanished, too.
They were not sent to the same destination. That was not really surprising: Suiseiseki had wanted to send the Rosa Mystica back to Shinku's body, but she had not wanted to face younger Jun in the process, in case she failed. She got her wish. Sort of.
Shinku's Rosa Mystica was sent back to her body. At least, it would get there, eventually. But it was taking the scenic route. Also, it hadn't left a note saying where it was going, or how late it would be out.
Neither had Suiseiseki, for that matter.
People were understandably worried about them.
No Rozen Maiden could actually die. The Rosa Mystica, which was simultaneously their heart and soul, could not be destroyed by any known means, only moved and harnessed. Being removed from the body resulted in a curious phenomenon, however. The body essentially feel asleep, until it was provided with a compatible Rosa Mystica and wound up again. But any Rosa Mystica was essentially a mass of power and memories, and they did not simply stop working when removed from a host. Far from it, in fact.
Shinku's case was a perfect example. As with every Rozen Maiden, she had once thought of herself as consisting of two parts: her body, and her Rosa Mystica. She had primarily thought of her body as being 'her', with lesser emphasis assigned to her core, if only because she naturally considered that to be a part of her body. This was fairly accurate, at the time, but now her situation had changed drastically. She understood that her body was gone, though hopefully still in Jun's hands. She could feel no connection to it, could perceive nothing that was happening to or around it. Yet she could still think, if nothing else. Her Rosa Mystica had, more or less, become her current body. But Shinku had never perceived herself as being a tiny, sparkling stone, and her Rosa Mystica responded to that perception by creating an illusionary body around itself. Shinku understood that it was false, had no substance, and most likely could not be detected by anyone else. Yet it offered her some comfort, because it looked exactly like her old body, and she was glad for it. Without that, she would have gone mad.
There was darkness in every direction that she looked. If not for the glow of her false body, there would have been nothing to see at all. Truthfully, Shinku wondered if even giving herself false eyes was worth it, if this was the reward. But then, it wasn't supposed to be a reward. She had lost the Alice Game, at the very least. That she existed in this state was an unexpected, but perhaps suitable punishment for failing to protect her cherished sisters. She would have preferred being absorbed into one of them, rather than drifting in darkness. Even Suigintou's chest was looking like a vacation spot now. At least there, Shinku would still have a purpose, a reason to exist.
There was also no dependable way to determine how much time had passed. The internal clock that Shinku had always relied on seemed to have stopped working, for some reason. And counting the seconds seemed like a sure way to hasten her descent into madness, so Shinku did her best to keep her mind occupied with virtually anything else. For that reason, she had no idea how long she had been the darkness when it happened.
Her Rosa Mystica, until then focused on nothing but existing, suddenly pulsed, sending out a small wave of energy, like ripples on a pond. This made no sense to Shinku. At least, not until there was an answering pulse.
There was another Rosa Mystica out there. Shinku's hopes soared, and then crashed. Another Rozen Maiden lost in the void. True, she didn't want to be alone, but not at such a cost to one of her sisters. But if they were to be lost, they could at least be lost together. And it did not seem as if they had a choice: Shinku knew of no way to propel herself in her current state, yet the resonance between their Rosae Mysticae was pulling them closer to each other. Soon enough, they would be together.
But as the distance decreased, Shinku noticed something odd. The Rosa Mystica she was approaching was familiar, but a little too familiar. It seemed, for no reason that she could explain, as if she were approaching her own Rosa Mystica, similar to but separate from the one that contained her essence now. It was impossible, she could not be in two places at once. At least, her Rosa Mystica could not be, and she had only the one unique to her. She could not be mistaken on that point: after what she had been through, she would know the bubbly, sweet flavor of Hinaichigo's Rosa Mystica anywhere. Likewise, all the Rosae Mysticae of her sisters each had a unique aura to them, and save for the somewhat more complicated case of Souseiseki and Suiseiseki, no Rozen Maiden would ever mistake one Rosa Mystica for another, once they became aware of the signature aura.
There was an answer, of course, one that made perfect sense. But Shinku could not imagine it at that time, though perhaps she should have. And the answer was no closer in coming when she was finally able to see the source of the strange aura. She could see it because, like her very own Rosa Mystica, it was illuminated by a soft glow. But this glow was considerably brighter, to reflect the four Rosae Mysticae that Shinku could now detect in the vicinity.
Suiseiseki.
Souseiseki.
Hinaichigo.
And the one that was somehow a replica of her own. It had been masking the others, or perhaps Shinku had been so focused on it that she failed to sense the other three.
But the doll who held these four Rosae Mysticae in one body was no Rozen Maiden that Shinku had ever seen. There was a striking resemblance to one, but Shinku had spent enough time staring into Kirakishou's face that the differences were all too obvious to her. This doll might have been based on Kirakishou, or perhaps Kirakishou had been inspired from this doll's design.
In any case, the doll did not seem aggressive, and if she had any intent to attack, she hid it well. Shinku saw only curiosity in the lone, unblinking eye. Yet she could not ignore that this doll held four Rosae Mysticae, her own among them. The likelihood of them simply having been given was extremely low.
The best strategy seemed to be openness. "I am Shinku, fifth among the Rozen Maidens." She paused, weighing the next part in her mind, and finally decided that it was still true enough for her. "My Master is Sakurada Jun."
The doll did not react, at first. But after a moment, she stood tall and opened her mouth. "I am Barasuishou. All who are lost, shall be found." She paused, and then nodded. "Shinku. It has been 47,392 hours since I began this new journey. You are the fifth Rosa Mystica that I have found. As is my duty, I will transport you all to Underland. But in order to prevent conflict, I must carry you in my hand, instead of my chest."
Being so close now, Shinku could easily converse with the other Rosae Mysticae. None of them were afraid or upset. In fact, they were all thankful to Barasuishou for rescuing them from the darkness. The other Shinku remained silent, perhaps just as stunned as Shinku was to see another version of herself. In the end, Shinku could find no reason to refuse Barasuishou's offer. Even if Barasuishou had some awful fate in mind for them, Shinku would prefer to meet it alongside her sisters. Especially Hinaichigo, who begged to be carried in Barasuishou's hand as well, so she could be closer to the newer Shinku. At this, there was a sense of fondness from the other Shinku, which was mirrored by Shinku herself. It was good to know that some things would never change. Or so she thought at the time.
As Barasuishou began to move in the direction she had come from, Hinaichigo began to tell a very strange story. As the youngest Rozen Maidens, she and Kirakishou had been especially reluctant to join their sisters in the Alice Game, and had instead hidden themselves deep within Kirakishou's N-field. For centuries, they remained there, together, content. Then Souseiseki had come, bearing the remaining five Rosae Mysticae, furious with them for denying Father's heartfelt desire to see Alice. With no warning, she struck down Kirakishou and took her Rosa Mystica. And Hinaichigo, completely new to violence and aggression, had responded to the loss of her most cherished sister in exactly the way Kirakishou had always told her to: she took three steps back, and then tore open a hole in the world. It was amazing, the things a Rozen Maiden was capable of when unburdened by constant thoughts of battle or destiny. To compensate for Hinaichigo's weakness, Kirakishou had taught her everything there was to know about manipulating an N-field. Souseiseki had no way of knowing she'd doomed herself just by setting foot into their domain. But once Souseiseki was gone, swallowed up by the swirling darkness, Hinaichigo had started to close it up. Then she looked at the empty seat next to her, and found she did not want to live alone in a world where her beloved sister used to be. And with that in mind, she had followed Souseiseki into the void.
It seemed impossible to Shinku that her sweet little Hinaichigo could be so powerful, or that Souseiseki could ever do something so terrible to her, or that Kirakishou could start off so gentle and loving. But the story was true, and this Hinaichigo had lived it. The sorrow when she spoke of losing Kirakishou was genuine. It was the same way that Shinku had talked about losing her Hinaichigo. So they huddled closer together in Barasuishou's hand, and as best they could, grieved for their lost sisters.
As if she was used to such things, Barasuishou held them a little tighter, and carried them deeper into the darkness.
For the first month, Souseiseki spent every free moment in the Unwound World searching for her lost twin. Suigintou had helped, for a while, if only so she could get revenge on Suiseiseki. Both of them would be disappointed, however.
Jun helped in any way he could, including posting fliers with Suiseiseki's picture all over the place. But it was clear that he feared the search was pointless. They had no solid proof that Suiseiseki had even ended up in the Unwound World. If it came to that, they had no real way to contact the Wound World, much less search it for Suiseiseki.
Kirakishou had another opinion. "Even if Suiseiseki is here in this world, perhaps she does not want to be found. Perhaps the world itself does not want her to be found."
It wasn't something Souseiseki wanted to consider, but she was forced to. If Suiseiseki still blamed herself for the loss of Shinku's Rosa Mystica, then she wouldn't want to face either Jun and admit that. Likewise, she would avoid Souseiseki, who wanted to bring her home. And if the world itself was against the search, Kirakishou, or more accurately, the little replica who Jun had named Hana, would be the one to know about it. That was the assumption, anyway, but it was a popular one. Hana had supposedly been protecting Jun since her creation, and since no harm had come to him in that time, apparently she had done her job well. And she did seem to consider the loss of one of Jun's dolls as harmful to him, so she was just as interested in recovering Suiseiseki as Souseiseki was.
But after that first month, Souseiseki became convinced that they weren't looking far enough. And though part of her original reasoning for coming to the Unwound World had been to serve the older Jun, she could not do that effectively while preoccupied with finding her twin. He was not at all surprised when she asked his permission to break their contract, at least until Suiseiseki was found. He gave his blessing, but assured Souseiseki that no matter how her search turned out, she could always come home whenever she wanted to.
Suigintou claimed indifference, but promised that if she ever saw Suiseiseki again, taking her Rosa Mystica would be the very last thing on an extremely long list of things that she would do. Souseiseki imagined, fairly accurately, that dismemberment was on the list, and preferred to give it no further thought.
Without their combined help, however, the search seemed even more doomed to failure. And certainly not being able to store her case in Jun's apartment brought on a whole new set of problems. But Souseiseki continued to search, in part because she knew Suiseiseki would never stop looking, had their roles been reversed.
Shinku had not really given much thought to what Underland would look like, but it was immediately clear to her how the place had gotten its name. It was little more than a floating island, composed entirely of pale violet rock. There were no true landmarks, only rocks of various shapes jutting out of the ground at random. Shinku could not even begin to imagine why anyone would ever go there, unless they were extremely interested in geology.
It was only when Barasuishou landed that Shinku begin to guess Underland's true purpose. She had not been able to see them from the air, or if she had, they had blended so well with the landscape that she hadn't noticed them moving. But now that Barasuishou was moving among them, Shinku wondered how she could have ever missed them.
Thousands of dolls, of every shape and size, moving slowly toward a goal that only they were aware of. Many of them shared features with Barasuishou, or more accurately, Kirakishou. Some were obviously damaged to varying degrees, while others seemed to be in perfect condition. They all wore pale violet, just as Barasuishou did, save for the ones who were so damaged that their clothing had been lost.
But what stood out most, at least to Shinku, was that every doll carried at least one Rosa Mystica, and yet there was not a Rozen Maiden among them.
"Who are they?" Hinaichigo whispered beside her.
"Sisters," Barasuishou responded at once. She reached out and lightly touched a passing doll that was naked and had only one arm. After a brief flash of light, the doll's missing arm was restored, and she wore a simple dress that would likely impress no one. The doll did not even pause or look in Barasuishou's direction. However, the single Rosa Mystica she carried, a Kanaria by the feel of her aura, twinkled in gratitude before they vanished back into the crowd.
"Why did you do that?" Shinku asked. Though what she really meant was, "Why did you do that when you knew it wouldn't matter to her?"
"Sisters," Barasuishou repeated, as if that was an answer.
Shinku thought fondly of the many times she had tried and failed to dress Hinaichigo like a proper lady, and decided that it was indeed an acceptable answer. "I see."
"I don't think she's here," Hinaichigo murmured.
"Who, Hinaichigo?" Shinku asked.
"My Kira-chan. I'd know if she was, I think."
"It is possible that she has already been here," Barasuishou suggested. "This place is only a checkpoint. No one stays here."
"She would have waited for me," Hinaichigo insisted. Then, hesitantly, she added, "I hope."
"I'm sure she would have," Shinku quickly said.
"Really? How do you know, Shinku?"
"Because... from the way you talk about her, you and your sister were close, closer than even I was with my Hinaichigo. And she would have waited for me." Shinku actually thought just the opposite: that Hinaichigo would have trusted her to carry on alone, if that was what it took. Much as she loved Hinaichigo, if Shinku expected to die first, she would have entrusted her Rosa Mystica to Souseiseki. Not because they were particularly close, but because Souseiseki would fight even if no one else would. And because Souseiseki would not hesitate to do what was necessary, no matter how unpopular or unseemly it was. But this quality reminded Shinku of the Souseiseki that had killed Hinaichgo's Kirakishou, and she quickly focused on other thoughts.
"Sorry that it was just instant ramen again today, but I'm on a pretty tight budget, and I didn't expect to have a tiny house-guest."
"It's fine," Suiseiseki murmured, drinking the last of her broth. "I like ramen."
"That's good, because I think we'll be eating it for a while."
"It's fine," Suiseiseki repeated softly.
"You know, Sui-chan, if you ever get tired of this, we could always tell Jun the truth. It feels weird to look him in the face and swear I haven't seen you. Maybe-"
"I'm not going back there!"
"What happened that was so awful? I can't imagine that you could ever do anything that he wouldn't forgive."
Suiseiseki slowly shook her head. "I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I played the game. But because my intention was different from Father's desire... one of my precious sisters was taken from me. And I don't know how to get her back. And even if I did, I'm stuck here, where I can't reach her. She probably hates me now, anyway."
"I don't think that's true. Sometimes my big brother does things that really annoy me, but at the end of the day, I still love him. I'm sure it's that way for you and your sister, right?"
"You... you don't know anything, you bubbly human!" Suiseiseki shouted, throwing her empty ramen cup at her host and fleeing into the bathroom.
Sighing, Saito knelt down and picked up the cup, shaking her head. "Well, I've been called worse. But since she's a talking doll, maybe it is somehow worse?"
As it turned out, the crowd of dolls was moving toward a goal: a slightly raised pedestal, and just beyond it, a pair of white doors. The crowd parted at the pedestal, with the dolls heading toward either door, and then releasing the Rosae Mysticae they carried, which then entered the designated door and vanished from view. Which door was chosen appeared to be decided by the person on the pedestal. Shinku could only tell, at a distance, that the person was a woman in pale violet, just like the dolls. But as she got closer, Shinku realized something shocking.
The woman was Barasuishou. At least, if Barasuishou had been born human, rather than made by a dollmaker, and eventually grown into a woman, she would have looked remarkably like the woman on the pedestal.
When Barasuishou reached the pedestal, she presented all five Rosae Mysticae that she'd collected, being sure that the two Shinku were as far from each other as possible.
The woman's lone eye traveled back and forth, inspecting each one carefully. Then she raised her gaze to Barasuishou, who nodded and moved toward the door on the right.
"This is where we part ways," Barasuishou said. "Suiseiseki, Souseiseki, and Shinku. This is your door. I cannot tell you what lies beyond it, only that it is your destined destination."
Oddly enough, Shinku was able to tell from Barasuishou's tone, what little of it there was, that she was referring to the other Shinku. Perhaps it was because Shinku had already begun to think of herself and Hinaichigo as a pair, and so naturally assumed they would go to the same place.
The twins said their goodbyes, thanked Barasuishou, wished their sisters well, and went through the door. The other Shinku lingered uncertainly.
"This is your door," Barasuishou told her. "You are meant to go through it."
"I want to stay with you," the other Shinku said. "You'll be alone once these two leave. That isn't right."
"That is not your door," Barasuishou replied.
"Maybe I don't want a door yet."
Barasuishou stared at her. "There may not be another chance for you to pass through any door."
"I'm prepared for that."
"But-"
"She loves you, Barasuishou," Hinaichigo interrupted. "You can understand that, can't you?"
"It is my duty to-"
"It is allowed."
They turned to see that the woman had spoken and was watching them. "It is allowed," she said again, then turned back to continue parting the crowd.
With no more hesitation, the other Shinku flew back into Barasuishou's chest.
Still stunned by this development, Barasuishou slowly approached the door on the left. "Shinku. Hinaichigo. This is... your door?" The other Shinku's choice seemed to have overturned everything that Barasuishou was accustomed to, and she clearly had no idea how to feel about it.
"Maybe we'll see you two again one day!" Hinaichigo said brightly.
Shinku could tell from Barasuishou's expression that there was no chance of that. But, perhaps because of the Rosa Mystica that was residing within her, Barasuishou did not say this. Instead, she said, "I will eagerly await that day, sisters. Go in peace."
"We should go, Hinaichigo," Shinku said. "I'm sure Kirakishou is waiting for you, somewhere beyond this door."
"You could stay with us, Shinku," Hinaichigo said at once. "I'm sure Kira-chan would come to love you, too."
Shinku was startled by this invitation, but knew she could never make such a promise. "I think I would like that. But my Hinaichigo made a promise to me. Assuming it is in her power, she will always wake me up. When that time comes, I must answer her call."
"Because you're sisters," Hinaichigo said softly.
"Among other reasons, yes," Shinku agreed.
It had quickly become habit for Souseiseki to work herself to the point of exhaustion in her search for Suiseiseki. Many mornings, she awoke to find herself in the company of a friendly stray animal, who had mistaken her for a child and attempted to keep her warm. Or perhaps, instinctively, they recognized her as a guardian of dreams, and sought to help in any small way they could.
Humans, on the other hand, more often mistook her as junk to be thrown out or destroyed, so she avoided them unless it was absolutely necessary to interact with them. Even when she found one who might make a decent medium for her, Souseiseki ignored them. There would be no point in making a contract until she had located Suiseiseki. Just as important, Souseiseki didn't want to find herself in a position where she had to prematurely abandon yet another Master.
Fate, it seemed, had other plans.
Nothing else could quite explain why Souseiseki woke up one morning, in the storeroom of a shop that sold, for some inexplicable reason, nothing but doll clothes.
Just to be certain, she tried on three different outfits. They were all perfect fits. Mildly disturbed, she started to put her own clothes back on, but that was when she saw it.
A near-perfect replica of her own outfit had been laid out for her. It was cleaner than her own, if nothing else, so it would have been silly to pass it up.
Souseiseki was checking her appearance in a mirror (again, in her size) when the door opened, and a woman walked in.
She was a total stranger to Souseiseki. At first. But then Souseiseki imagined what the woman would look like if she were several years younger, considerably less world-weary, and perhaps not haunted by dreams of something she'd never really had in the first place yet but somehow knew she missed. Then, it was all too clear who she was.
Smiling slightly, Souseiseki turned and swept the hat from her head, executing a neat little bow. "Hello, Tomoe. It's nice to see you again."
Tomoe did not seem shocked that a doll was moving on its own, another clear sign that Souseiseki was in the right place. She did seem confused, however. "Have we met? In my dreams?"
Souseiseki considered that for a moment. "Perhaps," she allowed. "Why don't you tell me about your dreams?"
"Can't you read them?"
"Without permission, it's somewhat rude. Especially with a friend. But we can view them together, if you prefer."
Tomoe hesitated, though not for the expected reason. "I should leave a note for Micchan. She'll worry if I'm late."
Souseiseki blinked, finally noticing a fairly recent picture hanging just above Tomoe's head: Tomoe and Mitsu, both smiling and standing in front of the shop they'd opened together. "Curiouser and curiouser," Souseiseki murmured with a faint smile.
Continued in Chapter 3: Wonder in Aliceland
Shinku and Hinaichigo find themselves in the company of the true Alice. Or is she merely a true Alice, and one of several, at that?