Chapter 3


Permy shook her head in amusement as she watched her friend acted like a tourist for the day.

They had been walking around Alice Academy for a couple of hours, and visited most of the important places that she could think of. Obviously Mikan was so curious to explore everything at once, but she assured her that she'll get to explore more with time, especially if she decided to join the Academy and had to start her training.

Permy wasn't sure if her friend knew how much commitment and sacrifice she has to make onward if she was to be part of the Academy. It is not an easy place to be after all.

"Oh wow, this area is so pretty," the brunette looked at the little shops around the alley in awe, "Are we in Central Town?"

The buildings around them were made of red bricks, and decorated with ebony-colored window frames. Most of them were two to three stories high, with mini balconies decorated with flower pots, and dark green pointy rooftops. The lamp posts in between each store were decorated with flowers and string lights that illuminate at night.

"Yes, we are. This place always reminded me of a little Christmas village, especially during winter," Permy let out a small smile, as she remembered a bittersweet memory of hers a few years back. It was on a cold December night when a boy tried to steal her first kiss under the mistletoe.

"Do you want to go to that cute Cafe over there? They sell cakes!" Mikan's eyes gleamed at the thought of sweets, "We can get coffee or something to drink too."

Permy nodded in agreement, as she was feeling a little tired from being Mikan's personal tour guide. She had been working as the Academy's tour guide for as long as she could remember, which was exactly why Naru-sensei asked her to show Mikan around the Academy grounds. "That little shop with maroon door and rose ornaments is Morukawa Cafe, I go there all the time. Maybe I can introduce you to my friend if she's working today."

They walked into the European-styled Cafe when a slow jazzy song was playing, and Mikan knew she would go here again. The interior was decorated with warm brown bricks, a fireplace, and dark green metal vines seeping around the corners of the wall. She made her way to the counter, and started eyeing the different variety of tall layered cakes and glossy fruit tarts on display. Each of the little delicacies were wrapped in clear plastic films and laced paper doilies with transparent "MC" emblem on one side.

"Hi there, how can I help you?" a petite girl with light pink hair in a messy bun and a professional white waist apron smiled at her. She waved at Permy, "Oh hey, Permy."

"Glad to see you here, Anna," Permy smiled then pointed at Mikan, "Mikan, meet my friend, Anna, she's the main pastry chef here."

Mikan looked up from the glass case and shook the pinkette's hand, "Nice to meet you, Anna. Your cakes look amazing!"

Anna let out a small chuckle, pleased to hear the compliment, "Thank you, and nice meeting you too, Mikan. Please help yourself! I'd recommend trying the Mille-feuille cake, I just finished chilling them earlier right before you both came in."

She pointed at the layered puff pastry and chantilly cream with crushed hazelnut in between the layers. The pastries were each in perfect rectangular shapes and stacked to a couple inches tall. A light dusting of confectioners sugar decorated the top layer, along with vanilla icing and light chocolate drizzle.

"We'll take 2 please," said Mikan as her eyes looked at the dessert in awe. "You must be so talented, this is one of the best Napoleon I've ever seen in my life!"

"Anna is one of the best chefs in the whole nation, she had won so many baking competitions since she was small," Permy explained as she looked at the coffee selection on the blackboard behind the counter. She needed her coffee, and pointed to Anna that she'll have an iced Caramel Soy Latte that evening, "After all, she is one of Alice Academy's best Cooking Alice."

Mikan looked at Anna as she plated the cakes, and felt her eyes twinkled, "Cooking Alice? Oh wow, that is so cool."

Anna placed two plates with their orders on the counter, and proceeded to brew fresh espresso for Permy, "I'm guessing you're a Tourist, Mikan? How did you hear about the Academy?"

Mikan tilted her head as she was surprised tourists were welcomed. She never even heard of Alice Academy while she had spent most of her life in Tokyo. How did tourists manage to find this place?

"Tourist is a nickname for influential people who are not Alices, however have enough authority to know that Alices do exist and are under the protection and supervision of Alice Academy, which is actually a very classified information might I add," Permy patiently explained as she leaned against the counter top, "I sometimes work as a tour guide for the Academy, and would show these Tourists around the campus; which is why Anna thought you were one."

Mikan's mouth turned to an 'O' while processing the new information. She really needed to catch up on a lot of these information if she were to spend more time here.

On the other hand, Anna raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Are you saying that Mikan is an Alice?" She took another glance at Mikan and knit her eyebrows together, "I don't think I've seen you before, have I? What a rare sight! We don't usually have a newcomer at our age."

Permy gave Anna a nervous smile, as she could understand her curiosity. However, she didn't want to make Mikan feel so overwhelmed on her second day being inside the Alice Academy's ground. She grabbed her coffee with one hand and her plate with another, "I'll make sure to show her the ropes, she will catch up in no time! Come on, Mikan, let's sit by the window there."

Taking her plate, Mikan just nodded and followed Permy to the high table with a view of the streets. They started digging into their dessert, and Mikan's lips were pursed up in satisfaction, "This is really good. I'm so impressed with Anna!"

Permy swept her shoulder length olive-green hair to one side, and sipped her latte gracefully, "That's Anna for you, she never failed to be the star when it comes to baking and bringing food for potlucks. Her Alice enabled her to create so many innovations and breakthroughs in the culinary world."

Mikan continued devouring her cake before deciding to pause midways, "Hey Permy, what exactly did Anna mean back there? She said we don't usually have newcomers at our age. Does it mean that Alices generally find out about their powers when they're younger?"

Looking at her friend, Permy knew she had to tell Mikan the answer sooner or later. This is one of the conversations that she dreaded to have with her.

"Typically we discover our powers since we were very small, I discovered mine when I was only 5 years old. In most cases, our parents or family members are Alices as well, as these genes are hereditary to your children. On some rare occasions, children of N/A can develop Alices as they grow older, but before hitting puberty - 16 to 17 years of age at most. This is why you're one of the even rarer cases, as we discovered your power in your early 20s. However, we do understand that this is a special situation, since your power can only impact Alices on the first place, you would have to encounter other Alices to be discovered." Permy looked at Mikan and waited for her reaction. It was a lot of information to take, and she wanted to make sure Mikan didn't freak out.

Mikan nodded silently, so Permy continued on, "Sometimes, there are Alices who want to stay hidden and remove any association with Alice Academy, and we respect that. They are however still monitored under our radar, as they are valuable assets to us after all. We can also predict whether someone's an Alice when they are showing signs of having an Alice, even if they don't realize it themselves. In this case, we will list them in our database and check them on a monthly basis, however would avoid any direct contact to avoid any conflict."

The brunette looked surprised, and she couldn't believe the Academy is operating like an American CIA, "So, you're spying on them constantly?"

"More like checking on them. We observe, monitor, and protect. That's our motto," Permy grinned as if she had repeated this statement many times before.

Mikan rolled her eyes but couldn't help but let out a sarcastic remark, "Very convincing. Of course you'd say that, Permy."

Permy gave her friend a small reassuring smile, but couldn't help hiding an uneasy feeling that she had inside. She couldn't possibly tell Mikan that the chances of finding someone like her, who out of the blue turns out to be an Alice, are almost never. There's an Alice within the Academy who can detect other Alices based on their pictures, which is the reason how they managed to have a large database of Alices residing in the country. The fact that a case like Mikan's never happened during her whole career within the Academy, and the topic was considered taboo whenever someone brought it up, made Permy really worried of what the Academy might do next.

Even though they talked about serious and confidential topics that could stir up the whole nation's politics, the duo were merely college students who bear more responsibilities on their shoulders than they should have. They both continued chatting for the next couple of hours, while enjoying the relaxing atmosphere that Morukawa Cafe provides.

With mainly Permy sharing more information about Alices to Mikan, she listened carefully at every word and asked anything that popped up on her mind. If she were to step into this new Alice world, she'd better know what she was signing up for.


Narumi was pacing back and forth in his office with a worried look on his face.

The sun was about to set soon, which will be Sumire's cue to bring Mikan back to the Headquarters. He would need to convince her to join the Academy, even if deep down he would rather leave Mikan out of the whole Alice business if he could.

"I know what you're thinking," Misaki stepped into his office after knocking at the slightly opened door, and swiftly closed it shut. "I'm going to make sure you'll do what's right. For her own sake too."

Narumi stared at the black-haired biologist, who was not only his co-worker, but also his partner in crime. "Do you think I'm making the right decision? There is no turning back once she finally decided to join the Academy."

He tried to look assured in front of Jinno earlier, however now couldn't help but show how he actually felt in front of his friend.

Misaki sighed, knowing that the ever-confident Narumi Anju would start second guessing his own judgement when it comes to a certain family. "She's in danger, Naru. Those people from Zero had seen not only her face, but also her Alice. We all know that there is no better way to protect her than train her to be one of us."

The blond man in his late 30s looked out his window with a long face. His office was located on one of the higher floors, and a beautiful view of the Northern Forest from above greeted him as the sky slowly turned orange, "I wish she could live a normal life like a Non-Alice, just like how her parents wanted her to. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her."

Instead of reprimanding him for being too dramatic, Misaki simply put his hand on Narumi's shoulder and said, "Remember that Alice will always be a part of her, Naru. She's a strong young woman, just like her mother. I'm sure she'll be fine."

As if on cue, a few female's chattering were heard from the hallway, and Narumi turned around, "Thanks, Misaki. You should stay, and I'll introduce you to her."

Before Misaki had the chance to answer, a couple knocks were heard, and Narumi opened the door to reveal the expected faces, "Come in, ladies. How was the mini informative tour?"

Permy walked in first as she had entered her sensei's office countless of times before, "It was good! Mikan was really excited to try out Howalon the next time she comes here."

Mikan sheepishly followed her as she promised herself earlier to try the infamous melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy on her upcoming visit to Central Town. "Permy was amazing! She really knows the Academy inside and out."

"I'm very glad to hear that. Sumire is one of our best Guides after all," said Narumi proudly, "On that note, please meet Misaki-sensei. He is a biologist and teacher here in the Academy, who is also my very dear friend."

Mikan gave him a smile and reached out her hand, "Nice to meet you, Misaki-sensei. I'm Mikan."

For a brief second, Misaki was taken aback at the uncanny resemblance that Mikan had with her mother when she was her age. He then understood why Narumi had such a hard time maintaining his composure at first, as the young woman before him reminded them so much of their beloved senpai.

"The pleasure's mine, Mikan. I hope you'll like it here." Misaki shook her hand and gave her a warm smile, "I'll leave it to Naru over here to have a conversation with you on what options you have moving forward."

Permy took a deep breath when Misaki-sensei looked at her and tilted his chin towards the door. "Me and Misaki-sensei will wait outside. Just come find me after you two finished talking."

Mikan simply waved at them as they exited the door, clearly not aware of the weight of discussion ahead that will completely change the course of her life. She took a seat in front of Narumi-sensei, and was handed a couple of paper documents that resembled contracts and confidentiality agreements.

"So, Mikan-chan, after learning more about Alices and finding out that you are an Alice yourself, how do you feel?" Narumi carefully asked as if he was a therapist who was handling a delicate patient.

"Honestly, I'm still in awe and most of all surprised. I mean, these Alices that I've been hearing about seem so impossible and unreal. They only happen in movies and books, you know. I never imagined they could actually exist, or heck, actually being one myself," Mikan didn't realize how easy it was for her to open up to this stranger, which wasn't a common thing for her to do. She had always been slightly guarded when it comes to sharing her feelings with others.

Something about this man resembled a protective uncle in her eyes, and she couldn't help but telling him how she really felt, "It was scary, seeing my own best friend fought those men like she had done it million times before. I've never been so terrified in my life, until a gun was pointed at my head, and I really thought I would-" She slowly gulped, as realized that she hadn't been thinking much about what happened the night before.

In just a split second, all of her emotions and fear surfaced, and Mikan started tearing up as she remembered the details of how the night went. She had no idea that she had suppressed all her feelings, and now everything just sunk in her mind.

The fight, the blood, the gunshot.

"I'm so sorry you had to experience that, Mikan. I really am. No N/A should ever had gone through that," Narumi felt his heart broke as he saw how inexperienced and naive Mikan was in the midst of an Alice Combat. He shifted his seat, as he was beginning to believe that asking her to join them would rip the good heart that she possessed.

Mikan wiped her tears slowly, as she came into the realization that her very own best friend might had experienced the similar thing that she had. She was starting to feel nauseous, "Are you saying that last night was a normal situation for Alices?"

Narumi's eyes casted to the floor, as he spoke the bitter truth, "Everyone within the Academy needs to undergo a complex training to control their Alices, as well as to learn basic self-defense skills. However, only a handful of Alices are specially trained for many years to face the situation like you did last night."

Mikan looked at the documents before her, realizing that there are still so many things that she didn't know about the Academy. The more she knew, the more she doubted if the Academy is as good as how it seemed from the outside.

"Compare those who have undergo the special training to people who enroll in the Military. They both help our nation in obtaining important intel and winning battles. The Alice Academy simply asks their members to learn how to defense themselves, just like how many schools train their students basic surviving skills. If you're not interested in joining the special training, you will not be forced to do so," Narumi explained more but with a lighter tone this time.

Upon hearing that, Mikan felt a little bit at ease, however still very uncertain of how she perceives the Academy as. "There really is a lot going on in Alice Academy, huh?"

Narumi chuckled as she was definitely not the first person to say that during his whole time working here. "So, what do you say, Mikan? Would you like to join Alice Academy and learn about your powers more?"

Mikan shifted uncomfortably, and asked the biggest question that she had, "Naru-sensei, what exactly is my power?"

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"Do you have any idea of what it might be?"

The brunette paused for a few seconds, trying to sum up all of the possibilities inside her head, "I can make people unable to use their Alice against me."

Narumi smiled widely, as if Mikan just passed a test that he laid out for her, "Yes, that is correct. You have the Nullification Alice." Mikan felt a sense of familiarity upon hearing the name, even though she never said it herself.

Her power would enable her to nullify Alices. To disable Alices. To make Alices not become Alices.

The thought shook her, as she felt the weight of the impact it could have towards an institution filled with people who refer themselves as Alices. How would they possibly react if someone like her casually went through their gates and claimed that she has the power to strip them off of their identity?

"What if I don't want to join the Academy?" she whispered quietly, and she could see Narumi's expression changed. This was not the reaction that he was hoping for.

Suddenly the office door slammed open, and a tall figure came in hastily, "Are you serious, Naru? Are you really not letting me find those Z bastards?"

The young lad glared at Narumi, who was obviously not expecting his arrival. In the young lad's hand was a manila folder with a document of his rejected Mission request.

"Nice to see you too, Natsume. I believe you have met Mikan here. Come introduce yourself." Narumi gave him a warm smile but his eyes were stern as ice, as if threatening him to not say anything stupid.

Natsume turned to the female figure who was looking at him curiously, and realized that she was the girl that he encountered the night before. Without reaching out his hand, he said quickly, "My name's Natsume. Natsume Hyuuga."

Mikan gave him a nervous smile, as she remembered how easily this guy can create fire out of thin air, "Hello, I'm Mikan. Mikan Yukihira."

Upon hearing her family name, Natsume raised his eyebrows as he definitely heard it somewhere before. He took a glance at Narumi who looked paler than earlier, and had a feeling that this girl would somehow make a difference in their lives. The only problem was, he didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

"So, are you an Alice?" he asked casually. Seeing her in Narumi's office made him realize that she had somehow become an asset to the Academy. Usually, Non-Alices who accidentally witnessed an Alice's power would have their memories erased.

Mikan nodded unsurely, and looked at Naru-sensei as if asking a validation from him. Natsume squinted his eyes as he found her even more suspicious. How can someone not know their own Alice?

Narumi looked at the two carefully, and suddenly an idea clicked on his head. He took a deep breath as he came to a perfect solution to solve his problems, "Natsume, I'm asking you to become Mikan's partner starting from now."

"What?" the two simultaneously exclaimed as Narumi grinned even wider.

He knew that this would be a risky thing that he was doing, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Pairing the innocent Nullifier and the infamous Black Cat together, he really hoped he made the right choice not only for themselves, but also for the future of the Academy.

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A/N

Thank you for all the kind reviews, favs, and follows!

They kept me motivated to write more for this story.