It had been a while since Alice went into Eirin's clinic. Medicine was patiently waiting outside with Su-san, Shanghai, and Hourai. Though Alice said it would only take a few minutes, an hour had already passed and the four dolls were getting bored. In hopes of figuring out when the conversation would end, the dolls began trying to listen to Alice and Eirin's conversation though due to how thick the walls were, it was difficult for them to make out what they were saying. At first, Medicine could only hear Alice yelling at Eirin.

"Was she really that mad about yesterday?"

Still, the doll youkai couldn't make out a word. After a while, Medicine could hear Alice finally calm down and Eirin talking to her. However, she could only hear Alice's side of the conversation.

"Yeah I know…"

"...alone in the forest…"

"I'm not going to…"

"...let her stay at my house…"

"...find someone to take her in…"

Upon hearing the last sentence, Medicine was hit with a sudden realization.

"She's trying to get rid of me. She doesn't want me around. I'm gonna be all alone again."

Medicine slowly backed away from the door while her eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't handle it anymore and ran away.

"Look Eirin. I know her actions were wrong but still, she's very young and from what I've been told, she only came to life almost 70 years ago. It may seem like a long time, but for a youkai like her, that's the equivalent to a baby."

After hearing Alice's story, Eirin decided to give her a checkup to see if she had been affected by the poison at all. She even tried to apologize for the trouble Medicine caused but Alice was having none of it and really tore her a new one. It wasn't until Kaguya showed up that Alice finally calmed down a bit.

"Look," started Eirin. "I know it was wrong but still, I had enough of her helping Tewi with her pranks. Any harmless prank she gets involved in, ends up becoming a lethal experience. Everything she touches becomes toxic or affected by her toxin. She simply doesn't know how dangerous she is."

"Yeah I know," commented Alice. "She told me Reisen's stuck in the emergency room for the rest of the week after she fell into that hole. They originally filled it up with Tewi's rabbit tails that Tewi cut off from herself after drinking a regenerative medicine but since Medicine was the one putting the tails in, the prank turned lethal."

"Also, I never intended to keep her," added Eirin. "Her presence alone is enough to make many of my patients suffer a lot more than they should and the only reason why I kept her here in the first place was so I can use her poison to make medicine."

"But that doesn't mean you can dump her outside and force her to wander alone in the Forest of Magic."

Eirin ignored the last bit and handed Alice some pills.

"Here, take these and you'll feel a bit better. Besides, if you don't want her around, you can dump her at the nearest orphanage. Just ask Reimu and she'll take care of it."

"I'm not going to do that," replied Alice. "She's a doll youkai, a tsukumogami. She's been abandoned before and I'm going to make sure she gets the love and care she needs."

Eirin sighed. Alice was really stubborn and determined to make sure Medicine received the love and care she needed even if the tsukumogami was less than deserving of such.

"So what do you plan to do then? I'm not taking her back at all," asked Eirin. "Besides, what do you think I should've done instead of dumping her on her own?"

"I figured you'd refuse. I already planned to take her in," answered Alice. "Also, you could've let her stay at my house. You know very well that I live alone and I don't mind letting children like her stay in my home. Just let me know ahead of time. If you're not comfortable with me, then find someone else to take her in. I'm sure Yuuka wouldn't mind."

"Is that why you've been trying so hard to make a sentient doll?"

Alice nodded. "My reason for making one is not only to revolutionize the dollmaking community but to give company to those who live in isolation. Many magicians like me, Marisa, and Patchouli rarely get to see another person because our practice requires us to live away from others. In fact, it's very rare for us to have guests and even rarer for us to have a pet, familiar, or apprentice to keep us company. Oftentimes, our basic magic alone is enough to put most of them in danger."

"If that's true, then why bother with making a sentient doll that would be in danger most of the time? Why do magicians bother training others at all?" asked Eirin. She then sent off one of her rabbit helpers to look for Tewi with a request for a certain medicine.

"Companionship," responded Alice. "Even we magicians, youkai or humans, still get lonely. Just take a look at Patchouli. Before she had Koakuma, the only people she saw were Remilia and Sakuya once a week. She was also lonelier and unable to get work done. Even after she achieved her goals, she still wasn't satisfied and even considered ending it all until Koakuma appeared in her life. Now she's happier and has a new outlook on life. Every time Marisa and I see her at the mansion, she's more enthusiastic about her work and progress. Take a look at Marisa, her kleptomaniac and annoying nature is really her way of coping with her loneliness and problems that come with being a magician. That's why she's attached herself to Reimu, Mima, and anyone she could get her hands on."

"And you?" asked Eirin. "Are you also looking for companionship?"

Alice shook her head.

"I'm not just looking for companionship. I'm looking for something much greater than that."

"And that is?"

Eirin retrieved the requested medicine from Tewi and handed it to Alice.

"Something you, Reisen, Tewi, and Kaguya already have," answered Alice. She got up and headed for the door.

"I'll come back next week to get her next dose, okay?"

Alice waved before heading outside. However, upon stepping outside, all she saw were Shanghai, Hourai, and Su-san.

"Medicine?"