Alice had reluctantly agreed to Machina's request and promised her cooperation. As Machina prepared to go and find Kaito, Alice offered a final warning.
"Listen, Machina. I can probably stop you a few times, but honestly, this only works because it catches you off guard. Please understand that there's a limit to how many times it will be effective."
"I know! It'll be fine. I've got plenty of my own countermeasures ready too!"
"Heh. And how effective do you expect those to be?"
"Well... look, if those measures actually did anything, I wouldn't have come to you for help in the first place."
"Point taken."
Machina was indeed trying her best to prevent a rampage, but her efforts were essentially a drop in the bucket. If she were capable of self-restraint, she would have been practicing it all along. This was simply a desperate plan born from an extraordinary determination to spend a single day with Kaito without losing her mind.
Feeling a vague sense of unease, Alice watched her enthusiastic best friend depart with an exasperated expression.
As it turned out, that unease was well-founded. Her self-countermeasures didn't last very long, and Machina soon found herself on the verge of a total breakdown.
(Oh, this is bad! My beloved child is just too cute! I can't hold back anymore!)
Just seconds before her reason snapped, Alice suddenly entered Machina’s field of vision. Despite having asked for help, Machina honestly doubted any method could suppress her current state of arousal.
With what little sanity she had left, she wondered what trick Alice would pull—only to see Alice holding up a large sign. Pasted onto it was a massive Photo of Machina in a Bunny Suit.
"!?!"
The sight was so unexpected that Machina’s mind went completely blank. The excitement that had brought her to the brink of a rampage vanished, replaced instantly by an entirely different train of thought.
She remembered that photo vividly. It was from the world where she had first met Alice. During a gamble at a shipboard casino, Machina had lost to Alice and was forced to take photos in various cosplay outfits as a penalty.
(How many billions of years do you think have passed since then?! How can you possibly still have that photo?! Agh, but that genuine shock actually cleared my head... I have a lot to say about her keeping a photo that is nothing but Black History, but for now, I’m saved.)
Feeling her thoughts stabilize, Machina finally understood what Alice had meant. This was definitely not a tactic that could be used twice. The only reason it worked was the sheer shock of seeing it. Now that she knew Alice had the photo, her mind wouldn't go blank if she saw it again.
Relieved to have been saved for the moment, she wondered if she would be okay when the next urge hit. With that lingering concern, Machina returned to her stroll with Kaito.
Thanks to her reversion to Phase 0 and her own countermeasures, Machina managed to maintain her reason for about an hour. However, the limit was eventually reached, and she once again faced the threat of a rampage.
(It’s no use... my love for my beloved child is overflowing! I can't stop it! That cosplay photo won't work a second time!)
As her consciousness began to slip once more, she saw Alice holding up a sign behind Kaito. There were many cosplay photos from that day, but knowing they were coming meant they would no longer have the same impact—
"~!?!?!?!"
However, the sign Alice held did not display another cosplay photo. Instead, it was a Photo of making a bitter face while drinking Japanese Sake in a Hot Spring, along with a shot of her rolling on the ground after having a takoyaki shoved into her mouth.
(When did you even take those?! You weren't even holding a camera! That's voyeurism! This is pure voyeurism!)
She had anticipated the cosplay photos, but the realization that Alice had captured those private, unsightly moments threw Machina’s mind into fresh chaos.
While she managed to regain her reason, she was left with a lingering sense of indignation as she resumed her walk for the third time.
Kaito, noticing her reaction, turned around again. However, Alice had vanished so quickly that he remained completely oblivious to the cause. Fortunately, Machina had taken measures to ensure that even Shallow Vernal couldn't peek into their private time, so these embarrassing photos didn't reach anyone else's eyes.
After that, Machina did her best. She fought desperately to endure, but another hour later, she could no longer suppress the tidal wave of affection.
(I can't... I really can't do this anymore. My love for my beloved child is going to Big Bang...)
She saw Alice appear behind Kaito yet again. She saw her raising a sign. But Machina was certain that no matter what photo was shown this time, it wouldn't stop her. The tactic relied on surprise, and now that the surprise was gone, no image would be enough to halt her rampage.
Thinking this was truly the end, Machina glanced at the sign Alice held.
"Epilogue (The End of the Story)"
"Hieee?!"
"E-Eden-san?!"
It was a total blindsiding. In a moment where she had prepared herself for another embarrassing photo, those words appeared instead. The shock was so great that she literally jumped into the air with a shriek.
Kaito was startled by her sudden outburst, but when he turned around, Alice had already vanished, leaving him with no way to understand what had happened.
(...What a terrifying way to stop someone! That gave me such a fright! I felt like my nonexistent lifespan just flashed before my eyes. B-But, it worked. I’ve calmed down. At this rate, I think I can make it to our destination. My feelings are complicated, but... thank you, Alice.)