After we bought the Couples-only Limited Drink, we retreated to a subspace Alice had manifested. With the drink in hand, Alice wore a strained, twitchy smile.
"H-Hooh... heart-shaped straws? They certainly don't cut corners, do they? T-That’s quite the intricate craftsmanship..."
"I mean, Alice... what’s with this subspace? Why is there a whole cafe here?"
Within the pocket dimension she’d crafted stood an elegant building—a chic, sophisticated cafe that looked like it belonged on the streets of Aoyama.
I figured a table and chairs would have sufficed. Was there really a need to go through the trouble of manifesting an entire cafe just for this?
"Haaah..."
"Wait, what was that? Why are you giving me that 'this guy just doesn't get it' look?"
"Honestly, you really don't get it, do you?"
"And she actually said it out loud."
It seemed my question was incredibly far off the mark for Alice. After making a face that showed her utter exasperation, she fixed me with a sharp glare.
"It’s common sense! You’re supposed to drink beverages like this while sitting at a terrace table in a stylish cafe!"
"...O-Oh..."
There she went again with the over-the-top clichés. I’d suspected it for a while, but Alice was surprisingly particular about the setting—even if her preferences were always the most standard tropes you’d find in a shoujo manga.
"Still, it’s all so... stereotypical. A bit cliché, don't you think?"
"Hah? Don't you dare look down on this. I've said it before, but I'm a card-carrying member of the Romance Ponkotsu brigade. I'm a Romance Bottom-tier, spineless woman who's spent hundreds of thousands of years wallowing in her own maidenhood! Of course I’m going to cling to the tropes! Isn't that obvious?!"
"Why are you acting so intimidating while saying something so pathetic...?"
Wryly smiling at Alice's usual strange intensity, we moved to the terrace seating. We sat across from one another and placed the drink in the center of the table.
The table was on the smaller side—likely adjusted specifically for this occasion—so there was no issue sharing the drink together. Well, physically at least. Alice's mental state was a different story.
"...Well then, shall we?"
"Wait a moment!"
"Hmm?"
"I-I still need to do my mental preparation, spiritual concentration, and a dozen other things! Don't worry, I've got a status preservation spell on it, so it won't get warm!"
"...I mean, we can go whenever you're ready, but is this really something you need to be so defensive about? We've even kissed before, you know."
"Don't you feel like a kiss and this sort of thing have a completely different vector of embarrassment?! It’s like... you know... that ticklish, sweet-and-sour feeling... You know what I'm talking about, right?"
Hmm. I felt like I kind of understood... but then again, I also kind of didn't.
I waited for a while until Alice finally nodded, her expression suggesting she had steeled her resolve.
"Alright, I-I'm ready! Let's do this!"
"Look, it really isn't the kind of thing that requires this much determination... but fine. Wait a second."
"Hmm? What now?"
"Since we’ve gone to the trouble of sitting face-to-face like this, wouldn't it be better if you took off your mask?"
"Hah!?"
At my sudden suggestion, Alice was visibly overcome by shock and agitation.
"N-No, no, Kaito-san... T-That’s, well... the hurdle is a bit high for that. My hard-earned mental preparation is already starting to waver..."
"There’s nobody else here, so shouldn't that make it less embarrassing?"
"I'm saying it's embarrassing because you’re looking at me, Kaito-san! Y-You're trying to make me expose my secrets, then you're going to devour me with your eyes just to humiliate me, aren't you?!"
"Watch your phrasing!"
She wasn't exactly wrong—the core of what she said held some truth—but the way she put it was bound to be terribly misunderstood. I felt truly grateful that we were alone in this subspace.
"...Haaah. Look, I just simply wanted to see you without the mask, Alice. I’m not going to force you, so don't worry about it."
"Hau... guuh..."
"Well then, let's just drink—"
"...I'll do it."
"Hmm?"
"I-I mean... if you want to see me that badly, then... I'll take it off."
Muttering shyly in a tiny voice, Alice removed her mask and placed it on the table. She often joked about being a Transcendent Beautiful Girl, but Alice truly was one. Seeing her with her mask off like this, I couldn't help but feel she was genuinely lovely.
Alice shifted restlessly, looking like she couldn't settle down. Then, as if trying to forcibly clear the air, she spoke up with a mischievous, teasing smile.
"Ah~ Kaito-san, I bet you're looking at the maskless Pretty Alice-chan and thinking about how beautiful I am, aren't you?"
"...Yeah. That’s exactly what I was thinking."
"Hawah!? Aeh? A-Ah, t-that... umm..."
"Actually, never mind. Let's just drink, shall we?"
"...Yes."
The mood had turned awkward in a strange way. Because she had tried to deflect with a joke only for me to agree sincerely, a delicate, bashful tension hung between us.
We sat across from each other and shared the drink, but perhaps because I’d become overly conscious of her... I found myself feeling a bit embarrassed too.
Machina: "Yes. Just as expected of Alice. She's so weak when it comes to my beloved child. It's quite cute, isn't it!"