The next day, in the afternoon.
Inside a private room at a Western restaurant in Rong City.
"Aurora, my dear."
"You must answer the following questions truthfully. This will determine our next arrangements."
"Mmm... m-hm." Aurora nodded obediently and dutifully.
"First question: Last night, which Alice were you exactly?"
A brief silence.
Aurora thought for a moment, then softly said:
"How should I put it...? It was a strange feeling, like I was split into two people. Both of them were me, and I had two identical sets of memories during that time."
"I see. Then, second question."
Su Tianqing composed herself and said,
"If the black Alice is you, do you possess the Ripper's memories?"
"(Shakes head)"
Aurora shook her head.
"The black me... I only felt her existence last night."
"I cannot communicate with that evil spirit—oh, no, I should call him the Ripper."
"Unless I see it directly, I cannot detect its presence, let alone its memories."
"Is that so...? A Star Shadow born from the chaotic and disordered Monster magic is truly a miracle among the stars." Su Tianqing murmured to herself.
According to the conclusions of magic analysis, the Ripper's magic was extremely chaotic, so chaotic that it made her wonder why it even gathered to form a Monster.
However, the magic characteristics of the two Alices were highly consistent, both possessing the typical traits of a Magic Girl, entirely different from the Ripper.
That provided ample reason to believe that the black Alice was newly born yesterday.
...But could such a thing truly happen? Was it related to her beliefs and will?
Su Tianqing recalled the brief, intense battle between Alice and the Ripper.
This was the only variable that led to the appearance of the black Alice.
The battle lasted only a short time, just over a dozen rounds, and there was no special dialogue between Alice and the Ripper.
Most of it consisted of onomatopoeic words like "Hmph!" and "Ugh!"
If there was anything special... it might have been Alice's declaration before the fight began:
【I will defeat you! I am no longer afraid of you!】
A line with a very protagonist-like aura.
"Actually, it was because the atmosphere seemed just right at the time, so I... I just tried shouting a line from an anime..."
"It's alright, it was very cool." Su Tianqing said with a smile.
Aurora was a little shy, grabbing a cushion nearby to cover her flushed cheeks.
After a brief pause, the girl recovered a little from her shyness, put down the cushion, lowered her head, and whispered softly:
"...Tianqing Jie."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"I once believed that I was Jack the Ripper."
"I could only watch helplessly as the Ripper attacked innocent people, and I was powerless."
Su Tianqing didn't respond, silently acting as a listener.
"I originally thought that if I became stronger and defeated that evil spirit, I could completely eliminate it and completely escape its influence."
"It wasn't until after I defeated the Ripper that I realized... I still hadn't emerged from the shadows of the past."
"I am still the person I was in the past, and even... those past events have even become a second me, as if mocking everything I am doing now..."
Aurora said, looking down at the tips of her shoes, gently clenching her fists.
"...Tianqing Jie, I want to do something."
"Those people who died from the Ripper's indiscriminate attacks... I want to do something for them."
"I want to protect everyone like a Magic Girl... But, but I..."
"I seem to be unable to do anything... I cannot make up for all of this, I even... I cannot even make up for my past mistakes..."
Silence.
Su Tianqing paused for a moment, then said softly:
"You have already done more than enough, Aurora, my dear."
"Moreover, you need not worry about your past. That is a part of you."
"It is precisely because of who you were in the past that you are a complete person, and can become a complete Aurora."
"What's more, you are also a victim of the Ripper. If you easily attribute the terrible disaster created by the Monster to yourself, it will only bring more suffering."
"If you truly want to do something for people, why not start now?"
Su Tianqing stood up, opened her arms to Aurora, and offered her the flat embrace of the Golden Fox.
"Protecting everything you cherish, bringing smiles and cheers to people—these are things only you, as a Magic Girl, can do."
Aurora blinked, as if understanding something.
...
Evening.
Southern Rong City, Second-Tier District Citizen Center.
Hyacinth stood expressionlessly on the flagstone path, intently staring at the two petite girls with identical faces in front of her.
The black Alice frowned slightly, her eyebrows lowered.
The golden Alice gripped her magic wand, stepped forward, and respectfully greeted Hyacinth:
"M-Miss Hyacinth, good evening! I'll be relying on you today, please guide me!"
"...Good evening."
Hyacinth responded politely, then looked up at the Golden-haired Fox Girl leisurely humming a song on a nearby rooftop, and said:
"Hey, Xin Yuehu, did you trick me into coming here just to spar with Alice?"
"What are you saying, Miss Hyacinth? How can you call it a trick?"
The Golden Fox said with a smile,
"I very sincerely invited you to the Citizen Center to play, and besides, Miss Hyacinth, didn't you also faithfully come~?"
"Tsk..."
Hyacinth pouted, then turned to look at the two Alices in front of her, feeling a little tricky.
Not long ago, she received a request from the Hero Association, saying that Xin Yuehu had occupied the Citizen Center and requested Hyacinth herself to come "play together."
Furthermore, no other Magic Girls were allowed to be present, and Xin Yuehu promised that Hyacinth would not be harmed.
"Not get me hurt? You believe what that fox says?" Hyacinth had grumbled to Iris and the others.
But there was no choice. Xin Yuehu had the Citizen Center building as a hostage. If she didn't go, the next day she would only see the ruins of the building crushed into a fox carrot.
Hyacinth had thought of at least eight possible scenarios she might encounter on the way.
These included, but were not limited to, being chased by Hellcat upon landing, being double-teamed by Hellcat and Cheshire Rabbit, or facing an endless series of battles against Hellcat, Cheshire Rabbit, and the Zodiac Witch.
She even considered being pulled into a Mindscape World and being transformed by magic into a Hellish scene of 【Hyacinth Brand Super Durable Sandbag】.
But she never expected to be used as Alice's sparring partner.
"Can you explain why there are two identical Alices?"
"Well... just think of it as Alice's special ability~"
Xin Yuehu didn't explain much, and Hyacinth didn't think too deeply about it.
Don't ask, just assume it's magic.
"Since Miss Hyacinth has no objections..."
"Alice, begin."
As soon as she finished speaking, the black girl instantly moved forward, her long sword thrusting out, which was easily parried by Hyacinth's greatsword.
The sky-blue Magic Girl revealed half her face from behind the greatsword, her eyes sharp.
A fierce battle was about to erupt.
Alice charged bravely, Alice's momentum remained strong, Alice gradually showed signs of weakness, Alice was knocked back and fell.
Hyacinth finally felt the satisfaction of "winning a fight."
The Fox Girl and Cat Girl stood on the rooftop, overlooking the crushing battle on the ground.
There's still a long way to go, Alice. Su Tianqing thought to herself.
