Alice and Sick Ch.2: "The Large Hole"

When I opened my eyes, I was in a completely white room. "...Where is this?" Along with a sharp pain in my head, there was a strange sense of unease. "Ugh... it hurts..." I sat up slowly and looked around, but everything was white. Then, a sweet scent like pancakes and purple smoke appeared. The smoke took on a human shape, and a person materialized before me. 'Well, well, you're awake? Protagonist-san' "?!?!" "W-Who the hell are you?!" "Where am I?!" "Are you even human?!" The person speaking to me had a head of purple-toned clothing and cat ears on their head, with a long tail extending from their tailbone that stretched beyond their torso. Looking more carefully, I realized my own appearance was strange too. I was wearing formal clothes I'd never wear before, decorated with frills and a bow tie, with a white coat draped over it. And on my head was a red ribbon. "What kind of outfit is this..." 'Oooh, you're pretty panicked, aren't ya?' 'First, my apologies for the late introduction!' 'I'm the guide of this world! I'm the Cheshire Cat!' 'Nice to meet you, Protagonist-san' The Cheshire Cat... it was a name I'd heard before. Hmm, was this world modeled after Alice in Wonderland? And wait, protagonist...? "Protagonist? What's that supposed to mean?" 'That'd be you!' 'Well, basically you're Alice!' Alice...? Me...? "I'm a man, though...?" 'Gender doesn't matter here' 'Your name pretty much proves it, so go ahead and tell me your name.' "...My... name..." "It's Mashiro. Arisu-kawa Mashiro." "But I don't remember anything else." '...Huh?' The strange unease Mashiro had been feeling was because he only remembered his name and that he'd come here with someone else. He was feeling strange about his own memory loss. After a brief silence, the Cheshire Cat muttered quietly. 'The Queen might be able to fix it.' 'This situation of yours...' "...? What are you talking about?" 'Ah, it's nothing! Oh right, so your name's Mashiro, huh? Mind if I call you that?' "Fine with me." Calling him that stirred up a nostalgic feeling in Mashiro. 'Alright then, Mashiro, let's go!' "...Huh? How? There's nothing here. No doors, no windows, not even a desk." When Mashiro said that, the Cheshire Cat wished. Hard, so hard. Then, with a light pop sound, a door with a keyhole and a cute heart-shaped key appeared. "...Wow, impressive." 'Right?! Now we can get out of here!' He seemed delighted, flowers blooming around him with excitement. From a corner of my memory, there was a smile like that. "Have we met before?" '...Let's skip the small talk and head to the Queen's place.' I felt brushed off. Hmm, the type who doesn't want to be pried into... 'Come on, Mashiro, your hand!' Following his words, I held out my hand, and he placed the key in it. "...? Why'd you give it to me?" Mashiro didn't really understand. He could open it himself, so why do something pointless? Mashiro found it incomprehensible. '...Because this is your room, isn't it? And if I opened it, this world, or rather the story itself would break.' The Cheshire Cat said something meta. Even Mashiro, with his memory loss, understood that. 'Besides... I can't open it anyway? Here, let me borrow it for a second.' The Cheshire Cat held out his hand. He should've refused then. Mashiro reluctantly handed over the key he was holding as instructed. The Cheshire Cat tried to turn the key, but... It wouldn't turn. No matter how much force he applied, it wouldn't budge. The key looked like it might break before the door opened. Seeing this, Mashiro believed the Cheshire Cat was telling the truth, and he became the rightful owner of the key. When Mashiro turned it, there was a light clicking sound, and the door opened easily. "...It's bright." My eyes were struck by very intense light as I tried to exit through the door. _____________________________ From here, our hellish sickness of a personality began. _____________________________

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Alice and Sick Episode 2: "The Large Hole"