Chapter 54: First Contact with Zero

The one who leaned over was none other than Alice’s master.

Iro gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her right hand and continued flipping through her book, ignoring her.

So… she finally came to approach me?

Iro knew this day would come.

But she still hadn’t figured out how to interact with this person.

She was used to keeping control of the situation.

For someone with unknown strength like this, there were too many uncertainties.

A double-edged sword like that—she didn’t think it was necessary to hold it yet.

Seeing that Iro ignored her, the little girl puffed up her cheeks in frustration.

She circled around the table, climbed up using both hands and feet, and leaned her small head right in front of Iro.

She waved her delicate hand in front of the book, trying to attract attention.

On her slender fingers were three plain silver rings without any decoration.

“Hey~ little Alice~”

“Don’t ignore me~ I know a ton about magical beasts!”

“Stop reading and look at me~”

Iro finally looked up at the pink-haired loli blinking her big eyes.

With a puzzled expression, she said,

“Are you talking to me?”

“Little sister, you’ve mistaken me. My name is Iro.”

After hearing that, the little girl stared at Iro for a while.

Her suspicious eyes shifted around twice before her expression suddenly turned aggrieved.

“My little Alice would never lie!!!”

“Waa… my cute little Alice has been tainted…”

???

Seeing tears welling up in the girl’s eyes, Iro felt her head start to ache.

She only wanted to test her attitude…

But this—Alice’s master seemed even harder to deal with than expected.

Her personality… was completely that of a willful child.

If she were truly just a child, it would be easier.

But she clearly wasn’t.

What should she do?

After thinking for a moment, Iro picked up her books and changed seats.

Ignore her.

If they couldn’t get along, no point in talking.

But the little girl refused to give up.

She followed Iro pitifully and sat across from her again.

After staring at her for a while, she suddenly brightened up, shaking her head happily.

Her pink side ponytail swayed like a cat toy.

“A naughty little Alice… seems pretty nice too~”

Then she leaned closer again with a grin.

“So, so, little Iro, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me!”

“I know everything. I even helped get all the books you’re holding.”

Seeing how persistent she was, Iro thought for a moment and said,

“I can be your friend, but first you have to tell me your name and age.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

The little girl immediately raised her arms excitedly.

“Zero! Sixteen years old!”

Iro snapped her book shut and stood up to leave.

But Zero grabbed her with both hands, anxiously asking,

“Hey, hey! Little Iro, why are you leaving?”

“I don’t like people who lie to me.”

Iro’s expression was blank.

Zero pouted, looking wronged.

“When did I lie!”

“Sixteen.”

Hearing this, Zero puffed up angrily.

“A girl’s age is always sixteen!”

“Then how old are you, little Iro?”

Iro paused.

For a moment, she felt that made… some sense.

She nodded.

“Fourteen.”

Zero giggled, then hooked her arm around Iro’s and pressed close, dragging her back to her seat like a spoiled child.

“You lied too, so we’re even!”

“No lies, no acquaintance—now we’re friends, right?”

Zero grinned widely, showing neat white teeth.

Honestly… it was hard to refuse.

After some more interaction and testing, Iro sensed no malice from Zero.

So she didn’t reject her invitation anymore.

After all, she had quite a few questions.

And from Alice’s memories, Zero seemed to know everything.

“Fine, I’ll reluctantly be your friend.”

Zero looked dissatisfied.

“Hey! Why reluctantly? Am I not cute enough?”

“Go on, ask whatever magical beast you want! I, Zero, will answer everything today!”

“Let me show you what a walking encyclopedia looks like!”

Full of energy, Zero jumped onto the table—

Only to be pushed back down by Iro.

Iro removed the fluffy white bracelet from her wrist.

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she placed it on the table.

Leaning closer, she whispered softly,

“Fire… fire…”

As if responding to her call, the bracelet instantly transformed back into its fluffy form.

Its fur puffed up in panic as it spun in circles, looking extremely cute and clueless.

“This one—what kind of magical beast is it?”

Iro asked, clearly satisfied with its reaction.

Zero had been looking quite confident at first.

But after seeing the fluffy creature spinning on the table, she frowned.

She leaned closer, examining it carefully.

Ignoring its struggle, she picked it up with two fingers, turned it around, and inspected it for a while before placing it back down.

She returned to her seat, crossed her arms, and lowered her head in deep thought.

“First time seeing it.”

“Its energy fluctuation is less than first rank.”

“It doesn’t seem to have any offensive ability… probably a harmless-type magical beast.”

“But!”

“There’s a very unpleasant aura on it…”

“What kind of aura is it!!!”

“Ugh! Why can’t I remember!!”

Zero clenched her fists tightly and started banging on the table in frustration.

Iro couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Afraid Zero might start rolling on the floor next, she quickly picked up the now-paralyzed fluffy creature and returned it to her wrist.

“It’s harmless, right? Just tell me when you remember.”

“I have another question.”

Hearing this, Zero instantly forgot her frustration.

She straightened up with a serious expression, as if heading into battle.

“Go ahead! This time I’ll give a perfect answer!!!”

It seemed she was still bothered by not recognizing the creature.

Iro thought for a moment before finally voicing her biggest question.

“On the Star Continent… is there any way to summon a soul from another world into someone else’s body?”

Over the past few days, she had searched through countless books.

But she still couldn’t find any answer about how she herself had entered Alice’s body.

So she had temporarily set it aside.

But now that Alice’s master was right in front of her, she didn’t want to miss this chance.

Even if it meant exposing something.

And as soon as Iro asked the question—

Zero’s expression changed.