Clyde failed to shake away his distractions as Harumi beat him thrice with ease . She would've done so anyway, regardless of the young man's mind location .

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"You're terrible at this," Chika said . "Move . "

He moved to the next chair nearly automatically . The young man felt like he was missing something plain, dumb, and obvious . First, why in the h.e.l.l does Melody's charisma stat function like mind control . No game alive worked that way—neither did real life . Well, it did if one counted the media and politics, but Clyde doubted the redhead did any of the sort . Second, the way she demanded things in the beginning . Her att.i.tude . Mind controlling men to do her bidding . And why didn't Alice harm her? She sure as s.h.i.+t was ready to kill his friends but didn't so much as scratch Melody . Third, that sword . Blade of the Red Souls . His mind raced at thousand miles per hour as he wondered what a mere girl would be doing with a sword like that .

"Are you okay?" Harumi said . Clyde flinched at the pull back into reality .

"Sorry," he said . "Question . Do you any of you feel strange around Melody?"

Chika turned to glare at him .

"What are you getting at?" she asked .

Clyde couldn't put this off, not like a dumba.s.s main character . Those who said, "never mind," always end of regretting it . Besides, this mystery ate him up like a mosquito attack .

"Something's off with Melody," Clyde said and I'm going to figure this out . "Well, Alice is going to tell me . "

"Please tell me you're not going to waste your last summon," Chika said . "We may need that . "

"Oh, there's no need . She'll be here in about an hour with the cake . "

"That girl's got a sugar problem," Harumi said . "I'd like to force something healthy into her, but—"

"You're terrified of her?" Chika finished, distaste in her voice .

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"I don't know," Harumi said . "I mean she fought with us . She's good friends with Clyde, but I can't help but feel like she could just kill us any time, if ordered by her father . What if he compels her or something . "

"Pssh, my father has no control over me . "

Clyde, Harumi, and Chika nearly jumped out of their skins as Alice simply appeared, unconcerned look on her face . She placed a white box on the table, being careful not to shake the chess board . "I understand it's a human thing to be stuck in constant paranoia, but do not ever imply that I'll betray my Clyde or his friends . Ugh, especially for my sleezy father of all people . If had the power, I would've killed him myself and avenged Mother a long time ago . "

She turned a twinkling gaze on Clyde and spoke in an excited voice .

"I brought the kind you suggested . Red velvet . I can't wait to taste it . "

A moment of silence struck the room before everyone erupted into laughter at Alice's expense . The demoness looked confused .

"What?"

"You're just too cute," Clyde said . "I've never seen someone so happy for cake . "

"Pssh—Cake provides meaning to life," Alice said, folding her arms . "One day I'll write a book about the philosophy of sweets and how the body cannot live without them . "

"So, Alice, if you don't mind me asking, what can you tell me about Melody?" Clyde said .

Alice's eye twitched and her c.o.c.ky, but playful smile dropped .

"Who?"

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"Melody . The redhead we fought off the other day . She used mind-controlled dudes to attack us . Do you sense anything from her?"

"I…don't remember," Alice said, but Clyde could see through her lie a fish in clear water . Her eyes didn't meet his .

"You're a terrible liar," Clyde said . He almost reached out to pull her closer but decided against it at the last second . Somehow, he couldn't picture this going right at all with the yandere and Harumi glaring at him . "Alice, what aren't you telling me? I should've thought about it back then, but why didn't you go all bloodl.u.s.t devil-may-cry on Melody? She was clearly attacking us . "

Alice still didn't meet the young man's eyes .

"I told you, I don't remember . Now who wants cake?"

"Alice, please . This is important . "

Alice bit her lip, eyes meeting Clyde's, twinkling . Abruptly, she waved a hand .

The door locked, windows clicked, and the lights dimmed .

"I risk a great deal speaking of this," Alice said softly . "So, nothing leaves this room or you're dying with me . As much as I hate my father, there is one thing that not a single demon would cross him on and that's revealing his hidden eye, his eye which hides in plain sight . Melody, who's real name I can't speak, is a trickster . Daughter of the trickster demon G.o.d, who's name I won't speak as it would draw his attention here . I do not interfere with her, she does not with me . The other day, my attack was exclusively for the human puppets . To free them . "

Clyde's mouth went dry .

"Okay, what the f.u.c.k," he said . "So many questions . But I'll start with the one that's been gnawing at me . Why didn't she defend herself against the demon girl attackers yesterday? f.u.c.k, I'm so confused . I lost sleep over that . "

"She was there huh," Alice said . "And just happened to be gone when I arrived . The trickster played you like a fiddle . "

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"Why did those demons attack her? Isn't she a leader?"

"Melody, we'll keep calling her that," Alice said, "is pretty good at trickery, mind control and sometimes illusions . What you saw was exactly what she wanted . And she's the reason why my father's female troops have been s.e.x-crazed lately . But…there's no reason why you should run into her, right? So, you'll be fine . "

"Alice, she's a student at our school," Clyde said . "At least I think she is . "

Alice paled .

"You must stay away from her," the demoness said softly . "She's dangerous . She'll do anything for entertainment . Anything . Honestly, no one at home feels at ease with a Trickster bonded to my idiot father's service, especially as a favor from one of the most notorious demon trickster G.o.ds in existence . "

"Well, aren't we f.u.c.ked," Clyde said with a little anger in his voice .

"How'd you catch onto this?" Harumi said .

"Well for one, Melody slipped this morning," he replied . "I never once gave that girl my name . At least I don't remember doing so . " He explained the other deductions to the young women .

"Well, at least you're not tied to her, right?" Alice said . "No ties to her, no problems . "

Clyde said nothing .

"Right?" Alice's eye twitched .

Clyde said nothing . He also decided to leave out the "absolute endearment" relations.h.i.+p status with Melody, not that he'd explain system notifications to them . It reminded him of Selkie's relations.h.i.+p, "supreme neutrality . " Could this be an ent.i.ty-only thing? f.u.c.k, if only he knew!

"Clyde!"

"We swapped phone numbers earlier," he admitted . "And like some guilt-filled idiot, I told her if she needed anything, I'm her man . "

Rage briefly filled Alice's pink eyes . When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm .

"It could be worse," Alice said . "That's not an oath, but now she has an excuse to trouble you . "

Clyde shook his head .

"All of the trouble I went through to keep her from nightmarish tentacle abyss monsters and rapey monster girls… . was her doing the entire time . "

"I know it's a hard pill to swallow," Alice said . "As you humans would say, 'I call bulls.h.i.+t . ' But it's the truth . Her mind control ability isn't something a mere human can pick up and learn . The illusions she probably implanted, ones that would make her seem defenseless and weak—that's cla.s.sic trickster magic . "

"I really don't need this," Clyde said . "Is there anyway I can avoid her? Also, can you ward my apartment?"

Alice nodded .

"I can ward your place against all intruders, but it's going to cost a little of your spirit energy . "

"Okay, easy enough, let's get this over with," Clyde said .

"Come my Clyde, kiss me . Spirit energy can only be transferred by the lips . "

Alice looked at Harumi and Clyde . "This will be a great lesson for you humans . In case you pick up the skill one day . "

The bafflement in the eyes of the young women made Clyde's stomach drop . But now really wasn't the time to care for such trivial things .

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