"So, you're saying… you got stuck in there for who knows how long, and you and Riley had to work really hard just to defeat the boss monster inside?"
Lorraine raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed, clearly not entirely convinced.
Alice, sitting across from her with a warm drink in her hands and a plate of freshly toasted bread and jam in front of her, offered a sheepish smile.
"Well… sothing of that sort~"
"Hmmm…"
The two of them had finally settled down after their emotional reunion, taking a table near the edge of the café's second-floor balcony.
The morning sun had climbed higher by now, casting soft light through the slightly gray clouds, and the quiet hum of other early patrons provided a calming background.
Alice had ordered a light breakfast—nothing too fancy, just sothing warm and simple—and between sips of her drink and bites of food, she had begun recounting everything she could about what had happened.
Or rather, everything she could say.
She left out the finer, more impossible details: the godlike entity that had distorted reality, the twisted dinsional world they'd been trapped in, the near-apocalyptic events she and Riley had narrowly prevented.
She wrapped the truth in half-lies and vagueness—ntioning only that she and Riley had fallen into a high-level dungeon rift and had spent weeks trying to survive, fighting their way to freedom, eventually defeating a powerful boss-level monster at the end.
It wasn't false, per se.
Just... safer.
But Lorraine had known her long enough to see through the gloss.
"Y-You don't trust ?" Alice asked.
"What? No, it's not that..." Lorraine said as she sat up straighter. "It's not exactly a matter of trust, it's just… well, how would I even begin to just causally accept all of that without being absolutely dense?"
"B-But it's true..."
Lorraine leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, eyes sharp.
"Then look in the eyes when saying it."
"Eh?" Alice flinched.
"Co on. Look in the eyes and tell that's all that happened."
Alice hesitated. Her gaze wavered for a second.
"Is that really necessary?" she asked, voice small.
"No, maybe not. But lying isn't exactly a good thing either, Alice. Especially not between friends."
Alice's shoulders dropped slightly. Her fingers curled tighter around her cup.
"I'm sorry…"
"There you go again," Lorraine sighed, brushing so of her hair behind her ear. "Apologizing like you're always in trouble."
Alice lowered her gaze, guilt tugging at her features.
"But," Lorraine continued, her tone softening, "at least I know it's really you. You're definitely the real Alice, alright. I didn't an it in a bad way. Let's just say… it's objectively disappointing. That's all."
Alice peeked up at her, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"Don't feel too down about it. I know you probably have your reasons—and I'm slowly getting used to that, I guess." Lorraine smiled faintly. "I'm just… glad you've returned. Safe and sound."
Alice stared at her for a second before giving a small smile in return, warm and genuine.
"Thanks, Lorraine."
Lorraine raised her cup slightly. "Here's to you not disappearing again, yeah?"
Alice chuckled and clinked her cup against Lorraine's. "I'll do my best."
Alice smiled quietly at Lorraine's words. It really had been a long ti, but sohow… nothing had changed.
Lorraine was still the sa—blunt, sincere, and full of teasing remarks that masked how deeply she cared. It was strange how easily they slipped back into old rhythms, as if no ti had passed at all.
It was a mystery, really—how Lorraine had always managed to put up with her nonsense over the years. Alice had never quite understood it.
Even when she'd been a naïve, starry-eyed girl with no real understanding of the world or how to trust others, Lorraine had stuck by her.
She was one of the few people Alice genuinely and deeply appreciated—without her, she might never have learned what true friendship actually ant.
"I'm glad you haven't changed, Lorraine," Alice said softly, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
Lorraine tilted her head, raising a brow with playful suspicion.
"Was that supposed to be a complint?"
Alice blinked, then gave a sheepish laugh. "Of course it is!"
"Really?" Lorraine leaned back with a dramatic sigh. "Because it kinda feels like an insult?"
"No, it's not, really!" Alice waved her hands defensively. "I ant it in the best way possible!"
Lorraine chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee. "Relax, I'm just ssing with you. But still… saying you're glad I haven't changed might not be all that great, you know?"
Alice tilted her head in confusion. "Why not?"
Lorraine gave a dry laugh.
"Because my love life hasn't changed either. It's been the sa train wreck since the beginning of our school years. Boys just co and go—fluttering around like moths to a fla and vanishing just as quickly."
She sighed, leaning her cheek into her palm.
"Haah… Why can't I find true love like you, Alice?"
"T-That's—" Alice blushed imdiately, flustered.
"You don't have to answer," Lorraine said with a small smirk, eyes still on her cup. "I have a feeling I might just hurt myself even more if you do."
Alice bit her lip, unsure how to respond.
"That aside…" Lorraine's tone shifted slightly, her gaze now narrowing thoughtfully at Alice. "I think you're the one who's changed a little."
Alice blinked. "What do you an?"
"You feel more... mature, sohow," Lorraine said, eyeing her curiously. "Not just older, but like… sothing in you settled. Did sothing good happen with Riley, perhaps?"
She added the last part with a mischievous grin, clearly fishing.
"That's—well—" Alice stumbled over her words, the flush on her face deepening. "There's… quite a few things, actually…"
"There is!?" Lorraine leaned forward, eyes sparkling with intrigue. "Wait, wait—hold on. Quite a few? I thought you'd give the usual 'it's complicated' and brush it off like always!"
Alice looked away, suddenly very interested in the pattern on her cup. "It's… not sothing I can sum up in a sentence…"
"Is that so?" Lorraine humd, smirking. "Now I really want to know what happened while you were gone."
"I… I can't really put it into full detail," Alice stamred, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "B-But let's just say Riley and I have… gotten close enough to be really comfortable with each other…"
Lorraine's brows lifted in slow delight, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes. "Ho~? How comfortable are we talking here~?"
Alice turned crimson almost instantly. "J-Just enough… to—to touch each other openly, I guess?"
Her voice had dropped to a whisper by the end of that sentence, as if speaking too loudly would sohow make it worse.
She glanced around nervously before adding, "A-Anyway! W-We shouldn't really be talking about this stuff here and now, right? I can tell you everything later… sowhere private…"
Lorraine leaned back, grinning like a cat who'd found the cream. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, you know that?"
"I'm not…" Alice mumbled, hiding her face behind her hands.
"You are~ But hey," Lorraine said with a softer smile now, "I'm glad you made so progress, at least. Ever since you told about accepting that casual shotgun proposal from Riley, I was genuinely worried. I thought you were going to end up as the last one in line in his so-called harem."
"Sh-Shotgun proposal makes it sound so exaggerated," Alice muttered, peeking through her fingers.
"Is it not?" Lorraine laughed, placing a hand over her heart dramatically. "Still, I guess I don't have to worry now. Looks like my cute, innocent Alice is finally growing up and stepping into adulthood. How… saddening."
She gave a mock sob, dabbing her eyes with a napkin.
"C-Co on, it's not that serious!" Alice protested, but couldn't stop the shy smile from creeping up.
"Oh, but it is," Lorraine said theatrically, slumping against her chair as if the weight of realization had crushed her. "The young bird I've always carefully watched is about to properly leave her innocent little nest… I'm both proud and disappointed at the sa ti."
She glanced at Alice with a warm grin before adding, "Although I may not be much of an expert when it cos to love—considering my track record—but if you ever need anything, anything at all about romance or relationships, I'm your girl. I may not be strong or powerful, but I'm pretty sure I can beat so sense into Riley if he ever treats you wrong."
"H-He wouldn't…!" Alice said quickly, then hesitated. "But… actually, there is sothing I wanted to ask you."
Lorraine raised a brow, leaning in with curiosity. "Oh? Are problems already brewing on the love battlefield?"
"No! Not at all!" Alice waved her hands frantically. "Everything's going great with Riley! It's just… the question is about sothing else entirely."
"Go on then~" Lorraine said with a teasing tone.
Alice hesitated, biting her lip.
Her eyes darted to the side, then back to Lorraine's, before she took a deep breath and asked, voice barely audible:
"…H-How can you tell if you're already pregnant or not?"
"...…"
"...…."
"…L-Lorraine?".
"...…"
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