Are You Alice? 3

Pg1
Side text: How the story started…

Sitting beside her older sister on top of the hill, Alice was doing nothing and feeling bored. All of a sudden, a white rabbit with pink eyes came running in her direction. Upon witnessing the rabbit take a pocket watch out from a pocket in its waist coat, check the time and hurry away, Alice started to her feet. It had flashed across her mind that she had never before seen something so curious. She ran across the field after it and saw the rabbit pop down a large rabbit-hole on the opposite side of the hedge.

TL Note: Some parts taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Pg 2
In another moment, down went Alice after it──

Queen of Hearts:
This is an order, Alice.

Pg 3
Queen of Hearts:
Kill the White Rabbit.

Pg 4
«Alice»:
The condition that I have to fulfill in order to become Alice…

«Alice»:
Uh.

«Alice»:
The condition that I have to fulfill in order to become Alice of Wonderland…

«Alice»:
is to “Kill the White Rabbit.”

«Alice»:
It’s not that I want to become Alice.
It’s not that I’m Alice.
It’s just that I….

Pg 5
Cheshire Cat:
──Alice

«Alice»:
It’s just that…

«Alice»:
that name is the only thing I know.

«Alice»:
I don’t understand why or how this came about but…

«Alice»:
that name is all that I have right now.

«Alice»:
When I came to Wonderland, I was ‘empty’.

«Alice»:
No one bothered to acknowledge my existence so…because of that…

Pg 6
«Alice»:
Say, I wonder if it’d be here.

«Alice»:
What I’m…

Queen of Hearts:
Do you intend to shoot me through the heart using that gun of yours?

«Alice»:
Uh.

SFX: Gasha. (*clank*)

Pg 7
«Alice»:
Ah──

Queen of Hearts:
Heh…

SFX: Kacha. (*clatter*)

SFX: Su. (*slide*)

«Alice»:
Uh.

Queen of Hearts:
There is no need to feel threatened. Anyone would have their fears at the beginning.

Pg 8
Queen of Hearts:
But if you give in to that fear, you will be unable…

Queen of Hearts:
to find anything at all.

SFX: Kotsu Kotsu. (*walking away slowly*)

Queen of Hearts:
I assume that you know of the Miren.

Queen of Hearts:
The foolish beings who cling to their past.

Queen of Hearts:
That is why the inhabitants of Wonderland tremendously hate looking back and do not look back on their past.

Pg 9
Queen of Hearts:
Things that are broken will remain broken.

Queen of Hearts:
No one knows how to fix them.

SFX: Pachin. (*snapping/ominous sounds*)

«Alice»:
Urgh…!?

Pg 10
Queen of Hearts:
Those who have failed to become Alice of Wonderland...

Queen of Hearts:
are now girls who lack even their names.

Queen of Hearts:
Even now, those girls still cling to the name «Alice» and continue to stay in Wonderland.

«Alice»:
Miren….

«Alice»:
so those things were once Alice….

Girl:
Return Alice to me!

Queen of Hearts:
That is right.

Queen of Hearts:
And you are the “89th” Alice. You know, I was really looking forward to your arrival.

Queen of Hearts:
I believe that you will be able to become Alice of Wonderland.

Pg 11
«Alice»:
I see…

«Alice»:
I bet you say the same thing to all the other Alices.

Queen of Hearts:
You’re the only one now.

SFX: Gasha (*clank*)

Pg 12
«Alice»:
Don’t screw around with me.

«Alice»:
I’m not a tool that can be used and tossed aside.

«Alice»:
For a purpose like this….

«Alice»:
I DIDN’T COME TO WONDERLAND JUST SO I COULD KILL SOMEONE!

Pg 13
SFX: Za (*heavy sound of something pouring down*)

Pg 14
Girl:
But

Girl:
you want it, don’t you?

Girl:
A name.

«Alice»:
Urgh.

Girl:
Then,

Girl:
Why not just take it?

«Alice»:
Stop…

«Alice»:
Stop it ── !

Girl:
You want to become Alice,

Girl:
…don’t you?

Pg 15
Girl:
Kill me and become happy.

Pg 16
«Alice»:
Say, I wonder if it would be here. What I’m searching for…

«Alice»:
What I’m searching for…what I’ve always been longing for.

«Alice»:
What I’ve always, always, inevitably been wanting since the time I was born.

«Alice»:
My name…what is it?

Pg 17
«Alice»:
STOP IT!

SFX: Pan. (*bang*)

Pg 18
SFX: Bara. (*crack*)

Queen of Hearts:
I’m fine.

«Alice»:
Ha…

«Alice»:
Haa….

«Alice»:
Haa…. (*panting*)

Queen of Hearts:
Alice.

Queen of Hearts:
Just as I thought, you are amusing.

Queen of Hearts:
Out of all the Alices who have been brought to Wonderland up until now,

Queen of Hearts:
you just might be the one who has the most aptitude for killing.

«Alice»:
I…

«Alice»:
Haa…

Pg 19
SFX: Su. (*slide*)

«Alice»:
The wound vanished…?

Queen of Hearts:
…oh yes, that’s right. I forgot to mention something.

Queen of Hearts:
In this country, you cannot kill others as you please.

Queen of Hearts:
However, through the use of the power that a name carries, it has become possible to kill specific people.

Queen of Hearts:
For example, the Queen of Hearts…

Pg 20
Queen of Hearts.
…is able to behead

Queen of Hearts:
those who defy her.

SFX: Pi. (*slashing motion*)

«Alice»:
Uh.

Queen of Hearts:
Let us speak of something much simpler.

Queen of Hearts:
You cannot kill me.

Queen of Hearts:
But I can kill you.

SFX: Kotsu. Kotsu. (*walking slowly and surely*)

Queen of Hearts:
That is if of course, you do not obey my orders.

Pg 21
Queen of Hearts:
«Alice can kill the white rabbit. »

Queen of Hearts:
In exchange, «Alice cannot kill anyone else other than the White Rabbit. »

Queen of Hearts:
These are the rules given to you.

Queen of Hearts:
….If you think it’s all a lie,

Queen of Hearts:
you are welcome to test it out again.

Mad Hatter:
Even if there had been bullets in that gun, you might not have necessarily been able to kill me.

«Alice»:
I think I’ll pass.

«Alice»:
Sigh…

Pg 22
«Alice»:
I understand.

«Alice»:
Everything will be in accordance to your will.

«Alice»:
But before that, may I request something of you?

Queen of Hearts:
Hm?

«Alice»:
Queen of Hearts,

«Alice»:
Please give me benefits from killing the White Rabbit.

Pg 23
Queen of Hearts:
Benefits?

«Alice»:
Let’s make a ‘bargain’.

«Alice»:
Alright?

«Alice»:
I’ll comply with your order under the condition that at the very least,

«Alice»:
you’ll guarantee my safety and approve of my status to live as I please in this country

«Alice»:
after I kill the White Rabbit.

«Alice»:
If you give me a raison d’etre that will never cease to exist,

«Alice»:
I’ll be Alice.

Pg 24
Queen of Hearts:
…is that what you are searching for?

Small text: Heh.

«Alice»:
If you refuse…

«Alice»:
I’ll blow out my brains here right now and die.

SFX: Gachi. (*click*)

Queen of Hearts:
──indeed, suicide is up to one’s own individual liberty.

Queen of Hearts:
It cannot be bound by any rule.

Queen of Hearts:
Then it’s a deal.

Queen of Hearts:
Alice.

Pg 25
Hatter:
Yo.

Hatter:
What’s important is that nothing happened to you.

«Alice»:
…You. You knew what was going to happen.

Hatter:
Ah yes. Because it was an order.

Hatter:
For me to take Alice to the Queen.

«Alice»:
I see. You’ve been trained rather well, Assassin-of-the-Queen.

Hatter:
It’s the Hatter.

«Alice»:
It makes no difference.

TL Note: 帽子屋 – Hatter. 殺し屋 – Assassin.

Queen of Hearts:
You will work together with the Mad Hatter.

Pg 26
Queen of Hearts:
Without a doubt, he will become your good partner.

Queen of Hearts:
He can kill those who direct any animosity towards Alice.

«Alice»:
…that’s why this time you forced him to leave the room, isn’t that right?

«Alice»:
So.

«Alice»:
In short,

«Alice»:
all I have to do is kill that White Rabbit, isn’t it?

«Alice»:
Just watch me do it.

«Alice»:
Then this time, I’ll be able to live the way I want to in this country.

Pg 27
«Alice»:
Speaking of which, I’ll definitely have to get a written contract made over that issue.

Hatter:
A written contract….hey, wait.

Hatter:
Just what did you discuss with the Queen?

«Alice»:
Huh?

«Alice»:
You're asking me?

«Alice»:
It was an order by the Queen, wasn’t it?

«Alice»:
Your beloved Queen.

Hatter:
I must say,

Hatter:
you’re quite an impressive Alice.

Hatter:
It’s six o’clock.

Hatter:
Let’s head back.

Hatter:
We won’t be able to make it in time for the tea party.

SFX: Ko. (*slowly*)

Hatter:
My, my.

Hatter:
I’m going to have to take back what I said earlier.

Pg 28
Hatter:
The kind of person whom you are…

Hatter:
I’m starting to take some interest in that.

«Alice»:
That’s rather unsurprising.

«Alice»:
After all, I am Alice of Wonderland.

Pg 29
SFX: Goonn. Goon. (*toll of a bell*)

Queen of Hearts:
Hey, Jack.

Queen of Hearts:
Don’t you think he’s really an amusing boy?

Queen of Hearts:
Faced with death, he didn’t even flinch.

Queen of Hearts
I don’t think any other Alice has ever made a bargain with me.

Pg 30
Queen of Hearts:
No….

Queen of Hearts:
Perhaps he might not be Alice.

Queen of Hearts:
I’ll be looking forward to what happens from now on.

Queen of Hearts:
I really will be.

Girl:
My name.

Girl:
My name.

Girl:
Don’t take it away.

Girl:
My raison d’etre.

Girl:
Don’t take it away.

Pg 31
Hatter:
Alice.

SFX: GON. (*whack*)

«Alice»:
Ow!

Hatter:
If you look back unnecessarily,

Hatter:
You’ll get attacked by the Miren again.

SFX: Shuuu. (*rising anger*)

«Alice»:
Even if that’s the case, you shouldn’t just whack me!

«Alice»:
I’m Alice, mind you! Treat me with a little more courtesy!

Hatter:
In what way are you Alice?

«Alice»:
No matter how you look at it, I am Alice!

Girl:
Without a name,

Girl:
I’ll...

Girl
cease to exist.

Small text: Alice’s raison d’etre…