Title: 『不気味な青い落札者』(Eerie Blue Successful Bidder)
Summary:
The chapter starts with the MC being auctioned like all of the other
routes. She is sold for 20 billion yen (about 190,000,000 US dollars). The
Mad Hatter goes to retrieve her from the bird cage, but she is quite frightened
of him due to his appearance. As he finally coaxes her out of the cage, he
says, "I have finally found Alice" (『やっと見つけましたよ、アリス』) – a very
cryptic, but fitting, comment. She is of course quite confused as to why he
would call her that. She tries to argue with him about
being “Alice”, but he is clearly not listening to her refutation. Mr.
Ichinomiya tells him that he was selfish in his purchase before taking them to
the VIP balcony. In the balcony, the other playable characters are introduced. Mr.
Ichinomiya is on to the Mad Hatter, asking him if he intended on winning the
bid from the beginning. The Mad Hatter requests that she be the dedicated
housekeeper for the “tea room”. She is confused and rightly has no idea of the room's existence. Mr. Ichinomiya begrudgingly acquiesces to his request. She searches for help from
Mr. Ichinomiya but finds nothing but a scary stare, and the Mad Hatter drags
her off.
The Mad Hatter is cheerfully
humming and walking with a bounce in his stride as they descend into the
basement. She is still searching for help as they walk. She ponders her fate
and also wonders about the identity of the Mad Hatter. They finally arrive at
the “tea room”, and the Mad Hatter makes an exaggerated gesture as he opens the
door, referring to the room as “Wonderland” (不思議の国). She feels like she must be
dreaming as she looks around the odd room, noting the plants, sky, and of
course, the large dining table. She thinks she sees two large stuffed animals,
but she immediately jumps when they move. The Mad Hatter refers to the two men
in the costumes as the Dormouse and the March Hare. The two men say very
little. He goes on to tell the MC that he was a prisoner of love from the first
moment he saw her (『一目見た瞬間私アナタの恋の虜』). As he looks at her, she notes that the
blue color of his eyes are obviously fake. He goes on to explain that he has
been looking for “Alice” for a long time. He holds her hand as he says these
things, but she cannot feel any warmth through his glove. He continues telling
her about how it is fate that they met.
She then notices a fluffy cat that
is definitely real. The Mad Hatter begins talking in riddles and poetry. He
soon hands her the cat, and she observes that the cat is very heavy. He tells
her that the cat’s name is “Cheshire” and wants her to introduce herself. The Dormouse and
March Hare then excuse themselves for the night, leaving her alone with the Mad
Hatter. She smells something sweet as he hugs her from behind. He shows her the
door to her room and bids her goodnight before entering his own room. She
ponders her fate once more as the story ends.
My commentary:
They definitely set the Mad
Hatter as a creepy character right away. From the description of his appearance
to his words and actions, I think he is thoroughly weird. Although from early
on, you can tell that he does indeed have a human heart. He does seem to feel
somewhat sad for “Alice” and her predicament. At the moment, there is
absolutely no explanation for why he is so strange and there is no hint as to
his true identity. He seems to have scrupulously created his own “Wonderland”
and relishes in it. To me, it’s hard to tell whether or not he’s serious about
anything he says, including that he was a “prisoner of love” when he first saw
the MC.
Songs to
listen to while reading this chapter:
“Straight Jacket Fashion” by Chevelle
"Out of Control” by Hoobastank
“Straight Jacket Fashion” by Chevelle
"Out of Control” by Hoobastank
