Reversal

[The tail end of summer still carried warmth. It was just another ordinary day. You walked out of the library, and the sky had already dimmed. Thinking of the rumors you’d heard, a trace of fear surfaced in your heart.]

[You saw that girl again. She stood beside a cluster of blue balloon flowers with a book in her hand—like a dull, gray pebble: withdrawn, strange. And yet, you still chose to greet her.]

[“Good afternoon, Chloe.”]

[But she didn’t respond. She never had. No matter how many accidental encounters there were, she had never once replied. Every time you got close, she would quickly walk away.]

[Most of the time, she only gave you a distant and unfamiliar look.]

[You had grown used to this. But this time, something was different—Chloe actually responded. For the first time.]

[“Why do you greet me every time we meet?” Her voice was calm, as if she were idly mentioning something trivial.]

[You were pleasantly surprised and blurted out without thinking: “Because we’re classmates.” Then you smiled. “I’ve always wanted to get to know you, Chloe. But… it feels like you don’t really like me.”]

[She froze. For the first time, a trace of confusion appeared in her dark eyes.]

[After a long silence, she said slowly, “You shouldn’t think that way.”]

[Since that day, you never saw her again—no matter how hard you looked.]

[One day, you found a letter on your desk. There was no name on it. You opened it and found… a blank sheet of paper.]

[A week later, a huge piece of news broke out in the academy—a girl had jumped to her death.]

[The incident quickly became the talk of the school, spawning countless rumors. The most widely spread version said the girl suffered from severe depression and chose to end her life due to relentless bullying.]

[Eventually, the news faded from people’s memories. The weather turned cold. Once again, you walked out of the library and happened to glance at that cluster of balloon flowers—now withered.]

[Congratulations, player. You’ve unlocked the ending—The Erased End of Summer.]

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In the Alice Academy route, Chloe is the character the player interacts with the least. Just a few chance encounters, and a final short conversation.

And yet, she’s the one that leaves players with the deepest regret.

It was strange—Wang Ning hadn’t interacted with her much at all, but upon seeing her ending, she always felt like her heart had been tightly wrapped with duct tape—sticky, heavy, suffocating. A strange sense of panic would creep in for no reason.

Damn those sadistic game developers. How dare they hurt my precious daughter?! This is a blood feud!

Wang Ning internally dragged the game devs out for a good metaphorical beating, though her expression remained calm. She kept her concerned eyes fixed on Chloe and patiently held out her hand.

Chloe pressed her lips together, ignored the offered hand, and struggled to get up on her own. But Sofia had clearly stomped her with real force—just as she stood, her body gave out, and she toppled.

Wang Ning reflexively caught her.

The girl in her arms was frighteningly thin—Wang Ning almost thought she was touching bones. Her short, ashen-white curls brushed past her neck, exposing her delicate collarbone. Chloe tried to push herself away—unsuccessfully.

Wang Ning: !

Yes! Finally, a female lead whose strength is weaker than mine!

This is how normal human strength should be!

Wait, no, Wang Ning—this means you’ve grown stronger!

Wang Ning was flooded with a subtle joy, like her power stats had just surged upward.

Standing nearby, Sofia was still itching to express her anger toward Wang Ning. She stormed over and snapped, “Ning… Wang Ning, would you mind handing this thief over to me?”

Onlookers: “Whoa, such a gentle tone.”

Sofia’s face stiffened. Trying to hold her ground, she added, “Or at least have her return my meal card.”

Wang Ning turned to Chloe and asked, “Did you take her meal card?”

Chloe: “……”

Sofia: “See? She’s silent! That means she’s guilty! You thief!”

And then she saw the white-haired girl lift her gaze. Her clear blue eyes looked back at her seriously, making Sofia momentarily dazed.

Wang Ning said, “Could you check your pocket one more time?”

Sofia instinctively reached for her uniform’s chest pocket—and her face froze.

Wang Ning: “Did you find it?”

Sofia didn’t respond. She silently pulled something out—it was her meal card.

Onlookers: “Whoa!” A total reversal!

“How did you know her card was in her pocket?!” someone exclaimed, echoing the thoughts of the crowd.

Wang Ning smiled and replied, “I just guessed. Our school’s meal cards have a texture very similar to uniform fabric.”

No one knew what material Alice Academy’s meal cards were made of, but when you slipped them into your pocket, they clung so tightly to the lining that it was easy to mistake them for part of the fabric.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “I can vouch! I’ve made that mistake so many times! I’ve probably gone through over ten replacement cards!”

Their friend standing next to them muttered, “That’s not a fabric issue. You’re just forgetful.”

Seeing how the situation had reversed, Sofia realized she may have seriously misjudged Chloe. But she still couldn’t resist saying, “If you didn’t steal it, why’d you run? I called out to you and you didn’t even stop.”

Wang Ning was also curious and looked over at her.

Facing all the curious eyes, Chloe muttered flatly:

“…I felt like running, so I ran.