Ariard~少年アリス~ Walkthrough: Prologue

Loveless here.

The first game I am going to present is Ariard~少年アリス~ since it is my most recently played game. Just looking at the title is enough to know that it is a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, though here the protagonist is male and they rarely mention it is a wonderland (instead they often call it The Underland or the Land Under - 地下の国), but of course there is a reason for that.

The story goes as this: Wonderland is in decline and in need of a new Queen before it is too late. The Queen is the only person who has a connection to the very core of the world, The World Tree. Through this connection the chosen King gains immeasurable power that enables him to shape the very world the way he wants. But when the current Queen falls ill to the corruption of her King, the sky turns red and the Underland becomes unstable.

When he was a young child Arisumi falls through one of the holes and finds himself in Wonderland, where he signs a contract to become the next Queen. Soon after that he returned to the World Above and forgets all about his experience. Now as he is in high school (which means 17 or 18 years old) he has to return once again and set the world right with the one he chooses to be his King.

Which means our characters are separated in two major groups – King Candidates and Others:

• ·         Alice/Arisumi/有純 – our beloved protagonist; just remove the –su and his name quickly becomes Alice, since in Japanese there is no L-sound, thus L is turned into R.

King Candidates are chosen by Alice when he first visits Wonderland:

Each King Candidate owns a diamond shaped bottle filled with a Drug which incorporates some of their Vigor. The Drug is a different colour depending on the Candidate (Red for White Rabbit, Blue for Mad Hatter, Purple for Cheshire Cat, Orange for D, Green for Caterpillar and Yellow for a mysterious sixth man).

• ·         White Rabbit/白兎 – the person who brings Alice back to Wonderland and the only one who actually owns a watch (even if it can’t measure time); he lives in a Rabbit Hole where he fights the Regret of various creatures who want to invade the Underland.
• ·         Mad Hatter/帽子屋 – a gentle soul who always speaks in a very formal way; lives in a mansion with a beautiful rose garden and is one of those who can create.
• ·         Cheshire Cat/チェシャ猫 – a boy with cat ears and a tail who can walk on air; the tsundere character in this game, roughly Arisumi’s age.
• ·         D/Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee – the twins living in a house of sweets and the only ones who are on somewhat good terms with the King
• ·         Caterpillar/ 蛹 – a cool-headed scientist, who is in charge of Alice’s training to become a Queen and the inventor of the Drug; since he is the only locked character, I suppose he is the true route (you can unlock him after you get the Good Ending of any of the above mentioned)

Other characters:

• ·         Jack of Hearts/ ジャック- the personal guard of the Royal Family
• ·         Queen/ 女王様 – the Queen of Wonderland, a sweet and beloved child as Caterpillar calls her
• ·         King /王様– obviously the current King of Wonderland, duh; a sadistic bastard that wants everything to go his way

Since the main menu of the game is in English, I won’t mention anything about it and go straight for the in-game menu, which appears when you move your pointer towards the upper right corner of the window. It basically looks like this:

The Save/Load buttons are big enough to see right away, so I’ll focus on the postcard-like menu with the written Japanese words. Starting with the uppermost one and going down: 

• ·         Return to choice/選択肢に戻る (in case you want to change your pick during the latest choice, you can just click here and it is done)
• ·         Past Log/過去ログ (the Log of what happened until now; it also opens in-game when you scroll up with the mouse during play)
• ·         Drug Bottle/薬びん (you see which route you are currently on – depends on the color of the liquid in the bottle, though if you have equal amount of points for different characters, it will randomly(?) choose one and be that colour)
• ·         Settings/設定
• ·         Return to Title Screen/タイトルの戻る
• ·         Quit Game/ゲーム終了

Here you see how you need to play in order to get on Caterpillar’s route. You reject everyone else.

Before I start, here, the amazing opening movie: 

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

The game starts as Arisumi is looking up at the sky while waiting for a girl from the other class. When she appears, they talk for a while and we get to know that it is actually Miyano Arisumi’s birthday, which means he becomes either 17 or 18 years old (personally I would bet on 18, because he would be legal for… you know; though we all know Japanese don’t mind the shota elements). The two leave the school after they hear the chime and a mysterious person makes a sudden appearance.

“Let’s go home together??”

Arisumi and the girl walk together for a while and the boy returns home where his mother is waiting. [WARNING] Yandere mother alert!  I don’t know why, but I seriously hated her. Boy, yandere is some scary shit, especially if it’s your own mom. So, she tries to strangle her son because she doesn’t want him to go out, talk to strangers and whatnot, since she fears he will disappear just like his father. Arisumi manages to break free and runs away.

On his way back after he realizes that him running away like that won’t change anything, something unexpected happens. He meets *drums* White Rabbit. Oh, that perfect combination of voice and attitude!  Fangirl mode: ON!

“Hey… Alice. Did you forget about me? How cruel…”

 He calls out to Arisumi, but since the boy doesn’t recognize him, he seems kind of disappointed to be forgotten. Our protagonist is utterly confused (of course) and as he glances at the man in front of him, feels somehow intimidated. The White Rabbit introduces himself and shows him a small diamond shaped bottle filled with liquid as red as White Rabbit’s irises.

“Drink this, Alice”

Then he closes to Arisumi and that is when you get your first choice in this chapter:

Basically you can choose from:

• ·         Avert your eyes/目を逸らす (choosing this one gets you a point closer to White Rabbit’s route, because he likes it when you are uncertain and confused)
• ·         Flatly reject him/ はっきりと拒否する (choosing this one has no effect on anything – you don’t get a red dot for White Rabbit’s route, so if you are aiming for someone else, that’s what you need to click)

Then Arisumi is forced to drink the Red Drug and starts hearing the ticking of a clock getting louder and louder. That makes him dizzy and as the world starts spinning. He crumbles to his knees. The sky suddenly turns red and before he knows it he finds himself on a grass field, surrounded by a forest. White Rabbit welcomes him back to the Underland but as he takes a step forward, Arisumi backs away, feeling terrified and confused. The man tells him he can’t return to his world anymore and also that he won’t let him return (a short pause for a few seconds of fangirling before we return to the story; you might have noticed already, but the White Rabbit is my favourite character, so as I replay the game for the sake of doing this walkthrough, I’ll have a fangirl pause every now and then).

“I want you to be mine”

He reaches out to touch Arisumi and magically you get the second choice!

• ·         Stop in your track/踏み止まる (choosing this one leads to another Red point for White Rabbit’s route and also you get some kissing; hot stuff, I tell you – no one can resist this voice)

The effect of the Drug starts showing as Arisumi’s body feels hot and unable to put any resistance against the way White Rabbit touches and kisses him. The man shows him once more the diamond shaped bottle and tells him the Drug contains part of his Vigor. By drinking it Arisumi accepts the Vigor in his body and that by itself is proof of accepting the person the Vigor belongs to.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll paint you in my colour, making you mine”

• ·         Run away/逃げる (choosing this one means you want off White Rabbit’s route and Alice runs away in the forest; no Red for you)

 Arisumi dashes into the forest without thinking but he still feels that the White Rabbit is after him, as if his red eyes are constantly staring at his back. He also hears his voice as he says that the boy hasn’t changed at all since he was a young child and is still as lovely as he was back then.  After running for a while he ends up finding a small clearing. He looks around, wondering which way to go.

And that’s exactly what you’re thinking! Choice time:

▲Go uphill/高台へ (choosing this one lets you meet with Cheshire Cat and obviously get a Purple point towards his route)

So, Arisumi runs uphill and ends up entering Cheshire Cat’s territory , which only leads to them meeting (no way to avoid that – it’s his domain, after all). Cheshire Cat recognizes him almost immediately and tells him to go to the mansion. After warning him to stay away from the White Rabbit, he makes this cute sad face:

“I didn’t want to meet you again…”

Then disappears into thin air and Arisumi is left alone to wonder what those words meant, there is another choice whether to do as he is told or dismiss  it altogether.

 ▪ Do as advised/助言に従う (choosing this one lands you in the Purple territory again and you get another step closer to Cheshire Cat’s route)

Arisumi gets to the mansion and as he stands in front of it feels a bit nostalgic, as if he really knows this place. That is when the White Rabbit finally catches up with him. And we find out a bit more about the Drug – after Alice drinks it and accepts the person the Vigor belongs to his irises from black will turn the same color as the King’s Candidate.

“The moment those pitch black irises of yours are dyed in my colour, I’ll become King”

 ▪ Dismiss the advice/助言に従わない (choosing this one means you are just a stubborn idiot who doesn’t want to have anything to do with the cute tsundere cat-boy)

Arisumi decides that he can’t trust anyone and goes another way. That is when he starts hearing White Rabbit’s voice again. He captures the boy again and everything goes pretty much the as before (explained in “do as advised”, though here they are in the middle of the forest)

“You’ve always been like this. No matter how many times I told you I was a
rabbit, you always cried when you lost the games of tag”

▲Go towards the mansion/屋敷へ (choosing this one gets you a Blue point for the Mad Hatter’s route, since you’re obviously choosing to go to his house)

As Arisumi runs towards the building in hope to get out of the forest, he notices that no matter how much he tried to reach it, he was unable to – as if he was running in circles all along. He stops to catch his breath as he gets more and more confused and feels desperation creeping up within him. At that moment the forest changes, as if the trees moved the path itself. It is then that the boy hears an unfamiliar voice (hint: It’s Mad Hatter). The voice leads him on a path towards the mansion he tried so hard to reach but couldn’t.Yay, choice time!

 ▪ Trust the voice/声を信じる (choosing this one gets you a point in your Blue collection towards Mad Hatter’s route)
Arisumi gets to the mansion and as he stands in front of it feels a bit nostalgic, as if he really knows this place. That is when the White Rabbit finally catches up with him.
 ▪ Don’t trust the voice/声を信じない (choosing this one actually doesn’t get you anything)
Arisumi decides that he can’t trust anyone and goes another way. That is when he starts hearing White Rabbit’s voice again. He captures the boy again and everything goes pretty much the as before (explained in “do as advised”, though here they are in the middle of the forest)

▲Go further in the forest/森の奥へ (choosing this one leads to the White Rabbit capturing you again)

As he continues further into the forest, Arisumi starts hearing White Rabbit’s voice in his head again. The voice is reminiscing about the past and how Alice had always liked playing tag. After that the White Rabbit appears before the boy and captures him.

But, of course, no matter what you choose, Arisumi always ends up in Mad Hatter’s mansion after losing consciousness.

When he wakes up he finds himself in a room, clearly decorated for a girl. Through the windows he can see the red sky, proof of the corruption of this world. And that is when he notices the elegant young man in formal attire – the Mad Hatter himself. Of course, just like White Rabbit, he is also quite disappointed to find out that Arisumi has forgotten about him.

“I am your servant, Mad Hatter. Do you not remember me?”

Chapter 2: A Mad Residence

The chapter opens with a child crying, more specifically young Arisumi. Surrounded by darkness, he continues crying until the White Rabbit finds him. Then he holds him in his arms, telling him that if he doesn’t stop crying his eyes will end up being as red as his. The man looks exactly the same as he is now, as if he hadn’t at all aged with ten years. But yeah, I love how gentle White Rabbit is here! (Just writing this sentence makes me want to get another fangirl pause >.<)

“Since you’re here, you can as well enjoy your stay in this world… Falling here is, after all, the same as dying”

White Rabbit introduces himself and so does Arisumi. That is when (maybe because he misheard it, maybe because of something else) the boy’s name turns from Arisumi to Alice. Alice is the name of the person told to be the pillar of this world. Unfortunately, right now such a person doesn’t exist.

“Interesting. It is as if it is fate you came here. The King will surely like you – he is, after all, the same as you – 
a foreigner to this land. Moreover….”

And then Arisumi wakes up. The Mad Hatter observes him with a worried expression on his face. Here Alice is mean to White Rabbit, thinking that unlike him, Mad Hatter has a really gentle atmosphere around him. I really hate how bad he behaves towards White Rabbit! Bitchslaps.

Anyways, let us continue. Seeing as how his condition stays constantly not so good, Mad Hatter offers Arisumi a cup of sweet-scented black tea – the one he liked since he was young. The boy again ponders how these people knew him as he recalls once more the world of darkness from his dream. Did this actually happen? He glances back at Mad Hatter and again asks him who he is to which the man’s expression changes again.

Choices, choices…

• It feels nostalgic/懐かしい感じがする (choosing this one gets you yet another Blue dot in your little book of conquest)
• · I don’t remember anything/何も思い出せない (choosing this one doesn’t get you anything, only the sad expression Mad Hatter will show you)

No matter what your response here is Mad Hatter will reason that he is aware of the fact that once they return to the Above World, people start forgetting about the Underland. The air there makes them think of the time spent in Wonderland as nothing but a dream, if ever they remember anything about it. Then Arisumi again demands to be returned to his own world, to which Mad Hatter replies with:

“…I cannot grant you that wish”

And that is when he confirms that he is indeed Alice, no matter how much the boy tries to deny it, at which Arisumi finally lets out his anger and yells at the man, claiming that Mad Hatter and White Rabbit are in the wrong and they need to return him at once. Then he gets up from the bed and fighting the dizziness, heads for the wardrobe and after confirming that it contains girl’s clothing. “Do I look like a girl to you?”, he asks and storms out of the room with the thought of returning to his mother (yes, the yandere one). He walks out of the mansion and into the forest but after walking for a while (at least a few hours, I think), he ends up in front of that same mansion again. Mad Hatter is waiting for him and welcomes him back. At first it seems he thought the boy went out for a walk, but then notices that he actually tried to go back to his world. He tells him that he is unable to return mainly due to a contract he had signed when he was a child.

And this when *ta-da-da-dum* White Rabbit comes back. He was unable to enter the mansion until now, because Mad Hatter has this neat power that lets only people he approves of enter the premises of his home. Eventually Arisumi is forced back to the room he woke up in, because White Rabbit doesn’t accept “no” for an answer. He also wants Arisumi out of his school uniform (it’s not what you’re thinking, for now at least).

“Don’t tell me you’re still keeping the promise not to touch Alice without his permission…
Really, there’s no helping you”

 And thus, White Rabbit goes on to undress Arisumi, because things from Above have bad influence. I kind of like how Mad Hatter is so reserved, it’s adorable. And the way he scolds my beloved bunny is also lovely. And so, after asking what type of clothes the boy wants, Mad Hatter proceeds to do his magic:

After the clothes are finished Arisumi changes into them. But that is not before White Rabbit teases both him and Mad Hatter for a bit. That is also one of the reasons I love him so much. He really gives off that SEME aura, if you know what I mean. I also like it when he complains and acts oblivious.  Anyways, Alice continues to bitch about how he wants to go back and wake up from this dream, but… it’s not a dream, even if it is Wonderland.

“Alice, you might have forgotten but you certainly signed a contract to become “Alice”…
and a resident of this world”

And more bitching follows. But when White Rabbit asks what his everyday life before was, Arisumi can’t answer. That is because he can’t remember anymore. He can’t remember even his mother’s face. And then the men explain the reason the sky is red – it is not because of the setting sun, it is the colour of decay. Also, it is Alice who has to choose the next King and save the world. Being the next queen, though, doesn’t sit right with Arisumi, so he suggests finding someone more suitable, a girl. But there are no women in this world anymore; not a single one remains because they were all killed off by the King, all but the current Queen. They say it is an evidence of love, but I wonder about it. I don’t think that person is capable of loving anyone. There was also a King who made it possible for a man to bear a child. It is a crazy world.

It is then revealed that after signing the contract, Alice was brought back to his original world by an unknown entity and even though the King and Queen tried to get him back, they were unable to. Though, it seemed it doesn’t matter where he spends the time until he is of age to drink the Drug. This only makes me think that he is indeed 18 years old. Now that he is back, he cannot run away from his responsibilities, no matter how much he wants. Even if he was a child, in the Underland contracts are everything.

It is then that Arisumi gets dizzy all of a sudden and loses his balance. If he doesn’t drink the Drug, taking together with it the Vigor of a King’s Candidate, he will die. Once the next Queen chooses a King, they sign a contract of constant connection to one another. Through that contract the Queen is enabled to receive Vigor directly without the need of the Drug. At that moment, though, the little diamond shaped bottle, filled with the Red Drug of White Rabbit, breaks and he is forced to leave. It is then that we have yet another choice! You get the Blue Drug of Mad Hatter. Will you drink it?

• ·         Drink the Blue Drug/青い薬を飲む (choosing this one gets you a Blue point towards Mad Hatter’s route and a tease of sexy time)

 Obviously, Arisumi had no idea that the Drug had such an effect, so he is confused. A sudden wave of heat overpowers him and it is nothing but a sign of excitement. Yes, if you didn’t notice until now, the Drug makes you horny. And so Mad Hatter again asks if he can touch him. Well, duh. He should have touched more.

(As Mad Hatter embraced Arisumi from behind and together sat on the bed,
he reached his hand towards the boy’s lap)

• Do not drink the Blue Drug/青い薬を飲まない (choosing this one lands you a Red dot on the White Rabbit’s route)

 Here Mad Hatter only makes Arisumi fall asleep. Surely he shared some of his Vigor with him while he was asleep. Otherwise I bet he would have died.

Here we have another glimpse of Arisumi’s past where he cries for some reason and one of the Candidates comes to comfort him. As far as I remember, he dreams of the person whose route you are currently on. So, the choices are between White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, since Arisumi hasn’t met anyone else so far. (After replaying the game so far for two more times, I also got you pictures to go with this, since I am ready to sacrifice my time; proof of my strong resolve)

“It’s alright. Someday this world will belong to you. 
And then I will destroy everything you don’t like or are afraid of”

“Alice, if you have a wish, please tell me. Since the day you chose me, I have always been your faithful servant”

“That’s right. I’ll protect you”

By the way, which one would you choose? I definitely pick White Rabbit.

In case you have equal amount of differently coloured dots, like in my first play through (like 2 for White Rabbit and 2 for Mad Hatter for example), Arisumi dreams of the Queen who comes to him and apologizes.

When Arisumi wakes up, he goes out of his room and after confirming that there is no one around, heads for the exit. If you are not on Mad Hatter’s route, Cheshire Cat will appear in front of you and tell you to go back inside. This also happens when you have equal points for White Rabbit (2) and Cheshire Cat (2) and none or one point for Mad Hatter.

“…It’s fine… if you don’t remember me, but you have to return”

And that is when someone calls out to Arisumi. It’s Jack of Hearts, who comes to take him to the castle. After a bit of debating, he decides to go with him. Cheshire Cat tries to stop him, but after he starts fighting Jack, Arisumi stops them and confirms that it is his wish to accompany Jack to the castle. Thus he and Jack leave.

So, if you are on Mad Hatter’s route or have equal points for his and White Rabbit’s or Cheshire Cat’s route, when Arisumi goes outside, he doesn’t meet with Cheshire Cat. Jack comes to get him and after he decides to go, Mad Hatter comes out of the mansion. You can see just how much Jack and Mad Hatter hate each other, though I am almost sure Mad Hatter cannot hate anyone. The same thing happen, they fight and Arisumi goes to the castle.

As they ride to the castle, when they reach a clearing, they stop and someone again calls out to Alice. It’s Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.

Chapter 3: The Castle of Tears

The twins confront Jack and pull Arisumi down from the horse. They state that Alice loves them the most and he would never hurt them. To tell the truth, I don’t like D. At all. But there is still one little thing about them that I kind of enjoy and that is the way they are mean to everyone else. But in a scornful way, as if everyone else is nothing but an annoying bug. 

“Did you fall in love with us already?”

 And as Arisumi wonder how could everyone in this world be so weird, the inevitable happens. What would you respond to their question? Choice time:

• ·         Agree/肯定する (choosing this one leads, of course, to an orange dot in your journal and is the first step towards D’s route)

Arisumi gives an ambiguous reply and asks them to let go, but the twins are so happy that instead they put more strength in their grip. Jack tries to interrupt them, but they are just like: “Shut up, Jack, and go back. Alice wants to stay with us”.  The boys are happy just being with him, no matter if he remembers them or not.

“We love you the most”

• ·         Disagree/否定する (choosing this one doesn’t give you anything)

YANDERE ALERT. Or at least the first sign. “We’ll be always together from now on” and just like that they attack him(?) – actually I am not sure if they planned to or it was accidental, since they do not mention it, but at that Jack decides its time he takes some action, but because D are that much more powerful than he is, he quickly loses. Arisumi has run away the moment they started fighting, but soon after the twins catch up with him. Some dialogue showing how possessive they are, a bit more yandere for you, then they show Arusumi a diamond shaped bottle, filled with orange liquid. They are also King Candidates.

There are slight differences depending on your choice here, but essentially the King comes and takes Alice to the castle where he finally meets the current Queen as well. She’s such a cutie, I like her. And so Arisumi learns that there is no way to revoke the contract and also he can no longer return to his world. The King, possessing the strongest power, also remains in the Underland, even though he also wished to go back to where he came from. The reason Alice could return once before was only that he was still a child.

After this is dealt with, the King again explains Alice’s duty. The Queen is the only one who can influence the world, but that would be impossible without the Vigor of a King. That is why the current King wants him to choose a successor as soon as possible. He also shows him that diamond shaped bottle we know very well, saying that all Candidates possess one. Then he takes Arisumi to another room – that is the boy’s room from when he was still in Wonderland. He then makes him drink the Yellow Drug he possesses and asks him whether he knows how the contract is completed.

“Vigor resides in the eye. The moment your irises change their colour, the contract is complete”

Basically, the Drug acts like a switch. The contract is completed only when Alice accepts the candidate’s Vigor with his body and heart. And thus the King wants Alice to learn how to open his body for anyone and in some of the endings he really learns, but we do not strive for that (at least I didn’t).  As the Drug starts taking effect, the King leaves the boy in the hands of the card soldiers. They kind of gang up on him and even though he tries to fight them, he is unable to do anything.

It is then that Cheshire Cat comes to help him. Choice time!

• ·         I want to escape/逃げたい (choosing this one gets you a Purple dot and later Cheshire Cat will help Arisumi relieve himself)

So, the two of them escape, but as they are running away, Arisumi hardly can fight the heat in his body. They stop because he barely stands on his legs. With no other option Cheshire Cat carries him on his back for a while until they are a fair distance away from the castle. This is followed by this adorable tsundere reaction Cheshire Cat has. So cute! If he was uke I would totally attack him.

Anyway, he tells Arisumi not to drink the Drug again. And since the boy is asking him for help… well, nothing to do but help him, if you know what I mean.

“…unable to wait, I’m guilty as well”

• ·         I cannot trust you/信用できない (choosing this one doesn’t change anything, because Cheshire Cat will get Arisumi out of there anyway, though without any merits for his route)

So, again they run away, Arisumi falls; Cheshire Cat carries him half the way. But this time he leaves him alone to do his deed.

After that he passes out and when Cheshire Cat wakes him up, they have already reached their destination – a house hidden in between the trees. They enter the house and that is when we meet Caterpillar for the first time.

“Welcome to the Underland, pitiful child”

Here Caterpillar explains what his part in the scheme is – to teach Alice about this world, the duties of a Queen and, if he wishes for it, the way to end the world.

Chapter 4: The Wheel of Fortune

Oh, that cool demeanor, I love it. Caterpillar together with the White Rabbit is my favourite of the game. So, I guess I’ll need some fangirl moments to myself again. But of course, while I’m replaying those two routes again, that will be twice, maybe thrice as much. I just can’t help myself.

And here we get some more explanation about what is going on. First, Caterpillar’s duty is to train the next Queen. And that duty depends on what Arisumi wants to do – whether to become Queen and save the world or rebel against the idea and let the world fall to ruin. If he chooses the latter, everything is going to disappear – the people, the world, even Arisumi himself since he is already a resident of the Underland. Caterpillar then congratulates the boy for his bravery to go against the King. Needless to say, Caterpillar hates him because he used underhanded means to become King – this is also proven by the different coloured eyes of the Queen, whose irises supposedly have to match the King’s. 

“In that case, let me suggest a different approach. Next Queen, do you want to become my accomplice?”

 There is but a single ray of hope for Arisumi to return home.  That is a third choice he wasn’t given before. Become Queen or let the world fall – those were the two choices he was given. Now there is another option. An object that is shrouded in mystery, the only clue about its existence is left in legends. Not as reliable as Arisumi might want, but it is still something. So, what do you do?

•          I want to know/知りたい (choosing this lets you continue your game and if unlocked, you get a Green Dot on Caterpillar’s route)

 So, it’s time to learn the name of that mysterious object. Caterpillar uses his power to isolate the room so that no one else can hear their conversation and that is when he finally shares the name with Arisumi – a taboo, The Silver Wheel.  It is the only powerful enough object to replace the Queen and can also only be found by the current Queen or the next in line. After that Caterpillar warns him to never talk about it again.

•   I don’t want to know/知りたくない (choosing this one leads you to the first bad ending of the game: Castle’s Riddle – you can find it in Extras, Alice’s Event 01)

Arisumi cannot trust anyone in this world and storms out of Caterpillar’s house. Cheshire Cat goes after him and they get in an argument. And I really want to slap Arisumi for being a complete moron. The King appears and takes Alice back to the castle where he is chained in his room. He is then repeatedly made to drink the Drug and gang raped by the card soldiers.

Eventually he gets used to it and actually wants the sex. That is when the King comes again to see the result of his “training” and tells him that now as he is able to accept others, he just needs to choose one of the Candidates. Arisumi eagerly accepts the deal, asking only for someone to help him deal with the need to be touched.

No idea why they live happily ever after if it is a bad ending, though… Also, every bad ending finishes with this picture.

Then they talk a bit about the Drug and after Arisumi flatly refuses to take it:

“That is the same as refusing to eat. Do you have desire to kill yourself?”

Caterpillar tells him that without the current effect of the Drug, it cannot incorporate Vigor, but that there is another way to receive some, even if it is not as efficient. Vigor can be transferred by direct touch, but it is the same as trying to satiate your hunger with just water. And here comes the problem – Arisumi cannot do anything alone – he needs the help of someone else in the search for the Silver Wheel, as well as for being able to continue living. Caterpillar asks who Arisumi will rely on. Basically, you choose the person whose route you are planning on playing right now:

1.          White Rabbit/白兎 (because he is the one who brings Arisumi to the Underland – he has to take some responsibility; also he might know a way to return him back home)
2.          Mad Hatter/帽子屋 (because he is the only one who would listen to Arisumi’s every wish)
3.          Cheshire Cat/チェシャ猫 (because he seems to know Arisumi very well, also he is very pure hearted, so there is no malicious intent on his part)
4.          Caterpillar/蛹 (because he is the person who is most willing to help him and also is very knowledgeable about this world)
5.          D (because of their strong power, though Caterpillar doesn’t seem very pleased with this particular choice)

This is how it looks after you unlock Caterpillar, before that you only get the other four. Also, depending on who you choose, you get a point for their route and they also come to this house. After that a butterfly comes with an invitation for a Tea Party (unless it’s Mad Hatter’s route, because he is the one who initiates it in the first place; or White Rabbit’s route where he one-sidedly takes Arisumi for “snack time”)

But before the party we have a scene in the castle. Jack reports to the King that Alice is gone.

“It is Cheshire Cat, isn’t it? Perfect timing – it’s as if he is some kind of a hero”

But, yeah, he doesn’t really mind that Arisumi escaped. Finding love naturally is another way to make him open his heart for the Candidates. That is why he decides to leave it to their effort. But, of course, he is planning on observing everything that happens – on a screen of silver mist.

Chapter 5: A Tea Party

The Tea Party takes place in Mad Hatter’s rose garden. The atmosphere makes Arisumi think all the experiences he had and the talk about taboos never happened – it is just so calm. In the background Cheshire Cat and D fight over a cupcake, while Caterpillar is quietly drinking tea. Mad Hatter and White Rabbit talk a bit about the past.

And now everyone come one after the other to Arisumi, asking him to go together with them. First are D, followed by White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter. The choices are completely the same, only the person’s name changes and of course whoever’s invite Arisumi accepts gets a point for their route. I will show what happens when Alice goes with each of them in every character’s route walkthrough I will be doing. That’s why now I’ll show only the last one, Mad Hatter’s choice:

• ·         Accept Mad Hatter’s invite/帽子屋の誘いを受ける (choosing this one gets you a point for the person’s route and it allows you to continue with your game)

So, after Arisumi accepts the offer, the two of them go to wherever they wanted and after they talk for a while, the boy ponders whether to ask about the Silver Wheel or not. He decides to first ask whether they know anything about the taboos of this world. Then you get the choice to really ask or to pretend you didn’t really want to talk about it:

1.       It’s nothing/なんでもない(choosing this one lets you continue your game on the chacter’s route you are currently on – you can see that when you click on the Drug Bottle in the in-game menu)

2.       Ask about the Silver Wheel/銀の車輪について聞く(choosing this one leads to another bad ending: Queen Alice – you can find it in Extras, Alice’s Event 06)

Before Arisumi can say anything, the King appears out of nowhere and takes him away, this time locking him in a cell. He is quite angry to know that Arisumi somehow gained knowledge about the Silver Wheel. So, he asks who he heard it from, but the boy refuses to reply. Then the King forces him to take the Drug again and leaves him alone for a while.

If you chose (1), the character whose route you’re on will come and save Arisumi after the Queen helps by weakening the King’s magic. That way you can proceed to the main event.

If you chose (2), the King returns and Arisumi rants out Caterpillar. And you can proceed to the real ending where Arisumi became a real slut. The King Candidates come at set times and have sex with him until he chooses the successor, which seems unlikely to me. Yeah, kind of scary – he has tied Cheshire Cat (because he bites) and that is when White Rabbit comes. They have sex without a care in the world. Poor Cheshire Cat, I feel for him. He is so adorable, trying to resist, to keep sane, to stay true to himself. He is just so cute when he is embarrassed, though. 

“I like that look, Cheshire Cat”

 I really hate Alice in this ending. I want to beat him to death! He act so high and mighty, it disgusts me when I know he is just a loser from the very start. Yes, I do not like the “beloved protagonist” – he gets on my nerves. And in this ending even more so.

• ·         Refuse/断る (choosing this one doesn’t do anything if you have unlocked Caterpillar; if you still haven’t, refusing everyone’s offers leads to another bad ending)

1.       In case you have unlocked Caterpillar here you get another choice:

a)      Go further in the rose garden/薔薇園の奥へ行く (choosing this you get a Green point for Caterpillar’s route)

Here that same choice appears again: ask about the Silver Wheel or not. The results are also as explained in the previous choice about Mad Hatter. If you do not *want to* talk about it, after Arisumi is captured, the Candidate whose route you are on (I guess if you have reached this point that should be Caterpillar) will come to his rescue. If not, you’ll get Queen Alice bad ending.

b)      Get out of the rose garden/薔薇園を抜ける (choosing this one will lead you to Queen Alice bad ending again)

Arisumi meets the King and when he realizes that the man can see almost everything in this world, asks him about the Silver Wheel. What an utter idiot, really… Anyway, before that the King has decided to let him choose on his own, but after he learnt that the boy knew about this taboo, he takes him to the castle. The rest is the same.

2.       In case you haven’t unlocked Caterpillar, you immediately land again a bad ending.

And that is all about the Prologue. It is up to you to decide how to reach the character route you want. If you are interested to know my sequence: White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, D and finally Caterpillar. But I really didn’t want to play with D, yet I couldn’t leave them for last, because I knew I wouldn’t finish the game otherwise. But really, I’d advise you to start with Mad Hatter – his story is so sweet and unexpectedly light.

So, good luck. It would take some time before I finished White Rabbit’s route (which is the next thing I’ll post), because I’ve been writing this for a few days now and am utterly exhausted.

I need a break. Seriously.

Loveless. Out.