Alice hesitated for a moment, then turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.
As expected, Amon was lounging on the sofa, smiling in the direction of the door. When he saw Alice enter, his smile became more genuine. "Good afternoon," he greeted.
Alice instinctively glanced at Amon's hair - it really was as messy as a bird's nest. Hadn't his previous avatar's hairstyle been quite neat?
Silently, Alice closed and locked the door behind her, then leaned back against it, eyeing Amon warily. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what Amon's intentions might be.
Unable to come up with an answer, Alice gave up trying to guess. Strangely, the moment she had that thought, she immediately went back to pondering Amon's motives. She noticed his smile seemed to widen, as if he found her internal struggle amusing.
Amon watched Alice's cautious demeanor with interest. He lazily beckoned to her, "Come here."
Alice hesitated, then began inching forward very slowly and carefully.
Observing her snail-like pace, Amon mused, "Weren't you much bolder last time? And quite daring when you wrote me that letter too."
After a moment of silence, Alice burst out in exasperation, "I didn't expect you to actually show up in person!"
"Wow," Amon remarked, looking at her with feigned amazement. "You provoked me like that in your letter, yet didn't prepare yourself for the possibility I might come knocking?"
Alice tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling light and mentally calculating its trajectory based on Newton's laws of motion.
"...What are you doing now?" Amon asked, puzzled by her behavior.
Alice turned to him with a sincere expression. "I'm calculating the possible trajectory of the light fixture if there was a 10 m/s wind blowing from due south. However, without knowing its mass..."
"Be quiet," Amon cut her off curtly.
Alice promptly covered her mouth with her hand.
"I don't understand," Amon said, looking at her quizzically. "Is this the kind of thing you study all day?"
After a pause, Alice replied, "Well, I could analyze the lighting and perspective of the lamp instead, or discuss the design philosophy behind its color and shape..."
"Be quiet," Amon repeated firmly.
Alice covered her mouth again. A few seconds later, she lowered her hand and said:
"Actually, I feel I should ask you something, even though you came uninvited and let yourself in."
"What is it?" Amon asked, curious.
With an air of ceremony, Alice inquired: "Coffee or tea?"
After a moment of silence, Amon replied, "...Coffee, I suppose."
At last, Alice felt more at ease. She went to prepare the coffee, then returned with a strange-tasting brew which she set in front of Amon before taking a seat on the opposite sofa.
Amon stared at the coffee for a while, then looked up at Alice with a smile. In a gentle tone, he asked, "Would you like to drink it yourself, or shall I force it down your throat?"
Alice pondered for a moment before asking, "But aren't you curious about how this unique coffee tastes?"
As Amon fell silent, she added, "You see, I added ingredients completely at random. Even I don't know how it tastes. If you drink it, you'll be the only person in the world who knows its flavor."
After some thought, Amon replied, "You almost convinced me."
"What's the missing piece?" Alice asked earnestly.
Amon smiled warmly and said in a soft voice, "I'd like to share the experience with you. If you drink it, I'll know the taste too. So... please, go ahead?"
He even made a polite "after you" gesture with his hand.
Alice considered for a moment before responding, "No, I still think something this special should be savored personally."
Pausing briefly as she met Amon's smiling face, she added, "However, since we're both being so courteous, I have an even better idea."
"Oh?" Amon looked at her curiously, wondering what she would do next.
Suddenly, the coffee cup shattered with a bang, perhaps unable to withstand the heat. Fragments scattered everywhere as the mysterious liquid inside splashed upwards, nearly reaching Amon's face before falling back down.
Amon narrowed his eyes at Alice, who had dropped her smile. To her surprise, he chuckled and said with a smirk, "You've grown a bit bolder since last time."
Alice's body instantly tensed as she sensed the dangerous undertone in his laughter. Pressing herself against the sofa, she asked cautiously, "Um... if I said I didn't mean to attack you, would you believe me?"
Amon looked at her with a curved smile and said softly, "Whether you meant to or not, mistakes must be punished."
Before Alice could respond, she felt a sharp pain pierce through her spirit. Her consciousness scattered instantly as the acute agony made her spirit tremble uncontrollably.
Alice's body went limp on the sofa. After a while, as the pain subsided and her spirit settled somewhat, a hand forcefully lifted her chin, exposing the hatred and murderous intent in her eyes that she hadn't had time to conceal.
"My, my," the person exclaimed with feigned surprise. "Do you want to kill me?"
Alice glared coldly at Amon, saying nothing.
Amon raised his hand with a bored expression and removed the monocle from her face. Speaking to her as if addressing a friend, he said:
"You know, you're the first person to survive wearing my monocle. Instead of being grateful, you want to kill me?"
Alice stared at Amon with murderous eyes for several seconds. Then, suddenly, a bright smile spread across her face.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Amon's hand and bit down hard.