Dinner

Considering what might happen next, Aoko adjusted her spell list for today slightly.

Aoko's current natural intelligence is 18, a value she estimated based on knowledge gathered from Weave Fragments. This means, with a simple calculation, Intelligence Modifier + Class Level = Number of Prepared Spells ((19-10)/2 + 5 = 9).

0-level cantrips don't require preparation, while for 1st-level spells, she prepared Mage Armor, Shield, Magic Missile, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, and Longstrider. For 2nd-level spells, she prepared Misty Step, Cloud of Daggers, and See Invisibility.

For 3rd-level, she only prepared one Hold Person.

A total of nine spells.

Aoko's spellbook also functions as a scroll storage. Some pages were temporarily attached as scrolls using Imaginary Magecraft. Aoko copied these pages whenever she had spare spell slots, storing them for emergencies.

However, even with that said, the paper and ink materials for creating scrolls in this world are very expensive. Even though Aoko's family fortune is substantial, her parents and grandfather are very strict with her finances. Besides necessary expenses, it's difficult to purchase large quantities of precious materials with the remaining money.

Currently, Aoko has accumulated two Haste scrolls and three Fireball scrolls, along with one Hold Person scroll. Since creating scrolls is costly, she can only choose to copy her own high-level spells, prioritizing practicality to some extent.

Half an hour later, Aoko put away her spellbook, stretched, and stood up from her chair.

"Touko!"

A clear and cheerful voice woke Touko Aozaki, who had been lost in thought while holding a book. She took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and put them back on, seeing her sister coming down the stairs.

"Aren't you going to class yet?" Touko asked in a somewhat indifferent tone. "You're going to be late, aren't you?"

"You, my sister, don't even know that your own dear sister has her middle school graduation today?" Aoko Aozaki feigned anger, frowning as she spoke. "That's so irresponsible! You have to treat me to a meal! I want to eat at that new Italian place on the shopping street!"

"Not to mention that Reien and your middle school aren't even in the same city (Touko graduated from Reien not too long ago)," Touko didn't fall for Aoko's act at all and looked at her with a strange expression. "And I recall the food at that restaurant isn't even as good as what you make yourself, is it?"

"I don't care!" Aoko took a couple of quick steps and sat down next to Touko, putting one arm around her shoulder and reaching out with the other to stroke Touko's chin. "How can what you make yourself be the same as what you treat me to, Touko? Don't you understand?!"

"Stop fooling around!" Touko calmly pushed away Aoko's restless little hand. "You should be going to school. It won't do anyone any good if the valedictorian is late, right?"

"Sigh~" Aoko sighed dramatically, removed her hand from her sister's body, and stood up again. "Remember to book a table for tonight, okay? That place is really popular!"

Touko didn't say anything further but waved Aoko away with an impatient expression, signaling her to leave quickly.

The valedictorian speech went very smoothly, and Aoko's dazzling presence became a permanent part of Shiroukami Girls' Academy's history.

Aoko skillfully dealt with the various girls who wanted to take photos with her before graduation or who wanted to take a chance at the last moment to give her a love letter.

During her three years of middle school, Aoko found a massive amount of love letters in her locker every day. She had long developed a standard procedure for dealing with such things. After all, the enthusiasm of cute underclassmen and beautiful upperclassmen never waned, and she didn't want to hurt these young girls' feelings, so she had no choice but to use magecraft to appease their restless hearts.

Of course, don't misunderstand. Aoko didn't reveal the mystery of magecraft in front of ordinary people. She merely obtained memory manipulation magecraft through her sister's friend (that is, Alice Kuonji), slightly modifying the memories of these girls, leaving them with a vague dream.

After dealing with all these matters, Aoko sighed slightly, feeling a bit tired. Just a girls' school was already so daunting; what would she do in the future at the co-ed Private Misaki High School?

After the graduation ceremony, Aoko, holding her diploma, found her family's driver who had come to pick her up. After a brief estimation of the time, Aoko gave the driver a few instructions and then took a short nap in the car.

Around 5 PM, Aoko's car arrived in front of the Italian restaurant on the shopping street. After getting out of the car, she looked around a bit and then walked towards the waiter at the entrance of the restaurant.

"Do you have a reservation?" the waiter asked with a professional smile.

"I have an appointment with Ms. Touko Aozaki," Aoko replied with a smile.

"Please wait a moment," the waiter checked the information briefly, then looked up and said to her, "Ms. Touko Aozaki has already arrived. This way, please."

Led by the waiter, Aoko arrived at a corner of this high-class restaurant. Touko Aozaki, wearing an elegant evening gown and a pair of sapphire earrings, sat at her seat, looking coldly out the window, lost in thought.

This restaurant's prices were quite high, and the diners were mostly wealthy people dressed formally. However, Shiroukami Girls' Academy was also a private aristocratic school, and its school uniforms were in the style of formal wear, so Aoko's attire wasn't out of place here.

"Have you been waiting long?" Aoko asked after she sat down. "That outfit looks beautiful on you. Did you put it on especially for me?"

"You wish," Touko replied with an eye-roll. "I have many more outfits like this; I just picked one casually."

Aoko smiled and said nothing, picking up the menu and reading it carefully. Although she herself was quite proficient in Italian cuisine, the flavors made by different chefs always varied slightly. Aoko was very interested in these subtle differences, so she couldn't help but try them out whenever she encountered an excellent restaurant.

The meal was very pleasant. While enjoying the delicious food, the two sisters chatted about many interesting things from their lives and studies. Aoko even discussed the difficulties she encountered while learning magecraft with Touko. Of course, topics about magecraft couldn't be heard by ordinary people, and Touko had prepared soundproofing magecraft in advance.

As the meal neared its end and the sky had completely darkened, Touko's expression suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?" Aoko asked while enjoying her dessert. "Did you forget to do something?"

Touko took out an antique-looking pocket watch from her bag, opened it, and cast a short spell to check it.

"Grandfather wants us to go to his workshop," Touko said with a complex expression. "It's probably about that matter."

That's right, Aoko had already discussed the issue of inheriting the Fifth Magic with Touko, hinting that their grandfather might change his mind at the last minute and asking her to be mentally prepared.

Being as intelligent as Touko, she easily understood what Aoko meant. However, after spending so many years studying magecraft together, their relationship was not as awkward and distant as it was in the original timeline.

But Touko was not the type of person to abandon her life goals for emotional reasons, and Aoko understood this. In a sense, Aoko and Touko were very similar.

"Let's go," Touko signed the bill and gave the waiter a generous tip. "Don't keep the old man waiting."