Becoming Aozaki Touko

Quiet, an eerie quiet.

No... rather, she simply had no way to reach a lively environment.

Every day she followed her father's orders, endlessly studying, confined to a closed-off space.

She never had the chance to experience liveliness.

Yet today's quiet was unusual, as if her family had suddenly become shut-ins.

A strange, indescribable feeling churned in her heart.

This feeling... was it fear?

She was far too young right now.

She couldn't accurately distinguish this emotion.

"...What exactly is happening?"

Tohno Akiha looked up at the window. Perhaps because a child's instincts were sharper, she sensed the change in her family's atmosphere.

And then... she left her room.

She, who should have been caught and taken back to study immediately, this time managed to reach the family's front gate without trouble.

"Hmm... interesting~"

At the gate, a young woman with orange hair was tilting her head, studying her with a teasing smile on her face.

Beside her lay the unconscious guards.

"Little girl, why are you wandering around so late? You know, at night, there are big bad wolves out."

The woman asked this, and Tohno Akiha wanted to reply with the polite words she'd learned, but her body couldn't move an inch, as if an invisible force had locked her entire frame.

How to explain this feeling?

It was probably like when her father showed his anger, and she was too scared to move.

But it wasn't that simple fear.

It was a deeper terror.

A fear born from the matter of life and death—this big sister with the gentle smile would kill her.

That feeling subtly arose.

After a moment of silence, Tohno Akiha bit her lip, then suppressed her fear and spoke timidly:

"Is the big bad wolf... you, big sister?"

"...Well, about that~"

Seeing that this little girl still had the courage to ask, Aozaki Touko smiled faintly, then sat down on the steps of the entrance and beckoned to Tohno Akiha, signaling her to sit beside her.

"..."

Seeing this, Tohno Akiha pinched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, then carefully studied this big sister.

She was a big sister who looked gentle and spirited, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, blending masculine grace and feminine softness perfectly.

After taking a good look, she felt a little relieved inside. This big sister seemed easy to talk to, probably not a bad person.

So she walked over to Aozaki Touko in small steps, keeping a short distance as she sat down primly.

Then, that big sister spoke with a meaningful smile:

"I'm not a big bad wolf, you know. I'm a hunter who comes to hunt big bad wolves. If I find a big bad wolf harming everyone, then as a brave hunter, I have to eliminate those wolves to protect everyone..."

"Then why did you knock everyone down? Is it because we're bad people?"

Tohno Akiha's cute little face showed an indignant expression. She had a strong sense of belonging to her family, and she felt genuinely upset at being called a big bad wolf.

"Hmm... because I'm leaving. They were blocking me, big sister, so naturally I had to knock them down."

Aozaki Touko said matter-of-factly: "Don't you think it's terrible to keep someone from going home? So getting knocked down is only natural, right?"

She spoke these sophistries.

But as a little girl, Tohno Akiha couldn't refute them yet.

So, her face flushed as she argued back:

"But that doesn't mean you should hit people! That's wrong!"

If conflict arose in this world, people should communicate properly. Resorting to violence was absolutely incorrect.

That was what her teacher had taught her, the worldview she had built so far, and she had never found this rule to be unusable in the world.

She, in her cage, had a slightly skewed understanding of the real world.

So she brought out the rule she thought was universal.

Then.

"But being forced to do things is awful, isn't it? If someone forces you to do something you don't like, fighting back is only natural, right?"

Aozaki Touko said with a smile: "You've probably been forced to do things you don't like too. You should understand that feeling."

"..."

Tohno Akiha blinked, recalling her own learning experiences, and suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

It was true—whenever she studied nonstop, her heart did feel stifled and miserable.

Besides, in this world, there was no reason to be bullied without being allowed to fight back, was there?

"...Have you ever been forced to do things you didn't like?"

Aozaki Touko asked with a sly smile, and Tohno Akiha opened her mouth, then answered honestly:

"The study time is too long. It's not that I hate it, but I'd like a bit more free time."

"Mm... how pitiful."

Aozaki Touko laughed. "How about this: from now on, you can come play with me. Your father should agree, right?"

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward a dark corner.

"Lord Tohno Makihisa, what do you think?"

The moment the words fell, Tohno Makihisa stepped out from the shadowy corner, a warm smile on his face as he nodded. "Of course. It would be an honor if my daughter could serve Miss Touko."

"See? Your father agrees."

Aozaki Touko turned back, looking at Tohno Akiha with a smile. "Now, I'll take you out to play."

And without further ado, she scooped up the little girl and set off toward the Kuzuki Western Mansion.

The carried-off Tohno Akiha blinked, opened her mouth, glanced at her father's expression, then fell silent and buried her head into Aozaki Touko's chest.

...Had she just been abducted?

Chapter 39: Don't You Really Want to Have One?

A cold wind and snow blew past.

Aozaki Touko carried Tohno Akiha as she walked up the sloping path, leaving a trail of footprints in the thick snow, slowly making her way toward the top of the hill.

"...Sister Touko, where are you taking me?"

Tohno Akiha's face flushed slightly as she nuzzled a little into Aozaki Touko's chest, seeking enough warmth to fend off the biting wind. It was a bit embarrassing, but after all, the big sister's... well, her body was a little warm, wasn't it?

Of course, she had other ways to ward off the cold, but since this was a stranger, she figured she should maintain some basic caution, so she didn't plan on using her abilities to resist the chill.

"Do you know the legend about this mountain?"

Aozaki Touko looked down at the little girl in her arms, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "There's a haunted house on this mountain. If a child wanders in on a foggy day, they'll disappear forever."

"...How scary."

Hearing this, Tohno Akiha paused for a moment, then offered a cooperative reply—but there was no trace of fear in her voice, only a clear sense of perfunctory agreement.

Though she was a little girl, she was a clever one. She didn't believe a word of this obvious child-scaring talk, and she wanted to shoot the adult a disdainful look.

But this big sister seemed pretty formidable, so she didn't dare give her that look.

"Akiha, you don't believe me?"

Aozaki Touko smiled at this, then said calmly, "But unfortunately, this rumor actually has some truth to it. On this hill, there really is a witch's mansion, and a solitary witch lives there."

"..."

Tohno Akiha's body stiffened slightly, uncertain whether this big sister was just scaring her or if there really was a witch on this mountain.

But one thing was for sure—this big sister really loved to tease people.

"Don't worry... this witch doesn't eat people. She does eat some takeout, though."

Aozaki Touko continued. "Our destination next is the witch's mansion. I hope you have a wonderful adventure."

"An adventure... is it that dangerous?"

Hearing this, Tohno Akiha frowned, unsure if this big sister was just messing with her again. It didn't sound like a lie, though.

"Well, as long as you don't break anything, it should be... safe."

Recalling Azu's attitude toward her beloved house, Aozaki Touko's tone grew uncertain. "If you're a good kid, that witch sister will be a very nice person."

Mm... Azu, who hated humans, probably wouldn't dislike the half-blood Tohno Akiha, right?

"...I understand!"

Tohno Akiha seemed to grasp something, nodding her little head solemnly. Then she suddenly froze, her small face lifting out of Aozaki Touko's embrace as she took in a breathtaking scene.

From the high hilltop, she could overlook all of Misaki City at a glance.

The snow-covered world was pure and translucent, and the gloom in her heart seemed to wash away in an instant. It was a sense of awe before the vast heavens and earth—a shock beyond imagination for a young girl like her.

So beautiful—that was her first thought.

This world is so big—that was her second.

I want to go see it—that was her third.

In just a single glance, her mindset shifted. It was only a tiny seed, but if someone watered it, it could easily grow into a towering tree.

"Do you like it?"

Aozaki Touko asked with a light laugh.

"I like it."

Tohno Akiha nodded sincerely.

"Is that so? If you like it, then come as often as you like. I'll be here for a while, and whenever you want to come, your father will arrange for a car to send you over specially."

Aozaki Touko's tone was calm but brimming with confidence.

"..."

Tohno Akiha gazed at the distant snowy scenery, falling silent for a moment.

Then she nodded gently and said in a small voice:

"I understand."

"Mm."

With a soft acknowledgment, Aozaki Touko hugged Tohno Akiha tighter and continued walking toward the Kuzuki Western Mansion. As they climbed higher, Tohno Akiha's view grew wider and wider.

Kuzuki Western Mansion.

"I'm home."

Pushing open the living room door, Aozaki Touko stepped inside, carrying Tohno Akiha.

Kuonji Alice instinctively turned her head and saw a strange little girl staring back at her with a tense, shrinking expression.

"Gone since early morning—did you go kidnap a child?"

"Hmm... maybe I did~"

Aozaki Touko tilted her head slightly, a teasing smile on her lips. In her arms, Tohno Akiha furrowed her brows tightly—this big sister had just openly admitted to kidnapping her.