Becoming Aozaki Touko's Life

Without answering, They shook their head and turned to leave.

Seeing this, the man didn't ask further questions. He simply followed behind the girl, choosing to fulfill his role as a bodyguard. However, he committed the conversation between the two to memory, intending to report it to the Tohno Family upon their return.

He wondered if the head of the family would understand the information conveyed in their conversation.

Outside the Kuzuki Western Mansion.

Tohno Makihisa stared intently, his gaze dark and heavy. Two conflicting wills warred within him. At this moment, Aozaki Touko had already departed from the mansion.

If he were to attack the Kuzuki Western Mansion now, he might be able to seize the Miko Futago within.

But if he did so, once that woman returned, the entire Tohno Family would face utter destruction. This was something he could not accept.

However, the Miko Futago were simply too important to him.

This was why he currently felt like an addict confined to a rehabilitation center, craving something from within the Kuzuki Western Mansion but not daring to make any move.

Finally, he sighed in resignation.

"...I'll think of another way."

Saying this, he turned and left.

Ultimately, he dared not make a move to seize the Miko Futago from the mansion. In fact, if he had truly been determined to act, the person arriving now would not have been just him alone.

Although he yearned to obtain the Miko Futago.

Reason told him that this was not permissible.

Because it would drag the Tohno Family into the abyss.

"What? So you didn't dare to make a move?"

A moment later, Yaya emerged from a dark corner, hands on her hips, a look of dissatisfaction on her face. It was clear she regretted that Tohno Makihisa hadn't acted, causing her to miss an opportunity to prove herself.

After all... she hadn't fought since her birth.

Despite being equipped with powerful combat capabilities, it was a shame she couldn't demonstrate them.

If she could have repelled these intruders at this moment.

Master Touko would surely have praised her.

Chapter 46: Encounter on the Way Home

As the night deepened.

Aozaki Touko walked alone on her way back. As she rounded a corner, she coincidentally encountered Tohno Makihisa, who was also returning.

The air suddenly froze.

Tohno Makihisa stared at Aozaki Touko's appearance with extreme shock. He never would have imagined he would run into Aozaki Touko so coincidentally.

He had considered the possibility of meeting this girl on his way back and had deliberately chosen a slightly longer route specifically to avoid such a chance encounter.

Yet, here they were, meeting nonetheless.

The girl looked at him with an unfathomable smile, as if she had already predicted his appearance here, as if she knew he would be spying on the Kuzuki Western Mansion tonight.

Her face, devoid of any killing intent, seemed to foresee that he wouldn't dare to make a move.

"...Miss Touko, what a coincidence."

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Tohno Makihisa offered a cheerful smile. However, this time, he couldn't maintain the same unwavering, flawless cheerful smile as before.

The chilling sensation surging within his heart froze his body, making his movements appear somewhat awkward. This girl was an anomaly among anomalies; it felt as though she could see right through him, even predicting his future actions.

For someone like him, being seen through was the most dangerous thing.

"...Perhaps you caused this coincidence yourself!"

Aozaki Touko said with a gentle smile.

"I don't have the ability to predict the future."

Saying this, Tohno Makihisa gazed at the beautiful girl, wanting to know if she possessed precognitive abilities, or if perhaps she had discovered him spying on the Kuzuki Western Mansion and had pursued him.

"You don't need precognitive abilities. People are like falling iron balls. If you know their weight and calculate the surrounding environment, it's easy to deduce their trajectory and final landing point."

Aozaki Touko took out a coin and tossed it high into the air. The coin flipped repeatedly in the air, and the biting wind and snow blew past, altering the coin's rotation.

"Guess whether it's heads or tails."

The moment she finished speaking, Tohno Makihisa focused on the flipping coin. The powerful penetration granted by his non-human blood allowed him to quickly discern the coin and predict which side it would ultimately land on.

"It's heads!"

He stated with certainty.

Then.

"It's standing up."

Aozaki Touko's confident voice rang out.

And then, as if the world itself was helping her, a strong gust of wind and snow suddenly blew, deflecting the coin once more. It finally landed on the snowy ground.

The coin stood on its edge.

"..."

Seeing this, Tohno Makihisa fell silent.

"This time, for Akiha's sake, I'll pretend nothing happened."

Aozaki Touko bent down, picked up the upright coin, and then gave him a teasing smile before walking towards the Kuzuki Western Mansion without looking back.

The moment they brushed past each other.

Tohno Makihisa instinctively took a step back, his instinct screaming at him to get away from this woman. He instinctively perceived her as a being of a higher order.

It was like a deer in the wild instinctively avoiding a tiger; a primal reaction to a superior existence.

"..."

He turned to watch the departing girl, completely abandoning any thought of obtaining the Miko Futago. Facing someone like a living deity, there was no possibility of resistance.

Thinking this, he walked towards his family with a sense of dejection.

"Master Touko, why didn't you kill him?"

On the way back, Yaya emerged from somewhere and came up to Aozaki Touko, pouting with a hint of disappointment.

"It's because Akiha isn't grown up yet... I also don't want to be stained with the blood of killing Akiha's father. Otherwise, no matter how I explain it in the future, Akiha and I will have an invisible rift between us."

Aozaki Touko explained with a light laugh.

This wasn't due to her being soft-hearted. Without the Miko Futago, Tohno Makihisa would eventually be killed due to his berserk impulse, possibly by the future family head, Tohno Shiye.

Therefore, there was no need to kill him. Letting him die in despair from his berserk impulse might even be a more cruel fate.

"So, Master chose to intimidate him tonight?"

Yaya nodded slightly, appearing to understand.

"Mhm... I took the opportunity to subtly intimidate him."

Aozaki Touko didn't deny it, smiling gently.

She had predicted Tohno Makihisa's interest in the Kuzuki Western Mansion even before she went to Kanbuki City. With her Gene Lock activated to the third stage and possessing unimaginable computational power, she already had the ability to deduce the future.

The fact that Tohno Makihisa would hesitate outside the Kuzuki Western Mansion before ultimately choosing to leave was within her predictions.

However, human hearts were complex, and predictions couldn't be absolutely accurate.

What if Tohno Makihisa lost his mind and decided to attack the Kuzuki Western Mansion to snatch someone?

If, by chance, something belonging to the Azu family was damaged, she couldn't imagine how furious Azu would be. That's why she had Yaya specifically protect the area outside the Kuzuki Western Mansion for a while.

It was to prevent Tohno Makihisa from losing his mind.

After all, Azu cherished the house left by her parents the most.

Yaya.jpg

Chapter 47: The Hidden Rich Girl Touko?

The sky.

A private jet streaked across the sky.

"..."

Inside the plane, Aozaki Touko sat on the sofa, gazing at the receding clouds outside the window. Her expression was relaxed and carefree, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

She had now resolved the issue of inheriting the Fifth Magic and had met with Root Shiki, reaching a tacit agreement. This trip to Japan could be considered a complete success.

"Next, I need to sort out the Rune, and then complete the Third Magic."

Saying this with ease, she picked up her teacup from the table, intending to take a sip.

Then, she discovered it was empty.

"Miss Touko, allow me to refill your cup."

Beside her, Kohaku scurried over and picked up the teapot, pouring a cup for Aozaki Touko. Although her movements were a little stiff, it was evident that she had been trained in the demeanor of a maid.

But.

"Kohaku, when did you learn maid skills?"

Aozaki Touko asked in surprise.

She hadn't specifically trained Kohaku and Hisui in any maid skills. She had planned to have Illyasviel from the Einzbern family teach them later.

"...Kohaku taught herself during her free time."

Kohaku lowered her head slightly, her voice sounding a little shy. "Please forgive any shortcomings, Miss Touko. Kohaku will definitely work harder in the future."

"...This is already very impressive~"

Aozaki Touko shook her head and smiled, draining the cup of black tea. She then handed it back to Kohaku, saying, "Excuse me, Miss Kohaku, could you please pour me another cup?"

"Yes."

Kohaku softly acknowledged her, carefully poured Aozaki Touko a cup of black tea, and then gracefully placed it back on the tea tray.

Perhaps it was due to her extreme youth and lack of skill, but her movements didn't quite convey a sense of fluid elegance.

Instead, they came across as endearingly clumsy.

"Thank you, Miss Kohaku."

Aozaki Touko picked up the teacup, raised it with a slight smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement and approval.

This attitude seemed to encourage Kohaku. Her small face flushed slightly as she bowed, quietly excused herself, and then ran to the other sofa to read a fairy tale book with her younger sister, Hisui.

"...So sensible."

Sighing with emotion, Aozaki Touko turned her gaze towards the window.

She felt a genuine sense of accomplishment for the effort she had put into finding the Miko Futago and spending seventy million yen. After all, she had saved two such well-behaved children, hadn't she?

Meanwhile, Kohaku and Hisui, huddled together, held a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. They whispered to each other, not discussing how pitiful Snow White was in the story, but rather how well Kohaku had performed just now and how she could improve in the future.

They didn't resent being bought by the older sister, Aozaki Touko. Even though they understood that human trafficking was wrong, they felt gratitude towards this kind older sister.

It was the purest form of gratitude.

She had rescued them from starvation, brought them to a warm home, and stopped them from being casually bullied and beaten.

These things were enough to make them feel heartfelt gratitude.

And, to be embarrassed about it, the smile this older sister showed them felt as warm as a bonfire in winter.

This warmth felt... as gentle as a mother's.