Familiars Aren't Just for Eating

The moment she learned of it, a feeling of joy unexpectedly welled up inside her. It was as if a part of her heart had been filled, and the desire to see her consumed her.

So she hurried over through the night.

On the streets at dawn.

Ten meters apart, their eyes met.

"You're Aozaki Touko?"

The kimono-clad girl gazed across at her, her cold eyes burning with anger.

It was a suppressed flame, yet it also resembled the flame of suppressed love.

But regardless of what emotions that flame contained, one thing was certain: its burning heat could scorch people.

"Good morning, Shiki~"

The girl she had never seen in her memories smiled at her as if they had known each other for years.

"...As I thought, you know me!"

Ryougi Shiki's tone was cold yet impatient.

She was not pleased by the other girl's gentle attitude. On the contrary, that attitude only made her angrier, essentially confirming that Aozaki Touko knew her.

Yet she had no memory of this woman at all. The other party was someone she knew nothing about, yet who harbored intense feelings toward her.

This inexplicable sensation filled her with displeasure and anger.

"Mm-hm. From the moment we were born~"

Aozaki Touko spoke with a smile, then suddenly changed her wording. "No... actually, we knew each other before we were born."

She spoke like some sort of mystic, yet there was not the slightest hint of joking in her words. Her eyes held a sly smile, but her tone was exceedingly serious.

"..."

"..."

The bizarre exchange left everyone present stunned.

Ryougi Shiki stood there with an impassive face, saying nothing as she pondered what exactly Aozaki Touko meant by those words.

Aozaki Aoko frowned, looking conflicted. The mystic-like conversation was giving her a headache. Listening to them felt like listening to two old monks trading Zen riddles.

Yanagi Akiryu, hidden nearby, twitched at the corner of his mouth even more violently. Were these big shots incapable of speaking like normal people? Did they think they had to be cryptic to show how amazing they were?

"What does that mean?"

After a while, Ryougi Shiki gave up on trying to uncover the hidden meaning.

At the same time, she felt the anger burning inside her subside considerably. At least she was no longer in a state where she wanted to draw her sword and beat Touko at any moment.

Did this woman say that on purpose to extinguish my anger?

"It means exactly what I said~"

Aozaki Touko smiled sweetly and did not seem inclined to explain further.

In this world, only two people could truly understand what she had meant earlier. One was herself, and the other was Root Shiki. As for everyone else, she had no intention of explaining it properly.

"...Quit playing mysterious~"

Ryougi Shiki said that, then asked, "What exactly happened that night? Why did we meet in the park in the middle of the night?"

That was the question that had kept her tossing and turning lately, and it was also what had made her emotions so strange. In fact, it was what made her regret not going to London.

"..."

Nearby, Aozaki Aoko's expression grew increasingly strange. She felt as if she had misunderstood something. Could it be that Touko had used Suggestion Magecraft, gone to the little girl's home, taken her to the park, and then done something strange to her?

"—I didn't do anything strange~"

As if she had seen through Aoko's thoughts, Aozaki Touko explained that to her before turning to Ryougi Shiki, who was waiting for an answer. "It isn't convenient to discuss this here. Let's go somewhere suitable first."

As she spoke, she walked over to Ryougi Shiki. Then, under Shiki's astonished gaze, she took Shiki's hand and led her away as if abducting her.

During the process, Ryougi Shiki put a little force into her arm, attempting to break free. But in the end, she merely followed Aozaki Touko away from the street with an impassive expression.

"Um... where are you taking Miss?"

At that moment, Yanagi Akiryu sprang out from where he had been hiding. Sweating nervously, he blocked Aozaki Touko's path. He could not allow someone to take Miss Ryougi Shiki away so easily, or he would never be able to remain with the Ryougi Family.

Besides, if anything happened to Ryougi Shiki, he estimated that Ryougi's father would cut off his hands and feet, fill him with concrete, and dump him in the river.

"You're certainly loyal... but you can't be here right now!"

Looking at the man blocking her way, Aozaki Touko did not get angry. She merely smiled and explained, "If you insist on following us, I'll have no choice but to kill all of you~"

As she spoke, her gaze swept across several corners of the street, locating all the hidden guards.

"...In that case, please let me be the only one to follow Miss!"

Akiryu gritted his teeth and spoke with a determined gaze.

He felt genuine fear toward that girl. It was fear born of the unknown. The scene in the park where his young mistress had aged a year with every step, transforming from a teenage girl into a little girl, was still deeply etched in his memory.

And the woman who had chatted so happily with his young mistress was clearly an extraordinary figure as well. Even if she looked frail and powerless, the sort of woman any adult man could overpower through sheer force...

That was only her outward appearance.

If they became enemies, they absolutely would have no chance of winning.

We really would be killed that easily!

"..."

Seeing this, Ryougi Shiki spoke coldly. "All of you, leave. This woman won't hurt me. If she had wanted to do something to me, I wouldn't have come out of the park unharmed that time. If you force your way after us, this woman might really kill you!"

"...But?"

Akiryu was still conflicted. Seeing this, Aozaki Touko shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt Shiki. Even if I wanted to, I'd wait until Shiki grew up first!"

"I understand~"

Hearing that, Akiryu nodded slightly. He then signaled the hidden guards and left with them.

Since this woman had already given her guarantee, continuing to stay would be rude.

Otherwise, if they somehow angered her and she placed some strange curse on them, they might die without even knowing how.

Kuzuki Western Mansion.

Aozaki Touko opened the door with practiced ease, then led Ryougi Shiki and Aoko into the living room.

The moment they stepped inside, the familiar aroma of tea wafted over. Kuonji Alice rose from the sofa and looked toward Aozaki Touko, but her attention was soon drawn to Ryougi Shiki beside her.

Touko had brought another little girl back to the mansion. Could it be that she intended to use her for...

"Alice, do you think she's cute?"

Aozaki Touko spoke with a gentle smile. "Don't you want to give birth to one this cute too?"

Kuonji Alice: "..."

Ninety-Fifth Chapter: Familiars Aren't Just for Eating

As expected.

"Alice, don't you want to give birth to one yourself?"

Kuonji Alice's cool face flushed. Her black eyes seemed to glare at Touko, filled with fierce reproach.

Yet paired with her flushed cheeks, it was not threatening in the slightest. If anything, it made her look adorable, with a charm that made it impossible to look away.

Although this was not the first time she had heard Aozaki Touko say something like that, she still felt embarrassed every time—especially with her new apprentice Aoko present.

—Smack.

Kuonji Alice closed the book in her hands with some force. Her black eyes swept over Aoko's curious gaze and the little girl coldly slapping Touko's hand away. Then she changed the subject in an icy tone.

"Unexpectedly, you came back so soon this time."

"Mm-hm. Since Grandfather suddenly died, I had no choice but to come back, even if I didn't want to."

"He's already dead?"

"That's right. He suddenly died while chatting yesterday."

"You make it sound suspiciously like you killed him."

As they spoke, Kuonji Alice finished brewing a pot of tea and handed everyone a cup.

"Indeed. Even if I say I didn't do it, it's hard to say how many people will believe me. The purer a magus is, the more likely they are to think I killed Grandfather."

On the opposite sofa, Aozaki Touko lifted her teacup and took a sip before chuckling. "Mm, perhaps rumors will spread that I murdered a Magic User. But I doubt many people will dare mention it in front of me, so it's ultimately a trivial matter."

"As long as you don't kill Aoko and take her Magic Crest, the rumors will die down quickly. It should only take two or three months."

Kuonji Alice spoke coldly, glancing at Aoko, who was quietly drinking her tea. A trace of regret appeared in her black eyes.

It was as if she regretted that Aozaki Touko had not killed Aoko. If Aoko died, she would not have to shoulder the troublesome task of teaching her.

"..."

Seeing this, Aozaki Aoko, who had been quietly drinking tea, glared back without the slightest courtesy, expressing her condemnation and fury with her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ryougi Shiki sat quietly with an icy expression, listening intently. She found the contents of their conversation novel.

Their dialogue contained many key terms. If she could understand what those terms represented, it might turn out to be a very interesting story.

That strange premonition appeared in her heart.

"...Have a taste~"

Ignoring Aoko's furious glare, Kuonji Alice opened the chocolate box that had already been placed on the table. She took out a chocolate ball and handed it to Ryougi Shiki, who was sitting quietly.

"...Thank you~"

After giving her thanks, Ryougi Shiki accepted the chocolate ball and looked toward the exquisite wooden box beside her.

In fact, she had noticed it long ago. The beautiful box had been placed on the table, apparently prepared as a snack for a child guest whom they knew would be visiting.

But unless Alice had calculated that she would come, as a Magic User might, then something unexpected must have happened.

The original little guest had not come, most likely.

"..."

Seeing Ryougi Shiki staring at Songs of Sixpence, Kuonji Alice pushed the exquisite box toward her, implying that she could take some herself if she wanted to eat more.

"This is a high-end product you can't even buy outside~" Aozaki Touko said with a smile.

"Is that so?"

Hearing that, Ryougi Shiki put the chocolate ball into her mouth.

Then, in the next instant, her eyes widened slightly as surprise filled her.

The flavor was unbelievably delicious. This was probably the first time she had ever eaten chocolate this good.

It tasted almost magical.

Seeing that the new little girl seemed to enjoy Songs of Sixpence, Kuonji Alice nodded slightly. She had originally prepared Songs of Sixpence for Kohaku, Hisui, and the others.

But she had not expected Aozaki Touko not to bring them back, so all the chocolate balls in Songs of Sixpence could only be given to this new little girl.

"How long will you be staying this time?"

Kuonji Alice pulled her attention back and looked at Aozaki Touko.

"This?"

Aozaki Touko took a sip of tea, her calm voice carrying a hint of pride.

"I won't be staying long. I'm about to be crowned a Grand, so I'll return to London once Grandfather's funeral is over."

"Is that so? Seeing you bring so many people back, I thought you wanted to stay in Japan for a while, Touko~"