Becoming Aozaki Touko's Life

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

And so, she rushed over that very night.

On the streets in the early morning.

Ten meters apart, their eyes met.

"You are Aozaki Touko?"

The little girl in the kimono gazed at the person opposite her, her cold eyes containing the flames of anger.

These were suppressed flames, or perhaps flames of suppressed love.

However, regardless of what emotions these flames contained, one thing was certain: these burning flames could scorch a person.

"Good morning, Shiki~"

The girl, whom she had never seen in her memory, offered her a smile as if they had known each other for a long time.

"...So, you know me!"

Ryougi Shiki's tone was cold yet impatient.

She didn't feel happy because the other party's attitude was gentle; on the contrary, such an attitude made her even angrier, as it basically confirmed that Aozaki Touko knew her.

However, she had no memory of this person whatsoever. This was someone she knew nothing about, yet who harbored intense emotions for her.

This inexplicable feeling made her feel annoyed and angry.

"Yes, from the moment we were born~"

Aozaki Touko said with a smile, then suddenly corrected herself, "No... rather, we knew each other before we were born."

She spoke words that sounded like a charlatan's, yet without any hint of jest. Although her eyes held a sly smile, her tone was extremely serious.

"..."

"..."

The bizarre conversation stunned everyone present.

Ryougi Shiki stood there with a cold expression, not saying a word, pondering what Aozaki Touko meant by saying that.

Aozaki Aoko frowned with a troubled expression. She felt a headache coming on from the charlatan-like conversation, which sounded like listening to two old monks exchanging Zen riddles.

Yanagi Akiryu, hidden nearby, twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling that these big shots might not know how to speak like normal people, and that they only showed off their brilliance by speaking without reservation.

"What does that mean?"

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

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

Was this woman deliberately trying to quell her anger?

"It means exactly what it says~"

Aozaki Touko smiled charmingly, not intending to explain further.

In this world, there were only two people who could truly understand what she had just said: herself, and Root Shiki. As for anyone else, she had no intention of explaining it to them.

"...Being deliberately vague~"

Ryougi Shiki said, then immediately asked, "What was going on that night? Why did we meet in the park in the middle of the night?"

This was a question that had kept her tossing and turning sleeplessly, a question that had made her mood strange, and even a question that made her regret not going to London.

"..."

Beside them, Aozaki Aoko's expression grew even stranger. She felt like she had misunderstood something. Could it be that Touko-nee had used suggestion magic, gone to the girl's house, brought her to the park, and then done something strange?

"---We didn't do anything strange~"

As if seeing through Aoko's thoughts, Aozaki Touko explained to her, then turned to Ryougi Shiki, who was waiting for an answer, "It's not convenient to talk about this here. Let's go somewhere more suitable."

Saying this, she walked up to Ryougi Shiki and, to Shiki's astonished gaze, took her hand, as if abducting her.

During this process, Ryougi Shiki tried to pull away with a little force, but then, with a cold expression, she left the street with Aozaki Touko.

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

At this moment, Yanagi Akiryu, who had been hiding nearby, darted out, sweating coldly, and blocked Aozaki Touko's path. He couldn't just let someone take Ryougi Shiki away so easily, or he wouldn't be able to continue working for the Ryougi family.

Moreover, if anything happened to Ryougi Shiki, he estimated that he would have his hands and feet chopped off by Ryougi-papa and then be sunk into the river with cement.

"So loyal... but you're not in a convenient position to be present right now!"

Seeing the man blocking her path, Aozaki Touko wasn't angry. She explained with a sweet smile, "If you insist on following, then I'll have no choice but to kill you all!"

Saying this, she scanned the corners of the street, uncovering all the hidden guards.

"...If that's the case, then please let me accompany Miss alone!"

Akiryu gritted his teeth, his gaze firm.

He felt an innate fear of that girl, a fear stemming from the unknown. When he had witnessed his young lady inexplicably age from a young woman to a little girl step by step in the park, it was an image deeply etched in his memory.

And the woman with whom his young lady seemed to be getting along so well was likely also an incredibly formidable individual. Even if she appeared frail and weak, any adult man could subdue her through brute force.

But that was merely an illusion.

If they were enemies, there would be absolutely no chance of winning!

They would truly be killed easily!

"..."

Seeing this, Ryougi Shiki spoke with a cold tone, "You all stand down. This woman won't harm me. If she truly wanted to do something to me, I wouldn't have been safe in the park back then. If you force your way in, this woman might actually kill you!"

"...But?"

Akiryu was still hesitant, and Aozaki Touko shook her head, "Don't worry, I wouldn't go so far as to harm Shiki. If I wanted to harm her, I'd wait until she grew up!"

"I understand~"

Hearing this, Akiryu nodded slightly and then signaled to the hidden group, leading them away.

Now that this woman had given her assurance, it would be ungrateful for them to continue staying here.

Otherwise, if they angered this woman and were cursed with something strange, they wouldn't even know how they died.

Kuzuki Western Mansion.

Aozaki Touko skillfully opened the door and then led Ryougi Shiki and Aoko into the living room.

The moment they stepped inside, the familiar scent of black tea wafted over. Kuonji Azu stood up from the sofa, her gaze falling on Aozaki Touko, then shifting to Ryougi Shiki beside her.

Touko brought another little girl to the mansion. Could it be for...

"Azu, don't you think she's cute?"

Aozaki Touko said with a gentle smile, "Don't you want to have a cute one like her yourself?"

Kuonji Azu: "..."

Chapter 95: Familiars Aren't Just for Eating

As expected.

"Azu, don't you want to have one yourself?"

Kuonji Azu's cool face flushed red, and her dark eyes seemed to glare at Touko with a fierce, accusatory look.

However, paired with her flushed pretty face, it lacked any threat. Rather, it made her appear cute, possessing an irresistible charm.

Although it wasn't the first time she had heard Aozaki Touko say such things, she still felt embarrassed every time, especially in front of Aoko, her new disciple.

—Snap

Kuonji Azu closed the book in her hand with some force. Her dark eyes swept over Aoko, who was looking on with curiosity, and the little girl who coldly slapped Touko's hand away. She coldly changed the subject:

"Unexpectedly, you're back this early."

"Mm, well, my grandfather suddenly died, so I had no choice but to come back."

"He's already dead?"

"That's right. Just yesterday, while we were talking, my grandfather suddenly died."

"It makes one suspect you killed him."

As they conversed, Kuonji Azu brewed a pot of black tea and served a cup to everyone.

"Indeed, even if I say I didn't do it, it's hard to say how many people would believe me. The more pure a Magician is, the more likely they are to think I killed my grandfather."

On the opposite sofa, Aozaki Touko picked up her teacup and took a sip, then chuckled, "Mm, perhaps in the future, rumors will circulate about me killing a Magic User, but I don't think many people would dare mention it in front of me, so it's a trivial matter."

"As long as you don't kill Aoko and take her Magic Crest, the rumors will quickly dissipate, probably in about two or three months."

Kuonji Azu said indifferently, glancing at Aoko, who was quietly drinking her tea. Her dark eyes held a hint of regret.

It was as if she regretted that Aozaki Touko hadn't killed Aoko, because if Aoko were dead, she wouldn't have to bear the troublesome teaching duties.

"..."

Seeing this, Aozaki Aoko, who was quietly drinking her tea, glared back unceremoniously, her eyes conveying condemnation and anger.

Meanwhile, Ryougi Shiki, sitting quietly to the side, had a cold expression but was listening very carefully, finding the content of their conversation novel.

Their conversation contained many keywords, and if she could understand what those keywords represented, it might lead to a very interesting story.

This strange premonition arose in her heart.

"...Try one~"

Ignoring Aoko's angry gaze, Kuonji Azu brought over the chocolate box that had been placed on the table and offered a chocolate ball to Ryougi Shiki, who was sitting quietly.

"...Thank you~"

After saying thanks, Ryougi Shiki took the chocolate ball and then looked at the exquisite wooden box beside her.

In fact, she had noticed it earlier. This exquisite wooden box was placed on the table, likely prepared as a welcoming snack for guests, as someone would have brought children.

However, if they hadn't calculated her arrival like a Magic User, then it was probably an accident.

The original little guest didn't come, did they?

"..."

Seeing Ryougi Shiki staring at the Songs of Sixpence, Kuonji Alice pushed the exquisite wooden box in front of Ryougi Shiki, implying that Ryougi Shiki could take one if she wanted to eat.

"This is a high-class item that you can't even buy outside."

At this moment, Aozaki Touko said with a smile.

"Is that so."

Hearing this, Ryougi Shiki ate the chocolate ball.

Then, in the very next instant, Ryougi Shiki's eyes widened slightly, and she felt a bit surprised.

Unbelievably delicious, this was probably the first time she had eaten such a good-tasting chocolate.

This taste felt almost devilishly good.

Seeing that the new little girl seemed very satisfied with the Songs of Sixpence, Kuonji Alice nodded slightly. Originally, she had prepared the Songs of Sixpence for Kohaku, Hisui, and the others.

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

"... How long are you going to stay this time?"

Kuonji Alice withdrew her attention and asked Aozaki Touko.

"About that~"

Aozaki Touko took a sip of her black tea, her calm tone carrying a hint of pride:

"I won't be staying long. I'm about to be crowned Counsellor, so I'll return to London after Grandfather's funeral is completed."

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