I thought I would probably keep liking Shirou for the rest of my life, she thought. That was enough.
But Shirou unexpectedly gave her a clear answer.
"You're not the only one who fell in love at first sight, Aoko."
That single remark from the young man completely won over Aoko Aozaki.
"Amamiya-kun, Aoko really didn't threaten you, did she? If she did, you have to tell me."
"Arisu, what are you talking about? Shirou and I are mutually in love... Uh, that's right, isn't it?"
Aoko looked at the red-haired boy with little confidence.
Seeing his lover look at him so pitifully, Shirou smiled.
"Is that so? No, as I recall, Aoko seems to have used some kind of spell on me..."
Arisu covered her lips. "You actually used Suggestion Magic on Amamiya-kun? Aoko... your wickedness surpasses even my imagination."
"I never used anything like that aaaaaah!"
Every so often, Shirou and Arisu would team up to bully Aoko like this.
"I've had enough. I'm going to make some black tea."
Aoko rose angrily from the sofa and headed for the kitchen.
"Oh, right. Since Shirou plans to stay for a few more days, how about the three of us go out and have some fun?"
"..."
Seeing the surprised looks on Shirou and Arisu's faces, Aoko hurriedly explained with a flushed face, "We can't spend the entire winter vacation in the mansion, can we?"
"What's wrong with staying home?" asked the number-one shut-in witch in Misaki.
"Looks like Aoko already has somewhere she wants to go," Shirou said.
As expected, nothing got past him.
Aoko sighed, pulled three tickets from her pocket, and slapped them onto the table with a thump.
"Hot Spring Inn vouchers...?"
Aoko said, "Shirou wasn't very satisfied with that artificial hot spring we visited