An Unlikable Old Man
Seeing the grandfather and granddaughter suddenly appear in front of him, Shinji's mouth twitched slightly.
Because mystery had faded in this world, the head of the Aozaki Family wasn't a Magus, but his standing in Japan's Mage world was still extremely high. He was among the very best.
Of course, just as well-known as his transcendent position was his rigid attitude toward Magecraft.
Everyone in Japan's Mage world knew the story of how he'd driven his exceptionally talented heir, Aozaki Touko, out of the family because their ideals didn't align.
But more than this rigid, sharp-tongued old man, Shinji was interested in the Aoko following behind him.
After all, a pretty girl was definitely more pleasing to the eye than a wrinkled old man, and Aoko was one of the "Four Heroines," to boot.
Unlike the lively, cheerful girl in Shinji's memory, who was even a bit of an unreliable human missile launcher, Aoko following behind her grandfather was a poised and composed young lady.
Perhaps it was because the old man Aozaki was still alive and had kept Aoko by his side to teach her.
Perhaps sensing Shinji's gaze, Aoko narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly at Second Master.
Shinji returned her friendly smile and greeted her.
"Hello..."
Before Shinji could finish speaking, the old man Aozaki moved sideways, putting himself between Aoko and Shinji as if Shinji were some kind of harmful bacteria.
"..."
Shinji's eyebrow twitched slightly. He said nothing, merely picked up his wineglass.
The head of the Aozaki Family across from him treated Shinji like thin air. Without even glancing at him, he greeted Matou Zouken.
"Lord Matou, it's been a long time."
Matou Zouken nodded slightly. "Lord Aozaki, you're still in good health, I hope?"
"Of course," Aozaki Public replied expressionlessly. "Those unfilial youngsters who sully Magecraft are still alive. How could I die before them?"
Shinji stopped drinking at those words. He lowered his glass and looked up at the old man in front of him.
He felt like he'd just been insulted.
As if only now noticing him, Aozaki Public looked down at Shinji in a way that made him deeply uncomfortable.
"You're Matou Shinji, Lord Matou's grandson? You seem quite promising for someone so young."
"Thank you for the praise, Lord Aozaki."
Shinji's words were polite, even formulaic.
He wasn't stupid. He could naturally hear something else in the old man's words. That wasn't the way a respected elder spoke when he saw a promising younger person.
"Of course, it wasn't praise. You're one of the most talented young magicians I've ever seen. Your paper on Suggestion Magic, published in the Clock Tower journal, gave me a profound appreciation for your understanding of the origins of Magecraft."
"You flatter me."
Shinji gave an awkward but polite smile, unsure whether the other man was mocking him on purpose.
That paper had been padded out quite a bit. The ideas and practical experiments had been Shinji's, but Waver had handled most of the writing and theoretical explanations.
One of them was exceptionally talented and had maxed out practical ability, but had a poor theoretical foundation. The other had nothing but theory, yet couldn't put it into practice for personal reasons. They complemented each other perfectly.
Everyone at the Clock Tower knew how the two of them worked together, but Shinji wasn't sure whether outsiders knew.
Aozaki Public didn't seem to care about the paper's actual circumstances. He merely looked at Shinji with the disappointment of a teacher rich in knowledge and experience, instructing a student with talent but no ability.
"You have a talent beyond the reach of ordinary people for Suggestion Magic, bounded fields, and even Illusion Magic... It's just a shame."
Aozaki Public paused, then asked in a weighty, earnest tone, "You've chosen the wrong path. You're spending too much of your energy on mundane things that waste your talent. Devote yourself to the study of Magecraft. Only then can you fully develop your abilities."
"Magecraft?"
Shinji hadn't expected him to come over and say this.
Aozaki Public swept a hand through the air. "Only by devoting yourself to the study of Magecraft can your abilities earn everyone's recognition and make you a top magician."
Do you know what my ambitions are? Why assume I want to become an academic magician?
Shinji didn't know what to say to the old man.
By any measure, he, Matou Shinji, wasn't cut out for academic research into Magecraft. Even if he'd transmigrated to a parallel world where mystery hadn't faded, he felt he'd be more suited to becoming a combat-oriented magician like Kiritsugu or Sister Bazett.
"Mr. Aozaki, you're an authority in the Mage world, while I'm just a novice magician with little experience. I trust that a respected elder like you wouldn't deceive me."
Though Shinji felt nothing but disdain for the old man, he still answered like a junior, for the sake of the Matou Family's reputation for good manners.
"Does that mean a magician who researches practical applications of Magecraft can't reach the pinnacle of the Mage world?"
"Practical applications?"
Aozaki Public shook his head. "Practicality means sharing it with others. Mystery is a deeply personal thing! It can only be passed down to family! You're a magician. You shouldn't think like that."
I take it back. This guy isn't just rigid. He belongs in a museum.
Shinji wanted to smack himself.
What was the point of talking to a fossil who still insisted that family members should inherit their family's Magecraft?
Even the old fossils at the Clock Tower knew that passing things down within a family wasn't reliable these days, and that they needed to find students to inherit their Magecraft. Yet this man was still living in the previous version.
Unfortunately, Aozaki Public didn't seem to notice Shinji's impatience. With a pained expression, he continued lecturing Matou Shinji.
"Matou Shinji, I greatly admire your talent. You're still young, and there's still time to correct your course... Devote yourself to researching Magecraft now. With your abilities, you'll surely go further than your grandfather on the path to the Root..."
What would be the point? He still wouldn't reach the Root, would he?
Shinji fought the urge to roll his eyes and forced the corners of his mouth upward.
If even the current head of the Aozaki Family couldn't become a Magus, Shinji figured no one in the future would be able to reach the end of the path of Magecraft.
Besides, even if Shinji were interested in the Root, he wouldn't shut himself away to study it. He'd rather go to Kanabuchi City and spend time with Sister Shiki. Maybe that would bring him a little closer to the Root.
Of course, that depended on Shiki awakening her Mystic Eyes.
Given the current level of mystery in the world, Shinji seriously doubted that would happen.
In any case, from Master Shinji's perspective, instead of spending his limited life and energy on a road with no end, he'd rather do what he liked.
So Shinji wouldn't change his plans just because someone said a few words, even if that person was the head of the Aozaki Family.
"Um... Head of the Aozaki Family."
Seeing that the other man was still going on and showed no sign of stopping, Shinji finally couldn't hold back. "I don't think the Root represents everything to a magician."
Even though Shinji had tried to soften his tone as much as possible, the head of the Aozaki Family still looked displeased.
In the old man's eyes, the Root was everything. Magicians were supposed to pursue it. Anything else was heresy!
The head of the Aozaki Family glanced at Matou Zouken, standing beside Shinji, with displeasure. "Lord Matou, I think you should consider having another grandson, rather than pouring the Matou Family's resources into someone who's certain to bring no return."
Well, that was the high-EQ version.
Shinji figured that, translated into low-EQ language, Aozaki Public was saying: "Why haven't you disowned such an unfilial grandson?"
"Shinji isn't going to inherit the Matou Family's Magecraft anyway. He can do whatever he likes."
Leaning on his cane, Matou Zouken chuckled.
For this grandson-obsessed old man, nothing mattered more than supporting his grandson.
Disown Shinji? Not a chance.
Only a blockhead like Aozaki would disown an exceptionally talented heir for the sake of some supposed ideal.
You could say that Aozaki Public and Matou Zouken's attitudes toward the younger generation and Magecraft were worlds apart.
Aozaki Public tried a few more times to persuade Zouken, but when the other man kept brushing him off, he had no choice but to leave.
"Goodbye, you two."
Aoko, who hadn't said a word the entire time, saw her grandfather leave. She bowed slightly to the Matou grandfather and grandson, then hurried after him.
Shinji swore he saw her give him a thumbs-up as the young lady Aozaki turned away.
"The Root doesn't represent everything."
A voice tinged with mockery suddenly came from just behind Shinji.
Shinji quickly turned around. A woman with glasses and reddish-orange hair tied in a ponytail was smiling at him.
She came right over and stood beside Shinji, teasing him. "Looks like the little child prodigy of the Matou Family is bursting with confidence."
"We're on different paths, so we have nothing to discuss, Miss Touko."
Shinji shrugged and replied indifferently.
The woman raised her brows with interest. "You know me?"
Shinji nodded. "Of course. You were my idol when I studied abroad, senpai."
Touko waved her hands and laughed. "Oh, come on. Compared to you, who's slept with every woman at the Clock Tower, I've still got a long way to go, little kouhai."
"Pfft—"
Shinji spat out his drink.
"That's what those jerks are saying?!"
Master Shinji decided he'd make certain people come to their senses the next time he returned to the Clock Tower.
"Who knows?" Touko shrugged, speaking casually. "But anyway, I'm happy you managed to piss off that old fossil. Come to me if you need anything. I'll give you a discount."
As she spoke, Touko handed Shinji a business card, then left.
"They're sisters, but their personalities are very different," Matou Zouken remarked, stroking his chin as he watched Touko walk away.
"The younger sister is so obedient, but the older one is so rebellious. No wonder that rigid old man gave up on the older sister and chose the younger one."
Thinking of the gesture Aoko had made before leaving, Shinji shook his head slightly. "Well, maybe things aren't as they seem."
"Dear grandson, did you notice something?" Matou Zouken asked, sounding curious.
Shinji merely smiled faintly and put the business card away.
"Dear grandson, do you have a thing for her?"
"Yeah."
Shinji admitted it.
But before Zouken could say anything, Shinji continued, "Aozaki Touko's pretty good at making magical tools. I've wanted to commission her to make movie props for a long time, but I never found a way to contact her."
"Oh, that's all? I thought you were interested in her as a woman."
Matou Zouken lowered his head in disappointment and patted his back.
"Ah, when will I ever get a great-grandchild? You were so forward in Britain, so why are you so shy now that you're back home?"
Shinji sighed and blew the loose hair away from his forehead, not wanting to talk to his lecherous old grandfather. He was just about to head to the buffet for something to eat when he heard Aozaki Public speaking a little louder nearby.
"How strange."
Aozaki Public pointed at Aozaki Touko and narrowed his eyes. "I don't remember this being a place where stray dogs come to beg for food."
Aozaki Public didn't speak especially loudly, but he was at just the right volume for everyone around them to hear.
Clearly, his goal was to draw everyone's attention and humiliate Touko.
But Touko wasn't one to be pushed around. She calmly lit a cigarette, acting as if Aozaki Public didn't matter to her.
"Ah, now this should be interesting."
Shinji, who'd been about to get some food, stopped and watched the people from the Aozaki Family with interest.
Matou Zouken found a chair and sat down, grumbling quietly, "Aozaki Public is really going too far. How can he call his own granddaughter a stray dog? The girl's at least a pretty bitch."
"...Grandpa." Shinji rubbed his temples with his fingers. "If you can't say anything decent, just keep quiet."
Zouken laughed without a care and turned his gaze to Aozaki Public.
In the crowd, the confrontation between the Aozaki grandfather and granddaughter continued.
Before you continue