Chapter 230

In a way, she really knows how to pick a house.

"Um, Aunt, so the teacher you mentioned who went to the museum with me before, was she... Miss Haihara?"

Compared to Suzuki, who was only slightly surprised, Kuroki Yuka clearly had more questions.

She suddenly remembered many things her Aunt had mentioned about her best friend, the teacher.

For example, whenever her Aunt talks to her about that teacher, she always says things like how fair the teacher's skin is, how nice she smells, and how long her legs are.

Moreover, my Aunt would always seek out that teacher after each blind date when she went out for drinks.

Even for her birthday, she invited that same teacher to celebrate with her.

Every time she listened to it, Kuroki Yuka wondered what kind of woman her Aunt was so hung up on.

Oh, it's Haihara- san.

That makes perfect sense.

"Yes, I was worried about what would happen after you two met, since you're still relatively unfamiliar with each other."

Meanwhile, Haihara was also deep in thought.

She had heard a lot about that little niece from Ms. Suzuki before.

Like her parents' divorce, her mother's lack of attention, and her past psychological trauma, she came to Maple Plain City to adjust. Thinking about it carefully, it seems to match Kuroki Yuka, and the timing is also about the same.

But she remembered... Ms. Suzuki had mentioned that when Kuroki Yuka lived in her house, suspicious toilet paper was always found in her room...

Was it her?

It seems that young people these days are indeed quite lonely and in need of care and support.

Thinking about the high school girl living next door, and how all sorts of things probably happen to her every day, Haihara a little wistful.

However, after realizing that the little niece was Kuroki Yuka, Haihara slightly tilted her head when she stopped at the red light:

"Speaking of which, Suzuki..."

Haihara and Ms. Suzuki usually address each other by their surnames, as they both feel that being called by their given names is not a pleasant experience, and using their surnames directly is just right.

Ms. Suzuki looked up.

"Um?"

At that moment, Haihara was chatting with Ms. Suzuki, but she glanced at Kuroki Yuka was silently sitting in the back seat, through the rearview mirror.

For some reason, she remembered the Problem Child she had encountered a while ago.

The two of them look somewhat alike when they're quiet.

Happy birthday today.

Haihara didn't know why she suddenly thought of Kirishima Ai.

It just seems like she didn't carry many people when she was driving, and among the children she did carry, besides her daughter, it was only Kirishima Ai.

And it happened several times.

However, let's not think about those things today, since she won't be seeing those Problem Child today anyway.

"Thanks."

Ms. Suzuki smiled charmingly.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Museum

Shiratori Aoi has always had a rather cold relationship with her daughter.

Her children are a pair of sisters. After divorcing her husband, Shiratori Aoi raised her seriously ill second daughter, while her ex-husband took care of her older daughter, who was stronger and more precocious.

Before Hina's illness was cured, Shiratori Aoi rarely spent time with her other daughter, or rather, almost never did. The few times they did communicate were by phone.

She knew this was a problem.

Moreover, this is entirely her own problem. It's because she has never fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother and has never shown the care she deserves. As a result, she has to drive around for ages to find the way to pick up her daughter.

Upon reflection, she realized that besides knowing her daughter had excellent grades, she hadn't heard anything about which class her daughter was in, what her teachers were like, or whether she had ever been in a relationship.

Until this weekend, due to certain circumstances, she took her daughter out to visit the museum alone.

"Mom... don't we have to wait in line?"

When Kirishima Ai spoke to her, her tone was noticeably awkward, perhaps because she wasn't used to being around her like this.

The museum was already open at seven o'clock in the morning. Tickets for the first day were limited, so it wasn't too crowded, but there was still a long queue.

However, Shiratori Aoi did not take her daughter through the main entrance, but instead used the staff passageway.

"Don't worry, I've been working here for a while now."

As the mother of Kirishima Ai and Kirishima Hina, Shiratori Aoi was clearly a beauty, and it's evident that the sisters inherited many of her good qualities.

However, in terms of temperament and figure, the two sisters still have a long way to go to reach her level.

Shiratori Aoi now works for the Dream Society.

Before getting married and having children, she was a historian and had participated in many archaeological excavations.

However, this hectic lifestyle became unsustainable after having children. Fortunately, the president of the Dream Society, Cangyue, was able to provide her with a stable job.

It has some connection to my previous job.

Thanks to this convenience, she and her daughter were able to enter the museum today without having to wait in a long line.

Meanwhile, Kirishima Ai became restless because of this long-awaited time alone with her mother.

I always feel a little awkward not saying anything.

But even now, she's not good at getting along with her mother.

So she had no choice but to obediently pretend to be visiting the museum.

However, after actually looking at each exhibit in the museum, Kirishima Ai paused for a moment.

In front of her, in a glass case, were artifacts unearthed from a European site, seemingly dating back three hundred years. They appeared to be some kind of Crystal mass covered in thick layers of weathered dust, giving them a dull and lifeless appearance.

Is it just my imagination?

The shape of this Crystal looks so familiar; no matter how you look at it, it resembles the kind produced by Monster.

Moreover, given its shape, it should be able to fit inside the Broken Wing, right...?

"Mom, what is this?"

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Kirishima Ai raised her head and asked her mother.

Shiratori Aoi glanced at the artifact that Kirishima Ai was pointing to:

"A few years ago, we were doing archaeological work at a village site in Europe, which turned into a very large-scale archaeological excavation. At that time, we unearthed a lot of Crystal fragments like these."

"Moreover, these Crystal blocks are uniform in size and shape, making them works of art of breathtaking quality."

Kirishima Ai seemed to have heard her mother mention this ruin before.

For my mother, that period of archaeological experience was almost the most unforgettable time of her life.

However... Kirishima Ai had a different feeling when she saw these Crystal.

Why are the shapes of these Crystal exactly the same as those of the Silver Feather Crystal?

This made her feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, as she walked to the other exhibits and saw the other artifacts, she vaguely felt that these exhibits seemed to be related to Magic girls.

There were books with R'lyeh's writing on them, things that looked like Magic Armament, and even a shattered mask left after Monster was defeated.

She recalled that the museum's theme was something like "Witch."

Could it really mean Magic girl?

Kirishima Ai was more engrossed in her stroll than expected, which pleased Shiratori Aoi standing nearby.

However, as she strolled around, Kirishima Ai's gaze was suddenly drawn to something outside the exhibits: the other visitors she had just seen.

"Ai, what's wrong?"

Shiratori Aoi noticed that her daughter was staring intently at several people in the distance. Because they were quite conspicuous, Shiratori Aoi quickly located the people her daughter was likely looking at.

It was a combination of two adult women and a teenage girl, which is quite rare to see, to be honest.

Aside from the fact that it's hard to guess the relationship between the three, all three are quite good-looking and would stand out in a crowd, especially the little girl.

"... Um, my teacher is over there."

And... there was someone she never expected.

Kirishima Ai never expected to see Teacher Haihara and Teacher Suzuki visiting a museum together on the weekend.

Not only were they dressed like they were going on a date, but more importantly, they brought a girl with them.

That girl looks so familiar.

After watching for a while, Kirishima Ai finally realized that the girl was none other than Kuroki Yuka.

Why is the former user of Dark Feather hanging out with the teachers?

Completely baffled, Kirishima Ai felt a complex mix of emotions, along with a slight worry that this former Black Magical Girl might be plotting something sinister.

"Teacher? What kind of teacher?"

At first Shiratori Aoi didn't care much, but upon hearing that it was a teacher, she couldn't help but become curious as a parent.

Kirishima Ai:

"My homeroom teacher, and my music teacher."

She couldn't suppress her curiosity and worry, and couldn't help but look towards Teacher Haihara.

So, Shiratori Aoi blinked and took another careful look at the two women.

Whether it was Shiratori Aoi's imagination or not, she always felt that these two teachers, especially the one who looked very cold, seemed... very attractive to women.

She's probably just overthinking it.

Then, she gently patted Kirishima Ai's back:

"Shall we go and say hello to your teacher?"

Shiratori Aoi subconsciously thought that her daughter might be a little unwilling, but Kirishima Ai quickly nodded and continued to watch the other side with great concern.

It seems her daughter really likes her teacher?

If that's the case, then the woman who looks gentler must be my daughter's homeroom teacher.

After Kirishima Ai nodded, she hurriedly grabbed Shiratori Aoi's hand, wanting to get to the teacher quickly. Shiratori Aoi looked at her daughter, who was so eager for something, with some surprise.

Before long, she arrived in front of the three people, and then she saw one of the women reveal a slightly surprised smile:

"Hey, isn't this Kirishima? Are you here with your family today?"

The girl among them, who was about the same age as her daughter, looked at her daughter with obvious embarrassment and muttered something under her breath:

"Uh... what a coincidence."

It seems this child might be my daughter's classmate or something?

Kirishima Ai, her earlier surprised expression vanishing, replaced by a docile demeanor. She first bowed to them, then spoke politely and methodically:

"Teacher Haihara, Teacher Suzuki, what a coincidence! My mom and I are visiting here today too."

When Kirishima Ai mentioned "mother," Shiratori Aoi felt that the thin, fragile, black-haired woman raised her head and glanced at her.

Suzuki raised his hand to cover his mouth, then quickly returned to his usual gentle demeanor.

"Kirishima's mother is a beauty, just like Kirishima."

Suzuki seemed somewhat surprised and envious, perhaps because he thought Kirishima Ai's mother looked so young and beautiful, but this only lasted for a moment.

"Hello, I'm Kirishima's music teacher, my surname is Suzuki, and this is Teacher Haihara. We've brought our children out for some fun today."

Music teacher?

So, the person next to her is actually her daughter's homeroom teacher?

Shiratori Aoi looked at Haihara again, and Haihara nodded to her and simply said "Hello".