Alliance?

"Your story is hard to believe."

Alice Kuonji frowned slightly. Though she was theoretically within the absolute safety of the mansion, an inexplicable feeling of unease rose in her heart.

"Whether you believe me or not, that's the truth. I merely coveted a certain treasure here, then was nearly dealt with by someone."

"Someone?"

A bad feeling also rose in Aoko's heart.

"Miss Tōko Aozaki, of course. Aren't you sisters?"

Michael's calm words were like a meteor falling into the Pacific Ocean, stirring up towering waves.

"My sister..."

Aoko unconsciously clenched her fists, her expression dazed. "No, you..."

"If it was Touko, then what happened before can be explained."

In contrast, Alice Kuonji agreed with Michael's account. Several strange intrusions had occurred even before Michael arrived. Considering her friend's abilities, there was a high probability that she had been behind them.

"Miss Touko and I could be considered old friends, but she's still as decisive as ever when she acts. Not the slightest bit sentimental. That's just her style."

Michael readily agreed. Seeing Aoko's expression, the suspicion in his heart was confirmed. It seemed the relationship between Tōko Aozaki and her younger sister Aoko truly wasn't very good—one could even call it terrible.

"Besides, Miss Tōko has made ample preparations. She said she wanted to properly 'reconnect' with the sister she hasn't seen in a long time."

He continued fanning the flames, drawing their attention toward Tōko Aozaki. Clearly, it worked. Upon hearing the name "Tōko Aozaki," both girls were somewhat distracted.

"If we're going to be enemies with her, what do you intend to do from now on, Aoko?"

After briefly weighing the pros and cons, Alice Kuonji decided to stand on Aoko's side. Of course, it wasn't because of their brief friendship as roommates, but because of deeper considerations.

"Right now, all we can do is gather information on her. It'd be terrible if those people entered our defensive range. And with her skills, by the time we finish building a fortress, she'll probably have already made a whole division of dolls."

Aoko wore a helpless expression. Though she still hesitated somewhat, it did not affect her resolve in the slightest.

"Then I have good news for you. At least for the time being, you don't need to worry about Miss Touko coming after you."

Michael smoothly joined the girls' discussion, as though he were an old friend they had known for years.

"Then that really is good news."

Alice Kuonji gave Michael a deep look, then nodded lightly.

"However, bluntly speaking, Aozaki's magecraft is truly terrible. You can't even handle the dolls Miss Touko made. If a real fight breaks out, you'd only be dead weight."

Alice Kuonji nodded again, agreeing with Michael. It sounded unpleasant, but it was indeed the truth. Battles between magi had never been simple affairs.

Though Aoko was furious, it was the truth, so she did not refute Michael.

"So use this brief time for some intensive training. At the very least, when you truly face Miss Touko, you can struggle a little longer and lose with a bit more dignity."

"..."

A brief silence followed.

"You bastard!"

The silence was quickly shattered by a rough roar. Aoko wanted nothing more than to punch that irritating smiling face.

"No way. You don't seriously think a few days of training will let a magecraft rookie defeat an Archmage skilled in Rune Script, proficient at dollmaking, and holding trump cards, do you?"

Michael spread his hands, the smile on his face looking exceptionally sincere. "If that's what you're thinking, you might as well wash up and go to sleep. You can have anything in your dreams. Still, it's not impossible for you to defeat Miss Touko—if you can use Magic."

"Magic... Is that your goal?"

Alice Kuonji's expression remained as unruffled as ever, and even her tone stayed perfectly level.

"More or less. I've never seen true Magic before, so I'm somewhat curious."

"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"I wasn't holding out much hope to begin with. If I get to witness Magic, that'd be wonderful. If not, it's not like I lose anything, right?"

The two of them chatted animatedly, while Aoko, the actual subject of the discussion, became a third wheel. She could only watch dryly, unable to get a word in.

"If that's the case, then it's not unacceptable."

Alice Kuonji rose from her chair and walked toward the door. "I'll go to the living room first. We can discuss the rest at length."

She spoke expressionlessly, turning her head slightly before leaving the room with a soft tap-tap of footsteps.

"Aoko, how's the academy? It must have been damaged pretty badly, right?"

Michael asked with interest. Though he had not seen the results of his work with his own eyes, judging from the force of the explosion, the entire back mountain had probably been blown sky-high.

"Not great. The back mountain was basically leveled. Broken windows are practically a minor issue by comparison. The school started winter break early, but we still have to take the final exams. Seriously, all the troublesome things had to pile up at once."

Aoko grumbled to herself. Evidently, with every problem piled together, she was feeling incomparably irritated.

"And don't just call me 'Aoko.' I don't remember us being that close."

"Look on the bright side, Aoko. Life is so beautiful, yet you're so irritable."

Michael instinctively ignored what she had said and followed behind Alice Kuonji out of the room.

It was quite a spacious building. Though it was not as grand as the castle he had lived in before, its magecraft arrangements were even more impressive.

There were many rooms, but pitifully few residents. Even one person taking up an entire floor would not have been a problem. Luxurious carpets covered the floors, and the wall decorations were also worth a fortune.

The air inside the mansion was exceptionally cold. Of course, it was not because there was no human warmth, but because there was no heating installed. Throughout the long winter, they basically just had to endure it.

Winter sunlight shone through the windows, bringing in a trace of warmth. Yet that warmth was so negligible that the thermometer on the wall could not even be bothered to move a single notch.

Descending the stairs, he was greeted by a pure white space. Sunlight streamed directly down from the skylight, illuminating the wooden floor and driving away the cold darkness. The fireplace was cold as well, having long since become mere decoration. It probably had never even seen a flame.

The magical energy drifting through the air became Michael's eyes, reflecting everything around him into his mind. He made his way familiarly to a door in the dim corridor and turned the handle.

Click—

With a crisp metallic sound, Michael entered the dining room, paying no attention to Aoko's astonished expression behind him.

"Wow—what a lavish breakfast."

He glanced at the food spread across the table and could not help letting out a heartfelt sigh.