The Protagonist's Part

The barrier shrouding the church silently collapsed, and Michael stepped out with light footsteps, looking to be in an exceptionally good mood. However, he was greeted by two entirely different gazes.

"Let's go, Aozaki. Everything has been satisfactorily resolved."

Upon hearing Michael's words, the nun hurried into the church to check on the priest, while Aozaki Aoko hesitated for a moment before ultimately walking over to Michael's side.

"I didn't expect you to know Father Fumihito Eiri."

"All priests are old friends of mine. Is it strange that I know him?"

"Tch—"

Aozaki Aoko curled her lip, clearly not believing his nonsense. Though she had not known Michael for long, that did not stop her from recognizing his deceptively harmless nature. In a sense, they had similar personalities; only the degree of darkness differed.

Fumihito Eiri was the Holy Church's overseer of the Ley Line's administrator. He came from the Fumihito Family, which had maintained close ties with the Aozaki Family since ancient times. However, that relationship existed more because of the magic inherited by the Aozaki Family. After Aozaki Aoko inherited the magic, he would provide the bare minimum of assistance while keeping watch over her.

Still, Aozaki Aoko did not think highly of Fumihito Eiri. In her eyes, he was a cold and ruthless thoroughgoing egoist with a peculiar view of happiness. The professional fake smile on his face was especially irritating to the core.

It would have been best if he had suffered at Michael's hands, though it would have been even better if they had both been injured. Neither Michael nor Fumihito Eiri was a good person...

"Could you rein in that expression, Aozaki? Are you really so disappointed that Father Eiri and I didn't end up mutually destroying each other?"

"How could I possibly think that... Hahaha."

Michael's words startled Aozaki Aoko, and she let out a dry laugh. Clearly, she was not good at hiding her thoughts; the expression on her face gave everything away.

"So, what does Michael plan to do next?"

She tried her best to change the subject, though her method was not particularly clever.

"How about taking a stroll through the shopping district? There's nothing going on today anyway."

"But..."

"Don't worry. Touko won't launch an attack for the time being, and I don't think you can be of much help before you've mastered magic."

Michael's tone was exceptionally sincere, making Aozaki Aoko clench her fists. Her magecraft really was not very good, but hearing it from this person's mouth was unexpectedly infuriating.

Still, irritation was irritation, and shopping was shopping. Aozaki Aoko ultimately could not resist the temptation to shop. Studies showed that when people were engrossed in certain activities, their brains entered an excited state. In that state, their rationality dropped without limit, approaching zero.

For example, spending money on gacha pulls, continuing to play after repeated ranked losses, or being unable to stop one's hands while shopping...

As the sun gradually sank westward, he and Aozaki Aoko walked down the road toward the mansion, their arms full of purchases.

"I'll pay you back when we get home."

Aozaki Aoko spoke solemnly as she looked painfully at everything she had bought. Despite trying her best to suppress her instincts, she had unknowingly bought so much.

"There's no need. Consider it payment for accompanying me shopping today, Aozaki."

Michael shook his head and smiled as he refused Aozaki Aoko's offer.

"Really?"

Aozaki Aoko, who had been so distressed by the unexpected expense that it hurt to breathe, immediately perked up. Fifty thousand yen was not a great deal, but her wallet was indeed in dire straits.

"A promise once given cannot be taken back."

"Then I'll reluctantly accept."

Aozaki Aoko accepted Michael's offer without the slightest hesitation, and her mood improved at once. When she looked at Michael again, she no longer found him quite so off-putting.

Of course, what she was thinking about now was how to squeeze Michael dry and extract every last bit of profit from him. Judging by today's performance, he was a very fat sheep. She absolutely could not let this chance slip away. When she got back, she would discuss with Alice how to maximize their gains.

As expected of sisters, Aoko and Touko were surprisingly alike in that regard.

"In some ways, you really are a lot like Touko."

By accident, Michael voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Mm—?"

Aozaki Aoko, who had been busily making calculations in her head, clearly had not heard him.

"Nothing. Just a passing thought."

The soft orange afterglow fell over Michael's body. His exposed skin gleamed like white porcelain, and even his sapphire-blue eyes had been dyed by the sunset. "I've seen far too many siblings, brothers, and even parents and children fighting over inheritance. It always feels rather boring."

"It is pretty boring. But my sister was supposed to be the Aozaki Family's heir. I never even came into contact with these things before. The family's finances were limited, after all, so the heir had to be better suited for magecraft."

For the first time, Aozaki Aoko agreed with Michael's view. She spoke in an unconcerned tone, as though she were recounting a story she had heard somewhere rather than her own experience.

"She really was a genius, but she didn't have the qualities needed to become the Aozaki Family's heir. So when I was fifteen, I took my sister's place and became the heir."

"After all, I'm not my sister, so I don't know what she was thinking. After arguing with our grandfather, she smashed the glasses she loved most and ran away from home, disappearing without a trace. That was when I completely replaced her. I suppose that was the reason my sister and I began fighting."

"Those glasses..."

Michael seemed to recall something and thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"That person used to have excellent eyesight. She was a monster born with Mystic Eyes, after all. But in order to live up to Grandfather's expectations, she worked herself so hard that her eyesight deteriorated. What an idiot."

Aozaki Aoko's words carried undisguised coldness and disgust. At first, she had called her "sister," but by the end, she had gradually begun referring to her as "that person."

"Although Touko is a genius, she really isn't very smart in some respects."

Michael nodded in agreement with Aozaki Aoko. "Still, this whole 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never mock a poor young man' plot really is... protagonist treatment."

He carefully considered his wording. There was not really anything else to call it. If he had to describe it, melodramatic was probably the most fitting term.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river... What does that mean?"

Aozaki Aoko's face was full of confusion. This had gone beyond the scope of her knowledge.

"Do you really want to know?"

Michael unconsciously narrowed his eyes, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Of course."

Aozaki Aoko answered without hesitation.

"It's quite a long story."

Michael tried hard to recall memories that had already grown hazy, then cleared his throat.

"A long, long time ago, on the Dou Qi Continent far, far away from Earth, there was a boy named Xiao Yan..."