Special Training

It was a quiet morning, as usual. Through the hazy curtains, the lead-gray overcast sky could be seen outside.

The thermometer hanging on the wall remained fixed at six degrees, as steady as if it had been welded in place. And even if it changed, it would never rise—only fall.

In weather like this, only the bed was a warm harbor. Sleeping leisurely beneath the covers was a luxury beyond measure on such a freezing morning.

Until an uninvited guest barged in...

The curtains were yanked open, followed immediately by the window. Howling December winds flooded into the room and slapped Aozaki Aoko squarely in the face without the slightest courtesy.

Her dream shattered, and the drowsiness that had settled within her vanished completely. Aozaki Aoko abruptly opened her tightly shut eyes, wrapping herself more tightly in the blanket as she spotted the culprit disturbing her peaceful sleep.

"Morning, Aozaki."

The next instant, azure Mage Circuits lit up fiercely. The Magic Bullet formula unfolded, raining down on Michael.

"Ahhh, go to hell—!"

Clearly, Aozaki Aoko was in a towering rage after being awakened and gave Michael no chance to defend himself.

A quarter of an hour later...

She sat expressionlessly before the mahogany table, both hands clasped around a porcelain cup filled with black tea. Heat continuously flowed into her body through her palms, yet her mood did not improve in the slightest.

Improve? That was impossible. It probably would never improve for the rest of her life. If she could, Aozaki Aoko wanted to drive Michael out of Misaki Town right now—as far away as possible, preferably straight to the moon. Though she knew that was impossible.

The thought only made Aozaki Aoko angrier. She set her cup down heavily on the mahogany tabletop, leaving a faint dent. Scalding tea splashed onto her hand as well, leaving a conspicuous red mark.

Alice Kuonji glanced at the dent in the table, her delicate brows knitting slightly, but she said nothing and continued focusing on the grimoire in her hands.

Having made up her mind, Alice Kuonji had already begun considering how to defeat her former friend. Precisely because they had once been friends, she was all the more wary of Tōko Aozaki.

That woman was an undeniable genius. If she had not been incompatible with the Fifth Magic, she would have been the Aozaki Family's heir. And after all these years, Tōko Aozaki was surely superior in every respect to the still-inexperienced Aozaki Aoko.

Though Michael appeared to stand on the same side as them, Alice Kuonji did not trust him. Letting Michael stay in the mansion was not without the intention of keeping an eye on him. She might lose if they fought outside, but within the mansion, Alice Kuonji feared no one.

Michael was well aware of Alice Kuonji's vigilance. But for the sake of the Fifth Magic, he had still decided to stay.

There might be danger, but it would not threaten his life. After all, fortune was found in danger. Even failure would not matter much, and if he truly wanted to leave, no one here could stop him.

Breakfast passed with all three immersed in their own worlds. Just as it was about to end, Michael cleared his throat, breaking the strange silence.

"Given the threat posed by Touko, I would like to give Aozaki some special magecraft training."

Aozaki Aoko pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but for some reason, nothing came out. In the field of magecraft, she was at most an apprentice, with much left to learn. That was an indisputable fact.

Alice Kuonji nodded in agreement. As Aozaki Aoko's magecraft teacher, she understood her student's abilities well enough. Aoko could handle ordinary down-and-out magi, but that was the limit.

"But we don't have much time. Is there still time for Aoko to study magecraft theory now?"

"Hey, hey, Alice!"

Aozaki Aoko muttered in dissatisfaction. But a rookie magus who could accidentally turn Suggestion Magecraft into a Yin Qi Bullet had no right to speak on the matter.

"Of course it isn't enough. Even another year would be questionable," Michael said, spreading his hands.

Alice Kuonji thought for a moment, then nodded helplessly. Forget a year—judging by Aozaki Aoko's current pace of learning, even ten more years would not be enough.

"You two are going too far!"

Aozaki Aoko ground her teeth as she looked at the two of them playing off each other.

"So this special magecraft training will focus on how to fight, rather than learning magecraft theory."

Michael refilled his cup with black tea and spoke unhurriedly. "Actually, I think being a True Magician suits Aozaki better than being a magus, especially at a time like this."

The title of magus referred to those, led by the Clock Tower, who pursued magecraft with the ultimate goal of reaching the Root. Naturally, magi with such lofty ambitions looked down on True Magicians, who merely treated magecraft as a tool.

But disdain was one thing. Many magecraft families, including the Clock Tower's Lord Families, maintained their own True Magician forces. They could not exactly expect magi absorbed in magecraft research to personally deal with every fight, could they?

No matter how advanced one's magecraft research was, most magi without practical experience could only theorize on paper. Thus, True Magicians skilled in actual combat often surpassed magi in battle. Of course, a magus's knowledge of magecraft was far beyond what a True Magician could match.

That was only the general case, naturally. Many magi were equally formidable in practical combat, such as Bartholomew, who made most Dead Apostles grit their teeth...

Although Aozaki Aoko's talent as a magus was ordinary, she possessed unparalleled talent for Magic of Destruction. In particular, she surpassed even Alice Kuonji when it came to magecraft formulas that could be activated simply by circulating magical energy.

On paper, Aozaki Aoko was not as weak as Michael made her sound. But theoretical strength and the strength one could actually display in a real fight were entirely different things. Otherwise, Kishō would not have died at Kiritsugu Emiya's hands.

On this matter, Alice Kuonji stood on the same side as Michael. Through her Familiar's eyes, she had watched Aozaki Aoko fight the doll at school. It would have been passable for an ordinary beginner, but for Aoko, it was not enough.

If she could not even defeat one of Tōko Aozaki's dolls, there would be no point in continuing this war. Alice Kuonji and Aozaki Aoko were not merely friends—they were more like two lone wolves who had happened to come together.

"So, Aozaki, let's begin your special magecraft training!"

Michael said with a beaming smile, though he looked exactly like a weasel paying New Year's calls on a chicken—clearly up to no good.