Christmas Day

A week passed after that. The weather unexpectedly cleared up, and the festive atmosphere filled every corner of the streets. Even Kuonji Mansion, far away on the hill, was no exception.

Alice could only watch helplessly as a tall Christmas tree was set up in the center of the living room, covered in candles and decorations, with an ornament representing a Witch placed at the very top.

The house grew warmer, with blazing flames burning in the fireplace. These flames were activated through Rune Script fixed inside the fireplace. All it took was infusing magical energy into the formula within the fireplace, and the Rune of Fire would ignite.

The television was also playing holiday programs. Alice watched absentmindedly, occasionally glancing toward the window. Night had already swallowed the sun's light. Michael and Aoko had gone out to buy ingredients, yet they had been gone for so long.

But when she thought of Michael and Aoko being alone together, her heart unexpectedly grew uneasy, as though someone was about to take something away from her.

Why did she feel this way?

Alice did not know. She let out a soft sigh, poured out the cold tea in her cup, and refilled it with steaming hot tea.

"I'm back."

The hall door was pushed open, and a familiar voice came in. Michael hung his coat on the wall and carried armfuls of bags into the living room. Aoko followed behind him with quite a few things in her hands as well, her nose frozen red and making her look like a carrot top.

"There's even tea poured and waiting for us. Thanks, Alice."

Seeing the steaming tea on the table, Michael could not help sighing in appreciation. Then he drained it in one gulp without caring about its temperature. With his constitution, even drinking boiling water directly would not be a problem.

Alice opened her mouth slightly, but swallowed the words, That was my cup.

"We bought so much stuff. Getting it all back here really took some effort."

Aozaki Aoko shook out her arms, then plopped down beside Alice and sank into the soft sofa, easing the weariness in her body.

"Isn't it all because of you? The moment you see a discount, you want to buy something."

"There was a twenty percent Christmas discount. That saves a pretty considerable amount of money. If we missed it, we would have had to wait until New Year's."

"Discounts are just the shopkeepers' strategy. No matter how much they discount things, merchants selling goods will never lose money."

"Ah, ah, ah—forget all that."

Aozaki Aoko suddenly sprang up from the sofa, placed a brand-new grill beside the Christmas tree, then ran to the kitchen to fetch some necessary cooking utensils while constantly urging Michael on.

"Hurry up, hurry up! I'm starving! Didn't you say you were going to show off your grilling skills?"

Ever since the omurice last time, Aoko and Alice had gained a direct understanding of Michael's cooking skills. In recent days, they had even completely abandoned takeout.

With a chef at home, takeout had become an outdated relic cast aside by the times. It also saved them some money.

Aoko and Alice were both rich women, yet for some reason, they were exceptionally sensitive about money, like evil dragons that loved hoarding treasure.

"Don't rush so much. There's an old saying in the East: good food is worth waiting for."

Michael opened his Imaginary Pocket and took out an alloy cabinet the size of a suitcase. It was a Mage's Garment used to store ingredients, and any ingredients placed inside would remain at their freshest.

Other magi looked down on applying magecraft to such things and disdained doing so themselves, but this kind of Mage's Garment sold unexpectedly well, with new models released every year.

The ones making them were mage families of the new generation. Of course, Michael was also making a fortune from them, because he was the one controlling those mage families from behind the scenes.

After unlocking the complicated magical lock, evenly sliced beef lay inside. Its delicate, soft marbling made it look like a work of art. If it was to be used for grilling, this marbled wagyu was undoubtedly top-tier material.

The grill did not use charcoal. As usual, it used the Rune of Fire. As the temperature rose, the beef on the grill began to sizzle. A hint of golden brown spread over its marble-like surface, and a drop of hot oil slowly slid down the grain of the plump meat.

The aroma of grilled meat spread through the room. Alice also moved closer, staring eagerly at the still-undercooked meat while gripping her chopsticks tightly.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, the first piece of grilled meat gradually reached perfection. Aozaki Aoko grabbed the knife prepared beforehand and neatly divided it into three equal portions.

"This part is mine, another part is Alice's, and the last part—I'll reward it to you in recognition of your hard work grilling it. Why aren't you thanking Lady Aozaki for her mercy and generosity?"

"Aoko, you're already in your third year of high school, right? So why do I feel like you're still stuck in middle school?"

"What?"

Distracted by the grilled meat, Aozaki Aoko did not react immediately. It was only when she saw the faintly teasing smile on Michael's face that she understood.

"Nothing. I just thought of something funny."

Michael picked up a piece of grilled meat drenched in sauce and put it into his mouth. The already high-quality meat had become fragrant after being kissed by flame, while the carefully prepared pepper-salt chili sauce made its flavor even richer. Its unbelievably tender texture practically melted the moment it entered his mouth, sliding smoothly down his throat without needing to be chewed, delivering a wonderful sensation straight to his taste buds and his heart.

"Aoko, have you considered going to the Clock Tower to properly study magecraft? Though I hate to admit it, the Clock Tower's magecraft education system can indeed be called comprehensive."

While waiting for the rest of the meat to cook, Michael asked casually.

"The Clock Tower... I've never really thought about it. Did you study at the Clock Tower?"

"I studied there for a while. Later, I got bored and left."

"Bored?"

"Spending every day dealing with a bunch of self-righteous old fossils was simply torture, so I traveled around the world instead. I got to see quite a lot of interesting things."

"Traveling around the world... that does sound pretty tempting."

Aozaki Aoko could not help revealing a longing expression. If she could, she also wanted to travel all over the world and experience different customs and cultures.

"What about you, Alice? Haven't you considered going out into the world and looking around?"

Michael turned his gaze toward the girl who was silently battling the grilled meat.

"Me...?"

Alice looked at Michael somewhat blankly. She was like a bird living in an exquisite cage, having never considered the sky beyond it.

She did not want to leave the mansion her mother had left behind. Perhaps one day, her mother would return. If she was not here when that happened, would her mother be sad?

She pressed her lips together, not knowing how to answer.