Meeting the Parents?

"By the way, how about coming back to my family home with me later? That old bastard is very interested in you."

Seeing Alice remain silent, Aoko took the initiative to change the subject.

"Later? Are you sure?"

Michael looked at the clock hanging on the wall. The hour hand was already pointing at eight, and the minute hand had passed well over halfway around the dial.

"Even though it's annoying, I have to show my face at least once a year. And that old bastard insisted I bring you along. Honestly, I have no idea what he's thinking."

Aozaki Aoko complained as she skillfully stuffed grilled meat into her mouth. Alice watched her suspiciously, feeling that things could not possibly be that simple.

"That old gentleman wants to see Mikaeru-kun?"

Alice Kuonji knew about Aoko's grandfather. He was the previous wielder of the Fifth Magic. Though his physical body had died, he remained in the world in the form of a spirit.

"That's what he said, anyway. It's not like I could refuse."

Although her expression did not change, Alice's voice was full of displeasure. Perhaps she had not noticed it herself, but the dissatisfaction in her words only grew stronger.

"Is Aoko's family home also in this city?"

Michael asked curiously. As far as he remembered, Aoko had never mentioned her family.

"If you mean the location, it's on the other side of Misaki City, in a small mountain four train stops from here. If we leave now, we won't be gone too long."

"Getting back tomorrow would already be early."

Alice muttered sharply in response to Aoko's words.

"Fine, we'll try to get back early, so don't go to sleep yet. Wait for us."

Aoko's sudden words made Alice blink as though she had been caught with a weakness.

The station where Aoko's family home was located was called Akikojyo. It was already deep into the night, only a few minutes from eleven. Perhaps because it was Christmas Day, there were especially few people on the train, until only Aoko and Michael remained.

There was not even a convenience store around Akikojyo Station, only wide stretches of fields and streetlights standing along both sides of the road. The conductor on duty in the station office had already fallen asleep, but thankfully, a train timetable was still posted on the wall.

After confirming that there was a train back at twelve thirty, Aoko strode away from the station. The streetlights could illuminate only the road beneath their feet. On both sides, vague shadows swayed in the fields with the Night Wind, as though some beast lurked within the darkness.

The road here was paved with gravel, and the air carried the fragrance of earth. With her hands in her pockets, Aoko walked down this familiar country path. Back in middle school, she had walked this road every day.

"See that? In the middle of that mountain, where the lights are—that's my home."

She pointed toward the mountain ridge rising beneath the night sky, like a sleeping beast.

"Why do mage families all like building their homes in the mountains? Isn't that inconvenient?"

Michael sighed softly. A horse could be run to death looking at a mountain in the distance. At their current pace, it would take at least another forty minutes to reach Aoko's family home.

"Maybe it's to preserve mystery."

Though Aoko felt it really was inconvenient, she could not deny that it effectively preserved mystery. It protected both mages and those ignorant ordinary people.

"Speaking of preserving mystery, a lot of mage families do the same. They build their estates deep in remote mountains and forests. I've even heard of an observatory built in Antarctica. In short, they're all isolated places with barely any people around, where generation after generation studies magecraft solely to touch the Root."

"After all, that is both the first and final goal of mages, yet very few truly reach the Root. I don't know why an entrance leading there appeared in a place like Misaki, but Grandfather discovered it and used it to create a new Magic. However, the passage to the Root immediately closed afterward. Once the Magic had been created, the passage no longer had any meaning."

"So there was a passage to the Root beneath Misaki? No wonder..."

Michael looked thoughtful.

"No wonder what?"

Aozaki Aoko looked at him curiously. She only had a partial understanding of the Root and Magic herself. Even though she wielded the Fifth Magic, she only knew how to use it on a superficial level in terms of power.

"In this era, the conditions for creating a new Magic are far harsher than before, and opening a passage to the Root is even more difficult. But if there's a natural passage leading to the Root, creating a Magic would indeed take much less effort."

"In this age where mystery is fading, will mystery truly disappear completely?"

It was a fact every mage knew, and naturally Aozaki Aoko was no exception.

"Do you think the Root will disappear?"

Michael asked in return.

"How could the Root disappear? It's the place that records everything and determines everything. All things flow out from the Vortex of the Root. If the Root disappeared, then the world would probably disappear with it."

Aozaki Aoko replied half-jokingly.

"Then there you have it. The Vortex of the Root itself is the greatest mystery. For mystery to disappear, the Vortex of the Root would have to disappear as well. What people call the disappearance of mystery merely means it has vanished from the surface layer of the world we inhabit."

Michael explained patiently. This was all basic knowledge, but even if one knew mystery would not truly disappear, so what? Modern mages could hardly move into the inner layers of the world to live.

"It's so complicated. I have no interest in the Root at all."

Aozaki Aoko sighed softly and looked straight ahead. Based on the average human lifespan, worrying about the fading of mystery was simply needless anxiety.

"You don't need to be interested in the Root. The most important thing about learning magecraft is making yourself happy. For example, when you put the Frog Curse on Touko, didn't it make you feel good?"

"At least she won't be able to step into Misaki City for the next ten years."

At the mention of that frog transformation curse, Aozaki Aoko's voice became much brighter. Being able to give her sister, who loved stealing her things, a small punishment had put her in an exceptionally good mood.

"Let's make a bet."

Seeing Aozaki Aoko's animated expression, Michael decided to pour some cold water on her.

"What are we betting on?"

"Whether Touko can break the curse within ten years."

A wicked smile appeared on Michael's face. Whenever he smiled like that, it meant someone was about to have bad luck.

"Sure. I'll bet that she can break it within ten years."

Aozaki Aoko agreed without hesitation.

"Mm, I knew you'd bet that she couldn't. Wait..."

Michael suddenly realized what she had said. He stared at Aozaki Aoko in surprise. "Why are you betting that she can break the curse? Do you have that little faith in yourself?"

"Hmph—"

Seeing Michael's astonished look, Aozaki Aoko gave a soft snort. A smile of "just as I thought" appeared on her face. "Only an idiot would fall for such an obvious trap. You really underestimated the president."

"Fine, Madam President. You win this time."