Mahoutsukai no Yoru

The night was deep and the dew cold. The night sky was clear and magnificent, long-unseen stars hanging over the profound curtain of darkness, telling of the day's end with their glittering light. The mountain air was especially frigid; even padded clothes could not fend off the howling Night Wind, which effortlessly seeped into every corner of their bodies.

"That fast? I thought I'd at least get a cup of hot tea."

Not long after he left the cave, Aozaki Aoko emerged from the courtyard. She stared straight at Michael, looking him over.

"Looks like that old bastard didn't do anything to you. So, what did you two talk about?"

"Nothing much. Just his two adorable granddaughters who gave him headaches."

Michael shrugged and started down the mountain. "Now that we're done, let's head back quickly. If we make it in time, we can take the train. Otherwise, we'll have to teleport back."

"Touko and I wouldn't give him headaches. Even if we both died, that old bastard probably wouldn't care."

Aozaki Aoko glared at his back and rambled on. Her tone was remarkably calm, yet beneath that calm lay a faint, indistinct melancholy.

The two walked in silence for a while. Though the light from the station at the foot of the mountain was dim, it still guided them through the boundless black sea of night.

As they descended, the starry sky above grew ever more distant. Michael took a deep breath, and white mist surged into the night sky like a long dragon, stretching out its form.

"Look on the bright side. The process was a little rough, but the outcome was good in the end. And Aoko, if you died, I'd be very sad."

He suddenly leaned close to Aoko's ear. His magnetic voice sounded beside her, his warm breath gently brushing her skin. Combined with those sentimental words, it made goosebumps rise all over Aozaki Aoko's body. She sprang backward and stared at Michael in astonishment.

"Just kidding. Don't take it seriously."

Before Aoko's fist could reach him, Michael raised both hands and spoke in a rather cheerful tone.

"Hey—what an outdated pickup line. Don't tell me you have no relationship experience."

Aozaki Aoko clicked her tongue in disgust. In the end, she lowered her fist without smashing it into that face brimming with mockery.

"We're about the same. Does the Demon President have any relationship experience?"

"Judging from you, you must have pursued Touko and gotten rejected, right?"

"Hey, hey, don't spread rumors. I'd rather die than pursue Miss Touko."

"Why?"

Aozaki Aoko asked in confusion.

"I don't like mature older-sister types."

Michael shrugged, answering without hesitation.

"Aren't you a Dead Apostle who's lived for centuries? At your age, you're still pretending to be young?"

"Don't hit people in the face or expose their sore spots when insulting them. I'm only eighteen years and over two thousand months old."

"Tch—"

Before they knew it, the mountain path had become level ground, and the soft earth beneath their feet had turned into a hard country lane. Faint bells from a distant church echoed through the night sky, announcing the arrival of a new day.

"Merry Christmas, Aoko."

Michael suddenly stopped and turned to look at Aozaki Aoko beside him.

Aoko blinked blankly.

"What? That was pretty sudden."

"Today is Christmas Day."

A smile bloomed on Michael's face. He flicked his finger and took an exquisite little box from the Imaginary Pocket, handing it to her.

"What is this?"

"Your Christmas gift."

Aozaki Aoko accepted the little box from Michael. She stared blankly at his face as immense joy suddenly welled up in her heart.

A smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and she could not help recalling a little girl who, because it was her first time wearing a long-sleeved kimono, could not even pose properly and looked anything but cute. Even so, the photograph in its frame had still been filled with smiles.

The gift felt heavy in her hands. Aoko eagerly opened the box, and a dazzling golden light illuminated her eyes.

"Eh—this is... a gold... figurine? Why does it look like me?"

"Don't worry about such minor details. If you run into an enemy you can't handle, just throw this at them. The activation chant is written on the bottom of the box."

She quickly turned the box over. Sure enough, there was a line of writing on the bottom.

Πράσινοπαιδίμεγάλοανόητο

"What language is this?"

"Take a guess."

Though she did not know the chant's exact meaning, Aoko instinctively felt that it was not so simple. She could tell as much from the sly grin on Michael's face. Still, she accepted the "figurine." After all, it was made of pure gold and worth a considerable sum.

"Come on, let's go. Alice is still waiting for us at home. I prepared a Christmas gift for her too."

Michael urged her on and headed first toward the station at the end of the road.

When they reached the station, there was still some time before the next train arrived. Michael and Aoko sat patiently on a bench and waited. Looking around, aside from the sleeping conductor, the entire station contained only the two of them.

"After New Year's, I'll be leaving."

Michael suddenly spoke. Aozaki Aoko looked at him in surprise, but his serious expression did not seem fake.

After a moment of silence, Aozaki Aoko softly murmured, "Mm," indicating that she understood. For some reason, complicated feelings arose in her heart, diluting even the joy of receiving her Christmas gift.

Though she knew the day of parting would come eventually, wouldn't it have been nice to continue getting along naturally like old friends until then?

"Does Alice know?"

"I haven't told her yet. But Alice is so smart that she's probably guessed something."

"Hey, you can't seriously be unable to tell that Alice likes you, right? She's a genuine rich young lady, you know. How about—"

Smack—

Michael chopped Aozaki Aoko on the head with the edge of his hand, cutting off her nonsense.

"You actually hit that hard! That really hurt!"

Aozaki Aoko rubbed the top of her head and shot him an annoyed glance.

"Anyway, those who understand, understand. Those who don't won't understand even if you explain it. Meetings between people are all a matter of fate. When fate ends, it is naturally time to part. But if our fate isn't over, perhaps we'll meet again somewhere in this world."

"What kind of joke is that? Who wants their fate with someone like you to remain unfinished?"

Aoko muttered resentfully. Still, for the sake of the golden figurine, she would reluctantly forgive him this once.

Michael stood and pulled Aoko to her feet along with him. The tracks trembled slightly, and the conductor awoke from his dream. He opened his bleary eyes and looked toward the end of the rails.

It came racing out of the profound darkness, lightly pulling into the platform as if extending an invitation.

"Let's go. Alice is still waiting for us at home."

On a star-studded night, the two beneath the lofty sky boarded the train home.

(End of Volume One)