For the first time, Roland discovered that a person's face could turn from red to white in an instant.
Watching Aoko Aozaki on the verge of exploding, Roland chuckled and let go, allowing her to fall to the ground.
Because it had happened so abruptly, although Roland had not hurt Aoko much, the girl still took quite some effort to get up off the ground.
Though it had rained during the day, the ground had mostly dried by now, so Aoko Aozaki did not look particularly bedraggled.
She brushed off her skirt and stood, her face full of indignation, but considering what had happened earlier, Aoko Aozaki did not attack again.
"Hmph, the man Touko picked isn't a pushover, at least. But you can explain why you did that now, can't you? Was that sort of prank Touko's idea too?"
Aoko Aozaki showed no awareness of being the loser. Her earlier fight had not simply been a way to vent her anger, either. After discovering that Roland really seemed to have nothing to do with the world of Magecraft and was merely a weirdo pursuing some sort of gravity and mystery, she became less aggressive.
"Why?"
Roland was rather baffled instead. Earlier, after learning of his relationship with Touko, Aoko Aozaki had acted as though it was something she could not discuss. Now she did not care at all, and was even self-righteously demanding answers. What strange misunderstanding had arisen in between?
"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Aozaki? I paid to hire you during the day. Why did you turn on me as soon as night fell?"
"You've got some nerve bringing that up! Look, this is the money you gave me!"
At the mention of this, Aoko Aozaki gritted her teeth and pulled the three banknotes out of