Ryoji glanced back more than once at the orange-haired boy.
Sensing the lingering gaze, the youth briefly turned his head, meeting his eyes for a fleeting moment.
By then, however, both Ryoji and Aozaki Aoko had already left the infirmary. Only the faint sound of footsteps echoed down the tiled corridor, slowly fading away.
"So… it's begun."
The boy lowered his head, whispering to himself. His voice was calm, stripped of any emotion, neither joy nor anger, like someone watching events unfold from a distance.
After leaving the infirmary, Ryoji retold everything from the previous night to Aozaki Aoko. The encounter with the magus at the dessert shop. The sudden attack later that evening.
Of course, he avoided giving Touko's name. Instead, she became nothing more than "a magus with short, dark-red hair."
After all, he had never set foot outside this small town before, nor had he any real knowledge of the Magecraft world. To casually speak of "Aozaki Touko" by name would only invite suspicion. Aoko would immediately start questioning how he knew of her.
"A foreign magus… and they even used puppets to destroy Alice's familiar?" Aoko murmured, brow furrowed.
Ryoji's intentions were obvious enough. He wanted to borrow their strength, track this magus down, and crush the threat before it grew into something worse.
A proposal for an alliance.
On paper, it made sense. But sense alone wasn't enough.
"After I return, I'll discuss it with my companions. You'll have my answer tonight."
Aoko's reply was measured, cautious. She wasn't about to agree on the spot.
Yes, Ryoji seemed ignorant of Magecraft. That much their conversation had made clear.
But ignorance wasn't proof of innocence. Trickery, infiltration, sabotage, such things weren't uncommon among magi. Working one's way in under the guise of an ally, only to shatter a workshop from the inside… it was a classic tactic.
In this world, one careless mistake could erase everything.
For that reason, trust could never be given hastily.
Ryoji understood that. He had never expected her to believe him so quickly. For a first meeting, this outcome was already more than acceptable.
By noon their conversation ended, and the two parted ways outside the school gates.
"Ah, damn it, I forgot to punch him!"
It wasn't until she was walking toward the mansion that Aozaki Aoko finally realized, teeth grinding in frustration. Three hours of sleep. Blood pressure spiking from irritation more than once. Normally, she would've decked him right away.
But the conversation had taken a serious turn, and somehow… she forgot.
Next time. She wouldn't forget next time.
The more she thought about his face, the more her fists just itched.
And yet, beneath all of that, her gut told her he wasn't truly a bad person. Not like those suspicious, self-serving magi that always reeked of ulterior motives.
Yawns caught up with her before long, her eyelids heavy from lack of sleep. Rather than take a walk to burn it off, she made the simpler choice, straight to bed.
When Aoko returned to the Western-style mansion, she immediately noticed her housemate. Alice was standing in the entrance hall, one hand holding a letter.
She didn't say a word, simply extended it to her.
Curious, Aoko unfolded the letter and read. Her face stiffened before she even reached the end.
"What are you going to do?" Alice asked, her quiet gaze piercing as only hers could.
"…I'll handle it."
Aoko took in a slow breath, her expression hardening with resolve.
Back at his own home, Ryoji carefully checked everything, each window, each corner.
Only when he was certain nothing had been disturbed did he allow himself to relax.
Magi rarely struck during the day, or in crowded places. The house was safe enough for now, which was why Ryoji had taken the chance to approach Aozaki Aoko earlier.
By nightfall, Souji and Minamoto no Yorimitsu had returned. After dinner, the three quietly withdrew to their rooms. Ryoji didn't sleep. He sat waiting.
"Tap-tap-tap."
The sound came just past ten. Someone was knocking, at his window.
Ryoji opened it to find a jet-black starling perched on the railing, a folded slip of paper pinched in its beak. It dropped the letter onto the floor, then took off into the dark sky without so much as a cry.
"…Familiars really are convenient."
He had to admire them. Monitoring, message delivery, surveillance, things that normally meant endless hassle became effortless. A magus could save themself half the trouble of life with one of these.
Someday, he wanted one too.
Even if he'd probably never manage genuine Magecraft… even if Magic was forever out of his reach. Still, what if? People needed ideals to chase, didn't they?
He bent down, picked up the letter, and unfolded it.
"Meet at the amusement park. We need to talk."
The bold, sweeping signature was unmistakable, Aozaki Aoko.
"Whoa, "
Even as his eyes scanned it, pale blue flames licked across the page, devouring it entirely in seconds. Nothing but drifting ash remained.
"…The amusement park, huh."
Ryoji gazed toward the distant city lights. His gut told him it wasn't too dangerous. If something went wrong, his instincts would scream at him before the worst hit.
"Guess I'll go, then."
The abandoned amusement park stood alone on the southwestern edge of Kinoko City. It had once been meant as the city's crown jewel, a landmark to mark its growth. Ten years ago, money and dreams were poured into its foundations by the barrelful.
And then, after its grand opening, the crowds never came. Within years, it was shuttered. Now, only rust, dust, and ivy lived here. A playground for stray cats and the faint wind that sang through broken rides.
Ryoji vaulted the locked iron entrance without effort and slipped inside.
The park was drenched in silence. Rust flaked off every railing and ride, from the Ferris wheel looming like a skeletal giant to the roller coaster twisted like a dead serpent. Dust puffed up at the lightest step. Decay clung to everything like a shroud.
Standing in the middle of the ruin, Ryoji scratched his head.
"…Great. But, uh, where exactly does she want to meet? The place is huge."
There was no mistaking it. Kinoko only had the one amusement park. But finding someone inside this much space? That was going to be a chore.
"Eh, whatever. Magi always have plenty of eyes. She'll find me."
So he stayed put.
Before long…
The sound of footsteps reached his ears. Steady, deliberate.
A silhouette appeared out of the shadows, slender, graceful, and cutting against the night. She had shed her uniform for casual clothes; her long legs wrapped in black stockings, her skirt swaying lightly with each breeze.
Not bad at all.
Ryoji couldn't help the thought.
"What's so important you had to drag me out at night? School's right there, we could've talked in the morning." He grumbled as he stepped forward. His sleep schedule was wrecked already, up all night, dozing all day. He wasn't exactly in a cheery mood.
"At school, all we can do is talk."
Aozaki Aoko rested a hand on her hip, one eye closed, her expression composed. At night, she seemed almost like another person, less hot-blooded, sharper, colder.
"But some things," she said evenly, "can only be settled face to face… like a fight."
(End of Chapter)
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