The Next Day
As the school trip ship departed toward the mainland, the usual noise of the house faded away.
Only Kojou, Atalanta, and Lucretia remained — along with Asagi, who was quietly getting ready for school. Her blonde hair was still damp, and she yawned in front of her phone screen.
As for Astarte, she had been taken away by Natsuki early in the morning after a long argument.
As always, Natsuki used that calm yet annoyingly confident tone of hers as she said:
"I'm just borrowing her for one day... or two... or maybe a week?"
Kojou could only sigh deeply, raising his hands in complete surrender.
Since no one in the house had the energy to cook, they ordered breakfast through an app.
They sat around the table in lazy silence — Atalanta complained that the food was "tasteless," Lucretia sipped her juice half-awake, and Asagi giggled softly at the messy morning scene.
After breakfast, Kojou put on his school jacket and glanced at the clock.
Asagi approached him, her bag slung over her shoulder and a faint smile on her lips.
"Looks like we're running a little late… let's go together."
"Oh? Does this mean I have the honor of walking with the beautiful Asagi today?"
He said playfully while opening the door, but she laughed and gently held onto his arm.
"Stop teasing. It's been a while since we went together — just the two of us."
Her words were soft but sincere. Kojou smiled lightly and replied in a quiet voice:
"Yeah… I guess we've forgotten what mornings without chaos feel like."
They walked together toward school, the cool wind brushing through her long hair.
The air was peaceful — so much so that even their footsteps seemed in sync.
As she leaned closer against his arm, she murmured:
"You know… it's so quiet it's kind of scary."
He glanced at her with a small smile.
"Scary?"
"Yeah… every time things feel normal, something strange happens afterward."
He chuckled, then gently squeezed her hand.
"Then don't think too much. Just enjoy the calm… before the world collapses again."
She stopped for a moment, then turned toward him with a warm, tender look — one filled with both affection and concern.
"You always say that… like you already know peace never lasts."
He leaned closer until their shoulders brushed and whispered softly:
"Because I live through it every time with you, Asagi. And every time… I just want it to last a little longer."
Her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head with a shy smile.
"Idiot..."
They continued walking slowly toward the academy. Neither spoke much, yet the silence between them was filled with everything left unsaid.
"By the way, what happened to Yuuma-san? I haven't seen her since the Halloween Festival," Asagi finally broke the silence again, curiosity flickering across her face.
"I sent her along with Aya and the Meyer Sisters to take control of the LCO (Library)," Kojou replied calmly with a yawn. "Even though LCO is technically a criminal organization, it's incredibly useful — it holds thousands of high-ranking mages and witches, plus over seventy percent of the world's grimoires. Having it under my command will help a lot."
"And what exactly do you plan to do by gathering all these powerful organizations under your control? Planning to take over the world?" Asagi asked teasingly. Kojou had already subdued countless organizations, even though he clearly didn't need them — he could destroy the world by himself if he wanted to, but he never did.
"I'm not interested in something like that," Kojou said firmly, shaking his head. "But that doesn't mean I don't want my own domain. Having capable people working under me makes things easier — especially since I don't plan to spend eternity behind a desk dealing with paperwork every day."
For someone immortal, that kind of life terrified him. Just the thought alone made him feel weary of existence.
"That's why it's better to have talented people doing the work while I enjoy a lazy life," he added with a sluggish look. Having gained absolute power, living lazily at home — maybe learning to cook, practice calligraphy, or pick up other hobbies — seemed fitting for him. After all, he had infinite time.
As for searching for strong opponents? He wasn't interested — it only sounded bothersome.
"I see… but how long do you plan to ignore the Prison Barrier?" she asked again, her beautiful eyes gazing toward the distant sea, where a dark castle floated since the Halloween incident, sealed off from approach.
"I'm not ignoring it," Kojou replied as they arrived at Saikai Academy's gate. "The Prison Barrier is fascinating — that's why I decided to study it for a while. Just something to kill time and stave off boredom."
"Do whatever you want," she sighed helplessly. She knew he wouldn't keep that up for long — he'd end up destroying the Prison Barrier eventually. She'd known him for years, even before they started dating, and she understood him well. Kojou was a man who followed his whims — but he got bored quickly.
They walked through the school courtyard until they reached the main entrance — and both suddenly stopped.
A few meters ahead, a familiar figure was walking toward the doors.
"Wait… didn't Touka-san leave this morning with Nagisa-chan and the others for the school trip?" Asagi asked, puzzled, staring at the girl ahead. It was unmistakably Touka.
"Mm… yeah. But that's not Touka," Kojou said, his eyes narrowing as the girl kept walking indifferently — only to bump straight into the glass door without even trying to open it.
"Hey!" Asagi called out in worry, rushing toward the girl, not hearing Kojou's words.
Suddenly, Kojou sensed several overwhelming magical presences on the island — all with a wavelength eerily similar to his own.
"Asagi, I'll leave this to you for now," Kojou said as his form dissolved into a calm silver mist. "I'll be back in a bit."
He didn't care about revealing his power to the nearby students — after all, they all froze mid-motion the moment he activated his ability. None of them would even realize what happened until after he vanished, having stopped time completely.
"Looks like something interesting is happening," he murmured as he shifted his presence, moving toward the sources of those powerful, familiar magical energies.
...
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