Aozaki Aoko [595-597] (Patreon)

Chapter 595: Old Acquaintances

Aoko had been in Faerûn for almost a year. In that time, she'd gone through intensely packed adventures and honestly, she felt like she'd fought non-stop for several years. It was definitely time for a break!

But for now, while inside the interdimensional transfer tunnel, Aoko had to keep her mind clear; if she lost focus, she might end up in some random world—not a good time to slack off or nap. Better save that for when she's safely home.

So, Aoko kept her eyes wide open, sitting cross-legged in the tunnel. After what felt like over four hours, she finally arrived at her destination.

Thanks to her previous negotiations, Alaya and Gaia, who were responsible for warding off foreign threats, didn't try to stop her this time. As for that MoonCancer on the moon, it seemed to not care about her at all.

Guess it really does come down to who's got the bigger fists.

Her landing was a bit off; she found herself in a small alley of the commercial area.

She looked around to make sure nobody was around, snapped her fingers, and used illusion magic to change her mage robes into trendy modern clothes.

Her Midnight staff was stowed in imaginary space. Now that she was back in the Nasuverse, none of her magic circuits or Five Magics were restricted anymore. To put it bluntly, if you threw her into the Age of Gods right now, she could slaughter ten gods at once without breaking a sweat.

Ah... so this is what real security feels like. You only know its value after losing it.

Aoko pretended to sigh dramatically, then quickly walked out of the alley onto the main street.

"Hmm...?" Aoko frowned. She'd spotted something that really shouldn't have been here—not strictly impossible, but totally without reason.

"Koushuuensaikan Taizan"—this restaurant's huge sign dominated the busiest part of the district. Through the windows, she saw plenty of diners, and the waitresses weren't bad-looking either...

Wait, what?! The owner moved the shop from Fuyuki to Misaki?!

Aoko hurried across the street, double-checked the sign, then pushed open the door of this suspicious restaurant.

"Welcome! Table for one?" A cheerful, petite waitress greeted her.

"...Kumari?" Aoko looked at her in disbelief, trying out the familiar name.

"This customer, maybe you've—wait, Aoko?!" The waitress, Kojika Kumari, dropped her professional smile as soon as she recognized her old classmate, looking thoroughly shocked.

"Weren't you going to university in Tokyo?" Kumari asked, her expression complicated as she led Aoko to a seat.

"Yeah," Aoko flipped through the menu, glanced at all the spicy red dishes, then looked up at her old friend, who didn't seem to have aged much. "But I've already got my PhD. I'm a graduate now~"

"As expected of our president," Kumari sighed. She seemed a bit more weighed down by life than in high school, but still looked youthful. "Unlike me, stuck working part-time in a restaurant..."

"So, what's going on with you and Tsukiji?" Aoko grinned. "You used to chase after him pretty hard, right?"

"Um... we've been together for years," Kumari blushed, hands behind her back, swaying cutely. "We're not married yet, but soon! I'll send you an invitation!"

No wonder she still looks so fresh—Kumari's marrying into money.

"Really? Congratulations!" Aoko smiled. "But if you and Tsukiji are together, why are you working? He's not short on cash, is he?"

"Well..." Kumari thought for a bit, then answered, "I guess I just can't be a freeloader. Money I earn myself feels better to spend. I do use some of his, but I don't want our relationship to get mixed up with too much money stuff."

"You've become a real, responsible adult, Miss Accountant!" Aoko patted her arm, looking every bit the proud senior.

"...We're the same age, aren't we?" Kumari sweatdropped. "But you really haven't changed since high school... What's your secret? Some rich person's anti-aging tech?"

"I was just born beautiful~" Aoko flicked her hair, then went back to the menu. "I'll have this Super Spicy Mapo Tofu Rice."

"Let me warn you," Kumari whispered, checking the kitchen to make sure no one overheard, "All the food here is hell-level spicy. If you can't handle spice, you shouldn't eat here!"

"No worries," Aoko grinned, now certain of the owner's identity. "I think I know the owner—I once ate at her other place."

"Huh? You know Chef Batsu?" Kumari looked confused.

"Knew it," Aoko pouted. "She had a shop in Fuyuki. I ate there while on business, that's how I met her."

"Oh, I see..." Kumari shrugged, thinking it was just a coincidence. "Well, I'll go put in your order."

After about ten minutes, Aoko's food arrived, but it wasn't Kumari who served it.

"Here's your food, enjoy~" A girl brought over a bright red Mapo Tofu rice. She froze when she saw Aoko's face but quickly recovered.

"Everything you ordered is here. Enjoy your meal! Free ice water here. I'll leave you to it!" She set down the food and tried to leave quickly.

Aoko called after her stiff back, voice cool, "You're not going anywhere."

Chapter 596: Alice's Sweet Dream

"Um, customer, is there anything else I can help you with?" The owner, Batsu, forced a terrible smile at Aoko.

"Why moves your restaurant here? What's the real reason?" Aoko asked, eyes glinting.

"To be honest, I moved here for a couple of reasons," Batsu said, lowering her voice as she sat across from her. "First, nothing interesting ever happens in Fuyuki anymore. I hate being bored. Second, because of that tree."

"That tree?" Aoko asked.

"Yeah, the golden one on your family's mountain," she admitted. "It increased the mana density here and made rare plants grow in the area. For a restaurant owner like me, it's great to be close to the source."

"Alright, you pass," Aoko said, satisfied she wasn't lying. She took a bite of her rice. "...Did you use some weird chili lately?"

"That's my prized 'Fire Dragon Pepper' from the Age of Gods!" Batsu said proudly. "How's the taste?"

"If it weren't me eating this, you'd be paying medical bills—or in jail for poisoning."

——

After finishing eating, Aoko left the suspicious restaurant. Batsu was a bit odd, but Kumari was safe working under her. Few monsters could handle this Mapo Immortal.

If even someone like Batsu was drawn here by the mana density, that meant Alice was taking good care of the golden sapling.

Though, honestly, it was probably the fairies who did most of the work... She'd have to cook them something nice as thanks.

Now, seeing the changes to the sapling and the commercial street, Aoko felt a little guilty. Had she been gone too long? Would Alice be mad?

With those thoughts, Aoko quietly teleported back to the Kuonji mansion's backyard.

She picked the lock with magic (forgot her key), circled around through the kitchen, and snuck into Alice's favorite sitting room.

By the fireplace, a girl in a black nun-like dress sat dozing on the carpet, a half-read storybook by her feet. A bluebird perched on her shoulder, guarding her.

"Oh! Aoko, you—" Robin, the bluebird, hadn't said more than three words before Aoko zipped over and pinched his beak shut, giving him a gentle glare.

Aoko gently scooped the sleeping Alice into her arms, princess-style. Robin flew back to his cage, promising not to say anything.

The sleeping girl snuggled closer, finding a more comfortable spot in Aoko's arms.

Aoko's cheeks flushed, but she quickly suppressed it with magic.

She carried Alice upstairs, gently placed her in bed, tucked her in, then teleported to the kitchen.

In a flash, her robe became an apron, and she even donned a chef's hat.

"Let's see if Lady Aoko's cooking has gotten rusty!"

…

Alice, for the first time in a while, had a dream.

In it, her mother held her gently, telling her stories of magic and the Yumina witch's legacy.

It was like childhood again, before she bore the title of witch, before her parents split.

Deep down, Alice knew it was a dream, but she didn't want to wake up. It was too precious, like a shimmering soap bubble.

She tried to hold it, afraid she'd burst it by mistake.

But fate was unkind. The dream turned cold, and her mother disappeared.

Alice woke up.

She found herself in her bedroom, dressed in a comfortable, translucent lace nightgown.

Boosted by magic, she quickly shook off her drowsiness, put on her fuzzy slippers, and left the room.

No one was in Touko's room. The Kohaku and Hisui were away...

With hope, she snuck downstairs. Robin was sleeping in his cage; all was normal.

But sometimes, too much normal is suspicious—a lesson from her mother.

Thinking, she went to the dining room. When she opened the door, she saw her, in an apron, carefully plating dishes—everything she loved.

Alice's lips twitched into a smile she quickly suppressed. She glared, voice cold and a bit accusing:

"You do remember how to come home?"

Chapter 597: The Fairy World Project

"I actually finished my mission pretty quickly," Aoko explained, seeing Alice's face. "But you know how interdimensional travel can mess up timelines. Sometimes it takes longer to get home... Ask Touko if you don't believe me!"

"Oh?" Alice replied coolly. "So next time you run off, is there a chance you'll come back decades later?"

"Absolutely not," Aoko said firmly. "Time displacement is limited. In interdimensional transfers, it never exceeds a year!"

"So... you're planning to be gone for a year next time?"

"Haha, no way~" Aoko laughed. "If I ever messed up that badly, I'd be a terrible magician. As a legendary super magician? Not happening!"

"Fine. I'll let it slide," Alice said, eating a crispy fried ice cream and looking satisfied. "And... was it you who carried me upstairs?"

"Huh? Yeah," Aoko answered casually. "Don't mind me nagging, but it's not a good habit. Sure, you won't catch a cold sleeping in the lounge, but what if something nasty got in?"

Alice studied her roommate's face—she didn't seem to be joking.

...What kind of burglar would dare break into a house guarded by two magi and a fairy-tale witch?

Still, Alice felt a little warm inside at the concern.

"And... my nightgown...?" Alice blushed slightly but asked anyway.

"Oh, don't worry," Aoko grinned. "I had an invisible servant change you. I didn't peek!"

"Hmph!"

Alice glared, then focused on her meal. Aoko, meanwhile, was left a little confused at what she'd done wrong this time.

"...So that's about it. I took on the goddess's mission, found a lost floating city under the frozen tundra," Aoko sat cross-legged on the sofa, sipping tea, recounting her adventures in Faerûn. "But the real mastermind was another goddess."

"What would Auntie Aozaki think of you picking up another mom out there?" Alice zeroed in on the key detail.

"Our mom wouldn't care," Touko, who'd just come home and was snacking on Aoko's cooking, waved it off. "If she heard Aoko took a goddess as a mom, she'd be thrilled, not mad."

"Yeah... the goddess was good to me," Aoko admitted. "Didn't ask for money, gave me nice stuff, just wanted some help. Calling her 'mom' isn't a big deal, right?"

"Ugh, your standards are slipping again," Touko rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I knew you came back with some other stuff. My guess was right."

"How'd you know?" Aoko asked, resting her head on Touko's lap.

"I'm not stupid," Touko pinched her cheek. "Those weird magics of yours aren't from this world!"

"...Thinking of leaving again soon?" Alice asked, sipping tea.

"No. I need a good long break," Aoko replied. "Exploring other worlds takes lots of prep; I won't go until everything's ready."

"Plus, I brought back a lot from Faerûn. I need time to process it all," she continued. "I'm going to overhaul the fairy plane. Its role as a bounded field doesn't fit anymore."

"Oh? You're going to anchor that land somewhere? Japan? Scandinavia?" Touko asked, interested.

"Neither," Aoko shook her head. "Remember that arcane reactor I brought back? I'm going to install it as our core, turn the City into a separate demi-plane—our ark for interdimensional travel!"

"So next time, you're taking everyone along?" Touko raised an eyebrow.

"Yup! I love the idea of bringing home with me—a mobile base for adventures!"

"And what about the Yumina problem?" Alice asked.

"Staying there, you wouldn't undergo Yumina-ization, right?" Aoko asked.

"Not entirely," Alice replied. "I can last about a week there before it starts."

"That's fine," Aoko said confidently. "You only undergo Yumina-ization because, as a fragment's inheritor, you're a vessel for her revival in this world. But in the Fairy City, that doesn't happen."

"The Fairy City is a permanent bounded field, sealed off from the outside," Aoko explained. "Before, its lack of a power source meant it still drew on the world's mana, letting the fifth element seep in. That's what caused your Yumina-ization."

"So the key is keeping Alice away from the fifth element?" Touko summarized.

"Exactly!" Aoko nodded. "The reactor's magic weave energy is totally different from our world's mana. Even after conversion, it's not the same as Yumina's legacy!"