"—In conclusion, this time, our enemy is my Big Sister."
Aoko delivered her final verdict with absolute, rock-solid certainty.
Ryoji watched her closely. Even as she spoke those words, there wasn't a flicker of hesitation or doubt in her expression, it was as if the idea of backing down hadn't even crossed her mind.
A month and a half ago, a section of the barrier covering Kinoko Town had been mysteriously wrecked.
At the time, Aozaki Aoko and Kuronji Alice simply assumed it was the usual: a reckless, wandering magus who'd set their greedy eyes on the spiritual land without knowing the true owners.
Encounters like that might sound ridiculous in the modern world, but among magi, they were disturbingly common. After all, every magus prized having their own spiritual ground above all else.
Shortly after that incident, Aoko happened to stumble upon Ryoji at school, an oddball who, with nothing but his presence, managed to rattle a seasoned magus's composure. She instantly mistook him for the wandering magus trying to seize their territory.
Meanwhile, the true culprit, pulling the strings behind the scenes, masterfully exploited that misunderstanding, provoking a clash between Alice and Ryoji.
After a series of confusing exchanges, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up.
However, when the real mastermind tried to capitalize on their confusion by sending out a puppet shaped exactly like Aoko, Alice managed to notice a subtle flaw in its structure, one that pointed unmistakably to the identity of the person behind it all.
"The puppet Alice's Rose Hound devoured last night, its internal construction is strikingly similar to a certain barrier formula I'm familiar with," Aoko explained, crossing her arms, her posture straight and her logic sharp and precise.
"The only ones who could possibly use such a formula are my grandfather… and my Big Sister, Aozaki Touko."
Aozaki's grandfather, the previous head of the Aozaki family, was also the one who'd passed down the family's Magic to her.
Almost unconsciously, Aoko brushed her right arm, where the Aozaki family's Magic Crest was engraved. The heart of her power was likewise sealed within her body.
The great barrier that enveloped Kinoko Town had been established by her grandfather. It drew all the magical energy from the area's ley lines into one focal point, essentially monopolizing that power. It symbolized the authority of the Master of the Aozaki family's domain.
Besides that, there were also various barriers for surveillance and other, less important purposes, but those could be ignored for now.
The puppet's internal structure, though, shared a striking resemblance to those barriers' designs, or rather, it carried the same stylistic signature. They were clearly from the same lineage.
The only one besides her grandfather capable of crafting such a system was her elder sister, Aozaki Touko.
"If it really is Touko," Alice murmured, sipping the cup of black tea she'd brewed at some point, the rich aroma filling the air—"she should've been able to bypass the barrier entirely. Even if she wanted to destroy it, she wouldn't have needed a month and a half."
"Exactly. After all, Big Sister was the Aozaki family's original heir…"
Aoko clenched her right arm tightly.
Whatever thought flashed through her mind made her bite her lip lightly.
"She must've been concealing her true body, to make you lower your guard," Ryoji reasoned aloud, following her line of thought.
Aoko nodded calmly, releasing her arm, then glanced at him with mild surprise.
"You managed to figure that out from just that much? Guess your brain's not totally useless after all, huh?"
"Haha, certainly better than Miss Aoko's. You didn't arrive at that conclusion on your own right away, did you?"
"..."
A vein twitched on Aoko's forehead.
She'd meant to tease Ryoji, only to get outplayed herself.
Truth be told, she had only reached that exact conclusion after discussing it with Alice.
"…Still, she must have realized by now that her puppet's been exposed," Alice remarked, setting down her cup and glancing between the two of them.
For some reason, she found their little back-and-forth quite amusing.
Or rather, seeing Aoko take a hit somehow made Alice feel much better.
"Now that she knows she's been exposed, she probably won't bother disguising herself anymore. From here on, she'll move fast and strike hard. In fact, she already destroyed another anchor point last night."
Since she'd been found out, there was no reason to keep hiding.
That 'Fruit Oba-san', as Aoko liked to call her, was definitely thinking that way.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would soon launch a full-scale assault.
"There are five anchor points in the barrier in total. Two have already been destroyed. If the remaining three fall, then the Aozaki family's status as the master of this spiritual land will officially come to an end!"
Aoko summarized grimly.
This was just how brutally efficient turf wars between magi could be.
Destroy the barriers controlling the spiritual ground, and the territory would become ownerless. Then, by erecting your own barrier and reporting it to the Magecraft Association, you could officially claim the site as the new Master.
Of course, killing the current magus outright and seizing their barrier would yield the same result, only much faster.
Over the past two years, four or five wandering magi had come with exactly that intent, directly picking fights with Aoko and Alice, only to die miserable, agonizing deaths at Alice's hands.
"Can't we flip the script and track her down instead?"
Ryoji raised his hand.
He'd come to prefer taking the initiative, after that little duet with Freya, he'd learned that lesson well.
Being passive was too damn tiring. Taking the offensive always felt better, cleaner.
"Difficult," Aoko replied, shaking her head in frustration.
"Big Sister has never once revealed her whereabouts. Where she built her workshop is a complete mystery."
Moreover, she knew every inch of the barrier layout in Kinoko City like the back of her hand. Ordinary surveillance Magecraft was useless against her. Unless Touko herself decided to show up, it was impossible to find her base.
"What about holding the remaining anchor points?"
Ryoji thought for a moment before suggesting a new angle.
Since the 'Fruit Oba-san''s goal was to destroy the barrier, her next targets would naturally be the three remaining anchor points. If they lay in wait at those sites, wouldn't they be able to catch Touko?
"Not a bad plan. That's what we thought at first, too."
Aoko crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression saying, if only it were that simple.
"But we don't have enough people. If the three of us each guard one anchor point, our home will be left unprotected."
Ah.
Right, there was that problem.
Ryoji suddenly understood the crux of their dilemma.
Up to now, they'd been completely in the open, while the Fruit Oba-san operated from the shadows. She could easily monitor their movements, while they couldn't even locate her.
If they split up to defend the anchor points and she launched a direct assault on their home, they'd be in serious trouble.
The mansion itself didn't matter much, Alice cared about it, but Ryoji honestly didn't, but if his family were to be captured and used as hostages, that would be the worst possible outcome.
That was why, these past few nights, Ryoji hadn't dared leave the house easily, just in case.
"In any case, leave the searching to us. You just wait until it's time to fight her, that'll be enough. I'm not exactly fond of your personality, but I'll admit your combat strength is reliable."
Aoko pouted as she said this, wrapping up the conversation.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395