"Alice getting mad, huh? Now that's a rare sight."
Aozaki Aoko stepped out of the tearoom, a cup of crimson tea in hand.
"It's only manners," Aoko emphasized the word, then handed another cup to Ryoji.
I get it. You mean Alice has no manners.
"She just can't learn them, that's all." Ryoji took the teacup and sipped casually.
"Honestly, watching you drink tea like that is painful. This is a luxury item, you know…" Aoko clicked her tongue at his crude manner. "But I don't think Alice got mad because you can't learn. It was more like... because you gave up so fast."
She snorted lightly, her eyes full of the smug satisfaction you'd expect from a winner looking down on a loser.
"Didn't think your willpower was that weak, huh?"
"That's called being smart." Ryoji curled his lip in disdain. "If a thousand times the effort won't even bring one bit of return, then what's the point of keeping at it? The ones who can still persist... I actually respect them."
Effort only makes sense when you can see results.
If he was never going to learn it no matter what, there was no reason to waste energy banging his head against a wall.
"You've got a point, but isn't that exaggerating a bit?"
"Only more exaggerated than you think." Ryoji waved a hand dismissively.
Recalling his past experiences, his face turned bitter.
He actually looks kind of handsome when he's brooding, Aoko couldn't help thinking. That face really wasn't wasted on him.
If only that mouth of his could say something decent once in a while, I might've fallen for him already…
"By the way, what did Alice mean when she said she's leaving it to you?" Ryoji asked Aoko without the slightest concern for Alice's mood.
After all, once this was over, he'd probably have no reason to deal with Alice anymore. She was way out of his league anyway.
Aoko, on the other hand, wasn't bad at all. She was already showing her potential... not just promising, but blatantly talented. She'd definitely become something amazing in the future.
And come to think of it, that "Fruit Lady" mother of theirs was pretty strong too. The genetics in that family were ridiculous.
"She asked me to teach you the basics of magecraft." Aozaki Aoko grinned mischievously, eyes glinting with wicked amusement.
"Alice's interest in you is long gone. Now it's my turn! You'd better be ready for it!"
"Oh? So you're interested in me now?"
"W... What?! Of course not!"
Three days passed in a flash.
Every day after school, Ryoji went to the Kuonji mansion to "study" magecraft for half an hour.
Well... "study magecraft" was a generous way to put it. He was basically just being a total freeloader.
He'd tried over and over again: while he could shape his magical energy, the moment he tried to draw a magic circle, it failed instantly... no matter what technique he used.
Aoko was dumbfounded. She finally understood the true meaning behind his earlier words: "Only more exaggerated."
"This isn't 'can't learn it' anymore. This is some kind of curse, right? Did you offend someone? Or did your master seal you or something?"
They were currently in Aoko's room.
Alice couldn't stand Aoko's constant yelling, so she told them to practice there instead. For the record, the yelling was entirely due to Ryoji's incomprehensible stupidity.
Aoko muttered in disbelief, completely dumbstruck.
After several days of lessons, he hadn't improved at all. Even a pig could at least draw a circle by now! The only explanation was a curse... and a powerful one at that.
"Happy now?" Ryoji grimaced, clearly annoyed.
Aoko had only made him try again because she didn't believe it, but the result had just crushed his pride further.
"At this level of misfortune, I don't even have the heart to make fun of you anymore…"
There was no trace of schadenfreude in Aoko's tone... only pure sympathy, written all over her face.
Ryoji twitched an eyebrow, reached out, pulled her into his arms…
…and gave her a firm smack on the butt.
"Stop that!!" Aoko yelped in shock, clutching her rear with both hands as her face turned crimson.
"Scream your lungs out!"
"…What?"
"See? I just helped you scream your lungs out... and no one came to save you!"
"…"
Another chaotic, ridiculous exchange.
Aoko sat down, still holding her sore backside, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Getting spanked in her own room felt completely different from when she'd been grabbed at the amusement park. How to put it… it wasn't just anger... there was also embarrassment.
And… maybe even the sudden urge to go to the bathroom.
"When's my Crest going to be ready?" Ryoji sat up straight, asking with all seriousness... while absentmindedly rubbing his fingers, as if reminiscing about the feeling.
A few days ago, he had asked Aoko and Alice to help him create a Magecraft Crest.
Although he couldn't actually learn magecraft himself, a Crest could function like an external circuit... as if plugging in a power cord. But since a person could only "carry" so much magical weight, most magi stored only their most essential spells in their Crests.
In traditional mage families, the Crest was passed down through generations, containing their core mysteries... each heir adding to it in hopes that, centuries later, their descendants might one day reach the Root.
Ryoji had convinced Alice by saying, "Once the Crest's done, I won't bother you two anymore."
Apparently, though, creating a new Crest was a huge undertaking. Hence his question.
"It's not done yet!" Aoko glared daggers at him, fuming.
Ryoji raised his hand casually.
"It'll take two more days! Don't you still have to store your spells in it?"
Aoko instantly covered her backside again.
Crap.
It felt like she'd been completely tamed... he had her weakness in the palm of his hand.
"What about Fruit Madam?"
"…Fruit… Madam?"
"I mean your older sister."
"'Fruit Madam'… Madam… hahaha... ahahahahahahaha!!"
Aozaki Aoko let out two quiet chuckles before she suddenly lost it completely. Her face twisted, her mouth stretched in an uncontrollable grin, and she clutched her stomach as she rolled on the floor, laughing loudly and unrestrainedly.
"N... No more, hahaha! My stomach... it hurts, ahahaha!"
He'd completely hit her funny bone; she couldn't stop laughing for a solid two minutes.
"Ahaha... what a masterpiece!" Finally, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes, she stood up, still grinning ear to ear.
"You should really talk to my Big Sister more often. With that mouth of yours, you might actually make her die from anger, hahaha!" Aoko was still laughing uncontrollably.
"She's your sister."
"And what's that got to do with me laughing at her?"
"You'll end up just like her someday."
"…?"
"I mean... you'll turn into a Madam."
Aoko froze for a second, then... "&￥%￥&%!!!"
Her chest heaved violently under her light-blue sweater as she exploded in a storm of curses directed squarely at Ryoji.
"QUIET DOWN!"
A sharp, irritated voice rang out from the western wing... Alice's.
The normally quiet girl had finally lost her patience after enduring Aoko's constant shouting these past few days.
"She's talking about you."
"…"
Don't get mad. Don't get mad. If I get mad, I'll just be giving him what he wants. Then he'll get smug again!
Aoko kept muttering that to herself, forcing her anger back down.
Right... change the subject. Quick, change the subject… What were we even talking about? Ah, Fruit Madam... no, no, I mean... the investigation. How's that going?
"Only two anchor points left," Ryoji replied calmly.
(End of Chapter)
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