Long red hair, an impressive figure, and an expression always brimming with confidence.
That was the woman now standing before Ritsuka and their companions.
Under normal circumstances, Ritsuka should have been shocked that the guardian was such a stunning woman. But before that—
"Huh? Naoki?"
Hearing the name Aoko had just called out, all three of them froze in surprise.
And seeing the three girls entering her house, Aoko—who had been expecting someone else—paused in confusion. "Huh? Where's Naoki? Aren't the people from Chaldea supposed to be coming? Where did he go?"
"Brother is still at Chaldea. He didn't come to the Singularity with us…" Mash answered reflexively. "Um… sorry, are you… someone Brother knows?"
"Huh? He didn't tell you?"
Aoko pointed at herself. "My name is Aozaki Aoko, a Magician. My relationship with Naoki isn't just 'someone he knows.' Actually, I'm his fiancée—though we've never officially gotten engaged, married, or even exchanged wedding rings."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Hearing Aoko's self-introduction, the three of them stood frozen in shock.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Inside Chaldea, hearing the conversation transmitted back through the communication device, everyone in the control room simultaneously turned to look at Naoki—who was using Healing Magecraft to clean cola off Roman's uniform.
Roman nudged Naoki and gave him a meaningful look.
(Why did your woman appear in the first Singularity? Did she come looking for you? Did you two fight?)
(How should I know! She didn't send me any message at all! Besides, our household life is perfectly harmonious. Even though we haven't seen each other in over half a year, we've never fought! At most, we argue in bed and make up in bed!)
After exchanging an extremely long message through intense eye contact, Naoki tossed the water ball in his hand into the nearby trash can and calmly sat back down in the main command chair. Just as he was about to speak—
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Chief."
As if speaking into the communicator, Ritsuka's voice came through again.
"Actually… how many fiancées do you have?"
Merry, Rei—just from what Ritsuka knew, that was already two. Plus Director Olga Marie, who seemed to have ulterior motives toward the Chief, and the various women the Chief knew at Chaldea—whose number was oddly high, like Miss Crane, Da Vinci-chan, Miss Touko…
And now Aoko suddenly appears, claiming to be the Chief's fiancée.
"Or, Chief… how many women do you actually know?"
[Eh… Well… I don't think it's that many… Anyway, why are you there, Aoko?! I didn't get any information! Did you leave Avalon without telling anyone again?!]
Hearing Naoki's voice, Aoko immediately looked at Ritsuka's wrist. "The voice is coming from here. Is this your Chaldea communication Mystic Code? Can I borrow it for a moment? I want to talk to my man."
"Ah, sure, here you go."
"Thanks."
Taking the communicator from Ritsuka's hand, Aoko smiled into the device. "Long time no see, Naoki. Our last meeting was during the New Year shrine visit."
[Yes—no! Let's talk about important things first! Aoko, when did you go to that Singularity?!]
"It's not your fault either. You haven't called or messaged me in half a year. After going through all the trouble to make me come, you left me in Avalon and went off to Chaldea in Antarctica by yourself. Of course, if I want to see you, I have to come out myself. Besides, staying in Avalon for too long is boring, so I came out to breathe some fresh air."
"I came to this Singularity because Merlin said this would be the first place you're most likely to visit. I rushed here, but I came too early. So I found a place to wait for you."
[And you accidentally became the guardian of this place by driving off Wyverns?]
"It was hard to refuse. Besides, saving people is a good deed. Of course I accepted—But explain why you're not here? Didn't you say this was a huge crisis that would destroy the world? Why are you, the bearer of the Star of the Holy Sword, the world's ultimate savior, still stuck in Chaldea?"
Aoko said, glancing at Ritsuka. "Or… is it not time for you to appear yet?"
[More or less. At least give Fujimaru, the complete beginner, a chance to train—Anyway, this kind of conversation is a bit awkward. Mash, cast the spell. Better to talk face-to-face.]
"Understood."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A moment later, in the center of the room.
Seeing Naoki's 3D projection floating above the shield, Aoko hesitated briefly, then sighed deeply. "Haaah… I thought this time I'd finally get to see you in person. Turns out it's just a projection."
[If you'd told me you were coming earlier, I definitely would've joined you. Just be patient.]
Naoki smiled, then turned to Ritsuka and the others.
[Fujimaru, Mash, Senior Hinajo, let me introduce her—this is Aozaki Aoko, my lover and fiancée, a Magician.]
"A Magician? Not a Magus?"
Ritsuka didn't understand the difference.
Roman, standing beside them, immediately explained.
[Magic and Magecraft are different, Fujimaru. In this era, phenomena produced by 'miraculous' means—if they can eventually be replicated by technology—are called Magecraft. For example, Fire Magecraft. A Magus can ignite fire from their fingertips, but an ordinary person can do the same with a lighter.]
[When a phenomenon can be achieved given enough time and money, no matter how difficult, it's not considered Magic.]
[On the other hand, Magic is a miracle that can be achieved—yet no amount of time or money will ever allow human technology to replicate it. Examples include parallel world travel, time travel, and soul matter.]
[Currently, there are only four Magicians whose existence is confirmed worldwide.]
[Aozaki Aoko, the Blue. She is one of those four—legendary figures known to every occultist in the world.]
"She's that incredible?!"
Ritsuka's eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile, Aoko smiled casually. "Not that big a deal. Magic isn't very practical. I haven't used it in years. And despite my reputation, most of it is just bad press."
"Bad press?"
[Human rocket launcher—and similar things. She's a destruction expert capable of causing massive collateral damage with ease. Her Mana output rivals mine. She can casually level an entire street.]
"That's still far from you, the guy who casually pulls down the moon. Isn't Imaginary Numbers way more broken than Magic?"
[We're basically the same.]
Listening to the conversation between Naoki and Aoko, the people around them began to understand why the two could be a couple.
As the saying goes—birds of a feather flock together.