Aozaki Aoko is a Magician.
A Magician, in a word, is an existence that has already "graduated" from the current universe—inhuman monsters, beings that transcend common sense.
Or so she had heard.
But in reality, after becoming a Magician, she realized that Magicians were nothing more than glorified corporate slaves.
The first time she truly understood this fact was shortly after mastering her Magic, when she was dealing with temporal anomalies.
As the Fifth Magician, who governs the interference of time, she was essentially a custodian of time itself. No matter where or when a temporal irregularity occurred, she had to jump in to fix it. If she slipped up and allowed time to go awry, it could lead to entropy issues on a cosmic scale, eventually triggering a universal crisis.
The scope of her work was absurdly vast. No matter where time went wrong, she had to step in.
She even suspected that her grandfather—who had been killed—had used death as a convenient way to resign! After all, the old man was still alive as a spiritual entity, no different from when he was breathing. If that wasn't quitting, what was?
And then, one day, the world suddenly told her:
You're no longer needed.
She had been fired.
Aoko: "???"
What the hell?!
Had she not worked hard enough? Had she not poured her heart and soul into her duties?
After investigating for a long time, she finally understood.
It wasn't that she had failed—it was that the job itself had changed.
In the year 1994, the world had veered onto a path no one had predicted.
Because of the Holy Grail War that took place at that time, the entire world had been dragged into flames. The global population plummeted, and the Counter Force—which should have been working diligently like a swarm of bees—was completely absent. The world had taken a sharp turn into something unrecognizable.
From that point onward, time beyond 1994 could no longer be altered.
Even so, as the Magician who governed temporal interference, Aoko could still hop around the timeline.
But then something even more shocking happened.
Time beyond 2004 became completely blurred—even she, a Magician, couldn't jump past it!
This left her with no way to investigate further.
Aoko was liberated.
From a hardworking corporate slave to a carefree heiress.
As a Magician, she could sense that something was fundamentally wrong with the world. The Counter Force remained unresponsive, and she suspected that the issue wasn't with the Counter Force itself, but with something higher—the Root—meddling in ways beyond comprehension.
The evidence came in 2001, when she was suddenly struck by an inexplicable urge to travel.
She had been perfectly content lazing around at home, enjoying her slow descent into NEET-dom. She had no reason to go anywhere.
Realizing something was off, she set out immediately.
Amid a heavy snowfall, she stumbled upon a Homunculus being hunted by a demonic beast. Without hesitation, she killed the beast and saved him.
As she lifted the unconscious Homunculus from the snow, a fierce rage ignited in her chest.
His body was covered in wounds—old and new. Frostbite, yes, but worse were the countless cuts from knives, the unmistakable marks of torture at the hands of magi.
She could tell at a glance that this Homunculus had endured unspeakable suffering.
Unable to simply walk away, she followed the strange pull in her heart and took the Homunculus to Fuyuki, settling him in a mansion gifted to her by the Mage's Association.
Staring at this cold, distrustful Homunculus, she found herself at a loss.
Does anyone actually know how to raise a kid?
Convinced that this Homunculus might be the key to the timeline's distortion, Aoko couldn't bring herself to leave him alone.
She briefly considered moving in with him, but before she could act, Touko showed up out of nowhere.
Surprisingly, Touko took an intense interest in the Homunculus.
She stayed in Fuyuki for a long time, teaching him how to compartmentalize his personality, use his Mystic Eyes, and even passing down her prized collection of Rune magecraft.
Relieved, Aoko left Fuyuki behind.
She retraced her steps to where she had found Roy, following the trail to a remote mountain.
She had intended to give those magi a brutal lesson, only to find they had already been wiped out.
With no outlet for her fury, she could only return home in frustration.
Once she confirmed Roy was doing well, she set her mind at ease.
Then she left Fuyuki again, traveling the world to investigate the cause of the world's transformation.
After that, she rarely returned to the mansion in Fuyuki.
It wasn't that she had any issue with Roy.
But every time she saw him, an inexplicable anger welled up inside her.
Not anger toward him—but toward magi as a whole.
Unlike Touko, who spent a decade investigating without finding any leads, Aoko pinpointed the culprit behind the world's distortion in less than three years.
It was then that she realized Roy was destined for something extraordinary.
But even then, she never expected him to become this extraordinary.
***
Aozaki Residence.
Early Morning.
News of Roy's return spread through the mansion in an instant.
The entire household—whether yawning over breakfast or still lazing in bed—snapped to attention, scrambling to dress and gather in the living room.
There, seated at the head of the room, was a strikingly handsome young man with white hair and crimson eyes, wearing his usual infectious, gentle smile.
It was Roy himself.
"Lord Roy!"
"Welcome back!"
The girls, unaware of the truth, cheered in delight, filling the air with a warmth that felt like the heart of the household had finally returned.
Meanwhile, Rin and Illya exchanged bewildered glances.
"He actually came back alive from Outside of the World?"
"Is this really Roy?"
After a brief stare-off, they both rushed forward, shamelessly groping him all over.
"Don't you two know what modesty means?"
Roy sighed as the two pawed at him.
Then, without warning, someone pinched his stomach.
He stared at them in shock.
Who just copped a feel?!
"...It's really him!"
Rin declared, her tone a mix of solemnity and excitement.
By the time Aoko arrived in the living room, fully dressed, this was the scene she walked into.
Leaning against the doorframe, she watched Roy surrounded by a flock of beauties, an unconscious smile tugging at her lips.
Compared to three years ago, Roy had changed dramatically.
No—even compared to just a few days ago, he seemed visibly brighter now.
His trip beyond the world must have done him good.
The icy, soul-freezing malice he once carried was now almost entirely gone. Most of it was probably buried deep, but judging by that smile, the scales in his heart had tipped slightly more toward kindness.
Aoko strode forward, grabbed Roy by the scruff of his neck, and yanked him into a crushing embrace.
Then she roughly tousled his white hair.
"Damn, kid, you've really grown into something impressive!"
"Aoko, what the hell?!"
Aoko was happy.
It felt like she had raised Roy herself, watched him grow, molded him into the man he was now.
It was the joy of a raising sim!
"Roy's growth has nothing to do with you."
Touko's voice turned icy as she removed her glasses.
She tore Roy out of Aoko's arms.
"Remember this, Aoko. I was the one who taught Roy. Don't you dare steal my credit."
Her frigid words instantly turned the living room into a battlefield.
The cheerful chatter from Utaha and the others died in an instant.
***
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