In Misaki Town, in a Western-style mansion not far from Reien Girls' Academy.
Within the magically-infused mansion, a girl with slender limbs and skin so fair it seemed to have never known the sun sat on a sofa, reading an old book.
She had eyes so cold they could keep anyone at a thousand paces, yet her face retained a trace of girlish innocence, adding a touch of warmth to her. The combination of these two elements gave her appearance an almost bewitching quality. She seemed so unreal that one might think she was born this beautiful.
No wonder that guy likes Alice.
So thought Miss Aoko, who was on the side ordering takeout, continuing a life where, without delivery services, she would be perpetually on the verge of "starving to death."
The pale nape of Miss Alice's neck, exposed as she looked down, was so beautiful that even Aoko, a woman herself, found it mesmerizing.
Kuonji Alice was Miss Aoko's love rival.
Erm…
Calling her a love rival wasn't quite right either, considering the man they both liked was a guy whose entire being, from his Origin to his attributes, was branded with the word "scumbag."
During a Holy Grail War, that guy had triumphed over Alice in a struggle to decide between a monogamous future and letting him start a harem, thus winning the right to said harem.
So, in that sense, Alice was more like one of her sisters.
Because if Alice had won, Aoko wouldn't have even gotten a sip of the soup. That's why she had chosen to slack off for the entire Holy Grail War, even helping that scumbag out at the end. Thinking this, Miss Aoko continued ordering her lunch.
But speaking of which, where had that guy run off to?
Ever since she saw him pick up a very soft and cute girl and leave with her, he had gone completely off the grid. For a whole month, there hadn't been a single reply.
Could he have eloped with that girl named Seele?
At this thought, Miss Aoko's eyes gradually grew dangerous.
If that was the case, she would have to use her fists to educate that bastard a little. If her boyfriend suddenly cheated on her, beating him into amnesia and then re-educating his memories from scratch seemed like a pretty good option.
Then again, if she could re-educate his memories from scratch, couldn't she just directly implant preferences like "older sister types are the best" and then elope with him herself?
Oooohhhhhh—!!
That would be amazing!
Miss Aoko's azure eyes began to sparkle.
Then, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
In the Type-Moon world, Magic is invincible, but Magic Users are not.
Her own power as a half-baked Magic User, at maximum output, was only on the level of Gilgamesh. Trying to beat down that guy, whose power had exploded after the Holy Grail War, would be far too difficult.
Besides, if she did that, Alice would definitely sever all ties with her and put her on a kill list.
Thinking of her close relationship with Miss Alice, the girl turned her head to the witch who, like her, was completely useless at daily life.
"By the way, Alice, is there anything you particularly want to eat?"
"One English breakfast."
Whether it was because of her childhood in London or because her lover was a good-for-nothing who could only make English breakfast, Alice seemed to have a special fondness for it.
"Hey, hey, this is Misaki Town, not London! Where am I supposed to get an English breakfast?"
Aoko, who had visited the Clock Tower during their travels together, stared with wide, astonished eyes.
"Besides, it's already noon, isn't it weird to be eating an English breakfast?"
Miss Aoko's retorts came one after another, like a machine gun.
The witch who had been reading her book lifted her head, staring at Aoko with black eyes that brought to mind the night sky.
Nonchalantly, she ordered a new dish.
"Then just order sushi."
"Yes, yes."
The girl, who was actually quite helpless against her housemate, sighed, picked up the phone, and began to dial for delivery.
And then—
Knock, knock—
A rather gentle knocking sound came from the door.
Who is it?
Miss Aoko froze. She hadn't even placed the order yet, and someone was already at the door.
"Aoko, is that the delivery you ordered in advance?"
The witch, who might very well starve to death without takeout, stood up and peered over.
Then, as if she had suddenly thought of something, the girl's expressionless face broke into a smile of absolutely stunning beauty.
Is that an illusion?
Alice's reaction seems a little off right now.
So, what kind of situation would make Alice unable to sit still?
Miss Aoko fell into deep thought.
And then—
The voice of a certain missing person materialized in her mind.
Instantly, she became flustered.
"Wait!"
In a very unladylike manner, Miss Aoko yelled at her housemate.
The body she was currently using was in its adult stage. She hadn't had time to correct that guy's preferences yet. Meeting that terminal lolicon in the body of this age was extremely inappropriate!!
But her shout was clearly too late.
The witch, whose constitution wasn't great but was by no means poor, had already trotted to the door and pulled it open.
"Welcome back, Mad Hat—"
Halfway through her sentence, the witch's voice came to an abrupt halt.
As if the season had suddenly changed, the surrounding air took on a slight chill.
What happened?
Aoko, who had hurriedly used the Fifth Magic to disrupt the order of time and restore herself to her fifteen or sixteen-year-old self, was a little confused.
Without much hesitation, Aoko, whose physical fitness was no less than a man's, dashed towards Alice.
And then—
A young man with a handsome face stood in front of the mansion. If he didn't speak and just stood there smiling, he would make many a girl's heart flutter.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was…
…the girl behind him.
A very cute girl.
She had pink, shoulder-length hair, with bangs on one side that happened to cover one eye. Her face was so exquisite it was as if it had been specially carved by an artist, enough to make one's heart skip a beat.
"Hey— Can you explain who she is?"
A dead look appeared in Miss Aoko's eyes.
"If I said she was my little sister, would you believe me?"
The young man, who had already prepared himself to face a bloodbath the moment he decided to connect the Type-Moon and Honkai worlds, braced himself.
"A little sister with a different father and mother, the kind that stays the night?"
Miss Aoko, who only wanted the man to have a harem because she wouldn't get a sip of the soup if he took a pure-love route, smiled like a lioness.
"Probably, something like that."
The young man, who would never lie to his lovers, smiled and nodded.
---o---
Author's Note:
ps: Should I go back and write about Honkai to fill in the plot holes, or continue to stir up trouble?
So conflicted.