Aozaki Aoko Case File

Aoko woke up around ten in the morning.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she used magic to check on the situation in Touko's room. What she saw made her laugh. Touko had terrible sleeping habits as a child, and now that she had reverted to a younger form, her habits were just as bad.

Her belly was exposed, and her blanket—adorned with cute little bunnies—had been kicked to the side. She was curled up on her side, sleeping with an air of vulnerability, though her breathing was steady.

After confirming that Touko was still asleep, Aoko smiled slightly. She quickly used magic and arcane spells to change her clothes and freshen up. Then, as she did every morning, she sat down at her desk and began her meditation without fail.

After defeating the evil villain Touko, Aoko had indeed gained a significant amount of experience points. However, compared to her current spellcaster level of 11, those points felt like a drop in the ocean—not nearly enough to level up.

As her consciousness connected with the Woven Fragment, Aoko made a surprising discovery: she could now choose how to allocate her experience points, either as a Wizard or Archmage. This new feature was something she had never encountered before.

It might have been because this was her first meditation after leveling up. Only now was she noticing this option for allocating experience points.

For Aoko, though, experience points remained an imprecise concept. To her, this substance that enhanced her power was like a handful of sand—slippery and difficult to measure exactly, only estimable.

Since she hadn't accumulated enough to level up yet, Aoko decided to set aside thoughts of experience points for now. Instead, she focused on fishing for new spells from the Woven Fragment.

Although she was already a formidable magician capable of making waves in this world, Aoko understood that such power, reliant on the universe's fundamental principles, might not be as effective in other realms.

On the other hand, arcane magic from the Woven Fragment transcended those limitations. This puzzled Aoko. If she ever had the chance to travel to other universes, the Arcane magic would undoubtedly be her greatest asset.

This notion might seem fanciful to others, but for Aoko, a hybrid with otherworldly origins, the existence of other worlds was a proven fact. Moreover, her knowledge of the Woven Fragment included techniques related to interdimensional travel.

Among her current spells—Blink, Dimension Door, and Teleport—none allowed her to traverse planes. In the cosmology of the Crystal Spheres, she would need to cross the Phlogiston Sea to leave this universe. Yet, she couldn't even confirm its existence, making such a goal distant and unattainable for now.

"Huh?"

Even in deep meditation, Aoko gasped softly. She had struck gold!

After years of fishing for spells in the Weave, she had finally reeled in the most destructive spell she had ever encountered: Disintegrate, a signature 6th-level Transmutation spell.

This spell was a hallmark of a powerful Archmage. Mastering it would vastly increase her destructive capabilities. Without specific protections, anyone struck by Disintegrate would almost certainly meet instant death.

The spell's potential was even more absurd against inanimate objects. It could disintegrate up to ten cubic feet of material in a single round, provided it was in the spell's path.

Elated, Aoko exited her meditation and immediately copied Disintegrate into her spellbook. She planned to study it further during her spell research session.

After spending 20 minutes preparing her spells for the day, Aoko left her room and headed to the kitchen on the first floor of the Kuonji mansion.

The large Western-style mansion was quiet at this hour. Neither Alice nor Touko seemed to be awake yet.

Aoko opened the fridge, took out the breakfast she had prepared the night before, and heated it. She added fresh fruits and vegetables to make a refreshing salad, drizzled with dressing.

Once everything was ready, Aoko hummed a tune as she pushed the breakfast cart to the dining room.

When Kuonji Alice entered, yawning and rubbing her eyes, she found her housemate had already prepared everything. Aoko sat by the window, quietly reading a book.

The morning sunlight poured in like golden silk, casting a warm glow on Aoko's elegant face. Her fair skin took on a rosy hue in the light, making her look even more radiant.

Alice stared, momentarily dazed, before quickly regaining her composure. She coughed softly to hide her embarrassment.

"Ah, Alice, you're up?"

Aoko set her book aside and greeted her with a smile.

"Let's have breakfast first!"

"What about Touko?"

Alice asked, remembering their extra guest.

"She should be awake by now," Aoko mused, stroking her chin.

With that, Aoko poured water into a wide-mouthed soup cup, dipped a finger into it, and whispered a chant to activate a spell.

Ripples spread across the water, revealing an image and faint sounds. The scene showed a flustered Touko Aosaki, newly awake, letting out a small moan as she took in her bunny pajamas and the cutesy room.

Aoko had set up a surveillance spell in Touko's bedroom!

This wasn't just mischievous—this was downright villainous.

Aoko chuckled as she watched the flustered Touko, only to notice Alice suppressing her laughter, her face slightly flushed.

Moments later, footsteps echoed from the stairs. They quickly dispelled the spell.

Dressed in bunny pajamas, Touko entered the dining room, glaring resentfully at Aoko and Alice, who sat at the table with innocent expressions.