Aozaki Aoko Case File

After a flurry of activity, Aoko finally resolved the identity issues of the two young girls—meaning she organized the necessary information and handed it over to her father to finalize. Hisui and Kohaku were officially adopted as the foster daughters of Aoko's father, changing their surnames from "Fujou" to "Aozaki," and legally becoming the younger sisters of Aoko and Touko.

By now, it was late November. Aoko had begun making light preparations for the first round of entrance exams and early applications for the University of Tokyo in December. However, given her intelligence and breadth of knowledge, there was no need for her to study as intensely as other students. All she needed to do was review the relevant material.

It was Sunday, and by 7:00 AM the next morning, she would accompany Touko to the Tokyo airport to catch a 9:00 AM flight to London. That meant an early bedtime tonight to leave room for meditation and preparing breakfast.

When Aoko wheeled the serving cart into the Kuonji mansion's dining room, the four people inside were already seated, ready for breakfast.

Aoko cheerfully placed the food on the table, took off her apron, and sat down to enjoy breakfast with everyone.

Although Kohaku and Hisui came from a prominent family, the Fujoui clan had been in decline for a long time, so the daily meals they had growing up were far less rich and delicious than the ones now offered at the Kuonji residence.

The two young sisters, captivated by Aoko's cooking skills, were thoroughly won over by the flavors. Their eyes sparkled with a "Kira★Kira" glow as they stuffed their cheeks full of food, looking like two little hamsters.

"Don't eat so fast," Aoko said gently, "or you'll choke. And don't forget to drink your milk, okay? That's how you'll grow up strong and healthy."

"If I drink milk, will I grow as big as you, Sister Aoko?"

Hisui suddenly posed this profound question while staring intently at Aoko's chest, making her a little embarrassed.

Alice ignored the interaction, calmly eating her meal, while Touko looked smug, seemingly confident in her own "future" size.

As Aoko was about to educate the sisters on human growth potential, Stark flew in from the window.

"Today's paper! Today's paper!"

Stark chirped. The clever raven delivered the morning papers from the mailbox to the designated box in the dining room.

"Mine too!"

Stark demanded, its shiny eyes gleaming as it looked at Aoko, much like the two little sisters had moments before.

"Of course, I've got your share," Aoko said, standing up to prepare Stark's food. She placed it on a special perch, and the raven eagerly began feasting.

Kohaku and Hisui exchanged astonished glances, clearly fascinated by the talking raven with its beautiful feathers.

"Sister Aoko really is a magician. Even her raven is this smart!"

Touko, also curious, analyzed the familiar. Unlike Alice's completely artificial creations, Stark seemed to be an animal transformed into a familiar. Usually, such familiars required constant control by a magus and weren't particularly intelligent. Creating one as clever as Stark was a rare feat.

As Touko pondered this, she continued eating at a brisk pace, prompting a sense of urgency in the two young girls. Watching their beloved pancakes disappear into Touko's hands, they suddenly felt competitive and began eating even more voraciously.

"Don't rush; there's plenty of food," Aoko reassured them while opening the morning paper.

"Famous Tokyo entrepreneur, Tohno Group Chairman Makihisa Tohno, died Friday night in a gas pipeline explosion near the roadside."

Hearing this, Touko froze.

"You took out the head of the Tohno family too?" she asked curiously.

"Not sure," Aoko shrugged nonchalantly.

"I didn't see him personally, but I did destroy a suspicious vehicle monitoring the area. Maybe Makihisa Tohno was in it."

"According to reports, Tohno Group shares have been transferred to Makihisa Tohno's only daughter, Akiha Tohno. The company's affairs are temporarily under the board's management."

"The eldest daughter?"

Aoko mused. If Akiha was the eldest daughter, then SHIKI Tohno was probably locked in the basement due to his inversion impulses...

After some thought, Aoko decided not to deal with SHIKI for now. He was likely to become Roa's host in the future, and having a clear target would make things more convenient later.

"What's on your mind?"

Alice asked, noticing Aoko's contemplative state.

"Just thinking about the Tohno family's vast empire and considering starting something of our own," Aoko replied.

"Hah, that's just mundane money," Touko scoffed.

"We're magus!"

"Magus need money too, don't they?"

Aoko countered, looking at Touko.

"Aren't you still in a ton of debt?"

"That's because—!"

The mention of her debts flustered Touko. In her quest to defeat Aoko, she borrowed extensively and stole many Mystic Codes from Magus families. She planned to repay them all someday but for now...

"That's a small matter," Aoko said with a meaningful smile.

"I'm confident when it comes to making money."

Alice nodded knowingly. Aoko's knack for generating income significantly improved Alice's life. As a reclusive witch, Alice spent a fortune on magecraft research and Ploy creation, not to mention her other costly little hobbies.

Since Aoko had moved in, a significant portion of Alice's expenses had been covered by her, making life much more comfortable. Moreover, Alice had noticed that Aoko seemed to be making investments through her father, earning an increasing amount of money.

"By July next year, I'll be 18," Aoko said as she added copious sugar cubes to her coffee.

"Then I won't need to go through Dad anymore for investments. I'm planning to start my own company."