Aozaki Aoko Case File

At night, Aoko and Touko sat at the dining table in their suite, enjoying the food Aoko had brought for dinner while discussing their plans for the following day.

"Is this the structure of the Clock Tower?"

Aoko asked, studying the map Touko had drawn.

"It's larger than I expected."

"I haven't been to every corner of the Clock Tower myself," Touko replied after taking a bite.

"But you can think of it this way: the largest academic building houses the general foundational disciplines, disguised as a regular university. The other departments, disguised as university-affiliated facilities, are scattered across different blocks."

"Inorai Valualeta Atroholm is part of the Creation Department?"

Aoko asked with interest, her eyes scanning the map.

"Correct," Touko said, pointing to a spot on the map.

"This is where the Creation Department building is. But Lord Valualeta doesn't necessarily stay there all the time."

"It doesn't look like a very sturdy structure," Aoko remarked, examining a photograph of the Creation Department building that Touko had pasted onto the map.

"Planning to blow it up outright?"

Touko shot her a glance.

"That's so in line with your destructive tendencies."

"Don't think of me as a brute," Aoko said, a bit exasperated.

"But taking out that old hag directly does have its appeal. If one of the Lords of the Great Magus Families were to die suddenly, it would shake things up in the Clock Tower."

"Judging by your tone, you don't intend to do that?"

Touko asked, a bit surprised.

"Besides, that wouldn't make the Carillon Observatory revoke my Sealing Designation. Lord Valualeta and the Carillon Observatory aren't in a simple superior-subordinate relationship."

"Doesn't matter," Aoko replied.

"If necessary, we'll start with the Creation Department and make our way to the Carillon Observatory. I've heard it's located deep within Spiritual Tomb of Albion?"

"That's correct," Touko confirmed, frowning slightly.

"But Albion is typically sealed off and inaccessible."

"That's a bit of a hassle," Aoko mused.

"What about the Sealing Designation Enforcers? Are they based in the Observatory as well?"

"No," Touko said, taking up a marker and circling an area on the map.

"The Sealing Designation Enforcers, being a division of the Observatory that interacts with the outside world, have their headquarters on the Clock Tower's campus. It's just a bit out of the way."

"Out of the way is good," Aoko said with a mischievous grin.

"If Lord Valualeta isn't around, I think I'll pay them a visit."

...

The next morning, Aoko and Touko left the Brown Hotel without checking out of their room. They found a secluded spot, concealed themselves, and took to the skies using a flight spell.

Touko had always been intrigued by Aoko's ability to fly using magecraft. She dismissed Aoko's claim that "this magecraft is beyond you" as a flimsy excuse, suspecting her sister was simply guarding her secret to avoid being outmatched.

After some time, they arrived at an area warded by some kind of magical concealment bounded field.

Aoko looked down to see Victorian-style buildings filling the surrounding streets. The area was bustling with a mix of ordinary people and magi radiating faint traces of magical energy.

"Are we starting now?"

Touko asked excitedly.

"As a 'wanted criminal,' being back at the Clock Tower is giving me quite the thrill~"

"Not yet," Aoko said, holding back the impatient Touko.

"Let's scout out the Clock Tower first."

They descended to a quiet spot, deactivated their invisibility, and casually strolled into the streets.

The Clock Tower's security system wasn't advanced enough to instantly detect and alert authorities of Sealing Designation targets. However, lingering too long would trigger warnings from the Observatory, leading to the dispatch of enforcers.

"We should be near the Mineralogy Department," Touko remarked, scanning her surroundings.

"Should we head to the Creation Department now?"

"Let's meet an old acquaintance first," Aoko said.

"Opportunities like this don't come often."

"Huh?"

Touko looked puzzled.

"You know someone in the Mineralogy Department?"

"Sort of," Aoko replied ambiguously.

"Not sure if they're around at this time. Do you know the El-Melloi Classroom?"

"Ah, you mean that lemon-head's classroom?"

Touko said with a smirk.

"That guy's pretty famous around here—talented, in a way."

"Why? Has the great Aoko Aozaki fallen for a young Clock Tower magus?"

Touko teased with a devilish grin.

"No, I'm just curious to see what he's like before things go south for him," Aoko answered calmly.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

Touko sighed.

"To people like you, most others' efforts must seem like a joke."

The sisters easily entered the Mineralogy Department's main building. It wasn't so much a lack of security as the Clock Tower's casual approach to education, similar to that of an ordinary British university. Students could attend lectures freely, but the rights and rules beyond that depended on the professors.

After wandering through the Mineralogy Department, Aoko and Touko eventually found themselves on the third floor, in front of the famed El-Melloi Classroom.

Currently, the El-Melloi Classroom wasn't part of the Modern Magecraft Department, nor was it run by a certain El-Meloi II. Instead, it was under the purview of a brilliant Clock Tower instructor.

Aoko peeked into the classroom through the back door. It was a tiered lecture hall with about thirty or forty students, chatting noisily as they waited for the instructor.

"Get out of the way! The El-Melloi Classroom isn't for small fry!" a gruff voice barked from behind them.

They turned to see a burly magus with brown hair, likely in his late twenties, glaring at Touko.

Without a word, Touko's left eye gleamed briefly. The rude magus froze in place, immobilized and silenced entirely.

Unfazed, Aoko and Touko walked into the classroom and took seats in the back row.

The students noticed the commotion but, after observing the intruder's fate, returned to their conversations. In the Clock Tower, the golden rule was simple: mind your own business.