"Arisu, what's your opinion?"
Aozaki Touko said with a sly smile, feigning seriousness: "If you need to, we can start solving your problem tonight."
On the dining table, two bowls of steaming porridge seemed to heat the air by several degrees.
"..."
Kujou Alice's delicate cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, silently eating her porridge, like an ostrich burying its head. However, after finishing the porridge in her bowl, she seemed to have no reason to avoid the topic.
So, she spoke with her usual rational and indifferent attitude:
"...I'm not yet of marriageable age, so this issue doesn't need to be considered for now. Moreover, children are too much trouble for me at the moment."
Her tone was very calm, and her reasons were very sufficient.
She was still in her growth period, and the curse brought by the fairy tale Witch's fate had not yet arrived. There was no need to conceive a child for now.
"Is that so?"
Aozaki Touko nodded slightly: "If you need me, Arisu, you can notify me anytime. I'll rush back as soon as possible."
In fact, she didn't really intend to conceive a child with Arisu now. She just thought that Arisu's shy expression would be very cute, so she used this topic to tease her a little.
It wasn't a complicated reason, just like a little boy likes to bully the girl he likes; the motive was simple yet mischievous.
"...You're still as mischievous as ever."
Kujou Alice glared at Touko with some dissatisfaction. She was well aware of Aozaki Touko's mischievousness, but the topic Touko brought up was simply too explosive, which caused her to react in such a way.
"...Hehe~"
Not denying it, Aozaki Touko smiled slyly, choosing to stop while she was ahead. If she continued to tease Arisu, she might end up being thrown out of the Western-style house.
"I'm full. You can clean up the dishes."
Seeing this, Kujou Alice's cheeks puffed out slightly. Then, she put down her dishes and turned to walk upstairs.
From childhood, it wasn't fixed who would cook. In fact, it was always casual, but there was a very tacit understanding: if one person cooked, the other would consciously wash the dishes.
However, to get a small revenge for Touko's mischievousness, she chose to leave the dishwashing to Touko.
"...Hmm, it's a bit cold."
Watching Arisu leave, Aozaki Touko took a bite of porridge, and then her brow suddenly furrowed. Probably because she was too focused on teasing Arisu, her steaming porridge had already turned slightly cold, and the taste was not as delicious.
On the other side.
Back in her room, Kujou Alice flopped onto the bed, burying her delicate face in the covers, then whispered softly, saying something unknown.
To ordinary Magicians, this was probably Aozaki Touko coveting the fairy tale Witch's Magic Crest.
After all, for a Magician, the Magic Crest was more important than descendants, even more important than their own life. For Aozaki Touko, a pure Magician, wanting to obtain such an ancient Magic Crest was only natural, wasn't it?
One must know that the Magic Crest not only represented the accumulated knowledge and power of a magical family for generations but also the Magician's possibility of reaching the Root.
If one could obtain an ancient Magic Crest and have their descendants inherit it, no Magician would refuse such a thing, right?
Especially... when the mother's talent was excellent, this made it even more of a must-have.
However, this was not Aozaki Touko's true motive.
"...What 'wanting the Magic Crest'? She clearly just wants me."
Kujou Alice hugged the quilt tightly, a muffled whisper escaping her lips.
Regarding Aozaki Touko's abnormalities, she had actually discovered them when she was very young. However, because she didn't dislike it, she didn't distance herself in any way.
Aozaki Touko's sexual orientation was twisted and skewed; she had no interest in men whatsoever, and it had been like that since childhood. Moreover, she harbored designs on her, her closest friend.
She knew this.
Therefore, Aozaki Touko's earlier statement wasn't simply about solving the curse of the fairy tale Witch; it was also a subtle confession.
If she agreed, their relationship would make a breakthrough.
However, she was not fully prepared mentally yet.
That's why she left as if fleeing... Meanwhile.
Aozaki Touko left the Kujou Alice residence and headed towards the Tohno Family, who lived on the other side of Misaki City, intending to make her own judgment about this family.
This family, with demonic blood flowing in their veins, were not pure humans, but because of this, they gained power beyond humans. It was said that powerful individuals among them even possessed strength on the level of Heroic Spirits.
However, if that were the case, Aozaki Touko had no intention of bothering with them.
Yet, in her previous life, there was a theory that after the Tohno Family gained control of the land in Misaki City, they killed Kujou Alice, who was a witch.
Since it concerned Arisu's life and death, she had no choice but to go and see for herself.
If this family truly posed a high threat, she would eradicate them tonight, nipping the threat in the bud.
After all, she would likely be running all over the world in the future, and her attention to Misaki City was bound to be limited, which could very well lead to...
When she returned home, she might find that her family and Arisu were all gone.