Ten-plus years of effort, all brushed aside by a single sentence from her grandfather: "She is better suited."
And so, Touko Aozaki began to hate the world. She left her home and came to the Clock Tower for the sole purpose of proving herself—and to learn the magecraft necessary to return and take her revenge.
Though she incurred massive debts as a result, she paid them all off in just two years. After joining the Association, she specialized in Rune magic, which was unpopular at the time, and stabilized the craft within two years. She spent several more years approaching the original Runes held by the Thule Society, finally establishing her own workshop. After that, she threw herself into puppet making, eventually becoming a Grand-rank magus.
However, when the Association was designating "Primary Color" titles, she hoped for "Blue." Instead, the Association decided that someone who joined for revenge was unsuited for a pure color. She received the non-pure title of "A Red that is close to 'Red' but is not 'Red'," earning her the alias: "Scarred Red."
It was a blatant insult—a denial of all the hard work she had put in at the Clock Tower for so many years.
Not only that, but due to the jealousy of her teacher at the Clock Tower, Inorae of the Department of Creation, a request was filed to the Association to place her under Sealing Designation. All her contributions to the Department of Creation were outweighed by her teacher's single sentence: "She is suited for sealing."
Thus, Touko fled London, killing a swarm of Enforcers in her wake, and vanished from the public eye. Now, having finally re-established herself in Japan, she had run into a perverted boss and was being violated by him—
"AHHHHHH!!!" Combining the physical pain with her agonizing memories, Touko couldn't help but wail.
Despite her crying, Haruka Kasugano did not let her go. Instead, he used his mouth to seal hers.
Mmph—mmph—
Touko felt even more miserable. This was her first kiss... To her, a kiss held deep significance; it was a symbol of love. While she could grit her teeth and endure being violated, kissing someone she disliked was something she couldn't accept. She felt more wronged than ever.
But.
She was shocked to discover that her mouth was yet another sensitive spot. She found she couldn't resist Haruka Kasugano's passionate kiss and was even becoming somewhat intoxicated by it. This... Kimochi... This is—wonderful! She actually began to actively cooperate with the kiss.
Splurge—
Under the sensation of the kiss, Touko actually reached the peak once more. She was truly too sexy—the sexiest woman Haruka Kasugano had ever slept with, without exception. Irisviel could compete, but Touko was taller and "larger." Aozaki Aoko was a match, but Touko was still taller and "larger." Fujino Asagami was a peer, but Touko was still taller and longer!
Ah! Fantastic! Touko was a natural "daily necessity"; every frown and smile of hers kept Haruka Kasugano's spirits high. She was taken in every posture imaginable, and being naturally sensitive in so many places, she quickly became addicted to the pleasure. She was so blissful she was actually drooling.
"Ahhh—" Touko was eventually driven into a faint. Haruka Kasugano left her on the floor like a beautiful corpse. "Phew—so wet!" he exclaimed.
Then, Haruka Kasugano deactivated the Reality Marble. The scenery returned to the weathered look of Garan no Dou. Looking at the twitching Touko on the floor, Haruka Kasugano's lips curled into an indescribable angle.
However, why hadn't a system notification popped up? Did he need to force her to sign a contract? While Haruka Kasugano was pondering, Touko regained a sliver of consciousness. She began tracing a spell on the floor. A second later, a magic bullet shot straight into herself.
Crack—
Touko Aozaki committed suicide.
"Holy crap! Who gave you permission to kill yourself? I'm not done playing!" Haruka Kasugano was stunned. He never expected Touko to be so fiercely chaste as to end her own life.
But.
Just as he was clutching his head in shock, a cold "watermelon knife," like a venomous snake, suddenly thrust through his back and pierced his chest.
Pfft—
Haruka Kasugano spat out a mouthful of blood. He whipped his head around and saw the person behind him. His face filled with terror.
—It was Touko Aozaki.
He looked back at the floor; Touko's "corpse" was still lying there... and this Touko standing behind him still bore the exhaustion of their union, but her expression was one of extreme ferocity.
"Didn't see that coming... Boss Haruka ~!" Touko sneered.
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Haruka Kasugano stared at the Touko behind him, his heart pounding against his ribs. He didn't understand—no, he did understand. He had just been immersed in a woman's "gentle village" for so long that he had temporarily forgotten an important fact.
Touko Aozaki had countless bodies! This was exactly why she was a Grand-rank Puppet Master. She had developed the ultimate puppet-making technique. After the 17th century, the concept of artificial human creation had declined; even excellent magi couldn't create automatons that surpassed antiques from centuries ago. But Touko could. Her mass-produced combat automatons were comparable to those of the Middle Ages.
In her pursuit of the "prototype of the flesh," she had accidentally discovered the technique to create puppets completely identical to herself. This bypassed the absolute laws left behind from the golden age of magecraft: "Even if you create a puppet that surpasses humans, you cannot create a thing that is identical to a human!"
Creating a god was one thing, but creating a human... that was the work of the Hand of God. With this technology, Touko had thought: "With this, do I even need 'myself' anymore?" She always kept a dormant version of herself ready. The moment the current Touko died, her memories would transfer to the reserve body, which would then wake up. The awakened Touko would then craft a new active body and return to a dormant state. This cycle repeated endlessly. Though she couldn't be sure which was the original, because every body was identical and only one was active at a time, she used "Schrödinger's Cat" as an analogy: though every "self" might be a fabrication, because there is no way to distinguish them, every Touko is the "real" one.
No! Haruka Kasugano hadn't forgotten about her multiple bodies. He just hadn't realized how the reserve body's activation worked! Who would have guessed that the very second she committed suicide, a new body would appear to backstab him?
And he hadn't figured out the principle of the transfer. For instance, Touko had just been "broken" by him—was this new body a virgin? If it was, did that violate the principle of being the "same" person recognized by Gaia and Alaya? If she was still broken, how did the state of the first body transfer instantly to the hidden reserve?
Before he could figure it out, Touko had already traced a Rune. With a loud bang, a massive hole appeared in Haruka Kasugano's chest. Blood sprayed, and he collapsed, his life signs vanishing completely.
"Phew—" Touko wiped the sweat from her brow, letting out a long sigh as if she had just survived a life-or-death ordeal. She had no time to worry about her previous corpse or Haruka Kasugano's body. She knew that if Souren Araya realized Haruka Kasugano was dead, he would make a move. Her priority was to head to the Ogawa Apartment and deal with Alba and Araya at once.
After a brief rest, Touko sat down. She looked down at her snow-white thighs, stained with blood as vivid as cherry blossoms.
Tsk... To perfectly create a new body identical to the previous one, the new body would replicate all states from the moment of death. If she had committed suicide the instant Haruka Kasugano broke her, would she have avoided this humiliation? But back then, she was in the Reality Marble; if she had died there, her soul might not have been able to transfer. That would have meant true death!
Curse it... to think a dead man got so much out of me...
Furious but knowing she couldn't self-pity, Touko quickly pulled herself together. She didn't have time to clean herself; she threw on new clothes and a trench coat, grabbed a new projector from the warehouse, slammed the door, and marched toward the Ogawa Apartment.
About one minute after she left...