Kuonji Mansion, Misaki City.
In the early morning, Alice Kuonji was holding a watering can, watering the flowers and plants in the garden. Suddenly, Alice Kuonji stopped and turned her head to look at the small path leading down the mountain.
The magic boundary Alice Kuonji had set up to cover the entire mountain sensed that four magi had broken into the boundary. One of them emitted a magical energy that Alice Kuonji felt was very familiar.
A moment later, the figures of one adult and three children appeared on the path leading to the foot of the mountain. The woman walking at the front waved at Alice with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Good morning, Alice."
Alice Kuonji looked at Touko waving at her, silently put down the watering can, turned around, walked into the villa in a few steps, and closed the door.
At Rin's signal, Touko awkwardly walked to the door, reached out, and knocked on the closed door.
"Alice, an old friend has come to visit; are you really going to keep me out like this?"
Before Touko could finish speaking, the door was suddenly opened. Alice Kuonji, holding several Mystic Codes, walked out of the door and looked at Touko.
"Touko, weren't you cursed by Aoko to never return to Misaki City?"
Touko pulled a pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket, lit one skillfully, and said,
"That curse can be solved by just changing bodies. Don't be so wary, Alice. Rest assured, I'm not here to cause you trouble. I've just accepted a commission from those people behind me; they are the ones looking for you."
Rin took the opportunity to step forward and join the conversation.
"Hello, Miss Kuonji. I am Tohsaka Rin of the Tohsaka Family, the Spiritual Land Management Family of Fuyuki City. I've taken the liberty of visiting to ask for a favor."
She then turned and gave Kirei Kotomine a look. Kirei immediately held the gift in his hand and respectfully presented it to Alice Kuonji.
Alice Kuonji silently sized up Rin, Sakura, and Kirei before accepting the gift.
"Then, please come in. Touko, if you don't want to run into Aoko, you'd better leave immediately. Aoko could return at any time."
"Alice, are you worried about me? If that girl Aoko wants to come, let her—"
"No, I'm just worried that if you and Aoko fight, it will cause damage to the mansion..."
Everyone then followed Alice into the villa and came to the living room to sit on the sofa. Alice took a tea set and tea leaves from a nearby tea cabinet and brewed a cup of black tea for everyone.
Rin reached out, took the black tea from Alice, and casually placed it on the coffee table.
"Miss Kuonji, I'll be direct. We've come to disturb you today in hopes that you can accept my younger sister as a disciple. Please rest assured that our goal is definitely not your Fairy Tale Witch heritage, but simply that you can provide guidance on my sister's Pseudo-Fairy Tale Sorcery."
Originally, Alice Kuonji had only let Rin and the others into the villa for Touko's sake, but now, hearing Rin's request, she frowned uncomfortably. 'Not for the Fairy Tale Sorcery heritage, but to obtain guidance on Fairy Tale Sorcery?' She put down her teacup.
"Do you have a Fairy Tale Sorcery heritage in your hands?"
"No, but I created a type of Fairy Tale Sorcery myself. However, its completion isn't high enough, so it can only be considered a Pseudo-Fairy Tale Sorcery."
Alice Kuonji glanced at Touko, pointed her finger toward the door, and said,
"Please leave."
Hearing Alice Kuonji's request for them to leave, Rin was suddenly stunned. 'What's going on? The plan to use Touko's relationship to contact Alice Kuonji, take the opportunity to mention Pseudo-Fairy Tale Sorcery to pique her interest, and then smoothly have Sakura become her disciple should have been perfect. Why did Alice Kuonji kick us out as soon as I mentioned Pseudo-Fairy Tale Sorcery?'
At this time, Sakura, who was sitting next to Rin, also felt ripples in her heart.'Sister often studies until late at night and flips through all sorts of dangerous magic grimoires just so I can learn suitable magic. Now, she's even risked danger to take me out to find a suitable teacher. I can't be like this anymore. Sakura, you have to do your best and fight for yourself; you can't let your sister's efforts go to waste.' She hurriedly stood up.
"Miss Kuonji, because our Tohsaka Family doesn't have a suitable magic heritage for my Imaginary Number Element, my sister often falls into distress. Now, for my sake, she has risked danger to bring me to find you. I don't want my sister to take risks for me anymore. Miss Kuonji, please take me in." As she spoke, tears flowed from the corners of Sakura's eyes.
Beside her, Rin looked at Sakura in surprise. She hadn't expected the usually gentle and silent Sakura to actually say such a thing. Seeing the tears on Sakura's face, she stood up with heartache and hugged Sakura to comfort her.
"Sakura, don't cry. It's okay. If it doesn't work out with Alice, there's still May Riddell, the Witch of Coal. We can go to the Clock Tower and ask Kayneth to help us make a connection. It's no problem, Sakura, don't worry. Also, Sakura, you are my biological sister; doing these small things for my sister's future is what I, as an older sister, should do. And Sakura, you should know that your sister never does anything risky, right!"
Looking at the cute little girls hugging each other, Alice Kuonji also felt a faint stir of compassion. But looking at Touko beside her, Alice Kuonji simply wouldn't believe that a ten-year-old girl could create Fairy Tale Sorcery herself, thinking that all of this was just Touko's scheme.
Just then, a black-haired girl who looked somewhat similar to Touko suddenly appeared behind Alice Kuonji. The girl gently hugged Alice from the side, separating Alice from Touko.
"Alice, I'm back!"
"Mm."
Then the girl turned her head and looked at Touko.
"My perception was indeed correct. I just didn't expect you would still dare to return to Misaki City, and even run here to Alice's place. Touko, do you want to be turned into a frog again?"
Touko took off her glasses, looked at Aoko with contempt, then wiped her glasses and put them back on.
"Aoko, you're still the same as ever. However, I don't think you still have that ability now."
"Do you want to try?"
"Then let's try?"
Alice Kuonji looked at her friends who had started arguing as soon as they met, sighed, and reached out to knock both of them on the head.
"That hurts, Alice!"
The two cried out together.
Aoko turned her head, glanced at Touko, snorted coldly, looked at the Tohsaka sisters in the hall, and then looked at her own sister, sighing.
Looking at the sisters caring for each other before her, and then at the headache-inducing person beside her, Aoko, as one of those who knew Alice Kuonji best, tentatively said to Alice,
"Alice, I've been invisible in the hall just now and heard your conversation. I have a few words to say. This Tohsaka Rin is currently recognized in the Magus world as the most talented Magus in a hundred years. If anyone else said they created their own Fairy Tale Sorcery, I wouldn't believe it either, but this Tohsaka Rin might be the real deal. Why not give her a chance? Let her demonstrate it for you."
Alice Kuonji, who lived a secluded life, indeed didn't know about Tohsaka Rin's reputation as a genius that was spreading through the Magus world. After hearing Aoko's suggestion, she thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Fine..."
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