I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 105

"I can't hold them off for long, Aoko, you have to think of something quickly." As the [craft] slowly turned the misty area red, Yuzhu was doing her best to seal its aura within the room.

"What idea? Why should I think of an idea? What idea do I need to think of?" Aoko stomped her foot angrily after hearing Yuzu's words but having no idea what she was supposed to do. "So why do you always only say the second half of what you mean, Yuzu?!"

"Oh, of course it's because I want to get your muscle brain working a little," Yuzhu said in a somewhat unserious tone, while sensing everything in the room through the mist.

Yuzhu knew all along that Aoko couldn't understand her words, but there was another being in the room who could. So, her words were more for Ren than for Aoko.

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, the mist surged, and the red-glowing "artwork" disappeared from Qingzi's hand, the red light vanishing.

"That's fine, consider this a debt you owe me."

Chapter 237 The Heart (Part 2)

After jumping onto the windowsill, Ren said this last sentence before jumping out of the window. This time, neither Yuzu nor Aoko stopped her.

Yuzhu got the answer she wanted, while Aoko didn't care much about these things, so Ren left the ward smoothly.

"A year and a half should be enough time. It's probably time for Orange to come back. Aoko, you should be prepared." Looking at the black cat that had disappeared, Yuzhu sat back down in her seat.

Aoko understood what Yuzhu meant. She had long been prepared for those things, and although she didn't know what the outcome would be, she had no intention of backing down to her sister.

"Whatever happened, what was that thing that the black cat took away just now?" Aoko deliberately changed the subject.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a heart." Yuzhu, who had opened the book, wasn't actually reading it; she was also thinking about the thing that had appeared in Aoko's hand earlier.

Having received an unexpected answer, Aoko showed a slightly questioning expression.

“That’s the heart of a high-ranking vampire.” Yuzhu deduced the most likely answer from the illusions that appeared, because the ring on the body of the black cat Ren said that a door had been opened, so it was very likely that the heart of the black princess that Ren had taken out was transferred here. She couldn’t think of any other answer.

After all, that heart, which resembled a work of art, contained enough magical power to raze the city to the ground. Rather than calling it a heart, it was more like a magical furnace core with the shape of a heart.

Moreover, crystallization is easy to explain, because in the world of magic, containers that store a huge amount of magical power usually crystallize quickly after being separated from their host to preserve the magical power inside.

"It sounds like we've gotten ourselves into trouble." Qingzi looked at Yue Zhengling on the bed, a little uneasy.

“Yes, although we don’t know if the owner of that heart is from this world, from any perspective, we’re in trouble.” Yuzhu deliberately emphasized the word “we.”

Although Yuzhu immediately released the Rose Demon Dog to cover up the aura of the heart after seeing it, she was not confident that she could hide the fluctuations if the owner of the heart was from this world—or if there was also a Black Princess in this world.

Furthermore, Yuzhu hadn't forgotten that there was something resembling the Night of Wallachia lurking in this hospital. As Kurohime's contract partner, Yuzhu wasn't sure if the other party had discovered the existence of that heart.

Fortunately, the black cat Ren took over the matter, and Arisu had full confidence in the mysterious black cat.

"Never mind, I don't understand those things. As long as there aren't any major problems, it'll be fine." Aoko stretched and then looked at the crushed fish cake. "What a waste of this fish cake."

Yuzhu glared at her irritably, then looked down at the book in her hands again.

Having lived together for so long, she had long since given up any expectations of Aoko. On one hand, she knew Aoko's plans, and on the other hand, Orange had talked to her about it when she went to London. The two sisters' awkward personalities and their complete disregard for others' plans had already made her incredibly tired.

Ultimately, it was all a family matter for the Aozaki family, and as an outsider, Yuzu shouldn't have interfered. However, being an outsider doesn't mean being an outsider. No matter what she chose, her situation would still become very awkward in the end.

The whole thing started because of Ling's manuscript. Now that the three of them knew so much, it was impossible for them to follow the original "script".

Whether it's Orange, Aoko, or herself, they all have their own plans. As the one caught between the two sisters, she becomes their confidante, yet she can't tell the other about one of their plans.

Orange left Japan ahead of time to pave the way for future events. For her, the magic of the Aozaki family no longer held much appeal. As carefree as Orange was, she completely lost interest after learning about the Fifth Magic. Now that her future direction had been pointed out, she certainly wouldn't waste any more time on it.

In Ayumi's view, Orange's departure was both a form of abandonment and a kind of liberation. Moreover, Orange had come to see her the night before leaving Japan, and at that time Orange solemnly gave her a thick stack of magic textbooks, entrusting her to help teach Aoko.

I once asked her why she didn't hand it to Aoko herself. Orange gave me a strange look and said, "Because I don't know how to face Aoko. After all, in my opinion, the two sisters have been fighting each other for decades, and even the title of 'big eater' was contested in the same restaurant. My mind is still in turmoil."

Speaking incoherently, Orange concluded with a sigh, "But in the end, that idiot and I are pretty much evenly matched, whether it's in terms of magical achievements or lack of luck with men—"

In the end, Yuzhu still didn't understand what Orange meant by those words, because she didn't know that Orange had obtained the memories of her counterpart from another world. Although it was the same person, she had obtained memories that were longer than her current life, and those chaotic memories still needed to be sorted out.

That's why Orange felt compelled to speak out and decided to go to the Clock Tower as soon as possible to compare her memories, because a large part of her achievements were completed during her studies at the Clock Tower.

Before Orange, the two sisters talked about something, and soon Aoko ran away from home to live in Arisu's mansion.

At first, Ayumi didn't ask many questions. She initially thought it was Touko's advice to Aoko. But one day, when Aoko told Ayumi that she would never inherit the magic of the Aozaki family, Ayumi realized that something was wrong.

When she finally asked Aoko why she had run away from home, she learned about Aoko's plans.

She and Aoko were sitting in the living room when Aoko crossed her legs, hugged a cushion, and said to herself, "I just want to get away from Grandfather. Once I leave the Aozaki family, Grandfather won't have any other choice but my sister, right?"

At the time, she was so shocked by Aoko's naivety that she didn't know what to say. She couldn't understand why Aoko would have such thoughts after already knowing what the future was supposed to happen. This method, which seemed to have been devised without any thought, was completely illogical.

After calming down for a while, he ultimately didn't say anything, but instead took out the textbook left by Orange and started teaching Aoko.

However, Aoko actually learned magic from her, a contradictory approach that left Ayumi completely speechless.

Chapter 238 The Heart (Part 2)

As someone involved in the relationship, Arisu wisely chose to observe the Aozaki sisters' individual thoughts from the sidelines, and she wasn't too worried about how the two sisters would end up.

Just as Touko bravely faced reality after learning about the future and even chose to leave the Aozaki family first, Arisu's mindset changed drastically after learning about her own future. At the very least, she became less indifferent to those close to her. It was for this reason that Touko told her about her plans.

However, Azusa was still worried about what Aoko would do. Although she was certain that the relationship between the Aozaki sisters would become stronger than before, she couldn't see through Aoko's actions at all.

It is said that Aoko was confused, so on the one hand she chose to leave the Aozaki family and refused to accept the magic inheritance, and on the other hand she came to her to choose magic, and even forced herself to accept the values ​​of the magic world that were very different from those of normal society.

But after such a long period of observation, it seems that's not the case. Ayumi can feel a strong determination from Aoko during the days they lived together. This determination, which is of unknown purpose, makes Aoko not compromise in the slightest.

This so-called compromise was to decide that his older sister, Touko, would inherit Aozaki's mantle, and he himself would also dedicate himself to the path of magic.

Aoko overcame the life-or-death hurdle of activating the magic circuit.

Aoko endured the excruciating pain caused by the magic conversion process.

Aoko endured the magical training that was often accompanied by death.

More importantly, Aoko also deliberately distorted her own values.

Despite all that she has accomplished, Aoko is still able to maintain her normal, ordinary daily life, which Ariju finds both puzzling and secretly admirable.

After all, maintaining the distinction between the daily and the extraordinary to this extent is something that Yuzhu knows she could never do herself.

—The lonely witch has no ordinary friends.

Even at the special Rien Girls' Academy, she had no friends.

"Qingzi, you're cooking today, so go home early. I don't want to have to wait when I get home." Despite the series of unbelievable events that had just occurred, Youzhu still chose to prioritize her current needs, so she reminded him after glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

"Hey~~~ It's already this late," Aoko said, snapping out of her reverie after hearing Yuzhu's reminder. She glanced at her watch and then said with a look of utter disdain, "Yuzhu, how about we—"

"No." Before Aoko could finish speaking, Yuzhu coldly interrupted her. Of course, she knew what Aoko was about to say, since this was the usual thing to do. However, she didn't want to indulge Aoko today.

“You’ve been cooking for the past two weeks, but look how many times we’ve already eaten takeout.” Yuzhu gave Aoko a reproachful look. “I don’t want to eat ramen, sushi, eel rice, or anything else from outside restaurants anymore. Go buy groceries and cook for me right now.”

Aoko turned her face away a little embarrassedly, "What? I specifically researched and found out what was good before ordering those dishes. Didn't you enjoy them just as much as I did?"

"Enough with the nonsense. If I don't see a hot meal you've prepared for me when I get back today, then my magic homework for this month will be doubled," Yuzhu threatened, ignoring Aoko's explanation.

"Alright, alright! I give up! Since you want my cooking so badly, I'll go buy groceries and cook right now!" Qingzi sighed, stood up, then her eyes darted around, revealing a mischievous smile. She deliberately glanced at Youzhu before leaning down and kissing Yue Zhengling on the forehead. "Ling-chan, I'm leaving now~"

Yuzhu coldly watched Aoko's defiant actions, resisting the urge to throw the book in her hand at her. She had already made up her mind to double Aoko's daily magic training this week.

After doing all this, Aoko tossed her handbag behind her back, turned around, and pushed open the door. Just as she stepped out of the room, Aoko paused for a moment, tilted her head to the side, and asked, "Ayumi, would you like Japanese or Western food today?"

Yuzhu paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said, "Western style, please."

"Okay~ then let's have Japanese food today~" Deliberately contradicting herself, Aoko playfully winked at Yuzu before closing the door.

Yuzhu could hear Qingzi running away down the corridor. She hummed softly, closed the book, took out a silk handkerchief, and wiped the spot on Yue Zhengling's forehead where Qingzi had just kissed him. Then she looked at Yue Zhengling's face, which she could never get tired of looking at.

“Aoko’s intuition is indeed very sharp.” Yuzhu’s voice echoed in the ward. “Normally, we would never ask each other what kind of dinner we were making. But the moment I was about to leave, she deliberately asked me, which means she knew that I was deliberately trying to get rid of her.”

Just as he finished speaking, a crisp knock sounded on the door.

This seemingly polite knocking resulted in the person outside pushing open the ward door without receiving a response from the person inside.

On the other hand, Aoko, who had arrived at the elevator, looked with concern toward the direction of the ward that was no longer visible.

Aoko knew this hospital was special, no, more accurately, it should be described as unusual. She looked towards the information desk, which was completely empty even though it wasn't closing time yet, and the duty room was still lit up but completely silent.

The elevator arrived at this floor with a "ding," and the elevator doors opened normally. Qingzi hesitated for a few seconds, but finally stepped inside.

Pressing the button for the first floor, Aoko watched the elevator doors slowly close and said softly, "I'll cook a big dinner for you when you come back, Ayumi, come back soon..."

Aoko clenched her fists involuntarily. "Sister, whether my choice was right or wrong, we won't know the answer until Rin-chan wakes up. But I need power, power that won't be a burden to you and Ayumi. So, let me be willful for a while."

The magic circuits within her body were operating at high speed. All Aoko could do now was to strengthen her body with magic, giving herself physical strength that surpassed that of ordinary people. Although it seemed quite ordinary, she clearly remembered that in Yue Zhengling's manuscript, it was mentioned that if this ability was used well, it could deal a fatal blow to those academic magicians.

Back in the ward, Yuzhu took a deep breath, mentally signaling herself to enter a state of absolute calm, and simultaneously pulled the trigger to activate the magic circuit, entering battle mode.

"Oh dear, you don't need to be so wary, Miss Fairy Tale Witch. I just came to see what happened earlier, since I seemed to sense the power fluctuations of the Black Princess."

With his eyes closed and a smile on his face, the blond man stepped into the ward, but just as his foot was about to touch the ground, he abruptly pulled it back.

A sharp gust of wind flashed by, leaving shallow cuts on the ground.

Chapter 239 Stance (Part 1)

"That was close, I almost fell for it. Luckily, I calculated that you would definitely use this method against me." The blond man said to Yuzhu in an extremely relaxed tone, while raising his hands to indicate that he had no hostility whatsoever.

"Should I call you Wallachia Night, or Tsbia Eltnam Oberon?" Yuju, who had originally intended to remain silent, spoke coldly after seeing the other party's actions.

Although she appeared to be in the same state as usual, the white mist rising from beneath her feet clearly indicated that this was not the case.

“Haha, what an intelligent lady.” Tsbia chuckled, then took a step back and bowed slightly. “Since it is a lady’s question, then as a gentleman I must answer. Yes, just as you guessed, I am Tsbia Eltnam Oberon—or, if you prefer, you can change the surname to Atlasia.”

Hearing the frank and undisguised answer from the other party, Yuzhu's vigilance dropped a level. If before it was the highest level of vigilance, and she would immediately enter a state of no return if the other party made any unusual move, then now it was a state of combat readiness where she could conduct some probing dialogue.

After a moment of silence, Yuzhu did not deactivate the automatic attack system inside the room. "You've been observing us from this hospital, haven't you?"

“That’s right, but for me, the subordination here—well, that’s not quite right, it should be described as reciprocal. This hospital belongs to me, so to be precise, you entered my territory and made me see you.”

"Of course, as a gentleman who values ​​privacy, I would not spy on you, and I tacitly allowed you to convert this ward into your workshop. Even when you left at night, I did not step into this room."

Despite being the owner of the hospital, there are places he cannot enter. An ordinary person would feel insulted, but for Tsbia, it's not a big problem—as long as Le Zhengling doesn't leave the hospital, everything is fine.

Yes, a year and a half ago, Orange and Yuzhu accidentally met this nemesis and tried to arrange for Yue Zhengling to be transferred to another hospital through various means. They even contacted a hospital in Tokyo, but nothing came of it.

From that time on, the two sides entered a very tacit phase of covert warfare.

Although the other party did not officially appear, both her and Orange's methods were completely neutralized by the other party without her noticing. As a result, both Youzhu and Orange were deeply wary of this hospital.

"It seems the witch doesn't trust me, but that's understandable, since most of the rumors about me are negative." Tsbia continued to smile, while carefully sensing the lingering air in the ward, confirming his guess.

“No, I’m not wary of you because of those rumors.” Yuzhu raised her head, her black pearl-like eyes looking quietly at Tsbia. “It’s just that someone warned us that people like you, who are so good at scheming, are a kind of cover-up. Every word you say is misleading, and you’re planning something every second.”

“Oh my, this is really…” Tsbia’s voice showed a slight fluctuation for the first time, which Yu Zhu took as surprise. “I never thought that someone would slander me like this. Hehe, Miss, please allow me to defend myself here. What you just said was just prejudice. Every word I said was the truth, every explanation was extremely precise, and even my existence was the embodiment of calculation and correctness.”

Yu-chu looked at him noncommittally, completely unmoved.

"It seems that preconceived notions have created a huge generation gap in our understanding. But never mind, I think this chasm will be bridged in the future. In that case, let's get down to business." Tsbia's eyes opened a crack, a calculating glint in them.

"What happened in this room just now?" Although this sentence didn't need any punctuation, Tsbia insisted on dividing it into three parts.

Yuzhu slowly stood up, her expression becoming somewhat serious. "It has nothing to do with you."

“I think you’ve got some things wrong, Fairy Tale Witch.” Tsbia lifted her foot again and finally stepped into the ward.

The invisible wind blades reappeared, but they completely dissipated before touching Tsbia's body. As soon as he entered the room, it was as if something inside the room had been opened. In an instant, wind blades, fire, ice spikes, exotic floor spells, and even the combination of binding magic and holy water—all of them—disappeared completely in front of Tsbia.

Yuzhu frowned as she watched this scene. From the mist beneath her feet came the roar of a wild beast. Hearing this sound, Tsbia, who had already entered the room, stopped right at the edge of the mist.

He had no doubt that as soon as he stepped into the area occupied by the white mist, he would be attacked with unprecedented ferocity. Although he was confident that he could escape unscathed, his purpose in appearing today was not to fight, but to find out what was going on with that fluctuation belonging to the Black Princess Altruchi.

To be honest, when he sensed that fluctuation earlier, he was also startled without any warning. As an alchemist who had made a blood pact with Black Princess, he certainly wouldn't mistake that familiar blood fluctuation.

Although he had initially suspected that someone related to Altrucci had suddenly arrived, after clearly sensing the fleeting yet unmistakable magical fluctuation, he had already reached a conclusion.

Upon opening the door to the ward, the vampire's extremely sensitive sense of smell for blood told him that Black Princess—or rather, the blood belonging to Black Princess—had once been present.

The faint yet intensely strong aroma even gave Tsbia a strong urge to bow down.

Altruchi the Black Princess, the princess of the Dead Apostles, is the master to whom he made a blood pact; in a sense, she is the servant of the other.

Although in a sense, the White Wing Duke represents all the Dead Apostles, and his power is so great that even the nominal Dead Apostle princess cannot rival him, for him, who is also one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, the Black Princess Altrucci is the one he is loyal to.

If the other party really gets involved in the quagmire of Yue Zhengling, then both he and Gemstone Weng will be in a very passive position.

Chapter 240 Stance (Part 2)

If Kurohime is also involved in this matter, it would provide another excuse for the Repressor to intervene.

Gaia will surely not miss this opportunity, and will use Hei Ji to seduce Yue Zhengling, which will greatly change his plans with Gemstone Weng.

"Fairytale witch, can you even realize how terrible the situation is right now?" In order to gain Yuzhu's trust, Tsbia decided to reveal some things.