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

Page 22

Chapter 52 The Things Left Behind (Part 1)

"Sister, sister! Over here!" Aozaki Aoko ran happily ahead of her sister on the street. When she realized that her sister had fallen far behind, she stood still, turned around and shouted.

Today marks one week since they met Yue Zhengling. Aozaki Touko has finished reading the second volume of "No Longer Human," and Aoko has also pestered her to read both volumes to her again.

Although Aoko was still confused after listening, she had already grasped some of the book's charm. After all, it was a matter of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), and such a high-brow book had no market for people their age.

Looking at her younger sister on the other side of the long street, Orange shook her head with a wry smile, then said to the black-haired girl beside her, "Sorry, Yuzhu, I had to drag you along."

"It's alright." The girl, who seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale, replied simply without turning her head, and then continued walking quietly.

Knowing this person's temperament well, Orange didn't say anything more. Actually, she felt that the fact that the other person responded was enough, after all, the other person was a fairy tale witch who hated humans.

A cold and aloof personality, rarely smiling, indifferent and proud. On the surface, he is polite and courteous to everyone, but in reality, he maintains an insurmountable distance from everyone.

Although it's not entirely clear why Kuonji Yuzu, who clearly hates interacting with strangers, would suddenly agree to come here with them, it seems there's no way to answer that question.

Thinking this, Orange gently rubbed her eyes. Recently, her eyesight had deteriorated quite a bit, making it difficult for her to see Aoko in the distance. However, she kept this a secret and did not plan to wear glasses.

The three of them, with Aoko running fifteen meters ahead and Orange and Yuzhu following behind at a leisurely pace, headed towards Yue Zhengling's restaurant.

Aoko was overjoyed. She strode forward, eager to meet the new friend she had met last week. In her opinion, someone who could understand such profound books must be a top student. If possible, she wanted to ask her (Aoko didn't know the other person's gender yet) for help with her studies.

Moreover, since Fa runs a Chinese restaurant, his culinary skills must be exceptional. Thinking back to the delicious-looking and fragrant Chinese dishes shown on TV, her mouth almost watered.

At their destination, two staff members from the Clock Tower Forensic Department were already waiting—a man and a woman, a pair of partners in suits.

"Why did you assign us this simple task?" The blindfolded woman asked the man beside her, looking at the restaurant behind them that had obviously been destroyed by fire.

"Because the people involved in this mission have very powerful backgrounds." The man carrying the suitcase stood as straight as an iron tower.

“…I know that the Aozaki mage family is involved, but that’s not what I want to ask. If that were the case, Lord Barthemello wouldn’t have sent us. After all, the monarchs all look down on this heretic from the Far East.”

“Be careful what you say, Miss Bern. Whatever the monarchs think, they never say it aloud. We must show respect to [Aozaki].” The man lowered his head, his blue eyes filled with warning, and spoke coldly.

"..." The woman fell silent. After all, the warning she had just received was not wrong, and the other party had meant well.

Seeing that the woman had listened to him, the man turned his head and looked at the restaurant that had been cordoned off, then said casually, "This mission was assigned by the Grand Marshal of the Demonic Path, directly to Lord Bartholomew through a sage of equal status to our Dean. We don't need to investigate further."

Upon hearing these words, the woman opened her mouth in horror, then desperately suppressed the scream in her throat.

The sorcerer Aozaki, the Grand Marshal of the Magic Path, the Dean of the Clock Tower, and others of equal status—these legendary figures are all of higher rank than Lord Barthemello, the monarch of their forensic department.

If she had been somewhat curious before, now she wished she could tear everything she had heard out of her head and throw it away.

This is something that someone at her level should not know. The more she knows, the greater the danger. She doesn't think that her Demon Eye, which allows her to see the past, will have any reason to be wary of these important figures.

"Our task is simply to deliver the contents of this box to the girl named Aozaki Aoko; we don't need to worry about anything else," he said, trying to reassure her when he saw her terrified expression.

The woman nodded stiffly and stood silently behind the man, clearly determined to let him lead and never interrupt.

Soon they saw their target approach, but they didn't make any rash moves, since the surrounding area hadn't been cleared yet.

Aoko ran to the restaurant with a carefree attitude, intending to rush inside. However, when she saw the small shop, which was already cordoned off and looked dilapidated, she could only stand there in surprise.

Not far away, Orange and Youzhu, who were walking past a street lamp, frowned in unison and then looked at each other.

"You felt it?" Orange asked softly.

“Yes.” Yu-joo, who was usually very taciturn, only said two words, when a blue robin suddenly flew to her shoulder.

"It seems to be just a simple barrier to dispel idlers, and it doesn't feel dangerous. The other party is waiting for us." After looking around, Orange's gaze fell on the obviously male and female duo.

Yu-chu remained silent, but still maintained a vigilant stance.

Meanwhile, Aoko, having pulled out a note to confirm she hadn't come to the wrong place, was startled by the post-disaster buildings before her and couldn't help but want to go inside. But before she could take any action, a deep male voice came from behind her.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Aozaki Aoko?"

Hearing someone call her name, Aoko immediately turned around and saw the two men in black who had been standing nearby. Aoko looked at them warily and said, "I am. Who are you?"

Seeing the two people talking to Qingzi, Chengzi, feeling a little worried, quickly ran over. On the other hand, Youzhu continued to walk over at a leisurely pace, the bell on her wrist making a soft sound.

"Who are you people?" Orange asked the two, quickly walking up to Qingzi and standing in front of her.

"Sister!" Qingzi couldn't help but call out as she looked at Chengzi's profile.

Sensing the magical energy fluctuations emanating from Orange, and hearing Aoko's cry, the man knew that she was also from the other world. Not to mention, the one who was walking towards them unhurriedly made no attempt to conceal her magical energy fluctuations.

"Don't be nervous, we mean no harm." The man took a small step back. "We are from the Clock Tower Forensic Department. We have been entrusted to deliver something to Miss Aozaki Aoko."

Chapter 53 The Things Left Behind (Part Two)

Hearing the other person's words, Aoko, who was present at the time, was still completely bewildered, but Touko was shocked and screamed, "Forensic Department!?"

Unlike Aoko, who knew nothing, Aozaki Touko, who was raised as a "magician's egg," knew very well about the structure of the clock tower. And if the forensic department was involved, although not all of them were major events, they were usually very important.

When Yu-joo, who had come to the side of the four, heard the words "Forensic Science Department," she was startled, and a deep melancholy appeared in her eyes.

"What does the forensic department want with my sister?" Orange, having composed herself, took the initiative without hesitation. In her mind, her sister was not suited for magic, and dealing with magicians was a very dangerous thing.

With this worry in mind, she chose to protect Aoko behind her.

"Sister, they came to see me!" But Qingzi, who clearly didn't realize this, was unhappy.

Yuzhu stood aside indifferently, showing no intention of interfering. Pretending to look around at the scenery, she noticed many crows all around, but she didn't care. Having lived in Japan for some time, she knew very well how rampant the crow problem was.

"May I ask who you are...?" Looking at the assertive woman in front of him, the man already had a guess in his mind, but he still wanted to confirm.

“I am Aoko’s older sister, Aozaki Touko. And over there is our sister’s friend, Kuonji Arisu. You can speak frankly.” Touko narrowed her eyes, concealing her inner suspicions as she spoke.

The reason for introducing Yuzhu is to let the other party know that everyone here is a contact, and the title of "Fairy Tale Witch" is not small in the underworld, so it has a certain deterrent effect.

The perceptive Yuzu glanced silently at Touko, then turned her gaze to Aoko, whom Yuzu was protecting behind her, a pang of jealousy rising in her heart: If only Mother were still here…

After hearing what Touko said, the man and woman reacted differently. As the third-in-command of the forensic department, the man had the authority to view the information of most registered magicians. He knew, of course, that Aozaki Touko was very likely to be the next person to inherit the Aozaki family's magic.

But unexpectedly, the little girl dressed in all black was also an extraordinary figure. She was a witch from the Clock Tower headquarters in London, England. Although she did not come from a magician family, her special status as a witch was beyond doubt.

He also knew that this girl had a very deep relationship with May Riddell Archelot, the Coal Witch, who would inherit the next monarch of the Clock Tower's plant family.

After learning this information, he felt that his suitcase seemed to have become even heavier.

His partner, Miss Bernie, the holder of the past vision, was surprised by something else.

Three days ago, the two came to Japan after receiving a mission and eventually arrived at this restaurant that had been damaged by fire. The official cause of the fire was a gas explosion, which is undisputed.

But when she activated her past vision and saw what happened back then, she realized that things were not so simple.

Leaving aside the magician Araya Sōren who was "sealed," the mere sight of that ordinary boy who had endured all sorts of torment yet still managed to survive was enough to surprise her.

Having seen everything through her magic eyes, she eventually found the letter containing their target's message among the rubble in the kitchen. Out of curiosity, she peeked through the partially burned envelope to examine the undamaged manuscripts.

Unfortunately, as a native-born Englishman, she couldn't understand Chinese, so she gave up.

However, she knew that the letter was not for Aozaki Aoko. Before coming here, she had also looked at Aozaki Aoko's information. As the person assigned the task, she was proficient in Japanese, so she knew that the name on the envelope was Aozaki Touko.

In the past, she might have offered a word of advice, but now that she knows this mission was assigned by some very important figures, she can only remain silent and ponder whether there is any special reason behind it.

"Our Lord Barthezmero, the sovereign of the Forensic Department, has been entrusted to deliver something safely to Miss Aozaki Aoko."

As the man spoke, he took the small silver briefcase from his hand, and after it was examined by the magic-detecting lock, he gently opened it and then turned it in front of the Aozaki sisters.

"A burned...letter?" Aozaki Touko looked at the contents of the box in surprise.

Aoko, who was behind her, also stood on tiptoe to look, and even Kuonji Yuzu, who had been pretending not to be there, took a step forward without leaving a trace.

Inside the box lay an envelope, which clearly showed signs of being burned in the middle, but it wasn't completely destroyed; at least the characters "苍" and "子" were still visible.

Strangely, despite the state of the envelope, the contents inside were not charred at all.

Aoko was about to take out the letter, but as she reached out, Touko grabbed her hand.

"You said that the Lord of the Forensic Department was entrusted by someone to give this to Aoko. Who was entrusted by him?" Orange looked at the man warily. She didn't want Aoko to take this thing rashly. Since the Lord of the Clock Tower could be asked to intervene, the matter must be complicated.

"...I'm sorry, you don't have the authority to tell you." As the person who represented the Clock Tower in handling secular affairs, he knew very well what could and could not be said.

Upon hearing this answer, Orange took a deep breath. Having frequently dealt with magicians, she knew perfectly well just how obsessively the Clock Tower was fixated on the concept of "hierarchical classification."

"Hey! You've said so much, but who wrote this letter?" Aozaki Aoko, who knew nothing about it, asked with a very unhappy expression.

That's not a problem, so the man readily answered, "It was written by someone from the shop behind me."

"Huh?" Aoko was puzzled after hearing this answer.

"Ah!" Orange exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the answer.

"You're saying this was written to me by Ling-chan?"

"You're saying this was written by Lingjun for Qingzi?"

The two sisters exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt and surprise in each other's eyes, and didn't pay attention to the issue of how to address each other.

“I only know it was written by someone in this room, but whether it’s the person you’re talking about, I don’t know.” The man turned his head to look at his partner. “Miss Bernie, do you know who wrote this letter?”

Upon hearing the man's question, everyone's attention turned to the blindfolded woman.

Chapter 54 The Things Left Behind (Part 3)

"Because of the limitations of time reversal, I didn't see him write this letter, but I did see him write his name on the envelope. You can compare the handwriting later and you'll have the answer." Past vision is not omnipotent, and besides, her past vision is just ordinary flashback scenes. The limitations of her magic allow her to rewind a maximum of three days.

"Can you describe what the person who wrote this letter looks like?" Just to be on the safe side, Orange wanted to confirm the truth.

Upon hearing this request, the woman calmly nodded. "She was a girl about the same age as the other two, with long hair, a unique demeanor, and decisiveness. She was also very clever in battle, although she ultimately tried to take the designated seal magician down with her, she failed, and in the end..."

"Wait! What did you say! What?! Died together with the enemy?! What happened to Ling-chan?! What happened to this shop?!"

Aoko became anxious halfway through the conversation. She pushed her sister's hand away, took a few steps forward, and asked the woman excitedly, her eyes filled with worry.

In contrast, Orange was much calmer. Although she was more worried after hearing about the designated magician being sealed, she was now thinking about another question: who exactly was Yue Zhengling, and was he a magician?

She didn't doubt the reason for their meeting, because it was all Qingzi's spur-of-the-moment idea, and at the time, Yue Zhengling didn't seem like the kind of person who would resort to scheming.

The woman did not answer immediately, but looked at her partner. Although she was blindfolded, it did not mean that she did not have other imaging methods.

The man nodded almost imperceptibly.

Having received permission, the woman simply recounted everything she had seen in the past, though she did not reveal the true recipient of the letter.

After hearing the woman's words, Orange, Aoko, and Ari were all deeply moved.

Yu-joo was curious about the conversation between Yue Zheng-ling and Huang Ye Zong-lian that night, and why the situation seemed to have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Unfortunately, this woman's past was silent.

Aoko was filled with worry. She didn't care who Le Zhengling was. Although she had only met her once, she already considered her a friend. Now that she heard that Le Zhengling had been kidnapped and her fate was unknown, she couldn't help but want to go into the house to look for clues.

Orange frowned. After hearing the description, there were a few things that puzzled her:

First, if this letter was written beforehand, then did the magician attack Yue Zhengling after reading these things, or was it premeditated?

Secondly, it sounds like the battle wasn't actually aimed at killing Yue Zhengling, but why did Yue Zhengling fight back so fiercely? Was it a desperate gamble, or was it to attract other people's attention?

Third, Yue Zhengling is an ordinary person, so why would he provoke the magician who was specifically designated for sealing away? It's important to understand that magicians are all heretics, and they adhere to the code of seclusion even more strictly than ordinary magicians, which is how they manage to evade the pursuit of the Magicians' Association.

Thinking about these problems gave Orange a splitting headache, but there were too few clues at the moment, and even someone as smart as her couldn't figure it out.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" the man asked politely, not wanting to have too much contact with the three women who were deep in thought.

"That's all. Give me the thing." Orange, realizing what had happened, rubbed her temples and reached out to take the envelope.

The woman, who had been oblivious to the fact that the letter had ended up in the hands of the rightful recipient, was surprised by what happened next.

The man gently moved the box aside and said to Touko, "I'm sorry, Miss Touko Aozaki, this letter must be delivered to Miss Aoko Aozaki. Even if you are her sister, you cannot take it away."

After saying that, ignoring Orange's embarrassed expression, the man gestured for Aoko to take the letter away.

Now it was Aoko's turn to hesitate. Although she was carefree, she wasn't stupid. After listening to her sister's conversation with the man, she knew that her sister was trying to protect her and didn't want her to have too much contact with the magician.

But then she remembered that this was something Yue Zhengling had specially left for her, and it might contain clues about the other person. In addition, she was also a little unhappy that her sister had taken it upon herself to make the decision for her. So in the end, she took the thick letter herself and carefully put it into the pocket of her skirt.

Whether it was her imagination or not, when she picked up the letter, she felt that something had changed.

Not only did she have this feeling, but Orange and Yuzhu also sensed something, their eyes fixed on Aoko's pocket.

Startled by the two men's aggressive gazes, Aoko clutched her pocket tightly. "No, no, please! We can watch it together when we get home."

Upon hearing this suggestion, Orange felt even more uncomfortable, and at the same time, she wondered if she had been too domineering just now.

Although Kuonji Yuzu didn't want to get involved, she was also very curious about the thing, so she acquiesced to Aoko's suggestion.

Having completed his mission, the man closed his suitcase, said goodbye to the three men, and prepared to leave.

The woman looked at the orange, but ultimately said nothing and followed the man away.