Aozaki Aoko Case File

After the Holy Grail War and its related events came to a complete end, Aoko returned to her daily life.

The new semester at the University of Tokyo had begun, and Aoko resumed her life as a college student. On weekends or on days when she didn't have classes, she would occasionally teleport back to Misaki Town to stay for a while.

She originally wanted to invite Alice to Tokyo to experience campus life at the University of Tokyo, but unexpectedly, Alice refused.

Alice's reason: "If I leave the mansion for too long, my face might turn into Yumina's."

Aoko: "???"

Faced with such an unclear and cryptic reason, even with her past life memories, Aoko couldn't figure out what Alice meant. Although she tried to ask, since Alice had no intention of explaining, her efforts were in vain.

Could it be some characteristic of the First Magician's bloodline? Considering the relationship between the Third Magician and her replicas, did Alice, who possessed a fragment of the One, have a similar issue?

However, Alice didn't seem to care much about this, so Aoko didn't press the matter. After all, maintaining a bit of distance between people is a form of respect.

Aoko had long studied Alice's eccentric temperament. To get closer to the Fairy Tale Witch, she had made many efforts in the past, even consulting professional psychologists to devise strategies.

Fortunately, her hard work paid off. The relationship between Aoko and Alice didn't turn out to be one of mutual hostility like in the original timeline but instead resembled that of quarrelsome sisters. Aoko was quite satisfied with this outcome.

Compared to Alice's occasional tantrums directed at Aoko, her approach to teaching magecraft to the Hisui and Kohaku was exceptionally strict and responsible.

The twins' progress in magecraft was astonishing. Despite lacking any inherited magic crests, their natural talent as first-generation twin magi was extraordinary. If the Clock Tower knew about them, many prominent families would be scrambling to adopt them.

Kohaku and Hisui admired and respected Alice as their teacher. Beyond completing the tasks Alice assigned, they also worked hard to manage the Kuonji Mansion's daily affairs, learning various maid skills from Sella and Leysritt.

Alice noticed their efforts, and though she didn't say anything directly, it was clear she had completely accepted the twins as her own.

Kuonji Alice was someone with an unusually deep sense of attachment. She feared loss and betrayal, so once she gained something, she would never let it go.

Since she had accepted the twins as her apprentices, she would never allow other magical families to have even the slightest designs on them.

Even when it came to the Einzbern maid sisters, whose presence Alice had grown accustomed to, she rejected Touko's suggestion of taking them to Germany to care for Illya. (Her method: staring intensely at Touko after she spoke.)

Nothing particularly significant was happening in Misaki Town. Aoko's current focus was on her university studies and research into the Arcane.

At school, Aoko often received invitations to social gatherings. Those who approached her politely were declined, while those with poor attitudes were directly brainwashed with suggestions magecraft to forget her.

As a result, Aoko remained a loner at the university. Aside from occasionally missing out on certain announcements, her campus life was quite comfortable.

Due to her exceptional academic ability, a professor teaching her computational number theory recently invited her to join a project group focused on solving number theory problems using computers.

Aoko readily agreed as it allowed her to replace a mandatory course she didn't need to attend with this project. As long as she participated in the entire project, she could earn the highest possible grade.

However, Aoko made it clear to the professor in advance that she had other research to focus on and wouldn't devote all her energy to the project.

The professor happily agreed. Professors are often lenient with geniuses like Aoko, and considering her high work efficiency, the professor had full confidence in her ability to handle her responsibilities.

Since Aoko was busy with university matters, many of the Aozaki family's magical affairs were currently handled by Touko, making her quite busy.

However, Touko seemed to enjoy this busyness, especially when attending various magical conferences as the Aozaki family's magician. (She even smiled about it.)

The aristocrats of the Clock Tower were astonished that the Aozaki family had produced two magicians. Even Barthomeloi Lorelei began doubting herself, wondering if the Aozakis were the true magical aristocracy—how else could they produce three magicians in succession?

The Department of Astronomy and the Animusphere family were currently managed by Kirschtaria, who naturally sided with the Aozaki family in the Clock Tower's political circles due to their investment relationship. Recently, construction had begun in the Antarctic.

The El-Melloi family had been keeping a low profile lately. Both Kayneth and his father-in-law, Eulyphis, avoided discussing the details of the Holy Grail War.

Kayneth handed over his teaching duties at the El-Melloi classroom to his student Waver and returned to research, fully dedicating himself to pursuing the title of Grand.

Meanwhile, Waver Velvet, who rose from student to lecturer in the El-Melloi classroom, became the center of attention. Many who knew Waver's background questioned whether he was qualified to take on the role and challenged him.

However, a pseudo-servant was not someone the Clock Tower magus could handle. After Waver crushed more than a dozen challengers in public, the nickname Super Big Ben: London Star began to spread (a title coined by Melvin).

As the only magus in the Association capable of high-level mental manipulation magecraft, Waver not only faced challengers but also received offers from noble families. Some even proposed marriage alliances, offering their daughters, though Kayneth had people block all these attempts.

Recently, stories about the title Scarred Red had quietly faded from circulation within the Association.

Although Touko had once vowed to brutally kill anyone who dared utter the title, the only person who had truly died because of this threat was Cornelius Alba (and in the future, others would follow).

As a result, most of the Clock Tower's nobles didn't take her vow seriously. After Touko lost the right to inherit the Fifth Magic, many used it as a joke during casual conversations.

But times have changed. The once-mocked Scarred Red had now become the highly sought-after Third Magician—a turn of events worthy of deep reflection.