Aozaki Aoko Case File

Aoko's journey back compared to her last time traveling went much more smoothly.

It's not to say there were no obstacles, but when Aoko was rejected from the world and began locating coordinates through interdimensional transmission, the entity that had previously kicked her out reappeared at the world's edge, glaring at her like a predator.

"I knew it was you, Gaia," Aoko grumbled in dissatisfaction as she entered Redshift state. "If you mess with me again, I'll burn this Earth to the ground and leave with my people. You know I can do it!"

There was no response, but Aoko knew the interference Gaia had set at the world's edge had disappeared. Aoko had returned to her world once more.

When she came back to her senses, Aoko was already standing in the courtyard of the Kuonji residence, exactly where she had left. However, Arcueid, Touko, and Alice were nowhere to be found.

In this era, wristwatches synchronized by satellite signals hadn't appeared yet. Aoko could only estimate the time based on the angle of sunlight—it was probably mid-afternoon.

Aoko skillfully pulled the mansion's key from her backpack, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

The house was silent, but the shoe cabinet by the entrance indicated it wasn't empty. After slipping into her fuzzy slippers, Aoko put her backpack down, hung her coat on the rack, and headed toward the living room as if it were second nature.

As she turned the corner, she saw Alice sitting quietly on the sofa, sipping tea. Arcueid and Touko were nowhere to be seen.

Aoko plopped down next to Alice and, as she put her teacup down, enthusiastically gave her a hug.

"...Don't mess around," Alice lightly pushed Aoko away, glaring at her. "You're back already?"

"Mm... Not exactly that fast," Aoko thought for a moment. "There was a bit of a teleportation error. I didn't end up in the Sea of Stars but instead spent some time in another world."

"Another world?" Alice's expression grew confused, or perhaps she was evaluating the truth of Aoko's words. "...Did you meet the Second Magic?"

"It wasn't a parallel world," Aoko leaned back on the sofa, crossing her legs. "How should I put it... I got tricked by Gaia, the Counter Force, and was thrown into another universe. It took me some effort to get back, but I did gain something during the process."

Hearing this, Alice's expression became slightly more serious. She carefully observed Aoko up and down, then leaned closer and sniffed her.

"...You've got someone else's scent on you," Alice said, staring into Aoko's eyes with a slightly displeased tone. "A new friend, perhaps?"

"Mm, we only just met," Aoko scratched her head. "We get along well, though. The people there are more European in style, so before saying goodbye, Lina and I just hugged."

"...Hmph." Alice leaned back, picked her tea up from the table, and took another sip. "Lina, huh? I bet she's a young, beautiful girl."

"Huh, Alice, how'd you know?" Aoko feigned ignorance. "Well, Lina's a Sorcerer. After meeting her, we exchanged knowledge about magic from our respective worlds, and I even brought back a lot of magic books. We can study them together when we have time."

"By the way, how long was I gone?" Realizing Alice wasn't too interested in her magic talk, Aoko quickly shifted the subject.

"...Three days," Alice paused before replying. "It seems time flows differently in that other world."

"Mm, not quite accurate," Aoko mused. "It's more likely my magic wasn't precise enough when locating the coordinates. Ideally, the error should've been only a few hours."

"Did anything unusual happen during your return?" Alice asked with a hint of concern.

"I already told you, didn't I? I was interfered with by the Counter Force," Aoko explained. "On the way back, it blocked me for a while, and that likely caused the time discrepancy... But I threatened Gaia. I told it if it did that again, I'd burn the Earth."

"That sounds like something a villain would say," Alice summarized.

"Aren't I a villain?" Aoko's exaggerated expression made it seem like she'd just realized this for the first time.

To celebrate her return to Earth (or the Nasuverse), Aoko personally cooked a feast, including several recipes she'd learned in Lina's world, featuring exotic flavors.

The golden-haired Arcueid, who had spent the day running around, enthusiastically pounced on Aoko as soon as she saw her return, giving her a playful rub.

Meanwhile, Touko, taking advantage of Arcueid's distraction, sneaked off with the best desserts on the table.

During dinner, Aoko recounted her adventures in the other world to the Kuonji household residents. Touko and Alice were more interested in the technical issues, while Arcueid, Hisui, and Kohaku were more curious about the hero vs. demon king aspect of her tale.

"So, in a way, this incident was a blessing in disguise," Aoko joked. "I found us an escape route. Even if this world ends for some reason, we have a way to survive—and thrive."

"Another world, huh..." Touko exhaled. "It's hard to imagine. I once looked into some projects by the Department of Mysteries. Some of their artifacts are said to come from beyond the observable universe... But you made it to another human world. The twists of fate are truly unpredictable."

"Well, it was an accident," Aoko said, sipping her juice. "But it also gave me a lot of inspiration. I think I now understand how to travel to similar alternate universes."

"Sounds promising," Alice commented after some thought. "Recently, news from London says the surface ether density is declining faster. If this continues, in a few decades, surface magi may disappear entirely."

"...Did something unusual happen?" Aoko asked. "This kind of event should've been observed by the Astronomy Department, right?"

"The Clock Tower thinks it might eventually lead to something like Wandering Sea—retreating into Spirit Tomb Albion," Touko replied. "The two of us and Alice should be fine, but Arcueid would have to return to the Sea of Stars."

"And this news did come from Astronomy," Touko continued. "The day after you left, Marisbury sent someone with a request for increased funding to accelerate Chaldea's construction. He wants to use Chaldeas and Spiritron Transference to investigate the accelerated ether decline."

"That guy's just looking for an excuse to ask for money," Aoko said. "But it's money worth giving. Touko, you handle the specifics."

"Like I said before, staying trapped on Earth isn't a smart move," Aoko declared. "In Lina's alternate world, there's no such thing as the end of the Root."

"Unlike those magus who only dig into the past," Aoko said confidently, "the key to moving outward and toward the future is now in my hands!"