Chapter 91: Volume 1: Chapter 92 - Where Are We Sleeping Tonight?
"What are you talking about, old man? If I could do it myself, would I need to come find you?"
Forcibly regulating her breathing, Aoko placed her hands on her knees and straightened up, looking at the old man before her with a completely baffled expression.
But the old man did not reply. As if sensing something, he just closed his eyes slightly.
Seeing her grandfather like this, the anxiety and worry in Aoko's heart immediately spun out of control. She glared at the old man and urged him again in a loud voice.
"What are you still waiting for, you stinky old geezer!? Rin and Big Sis ran into a monster down there, and you have the nerve to sleep here!?"
"...If it's only about that matter, then it is already over. You can go back now, Aoko."
After saying this, the old man no longer paid any attention to the girl. Aoko, after being stunned for a moment, blinked in confusion.
"Over? Don't tell me Big Sis already took care of that guy..."
She murmured to herself, but received no reply.
Aoko glared at the old man helplessly and had no choice but to rush down the mountain again, wanting to go back and confirm the situation as soon as possible.
Just as the old man had said, by the time Aoko had returned to the foot of the mountain, she found that everything was already over.
On the ruins of the Aozaki family mansion, there were only a few dozen personnel in priest uniforms, seemingly inspecting something as they turned over every piece of rubble.
And on a small hill not far away, Aozaki Rin and Touko were talking with Eiri Fumizuka and a certain blond priest whom she had never seen before.
Aoko walked over, puzzled, just in time to hear the end of their conversation.
"Well then, it is already very late tonight. For the rest of the details, I must trouble you two to come to the church again tomorrow. Also, regarding the destruction of your residence, the Church is also very sorry and will be responsible for compensating the costs. We can also discuss the details tomorrow."
Bestino, with a friendly smile, saw Aoko approaching. After bidding farewell to Aozaki Rin and Touko, he joined Eiri Fumizuka and the other Executors in their investigation.
"Who's that priest? A colleague of that Fumizuka guy?"
Aoko glanced at the two priests in the distance and asked casually.
"I suppose so. In any case, that's not important. Speaking of which, didn't I tell you to stay in the workshop? Why did you run down here again?"
Retracting her slightly wary gaze from the certain blond priest, Touko looked at Aoko, whose hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, frowned, and said with a hint of reprimand.
"Because the old man said it was over on your end, so I decided to come and see..."
Understanding that her older sister was probably about to lecture her, Aoko casually pulled Aozaki Rin over, stood behind him, and used the boy as a human shield.
"Sister only came back because she knew it was safe. Don't be angry with her, Sister Touko."
Feeling Aoko constantly poking him in the back with her finger, signaling for him to quickly plead her case, Aozaki Rin smiled helplessly to himself. In truth, even if the girl hadn't done so, he had intended to say as much.
"I'm not angry, I just think she was being too reckless. When will she ever learn to be more mature..."
Seeing the two siblings ganging up on her and looking at her with pleading eyes, Touko shook her head with exasperation and sighed softly.
However, she hadn't expected that Aoko would actually go directly to that old man.
"What on earth is that old geezer thinking..."
Not even reacting to the fact that the Aozaki family home had been blown up, Touko couldn't help but feel that perhaps, aside from the succession of the True Magic, there was nothing left in this world that the old man cared about.
But as she was thinking, Aozaki Rin, as if remembering something, suddenly raised his hand and asked.
"Um... Sister, Sister Touko, where are we sleeping tonight?"
Hearing this, the two sisters froze at the same time.
Looking at the mansion that had been reduced to ruins, the three of them were speechless for a moment, considering this very realistic problem.
Their resting place for last night was, without a doubt, the magus's workshop on the mountain.
However, the bed, which was originally intended for a maximum of two people, suddenly became three, causing Aozaki Rin, who was squeezed in the middle, to almost be unable to breathe and not rest well.
But apart from that, everything else went surprisingly smoothly.
Whether it was going to the Goda Church to explain what had happened last night, or the matter of the compensation paid by the Church to the Aozaki family, everything went as expected.
It was just that at the end, before leaving the church, Aozaki Rin didn't understand why that friendly priest named Bestino had cast a fleeting glance at him, as if confirming something.
But in the end, he didn't ask any questions and just let him, Touko, and Aoko leave.
Guessing that it was perhaps because of his grandfather's influence that the Church personnel did not probe further, Aozaki Rin felt a sense of relief, thinking that it was a good thing to be able to avoid some trouble.
After all, even he himself didn't know where the power he possessed came from.
Of course, regarding this matter, Aoko had naturally asked about it after the events of last night had passed.
But before Aozaki Rin could answer, Aoko received a chop on the head from Touko, who reprimanded her for asking about such things.
Because this time, the matter was a complete accident, and similar things should not happen again in the future.
Since Aoko intended to be an ordinary person, she shouldn't pry into the affairs of the world of magic. Only this was the most suitable way of life for her.
And Aoko, realizing this, couldn't refute it. She could only glare at Touko with some resentment and then pretend to cry to Aozaki Rin about Touko's "wickedness," causing him to fluster and comfort her for a good while.
The matter of the Dead Apostle [Ancestor] soon came to a close, and everything returned to peace.
Aozaki Rin followed his normal routine every day: reviewing Braille, reading with the new phonograph Touko had made, going to the church to learn new knowledge, and secretly working on the birthday present for Aoko in the mountain workshop...
However, he didn't know if it was his imagination, but every time he went out, he always felt as if some gaze was watching him from afar, only to disappear in a flash.
And gradually, that feeling of being watched also vanished, leaving him somewhat confused.
But since it was gone, Aozaki Rin didn't pay it any more mind and continued on with his life.
And time passed without him realizing it. In about a month, the birthday of the girl named Aozaki Aoko arrived...
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