"Uh, I kinda need to use the bathroom..."
"Wait, Eiji! It's rare for me to showcase my singing voice—how can there be no audience? Hold it in for a bit longer!"
"Ah, this—!"
Ten minutes later.
Not a bird remains in the thousand mountains, nor a footprint on the myriad paths.
Eiji lay sprawled on the sofa, his gaze vacant, his expression dazed, as if he'd been utterly broken.
"Truly surprising. I never expected to meet a worthy rival here!"
"Hmph, I originally thought the student council president was just a pretty face, but who knew she had such captivating talent?"
The two girls clasped each other's hands tightly, wearing expressions of profound camaraderie, as if they were on the verge of swearing sisterhood right then and there.
Like a turtle locking eyes with a bean—they were a perfect match.
"I told you there was nothing wrong with my singing! The disbanding of that music club definitely wasn't my fault!"
Especially the dragon girl, who looked as if she'd finally been vindicated after a grave injustice.
Good grief, so the music room's abandonment was your doing!
"Ha... hahahaha!"
Eiji suddenly covered his face and burst into hysterical laughter.
The two girls turned to him in unison, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Eiji, what are you laughing at?"
"It seems I can't hide it any longer!"
Eiji rose from the sofa with a cold expression, snatched up the microphone, and cleared his throat.
Three minutes later.
"Stop! Stop it! Don't sing anymore!"
"W-Wait, Eiji, I think I'm gonna be sick..."
The dragon girl writhed on the floor, clutching her head as if it were splitting apart.
Nero's face had turned pale, her hands pressed to her stomach as it churned violently.
Eiji slammed the microphone onto the ground, his face dark with frustration.
Why?
We were all howling like demons, so how come you two hit it off?
The moment I start singing, you act like it's the worst suffering imaginable?
I protest—this is blatant favoritism!
"Eiji, could you please not sing? If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to unleash a magical attack!"
Nero looked at him with a pained expression, her eyes pleading.
Indeed, no one is perfect.
While blessed with breathtaking charm, heaven also cursed him with an abundance of 'artistic bacteria'!
With a gloomy expression, Eiji stormed out of the music room.
"Did you hear that? There were monster-like noises coming from the music room again, and this time it was a triple-layered sonic assault!"
"What kind of human torment is this?"
Damn it all!
After returning to the student council room, Nero wasted no time in demolishing the first-floor karaoke room.
***
After school.
"I'm heading out first."
Aoko Aozaki finished her work for the day, handed the documents to Nero, and left the student council building without looking back.
"I'm off too."
After slacking off, Eiji pretended to review the materials before handing them over and leaving as well.
"Hmm?"
Nero glanced up at the two departing figures.
Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she simply buried herself back in her work.
At the school gate.
"So slow!"
Aoko had been waiting at the entrance for four or five minutes before Eiji finally emerged from the high school campus, now dressed in casual clothes.
"Changing takes time. Otherwise, I'd be exposed. You don't want to become the enemy of every girl in school, do you?"
Eiji wore a face mask and sunglasses, obscuring most of his features, his voice muffled as he replied.
"Anyway, it's just for today."
Aoko muttered a few complaints under her breath before turning and walking ahead without another word.
Eiji didn't know the location of the Aozaki residence, so he needed to go with Aoko this time. Once he memorized the route, they could travel separately without raising suspicion.
Okita had already gone home ahead of them. Eiji had told his family that he'd be working late at the student council from now on, and they hadn't questioned it.
The town of Mifune was a hilly area.
Deep within the residential district, there was an unusually straight road that led directly up a hill.
At the top of the hill stood a dense grove of trees, their fresh green buds sprouting in the early spring. Passing through this grove, one would find a Western-style mansion nestled on the mountainside.
It was an exceptionally spacious mansion—nearly two or three times the size of an average one—enclosed by iron fences, with separate front and back gardens, making it appear vast.
However, it was clearly old, and the weeds in the yard had grown wildly, some reaching waist-height, completely untamed. The lack of upkeep gave it an eerie, abandoned feel, like a haunted house that would make anyone think twice before approaching.
This was the Aozaki residence.
The gate to the mansion wasn't locked. Aoko pushed it open with ease and stepped into the front garden.
"I'm home, Alice!"
Aoko crossed the front garden, opened the double doors, and entered the mansion's foyer.
Eiji followed behind her, taking in the surroundings.
The mansion itself was quite luxurious. From the entrance, it appeared to be divided into east and west wings, with a staircase built into the wall on the first floor and an open, empty atrium in the center.
Silently, like a spirit of the night, a girl appeared in the atrium on the first floor.
She wore a long dress resembling a nun's habit, her pitch-black eyes calmly observing Eiji, her expression almost entirely devoid of emotion.
Most serious magi practiced meditation to protect their minds from external influence. The more advanced the magus, the stronger their mental defenses.
While Aoko sometimes averted her gaze or felt her heart race around Eiji, Alice was the kind of monstrously talented magus who remained unshaken unless he actively used his charm.
"Living room."
Alice glanced at the two who had entered, uttered a single word, and then walked into the room on the right.
"What she means is, you're only allowed in the living room."
Aoko shrugged, explaining to Eiji.
"This mansion holds special meaning for Alice. Normally, she hardly lets anyone inside."
In other words, she usually lived here alone—or at most, with Aoko as a second occupant.
No wonder it felt like a haunted house, with the garden left to grow wild.
The room to the right after entering was the living room.
Sunlight streamed generously into the space, where two sofas faced each other with a coffee table between them. An old-fashioned TV sat on a wooden desk against the wall, and a red carpet covered the floor.
Though Eiji had never heard of the Touko name, the sheer size of the mansion suggested the family was far from poor.
"Alright, let's start by summarizing what we know."
Aoko and Alice sat on opposite sofas.
Eiji glanced left and right before choosing to sit beside Aoko.
Aoko flipped her long hair, letting it cascade smoothly down her back.
"To cut to the chase, the enemy this time is my elder sister, right?"
***
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