Aoko didn't know if Akaza would act on her suggestion, but in any case, it was just a way to amuse herself. She had no interest in her sister's student's love life—that would be too boring.
Back inside Reien, the four disguised themselves as high school students, walking the campus and investigating a series of incidents.
According to Akaza, the whole affair started with an incident in Class 1-4 where students stabbed each other with utility knives. The deeper clue was the reason for their fight.
"They revealed unspeakable secrets to each other," Akaza said. "I'm not sure what exactly, but I think it's related to those letters about the students' lost memories."
"You also said before that the teacher for Class 1-4 seemed to be hiding something?" Alice asked thoughtfully. "What's the teacher's name?"
"Hayama Hideo," Akaza answered. "He used to be the only male teacher here, but after the student dorm fire last November, he was held responsible and disappeared. Now his replacement is Professor Satsuki Kurogiri."
"Probably just a scapegoat to take over the mess," Akaza said helplessly. "Anyway, I don't think Professor Satsuki Kurogiri has anything to do with the case… The principal, a nun, trusts him a lot, but he's been questioned about it and doesn't remember any of it."
"A teacher with amnesia?" Touko mused. "His memory was probably taken by the mastermind behind the scenes, right?"
No, Aoko thought privately—the real mastermind might be this seemingly harmless teacher himself, or maybe he just provided someone else the means. He probably doesn't even understand the malice involved.
Aoko only vaguely remembered the truth behind the Reien's Oblivion Recorder incident. Even in her previous life's memory, the only thing that stood out was Satsuki Kurogiri, the "Book of False Gods," and his "Master of Babel: Unified Language Master" ability; she didn't recall the involved students' names at all.
Her only real purpose in coming here was to help Touko. Meeting Akaza was just a bonus. Still, she was a little interested in this closed-off church school—after all, Asakami wasn't a religious school.
"I don't know much about Class 1-4 either," Akaza thought for a moment. "The only thing I do know is that last year, a student named Kaori Tachibana committed suicide. They say it was because of isolation and bullying."
"But isn't that strange?" Touko frowned. "Most of those little artificial fairies are familiars created by magi, but would a magus use parts of their own body to make a familiar just for some childish prank?"
Akaza was a bit speechless, but she understood her teacher's point. For a magus of Touko's level, a few days of memory loss among ordinary high school girls would seem utterly trivial.
"Well, let's start by looking for any artificial fairies that might be wandering around campus," Aoko suggested, raising a finger. "Since they're made from a magus's body, if we catch one, we can use a ritual to trace it back to the creator."
"Good plan," Touko nodded. "Akaza, when we catch one, make sure to learn the tracking ritual well. I'm not as good at it as Aoko."
Akaza nodded in apparent understanding, not thinking too much of it. In truth, she'd learn anything Touko taught, since her goal of becoming a magus was hardly pure.
"…Aoko, why are those girls staring at us?" Alice frowned and whispered. "When I was a student here, there weren't so many rude people."
"It's a closed girls' school," Aoko shrugged indifferently. "Seeing three beautiful, unfamiliar girls with different auras is bound to set their imaginations running wild."
"Aoko, don't talk nonsense," Touko said helplessly. "Isn't it just because transfer students are rare?"
"Who ever heard of transfer students coming during winter break~" Aoko teased.
"If this had happened during the regular term, there would be more people to help," Akaza thought. "My friend Asagami Fujino isn't at school right now. Her family's had some trouble, but an extra pair of hands would help."
There was trouble, Aoko thought, but it was just that she'd killed Fujino's idiot father. Still, the Asagami family had done well. Since the man from Asagami died, Fujino's mother was brought back to the Asagami family as a puppet head.
Though mother and daughter had no real power, Fujino could still attend this prestigious academy, meaning she was set for life.
"Ah, there's the chapel ahead," Akaza pointed. "Are you interested in the religious aspects of this school, Miss Aoko?"
"I'm only interested in beautiful girls in nun's habits," Aoko admitted. "And I can tell you, the god has long since left Earth. Even the power used by the Holy Church is just a legacy magical foundation."
Hearing such world-shaking information from a magus, Akaza found herself once again awed.
"Blanca, anything?" Aoko whispered to the moth princess on her shoulder. The moth flew around the chapel, then made a few gestures with her antennae in front of Aoko.
"Blanca says there's nothing—no artificial fairies nearby," Aoko reported.
"Let's keep going then," Touko said. "Should we investigate the dorm next?"
"It doesn't matter… but I want to talk to the class teacher first," Akaza replied. "Didn't he lose his memory? Touko-sensei, can't you use magecraft to check his mind?"
"Akaza, magecraft isn't omnipotent," Touko said, assuming a teacherly tone—but with such a young face, even Aoko had trouble taking it seriously. "Even I can't recover memories stolen by fairies."
Aoko wanted to see Satsuki Kurogiri for herself, but she wasn't in a hurry. Her mindset was more like a reader who knows the ending but still wants to see the process.
What she wanted to know was: which student did Satsuki Kurogiri lend his magecraft to? And why was that student harvesting other students' memories?