"Original price." Alice said calmly.
"I'll pay double."
"Be my guest."
Alice paused for a moment, then pushed the third takeout box toward him.
Ryoji accepted it with satisfaction, opened the container, and began eating. Strangely enough, it tasted far better than the takeout he usually had... maybe money did make things taste better.
"I heard my magic crest will take another two days to finish?"
"Aoko's too slow."
"Huh?"
Aoko flinched under Ryoji's gaze, an embarrassed look spreading over her face.
"So, it's actually you who's making it?"
"Alice told me to do it!"
Ryoji blinked. No wonder it's been four or five days and it's still not done.
"If I want it done tonight... would one million be enough?"
"…If you want it within the hour, could you make it two million?"
Alice hesitated briefly but made the offer seriously.
Recently, there was a certain antique she'd been wanting, but her funds were tight. Normally, creating a magecraft crest would cost tens of millions, if not more... but this one was part of their existing contract. Ryoji only wanted to speed up the process.
"Deal!"
Ryoji nodded grandly.
After all, it wasn't his money. Why should he feel bad spending it?
"I understand."
Alice nodded, set down her food, and walked out of the living room.
"Aoko, bring me that crest... it's still with you, isn't it?"
Every second counted!
"The power of money really is something else," Aoko muttered a while later as she came up from the basement, sitting down across from Ryoji to eat her dinner.
It was obvious Alice intended to finish the crest before dinner. Just hours ago, she hadn't cared about the project at all... she'd even dumped it on Aoko as a homework assignment. But now, with just two million yen on the table, she'd rolled up her sleeves, skipped dinner, and was personally working at full speed.
"The boring lives of rich people… are beyond your imagination," Ryoji sighed smugly.
"Go die."
Their bickering filled the room as half an hour quietly slipped by.
The sky outside darkened, and Ryoji remained seated in the Kuonji mansion's living room for quite some time. No one came to chase him out.
With a black card in hand, Ryoji had already become a distinguished guest of the Kuonji estate. That little "half-hour agreement" from earlier was long forgotten.
The Passionate Pitch
"Done."
As night fell, Kuonji Alice emerged from the west wing, walking back into the living room. In her hands was a soft, skin-like material glowing faintly with green light.
"So small?" Ryoji eyed the crest, sounding dissatisfied.
"Initial crests are always like this."
Alice paused, then elaborated in a serious tone:
"Next, the crest will be transplanted into your body. Think of it as an organ... if we were to graft a full organ into you all at once, your body wouldn't be able to handle it. We transplant a small piece first, then gradually expand it over time. That's standard practice among magi."
In short... transplanting a magic crest was like transplanting an organ.
For first-time implantation, magi always started small to avoid a violent rejection reaction. Once the host's body adapted, they would expand the crest by inscribing additional magic into it.
"I see… this includes the magecraft I asked for, right?"
"It has the simplest Familiar Crest."
Alice pointed to the palm-sized piece in her hands.
There was only one sigil carved into it... the one Ryoji had specifically requested: Familiar Magecraft.
With Ryoji's limited magic power, he couldn't possibly maintain a strong familiar, but even a weak one could serve as an excellent means of exchanging information.
"By the way," Alice added lightly, "this familiar is a complimentary gift."
With a flick of her right hand, a small black starling appeared in her palm.
Ryoji grinned.
"Five-star service!"
Although, truth be told, if he hadn't paid her, there probably wouldn't have been any "complimentary gift" at all.
With Alice's assistance, Ryoji successfully implanted the crest... fixing it onto his left shoulder.
"Ugh…"
The transplant procedure was quick, and Alice's technique was undeniably precise. However, once it was done, Ryoji grabbed his shoulder, frowning slightly.
"Why does it feel like… a dull phantom pain?"
It was a sharp, needle-prick sensation pulsing beneath his skin, centered on his shoulder... coming in waves and showing no sign of fading.
"That's your body's rejection response. You'll get used to it."
Alice's tone was utterly calm, unconcerned.
For a professional magus, enduring the pain of a magic crest was practically a mandatory course.
"I also have a few small items here... interested?"
With a casual wave of her hand, several mysterious trinkets appeared on the table out of thin air.
Aoko's lips twitched slightly.
When she had first moved in two years ago, Alice hadn't treated her half this well. Their "first meeting" had nearly escalated into a lethal duel... one wrong move and she could've been dead.
And yet here Ryoji was, not even a week into living here, and Alice was already enthusiastically pitching her products to him.
Alice, after all, was a witch.
Her mother had been a true great witch... one of those legendary beings spoken of in myth. To give an example: the likes of Medea from Greek mythology. That level of witch.
Alice had inherited not only her mother's powerful fairy-tale familiars, but also her remarkable innate talent... particularly her ability to craft magical items. Her creations were often so dazzling that people's "vision went black... wait, no, their eyes lit up."
"This one," Alice said, holding up a small brown glass bottle... something that looked like it had once held medicine, plain and unassuming... "is a bottle that can store a person inside."
"In comparison," she added, "think of the Jade Purity Bottle used by Gold and Silver Horn in Journey to the West. Just shout at your target, and they'll get sucked in."
"So powerful?!" Ryoji's eyes widened.
Damn, if you'd used that on me back then, I'd have been done for!
"But of course, it has a flaw," Alice said matter-of-factly. "If the target resists even slightly, the bottle shatters."
"…"
Ryoji was speechless for a moment.
"Then what's the point?"
"…Now that you mention it, maybe not much."
Alice rested her chin on her hand, actually thinking it over. Apparently, she'd never considered that issue before.
Aoko gave a "called it" kind of look.
That was always the problem with Alice's inventions.
She loved fairy tales... and constantly tried to recreate the magical weapons and treasures from them as magecraft items. The problem? She only focused on the aesthetic, never the practicality.
In other words, she made things purely out of passion first… and only afterward wondered whether they were actually useful.
"This one's a bit of a flop, so I'll just show you another... "
"No, I'll take it!"
Alice blinked. She had just been about to put the failed item away when Ryoji suddenly spoke up, reaching out to grab the tiny bottle.
"Then… fifty thousand?"
"Deal!"
Alice instantly perked up, her eyes shining with renewed vigor.
"Next up! This is a collar modeled after the Binding Spell. Slip it around your target's neck, and with a simple finger snap... it tightens!"
She was suddenly bursting with energy, her tone bright and enthusiastic... like a professional salesperson.
(End of Chapter)
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