In the bathroom, Aya turned off the shower, put on a bathrobe, and opened the door.
In the living room, adorned with luxurious furnishings, Natsuki sat quietly on the sofa, holding a cup of black tea, glancing awkwardly at Aya. Because of that mischievous man, she truly didn't know how to face Aya now.
Although Aslan was the one who first mentioned Aya, and all of this was orchestrated by him, if Natsuki herself didn't have such desires, she wouldn't have let Aslan do it. Aslan had merely forcibly arranged something she secretly wanted.
"Want a cup?" Natsuki raised the black tea in her hand, asking hesitantly.
"It's surprising that you chose to wait for me here alone."
While drying her hair with a towel, Aya looked at Natsuki with her glowing red eyes and spoke in a cold tone.
"Is this an order from my new master? Or are you preparing to let me go and allow me to destroy Itogami Island?"
"I really don't get along with you." Natsuki muttered, sipping her black tea.
Couldn't this woman be more straightforward? If Aya could communicate openly with her, perhaps many things wouldn't have happened.
"I don't know where that guy went. He said he wanted to give me a surprise and then suddenly disappeared." After saying that, Natsuki took another sip of her tea and gave a faint smile. "It's been seven or eight years since we last had black tea together. I miss it."
Aya didn't respond. After a few seconds of silence, she said calmly, "You've changed a lot."
In the past, Natsuki would never have considered letting her go, let alone showing such a spoiled attitude toward someone else. "Was it that man who brought about this change in you?"
Natsuki's face stiffened, and she said with dissatisfaction, "Don't use such easily misunderstood words."
"I don't think there's any misunderstanding here." Aya glanced at her, sat across from Natsuki, took a teacup, sipped it gracefully, and said calmly.
"You…" Natsuki glared at her angrily, but the next second, she seemed to give up. "Fine, misunderstand all you want."
She gave up arguing. After all, her relationship with Aslan now was something she couldn't break or fix. Even she didn't understand her own mindset toward Aslan.
Aya glanced at Natsuki, who had a resigned attitude, and said with a hint of mockery, "So, when can I attend your wedding with your man?"
Natsuki froze for a moment, her face flushing with embarrassment as she stammered, "What wedding? I think you're the one crazy about getting married, Aya!"
"Heh, don't tell me you're not even the third party?" Aya seemed to have uncovered the truth and asked Natsuki with a gleeful smile.
Natsuki was completely speechless. Third party? She couldn't even be considered the fourth party.
"At least I'm better than you. At least I'm not single." Natsuki shot back with a provocative glance.
Due to the contract with the Devil, a Witch's fate was singular: her soul would eventually fall, her body would become a vessel for the Devil, and her soul would be taken by the Devil. This meant that despite being mysterious, powerful, noble, and beautiful, no one dared pursue a Witch.
Being single was fine. Living alone in the mountains for a lifetime was normal. Whether third, fourth, or fifth party, at least she wasn't single, and someone wanted her. In this regard, she was better than Aya.
An old, unwanted aunt… Aya read that meaning in Natsuki's eyes.
Facing Natsuki's provocation, Aya stared at her expressionlessly and said in a cold tone with a hint of hostility, "That's better than being crazy about men like you. Are you even worthy of being called a Witch if you're obsessed with a man?"
"Who's crazy about men, huh?!" Natsuki shot up from her seat.
"Why are you so emotional? What I said is the truth." Aya said teasingly. Seeing Natsuki angry, she couldn't help but smile.
Hearing this, Natsuki opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words. She sat back down.
She was out of arguments. She couldn't think of words to retort.
"Um, I can testify. Natsuki-chan isn't crazy about men."
Aslan pushed open the door and entered with a girl carrying a hint of hope.
The air froze instantly. Due to Aslan's interruption, the atmosphere became extremely awkward. The three stood stiffly in the living room for dozens of seconds. Finally, Natsuki was the first to break.
With a flushed face, Natsuki asked, unsure if she was angry or annoyed, "When did you get back?!"
"Maybe when you asked Aya if she wanted black tea?" Aslan recalled, the corner of his mouth curving uncontrollably as he looked at Natsuki. "I'm so touched that Natsuki-chan acknowledged our relationship."
The corner of Natsuki's mouth twitched.
(Doesn't that mean he heard everything?)
Aya glanced meaningfully at Aslan and Natsuki, speaking softly in a tone that was unclear whether it was mockery or envy. "It seems your relationship is deeper than I thought."
She genuinely hoped she could have someone she could truly rely on, like Natsuki did.
Natsuki flushed and glared at Aslan with slight anger.
"Why are you eavesdropping at the door if you're bored?!"
It made it even harder for her to face Aslan.
"I was curious about what you and Aya were talking about." Aslan said confidently.
Nothing was more interesting than two women arguing. Of course, that was as long as it didn't involve him. If it did, it wouldn't be an argument—it'd be a Shuraba.
Hearing Aslan's words, Natsuki's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch. "If so, just come in! Why eavesdrop at the door?"
It wasn't something that needed to be hidden.
Hearing this, Aslan said very calmly, "If I were there, you might not be able to fully express your feelings."
Hearing those words, Natsuki covered her head in despair, burying it in the sofa, trying to escape reality. She no longer knew what expression to use to face Aslan.
Seeing Natsuki trying to escape reality and not knowing how to handle it, Aslan just smiled and ignored her. He clapped his hands and called toward the door.
"Yuuma, come in."
This was the surprise Aslan had prepared.
A short-haired, slightly tomboyish girl, but with a face strikingly similar to Aya's. She was also the DNA and Clone Ritual Aya left in the LCO (Library of Criminal Organizations) to help her escape prison. At the same time, she was one of LCO's executives, the Blue Witch.
"Natsuki-chan, look at the surprise I prepared for you—a living, grown-up niece."
Aslan took Yuuma's hand, pulling her to Natsuki's side, then patted Natsuki's back, waking her from her ostrich-like escape from reality.
Natsuki looked at Yuuma, who stood somewhat awkwardly beside her, in shock.
"Whose kid is this? I don't remember any close friends who have kids."
The people she could call close friends were few. Aya was one, and Sasasaki Misaki was another.
Could it be…
Hearing Natsuki's question, Aslan casually shrugged and pointed at Aya, who stood with an angry face in front of him.
"Who else? Of course, your former best friend."
Natsuki stared at Aya with disbelief, her eyes filled with shock, confusion, and bewilderment. Aya's daughter, really?
But since when did Aya have a kid?
Aya had a teenage daughter. Did that mean she was truly an old aunt now? Even Aya was married, while she was still single…
No, she couldn't be called single, but she didn't know what her status was either, and it felt bad.
"Don't scare me. Is this really Aya's daughter?" Natsuki looked at him in confusion, hoping Aslan could give her an accurate answer.
"Of course. Look at her face and those glowing red eyes. Aren't they like they were carved from the same mold?"
Natsuki carefully observed Yuuma, her eyes darting back and forth between Aya and Yuuma. Finally, she concluded that the more she looked, the more Yuuma resembled a young Aya.
"Aya, what's going on?" Natsuki asked Aya, whose face had paled.
Because Yuuma and Aya were so alike—not just in appearance but even in their magic—it gave Natsuki a bad feeling. It couldn't be what she was thinking.
"It's as you suspect. She's just a useless tool to help me escape prison." Aya said coldly and cruelly, without the slightest hesitation. She didn't even look at Yuuma, her own daughter.
Hearing Aya's words, Yuuma struggled to accept it and was confused. "I… I'm just a tool?"
Yuuma slumped to the ground with a vacant stare, muttering.
To save her mother from the Prison Barrier, she had worked tirelessly since birth, studying magic, fighting various Witches and Attack Mages, and training. Only then did she earn the reputation of the Blue Witch and become an LCO executive. But all she got was the word "tool."