"Wow! So much food… Thank you, you're a good person! God will bless you!"
Academy City had 24-hour diners. Though students faced a 9 p.m. curfew, the city was home to many adults.
Index's emerald eyes sparkled at the menu's colorful, fragrant dishes.
"Hey, can I get all of these?"
"Of course! Order whatever you want, no problem!"
"Awesome, Samuel, you're the best! I'll have this… and this…"
Samuel leaned back in his chair, smiling, his gaze drifting to the window.
He knew the Leumas had captured Kanzaki Kaori and the others. They weren't the issue. The real problem…
Ring, ring, ring~
His phone buzzed—a call with no number.
"Speak of the devil, and he appears!"
"Devil?"
"Nothing, keep ordering. I'll take this call."
"Hello!"
"You've crossed the line."
A floating panel hovered before Aleister Crowley, his expression cold, a chilling aura seeping through the call to Samuel.
"Just kidding, Chairman. I'm only doing my duty as a good citizen, helping a cute outsider! Showing her Academy City's charm boosts our reputation, right?"
Samuel played dumb with a grin, but his response was deliberate—he knew exactly what he was doing.
"…Let's both step back. I know what you want. That knowledge… it's part of the plan later. You'll get it. For now, stay away from her. That's my final line."
Aleister's cold words formed a Words of Power, freezing the air's moisture. Even miles away, Samuel felt the chill.
This was the might of the "modern greatest magician"—magic that warped the world with mere emotion.
"Oh~ Chairman, I think you can step back further. What do you say?"
"You can't open the box… The 103,000 grimoires are sealed. Without my plan's progression, you'll never unlock it."
"Is that so? I don't buy it!"
"If you can open it, go ahead. But… she must remain in my original plan…"
"Got it, I'll take it all! I, Samuel, love proving smug overlords wrong. Chairman, you want me to be a heartless playboy? Am I that kind of guy?"
Aleister's point was clear: Index had to stay tied to the plan's core, Imagine Breaker. Even if Samuel forced the "box" open later, it was the same.
No matter what "Index" was sent, she had to be there.
"What more do you want? You think I can't touch you?"
Aleister's words hit Samuel, and the world shifted. A frozen realm descended, stripping Samuel of power, his body stiffening in the biting wind.
Aleister had struck!
Flames erupted in the icy world, a sun rising, its warm light melting the snow, reviving the earth, and sprouting life.
Samuel's consciousness snapped back to the diner's entrance.
Spiritual Tripping! As expected. If I'd sunk into that snowfield, I'd be trapped there forever, a frozen statue."
Samuel's face grew serious. Aleister's attack could ensnare even an angel.
A technique projecting meditation into another's mind, forcing illusions into their soul. If the soul succumbed, it would "believe" itself harmed, causing real damage.
Had Samuel faltered, he'd be an ice sculpture, eternally lost in that frost.
"What's your answer?"
Aleister's voice was emotionless, not smug about nearly killing Samuel, just probing as usual.
"…Kids make choices. Adults? I want it all! Knowledge, the box—everything!"
Aleister was formidable. Facing him head-on, Samuel had no confidence, even with Nyarlathotep or Tiamat. But so what? Samuel's uncertainty stemmed from Aleister's unknown power, and wasn't Aleister just as clueless about him?
"She's worth that much?"
Yes, Index—the "box"—held no value to angels like them.
"No value, but I like her!"
Samuel just wanted her. If he desired something, he'd reach for it. Anyone trying to stop or take it would face him head-on. Backing down at a threat? Might as well retire and grow old quietly.
Why did he want her?
Samuel recalled a saying:
A: "Why do men always want someone else's wife?"
B: "Why do kids linger in toy stores?"
A: "Why?"
B: "Because they want to play with what they haven't had!"
Close enough. Samuel just wanted her—craved her, even.
"Bullshit! You call that liking her? You just want her body, you're despicable!"
Aleister, a rational magician, couldn't fathom Samuel's actions. She thought they were alike, but this behavior…
"If I don't even want her body, is that liking her?"
Samuel shot back unapologetically.
Beep, beep, beep~
Aleister hung up abruptly.
Samuel shrugged, pocketing his phone and stepping into the diner.
He knew Aleister would act immediately, without limits—assassination, flattery, or direct confrontation, anything was possible.
So, Samuel had to be 120% alert. Fortunately, the Leumas could handle most of it. He just needed to keep an eye on Aleister.
…
"…Aleister, what's your plan?"
"…Execute Plan B. Since the kid's after the grimoires, he'll try something soon. If we can't use the Index Librorum Prohibitorum… we'll use him instead!"
***
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