The heat from the stove and the grilling meat drove the temperature inside the private room steadily higher.
Sora's gaze rested on Alice Kuonji as she ate.
She'd been openly repulsed by barbecue at first, but once she finally dipped the meat in sauce—still wearing that faintly disgusted look—and put it into her mouth, she didn't seem as resistant as expected.
In Sora's eyes, Alice was the type who didn't want to change, but if forced to—and the result turned out good—she'd accept it.
Beautiful in a way that could steal your breath… yet with a faintly childlike vibe.
"That's just how Alice is," Aoko commented sharply. "She looks all cold and resistant, but once she realizes the thing she hates is actually pretty good, she'll get enthusiastic. Back when we first started ordering delivery together, she acted exactly like this. After a few times, she was more eager than I was."
Aoko clearly said it to grab Alice's attention—to lure her into the conversation and soften the tension between herself and Sora.
But today, Alice—somehow—seemed able to see right through her.
The witch raised her head, gave Aoko a single look that felt faintly condescending—almost the way Sora looked at people—then calmly lowered her head again.
Aoko: "..."
Maybe it was the rising room temperature.
Maybe it was how the emotions were starting to sharpen.
Either way, Aoko felt hot. She stripped off her coat, revealing a pale blue sweater underneath.
Because she trained regularly, her figure—compared to most girls her age—had more graceful curves.
And Sora, without thinking, watched her as she did it.
In the past, Aoko would sometimes "accidentally" show him results like that—not really seduction so much as simple pride.
A young girl wants the person she values to praise the effort she's put in.
That privilege had belonged only to Sora.
For Aoko, her path only needed approval from two people: herself… and Sora.
But now—
With the world of mystery opening in front of her,
that second person had probably already drifted away. From here on, she'd have to walk that road alone.
"What?" Aoko's lips curled slightly when she noticed his glance. "Regret not trying it before? It's probably too late now."
Sora responded with another eye roll.
"My business has nothing to do with you. We're supposed to be talking about why you decided to break up for no reason. Didn't you call me here because you said you'd explain everything clearly?"
He looked straight at her, blunt and direct.
Even though he already knew the answer, he still wanted to hear her say it herself.
"Oh, that? It's not as complicated as you think." Aoko shrugged. "I'm going to be involved in the Aozaki family's affairs. Think of the Aozakis as… some kind of organization that deals in secret industries. Those secrets can't be known by outsiders, and if an outsider finds out…"
She drew her thumb across her throat in front of him and flashed a cruel smile.
"Got it."
Sora nodded—calmly—without giving her any more reaction than that.
His flat response wasn't what Aoko had expected.
"Your reaction's so bland it feels like you're holding back some big move," she said.
"So what do you want me to do?" Sora replied. "Get affectionate with another woman right in front of you?"
"…That wouldn't be impossible," Aoko said.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"Can't help it. That's just how I am." She spread her hands.
Sora used the tongs to pick up a cooked slice of meat and placed it onto Aoko's plate.
Their words sounded sharp, but the atmosphere itself remained strangely peaceful.
This was more or less how they'd always been.
"Hey… have you really given up this time?"
Chewing the grilled meat, Aoko asked as if it were casual—yet it was clearly confirmation she needed.
They'd grown up together as childhood friends. They understood each other's nature too well.
To Sora, Aoko was an idiot who spoke her mind and couldn't be bothered to lie.
To Aoko, Sora was the kind of person who said nothing on the surface… but acted quietly behind the scenes.
She used to like that about him.
But now—
The world of mystery was dangerous. Especially for someone like Sora, with no guide at all—someone who could stumble into it blindly.
And especially dangerous if he became entangled with her—the inheritor of the Fifth Magic—through anything connected to the occult.
If something truly went wrong, death might be a luxury he couldn't even afford.
"I've given up," Sora said.
As he spoke, he used the tongs to place a piece of beef tongue from the grill onto Alice's plate.
"At the very least… the current me—who got dumped by you—won't ever choose to reconcile with you again."
He smiled gently at Aoko as he said it.
But in that smile, Aoko could clearly feel a kind of distance.
He wasn't lying.
Aoko's choice—though partly meant to protect him—was still a choice made between mystery and him.
Abandoning her current life to inherit the Aozaki family… that was her decision.
And once the final outcome between the sisters was settled, Sora would leave Misaki Town alone and go see the world outside.
Aoko: "..."
Her chewing paused for half a second—then resumed instantly, as if nothing had happened.
"Then when you get your next girlfriend," she said, sounding perfectly normal, "make sure you open your eyes wide."
"That's not something you need to worry about," Sora replied, noncommittal.
After that, almost as if deliberately changing the subject, the two of them began talking about recent trends and whatever was popular lately.
The lunch drifted into something that looked… ordinary.
Beside them, Alice Kuonji quietly observed everything. There was a thoughtful glint in her black eyes—though what she was thinking, no one could tell.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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