blogombal Page 351
Page 351
Upon seeing Shiraishi Kawa, she was not surprised; instead, she smiled with delight.
"What a commotion! Luckily, this is a remote forest, otherwise the Magic Association and the Holy Church would probably have joined forces to wipe them out."
Shiraishi Kawa responded calmly.
"It took some effort to train it, but the result is satisfactory."
Aozaki Touko's gaze shifted to Beo, her eyebrows slightly raised.
"You didn't kill it, did you?"
Shiraishikawa chuckled.
"It's just a minor change."
Before he could finish speaking, Beo stepped out from behind him and appeared in front of Aozaki Touko as a blonde little girl.
Her appearance was youthful, yet she possessed a perfection akin to a work of art. She quietly inhaled Aozaki Touko's scent, then revealed a radiant smile.
Aozaki Touko's pupils contracted slightly, clearly shocked by Beo's change.
Shiraishikawa explained.
“There was an unexpected incident during the training process; it seems to have awakened its inner femininity.”
Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.
"This was not part of the plan."
Shiraishikawa didn't take it seriously.
"It's alright, at least it looks better now."
He turned to leave, but Beo immediately grabbed his sleeve, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"Master, aren't you going to take me with you?"
Shiraishi patted her head, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"You stay here for now."
Beo wanted to say something more, but under his cold gaze, he could only reluctantly let go and whisper.
"……Yes."
Upon seeing this, Aozaki Touko smiled brightly and slowly walked towards Beo.
"Welcome, little guy."
Her smile concealed a chilling murderous intent, and the cracking of her knuckles instantly plunging the atmosphere to freezing point.
Beo shuddered and instinctively took two steps back, exclaiming in alarm.
"Wait! I belong to my master now, you can't—"
Aozaki Touko interrupted her, her smile growing increasingly dangerous.
"Don't worry, I will take good care of you."
Beo looked in horror in the direction Shiraishikawa had left, and cried out in despair.
"Master! Save me!"
Shiraishikawa's figure had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone to face Aozaki Touko who was closing in step by step.
The spring rain in Misaki City always arrives quietly.
Aozaki Aoko walked along the rain-soaked street, holding her red umbrella that she had used for three years.
The sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella was very soft, like the sound of some ancient musical instrument being played.
She looked up at the gray sky.
"It's awful weather."
Aozaki Aoko muttered to herself, but not because she disliked the rain itself.
Misaki City has changed a lot.
Ten years ago, this was just an inconspicuous small town, but now it has developed into a modern city.
However, those hills and mountains remain unchanged, like corners forgotten by time.
Urban construction is mainly concentrated in flat areas, with skyscrapers rising from the ground and neon lights shimmering with a hazy glow in the rain.
Aozaki Aoko tightened the collar of her school uniform; the chill brought by the rain made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She shouldn't have gone out in this weather, but the refrigerator was already empty, and her roommate, a rich young lady, had poured the last bit of her food money into her ever-growing research project.
"Black tea, black tea, all you ever do is buy black tea!"
Aozaki Aoko recalled how she almost dropped the cup on the floor when she saw the box of premium black tea priced at 5,000 yen on the table this morning.
"It's almost the end of the month and we can't even afford to eat, let alone drink black tea!"
There weren't many pedestrians on the streets in the rain, so Aozaki Aoko quickened her pace and headed towards the city center.
Her stomach was already protesting; she'd only had a cup of coffee and half a slice of toast since morning.
Chapter 436 Outsiders
As the student council president, she had to maintain the image of a top student in front of teachers and classmates. No one knew that she was so troubled by trivial matters after school.
Turning the corner, a modern conveyor belt sushi restaurant came into view.
Aozaki Aoko stopped and looked at the bright sign through the rain.
This was one of the few upscale restaurants she could afford in Misaki City. Although the price was a bit extravagant for her, she desperately needed a decent lunch today.
"Just this once."
Aozaki Aoko said to herself, taking her wallet out of her pocket and carefully checking the banknotes and coins inside.
Several crumpled thousand-yen bills and a few coins, totaling about five thousand yen.
That's enough for her to have a decent sushi meal, although she can't order too many fancy ingredients.
Just as she was about to walk toward the Shou 337 store, a strange feeling suddenly crept up her spine.
Aozaki Aoko suddenly stopped and instinctively looked up to search.
Her magician's instincts were screaming—something was wrong.
A figure in a red trench coat flashed by in the rain.
Aozaki Aoko's heart suddenly raced, and her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the umbrella handle.
The figure disappeared so quickly, it was like an illusion.
Aozaki Aoko knew it wasn't an illusion; her senses had never deceived her.
"Where..."
She looked around warily, her gaze finally settling on the fork in the road.
There stood a young man, wearing a dark red overcoat, without an umbrella, yet strangely, there was no sign of him getting wet from the rain.
His appearance was so handsome it was almost unreal, his black hair was slightly blown by the wind, and he exuded an aura that was out of place in this small city.
What made Aozaki Aoko even more uneasy was that she couldn't sense his presence.
Ordinary people leave traces when they walk on the street, but this young man is like an empty space, an existence that does not exist here.
Aozaki Aoko's magician's intuition told her that this person was dangerous.
The young man seemed to notice her gaze and turned his head.
Their eyes met in the rain, and Aozaki Aoko felt a strange sense of oppression, as if the other person was the master of this city, and she was just an outsider who had strayed into this place.
"Damn it..."
Aozaki Aoko cursed under her breath, forcing herself to look away.
She stretched casually, but in reality, all her muscles were tense, ready to deal with any potential danger.
The young man walked towards her.
Aozaki Aoko's frustration instantly turned into vigilance.
She subtly reached into her school uniform pocket, where she kept a few magic engravings that she always carried with her.
Although it's not a powerful weapon, it's sufficient to handle most emergencies.
"Excuse me."
The young man spoke, his voice deep and clear.
Is there something on my face?
Aozaki Aoko paused for a moment, then realized that her scrutiny was too obvious.
She bowed slightly, making a polite gesture of apology.
"Sorry, I'm just a little surprised to see outsiders in a small town like this."
The young man smiled, a smile that made Aozaki Aoko uncomfortable—it was too perfect, like a carefully calculated expression.
"Indeed, I don't belong here."
The young man readily admitted it.
"I'm looking for a place that's my... hometown, recommended by my partner."
Aozaki Aoko raised an eyebrow.
The other person was very careful with their words, but the word "partner" still surprised her.
She looked at the young man again, trying to find more clues.
"You look like you're lost."
"I'm speaking tentatively," Aozaki Aoko said, while secretly observing the young man's reaction.
His clothes were made of high-end material, clearly a style from a big city.
He wore an expensive-looking watch on his wrist; most importantly, there was no sign of him getting wet from the rain.
This is not something ordinary people can do.