Aozaki Aoko Case File

After graduating from high school, Aoko called her dad and returned to her hometown with Touko, who was busy studying the Einzbern Heaven's Feel ritual. They shared a meal with their parents and discussed Aoko's plan to attend university in Tokyo.

Aoko's mother was initially heartbroken that both her daughters had devoted themselves to the study of magecraft. However, Aoko's more grounded worldview, which retained some semblance of normalcy, provided their parents with a measure of comfort.

Touko, on the other hand, was emotionally detached from their parents, showing no real feelings toward them. Aoko believed this emotional void was one of the primary reasons behind Touko's distorted personality.

After a heated argument that Aoko initiated to knock some sense into her sister, she began periodically bringing Touko home to reconnect with their family. Touko resisted at first but couldn't withstand their mother's overwhelming maternal affection, which surged upon seeing Touko's reverted, childlike form. Their mother loved holding Touko, much to her annoyance. Eventually, they established some boundaries to keep things under control.

During dinner, Aoko discussed investment trends with her father, leveraging her knowledge of historical events from her previous life to provide him with valuable insights.

Originally, Aoko's father was an ordinary mid-level manager at a company. While the Aozaki family had been relatively well-off, they were far from wealthy. However, following Aoko's advice in recent years, her father has made significant profits through various investments. His dad generously gave Aoko half of his earnings, ensuring she was financially secure.

Since then, he has resigned from his company and established his investment firm, focusing on projects guided by Aoko's major event timeline predictions. His business thrived, and the family home had been renovated to a level of luxury comparable to the villa that Aoko and Touko had built.

In short, with Aoko's future knowledge and her father's hard work, the Aozaki family flourished in this generation. Even Touko, among other family members, benefited from these developments (though not including the older generation).

Aoko and Touko spent the night at their childhood home. They each stayed in their old rooms, which had remained unchanged. Aoko felt a wave of nostalgia as she looked around. Despite her memories of a past life, she deeply cherished the family she had grown up with.

The harsh nature of magus and magic users had twisted what should have been an ordinary, happy family of four. Without the current Aoko, their parents' fate might not have differed from losing both daughters, given the secrecy and isolation magecraft imposed. The tragic example of Asagami Fujino, cursed with Mystic Eyes, served as a stark reminder.

Aoko felt immense gratitude for the power and resolve to break this so-called "Fate." Through her efforts, she had partially fixed Touko's cold, twisted personality and turned someone who could have been an enemy, like Alice, into a close friend.

This sense of accomplishment brought a warm comfort to Aoko as she lay in her childhood bed, strengthening her resolve to continue on this path.

...

The next morning, Aoko joined her mother in the kitchen to prepare a lavish breakfast. They exchanged cooking tips, bonding like any ordinary mother and daughter.

When breakfast was ready, Touko was still in bed. To avoid awkwardness between her sister and their mother, Aoko went upstairs, dragged Touko out of bed, and brought her downstairs after a quick wash-up.

Perhaps due to her young physical age, Touko seemed perpetually groggy in the mornings, as though she might fall back asleep at any moment. Aoko forbade her from drinking coffee, leaving Touko struggling to stay awake as she nibbled at breakfast.

After breakfast, Aoko and Touko bid their mother goodbye and returned to the Kuonji residence in their father's car. Upon arriving, Touko headed straight to her room for a nap, waking up just in time for lunch.

"You wake up to eat, eat to sleep, then wake up to eat again. Do you realize what you look like now?"

Aoko teased, ruffling Touko's hair.

"This isn't my fault!"

Touko swatted her hand away in annoyance.

"It's my body's age—always sleep-deprived. It's a natural part of keeping my magic circuits..."

Mid-sentence, Touko paused, suddenly aware of something. She began examining her magic circuits using magecraft.

Moments later, she burst into laughter.

"Ha! Aoko, you didn't expect this, did you? You punished me with that old man's elixir, but it triggered a second development in my magic circuits!"

"Oh?"

Aoko replied with interest.

"Your original circuits didn't regress after your de-aging?"

"Magic circuits are semi-simulated neural organs," Alice calmly remarked as she sipped her tea.

"They grow alongside the body, but if the body de-ages, the circuits don't regress. Instead, they strain the body because the magic circuits' performance no longer matches its physical state."

"Could her excessive sleepiness be due to the burden her magic circuits place on her body?"

Aoko asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about it," Touko declared confidently.

"I originally had only magic 20 circuits. After my check just now, I've developed a 21st one! It's not fully mature yet, but as my body grows, I'm sure my circuits will continue to increase!"

"Yawn~"

Right after excitedly sharing her discovery, Touko yawned. She grabbed a few scones, shuffled back to her room, and presumably went back to sleep.