Aozaki Aoko Case File

"I found a girl with jewel-level Mystic Eyes recently," Aoko said suddenly, looking at her sister, who was gulping down food at the dining table.

"Huh?"

Touko let out a confused sound after swallowing her food.

"You don't need something like that, do you? Or are you planning to dig out her eyes?"

"Of course not! What are you talking about?"

Aoko replied.

"What I mean is, the girl with the jewel-level Mystic Eyes comes from an ordinary family. Would you like to take her as your apprentice?"

"Hmm…"

Touko frowned, her eating pace slowing.

"But in my current condition, I'm not fit for it... How about letting me activate an adult clone body?"

"No way," Aoko decisively refused.

"That backup body of yours should stay asleep forever. I don't want to waste more time re-educating one of your clones!"

"Then forget it," Touko said with a shrug.

"Let's just hope the girl with the Mystic Eyes survives long enough for my body to grow up properly."

"That's all we can do," Aoko sighed, feeling at her wit's end. She wasn't in the mood to find more young girls to populate the Kuonji residence, especially since Alice's patience was already wearing thin. "We can have Stark check on her occasionally."

"Caw?"

Stark, the raven eating in his designated spot, suddenly found himself assigned a task and looked puzzled.

"By the way, who exactly is this girl? Is it someone we know?"

Touko asked curiously.

"Have you heard of Asakami?"

Aoko asked in return.

"The exorcist family?"

Touko replied.

"Is she one of their descendants?"

"Yes," Aoko nodded. "Her name is Asakami Fujino. Her mother married into a branch family, the Asagami family after the main family declined, so she now goes by Asagami Fujino."

"Oh, you mean the head of that Asagamii Group, the one tied to Asagami Private Girls Academy you attended in middle school?"

Touko suddenly remembered.

"She's a proper rich young lady. Hearing this makes me want to take her as a disciple even more."

"You're always spending money on odd things," Aoko said helplessly. "The money I give you disappears in no time. But if Asagami Fujino became your apprentice, you could gain some financial support from the Asagami Group."

"In that case, I should probably start getting myself into shape," Touko said seriously.

"At the very least, I can't keep lazing around like this, eating and sleeping all the time. Yawn…"

Even as she spoke, a full and sleepy Touko began to drift off again. Her second magic circuits development phase had been draining her energy and nutrients.

"No need to rush," Aoko reassured her.

"Fujino's stepfather recently passed away, and the Asagami family is probably in turmoil. Even if you approach them now, they won't have the bandwidth to consider anything else."

"Fine… let's go with your plan…"

Touko muttered, swaying unsteadily as she left the dining room. Halfway up the stairs, she randomly chose a spot, curled up like a sleepy kitten, and dozed off on the carpet.

Seeing Touko's dazed state, Aoko sighed. She had been worrying about her older sister her whole life, but ever since Touko had regressed to her child-like form, the responsibility had only grown.

Aoko walked over, scooped up the sleeping Touko from the carpet, and carried her to her bedroom. The little girl in her arms was so soft and fragile, a far cry from the ruthless and bloodless magus she once was.

...

By March, Aoko was in Tokyo, preparing to take the entrance exams for the University of Tokyo.

The weather was still cold. She wore a white cashmere coat over a light white down jacket, paired with a short skirt and warm tights, exuding both style and youthful energy.

The University of Tokyo, located in Bunkyo Ward, spans an impressive 40.27 hectares. For ordinary families in Japan, getting into the University of Tokyo was the best way to achieve social mobility. Especially in the early 1990s, admission meant a secure future among the elite.

However, Aoko came from a privileged background. Her goal was driven by personal research interests and a stubborn desire not to be intellectually ignorant.

She had applied to the Faculty of Science, majoring in mathematics. With a campus map in hand, she strolled through the grounds toward the examination building.

Though the campus trees were still bare, here and there, green buds could be seen stubbornly sprouting in the cold wind. Most of the people around were students—either current ones or exam takers like Aoko—all bearing the weight of their ambitions.

The University of Tokyo's entrance exams included both foundational subjects and specialized questions slightly beyond the high school curriculum, designed to test aptitude without being impossibly hard. However, as Japan's top institution, the exams were undoubtedly among the toughest.

After a series of identity verifications, Aoko found herself seated in a large lecture hall of the science faculty. The room could hold 300–400 people, and candidates were spaced out with a seat or two between them.

About ten minutes before the exam started, Aoko absentmindedly spun her mechanical pencil while observing the room. The test-takers fell into two categories: relaxed individuals like her, who brought only the essentials, and textbook-toting, anxious nerds in frumpy clothes, reciting formulas under their breath.

Noting the contrast, Aoko smiled to herself, planning to share her observations with Touko and Alice later. However, as the teaching assistants began distributing test papers, she shifted her focus. The first exam was about to begin.