To become a king and a magician

No, it's quite surprising. That person seems to be the same type as you, buddy.

Same type?

Natsukawa Torato roughly knew who Yad was talking about, but if it was her, he was really a little surprised that she would come back at this time.

"Aozaki Aoko."

Click—!

He slammed on the brakes, leaving two gashes on the roof before coming to a stop at the edge. Natsukawa Tora looked behind him. Just as Yad had said, a figure almost identical to his own was hanging not far away.

Upon seeing Natsukawa Tora stop, Aozaki Aoko immediately halted her pursuit as well.

"Huh? Why did you stop? Aren't you going to continue? Is it because you don't have enough magic power?"

Aozaki Aoko, who had stopped, asked with some confusion.

"No, that's not it. I can easily run around for another two or three days. It's just that this is the first time I've met someone as reckless as me, so I'm a little curious about who it is," Natsukawa Tiger laughed. "But it's really surprising. I didn't expect it to be the famous Miss Blue."

"Huh? You know me?"

"There should be no magician who doesn't know you, right? You're a well-known celebrity among magicians."

"Really? I think it's more like a bad reputation. After all, every magician I've ever met before would have run away as fast as they could when they saw me," Aozaki Aoko laughed. "By the way, I haven't asked who you are yet. It's rare to meet a magician who resembles me. Shall we get to know each other? As you know, I am Aozaki Aoko. You can just call me Aozaki."

"Natsukawa Tiger".

"Natsukawa Tora replied."

"May I use a different form of address? Using my surname reminds me of my teacher."

"Teacher? Your teacher has something to do with my surname?"

"It's more accurate to say they share the same surname."

Same surname?

Aozaki Aoko's face immediately darkened: "Wait a minute, then your teacher is—"

"Yes, it's your older sister, Aozaki Touko."

12. The worst sister

Aozaki Touko.

Since they parted ways more than a decade ago, Aozaki Aoko has only heard her sister's name once or twice occasionally. Because the two of them don't get along, they would probably start fighting as soon as they meet, so she hasn't paid much attention to her sister.

However, last year, on her way back, Aozaki Aoko happened to see her once while passing through Kanbuko City. It was then that she did some research and learned that Aozaki Touko ran an agency called Garan no Dou.

The signboard for the second branch of the Garan no Tomo was given to Beo because of this.

"She's actually Orange's disciple?"

Aozaki Aoko's gaze toward Natsukawa Torato carried a hint of distance.

"You'll become her apprentice... You weren't coerced, were you? That girl seems to enjoy forcing people to do things."

"No, no, it's because I need a favor from Teacher Orange. After all, when it comes to doll making, Teacher Orange is the best person in the world. It would be most appropriate for me to ask her for advice if I want to learn how to make dolls."

Puppet technology?

(Ah, that's right. Orange is indeed some kind of puppeteer. Ayumi mentioned it, and the Clock Tower has also heard such rumors.)

"So, you're going to find Orange now?"

"Well, I have some things to take care of in Misaki City, so I asked a local teacher to come and help me with the preparations. Also, the teacher has things to do herself."

(He's definitely here to challenge me—or rather, to get revenge, right?)

Kuonji Yuzu had already warned Aozaki Aoko before. Aozaki Touko went straight to Beo's place after returning this time, plus this magician disciple who is similar to her.

It's safe to say that everyone knows Aozaki Touko's heart!

(Given Orange's personality, she'll probably challenge me only after she's made thorough preparations, just like last time.)

She really suffered a lot back then. In fact, if it weren't for Shizuki Sojuro showing unexpected power, she and Aoi would have been killed by Aozaki Touko long ago. Even though she is now a magician and has established a great reputation in the world of magic, Aozaki Aoko is still a little nervous about facing the well-prepared Aozaki Touko again.

(Or should we just storm up to Orange and take her out before she's ready?)

This is one possible solution. Magicians are usually best at positional warfare, relying on their own workshops. If you can reach them before their workshops are built, victory is almost guaranteed.

Thinking of this, Aozaki Aoko smiled and said, "I see... then I'll go with you too."

"Eh? Are you going to see Ms. Orange?"

"Is there a problem? We're sisters, it's normal for us to want to meet, right?"

This is a lie.

If possible, Aozaki Aoko would never want to see her older sister again, but in order to surprise Touko and catch her off guard, she'll pretend for now.

But Aozaki Aoko didn't know that, in the eyes of Natsukawa Torato, who knew her almost inside and out, her acting was definitely for ulterior motives.

(Everyone knows you sisters are bound to fight to the death when you meet! You say you want to meet? You probably just want to beat her to death! That smile is so fake!)

Despite this, Natsukawa Tora nodded: "Then let's come together. The teacher said she's waiting for me at the old school building of Misaki Private High School."

The old school building really knows how to pick a location.

"Let's go then, I really miss my sister!"

(Ms. Aoko, could you please be a little more careful with your facial expressions?)

——————————————————————————————————————

Three minutes later, almost exactly within the ten-minute time limit set by Aozaki Touko, Natsukawa Tora arrived at the entrance of the old school building.

And just as he landed—

"Whoosh—!"

A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept in, and a golden beast claw swiftly swung towards his forehead as if it wanted to crush his head!

However, how could Natsukawa Tiger, who had already experienced even faster attacks, possibly be hit? The moment his toes touched the ground, he suddenly unleashed a burst of magical energy, propelling himself backward. At the same time, he pulled out the hand that was holding Gray and punched the beast's claw!

"boom--!"

With a heavy thud, the beast's claw was smashed to pieces by Natsukawa Tiger's punch!

Landing lightly on the ground, Natsukawa Tora looked ahead: "You start with this right away. What if I hadn't blocked it, teacher?"

"Then it doesn't matter, does it? If you can't even beat Beo, then don't even think about hitting my sister. You might as well go home."

Leaning against the doorframe of the old school building, Aozaki Touko held a cigarette and smiled as she spoke.

The boy she was referring to, Beo, whose hand had just been smashed by Natsukawa Torama, was also looking at Natsukawa Torama with great interest: "You are very interesting, even more interesting than Kusajuro. I feel like we are the same kind of people!"

"Huh? A fellow species?" Aozaki Touko frowned. "Young man, it's been about a year since I last saw you. You've become a fantasy species?"

"I think it must be a side effect of the fairy weapon. Because I am often possessed by fairies, I have some fairy and elf properties."

"Yes, that's the situation. Although to me it's just that you and I smell a lot alike."

Like a younger brother meeting his older brother next door, Beo immediately grabbed Natsukawa Tora's hand, behaving quite affectionately.

Seeing this, Aozaki Touko couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is the first time I've seen Beo so close to someone. Hey Beo, I'm still your master here, give me some face."

Yes~~~~

Seeing that Beo still hadn't let go, Aozaki Touko sighed helplessly: "Oh well, there's no contract anyway, whatever—more importantly, since the boy is here, let's move when the equation comes back. Let's find a hotel to stay in first."

"Couldn't you two have booked the hotel before I arrived?"

"Because I returned to this place after many years, I couldn't help but recall many past events. The sights and sounds evoked my emotions, so I wandered around for a while to reminisce."

"Really? Then do you feel nostalgic when you see me, Orange?"

Such words suddenly rang out.

In an instant, she recognized whose voice it was. Aozaki Touko quickly looked towards the corridor leading from the old school building to the new school building, where Aozaki Aoko was standing with her hands on her hips, looking at her with a cold smile.

"Qingzi..."

"Long time no see, Orange—thank you for showing me the way, Natsukawa."

Upon hearing this, Aozaki Touko glared fiercely at Natsukawa Torato: "Torato, what's going on?"

“I ran into her on the street, and then she followed me here, saying she wanted to meet you.” Natsukawa Tora shrugged. “We were going to meet sooner or later anyway.”

13. Is she a stand-in of the same type as me? (Image)

After a long time—actually, ten years—seeing her older sister again, Aozaki Aoko's feelings were not what she had expected, nor did she feel unusual disgust and anger towards her, or even hatred.

All that remains is a lingering dislike stemming from an impression left over from ten years ago.

Even so, Aozaki Aoko had no intention of getting along well with Aozaki Touko.

The same goes for Aozaki Touko.

Taking a drag of her cigarette, Aozaki Touko sneered, "Just like when I saw you ten years ago, [Mage]. Ten years have passed, how have you been? You still look all alone, how about finding someone to ease your loneliness?"

"Do you have the right to talk about me like that? It's as if you're not one of them."

“I really am not. I had a pretty good time after meeting the boy last year.” Aozaki Touko smiled with a hint of pride. “Well, back to the point, although I was a little surprised that the boy brought you here, I was going to find you anyway, so it’s good to deal with it in advance to save time.”

(Do these sisters think alike?)

Hearing Aozaki Touko's "outrageous words," Aozaki Aoko raised an eyebrow: "You really dare to say that, Touko. Have you forgotten the crushing defeat ten years ago? Do you want me to turn you into a Madagascar frog this time?"

"As for magic, I still haven't found a solution, and strictly speaking, I've basically given up on studying magic."

"Aha?"

"After all, magic is just that. It's not like we can't reach the source without magic. More than ten years have passed since then. No matter how much I dwell on it, I should be able to let go of it by now. In fact, I'd rather throw away that garbage of the past as soon as possible."

Stubbed out her cigarette, Aozaki Touko smiled.

"Aoko, I came back this time only to defeat you, not to defeat [magic], but only to defeat [Aozaki Aoko]. Your pig brain shouldn't be so stupid as to not understand what I'm saying, right?"

"Who's a pig brain?!"

Aozaki Aoko was furious.

"Ah, I get it. So you've come back looking for a beating, right? Fine, this time I'll kill you without hesitation. You were stopped by Jingxi ten years ago, but don't think anyone will come to save you this time."