Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Yuzu looked at her with a strange expression: "Amamiya-kun, are you staying overnight?"

"Yes, there's still a lot of preparation work to be done."

That's not what Yu-joo cares about.

She asked, "Did Shirou offer to stay the night? Or—"

“I let Shirou stay here,” Aoko replied nonchalantly.

"...Oh, really?"

Kuonji Yuju pursed her lovely lips.

Is that so? Is Shirou going to stay at the mansion?

If I were to ask him for help... well, the kid probably wouldn't refuse.

but……

Yuzhu was truly envious, envious of Aoko who could say such things so nonchalantly.

It's only natural that she would take it away from me.

……

……

Tonight's dinner was prepared by Shirou.

This wasn't actually the first time he had cooked at the Kuonji family's house.

Yushu had already tasted Shirou's cooking several times before, and even the ingredients used tonight were leftovers from the day before yesterday.

"It's so delicious! I didn't know you could cook, Shirou-kun!"

Aoko kept putting the food into her mouth, praising the boy's cooking skills.

"It's just a personal interest."

"Wow, that's amazing. When I lived here, I always had bread or takeout for dinner... I wish Shirou was here back then."

"I was only four years old then. What would you want a four-year-old to do for you?"

"Three meals a day."

"I reject!"

Aoko chuckled and reminisced about the past.

At that time, the Kuonji family could be said to have just thrown together a quick and easy dinner.

There's no strict rule about who will cook tonight; you can cook if you want, or not if you don't.

In addition, the couple's living expenses were very tight, and there were times when they didn't have a proper dinner for a whole week.

"I heard from Miss Aoko that Aoko-nee seems to really like takeout, right?"

"So if Shirou were here, I definitely wouldn't like takeout," Aoko said with a smile.

"So, to what extent do you plan to exploit your four-year-old?"

Shirou turned to the black-haired girl beside him: "How was dinner tonight? I adjusted the flavor a little."

"Delicious as always, thank you Amamiya-kun."

Kuonji Yuju held the rice bowl in both hands, her face filled with emotion as she murmured softly.

“I’m so glad Miss Ariko likes it,” Shirou said.

Dinner was spent in a pleasant atmosphere. After clearing away the dishes early, Shirou and Aoko stayed in the living room to discuss the details of time travel, while Yuzu went to take a shower first.

The witch was the type who would never come back to the living room after taking a bath and would go straight to her bedroom, leaving only the sounds of Shirou and Aoko talking in the large room.

"Hey, Aoko-nee."

"What's wrong, Shirou?"

After concluding the first operational meeting, Aozaki Aoko decided to relax a little.

She sat on the floor and pressed the power button on the PlayStation.

"It's been strangely quiet ever since just now."

"It's just you and me in the room, of course it'll be quiet if nobody talks, right?"

Aoko, with her back to Shirou, frowned and said, "Now that things have come to this, you're not thinking about being scared alone at night, are you? Are you going to sleep in my room tonight, you pervert~"

"I'm sorry, but Aoko-nee... what is that?"

She looked in the direction the red-haired boy was pointing.

The next instant, a bead of cold sweat trickled down the mage's cheek.

"She really has a terrible personality, Ayumi."

White mist inexplicably rose from the crack in the half-open door of the living room—

It seems the witch in the mansion isn't planning to let me and Shirou off so easily.

------

Volume 2, Chapter 123: They're both already unmarriageable.

"Shirou-kun, you asked me what that was just now, didn't you?"

Okay, now it's Aoko-neechan's lesson time.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Aozaki Aoko's cheek as she carefully rose from the floor, saying:

"That cloud of mist is one of the 'Ploy Kickshaws' from the series."

...Fairytale monsters.

Shirou asked, "What is a fairy tale monster?"

"...Shall we start the explanation from here?"

Aoko never expected that Shirou didn't know what a fairy tale monster was.

Did you spend so much time with Yuju without knowing anything about her?

"I do know about fairy tale magic."

"That's the one!"

Aozaki Aoko explained nervously.

"One application of fairy tale magic is the creation of familiars and magical costumes by witches based on 'story' and 'fairy tale'."

Compared to ordinary familiars, these are mystical beings intertwined with fantasy, and because they are based on the premise of impossible events, they are incompatible with the usual laws of physics.

Aren't fantasy and reality opposites? In short, it's a monster that transcends the existing magic system; just understand it that way.

"Is that the thick white fog?"

Shirou did sense danger from the fog that had entered the room, otherwise he wouldn't have warned Aoko.

"Ah...that's the most special one among all the fairy tale monsters that Ayumi owns."

The mage couldn't help but recall that unforgettable white night.

That was her second year living in the Kuonji family mansion.

At that time, Aozaki Aoko's understanding of fairy tale monsters was limited to cute magical costumes that could create incredible phenomena.

Kuonji Aratama's power stems from her noblest witch bloodline (Mainster), while the fairy tale monsters gain their power because of their master's own strength.

Until Aoko saw the white rosehound emerge from the thick fog—

That's when she truly understood that monsters exist.

Aoko quickly walked over and grabbed Shirou's wrist, her eyes fixed on the fog in the corner of the room the whole time.

"Shirou, prepare to escape."

Is this bad?

"This isn't a problem that can be dismissed with a simple 'not good' statement. That's one of the three great fairy tale monsters that Yuu possesses."

Commonly known as the Great Three, it refers to the three most powerful relics of the fairy tale monsters that Kuonji Aratsu inherited from her mother.

Because it can cover modern times with the fabrics of the Age of Gods, it is called "an existence more expensive/precious/greater than a kingdom" by the Mage's Association.

"And among the Great Three, this guy is also the biggest and strongest one."

Unable to resist, unable to fight back—humans will vanish the moment they encounter this fog.

A man-eating fog that indiscriminately bites and kills anyone who wanders into it without exception.

Its name is "Wandersnatch," a fairytale monster that no one has been able to defeat to this day.

"This is the most vicious killing barrier that Kuonji Aratsume only deploys when she unleashes her true power."

Without saying a word, Aoko dragged Shirou away from the living room.

Since the Rosehounds entered through the front door of the living room, it can be assumed that the corridor had been occupied, so they escaped from the courtyard side.

Once outside, Aoko closed the French windows.

In the mansion, lights are not turned on in places where no one is present; the only brightly lit areas are the living room and the bedroom.

The entire mansion and courtyard were shrouded in darkness, with only moonlight shining down from the night sky.

"Let's go, Shirou-kun. Speaking of which... wait, why are all the weeds in the yard gone?"

Aoko was surprised to find the garden spotless.

You should know that when she lived in the mansion, the weeds in this area were almost knee-high.

"I see, so all of this is Shirou's work... Arisu really knows how to boss you around."

"No, I did it voluntarily, it has nothing to do with Miss Ayumi. More importantly..."

Shirou asked, "Why would Miss Ayumi release such a dangerous fairytale monster? Is she trying to kill us both?"

"Our lives... I don't think so. She probably wants to imprison us with the 'Rosehound'."

Seriously... what is that guy thinking?!

Aozaki Aoko sighed, then rallied her spirits.

"In short, we need to try our best to bypass the thick fog and find Yuju herself, who is hiding somewhere in the mansion."

Things have come to this point, so don't even think about peaceful negotiations with her—

Although the child seemed well-behaved, he was actually more stubborn than anyone else, and once he set his mind on a rule, he would stick to it to the end.

Therefore, as soon as we discover Youzhu's whereabouts, we must immediately launch a surprise attack on her. Being a little rough is fine; we just need to incapacitate her first before considering any follow-up actions.

As Aoko explained to Shirou, she felt a growing sense of dissatisfaction with herself.

Why didn't I notice anything unusual about Ariju when I was in the coffee shop?

At that time, it seems that Yuzu was only pretending to comply with my and Shirou's plan; she still did not agree to time travel.

However, even if there were pearls, it's unlikely that fairy tale monsters would be used in public.

Despite her appearance, she actually possesses a strong sense of self-awareness, befitting a witch who maintains an air of mystery in public.

So, after pretending to comply and bringing Shirou and me back to the mansion from outside, Yuzhu has finally revealed her true colors.

Hmph~ How cunning~

She's starting to look more and more like a witch, Arisu.

Aoko's lips curled into a slight smile.

At that moment, she noticed Shirou frowning and deep in thought.

Feeling that the child might cause trouble, Aoko offered a word of warning.

"Do you understand what I just said... Shirou-kun?"

If we go easy on Yuzhu, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end!