Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"High school uniforms don't suit you at all... Even if your body is that of a 17-year-old, you still smell like an old lady."

Qing Zidai frowned slightly, her lips twitching: "Hey, isn't that going a bit too far?"

Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm only 25 years old this year.

If that's what makes someone an "auntie," then wouldn't you, 21-year-old Orange Sister, also be considered an "auntie"?

25 years old... Did they jump from 8 years in the future?!

Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes.

So that's how it is... Aoko traveled from the future to this era!

Before she could even think, Aozaki Aoko suddenly started sprinting towards Touko.

"I was just playing around with you earlier, now it's time to show you some real skills, okay? Circuit, continue!"

With just a simple lift of her left arm, the magical power generated within Aoko's body had reached a level that was visibly different... no, even audible.

That was a crisp sound that Orange had never heard before.

The overwhelming speed of magic generation, faster than blood flow, and setting aside the shocks caused by magic, the fact that it can generate an impact simply by activating magic circuits is enough to shock the modern magic world!

In Aozaki Touko's eyes, the younger sister before her was like the strongest fantasy of the Age of Gods—a dragon.

"..."

The orange, feeling a chill rune throughout its body, traced runes through the air.

With the protection of victory spread out, Aoko's magic could not be defended against, and the enhanced power of the imprint became a barrier.

In contrast, Aoko didn't seem to care at all, and didn't even bother to respond.

"Deploy the magic bullet!"

"Tsk, it can deploy without loading?"

Aozaki Touko trembled once more.

The process of the magic trick being activated was not even visible, yet more than twenty magic bullets were launched with a single word.

Like a meteor, it dissolved the rune barrier that could even deflect rockets, and pierced straight through Aozaki Touko's Mystic Code.

"...Tsk!"

Realizing the vast difference in strength between the two sides, Aozaki Touko turned and fled without hesitation.

She fled towards her home turf as a magician—the old school building.

Aozaki Aoko followed closely behind, confident that she would never lose even if she entered her sister's territory, and chased after that figure.

Soon, the old school building was destroyed in the sisters' chase.

Orange set up a large number of rune traps in the school building, while Aoko relied on her high-speed automatically generated defensive spells to directly step into those traps.

The old corridor floor and the walls, weathered by countless years of wind and rain, crumbled and crumbled under Aoko's feet.

A true tragedy.

Orange's runes are curses that only work on humans, while Aoko's attacks are a saturation barrage of magic bullets.

"Tsk, you're anything but elegant! Are you really my sister?"

Orange, panting, angrily retorted, "What a joke! Is this what they call magic?!"

Personalized time travel.

Orange didn't believe that was the true nature of the Aozaki family's magic.

Aoko's transformation was ultimately just a byproduct of magic.

The true nature of magic, that abyss-like place—Orange couldn't know if Aoko had actually gone there, but the magic before her was definitely not as simple as it seemed.

The reason for this is that the concept of time travel was already included in the second law.

The alteration of records and the rewriting of phenomena are part of the operation of parallel worlds, and there is no reason to call this the Fifth Law now.

However, there's no doubt that the starting point for the Aozaki family's magic is "time travel"—

…………etc.

Aozaki Touko suddenly felt a chill, as if she had understood something.

From the very beginning, a flawed understanding was formed, and based on the inertia of thought, it was taken for granted that that would be the case.

However----

What if the focus of "time travel" was not "time" but "travel"?

Aozaki Touko glared angrily at her younger sister who was chasing after her.

"Answer me, Aoko, what is your purpose in returning to this era?"

"I just want to beat you up, is that not allowed?!"

"They actually disrupted the order for such a reason..."

Faced with her sister's absurd statement, Aozaki Touko almost rolled her eyes.

Time travel requires enormous amounts of energy.

Creating something from nothing requires magic.

Going from something to nothing requires a greater amount of energy.

Where does the magic of cooling come from?

With constant additions and subtractions, the order has completely collapsed.

The distortions caused by magic will one day affect the entire universe and all areas.

Unrestricted expansion, unrestrained consumption, and limitless growth do not lead to a future brimming with hope.

The future ahead is nothingness; one day the universe will overheat and die.

"You're such an idiot! Are you trying to frame us for the debt of humanity's fate, which is to be left to await the end of the universe billions of years from now?!"

This is no different from creating a meteorite on the top of this planet! Are you planning to crush the planet with this kind of pressure?!

"........."

Aoko was taken aback not because she was speechless after being scolded by her sister, but because not long ago (at the subjective time), she had just questioned Shirou with the same words.

Humans can only remain objective when it doesn't concern them.

What an irony.

So, given that humans are such impulsive and selfish creatures, why would the universe entrust them with a power capable of destroying the universe?

The answer is simple.

Because exploration is always necessary.

Humanity cannot remain trapped on this planet forever, just as childhood will one day come to an end.

Correct.

The latest magic (the Fifth Magic) was created to welcome the day when humanity would venture into the galaxy and explore the universe.

"........."

Aoko gave a faint smile.

Orange frowned unhappily: "What's so funny?"

"Debts incurred through the use of magic... You don't need to worry about that, sister, because someone will share this debt with me."

Whether it's the destruction of the universe, the collapse of order, or a worse future for humanity...

The child will share the responsibility with me and work together to find solutions, because—we've already made that agreement.

If you leave Aozaki Aoko to bear the burden of problems on a cosmic scale all by herself, she will naturally feel overwhelmed.

However, that's all in the past now.

The fifth mage, Aozaki Aoko, is no longer alone.

On the canal, which has transcended time, space, and cause and effect, a young man will accompany her.

Shirou, who possesses the best time travel aptitude, won't just stand by and watch Aoko be consumed by her mission... He'll definitely step up when Aoko encounters difficulties.

Because that's just who he is, Aoko knows it very well.

So there's nothing left to be afraid of or worried about—

Aozaki Aoko channeled her magical energy into her thigh, closing the distance by ten meters in one step.

The two sisters engaged in a final showdown at hand-to-hand combat distance.

Red runes and blue ethereal energy flow.

The magic bullet it fired transformed into a cascading waterfall, shattering Aozaki Aoko along with the magic crest floating behind her.

Amidst the orange magician's piercing screams, the Aozaki sisters reached the end of their feud, and their fateful duel finally came to a close.

In the dilapidated teaching building, the moonlight shining through the half-collapsed walls cast the shadows of the two people on the corridor, leaving only one shadow standing there.

Aozaki Touko fell to the ground with her back against the wall. Even though she was seriously injured, she did not take her eyes off Aoko.

Internal bleeding, plus a fracture.

Her body was completely unable to move.

Aoko's leaping attack shattered the Demon Eye from the inside, and it could no longer be opened.

This was the first time in my life I'd been covered in sores like this, and the fact that my breathing wasn't disordered was the slightly unexpected part at the end.

Before her stood her unharmed younger sister, looking down at her.

"...I thought I could at least hold out until the roof."

Orange was expressing her genuine feelings, which weren't meant to be self-deprecating, and Aoko responded with a cold gaze.

These are the same azure eyes that haven't changed since the beginning.

Cold and ruthless, even cruel, yet irredeemably beautiful.

Aoko didn't approach Orange, but instead raised her right hand from a few steps away.

Like a marksman giving his downed prey a final farewell.

The outcome has been decided.

The magician who came to seize the territory could only atone with his death.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

Suddenly, Aoko spoke up.

Orange patted her empty shirt pocket and gave a wry smile.

"...I was thinking of having one last one. But I finished them all while waiting for you. Japanese tobacco is so weak."

Aoko only whispered her thoughts to Orange.

"The same last words as before, how boring."

Aozaki Touko twitched her eyebrows: "That's why I hate people from the future and those with future vision."

"Finally, grant me one wish, Aoko... let me hear your thoughts on touching the roots."

Aoko did not answer.

The source of magic.

All knowledge and thoughts related to the "Vortex of Origin" must not be revealed.

But as her sister's last request, it should be okay to reveal some of her thoughts, right? Originally, Aoko had no intention of obediently listening to her grandfather.

"...It's white, sister."

Aoko looked out at the night sky through the broken glass of the old school building.

"To be honest, I still don't understand it at all."

After honestly expressing all her feelings, she raised her right hand to execute him without hesitation.

I'm sorry, Shirou...