Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Aha?"

“I’ve changed your clothes for three days, now it’s your turn to repay me.”

"Don't joke around," Shirou said, frowning.

Anyway, she probably lied about "having a guest" to trick me into helping her get dressed. "Galan Hall" might not even have one customer a month on average.

Shirou once again decided to ignore any attempts by Touko to speak to him.

"I wonder if Shirou-kun has fully recovered."

Footsteps could be heard at the entrance of the office, along with the conversation between Asagami Fujino and Ryougi Shiki.

"!"

Shirou jumped up from his seat and ran to Aozaki Touko, frantically helping her get dressed.

Two minutes later, Fujino, carrying a fruit basket, was the first to walk into the office.

"Good morning, Shirou-kun... Hey, are you ready to get up already!?"

Fujino looked at Shirou sitting at the desk in surprise.

"Ah, umm, it's all fine now. I'm sorry to have worried you, Fujino."

Shiro stammered in response.

"Shirou, I've come to see you... It was Fujino who insisted that I come—hmm?"

Ryougi Shiki frowned as soon as she stepped into the office.

She tilted her head back slightly, sniffed, and then turned her gaze to Shirou and Aozaki Touko sitting on the sofa.

"Hmm... I see, that's how it is."

The girl with short black hair gave a meaningful, wicked smile.

Knowing that Shiro was a girl as sensitive and perceptive as a cat, Shiro asked nervously.

"W-What's wrong, Shi? Why did you suddenly make that expression..."

Shiki shook her head: "No, it's nothing. I was just thinking that Shirou recovered from his illness really quickly. It seems that Touko has been taking good care of him."

Fujino looked envious and murmured in agreement, "That's so nice... I also want to take care of sick Shirou-kun, maybe I can hear him acting cute towards me."

Shirou quickly retorted, "No, no way! Orange's care is all over the place!"

When I take my medicine, they just pour boiling water over it, and they leave an ice towel on my forehead all day without changing it...

"That's why I recovered so quickly! It was because I couldn't stand it!"

Fujino covered her mouth and laughed, while Shiki raised an eyebrow dismissively.

"Really? I think you're being 'taken care of' very well by Orange... in every way."

"........."

It's now certain that Shiki has realized his immoral relationship with Orange.

"Shi, come here for a moment."

"what?"

"come over!"

Shirou roughly grabbed Shiki's arm and, ignoring Fujino's suspicions, forcibly dragged her to the kitchen next door.

"what?"

Shi frowned and rubbed his arm, which had been scratched red.

"Shiki, is there anything you want?" Shirou asked anxiously.

"what?"

"You should have something you'd like as a gift, right?"

Even if it's a bribe, Shirou still wants Shiki to keep quiet about his relationship with Touko.

The black-haired girl observed Shirou for a while, puzzled, and then, realizing he was serious, spoke without hesitation.

"A knife... I want a knife."

"I understand. I will make a sword that belongs only to you, Shiki."

"Well, it's a deal."

Shiki smiled happily, like a primary school boy who had just received a PlayStation.

"…………"

When they came out of the kitchen, Shiki was all smiles, while Shirou noticed that Asagami Fujino was giving them a resentful look.

...Perhaps this is what is known as karma and retribution.

While resolving a crisis with material assistance, it also created new misunderstandings.

……

……

"Sorry! I'm late!"

Just as Shirou was calming the impatient Ryougi Shiki down, a voice came from behind him.

The two turned around and saw a beautiful and charming young girl running towards them.

Even through her conservative traditional clothing, her voluptuous curves were still evident.

Her pure and delicate beauty complemented her brightly colored yukata, and her thick, long hair was as smooth as a flowing galaxy.

Shirou smiled and said, "You're really beautiful, Fujino."

The girl, embarrassed by the boy's praise, avoided his gaze, a faint blush creeping onto her ears.

"No such thing."

Shi urged them to take a step forward: "Alright, let's hurry up and go... the fireworks festival is about to start."

"The style is also very beautiful."

"Hmph, too late."

To hide her shyness, the black-haired girl quickened her pace.

Today is the last Sunday of August, and also the last day of the three-day festival.

The day of the fireworks festival.

Yesterday morning, Shirou received a call from Shiki for the first time.

"There's a fireworks display this weekend, take me out to play."

Although the tone was so menacing, like a threatening phone call from a kidnapper, Shirou happily agreed.

After asking the president, who had become a regular fan of Shirou, for leave, Shirou invited Fujino after consulting with Shiki, and the three of them went out to watch the fireworks festival together that night.

The streets were already packed with people, and there were all sorts of vendors on both sides.

"It seems that this festival is presided over by the Ryougi family. I heard it from my mother."

"I don't know, don't ask me."

Fujino and Shiki chatted intermittently as they walked, while Shirou, acting as their protector, walked behind them with his arms crossed.

At that moment, a "whoosh" sound rang out from above.

The three of them looked up at the same time, and colorful fireworks scattered across the night sky.

"it's beautiful……"

Fujino gazed longingly at the bursting fireworks, while Shiki watched in silence.

Summer is over... Shirou sighed wistfully.

"Fujino, would you like some candied apple?"

"I want to eat."

Shirou then looked at the black-haired girl: "Where's Shiki?"

Without saying a word, Ryougi Shiki grabbed his hand and led him toward the stall.

"Ah, how cunning... I also want to hold hands with Shirou-kun!"

---------

*

**

Volume 4, Chapter 165: The living room of the Kuonji Temple residence has recently become…

When exactly did my life begin to go astray?

The young man, Shirou Amamiya, has been tilting his head and thinking about this problem a lot lately.

"I said, you've already satisfied yourself, haven't you! You can rest now, sister!"

"Oh dear, what evidence do you have for saying that? If you ask me, you're the one who should rest, Aoko. After all, you've already enjoyed yourself several times before I came here."

"Shirou-kun, you like...?"

The Western-style mansion that was relocated to Shirokenzuka—Kuonji Residence.

Shirou spends a weekend here every month, and he has done so almost every year for several years without interruption.

Although she is nearly 30, Kuonji Aratsu looks and has the same appearance and demeanor as when she was 17.

Shirou felt that even a hundred years from now, the world would be a completely different place for him, and the girl living in the mansion would probably remain unchanged.

As one of the few friends of the Eternal Witch who lives in seclusion in the modern world, Aozaki Aoko is now the woman standing at the very top of the Mage's Association—even so, she still visits the Western-style mansion frequently.

Visiting old friends is just a pretext; the real reason is probably to meet one's secret lover.

The weekend spent with Aoko and Arisu in the mansion was the best and most pleasant rest for Shirou.

But this blissful time didn't last long; that fairytale-like leisurely period didn't last long.

In the living room, the old leather sofa shook violently, creaking and groaning.

*.

As Aoko Aozaki has grown older, she has developed an increasingly passionate and unrestrained appearance and temperament.

Now she is an unparalleled beauty who can make passersby stop and stare when she walks down the street, and in the realm of demonic arts, she has completely mastered the principles of the universe.

However, this great mage was currently swaying her body, baring her teeth at Aozaki Touko, who was both her sister and nemesis, and struggling to kick her off the sofa.

As Aoko's older sister, Aozaki Touko, the Grand Magician of the Clock Tower, also has bright red hair flowing freely, and she enjoys the fight.

The battle of wits between the beautiful sisters of the Aozaki family unfolded in the living room, yet it didn't feel vulgar at all; in fact, it was as beautiful as a painting...

Shirou was so engrossed in the beautiful scenery that he momentarily forgot to stop them.

Just as he was about to speak up to mediate the war—

Unlike Aoko and Touko's mature feminine charm, a slender witch crawled over using all four limbs.

With the whispers that reached her ears, the mediation plan fell apart.

"Shirou-kun...you've taken care of those two enough, haven't you? It's about time you started showing some affection to Ari-neechan."

Although it was still her usual cold voice, there was a hint of sullenness in her tone as she looked up at Shirou's first magician—Kuonji Aratsu.

The witch who once exuded an aloofness, ignoring Shirou and speaking harshly to him, is now...

Her upturned gaze, a mixture of flattery and coquetry, combined with her pure and aloof beauty, constantly fueled Shirou's sense of superiority as a man.

So... why did it turn out this way?

It all started one afternoon six months ago, with Aozaki Touko's second invasion of Misaki Town.

The orange-haired magician, who had already established some kind of relationship with Shirou, handed a videotape to the two who were barely maintaining a last shred of purity with the boy.