Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

While thinking, Aika entered the game interface and suddenly found that the environment had changed to the paper figures in the game, surrounding the protagonist and setting off fireworks. The game's official team also sent an email with a birthday gift, saying that it is both a game and a companion.

"Oh, so today is the birthday of my game's main character. That's great."

Today is the birthday that Aigo set, which is why there's this special celebration. But it's not actually her birthday; it was just something she set up on a whim.

"But it's really boring. These aren't my Prince Charmings, just a bunch of fakes."

Perhaps seeing the character in the game find her 'true love' made the blonde girl immediately shut down the game and uninstall it.

"Taking care of him is just because the prince who deserves my care hasn't appeared yet, so I'm too lazy to do it. If he does appear, hehe..." The girl muttered to herself, closing her eyes again, covering her face with one hand while stroking her hair with the other.

"Ugh, so annoying... Oh well, I guess I'll find some time to meet Novia, the one Father mentioned. After all, if someone falls for me at first sight, I'll have to be direct and reject them face-to-face."

A few seconds later, Aika opened her eyes, her clear eyes shining with an endearing light. She got up, stabbed the remaining cake with her fork, forced it into her mouth, chewed it with bulging cheeks, and then gulped down the rest of the black tea.

"Let's trick him into eating a meal, consider it the price for hearing this beautiful girl's voice of refusal. He's unlikely to refuse anyway, and he'll probably never forget my lovely voice~"

075: Sajō Aika: Unnecessary feelings sprouted in my heart.

In Bucharest at noon, during my two weeks back in Novia, the sun always shone on every corner of the city, and the buildings on both sides of the street looked a little brighter under the sunlight. I rarely saw the kind of foggy and damp weather I saw.

He had originally planned to leave today, but Hiroki Sajo called and said he wanted to see him again, so he was delayed.

Right now, he was walking into the restaurant he had arranged to enter. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a spacious and magnificent lobby. The high ceiling was decorated with exquisite chandeliers, whose soft light shone down and illuminated the entire space. On the walls hung oil paintings that looked very expensive.

Novia glanced around at the well-arranged restaurant seating and immediately spotted the location that Hiroki Sajou had mentioned on the phone, along with the blonde girl who looked quite relaxed there.

Just as he expected, Hiroki Sajou came to arrange a blind date for him with this 37-year-old 'beautiful girl', Aika Sajou. It was clear that the parents were worried about their daughter, who was almost 40 and always causing trouble.

However, just as Novia approached, Ayaka Sajou seemed to see him coming too, but strangely, she didn't greet him. Instead, she got up and walked quickly and gracefully towards the restroom.

Was this considered a hasty retreat? Or did they eat too much? Or was there some other reason?

Novia, sitting down with some confusion, looked out the window. Outside the thick glass was a bustling street. He had originally been thinking about whether he could participate in the Subspecies Holy Grail War to summon Nero or Melsin.

After all, there's still some time before the American Holy Grail War begins, so we can only consider the subspecies for now.

The destination was the labyrinth of Kobek, or more precisely, a part of it, the seventh labyrinth of Elcatlas, which was occupied by a vampire named "Wolfgang Faust" who was not a Dead Apostle and was known in the magic world as "the labyrinth that devours all intruders".

The reason it is called that by the magic world is because this ancient vampire is constantly conducting a subspecies Holy Grail War there, using the soul cores of the four Servants summoned each time as experiments, attempting to elevate its own level and become an Elf, which is nature in physical form, Star Touch.

"...Was that magic? What level of charm magic is that? How could it charm me?"

At this very moment, by the mirror in the restaurant restroom, Ayaka Sajou is repeatedly touching her cheeks in front of the mirror, as if observing whether the contours and texture of her face are covered with some unknown magic.

otherwise--

How could she blush with embarrassment and feel so guilty in front of someone she had just met, because of her rude behavior? She wished she could disappear into a hole.

What to do, what to do? Anyway, it really worked, didn't it? Isn't it? Waaaaah, I don't know...

Now, the blonde girl felt increasingly guilty as she recalled her ulterior motives before coming here. After all, she had ordered every dish, intending to politely decline and then make fun of it with her friend Serene, since her father claimed to have fallen in love with her at first sight... But now it wasn't impossible.

But how to put it? The person her father introduced her to was completely different from what she had imagined. It wasn't about appearance or magical aura, but rather a feeling that arose out of nowhere. What was that feeling? Aigo didn't think it was necessarily some inexplicable love, after all, she now naturally understood the true meaning of this emotion—

If I had a child, I would definitely make that person a teacher, and... if I could kill myself, that would be the best!

What.....

Did I really think that on our very first meeting, just like those people on the internet said, I had already figured out everything about the child's birth, future education, and the ending for the two of us?

Without time to think further, Aika Sajou only wanted the man her father claimed to have 'fallen in love with at first sight' to fall even more in love with her.

Novia, Novia, what a wonderful name, a beautiful name, a name that seems to suit this person perfectly. Just saying it is so interesting. Even if you were around him every day listening to their religious ramblings—no, I mean, the sacred Bible—it would be an extremely interesting experience.

"No, no, even though it's a bit late, I still have to do my best—no, I have to make up for it in the best way possible! Novia, Novia..."

At this point, the blonde girl took a deep breath to ease her shame, and made a grabbing gesture with her right hand in the air.

Then, a magical light, visible only to magicians, appeared at her slender white fingertips. In less than a second, a crystal with a diameter of more than ten centimeters appeared on Aige's palm. This was not something that appeared out of thin air, but a high-density magical crystal formed by the gathering of the great source mana in the air.

In the world of magic, even an extremely skilled magician would need several days to create such a masterpiece, but for this young girl, it was just a matter of a blink of an eye.

The reason she did this was simply to try and salvage her already undeniable颓废 (颓废 can be translated as decadent, listless, or颓废) look, which she had been pulling all night for ten consecutive days, and to fix her messy hair, which hadn't been styled for days...

After spending a long half minute quickly getting herself ready, Aika Sajou gracefully turned and walked back to her original seat. Before coming, she had even paid for the expenses that Novia had originally planned to pay out of her own pocket.

To be honest, if it weren't for the difficulty in finding a suitable reason, Aika Sajou would only want Novia to taste her cooking, instead of the terrible food in these restaurants, and ideally, she could just keep eating her cooking.

"Hello, Novia, I'm Aika Sajou."

The girl spoke these words with her back to the midday sun. Her voice sounded even more adorable than usual, accompanied by a slightly reserved gesture. Her meticulously styled hair was so soft that sunlight could easily pass through it, and against her jade-green dress, it resembled a flower blooming in the radiance.

If Novia hadn't learned from Hiroki Sajou that Aika Sajou was actually thirty-seven years old, she probably would have mistaken her for someone only in her teens, since appearances are so deceptive.

“Um…” Sajo Aika said with a shy smile, “Because I didn’t know your preferences, I ordered all the dishes. The portions may be a bit too much, but don’t worry, it won’t bother you. It’s what I should do. Please eat as much as you like, and it’s okay if you can’t finish it.”

The girl then lowered her head and whispered:

"Also, after we finish eating here, may I invite you to my house for dinner tonight? I'll cook for you myself."

076: I can go too....

"Hmm, that won't do."

"......terribly sorry."

When Novia rejected her without hesitation, the blonde girl lowered her eyes like a child being scolded by an adult. Her reserved voice gradually became softer, her gaze wandered, and her expression grew increasingly somber.

Sajou Aika's displeasure wasn't due to Novia's rejection, but rather to herself.

She regretted it so much. She had planned to meet him the next day, but because she really didn't want to move around, she delayed it for almost half a month. Now she really regretted it. Was it because she delayed for so long that he disliked her?

Will people misunderstand me as a woman with a bad temper and laziness, not a lady, and therefore dislike me? I really want to go back and give my past self a good scolding.

But taking it slow isn't a bad idea. If it doesn't work today, then tomorrow, the day after... Oh no, I have to find a way to get Novia to eat my cooking within three days and figure out his preferences.

"If what I just said made you unhappy, I'm really sorry."

Saya Aika raised her head and stared intently at Novia with her bright eyes.

How to describe Aika's expression? It always gave Novia the feeling that she was deliberately putting on a show for her, making her feel that this girl was so bad at controlling her true feelings, which made her feel sorry for her.

But this also made Novia realize that she seemed to have indeed fallen in love with this girl at first sight. Novia wouldn't delve into the source of her feelings; she only needed to accept the purest part of it.

So let's explain the specifics to avoid her becoming suspicious and causing trouble. If a few smiles and words can put her at ease, he naturally won't hesitate.

"Actually, I didn't say anything to Sajou Aika—"

"Can you just call me Aige? I don't like it when you call me that."

Thirty-seven's love song stretched out her slender fingertips and touched her face, her cheeks slightly flushed, with a hint of sorrow.

“Aige, I am not displeased with your words. I am very happy to receive your promise, but I have to leave Romania for a few days.”

He smiled and spoke to the girl again, as a gesture of 'acceptance'. In his eyes and words, the girl felt no insincerity and would never have such a thought.

“Speaking of which…” Aika looked at her fingers with a troubled expression and raised her head slightly, “Novia, you’re a magician too, right? What you’re doing might cause you to get hurt. This kind of behavior is really too dangerous. It would be bad if you got hurt.”

This was not only news that Aika learned from her father, Hiroki Sajou, but also because she casually glanced at the magic setup in her father's car and discovered that it had indeed been broken by some unknown magic. At the time, her mindset was, "Oh, he's quite a strong magician."

The current mindset is, "Although it's very strong, it's still possible to get hurt, so it's better not to run around. Stay by your side and wait for the child to be born so you can educate him properly."

Before Novia could reply, Aika Sajou eagerly continued:

"My father said you fell in love with me at first sight, is that true...?"

The phone call I received from Hiroki Sajo was just to ask me to come out and chat with him some more; he didn't even tell me your name or photo.

The father gave Novia the impression that he couldn't wait for his troublemaking 37-year-old daughter to find someone she liked and settle down, so that her younger sister, who was studying diligently at the Clock Tower, would stop causing her trouble.

"Well..."

“I think it must be true, because—” Novia snapped out of his daze and found Aika’s slightly flushed face was now close to his side, with an adorable expression like that of a baby animal. She naturally squinted her eyes. “I think so too. This is wonderful.”

The girl's feelings about having a child are that "if I had a child, I would only want that person to be my teacher," meaning she wants to have a child with Novia and then the two of them to be the child's teachers. "And... if I could kill myself, that would be the best!" meaning she is willing to live like this for the rest of her life. The spiritual emptiness and "coldness" of living like a ghost have disappeared.

In other words, he is everything.

Seeing this, Novia understood that with just a slight nod, Aika Sajou would reappear in the world as an elegant 'lady'...

However, he still felt that Sajō Aika, who had been able to freely perform 'good' over the years, was a good child. Her mother had exhausted some kind of blessing because of Aika's birth, and that's why she died quickly after giving birth to Ayaka.

In this world, the mother miraculously survived. Presumably, even though the girl felt 'cold' towards everything, including blood ties, she ultimately chose 'good'.

Aika means "beautiful song praising love," and it represents the love that Sajou's parents had for her.

This girl, who had never shown any emotion since childhood, was like a doll. Even so, her parents raised her with love, which was unlike that of magicians.

Countless times I've spoken to my child, stroked their cheeks and fingers, and poured out all the love I could think of into words, as if the child were living on while dying—

Even though young Aige was described in such a way by other magicians, her parents never cared. Even though she had eyes that seemed to see through everything and terrifying magical talent, she received no response. Her parents still loved their child as always and did not treat her as a puppet.

therefore--

"No, I didn't actually fall in love with you at first sight, it's probably just a little misunderstanding... But, well, I really do like you, Aika, and I'm incredibly happy that you would fall in love with me at first sight."

Novia showed neither shyness nor impatience towards the girl so close to her; instead, she looked directly into her clear, pale eyes.

"So, Aigo, can you stay here and wait for me to come back peacefully? If you stay the way you are now, I think I will like you more and more, that's the truth."

"...I like it...but, but, I...like..."

It would be a lie to say that Aika was completely unmoved by not receiving affirmation of "love at first sight"; she did feel a slight sense of disappointment. However, Novia's declaration of "I like you" made Aika incredibly hot, as if she couldn't bear the loneliness any longer, and her lovely voice now trembled slightly.

"If you're going anywhere, I can go with you, and I definitely won't let you worry about me. Can I come with you...?"

077: The story of a philandering, scumbag pope deceiving an innocent young headmistress.

In a research room of the Atlas Institute, near the door, there was something that looked like a wisp of smoke floating around. This smoke was invisible to those without keen spiritual vision, and it was a magical barrier set up by the Atlas Institute staff who were in the area.

"Oh my, it was a vampire who did this. I really didn't expect that. That's amazing."

A purple-haired girl wearing the uniform of the Atlas Academy, a hat without a brim, and three long braids hanging down to her waist, finished speaking expressionlessly, crumpled the note with the message on it on the table, and threw it directly into the trash can.

"Although I am also a vampire, do you really have to show me this kind of trivial matter? Do you really think I'm some kind of emergency responder? Besides, I'm not from the Clock Tower. How can the next Dean be ordered around like this?" The girl, whose real name was Shion Eltnam Atlasia, continued to mutter to herself without changing her expression, her legs propped up on the chair. "They should handle the Clock Tower's affairs themselves. There's no need for me to go."

Just now, while busy researching Shion, I suddenly received a note with information about the Demon Cave 'Elcatlas Seventh Labyrinth'.

The infamous 'Seventh Labyrinth of Elcatlas' is filled with countless dangers on every floor, including fantasy creatures, chimeras, automatons, deadly traps, and barriers. It is virtually endless. Even though many explorers have tried to challenge it, none have survived. Even magicians directly dispatched by the Mage's Association have been unable to conquer it.

Now, a vampire has set up a sub-Celestial Grail at the bottom of this labyrinth and initiated a ritual, automatically summoning four servants to this location.

To be precise, Shion wasn't uninterested in the subspecies Holy Grail War, but she lost motivation when she saw that it was an automatic summoning. After all, she still had artifacts she wanted to use and wanted to see if she could summon that person.

Because when she entered the Atlas Academy years earlier, she rightfully earned the top score based on her own talent, and was thus awarded the Atlasian surname as the certificate of the next Dean...

But at that very moment, a stone and a seemingly well-preserved piece of food suddenly flew from somewhere and landed in her hands.

Although Shion was certain that this was the first time she had ever seen this ordinary stone and the Egyptian traditional pastry that had been bitten several times, she felt an irresistible urge to cry, as if a wish had been born in her heart, a feeling she had never experienced before.

The award had to be given in haste to avoid letting everyone in the Atlas Academy see the purple-haired girl, who had always been competitive and active, crying so hard that her eyes were red and swollen.

It wasn't until the next day that I learned that these two items were actually 'treasures' left behind by a certain Atlas Academy dean from the first century AD. He seemed to be the earliest person in the history of the Atlas Academy to obtain an instructor position, and even Shion herself only obtained the position of instructor at the age of eight.

Out of curiosity, Shion naturally searched for information about the headmistress named Cialis within the academy and discovered that in addition to being a true genius, she was also from the Eltnam family, who used the Mystic Code Aether Thread, just like herself. In other words, she was practically her ancestor.

Perhaps it's because I'm so outstanding that Dean Xia Li specially left something for me two thousand years in the future. I must not let her down.

With this mindset, Shion became increasingly engrossed in her research, completely disregarding the fact that she had always been alone.

One day, when she casually took out the stone to examine the technology, she accidentally triggered a switch. What followed was a voice that sounded exactly like her own. Before this, the purple-haired girl had never imagined that this stone, besides being exquisitely crafted, would also have a recording function.

But this unexpected joy was quickly and cruelly shattered; after hearing the news, Shion had never felt so angry—

"Novia, there's something I want to say to you, even if you might say you don't need it, but I still want to tell you... Congratulations on achieving your goal, you're amazing, and I really look forward to seeing you again next time."

"I didn't hear you... Why? How come you don't know how to use it...?"

Ziyuan naturally knew that the name Novia was the first pope of the church in the first century AD, but how could he have this relationship with the dean?

Although her reason urged her to calm down, an inexplicable displeasure wouldn't subside. Confused, she secretly used the Spirit Particle Calculator - Tri-Pointed Hermes to inquire whether the legendary person who went to heaven had truly gone to heaven, and what kind of person he was.

as a result--

I had a feeling I'd be searched one day, and sure enough, I'm so glad. Anyway, thank you for knowing my name, and best of luck.