To Become a King and a Magician

Night arrived sooner than expected, perhaps because they were so engrossed in practicing Summoning Magecraft. By the time Naoki and Ayaka finally had a moment to breathe, the sky was already pitch black.

"Once a Magus gets busy, they lose track of time." Ciel remarked with a smile, observing from the side.

"But are you sure you're okay like that?"

"Do I look okay to you?"

Right now, Naoki's face was smudged with black marks, his clothes tattered, and his usually radiant golden hair dulled by dust. He looked like a homeless person living under a bridge—truly pitiful.

Ayaka blushed, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, Naoki, I… I couldn't control those fairies properly."

Naoki's disheveled state was entirely due to the fairies Ayaka summoned. For some reason, every time they appeared, they "greeted" Naoki roughly. While they didn't hurt him, it was utterly humiliating!

It felt like they were out for revenge!

Naoki thought he'd never had issues with fairies, right? Could it be because he used to summon them to work for him, and his reputation soured among them?

"I'll clean up the workshop. Naoki, you go shower first. Call Miss Aoko too; we'll have dinner together." Ayaka said.

"In that case, I'll mooch another meal here. Make curry for me." Ciel chimed in.

"If Senpai wants curry, we're all eating curry." Ayaka replied.

"Hehe, sorry, but without curry, I lose my appetite." Ciel said.

After returning the catalysts to their places and cleaning up the fairy residues, Ayaka turned around. "Senpai, maybe you could—huh? Senpai?"

Just seconds ago, she'd heard Ciel's voice, but when she turned, the workshop was empty. Ciel had vanished.

"Hm… went to the bathroom?" Ayaka muttered, resuming her cleanup without thinking much of it.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Meanwhile, in the bathroom.

After finishing her shower, Aoko sighed in relief while drying off. "Haaah… a bath after a nap is the best. Feels like I'm alive again. Shame there's no milk."

Drinking milk after a bath was a habit Aoko picked up while vacationing in an onsen town. Whether it was placebo or not, it always left her refreshed.

(But… it's starting to fade, isn't it?)

Aoko wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at the flower motif on her chest. As Merry had said, it was beginning to dim. The edges were fraying, likely to disappear completely in a few hours.

She came to this world to repay her debt to Naoki and help him. If this motif vanished, she'd need Naoki's protection again. That thought irritated Aoko. She wasn't the type who always needed saving!

But to sustain this spell, she'd have to get close to Naoki.

Her hand unconsciously touched her lips. Seeing her flushed face in the mirror, she snapped out of it, slapping her cheeks. "Calm down, Aoko, calm down! It doesn't have to be that, right? Sweat's enough… just keep it normal!"

Yet the image of "that scene" crept back into her mind, shattering her composure. She was annoyed, but why was she so flustered?

"Huh? The door's locked? Someone's inside?" Naoki's voice suddenly came from outside.

Like a cat with its tail stepped on, Aoko jolted, clutching her towel before it slipped. She rushed to her clothes, shouting, "It's me, Kouhai-kun! I just woke up and took a shower!"

"Aoko? Oh, got it. You done? I need to shower too. Those damn fairies made me filthy."

"I'm putting on clothes and drying my hair. Wait outside a bit; I'll be out soon!"

Outside, hearing Aoko's reply, Naoki leaned against the wall, holding his clothes. For some reason, her voice sounded panicked.

(Did she almost slip on the wet floor?)

Suddenly, another voice came from the corridor's end.

"Someone in there?" It was Ciel.

Naoki turned to Ciel, someone familiar but rarely spoken to. He nodded. "Aoko's inside. She just woke up."

"Oh, I see. Good. I wanted to talk to you. Lucky you're free." Hands behind her back, Ciel approached and leaned forward slightly. "First, nice to meet you. I'm [Gaia]."

"!" Naoki's expression froze.

Gaia? The Counter Force?

"Oh, not Earth's Gaia. Gaia here. Hm… if I say [New World Gaia], you'd get it, right?"

New World Gaia… So that's it.

"[Manaka] wants to create a new world? This is really…" Naoki was stunned.

"Unexpected, huh?" Ciel smiled. "Originally, Manaka created me as an [eye] to watch over her sister, also acting as Ayaka's caretaker. Little Ayaka couldn't do much, so I handled everything."

"Caretaker?"

"Shadow caretaker, to be precise. Pretty exhausting job. I ended up like Gaia because I had to always know what was happening in Tokyo to protect Ayaka."

(Oh, so that's what she meant by Gaia.)

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Naoki asked.

"You and Ayaka plan to stop Manaka from creating the new world, right? If you succeed, this world will vanish, including me. Ayaka will be alone."

Naoki could already guess what Ciel wanted. "So, you're asking me to look after Ayaka?"

"Something like that. There's no one else I can rely on. With Ayaka's shy nature, I worry about her living alone. Maybe because we've been together so long, I've grown fond of her." Ciel smiled. "Can I count on you? In exchange, I'll tell you about Manaka."

"No problem. But are you sure I can stop Manaka?"

Ciel pointed at Naoki's chest. "The holy sword that saves the world—with the power you have, no crisis is beyond you."

"You've saved the world multiple times. One more time should be fine, right, [Savior]?"

"You're giving me too much credit. I'm just a bit too strong." Naoki replied.

"That's enough. I'll find time later to tell you about Manaka. For now, go shower. See you later." Ciel turned and vanished down the corridor.

As Ciel left, the bathroom door opened. Aoko stepped out, and before Naoki could speak, she flicked his forehead hard.

"Ow! Aoko, what was that for?" Naoki protested.

"Nothing. Just felt like flicking an idiot who keeps saving the world alone." Aoko glared at him, annoyed. "Tonight, I'm coming to you. Got business. Don't run off—get back to your room quick."

"Back to my room… huh?" Naoki stared, puzzled, as Aoko sauntered off.

Back to his room? What did she mean?