Chapter 235: The Paradox Spiral Begins

Shinji kept his evaluation of Alba hidden in his heart and didn't rush to speak out because Fujino's words were not finished yet.

When Fujino made the initial phone call, she said, "Sakura has caught the attention of a suspicious person." The report just now didn't fall under the category of "caught the attention." It was merely a brief encounter, far from being closely watched. Even if Fujino misspoke, she shouldn't have only mentioned Sakura; she should have used "us." There must be more to this matter.

As Shinji thought, the morning encounter was just the beginning. Alba hadn't gone far at all; he was instead monitoring Touko's office from outside the bounded field. When Sakura went out to buy groceries, this guy exaggeratedly performed a gentlemanly gesture towards Sakura and then leisurely trailed behind her until she finished shopping and returned to the workshop. Alba then returned to his original position without doing anything in the meantime.

Throughout the tracking(stalking) process, Alba used a form of suggestive magic that had a limited range. Except for magus like Sakura or supernatural ability users like Fujino, who could see the invisible, no one could see his presence.

Upon learning of this, Fujino made a special trip outside, and Aruba similarly performed a suggestive magecraft toward her but didn't follow her as he did with Sakura. It was evident that his primary target was Sakura, probably intending to start with the one who seemed easiest to bully and gradually approach his ultimate goal—Touko.

This time, Shinji didn't immediately show his anger. He simply asked calmly, "Does Touko know about it? What does she say?"

"I've already contacted Sensei. Sensei said, 'Don't mind him. That clueless guy doesn't even consider it worth mentioning. He's putting pressure on you in this way, like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it. He wants to wait until I come back and then kill you to achieve his goal of striking at me. Hmph, his foolish head can only come up with such unimaginative plans. You should attend your classes and practice as usual, treating him as if he doesn't exist. Don't take the initiative against him. That guy is a first-class magus; he won't be easy to deal with. Of course, if he goes crazy and attacks you, don't hold back and beat him to a pulp.' That's it."

At the current moment, Touko is not in the city of Misaki. She went to Tokyo alone, assuming the identity of a doctor, and headed to the Tohno family's residence located on the outskirts of Tokyo.

The current head of the Tohno family, Makihisa Tohno, has been afflicted with a strange illness and his health has been deteriorating day by day. Despite consulting many experts, no one could find any problems. Akiha Tohno, the daughter of the head of the family and the newly hired family doctor, Touko, operates under this surface setting. However, it's unknown what secret manipulations Touko has carried out behind the scenes.

Currently, Touko's infiltration into the Tohno family is proceeding smoothly, but she won't be able to return to Misaki City for a short period.

"That's her style, and it's impressive that you've learned to emulate it so well."

"Hehe, because I'm Sensei's disciple, after all."

Even though he couldn't see it, Shinji could imagine Fujino sticking out her tongue in a cute manner, which helped ease his anger. Compared to Fujino in "Kara no Kyoukai," the current Fujino was livelier and lovelier, and Shinji liked this version of Fujino.

"So let's do as Touko said."

"Mm," Fujino softly responded.

Alba was just a small figure not worth paying attention to. Even if Shinji wasn't in Japan, it wouldn't be difficult to deal with him. The key was the significance behind Alba's appearance in Misaki City.

Alba was the most important ally of Souren Araya, and Araya's "ability to survive by using the body of a puppet" originated from Alba. Aruba agreed to assist Souren Araya on the condition that he would personally kill Touko to resolve their longstanding grudge.

Alba's appearance meant that Souren Araya's plan to take over the body of Shiki was officially underway, and the largest battle in "The Garden of Sinners" was about to begin.

This battle might not have the grand scale of annihilating the Dead Apostles like "Bloody Mary," but its danger was unparalleled.

According to the description in Chapter Five, "Paradox Spiral," of "The Garden of Sinners," this battle resulted in severe injuries to Shiki Ryougi, severe injuries to Mikiya Kokutou, the destruction of Souren Araya's physical body, Touko's death(former body), and Alba's complete demise. The extent of the carnage was evident.

That was the result of Touko's intervention. Now that Touko was absent, Souren Araya might have a chance to fulfill his longstanding wish.

Although Shinji and the others had gone to England, they hadn't let go of their concern for Misaki City. He had already disassembled the story of this city into fragments, and he naturally had to take responsibility to ensure that the ending of the story didn't become completely unrecognizable. Just because he didn't kill Souren Araya last time didn't mean he would sit idly by this time.

"Fujino, I need you to do a few things for me."

"You tell me, and I'll do it."

"First, inform Shiki that she should stay at the workshop and not go anywhere for the next few days. If she has to go out, you and Sakura should accompany her. Second, you and Sakura should be prepared. This time, you might have to use your powers."

"Okay," Fujino's voice carried an inexplicable joy. She had followed Touko to learn knowledge and diligently practiced her Mystic Eyes just to be able to help Shinji. Now she finally had this opportunity. How could she not be happy?

"By the way, what is Sakura doing?"

"Sakura is practicing magecraft. She will soon be able to master the first high-level Rune magic. She said she wants to use this magecraft to teach a lesson to that annoying guy outside."

"She's truly my little sister," Shinji sincerely felt delighted by Sakura's progress. It was the best news he had heard today.

"Should I call her and have her answer the phone?"

"Let's just forget it. Don't disturb her. Let her finish her practice, and then have her call me."

"Mm, I'll go inform Miss Shiki."

"Go ahead."

After hanging up the phone, Shinji was about to put his phone down when he suddenly remembered something and quickly dialed Touko's number.

"Hello, Touko, it's Shinji. Regarding that stalker who targeted Sakura recently—"

"I know that you know about this. I'm asking if you know the details.

Um, well, it's not like I'm into younger girls, okay, maybe a little, no, that's not the point at all. Just let me finish talking, okay?

"Did Fujino tell you that this stalker said bad things about you and mentioned a nickname from your school days?"

"...This reaction, you've switched personalities... As expected, Fujino didn't tell you. No, maybe it's because you and that stalker are too familiar, so you didn't inquire further."

"Do you want to hear the exact words? Let's get this straight, I'm just relaying the message, don't take it out on me if you get angry."

"He said, 'By the way, you may not know the nickname of that vixen.' 'The Dirty Red'; is a fitting name for her, with her flaws and imperfections, just like her name, Touko(Orange). But soon, this title will take on a new meaning—I will stain her with red~ pain~ and~ sorrow~.'"

Shinji practically shivered as he uttered the last few words. Even though they were transmitted through wireless waves, he could still feel the chilling coldness piercing through.

PS: Don't Mess with Touko.

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