[16]

The next morning, Aoko had still taken the day off from school.

The teachers, including Kazuki Yamashiro, couldn't do much about it. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but her academic performance was flawless, consistently ranking first in her grade. So, no matter how often she took days off, as long as she met the minimum attendance requirements, no one at school could find a reason to stop the second daughter of the Aozaki family from skipping class.

Although she occasionally rode her beloved Interceptor (a Honda VF750F) around, it was technically unlicensed driving. Motorcycles, being smaller vehicles, were often overlooked, but if it involved transporting goods, she couldn't get away with it. So, Aoko had no choice but to call her dad to help drive the truck since it involved her grandfather's inheritance, and she couldn't trust outsiders with the task.

"Heave-ho!"

Aoko channeled her magical energy, lifting a ridiculously heavy-looking box and tossing it into the truck bed before clapping her hands.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to help?" her father asked, sounding a bit worried. His simple values made him think the box might crush his daughter's slender waist.

"No problem. This should be the last one," Aoko said, surveying the scene.

"I'll go lock the door. I probably won't be coming back anytime soon."

Her father nodded and got into the driver's seat. Aoko quickly climbed in from the other side, took the passenger seat, and fastened her seatbelt.

Her dad was a skilled driver; the truck moved smoothly down the road without a single bump.

Neither of them spoke much. Aoko rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. The scenery of Misaki Town looked especially nice today—no wonder the local government wanted to develop the tourism industry.

"Did your grandfather… pass away?" her father asked hesitantly.

"I don't think so," Aoko replied, blinking.

"It's just that after I finished some things last night, I couldn't find him. You know how he's always been so mysterious."

"Ah, I see," her father replied, sighing in relief with a tone suggesting, I figured that was the case.

"Let's stop by the house Touko and I share first," Aoko instructed, "and then drop me off at the Kuonji residence."

"No problem," her father nodded.

"By the way, Touko called home yesterday. Looks like she'll be coming back soon."

"…Is that so." Aoko fell silent for a moment. It seemed her stubborn older sister would be returning, likely bringing her dog along for a confrontation.

"Say, have you two been fighting?" her father asked.

"Maybe over your grandfather's inheritance or something?"

"Don't you have inheritance rights too, Dad?"

Aoko slyly retorted.

"Give me a break," her father chuckled bitterly while driving.

"Your grandfather gave up on me a long time ago."

"Not that it's a good thing," Aoko said casually, "but that old man was kind of a jerk."

"Aoko, promise me," her father suddenly said seriously.

"Get along with your sister, alright? Just as a favor to your old man."

"…I'm fine with that," Aoko replied, a bit exasperated.

"But you know Touko is incredibly stubborn. When she comes back, I might have to fight her again."

...

After unloading most of the boxes at her house, Aoko uses magic and Arcane spells to lock up the storage area. Then she and her father drove to the Kuonji estate.

It was around 3 PM when the truck ascended the mountain and arrived at the Kuonji residence.

As promised, Kuonji Alice was waiting for Aoko at home. Aoko's father, aware of Alice's special status, didn't linger long. After saying a few parting words to Aoko, he drove off.

Alice sat nearby, watching as Aoko channeled her magic to enhance her physical strength. She then proceeded to haul the heavy boxes into the living room individually.

"What's this?"

Aoko asked as she began sorting through the items in the boxes. She picked up a glass jar containing a strange object soaked in a pale yellow liquid.

"Some kind of cursed item?"

"...It seems to be a type of spirit root," Alice identified it.

"A core material used to make earth or stone golems."

After hearing this, Aoko stared at it for a moment before setting the bottle aside and continuing to rummage through the box.

"This stone looks familiar…"

Aoko pulled out a rock glowing with arcs of varying colors, encased in resin.

"A cursed beast's gallstone," Alice said.

"A concentrated mass of curses found in large magical creatures. It's a valuable material for curse magecraft."

"That'll be useful," Aoko said, inspecting it before placing it in the "useful" pile.

"Self-restraint scroll," Aoko said, pulling out a parchment scroll and identifying it. She set it aside.

"Won't need that for now."

"Huh?"

Aoko took out something resembling a brass-cased pocket watch. Upon closer inspection, it only had letters marking four directions and a single hand.

"Is this a compass?"

"It's a magicometer," Alice said after studying it.

"A tool used to detect large sources of magical energy. It's quite expensive."

Curious, Aoko pressed the button on the top of the pocket watch, only to find the needle pointing steadily toward herself. She shook it left and right, but the magicometer's needle remained fixed on her.

"...It's probably because your magic power is too immense," Alice said. "This kind of tool typically only points to the person with the highest magic power nearby."

"…So it's completely useless for me?"

Aoko frowned.

"Here, it's yours, Alice."

Without hesitation, Aoko handed the finely crafted magicometer, along with its wooden box, to Alice.

Alice accepted it without comment, knowing Aoko wasn't the type to fuss over small details.

Aoko sped up her sorting of her grandfather's relics, categorizing various strange devices and magical materials on the living room carpet. Alice occasionally made a comment or two. However, her grandfather's collection was so extensive that some items even Alice couldn't identify.

It took Aoko more than two hours to open and inspect all the boxes in front of her. She wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead and pulled out the last metal box from the large container. It was secured with a lock featuring a complex mechanical structure, inscribed with a language she didn't recognize, and sealed with magic.

Alice looked at it and shook her head, indicating she couldn't unlock it. Aoko frowned, thought for a moment, and retrieved her spellbook from the imaginary space, flipping to the page where she stored a first-level spell scroll.

"Instant Locksmith," Aoko whispered. In an instant, the scroll ignited, turning to ash and disappearing without a trace. The box emitted a series of delicate mechanical sounds, followed by a click, and the lock disengaged.

Aoko happily opened the lid and found a finely crafted crystal bottle with a narrow spout inside. The bottle was filled with an unknown liquid that emitted a faint blue glow.