Aozaki Aoko Case File [36]

The bathroom at the Kuonji residence was a luxurious space with a distinctly European flair. The floor was paved with warm-toned marble, adorned with elegant floral patterns. Above the sink hung a large rectangular mirror, framed with intricately carved waterproof wood.

In the corners of the bathroom stood various vases of different shapes, each containing real, living ornamental plants held in place by magic. These plants included both European-style flowers and pruned plum branches arranged in an Eastern style—a seamless blend created by a skilled professional who clearly understood the art of arrangement.

At the center of the room was an enormous bowl-shaped bathtub with a circular opening, surrounded by wooden steps for easy access and convenience. Brass pipes and faucets stood neatly exposed beside the tub, lending an avant-garde, almost steampunk quality to the design. When Aoko first saw this style, she decided to replace all the pipes in her and Touko's home with similar ones.

Aoko had heard that Alice's father, the designer of this Western-style house, was responsible for this unique bathroom. She couldn't help but admire his taste and artistic sense, which made it unsurprising that he had married someone as extraordinary as Alice's mother, a witch, despite being an ordinary person.

Humming a tune, Aoko entered the bathroom wrapped in a white towel. She approached the bathtub, bent down, and turned on the faucet to fill it with water. Under the pull of gravity, her ample chest created a deep cleavage, while her slim waist seemed to bear a weight not often seen at her age, evoking a slight concern that it might break under the strain.

As the bathtub filled, Aoko rummaged through the cabinet beside it. While a simple bath would suffice, she knew that a few special touches were necessary to fully relieve her fatigue. She took out a bag of bath salts and emptied the contents into the tub. Then, reaching for her favorite lemon essential oil, she carefully dripped eight drops into the water.

Testing the temperature with her hand, Aoko found it to her liking.

"Alice, the hot water's ready!" she called out, raising her voice to be heard outside the bathroom.

"You can come in now~"

Moments later, she heard the soft rustling of clothes at the door, which then slid open as Alice entered, wrapped in a towel. Alice's slender figure contrasted with Aoko's curves, making her look younger and more delicate. Her narrow shoulders and smooth, pale skin hinted at a fragile, almost translucent quality, likely from limited sun exposure.

As the steam thickened, Aoko nonchalantly removed her towel, setting it aside as she stepped into the bathtub. Her long, graceful legs crossed as she sat, creating a misty silhouette that invited the imagination.

"Come on in," Aoko encouraged, "If you don't get into the hot water soon, you'll catch a cold!"

At her urging, Alice approached the tub. For the first time in her life, she was about to share a bath with someone else. Though her vague childhood memories held a distant recollection of her mother bathing her, this was different. Even as a fellow woman, Alice found Aoko's perfect figure captivating, a realization that deepened the blush on her cheeks.

Suppressing her embarrassment, Alice carefully stepped into the bathtub, hugging her knees in one corner.

"Eh~?"

Aoko teased, eyeing Alice playfully as she scooted closer. With a mischievous grin, she reached over and removed the towel wrapped around Alice.

The usually composed, almost fairy-tale-like witch let out a surprisingly cute yelp, while Aoko chuckled, hanging the towel nearby.

"Who takes a bath with a towel on, anyway?"

Aoko said, feigning casualness.

"We're both girls, so there's nothing to worry about if I see you, right?"

Flustered, Alice crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the grinning Aoko. But her gaze soon drifted downward to Aoko's ample chest, which only made her blush deepen.

Sensing she had teased enough, Aoko changed the topic.

"How about a drink?" she suggested after a pause.

"Some wine will help you sleep better."

Seeing no objection from Alice, Aoko snapped her fingers, summoning a Ploy servant to bring a tray with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Uncorking the bottle, she poured a small amount of Bacchus White wine grape into each glass—this time, from the collection of her grandfather, far more exquisite than the cheap wine her father usually kept.

Handing a glass to Alice, Aoko raised hers in a toast.

After a moment of hesitation, Alice accepted the glass and clinked it lightly against Aoko's.

"Ahaha, cheers to us beating Touko's dog!"

...

Meanwhile, in a makeshift workshop hidden within an old school building, Aozaki Touko sat alone, recovering from her first-round defeat. A cheap cigarette someone had given her dangled between her fingers as she brooded.

After losing countless dolls and failing with 300,000 words of rune traps, even her ultimate creature, the legendary Lugh Beowulf, had been inexplicably defeated. What chance did she have left?

Surrender?

The thought crossed her mind briefly before she dismissed it. She was too stubborn to give up without trying again. Aoko's magical talents matched her own, and she had inherited the Aozaki family's Magic—a formidable skill, even if she couldn't fully wield it. Aoko also possessed strange, inexplicable tricks beyond conventional magic theory.

Touko stubbed out her cigarette, rubbed her forehead, and lay back on a narrow bed, pulling off her jacket. Memories of her childhood with Aoko surfaced—their laughter, their arguments, and their shared magical training. Then, the moment their grandfather unexpectedly named Aoko as the successor—a choice that left a bitter feeling Touko couldn't shake.

"I'm not like that idiot," she muttered to herself, turning over.

"I won't be weak."