Late at night, in the brightly lit sitting room.
The three of them sat facing one another.
The clothes Aoko had been wearing earlier had been completely devoured by a Ploy Kickshaw, so she had changed into a different outfit. Perhaps out of embarrassment, she was wearing jeans instead of a skirt this time.
In contrast, Alice was still dressed in her signature black knitwear, the close-fitting cut tracing the slim lines of her girlish figure.
"..."
The image of the two of them naked flashed through Shirou's mind again, and he quickly averted his eyes. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to notice.
"So, Aoko, you decided all on your own that I was planning to attack you? And that I even sent out [Wandersnatch] to do it?"
Arms folded, Alice looked distinctly displeased.
"Didn't I already tell you I'd accepted the time travel plan?"
"It was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I got it wrong! Sorry, Alice! Starting tomorrow, I'll do the dishes, so please forgive me!" Aoko pleaded with her hands pressed together.
"You do stupid things all the time, Aoko, but tonight really went too far."
"I am reflecting on it."
The Magician scratched the back of her head sheepishly, with not the slightest sign that she was actually reflecting at all.
"Besides, I already got punished. My favorite clothes got eaten by [Wandersnatch]!
So that makes us even this time, right?"
"Hmph..."
Alice was still a little dissatisfied, but she could not really argue with that.
A moment ago, Aoko had made her so angry that she had actually sent out [Wandersnatch].
In the end, all it had done was eat Aoko's clothes, but if it had accidentally hurt her…
That thought left Alice with a faint lingering chill.
"Forget it. If I tried to hold Aoko accountable every time she caused trouble, I'd be at it for the rest of my life.
Since there wasn't any actual damage, I'll let it go this once. Just do not let it happen again."
"Thank you, Alice-sama, for your boundless generosity~"
Aoko happily threw both hands into the air and cheered.
Shirou suddenly cut in.
"By the way, if the white mist Aoko and I saw back then was not [Wandersnatch], then what was it?"
At the time, he had definitely sensed Mana coming from the mist.
"..."
Alice said nothing.
Aoko answered for her instead.
"Ah, that... there are actually several Mystic Codes that manifest in the form of mist.
And the one we saw back then was probably [Second Ticket], [Mirror of Slumber], right, Alice?"
"Mirror of Slumber?"
"That's one of Alice's Ploy Kickshaw too. If you ignore combat ability, it's a Mystic Code that could absolutely stand shoulder to shoulder with the Great Three Ploys."
Aoko began explaining.
[Second Ticket: Mirror of Slumber].
A great Barrier whose area of effect can extend over the entirety of Misaki City. Its true form is a magical Embryo that contains another world on the inside.
When it manifests, it takes the form of dense white fog and lures visitors into the world inside the mirror.
Its basic function is to use the main body located in Alice's room, the mirror itself, to search all of Misaki and to guard and monitor the mansion.
"So what Shirou and I saw was probably [Second Ticket] after it went out of control, right?
The impression [Wandersnatch] left on me was just too strong, so I mixed them up... haha. I guess the psychological scar from back then is still there."
Aoko frowned.
"But Alice, you still cannot fully control it even now?"
Sometimes [Second Ticket] would run wild and create passages inside the mansion, drawing in anyone who happened to pass by.
Back when Aoko had first moved into the mansion, she had once fallen into it by accident.
"I'll be more careful from now on," Alice said softly, lowering her head.
It really is similar to Morgan's Mirror in a lot of ways, Shirou thought.
A familiar meant specifically for reconnaissance appeared in the room where Aoko and I were alone... was that really just an accident?
Then Aoko suddenly remembered something else that had been bothering her.
"Alice, why were you in the bathroom so long back then?"
"It was nothing."
"You were secretly putting on makeup, weren't you?"
"I said it was nothing."
"Did what I said during the day get to you?"
Back at the café, Aoko had told Alice, "You haven't changed at all after all these years." Could that comment have bothered her?
"It wasn't like that. I just felt like it on a whim."
Alice said it sharply, then turned to Shirou and warned him.
"Amamiya-kun, do not start imagining strange things either."
"Ah, right."
And just like that, the matter of Alice secretly putting on makeup in the bathroom after her bath was brushed aside.
She had felt a sense of rivalry toward Aoko, who had become more mature, at least outwardly.
And she had tried putting on makeup out of fear that someone might steal Shirou's gaze away.
That was far too embarrassing to ever admit, even if she died.
The witch lowered her face, her cheeks faintly warm.
"It's getting late. I'll go clean up the guest room I've been borrowing."
Having just seen both girls naked, Shirou worried he might be called to account for it later, so he used that excuse to leave the battlefield.
Once only the two girls were left in the sitting room, Aoko spoke up with a mischievous grin.
"By the way, back there in the bathroom..."
"What?"
"Shirou-kun was completely captivated by your body, Alice."
Alice did not answer. She only turned her face away to avoid Aoko's gaze, her cute lips pouting slightly.
"Weren't you the same, Aoko... with Amamiya-kun staring at you so intently?"
Aoko: "..."
Alice: "..."
The moment they both remembered what had happened, their faces flushed red all over again.
...
...
The seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over the course of the new week, Shirou, Aoko, and Alice held more than ten discussions.
They talked through all the situations they might run into when jumping back to 1989.
What they should do if they accidentally ended up in the wrong timeline.
How they should ask future Aoko for help if they found themselves with no way out.
And so on.
The three of them discussed every possible response plan in exhaustive detail.
Besides that, Shirou also underwent special training under the Magician, both theoretical and practical.
It also gave him a good chance to learn about modern Magecraft in a systematic way.
During that process, Shirou came across a new concept, Singularity.
A Singularity was a space-time anomaly that had split off from the normal timeline.
Most Singularities disappeared quickly and could be ignored, but some, if left alone, would distort the surrounding history.
To prevent a Singularity from forming, Aoko carefully explained to Shirou the principles he had to follow and the things he had to avoid when returning to 1989.
Once they had worked through all those fundamentals, the discussion finally returned to the most important issue.
The war of succession between the Aozaki sisters over the land of Misaki.
A time traveler's greatest advantage was information. They could not afford not to fully understand what had happened.
Aoko told Shirou about what had happened at the end of 1989.
"But there's one thing I've always found strange... why did Touko show up at that time?"
"Yeah. If she wanted the land that badly, she could have killed me and become the heir again before I started living with Alice. Did she change her mind after experiencing the hardships of the world...?"
"Aoko, do you really not understand?"
"What, do you know why?" Aoko asked, frowning slightly.
"Your sister was waiting for you to be able to stand on your own," Shirou said.
"Heh. So that's what you think, Shirou-kun? You've never even met Touko-nee-san, and yet you've imagined her in a pretty flattering light."
"What part of that is flattering?"
Aoko gave an unhappy snort.
"Just so you know, Touko-nee-san is a ridiculously beautiful woman. So do not go getting charmed by her and betraying us, all right?"
"I'd never do that. I'm Aoko-nee-san's ally!"
Ignoring Shirou's declaration, Aoko turned to the black-haired girl beside her.
"Hey, Alice, you think Shirou's unreliable too, right?"
Without even looking up from her book, the witch answered, "Yes. If it's Amamiya-kun, he really might defect to Touko."
"Why is even Alice-san saying that?!"
Aoko broke into a thoroughly delighted smile.
"To make sure Shirou does not betray us, we need to take some preventive measures."
Not having expected to be trusted so little, Shirou's shoulders slumped in dejection.
"At this point, whether it's a Curse, some slow-acting poison, hypnotic suggestion, or whatever else, go ahead and use it on me."
Aoko said it with a cheerful smile. "Just kidding. There's no way I'd do something like that.
I trust Shirou a lot, you know... Don't look so depressed. You're making even me feel awkward."
"A suggestion for Amamiya-kun..."
Alice gracefully rested her chin on one finger and sank into thought.
"Whoa, this person is actually seriously considering putting a suggestion on Shirou. That's inhuman."
Alice looked a little flustered. "I wasn't thinking about that."
"Really?"
"...Really."
"You sound very unconvinced," Aoko said with a laugh.
Just then, Shirou suddenly spoke up.
"It's fine to put a suggestion on me... If anything, we should go that far."
"Shirou...?"
Aoko and Alice looked at each other, then turned to the boy.
"Um, Shirou-kun, I was joking with Alice, so you don't have to take it that seriously... Alice, say something too."
Alice said nothing.
Apparently, the black-haired witch really was considering placing a suggestion on Shirou to keep him from betraying them.
"All right. Since Shirou says so... I'll consider it carefully," Alice said expressionlessly.
"Hey... Alice, you..."
Aoko swallowed uneasily. She knew perfectly well that, with Alice's abilities, she might actually be able to create a suggestion that transcended the timeline.
Once they had made sure every possible angle was covered, they tentatively settled on the time for the leap.
On the night before they put the plan into action, the three of them spent their last quiet evening in the living room as usual.
The news playing from the television served as background music.
Alice sat quietly on the sofa reading, while Shirou and Aoko chatted idly beside her.
"Wait, Aoko-nee-san, you were the student council president in high school?"
"Hmph hmph, surprising, right?"
Shirou shook his head. "No, not really."
Unlike the easygoing personality she usually showed, Aoko revealed a serious, responsible side whenever she was teaching Shirou. She really did have the air of a student council president.
Aoko smacked the boy hard on the back. "Oh, come on! You were totally surprised! Just admit it, kid!"
The blow made Shirou sway all over the place, and he replied with a wry smile.
"I think Aoko-nee-san must have been admired and relied on by everyone back when you were in school.
After all, both you and Alice-san are the type who... once you decide on something, you follow through to the end."
That was why the two of them got along so well and yet were constantly at odds, though Shirou kept that part to himself.
"If I mess up this time travel... Aoko-nee-san will probably blame herself terribly.
So if nothing else, I'm going to do my best to keep that from happening."
"Oh, ohhh."
Aoko froze for a second, then said, "You really are dependable... I'm counting on you, then."
"Leave it to me," Shirou said confidently.
"Amamiya-kun, I'll be waiting in my room."
Alice closed her book and rose from the sofa.
It seemed she had already decided what kind of suggestion to use.
Shirou had never gone into Alice's room before, but he knew which one it was.
After saying good night, he headed for her room.
Aoko silently watched his retreating back.
It was an elegant room, refined without being overly luxurious, very much in the Kuonji style.
It was filled with all sorts of beautiful decorations. How many of them were actually Ploy Kickshaws, one wondered.
Shirou didn't really have a concrete sense of it himself, but Aoko had already told him just how incredible a Magus Alice was.
So even some inconspicuous ornament in this room could probably be traded outside for enough money to cover an ordinary person's living expenses for a lifetime.
Looking at Alice's slender waist, Shirou suddenly felt a pang of sympathy when he thought about how, once he was gone, she would go back to living in extreme poverty.
"Amamiya-kun, why are you standing there? Sit down somewhere."
"Yes, Alice-san."
Shirou sat nervously on the edge of the bed.
He noticed a huge mirror in the corner, lavishly decorated.
That was probably the "Second Ticket: Mirror of Slumber" Aoko had mentioned, he thought.
"I'm going to place the suggestion now," Alice said softly.
"Okay. I'm ready," Shirou replied with a solemn nod.
Seeing how calm he was about it, Alice knit her beautiful brows.
"The content of the suggestion will be 'absolute obedience.' Is that acceptable?"
Shirou paused for a moment.
A suggestion of "absolute obedience"?
That would be troublesome...
In other words, Shirou would not only be unable to disobey "the current Alice," he also would not be able to disobey "the Alice of 1989."
There was no way that wouldn't have a negative effect on the operation. It was practically like dancing in shackles.
But...
If it was to earn Alice-san's trust, then this much sacrifice was only natural.
Shirou nodded firmly. "No problem."
The warm atmosphere in the room changed in an instant.
The witch's deep black left eye gradually took on an ominous red hue.
That was Alice's Mystic Eye (Scripps Humpty).
As a Mystic Eye, its rank was not especially high. However, because Alice herself was a witch of the highest order, it possessed an extremely high degree of Mystery.
Once the Mystic Eye was activated and converted into an acrostic, the rules governing Alice's "suggestion" would also change, giving it a compulsory effect more like a "command."
"...From this moment onward."
The modern witch slowly spoke the contents of the suggestion.
The target of that phrase, "from this moment onward," included not only the "future" but also the "past." It applied to every single moment beginning from this instant.
With her Mystic Eye fixed on Shirou's pupils, Alice Kuonji spoke a suggestion carrying absolute compulsive force.
"From this moment onward, no matter what happens, Alice Kuonji will obey any command given by Shirou Amamiya."
"...?"
Shirou's expression went blank for an instant. He could not comprehend the meaning of those words at all.
Alice had not placed the suggestion on Shirou, but on "the Alice reflected in Shirou's eyes" instead. It was utterly absurd.
The moment he realized what had happened, the boy shot up from the bed.
"Alice-san, you..."
He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat and would not come out.
Alice lifted her delicate face and gave him a breathtakingly bewitching smile.
"Please take care of my past self, Amamiya-kun (Master)."
With that...
No matter how time might leap, Shirou and Alice would never be separated again.
The wicked little witch thought to herself in silence.
...
The next morning, carrying Aoko's trust and hopes, along with the heavy weight of Alice's feelings, Shirou boarded the time leap bound for 1989.