To Become a King and a Magician

Ayaka was utterly shocked.

Ciel's words made her instinctively glance at Naoki.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Uh… well… Ciel-senpai is here, someone you've met before." Ayaka explained. "And she said… your ex-lover… came looking for you…"

Huh?

Naoki froze.

Ex-lover? Who? Did he even have an ex-lover? A single guy with barely any appeal to women like him had an ex-lover?

(C-could it be Merry?!)

Among all the women Naoki knew, only Merry would joke like this.

Did that mean Merry came to this world? Was it because the magic left in his body vanished, making her worry and rush over?

(No… she's not that kind. If she cared about me, she probably has ulterior motives… whatever!)

Either way, Merry was unlikely to harm him, especially if it was her. Naoki had to admit he was a bit excited now.

"Naoki, should we let them in? What if it's a scam?"

"No, I think it's someone I know. Besides, even if it's a scam, it won't be a problem with me here. Don't worry."

(He didn't deny it?)

(An actual ex-lover? Could Naoki secretly be a playboy? Sure, his looks make it plausible, but… ugh, I can't imagine it.)

"Ayaka?"

Seeing Ayaka fall silent with a confused expression, Naoki waved a hand in front of her: "What's wrong? Feeling sick? Could it be a side effect from the Summoning Magecraft earlier?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll open the door now."

"I'll come with you. It's been a while since I've seen the person who wants to meet me."

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Hearing Ciel explain the situation like that, Aoko panicked, a rare occurrence: "What are you saying, Ciel? Kouhai-kun and I aren't like that. What if this causes a misunderstanding?"

"Eh? Really? Your face was full of worry for him the whole way, so I thought you two had that kind of relationship. What now?"

(My face was full of worry for Kouhai-kun?)

Aoko pulled out her phone to check her reflection. Was it that obvious?

"Just kidding."

"Ciel, you—"

Seeing Ciel's guiltless smile, Aoko suddenly wanted to punch her. The Ciel from that other place was a gentle girl—why was this Ciel such a little devil?

"But you do care about him, don't you?" Ciel continued. "Whether it's a senior's concern for a junior, friends caring for each other, or something between a man and a woman—I think all three can shift with just a small trigger, whatever it is."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing, just a feeling."

Aoko frowned: "Ciel, who are you? You're not just an ordinary Church member, are you?"

"Who knows? For now, I'm indeed an ordinary Church member, just with a bit of insight into human emotions." Ciel smiled, then glanced at the Sajyou residence.

"Oh, they're coming—excuse me, Sajyou, and Natsukawa-sama."

Following Ciel's gaze, Aoko finally saw the figure she hadn't met in half a year. Not much had changed; he was still the same as she remembered.

"Long time no see, Kouhai-kun. I'm here to save you."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Sitting across from Aoko and Ciel, Naoki looked at his senior with slight surprise: "Didn't expect you to come here, Aoko. I thought…"

"Thought who? What, are you that disappointed I showed up?" Aoko feigned anger. "Sorry it's just me."

"That's not what I meant, Aoko. I'm really glad you're here."

"But your disappointment was clear as day on your face when we met."

Naoki gave a wry smile: "Well… that's true. When I heard 'ex-lover,' I initially thought it was Merry. I didn't expect it to be you, Aoko. I was a bit disappointed, sure. But I'm genuinely happy you're here."

"Merry, huh…"

(As I suspected, Kouhai-kun really likes that succubus. She's a stunning beauty, even by my standards, but her personality…) Aoko felt Merry was almost the perfect embodiment of a "bad woman."

(Could Kouhai-kun be into bad women like that?)

(Come to think of it, Touko has a bit of that bad-woman vibe too.)

"Kouhai-kun… your taste is unique."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aoko's sudden comment confused Naoki. What was wrong with his taste? It was just a bit eclectic at most.

"Nothing, talking to myself."

Shaking her head to drop the topic, Aoko continued: "Let's get to the important stuff. I came because Merry and that Old Jewel Man back there asked me to. They said you're facing a crisis here that could destroy both worlds, and they wanted me to help you."

"Merry and the Old Jewel Man?" Naoki frowned. "A crisis… what do they mean?"

"Who knows? Those two are riddle-makers, and I don't like prying for every detail. I just want to repay my debt to you and handle their earnest request seriously."

As she spoke, Aoko glanced at Ayaka beside Naoki: "But they called it a crisis, yet you don't seem tense at all. You're even living with this sweet little girl, while Gray out there can't eat or sleep from worrying about you."

"I'm really sorry about that!"

When Gray was mentioned, Naoki's demeanor softened instantly. Though Aoko knew he was a siscon, his straightforward guilt still surprised her.

"I'll have to go back and apologize properly to Gray—no, I need to make it up to her with something tangible… Aoko, what gift do you think I should get?"

"Why ask me? I think if you go back and hug Gray, she'll be so happy she'll forget everything."

Aoko teased lightly: "Seriously, you're dodging again. About that big crisis—got any clues? Anything I can help with?"