Aozaki Aoko Case File [328]

Aoko and Touko returned to the exact spot they had left from — the backyard lawn of the Kuonji residence.

Looking up, Aoko saw the pitch-black night sky glittering with stars. They had left in the afternoon, yet it was night now. This indicated that, just like the last time Aoko returned from Lina's world, there was a noticeable time discrepancy — perhaps just a little off.

"Hmm~~~" Touko stretched lazily and yawned. "It's probably just my imagination, but I feel so tired all of a sudden. Dinner's on you~"

With that, she reverted to her true form — the loli version of Touko — and dashed off toward the front entrance, eager to enjoy the comforts of modern life again.

Aoko sighed and followed at a leisurely pace. She wasn't yet sure how much time had passed, but if it differed too greatly from when she had left, there could be some tricky consequences.

Entering the entryway of the Kuonji residence, Aoko took off her slightly warm boots while looking around at the familiar surroundings.

Though the hallway and living room lights had been turned on by Touko, it was clear that no one was around.

After changing into fluffy slippers, Aoko saw Touko emerge from the kitchen holding a large glass of juice with ice. She plopped down on the comfy living room sofa, happily sipping through a straw as her little legs swung back and forth.

Aoko snapped her fingers, summoning an invisible servant to bring her a glass of water. She wasn't worried about them waking up Alice or the girls with their talking and activity — every room in the Kuonji residence had been magically soundproofed. So even in the middle of the night, both she and Touko were completely relaxed.

Touko was quick to change — her Clock Tower mage robes were already hanging on the coat rack in the living room. Now she was wearing an oversized set of pajamas, looking completely loose and carefree. It was hard to imagine this was the same genius who once commanded the Clock Tower.

As she chatted idly with Touko, Aoko also changed into her casual indoor clothes. When she looked up at the wall clock, she realized it was already around 3 AM.

"Hey, it's late now. Do we still want a midnight snack?" Aoko asked. "Isn't that kind of unhealthy?"

"Are you joking?" Touko rolled her eyes. "You, talking to me about health? That's like trying to sell shampoo to a bald guy. Of course, I'm eating!"

Aoko shrugged. She was just trying to find a lazy excuse anyway... but it didn't matter. She could prep a bit for breakfast tomorrow, too. After all, they had spent nearly a year in the boundary realm. While they hadn't been lacking in food, it didn't compare to the comforts of home.

So, she got to work.

She stood up and headed to the kitchen. Touko had already turned on the TV and was engrossed in a late-night show a year of deprivation had taken its toll.

Since it was just the two of them, Aoko didn't plan on making anything too elaborate. She checked the fridge — it was packed full of fresh ingredients, but oddly, they weren't the same as what she had stocked before leaving. That gave her a bad feeling.

Still, what's done was done. She decided to make something delicious to lift their spirits — a creamy sausage pasta. Since health and weight weren't concerns, she could go all-in on flavor.

She took out a pack of Italian sausage, sliced open the casing with a small knife, and chopped it into pieces. Then she finely diced a red onion and some peeled garlic cloves.

Next, she thinly sliced some washed matsutake mushrooms and set all the ingredients aside. She added oil to a pan and heated it, then sautéed the onion and garlic until the onions turned translucent. She added the mushrooms and sausage, turned up the heat, and stir-fried until the mushrooms began to soften.

Meanwhile, she drained the Pappardelle noodles that had been boiling for about 15 minutes and added them to the pan. She adjusted the heat, poured in some broth and light cream, and added a few basil leaves for flavor.

After about five minutes, she added pepper and salt, stirred everything together, and plated the deliciously fragrant pasta.

Satisfied, Aoko took a deep breath of the aroma, poured fresh juice into two glasses with ice, and wheeled the food into the living room.

But when she returned, she found Touko frowning at the TV, silent and disturbed by something.

"Hey Aoko, do you know what day it is today?" Touko asked seriously.

"No idea," Aoko said as she set the food and drinks down on the coffee table. "But I figured there might be a time discrepancy. The boundary realm is a different dimension, after all — time doesn't flow the same as it does on Earth."

"This isn't just a little discrepancy, Aoko," Touko said through a mouthful of creamy sausage pasta. "We've been gone for a whole month!"

"A month?" Aoko said in shock. "It's off by that much?"

"See for yourself." Touko pointed at the date on the TV screen. "It's been one month and three days since we left. So, what do you think? Will Alice be mad?"

A hundred percent, Aoko thought to herself. She had confidently promised Alice not to be gone for long — maybe just a morning departure and an afternoon return!

She could still picture Alice's smiling face vividly. Gritting her teeth, Aoko dug into her pasta. Looks like a scolding from Alice was unavoidable now. Oh well — might as well enjoy the midnight snack first.

...

The next morning.

Aoko had already completed her meditation and spell prep early on. She quietly snuck into the kitchen, planning to make a luxurious breakfast to apologize to what was probably a very angry Alice. But surprisingly, even after she poured all her effort into preparing an extravagant breakfast and laid it out in the dining room, Alice still hadn't shown up.

Could she be that angry...? Aoko thought nervously.

As the owner of the residence, Alice could check the status of any room except bedrooms and bathrooms. So Aoko sat patiently by the table and waited.

…However, even by 10 AM, when Touko wandered into the dining room in her pajamas, yawning and digging into breakfast, neither Alice nor the girls had appeared.

Something was not right.