Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: LothWolf

At the critical juncture where Touko was dealing with Nero Chaos, Aoko had already left the church and returned to the streets.

Initially, she thought that the appearance of any of the Dead Apostle Ancestors in Tokyo would pose a similarly grave threat to ordinary humans. However, upon learning that the White Winged Lord might unleash Einnashe, the nature of the situation changed entirely.

It was akin to discovering that a group of terrorists would commit random acts of violence against innocent people, only for one of them to suddenly pull out a biochemical bomb capable of infecting the entire world with a deadly virus. In such a case, the highest priority would be to deal with that individual.

Aoko's knowledge of the White Winged Lord was limited. Her understanding came from vague memories of her previous life and scattered information from magical tomes in this life. Beyond that, she knew little about this cunning and manipulative figure.

To track down such a shrewd adversary, Aoko had no choice but to seek information about Trhvmn Ortenrosse from Ciel. Only by gathering this knowledge could she formulate an appropriate plan.

Ciel, without holding back, shared everything she knew. However, after carefully comparing the information, Aoko realized there were discrepancies between the details and her assumptions.

Firstly, the White Winged Lord's goal in hunting Altrouge Brunestud wasn't due to hatred for True Ancestors, as Aoko initially speculated. Instead, it was tied to his ideology within the Dead Apostle faction: "Simple is Best."

This philosophy advocated that Dead Apostles should retain only the essential traits of vampiric beings. Complexities like the concept of Principle, the lineage of Crimson Moon, or other research-driven transformations were unnecessary. Those who became Dead Apostles for the sake of prolonged research were the ones he despised the most.

Consequently, the Brunestud sisters became the greatest obstacle to his ideology. Many members of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors supported the Brunestud sisters, opposing the White Winged Lord's views. Thus, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to target Arcueid when she was acting alone.

However, Aoko suspected that if the White Winged Lord was stirring up trouble, the Black Princess, Altrouge Brunestud, might also be making her moves. Aoko had a premonition that she might run into an old acquaintance, the Primordial Murder. This thought filled her with a strange sense of anticipation.

By now, it was almost 11 PM. Aoko checked her watch and decided that it was time to wrap things up for the night. If she delayed any further, it might disrupt their rest. She resolved to find Touko first and return to the hotel together.

...

"...I have to ask, White Princess, what exactly are you doing?"

Aozaki Touko looked helplessly at the beautiful woman in front of her, who was circling her while sniffing curiously. The behavior reminded her of a clingy, fluffy golden retriever, and she wasn't sure how to handle it.

"Your scent reminds me of that place," Arcueid Brunestud said with a bright smile, moving closer and closer to Touko. "Even though you're a Magician, you're surprisingly likable."

"Well, I'm flattered," Touko replied, unfazed by the ambiguous tone of the beauty's words. Unlike a blushing young girl, she was not easily flustered. "But if you'll excuse me, I have other work to attend to."

"Can I come with you then?" Arcueid asked immediately. "Your job is to hunt down the Ancestors who've come to this land. My job is to find the reincarnated Serpent. Wouldn't it be more convenient if we worked together?"

Despite feeling that this golden retriever-like woman might have ulterior motives, Touko remembered Aoko's earlier instructions about cooperating with the White Princess when necessary.

She frowned, weighed the pros and cons of moving with Arcueid, and eventually let out a sigh.

"Fine, White Princess," Touko relented. "I'll work with you, but are you aware that several members of the 27 Ancestors have already arrived in Tokyo and are planning to hunt you?"

"Hmm... I wasn't planning to care about such things," Arcueid said, looking troubled. "But it seems like I can't avoid it this time. I'll just have to kill them all."

Touko was about to say something else when she noticed Aoko descending from the sky toward them. It seemed she had finished her business and had come to retrieve her.

"Ara~, what a rare sight," Aoko said lightly as she landed, looking at the golden-haired woman standing far too close to her sister. "Aren't you going to introduce her to me, Touko?"

From Aoko's tone, Touko detected a hint of displeasure. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but if she continued to entangle herself with this golden retriever, things might get messy.

"I just finished one of my jobs," Touko sighed, subtly shifting her position away from Arcueid. Speaking to Aoko, she added, "Nrvnqsr Chaos, one of the 27 Ancestors, was devoured by my familiars."

"And this here..." Touko gestured toward the golden-haired woman and introduced her. "This is the Princess of the True Ancestors, Arcueid Brunestud."

"Hi! You can just call me Arcueid!" Arcueid said cheerfully as she approached Aoko. Completely unaffected by Aoko's earlier sharp tone, she grabbed her hand and gently shook it. "I didn't expect to meet a second Magician today. Is my luck unusually good?"

Aoko, initially irritated by seeing Touko entangled with this clingy woman, was now flustered as she found herself suddenly pulled into Arcueid's friendly grasp. Why is this woman so overly familiar?!

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, White Princess," Aoko said, making an effort to stay composed. "Given that there are plenty of unsavory individuals in this city, it's not ideal for us to linger here. Why don't you join us back at the hotel to discuss things further?"

"Huh? You're inviting me to your hotel right off the bat?" Arcueid seemed surprised. "Although Merem told me never to trust strangers easily, Magicians should be fine, right?"

Arcueid quickly convinced herself, then nodded with exaggerated seriousness.

"Alright, I'll accept your invitation. I'm curious to see what human hotels look like these days. I've only read about them in books."

Aoko found herself at a loss when dealing with this pure-hearted yet unpredictable individual. She gave Arcueid a quick warning not to resist, then took both her and Touko by the hand. With a teleportation spell, the three of them disappeared and reappeared in a luxurious hotel suite.