Considering what might happen next, Aoko slightly adjusted her spell list for today.
Aoko's innate intelligence up to this point was 18, a value she estimated based on knowledge gathered from a fragment of the Magic Net. This meant, after a simple calculation, that Intelligence Modifier + Class Level = Number of Spells Prepared ((19-10)/2 + 5 = 9).
Zero-level cantrips did not need to be prepared in advance. For 1st-level spells, she prepared Mage Armor, Shield, Magic Missile, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, and Longstrider. For 2nd-level spells, she prepared Misty Step, Cloud of Daggers, and See Invisibility.
For 3rd-level, she only prepared one Humanoid Hold.
A total of nine spells.
Aoko's Spellbook also served to store scrolls. Some pages were temporarily added as scrolls using Imaginary Magic, copied by Aoko when she had extra spell slots, and stored for emergencies.
However, having said that, the paper and ink materials for making scrolls were very expensive in this world. Even though Aoko's family fortune was substantial, her parents and grandfather were very strict with Aoko's financial management. Aside from necessary expenses, it was difficult to purchase a large quantity of precious materials with the remaining money.
Currently, Aoko had accumulated two Haste scrolls, three Fireball scrolls, and one Humanoid Hold scroll. The cost of making scrolls was high, so she could only try to copy higher-level spells she knew, with practicality being a secondary concern.
Half an hour later, Aoko put away her Spellbook, then stretched and stood up from her chair.
---Divider---
"Touko!"
A clear, cheerful voice roused Aozaki Touko, who was engrossed in a book and deep in thought. She took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, then put them back on, seeing her younger sister descend the stairs.
"Aren't you going to class?" Touko asked in a somewhat cool tone, "You're going to be late, aren't you?"
"You, as my older sister, actually don't know that your own sister's middle school graduation is today?" Aozaki Aoko feigned anger, frowning as she said, "That's too irresponsible. I'll punish you by making you treat me to dinner! I want to eat at the new Italian restaurant on the shopping street!"
"Leaving aside that Reien and your middle school aren't even in the same city (Touko had just graduated from Reien not too long ago)," Touko wasn't swayed by Aoko at all, instead looking at her with a strange expression, "I remember the food at that restaurant isn't even as good as what you make yourself, is it?"
"I don't care!" Aoko jogged a couple of steps and sat next to Touko, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and attempting to caress Touko's chin with the other, "How can something I make myself be the same as something you, Touko, treat me to? Don't you understand?!"
"Stop it!" Touko subtly pushed away Aoko's restless hand, "You should go to school. It wouldn't be good for anyone if the student representative was late, would it?"
"Sigh~" Aoko sighed dramatically, took her hand off her sister, and stood up again, "Remember to make a reservation for tonight, okay? That place is very popular!"
Touko said nothing more, instead giving Aoko an impatient wave, signaling her to leave quickly.
---Divider---
The graduation speech as the student representative went very smoothly, and Aoko's dazzling presence would forever remain in the history of Asagami Girls' Academy.
Aoko skillfully handled all the girls who wanted to take a photo with her before graduation, or who wanted to try their luck one last time by slipping her a love letter.
During her three years of middle school, Aoko found a huge number of love letters in her shoe locker every day. She had long developed a standard procedure for dealing with such things. After all, the enthusiasm of the cute junior girls and beautiful senior girls never waned, and she didn't want to hurt the feelings of these young girls, so she had no choice but to use the power of magic to soothe these restless hearts.
Of course, don't misunderstand, Aoko did not expose the mystery of magic in front of ordinary people. She merely obtained memory manipulation magic through her sister's friend (Kujo Arika) and made slight alterations to the memories of these girls, leaving them with a dream that was half-real, half-illusion.
After dealing with all these matters, Aoko sighed slightly, looking a bit tired. A girls' school was already so formidable; what would she do at the co-ed Misaki High School in the future?
After the graduation ceremony, Aoko took her graduation certificate and found the family driver who had come to pick her up. After a quick estimate of the time, Aoko gave the driver a few instructions and then took a short nap in the car.
---Divider---
Around five in the afternoon, Aoko's car arrived in front of the Italian restaurant in the shopping street. After getting out of the car, she looked around briefly and walked towards the waiter at the restaurant's entrance.
"Do you have a reservation?" the waiter asked with a professional smile.
"I have an appointment with Ms. Aozaki Touko," Aoko replied with a smile.
"Please wait," the waiter checked the information briefly, then looked up and said to her, "Ms. Aozaki Touko has already arrived. This way, please."
Led by the waiter, Aoko arrived at a corner of the high-end restaurant. Aozaki Touko, wearing an elegant dress and a pair of sapphire earrings, sat at the table, looking out the window with a cold expression, lost in thought.
The restaurant's prices were quite high, and most of the diners were wealthy people, dressed formally. However, Asagami Girls' Academy was also a private aristocratic school, and its uniform was a type of formal wear, so Aoko's attire did not seem out of place here.
"Have you been here long?" Aoko asked Touko after sitting down, "That outfit looks very nice on you. Did you wear it especially for me?"
"You wish," Touko rolled her eyes and replied, "I have many clothes like this; I just picked one at random."
Aoko smiled and said nothing, instead picking up the menu and reading it carefully. Although she herself was very proficient in Italian cuisine, the flavors produced by different chefs always varied slightly. Aoko was very interested in these subtle differences, so she always couldn't resist trying excellent restaurants whenever she encountered them.
The meal was very pleasant. While enjoying the delicious food, the two sisters also chatted about many interesting things in their lives and studies. Aoko even discussed with Touko the difficulties she encountered while learning magic. Of course, topics about magic could not be overheard by ordinary people, and Touko had already prepared sound-proofing magic in advance.
As the meal neared its end, and the sky had completely darkened, Touko suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?" Aoko asked, who was enjoying her dessert, "Did you forget to do something?"
Touko took out an antique-looking pocket watch from her bag beside her, opened it, and activated a small piece of magic to examine it.
"Grandfather wants us to go to his Workshop," Touko said with a complex expression, "It's probably about that matter."
Indeed, Aoko had already discussed the issue of inheriting the Fifth Magic with Touko, subtly hinting that the Old Man might change his mind at the last minute, preparing her mentally.
Clever as Touko was, she easily understood the underlying meaning of Aoko's words. However, after so many years of studying magic together, the relationship between the two sisters was not as awkward and distant as in the original timeline.
However, someone like Touko was not the type to abandon her life goals due to emotional reasons. Aoko also understood this, because in a sense, Aoko and Touko were very similar.
"Let's go," Touko signed the bill and gave the waiter a generous tip, "Don't keep the Old Man waiting."
