Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

However, the ancient snake did not expect that the old man Aozaki would be so ruthless as to sever Aozaki Touko's connection with modern society by force, turning his granddaughter into a tool that only lived to inherit the family's fifth law.

For a child who has been separated from his parents since childhood and sent to the mountains, such a life is both tragic and monotonous.

It's truly thanks to Aozaki Touko's resilient personality that she's been able to persevere until now.

But this is not the worst.

In the future, the utilitarian head of the Aozaki family, upon realizing that Aozaki Touko is unable to inherit the Aozaki family's fifth law, will decisively abandon his granddaughter whom he has raised for sixteen years and choose another granddaughter, Aozaki Aoko, as the new successor.

To give an example of this, it's like the family keeps saying that the older sister is the hope, so they make her give up all social relationships and entertainment, and stay in the deep mountains to study hard for more than ten years. She's almost ready to receive her acceptance letter from Peking University or Tsinghua University...

As a result, when the day came for them to report, they discovered that the notice was written with the younger sister's name on it.

Moreover, this younger sister has never received any systematic education. She spends all her time watching TV dramas and playing fighting games. She lives a very comfortable life, enjoying the company of her parents.

In the end, the older sister watched helplessly as her younger sister took away her spot, everything she had, and negated her efforts, without receiving even a word of comfort or explanation.

Under such circumstances, the fact that Aozaki Touko didn't stab that grandfather to death is a testament to her extraordinary mental fortitude.

So, old man Aozaki, you deserve to get stabbed later.

Samael sighed, muttered a few complaints to himself, then untied his apron and sat down.

"There are lots of good food and fun things to do down the mountain. Staying in this workshop all the time is no fun. Why don't you come with me to the city?"

Upon hearing this, Aozaki Touko was tempted, but after a moment of silence, she finally shook her head.

"I promised my grandfather that I would not go down the mountain casually before I made a breakthrough."

"That wrong answer shouldn't be your whole story..."

“I know, but this is the mission I have been given since birth, and my life has already been set for this.”

Sure enough, convincing that obsessive Grand Magician to deny his past was not so easy.

Samael looked at the stubborn girl, sighed inwardly, and then smiled and changed the subject to ease the tension at the dinner table.

"Do you like these dishes?"

"Hmm, it's alright..."

Aozaki Touko slowed her movements slightly, nodded with an air of composure, and gave a fair assessment.

"Then eat more."

Samael smiled nonchalantly, picked up Aozaki Touko's bowl, chopsticks, and plate, and served her food.

It wasn't until the bowl and chopsticks had been in front of her for a long time that the somewhat dazed girl finally snapped out of her daze, accepted the gift, and hurriedly buried her head in her rice.

That gentle whisper seemed familiar.

With a slightly blurred vision, Aozaki Touko seemed to see the shadows of a man and a woman sitting at the opposite table under the candlelight, smiling at her but not daring to get too close.

She vaguely remembered that the last time she had dinner with that couple in the big house down the mountain seemed to have been many years ago.

A sumptuous dinner left Aozaki Touko very satisfied, and she volunteered to wash the dishes.

Outside the gate, Samael glanced at the still brightly lit workshop, paused for a moment in the courtyard, sighed softly, and finally turned around, started walking, and stepped over the fence.

All good things must come to an end. Although he wanted to stay longer, he eventually had to leave.

Down the mountain, the trees gradually thinned out, and a tall figure stood on a rock, gazing into the distance. As far as the eye could see, the city lights were already faintly visible.

As he turned to the side of the mountain road, Samael was stunned.

Under the bright moonlight, a girl with orange eyes, her long hair tied back and wearing black-rimmed glasses, was waiting with a large black suitcase in one hand, leaning against an ancient tree.

Samael couldn't help but break into a bright smile, raising his hand to stroke his chin as he asked playfully.

"You've changed your mind?"

"how come!"

Aozaki Touko shook her head slightly, turned her head to the side, and answered with a soft hum.

"The prosthetic leg you're wearing cost me all the precious materials in the workshop. My grandfather always said that magicians need to protect their assets."

"Oh, I see. I believe you."

Samael nodded with a smile, then extended the right arm of the doll.

"Then, please take good care of me from now on, Miss Creditor."

"Stop arguing, let's go! If we're any later, we might miss the last bus to the city!"

Aozaki Touko slapped away the guy's teasing hand, picked up her suitcase, crossed the boundary of the mountain path, and strode down the mountain.

Her cherry-red lips, bathed in the bright moonlight, were slightly upturned, outlining a faint curve.

Chapter 80 The Fall of Aozaki Touko (4.3k)

Night falls in Misaki City.

Samael, intending to broaden Aozaki Touko's horizons, enthusiastically led his creditors into a lavishly decorated dessert shop near the shopping street, following the food guide in the travel brochure. They became the last customers before closing time.

The ancient snake glanced around at the quiet environment, nodded in satisfaction, and gently tapped its hand on the counter.

At that moment, the young shop assistant, who was lying behind the partition, slacking off and reading a novel during work hours, heard the noise and was immediately startled. His hand trembled, and the evidence of his slacking off was thrown over the counter and landed in Samael's arms.

Done!

The girl, with purple hair and brown eyes, and wearing black-rimmed glasses, had a stiff expression, and her clear eyes were staring wide-eyed.

The ancient snake had excellent eyesight; its gaze swept across the cover and easily captured the full name of the "evidence".

"The Phantom of the Phantom Menace? So it's a book by Edogawa Ranpo..."

"Ah! You know Edogawa Ranpo?"

The girl was quite surprised and looked at the man in front of her with excitement.

For general readers in the UK and the US, true detective novels are more popular than ghost stories; however, in Japan, the opposite is true. True detective novels have only a small number of readers, while ghost stories have an overwhelming majority of readers. For a mystery enthusiast, it is a pleasant surprise to meet a customer who can name the author directly.

"The father of Japanese detective fiction; readers who enjoy detective novels should know a little about him."

Samael smiled and casually returned the book in his arms to its rightful owner.

Edogawa Ranpo, known as the father of Japanese detective fiction, wrote nearly a hundred works, which Kosuke certainly didn't have time to read.

However, he was quite familiar with several of his representative works, especially the book "The Twenty Faces of a Strange Man" in the hands of the young female shop assistant, which he remembered most vividly.

The novel tells the story of a master thief known as "The Phantom Thief with Twenty Faces," who is skilled in disguise and can change his appearance at will. He is bold and meticulous, always using clever methods to steal works of art. He often writes a letter to the owner before committing the crime, announcing the time he will strike. He can also successfully commit crimes in public, which attracts the attention of the detective Kogoro Akechi, who embodies wisdom in the book, to come and hunt him down. The two engage in a fateful contest and chase in the book.

Does the content and name look familiar?

Indeed, the structure of this book overlaps significantly with the story of a certain eternal death god elementary school student; it can almost be considered its predecessor.

"Kaito Kid," "Detective Conan Edogawa," "Detective Kogoro Mouri"... all these names from Samael's memories can be found in this book.

Just as Samael was about to continue the offline book-sharing session with the shop assistant, two lingering gazes from behind sent a chill down Gu She's neck. He snapped out of his daze and remembered the purpose of his visit. He quickly steered the conversation back on track and placed his order with practiced ease.

"Two crepes, one crème brûlée, one vanilla ice cream, one tiramisu, and two orange juices, please."

"It will be ready soon! Please wait a moment!"

Having gained a lot of goodwill, the waitress immediately nodded and enthusiastically led the two customers to a good spot by the window to sit and wait, before rushing into the kitchen.

Soon, the brightly colored, cute, and appetizing desserts were served on the table.

It has to be said that shops that are recommended in travel guides are at least of a certain standard. The delicious sweets also made Aozaki Touko feel happy, and she buried herself in tasting these exquisite desserts that she had never eaten before.

But this good mood didn't last long before it was completely ruined by the philandering couple across the street.

"What a coincidence to meet a fellow enthusiast in a place like this! This book, 'The Twenty Faces of a Freak,' is absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it; it's available at the bookstores nearby!"

After delivering the food, the girl's eyes lit up. She waved the book in her hand and enthusiastically introduced the food, her obviously outgoing personality was very infectious.

"The adventure elements in 'The Phantom of the Opera' do make the story quite interesting and readable, but they weaken the charm of classic mystery. Therefore, it is very suitable for beginners. As for me, I prefer Mr. Edogawa's 'The Two-Sen Copper Coin,' which is a more classic representative of classic mystery."

Samael, itching to show off, couldn't resist saying a few more words and, true to his nature, began to boast about his extensive knowledge.

"It's a pity that these are all too short. I personally prefer Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories."

"And there's Agatha Christie's 'Poirot' series. The chubby Poirot in the story makes me feel very safe, I love him so much!"

"Yes, the moral dilemma of 'Murder on the Orient Express' and the ingenious plot twist of 'Death on the Nile' are quite classic, and Agatha Christie's other novel, 'And Then There Were None,' pioneered the 'locked room mystery' trope!"

After a long conversation, the other person was able to respond perfectly to the topic of detective novels, thanks to their extensive knowledge, and provide professional opinions and evaluations.

This made the young shop assistant's eyes sparkle with delight, and her gaze towards Samael gradually developed into a feeling of regret for not having met sooner and the admiration of a low-level player for a high-level player.

During their conversation, Gu She's gaze was drawn to the silver metal earrings that the shop assistant had pinned to the chest of her white shirt.

"This brooch..."

"Did you notice? I made it myself, following the description in the book! How is it? Not bad, right?"

The shop assistant proudly showed off her craftsmanship, mentioning that the great detective Hercule Poirot had a very meaningful brooch in the book, and she had worked hard to design and recreate it.

For the shop assistant, it was a very pleasant thing that her "Easter eggs" of interacting with the novel were discovered by fellow enthusiasts.

"Like it?"

"what?"

"Give it to you!"

Before the snake could react, the friendly shop assistant opposite her decisively took off the homemade brooch and pinned it to the chest of her fellow enthusiast.

"Ahem, isn't this a bit inappropriate? This must have taken you a lot of effort..."

"It's nothing, it's just that it's rare to meet a fellow book lover with whom I can have such a pleasant chat today. Here's a small gift for you, it's nothing expensive, I can make another one myself later."

The young shop assistant waved her hand generously, in a great mood. Seeing that Samael still seemed somewhat hesitant, she thought for a moment and then spoke up.

"Here's what we'll do: take the things first. There's a cultural festival at Misaki Private High School next week, and the school's mystery club will be organizing activities. Remember to come, and we can team up to solve the puzzles. Maybe we'll win a prize!"

"that……"

"Stop being so wishy-washy, it's settled then, I'll wait for you!"

Before Samael could refuse, the somewhat carefree young female shop assistant patted the man on the shoulder and happily retreated, continuing to rummage behind the counter, devouring the unfinished book, "The Twenty Faces of a Monster."

A strange woman with twenty faces? Quite an interesting girl...

Samael took a sip of orange juice, looked down and played with the unique brooch on his chest, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Stab!"

A series of screeching sounds came from the table and the plastic knife. Samael's eyelids twitched and his face stiffened slightly. He then remembered that he had been so busy showing off his skills that he seemed to have forgotten about the little girl he had lured away from home.

Ugh, that damn vanity...

"puff!"

Just as the ancient snake was reflecting and sighing, Aozaki Touko's knife swept across, and the delicate little white rabbit-shaped caramel pudding had its head cut off straight. With a few more slashes, it was a precise dismemberment operation, completely crushing it, and then feeding it to her mouth with a spoon.

Samael shrank his neck, swallowed hard, and forced a stiff smile onto his face.

"Ahem, Orange..."

"I'm stuffed."

However, before the man could finish speaking, Aozaki Touko expressionlessly threw down her knife and fork and beckoned a waiter.

"Cheng Hui, the total bill is 3600 yen!"

The shop assistant, who had come at the sound and was in a hurry to leave work, smiled and revealed eight clean and even teeth. She readily showed the receipt and, at Aozaki Touko's prompting, handed the calculated bill to Samael.

The ancient snake took the bill, examined it closely, then smiled slightly and pushed the receipt across the table.

Aozaki Touko, who was pulling out a chair and getting up, paused slightly, stared at the crumpled paper in her hand, her gaze shifting back and forth between the bill and someone's face. After a moment of silence, she handed it back to Samael.

The ancient snake raised its hand and gently pushed away Aozaki Touko's fingers that were holding the paper, forcing a helpless smile on its face.

"You take this first, I'm going to the restroom..."

Aozaki Touko glanced down at the bill in her hand, her gaze turning deep as she looked at someone before speaking.

"I also need to go!"

"you……"

The young female shop assistant, who was sitting to the side reading a novel, couldn't help but feel puzzled by this inexplicable stalemate.

"We need to go to the restroom first, we'll be right back. Could you please help us pack up the remaining desserts on the table? Thank you."