Kazakiri Hyouka's birth was part of Chairman Aleister's plan, and although she appeared much earlier than planned and her birth reason was different from what was expected, the final outcome did not deviate from the overall direction of the plan, so Chairman Aleister did not object to this development.
However, Kazakiri Hyouka showed signs of being overly intimate with Lin Wuming, which was not good.
At least at this stage, Chairman Aleister did not want the existence of "Kazakiri Hyouka" to be exposed too early.
Lin Wuming, on the other hand, had already become a shining new star in Academy City, revealing his brilliance and attracting attention from all sides.
The resulting impact was that not only Lin Wuming himself, but also the people around him, were put under the spotlight, making it difficult to keep secrets. If Kazakiri Hyouka continued to stay by Lin Wuming's side, then exposure would only be a matter of time.
Therefore, before the situation developed to an irreversible point, Chairman Aleister decisively took action, interrupting the process of Kazakiri Hyouka and Lin Wuming's continued contact.
In a sense, it did indeed help Lin Wuming out of a predicament.
Quite uncharacteristically, Chairman Aleister did not act like a riddle-maker this time, but directly informed Lin Wuming of all these matters.
"So you can rest assured," Chairman Aleister finally said, "My only purpose is to separate Kazakiri Hyouka from you."
"Well, thank you very much..." Lin Wuming didn't know what expression to make, responding with a hint of sarcasm.
"It's not bad for you, is it?" Chairman Aleister chuckled, "Or do you actually have feelings for Kazakiri Hyouka? It's alright, once this period of attention passes, I won't interfere with your affairs anymore."
"You should focus on your plan instead," Lin Wuming waved his hand and said, "Don't meddle in other people's business."
Chairman Aleister, however, said: "Meddling? Not at all, Lin Wuming, don't underestimate yourself; your affairs are now Academy City's affairs - your importance has reached this level."
Lin Wuming immediately showed an annoyed expression.
Although he had a vague sense of it, having his private matters overly scrutinized by a bunch of strangers... it was indeed very unpleasant.
Seemingly feeling that his message had been conveyed, Chairman Aleister ended the topic.
Then, he smoothly moved on to the next topic.
As if making casual conversation, Chairman Aleister suddenly asked: "Lin Wuming, have you learned magic?"
"Huh?" He was somewhat confused by the sudden change of topic, but there was nothing to hide, so Lin Wuming truthfully said, "Of course not. The materials you gave me last time were completely incomprehensible, so I pretty much gave up."
Especially after Lin Wuming discovered that he could withstand an angel with his esper ability without needing to master magic, he completely gave up on "magic."
"Knowing when to let go is also a form of wisdom," Chairman Aleister said approvingly, "But actually, magic is not difficult to learn. According to some theories on the magic side, magic is prepared for those 'without talent,' so theoretically everyone can master it."
"But in other words, magic is incompatible with someone like me who already 'possesses talent,'" Lin Wuming shook his head, "Anyway, thank you for preparing those textbooks for me last time, but they ended up being useless."
"Is it a problem with the textbooks and the teacher, then? It is indeed difficult to get started by exploring on your own," Chairman Aleister said, "I will prepare new textbooks for you, and even provide original texts; furthermore, I can personally guide you."
"I've really given up," Lin Wuming instantly became alert, looking warily at the giant test tube in front of him.
"Heh heh, that's not surprising at all - it seems you already know," Chairman Aleister laughed, "Alright, since that's the case, I'll tell you this secret - I was originally a magician, and a very excellent one; no, wouldn't anyone object if I said I was the most excellent magician?"
"Aleister Crowley, once held the title of 'the greatest magician in history,'" Chairman Aleister spoke as if recounting someone else's story, his tone flat, "Although it's a thing of the past, at least as a teacher for magic initiation, I believe I am still competent enough."
"That sounds truly great," Lin Wuming couldn't figure out what he was up to, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I really have no plans to take magic courses."
Especially with this Aleister fellow, suddenly revealing his identity to teach him magic - such a development was truly suspicious, making him even more wary.
"And Espers cannot use magic, you should be very clear about that, right?" Lin Wuming highly suspected that Aleister wanted to use this mechanism to get rid of him.
"Don't be so nervous, Lin Wuming. If you truly don't want to learn, no one will force you," Chairman Aleister said, "Then let's change the topic again - I have revealed my secret to you, Lin Wuming, now it's your turn."
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Wuming frowned deeply.
He felt that this was Chairman Aleister's real purpose for seeking him out today.
"Literal meaning, exchange of secrets, fair and just."
—What exactly was this old fox planning?
Lin Wuming grew increasingly wary, but at this point, insisting that he had no secrets was meaningless.
"If it could be easily spoken, then it wouldn't be a secret."
Chairman Aleister agreed: "Exactly, that's why I'm exchanging secrets for secrets now. Come on, now it's your turn."
"..." Lin Wuming looked over expressionlessly, "You also guessed it, I already knew you were a magician - so this doesn't count as a secret."
"No, inference and confirmed information are two different things," Chairman Aleister corrected, "Before I personally admitted it, what you possessed was merely an inference."
"Now it's the same in reverse," Chairman Aleister's tone was light, "Regarding the secret you've been hiding, I also have some inferences, and I want to verify them now - from this perspective, it's also very fair."
Lin Wuming remained silent. He had too many "secrets" in his mind and truly didn't know which one Aleister was hinting at. If he accidentally exposed the wrong one, he would suffer a huge loss.
"You can take your time thinking," Chairman Aleister said leisurely, "Anyway, there's plenty of time now."】}
