The Witch and Her Companion: I'm Just a Normal High School Student, but I Became the Familiar of the Highest-Ranked Witch. Also, It Seems I'm the Only Guy in the Witch Organization I Joined - Chapter 100: Marrying a Witch

Chapter 100: Marrying a Witch

[Tatsumori Haruto]

“—Listen to my voice carefully. What’s your name?”

Two weeks ago, when I woke up in this castle, I heard the same voice, the same question.

“Tatsumori Haruto.”

“Favorite animal?”

“Cats.”

The difference now is I’m not resisting, so the words come out smoothly. Also, my jaw doesn’t hurt.

“Favorite food?”

“The stew Scarlet made.”

The words are flowing too smoothly, making me wonder if Brush’s magic isn’t working and I’m just answering voluntarily. But then, something strange happened.

My favorite food was supposed to be the fried rice from Sanryuken’s chef two weeks ago. Yet, I just said Scarlet’s stew… unconsciously. Good or bad, Brush’s magic is definitely active and hitting me hard.

Everyone in the entrance hall turns their eyes to Scarlet. Naturally, I look at her too.

“I-I didn’t make that stew just for Haruto-kun or anything!”

Scarlet’s face flushes red with embarrassment, but she looks kind of happy. And since she’s in charge of prison meals, if that stew wasn’t for me, then what was it?

“—Big chests or small chests, which do you prefer?”

All eyes in the entrance hall shift again, this time to Brush.

This jerk—what’s her game, asking something like that? She’s confirmed the magic’s working, so just get to the point already—

“…If I had to choose, big chests.”

The circle around me starts buzzing. It’s a really bad kind of buzz.

“Heh, is that so… heh.”

Bumblebee, with a sleazy grin, deliberately covers her chest with her one arm while eyeing me. She’s totally messing with me.

“Hmph, well, guys are like that, I guess.”

Ys suddenly straightens up—no, she’s thrusting her chest out—and says that with a smug look.

“…“

Scarlet silently starts adjusting her chest, lifting and shaping it. And Brush, looking very pleased watching Scarlet’s curves.

“Muaa, I’m the type who looks slimmer in clothes, y’know? And it’s not like bigger is always better, right, Lilac?!”

“W-What matters is… practicality, nano…”

Bubblegum and Lilac look a bit annoyed. Bubblegum’s pretty well-endowed for her height, though… Wait, practicality? What?

“Tall or short, which do you prefer?”

Brush keeps tossing out sparks.

“…If I had to choose, short.”

Huh, I never really thought about it, but I guess I prefer shorter?

“Muahaha, see, guys always end up liking cute, small-animal-type girls!”

“I-I’m… also short, nano…”

Bubblegum and Lilac, unlike before, now look smug. Well, I can’t see Lilac’s face, but still.

“Tch, he said ‘if I had to choose,’ didn’t he? Besides, big covers small!”

Ys, suddenly in a bad mood, starts whipping her tail around. So predictable.

“…“

And Scarlet, out of nowhere, takes off her high heels and snaps the heels off with her bare hands. You didn’t have to go that far…

“—Brush, can you stop with the pointless questions already?”

Maria, losing patience, lets out a voice dripping with anger.

“So cold, Snow. Fine, just one more… Who in this room would you least want to date?”

She did it… The same question I answered “Snow” to two weeks ago. She could’ve just moved on, but no, she’s gotta poke at Maria, who’s already pissed.

“…The one I’d least want to date is Brush Fantadomino.”

“…Well, well.”

I catch Bumblebee smirking at the edge of my vision.

Surprisingly, I don’t hate Maria as much as I thought anymore. At least, not as much as I hate this Brush.

“Heh, Tatsumori-kun’s pretty cold too, huh?”

“Muaaa, good for you, Snow! Looks like your ranking’s been updated!”

“…I don’t care either way.”

Maria turned away, sounding utterly indifferent. It’s a complicated feeling, but at least we avoided her blowing up, which is a relief.

“Alright, shall we get to the main event? Tatsumori Haruto-kun, who here do you want to marry?”

—Here it is. The moment I’ve been dreading, the question has finally come. What am I going to say? Who am I going to choose…

“…I want to marry Scarlet.”

A silence so heavy it felt like time had stopped enveloped the entrance hall. Maybe it wasn’t actually that long, but that’s how it felt to me.

I slowly looked at Scarlet… She was crying. Her surprised expression was overflowing with gem-like tears streaming down her face.

“…Uh, so, the groom’s chosen Scarlet… Is that right?”

Latte, doing her hosting duties for the first time in a while, seemed thrown off by the atmosphere, her voice a bit awkward.

But, yeah… That’s it, isn’t it? I… I love Scarlet.

“Muaaa, hold on!! Why not me!? Does Haruto hate me or something!?”

Bubblegum, who’d been silent like the others, suddenly shouted.

“Oi, Bubblegum, quit whining like that! Haruto chose Scarlet, so if you’ve got a problem, I’ll knock you out!”

Before I could even open my mouth, Ys snapped at Bubblegum. I might not have the right to feel this way, but as the guy who didn’t choose Bubblegum or Ys, my chest aches.

“Mmph, Ys… Are you really okay with this? Scarlet stole him from you.”

Scarlet’s shoulders twitched. It’s a harsh way to put it, but Ys was the first to say she’d marry me. My feelings weren’t involved back then, though.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Haruto made his choice. I’m fine as long as he’s happy… even if it’s not me by his side.”

I could hardly believe the tyrannical Ys would say something like this… not unless she’d just confessed she genuinely loved me earlier.

Not only is Ys stepping back gracefully, she’s even supporting me and Scarlet’s marriage.

I’d never say it out loud, but if this is how it feels, I wish I hadn’t chosen anyone at all.

“…No, Bubblegum’s right.”

Even though Bubblegum had already shut up after Ys’s scolding, there was still someone unconvinced.

“…Scarlet?”

Scarlet stepped out of the circle and walked straight toward the center… Toward me? No, I was wrong—

Scarlet went to Brush, standing beside me, and whispered something in her ear.

“…Scarlet, are you sure?”

“…Yes, please.”

What did Scarlet say to Brush? Everyone in the entrance hall was baffled. But, leaving us all behind, Brush’s bewitching voice rang out.

“—Tatsumori Haruto-kun, who in this room do you have romantic feelings for?”

I didn’t get it. Not the question itself, but its intent. Scarlet’s whisper must’ve prompted this, but why would she have Brush ask this? Why make me answer?

I mean, the answer’s already clear, isn’t it? I love Scarlet. This is just the same question phrased differently—

“…I-I have romantic feelings for Scarlet, Bubblegum, Ys, and Lilac…”

No, it’s not the same. It’s a difference in perception. Marriage means one person, at least to me. But romantic feelings? Like I was agonizing over, it’s only natural to feel that for multiple people. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so torn.

And somehow, I figured out why Scarlet went out of her way to have this said.

“…I knew it. Haruto-kun, you didn’t choose just me after all.”

“…Scarlet, I mean, I…”

What am I supposed to say? Sure, I have feelings for four people, but it seems like I love Scarlet the most… or something?

“Oi, Scarlet… what’s the point of going through all this?”

“Muaaa, what’s she tryin’ to pull!?”

Bubblegum and Ys, who’d just calmed down, were starting to get hostile again.

“—Alright, since it’s weird to let Scarlet do all the talking, how about I take the stage for a bit?”

Maybe sensing the bad vibe, or maybe she saw this coming, Bumblebee, who’d been smirking the whole time, seized the moment to speak.

“Wondering what Scarlet’s thinking? It’s simple. If Haruto-kun loves all four, then all four should marry him. Right?”

“…Yes, as long as there’s no rule against polygamy in Ravens.”

What an outrageous thing to say. Even if Ravens doesn’t ban polygamy, it’s a crime in Japan, and isn’t it just… morally wrong?

“…Scarlet, even so, something like cheating—”

“Haruto-kun, those romantic feelings you just admitted are your true heart, right? Then I don’t think they’re fickle. On the contrary, having genuine feelings for others but suppressing them to marry only me—that’s what feels impure.”

Is culture shock the right word? I can’t find the perfect term for this feeling, but her perspective is so different I never even considered it.

It’s true that polygamy exists as one form of marriage in the world. Monogamy, polygamy—they’re ultimately just rules when you boil it down.

My belief, built over my short life, was that if you love multiple people but swear to marry one, you should cleanly give up on the others. That’s my rule.

Of course, letting go of someone you truly love is painful. It’s not easy. That’s why I had that cowardly thought of not wanting to choose anyone.

“Haruto-kun, everyone chose you, and you chose everyone. So face them all properly. And then, share your love with me too.”

Scarlet was my complete opposite.

My best choice was to choose no one, but Scarlet’s best choice was to choose everyone. In other words, hurt everyone equally or love everyone equally… What a convenient interpretation—

“…What does everyone else think?”

Still unable to commit, I pathetically tried to hedge by saying that.

“Muaaa, it stings that Scarlet’s name came up first, but if you’re serious about loving me, I might just marry you!”

Bubblegum said with a mischievous grin.

“I-I… if Scarlet and everyone else are okay with it… I want to marry Haru.”

Lilac’s face was hidden, but her voice was surely earnest.

“What’s that? If we’re mutually in love, you should’ve just said so! Thought you hated me or something… Well, fine, if you love me that much, I’ll let you make me your bride.”

Ys said it with a slight pout, but her tail was sticking straight up, wagging back and forth.

“See, Haruto-kun, you’re quite the catch, huh? So, what about you?”

Prompted by Bumblebee, I took a deep breath and steeled myself. They’ve all said this much—I need to step up.

“…At first, I was just going to marry someone to avoid execution. But as I got to know everyone, I lost track of my own feelings and kept obsessing over how to avoid hurting anyone… And, though she’s not here right now, there’s one more woman I care deeply about. Even so, if it’s really okay to love all of you… Please marry me.”

—

I used to think marriage was a major life event.

I thought so, but who could’ve predicted it’d turn into this kind of event?

In the winter of my first year of high school, I got engaged to four witches—