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 107: Hoan and Pretty Cherry

Chapter 107: Hoan and Pretty Cherry

[Past : Rachel Poker]

“—You guys are nowhere close! You’ll never take over the world like that!?”

“…Hah, hah, somehow feels like the point’s changed, myon…”

“Tch, is this… my limit…?”

“Taurus, quit playing dead!! Get up and fight!!”

The castle’s backyard… Once a place where only Vivian would sunbathe and sip liquor, now it’s basically a training ground where Hoan drills the newbies.

“Newbies” is a stretch, though—Taurus, Ria, and the others joined nine years ago.

“Morning. As lively as ever, huh? Don’t you ever get tired of this daily routine?”

“Rachel! This isn’t about getting tired or not!! Training’s part of daily life—skipping it’s like skipping meals!!”

Hoan let her white, waist-length braid flutter in the breeze, flashing a bright, carefree smile. Like the sun, but with blood splattered all over her, it’s pretty terrifying.

“Ugh, I-I’m fine skipping meals… I just wanna go home, myon…”

Lukrab, nose bleeding, wobbled to her feet and said that. Rough morning, huh.

“Rachel, if you’re here to mock us, get lost! Better yet, let Hoan beat you up too!!”

“Ria, still no respect for your Onee-sama, huh? You seem pretty lively—maybe you haven’t been serious yet?”

“What’d you say!? Ria, I told you to treat training like the real deal!! Keep slacking, and you’ll regret it!!”

“W-Wait, Rachel, you—guh!?”

Hoan’s flying kick landed square in Ria’s face, sending her soaring ten meters. Hoan, you really don’t hold back.

“Hoan, ease up, or you’ll kill them all. Look, Taurus isn’t even moving… Is she alive?”

“…Tch, one more minute… till breakfast.”

Taurus, sprawled face-down, didn’t budge but clearly muttered that. So, playing dead to stall until time’s up, huh?

“Rachel, you spoil your little sisters too much! If they’re weak, they’re the ones who suffer, so making them strong is a big sister’s love!!”

“I’m not complaining about what you do, Onee-sama, but isn’t your love a bit… excessive?”

“Rachel!? Don’t say such sad things!! As long as we love each other, we’ll never be overwhelmed by love, right!?”

Hmm, feeling that love is heavy already means you’re not exactly loving each other… Pretty deep, but I can’t imagine Taurus, Ria, or Lukrab loving Hoan. Those are faces filled with fear and hatred.

“…Ugh, an opening, myon! Take this, Master!!”

Even fluffy Lukrab’s got bloodshot eyes, lunging at Hoan.

“There’s no opening for me, you fool!!”

“…Gehba!?… Myon…”

Despite her whining, Lukrab seized the moment Hoan and I were talking to charge with a magic sword.

But Hoan, without even glancing, stomped the ground, and a stone pillar shot up at ferocious speed, slamming clean into Lukrab’s solar plexus. Lukrab flew a few meters, let out a funny noise, and crashed into the ground.

“…Hmph, using a magic sword in sparring? Pathetic!!”

Hoan caught the magic sword that flew up with Lukrab, snatching it midair and stabbing it into the ground.

“You’re using magic too, Hoan.”

“What’s wrong with a witch using magic!!”

“…It’s almost refreshing, honestly.”

—Hoan was the first witch to join Ravens, not counting old-timers like Eris or Vivian from the Black Alliance days. That makes her the top big sister, technically. I sparred with her a few times back in the day, but I never got beaten this badly.

“—Hoan!”

“What!? Taurus! Finally getting serious!?”

Taurus, who’d been playing dead, stood tall, feet firmly planted. On closer look, aside from a bruise on her left cheek, she seems unscathed. Was she faking it the whole time to skate by? That’s pretty cunning.

“No! It’s breakfast time! So, I’ll take my leave!”

Taurus stepped over Lukrab, who was twitching on the ground, and briskly headed for the castle gate. Her formal speech hides a sneaky streak.

“Taurus! You haven’t fought at all!! Let me hit you at least once!!”

“That’s just you wanting to hit her.”

“Getting hit makes you stronger!! It’s love!!”

Got it. Madness.

“Hmph, time’s time, I’ll take my lea—gah!?”

Taurus bolted for the gate but tripped spectacularly, face-planting into the ground.

Well, “tripped” because Ria grabbed her leg.

“…Tch, Ria… What’s that for?”

“Y-You… get hit more too…”

“Well done! Keep that leg pinned!!”

Hoan gleefully charged toward the two grappling on the ground.

And so, another noisy, never-dull day at Ravens begins.

I took a deep breath of crisp December air, stretching as I watched Hoan’s magic send Ria and Taurus flying sky-high—

＊　＊　＊

[Present : Rachel Poker]

—At Vivian’s request, we VCU members were at a filming studio in Shinto for a commercial shoot.

“Huh, I didn’t even know Shinto had a place like this.”

“Well, Sakurako, you just transferred here, so. Same for me, though.”

It’s Shinto, so obviously, the studio was a shiny, brand-new building. Four booths per floor, three stories tall—a pretty big setup. And, of course, there’s probably a shelter in the basement.

“Ugh, what do I do… I’m getting so nervous…”

“It’s okay, Emilia. I’ve got your back.”

Emilia, in charge of the charity commercial, was stiff with nerves, but Karuta, handling the new game commercial, was practically glowing. Their vibes couldn’t be more different.

“Oh my, Karuta, Emilia, you’re filming in separate booths, so you can’t stay together, you know?”

At Kanon’s words, Emilia’s shoulders slumped. Well, duh—they’re shooting commercials for different sponsors. It’s honestly impressive they managed to schedule all the shoots on the same day.

“To be precise, aside from Konata, Sakurako, and Kanon, everyone’s in different booths. Though Hikari’s shoot is an hour earlier, so we can all watch that one.”

“No, don’t. Seriously, don’t!”

“Now, now, we’ve gotta burn Hikari’s Pretty Cherry into our eyes.”

“Sakurako, no good just using your eyes—you’ve gotta save it as data.”

Karuta flashed her shiny new smartphone, the latest model she’d begged the Seraph Witch Association to buy her.

“…You guys, I’m so getting you back for this.”

＊　＊　＊

“—Magical Girl Pretty Cherry! Transform cutely with the Lovely Stick!”

“Cut! Sorry, it’s ‘Magical Lovely Stick’—one more time, please!”

“…Okay.”

Hikari, changed into her filming costume, was surrounded by equipment and staff.

We were watching from the sidelines, and honestly, it’s less funny and more pitiful at this point.

Hikari’s trying her best, but she’s clearly embarrassed—her face is stiff, her choreography’s awkward, and now she flubbed the script, getting cut.

Each time, she has to redo those cringey lines and poses from the start. It’s brutal. Practically torture. I’m so glad it’s not me.

“She’s gotta change into that frilly outfit for the next part, right? Is Hikari gonna be okay?”

“Dunno, she’s already half-crying.”

The commercial’s a 15-second slot. From the storyboard we saw, a girl in casual clothes strikes a pose, waves the stick to transform into a magical girl, and says a short line—

Even now’s rough, but the really embarrassing part comes after transforming.

“—Magical Girl Pretty Cherry! Transform cutely with the Magical Lovely Stick! Miracle Magical Twinkle~ Set, UP☆”

“Cut! Yubari-san, that’s a wrap!”

Finally, the first half got an okay. Hikari’s frozen in a ridiculous pose, holding the Lovely Stick high.

“Commercial shoots are way tougher than I thought. All this for just 15 seconds?”

“Yeah, I only ever saw the finished product, so I had no idea, but there’s no music or anything during filming. Makes it extra embarrassing.”

“It’s gonna be wild when they add CG, right? Like, talking to nothing in the air?”

“You two seem to be having a blast chatting, but how about showing Hikari a little support?”

At Kanon’s words, I glanced at Hikari. She was staring at us with a haggard face, her expression practically screaming.

“Help me.”

Probably something like that.

I wove through the staff and equipment to reach Hikari.

“Good job! Not bad for the first batter, right?”

“…I’m done. I wanna go home.”

She’s really worn out…

“Just half left, so hang in there. When we get back, I’ll cook dinner tonight, so think about what you want, okay?”

“…Got it, I’ll think about it.”

“—Yubari-san, costume change, please!”

“Hikari, you got this!”

I waved as Hikari was dragged off by a female staff member.

I wonder how the Ravens crew would react in a situation like this. Bumblebee would probably be like Hikari, Bubblegum and Hoan would be way too into it, Eris… doesn’t talk, so what about Taurus or Ria?

—Lately, I keep thinking about the Ravens crew no matter what I’m doing. Every morning, I wake up thinking I can’t believe those memories with them are in the past. They’re that vivid.

Part of me wants to recover my memories quickly, but I’m starting to feel terrified of it.

Because in those memories, decades from now, it’s set in stone that eleven members of my family will die—