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 24: Wedding Dress and White Kimono

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It has been almost a week since the magical beast attacked the island.

The researcher who was presumed to have escaped with the experimental subject was found dead a few days ago, but the subject is still missing.

The tracking collar that was attached to the subject was found at the bottom of the sea, detached from the body. It was probably removed and discarded by the researcher who helped it escape.

Based on the tracking data, it was predicted that the subject was heading towards a city in Japan, where I am currently located.

I was instructed to seek the cooperation of the local members, but I wonder if they are truly reliable. At least at this stage, they seem quite suspicious.

“Darling? Why did you suddenly stop? What’s wrong?”

I was so absorbed in the bizarre atmosphere of the “meeting point” that I was subconsciously organizing information as a form of escapism.

Kokoro, who was entwined around my arm, looked up at me with curious eyes. Her dark eyes, so captivating that they seemed to draw me in, were devoid of any highlights, as if God had forgotten to add them.

“Hmm, just thinking about something.”

“Ah, so you were wondering which would suit me better, the white kimono or the wedding dress!”

“No, that’s not it at all.”

What was that “ah” business? Never use it again.

“Don’t worry about it. I can wear both! Now, about the date of the wedding…”

“Listen to me! Come on, let’s go inside.”

A few days ago, we fought a battle for our lives, but somehow, we seem to have bounced back, and today, we’re back to our usual routine.

The importance of this ordinary daily life is something I can feel acutely now. I can only hope that this routine will last a little longer. It’s probably a sin to wish for such a thing.

But even if it is a sin, I have no choice but to move forward, no matter how hellish the path ahead may be.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the door of the building. Hanging on the door was a homemade sign that read, “Preparation in Progress: Life on the Line.” Even as a joke, it was a little too ironic, and I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

Let’s see if it’s a demon or a serpent that comes out—

[Todoroki Ryuuna]

Before the sky had even begun to brighten, I quietly slipped out of bed and made my way down the hall, trying to move as stealthily as a thief.

The room I was heading for was usually unused, serving as a storage space. It was there that I kept my school uniform.

I opened the closet and saw the familiar navy blue blazers, two of them, hanging neatly on hangers with their matching skirts.

After a moment’s thought, I took the uniform with the longer hem and left the room.

~An hour and a half later~

Having successfully delivered the uniform, I was on my way home, thinking about Hare’s sleepy face earlier.

It must be around six in the morning now; the distant sky was just beginning to lighten.

“You know what time it is, right?”

Hare, rubbing his sleepy eyes, grumbled his dissatisfaction, his face looking rather silly and somehow cute.

The main reason I left home so early in the morning was that I didn’t want my father to know I was going to Hare’s house, but to be honest, I also wanted to see Hare’s sleepy face.

It would take me fifteen minutes to walk home from Hare’s house, and at this hour, my father would still be fast asleep.

—That is, until I opened the door and found him standing there.

I was so taken aback that I couldn’t find the words, but I tried to hide my awkwardness by straightening my shoes.

“Ryuna, where have you been at this early hour?”

My father stood there with his usual stern expression, but his voice sounded a little worried.

It was completely unexpected that my father would be awake at this hour. It was my fault that I had caused him worry, and my heart sank a little.

“It’s nothing, just my morning walk. They say ‘Leaving early is worth three mon of virtue,’ right?”

“Isn’t it ‘Waking up early is worth three mon of virtue’? If you leave work early, your salary gets docked, so it’s actually a loss.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! And why are you up at this hour anyway?”

I’ve always made a lot of mistakes with my words, and my father has often corrected me. Recently, Hare has also been pointing out my mistakes, but if they understand me, I don’t think the details matter.

“Well, I just got a call from upstairs, an emergency summons.”

It was unusual to receive a call for a regular report at this time, especially at this hour.

And to be an emergency summons meant that we had to gather at the specified location immediately. It was clearly an abnormal situation.

“What? Now? Where do we have to gather?”

“Apparently, at our store.”

“Ugh, great…”

I had a bad feeling about this.

And sadly, my instincts were rarely wrong in these situations.

* * *

“Huh, this place looks like it serves good food.”

“Orca, you shouldn’t say that when we’ve just barged in like this. It’s rude to Todoroki-san.”

“But look at this place, brother. It’s so run-down. You know the saying: the shabbier the place, the better the food.”

“There’s a limit to how much you can be rude you idiot”

The first to arrive at the store were two people I knew.

“Ten, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s really run-down. But of course, the food is delicious too.”

The man my father called Ten was Andou Ten. In our line of work, age is often determined by appearance, but he should be in his early twenties.

He was originally a powerful figure who controlled half of Minato at a young age, but for some reason, he is now in the same line of work as us.

He has foreign blood, with snow-white hair and blue eyes.

In short, he’s a handsome man. His striking appearance is more of a hindrance than anything to us.

And just to add, he’s not my type.

“Hey, Todoroki-san, after the meeting’s over, make something for us! I’m starving, and— Ouch!”

Andou Ten had just been chopped his little sister, Ando Orca, on the shoulder.

I don’t know which school she’s from, but she’s wearing a sailor uniform. Her black hair is semi-long, yet two strands of silver hair are mixed in with her bangs, almost like highlights.

“Hey, don’t start a fight in the store.”

I warned the siblings before their fight escalated.

The little sister who just got her head chopped, tried to bite her older brother so I tried to stop them before it escalated further.

“Come on, let go, Orca! Sorry, Ryuna-chan. I didn’t mean to cause a scene, but—Ouch!”

As Ten tried to pull Orca away, she bit his arm. What a close sibling relationship.

—The sliding door opened, and the attention of Andou siblings and myself, who were in the middle of a fight, was drawn to it.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I, Leonardo Walker, have answered the summons and hastened to your service.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Charlotte Cavendish.”

She was a samurai.

Well, okay, she probably wasn’t actually a samurai, but she did say she had been “summoned,” so she was obviously in the same line of work. Still, wasn’t there something weird about the way she spoke?

“Huh? Charlotte, weren’t you just speaking normally a second ago de gozaru?”

“Hm? Not at all… not at all, de gozaru.”

As soon as they entered the store, a samurai-like man and a girl began to argue.

The impact of their argument left the Andou siblings frozen in their fighting stance.

“Um, you there, do you think my manner of speech is strange, de gozaru?”

The poor soul caught in the wannabe samurai’s question was none other than my father.

“Not particularly. If this were the Edo period, that is.”

For someone as blunt as my father, that was a surprisingly witty comeback. Maybe my banter with Hare during his shifts had rubbed off on him? No, that might be reading too much into it.

“Charlotte, did you deceive me?”

“Sorry, Leo… I didn’t mean any harm. I just wanted to see you get embarrassed.”

“…That sounds exactly like doing harm.”

The guy now looking all serious about the whole thing apparently spoke fluent Japanese after all.

Short chestnut-colored hair, probably around 180 cm tall—talking to him was going to be a literal pain in the neck.

The girl beside him had the same chestnut hair, braided, and was about the same height as Fuu-chan.

No doubt about it—they were members from an overseas branch. Also, damn, their Japanese was good.

“Hey, gozaru! Quit standing around in the entrance like idiots!”

“Huh? Gozaru—you mean me?”

“Who else, genius!? Stop making a scene in someone else’s shop and sit down already!”

“Jeez, Japanese girls sure are strong-willed. Also, um, I’d rather you call me Leo.”

“Ehh, but I think ‘Gozaru’ is kinda cute.”

Despite all the back-and-forth, Gozaru and Braidy followed instructions and made their way to a makeshift seat—two four-person tables pushed together.

The Andou siblings, perhaps feeling a little self-conscious, sat down quietly as well. My father, meanwhile, stood there nodding to himself like hmm, hmm—but wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be running this whole thing?

The total number of people summoned today was ten. So far, six have arrived. Two had already sent word that they wouldn’t be coming, which meant only two more were left.

As I prepared drinks for the four who had settled at the table, I thought to myself—

Lately, the neighborhood had thugs attacking girls, and whenever I went shopping, monsters and witches seemed to pop up out of nowhere…

And now, here in this run-down little shop, eight witch hunters had gathered.

Seriously, what a dangerous world we live in.