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 32: Octopus Tentacles and Coffee

Chapter 32: Octopus Tentacles and Coffee

[Baba Sakurako]

The Magical Beast appeared in an office district several kilometers away from the agency. It was a giant, bat-like creature with enormous wings.

“Oi, temp! This matter shall be taken over by me. Step back a little!”

Vivian-san shouted at Emilia-san, who had arrived at the scene before us.

“I can handle this alone! You all should stay out of my way!”

However, Emilia-san had no intention of listening and turned to face the Magical Beast once more. The creature forcefully kicked the ground and charged toward her at low altitude.

But just before impact, Emilia-san leaped into the air, gracefully flipping over the beast to evade its attack.

“…?! What the—”

──But in midair, something resembling red-black tentacles captured her.

The unexpected attack left Emilia-san with no way to resist, as the tentacles coiled around her body, binding her tightly.

“Temp or not, once you are under my command, disobeying orders shall not be tolerated. Do not make me repeat myself.”

The source of the tentacles was none other than Vivian-san. Despite her childlike appearance, grotesque, octopus-like tentacles extended from her waist, ensnaring Emilia-san.

Unlike before, Vivian-san’s voice now carried a sharp, chilling anger, exuding an overwhelming presence.

“…I-I understand.”

“Good. As long as you understand.”

Once Emilia-san complied, Vivian-san smirked and retracted her tentacles. Just how did that even work? The tentacles were clearly larger in volume than her own body, yet they extended and retracted at will. It was an utterly grotesque form of magic.

“You all, this is a special lesson. Do not take your eyes off the fight.”

After confirming that Emilia-san had taken her place beside us, Vivian-san turned toward us and spoke.

However, at that very moment, the Magical Beast lunged at her again at breakneck speed.

“First—never take your eyes off your opponent in battle.”

Yet the creature’s charge never reached Vivian-san. Without even turning to face it, she extended one hand, and from that arm, the same octopus-like tentacles shot out, ensnaring the beast.

But this time, it wasn’t just tentacles—her arm was covered in numerous eyeballs. Each of them seemed to be tracking the Magical Beast.

“Second—always consider every possibility and remain vigilant.”

Entangled and immobilized, the Magical Beast suddenly opened its mouth and spewed a torrent of flames at point-blank range.

The flames engulfed Vivian-san for several seconds. When the fire finally ceased, however, she stood there completely unscathed—not even a scorch mark on her clothes.

“Third—identify the enemy’s weakness and strike efficiently.”

The tentacles that had restrained the beast loosened for just a moment—then, in the next instant, a deafening blast echoed.

The Magical Beast’s head was obliterated.

Only after its massive body collapsed to the ground did I finally understand. She had used her tentacles to deliver a fatal strike.

Though I hadn’t even seen the moment of attack, the blood dripping from the tips of her tentacles was undeniable proof.

“Fourth—never let your guard down until the very end.”

Ignoring our stunned silence, Vivian-san took out something resembling a card from her pocket and tossed it toward the fallen creature.

In an instant, blue flames erupted around the beast. Unlike normal fire, this blaze consumed its body at an alarming rate, reducing it to nothing more than a black stain on the ground.

“Well, that about covers it. Magical Beast extermination is a race against time. The longer they exist, the more mana they absorb, making them stronger and larger.”

Vivian-san dusted off her skirt. No matter how I looked at her, she still appeared to be an innocent young girl.

But the reality before me told a different story.

She was one of the Lords of the Ravens, once the leader of the Seraph Witch Association.

Even to my untrained eyes, her strength was on an entirely different level. If there was another monster of a witch like her within the Ravens, I wanted nothing to do with them.

“By the way, I just killed that Magical Beast as part of your training. And yet, I feel no guilt. No pity. No sorrow for the dead. If you ask what’s on my mind right now… I’d say, I want some tomato juice.”

She said it with a straight face.

Even though she had just slain what was once a human and burned them to ashes, her crimson eyes held no regret, no hesitation. She truly meant it.

“…That’s cruel.”

Emilia-san muttered. The words slipped from her lips before she could stop herself, and she quickly pressed them together.

Beside her, Hikari-chan, who had been staring at the black stain on the ground with a troubled expression, was now glaring at Vivian-san.

“…Cruel, huh? Hikari, do you feel the same?”

Vivian-san narrowed her cat-like eyes as she looked at Hikari-chan.

“…You bastard, I wanna punch you so bad.”

Her voice was filled with sorrow despite the harsh words.

I was sure that Hikari-chan felt grief for the slain Magical Beast.

…And perhaps, for every Magical Beast she had killed before.

“…I see. Then, all the more reason for you to send them off with your own hands, with that compassionate heart of yours. Surely, the Magical Beasts would find more peace in dying by your hands than by those of a villain like me.”

“……”

Vivian-san walked past us and headed back toward the office.

Hikari-chan kept her head down, her expression unreadable.

“…By the way, Hikari.”

Just as she was about to leave, Vivian-san stopped and spoke again.

Hikari-chan didn’t respond, still looking down.

“I heard that in all the times you’ve taken down Magical Beasts on your own, not a single person has died. You ensured that no human life was lost. Be proud of that.”

With that, Vivian-san turned away once more and resumed walking.

Hikari-chan didn’t answer.

But at her feet, teardrops were forming small stains on the ground.

***

“──Um, would coffee be alright for drinks? We also have apple juice, just in case.”

“Eh~ You got anything besides beer?”

“Do you think all Germans drink nothing but beer? That’s a stereotype.”

“Ehh, Emichi~, don’t be so scary~ That was just a Japanese joke~ Ah, I’ll take the apple juice, by the way.”

“I shall have coffee. One can discern a person’s upbringing by the coffee they brew.”

“Why do you always want to judge people’s upbringing…?”

“I’ll take water.”

“Still or sparkling?”

“Huh? What kinda question is that…? Just regular water.”

“I-I’ll have coffee too. Also, let me help with something.”

“No, it’s fine. Guests should sit.”

“S-Sorry… I guess you wouldn’t want someone like me touching the kitchen… I’m really sorry for overstepping…”

“No one said that! Wh-What the heck…”

──Today was supposed to be a normal school day, but since magical beast disasters automatically result in school closures, we found ourselves at a loss after Vivianne-san and Yakuma-san left.

“H-Hikari-chan, are you okay?”

I cautiously spoke to Hikari-chan, who had been crouched on the ground, crying for a while.

The post-disaster response team was beginning to gather, and the area was getting noisy. People were suggesting that we should move soon.

“I’m not crying!”

“Whoa!?”

She suddenly sprang up and shouted, which startled me enough to let out a deep voice. But she was totally crying. Her eyes were completely red…

“Listen up, you guys! That was, uh, just allergies! Yeah, severe hay fever!”

Hikari-chan blurted out to Kanon-chan and Karuta-chan. Her excuse-making skills had transcended the realm of mere incompetence.

“Yes, yes, hay fever, of course.”
“Did your hay fever already get better~?”

The two of them sighed but smiled slightly, as if relieved. I felt the same way.

──”U-Um.”

A voice we weren’t used to hearing made the four of us turn around. Emilia-san was standing there. She hadn’t left with Vivianne-san and the others but had remained behind.

“…What do you want?”

Hikari-chan, her eyes still red, glared at Emilia-san. Honestly, even with that scowl, she wasn’t scary at all—if anything, she looked a little cute. Just a little, though.

“I… I said some terrible things to you earlier, so I just… I wanted to apologize… I’m sorry.”
“Wh-Why are you suddenly taking back what you said like that?”

As Emilia-san bowed her head deeply, Hikari-chan looked completely thrown off. I could understand her feelings. This was an unexpected turn of events.

“I’m… a witch with ancestral regression, and I was isolated by the Association for seven years. I was only recently allowed to go outside on assignment. So… I talked big, but I’ve never killed a magical beast before, and honestly, I was really scared… But if I don’t do my job properly, I’ll… I’ll end up back in the Association, and… ugh… uu…”

Tears spilled down Emilia-san’s cheeks, but she kept talking.

“S-So, I worked up so much courage and prepared myself to meet the director, but… she forgot I was supposed to start today. And then she made me wait at the door for a while, and it turned out she had just… kind of… forgotten about me… And even when I overheard their conversation through the door, there was no sense of urgency at all, so I just got really angry, and… and… I said those awful things… uuu, I’m sorryyy, waaaahhh!”

Emilia-san finally broke down and wailed toward the sky. Who would’ve thought she was this kind of person? She was surprisingly expressive when she cried.

“Aww, you must’ve been so anxious~ Don’t worry, you’re safe now. I’m here for you~”

While the rest of us were frozen in place at Emilia-san’s dramatic sobbing, Karuta-chan suddenly pulled her into a gentle embrace. She even started patting her head. Who the heck paid Karuta-chan to be this nice…!?

“I mean, I also got sent to the Association when my mommy disappeared, so I know what it’s like to be alone~ It sucks, huh~?”

It seemed like she was seeing her own past in Emilia-san. That meant her hug was genuine, and her head pats were filled with 100% kindness. Sorry for doubting you, Karuta-chan.

“Hikari-chan, now that you know what she’s been through, let’s forgive her, okay? …Wait, are you crying?”
“S-Shut up, I told you it’s just allergies… Uu…”

I knew it wasn’t hay fever. Was she crying because she sympathized with Emilia-san’s past? Or maybe it was because of Karuta-chan? Or maybe both…?

Either way, Hikari-chan was surprisingly soft-hearted.

“Alright, alright. The post-disaster response team is getting crowded, so let’s move,” Kanon-chan clapped her hands together, calling us to attention. There were a lot more people around now. It was definitely time to go.

“Ahhh, Emi-chi’s dramatic crying is just too cute! Absolutely precious~”
“Come on, Karuta-chan, stop grinning and help Emilia-san. Hikari-chan, you too. No more ‘allergies.’”
“Don’t make it sound like ‘stop crying and get moving’!”

This morning had been a complete whirlwind, but I was glad Hikari-chan was back to her usual self. And honestly, Vivianne-san had been pretty kind in the end.

“So, Kanon-chan. Where are we going?”
“Hmm, well, school is definitely canceled, and most shops will have temporary closure orders, so if there’s somewhere we can gather…”
“A-Ah, um, if it’s okay… My house is really close by… sniff…”

And that’s how we all ended up barging into Emilia-san’s home.

As I watched the three of them chat happily, the aroma of coffee drifted in from the kitchen, filling my heart with warmth.

Ah, I wish this moment could last forever—