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 37: Cup Ramen and the Weathercock

Chapter 37: Cup Ramen and the Weathercock

[Bubblegum Klondike]

──When I opened the door, beneath a sky full of stars, our leader sat upon her throne.

I had a hunch about why I was summoned, but for the boss to be this openly furious… Did I really step on her tail that badly with my recent actions?

If that’s the case, then which one… Which one of my many, many misdeeds was the trigger? I’ve got way too many guesses to narrow it down. But hey, I’m already here, so turning back ain’t an option.

“Muaa, Number 9 of Diamonds… Bubblegum Klondike-chan, making her grand entrance yo~n.”

“Bubblegum… Do you know why you were called here today?”

“…Mufuuh, see that’s the thing—There’s just so many possibilities, ya know? It’s kinda a problem, really.”

Abyss, seated upon the throne, shifted her crossed legs and rested her cheek against one hand. Her face was hidden behind that cloth, so I couldn’t read her expression. But from centuries of knowing her, I could tell—oh yeah, she was real annoyed.

“That so…? This morning, I heard something interesting. Word is, yesterday, you and Latte attacked the Seraph Witch Association.”

Welp, looks like she already found out about yesterday’s little trip to the Witch Association Seraph with Latte. I did tell Latte to keep quiet, but eh, no point fussing over it now.

Not that it’s impossible that Rose or Magenta snitched to Abyss either, but, y’know.

“Muaa, me and Latte at the Seraph Witch Association? Now just who would go and spread such baseless rumors, hmm~?”

“That’d be Snow. Apparently, Latte was acting a little off yesterday, so when Snow pressed her about it, she said you forced her to go.”

…Ah. So Latte sang. That damn Snow, always so sharp.

“Mufuuh, ‘pressed her’ you say… Hey hey, Snow didn’t go as far as torturing Latte or anything, right~?”

“Who knows? Snow did say, ‘I gave her a shortcake, and she confessed right away,’ though?”

“……”

──She sold me out… for a shortcake? That traitor. If I make it outta here alive, I swear, she’s gonna pay.

“Muaa, okay, fine, I admit I went to the Seraph Witch Association yesterday, but! It was just ‘cause I wanted to see an old friend, ya know? It’s not like I was thinkin’ of leavin’ Ravens or anything, seriously!”

“Ohh? An old friend, huh? Were they doing well? The current leader’s Rose, if I recall?”

“Mufu, oh yeah, she was doing just great—Magenta, especially, got all up in my face. And Rose said next time, I better send word before dropping by.”

“I see… So then, what exactly did you go to the Seraph Witch Association for?”

Above, the starlit sky gleamed dangerously. Abyss was still lounging on her throne, chin in hand, but I might as well have had a knife pressed against my throat.

“…Mufuuh, fine, fine, I’ll tell ya the truth, Boss… Y’see, I heard there were some young witches who hadn’t joined the Seraph Witch Association yet, right? So I figured, hey, maybe I’d go and scout ‘em—for your sake, of course.”

“…Ohh, is that so? But then… tell me this—if they weren’t part of the Seraph Witch Association, why were they even there?”

──That’s what I’d like to know!

I didn’t want Abyss finding out I was digging into Haramijima, so I just pulled that excuse outta nowhere. Honestly, I only knew two things about those girls—one, they weren’t part of the Seraph Witch Association. Two, they were Wisteria’s brats.

“…Mufuuh, so that’s the thing—Magenta the idiot forcibly teleported them there. And when I found out, I had Latte help me track ‘em down, pronto.”

“……”

Even I thought my excuse was a bit of a stretch as I said it. Abyss was still unreadable behind that cloth, but no doubt about it—she wasn’t buying it.

“──Honestly? I don’t really care where you went or what your business was.”

“Muaa, then what’s got you so mad, Boss?”

──Seriously, what the hell? If going to the Seraph Witch Association ain’t the problem, then I shouldn’t even be here right now.

What’s this really about—

“Breakfast.”

“……Feh?”

No mistaking it. That voice definitely came from Abyss. But the words were so out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but let out a dumb sound.

“…Bubblegum, you were on breakfast duty yesterday, weren’t you?”

“…Mufuuh, y-yeah, that was me, but… why?”

“I wasn’t back at the castle yesterday morning, so I don’t know. What did you make for breakfast?”

“…Mufuuh… Cup ramen.”

Wait. Wait.

Could it be? Is this seriously about me using the cup ramen from the storage instead of cooking something properly?

Would Abyss really summon me just for that? I mean, if it were that idiot Ys, sure, she’d get thrown in solitary for raiding the storage all the time, but me—?

“──That cup ramen was my prized stash, you know?”

“……Muhfeh!?”

Oh. So it wasn’t about slacking on breakfast duty.

It was about eating her ramen.

Like, seriously? Over cup ramen??

“Muaa, I never even thought that it belonged to you, Boss… It was just sitting there, and the amount was exactly enough for everyone, so… Oh! I know, I’ll have Lilac go buy more!”

“That brand? They stopped making it last year. You won’t find it anymore.”

“…Fu-Fufeh… Uh, so like… super sorry ‘bout that, Boss. Really.”

I never imagined something like this would happen over something as trivial as ramen! In the first place, if Latte had just told me about the duty schedule earlier, none of this would have happened!

Damn you, Latte… I won’t forgive this!

“Bubblegum… Do you really feel bad about this?”

“Muaa, so bad! I’m like, drowning in regret right now!”

“…Alright… Then I’ll let it go. Maybe I did overreact over a cup of ramen.”

When Abyss raised her left hand and spoke, the stars that had been covering the ceiling vanished. With nothing left to block the light of the chandelier, the throne room was bathed in a warm glow.

I was relieved to be granted mercy so easily. That magic just now was probably half a joke.

“In exchange for forgiving you, may I ask for one favor?”

Just when I was thinking of apologizing appropriately and making a quick exit, those words stopped me in my tracks. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Mufuu~ What is it? If it’s something I can do, then anything goes~!”

“Bubblegum, you know that we’re planning to open a shop in the Far East soon, both as a source of funds and as a new base, right?”

“Muaa~ Yeah, I know. The Defense Squad kids—was it a café or something?”

Recently, there had been reports that the remnants of the witch hunters were gathering in the Far East. That was why we decided to establish a base there as well.

But Ravens was always broke. Unlike the Seraph Witch Association, we weren’t an officially recognized organization, so of course, we didn’t receive funding from anywhere.