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 40: Kitchen Knives and Hiding Embarrassment

[Hirata Masaki]

“──Bridal fair…? What’s that?”

“Ara ara, pretending not to know… Could it be that Darling is getting embarrassed?”

“No, I genuinely have no idea… But I do know it has absolutely nothing to do with our mission.”

“No, no, it’s totally relevant!! You said that once this mission was over, we— I mean, we would get married! The bridal fair is just a preview for that!”

Kokoro, who had been sharpening a kitchen knife in the kitchen, approached me, still holding the blade. I knew she wasn’t actually planning to do anything with it, but it was still unsettling.

“Stop fabricating memories that are filled with death flags.”

Lying on the sofa, I flatly protested as she leaned over me, peering into my face.

Now that I think about it, she had mentioned before that there was a grand chapel in the Eastern District. Could she actually be serious about having a wedding?

“Darling, you’re being weird… Even if you don’t remember, when an absolute beauty like me says she wants to marry you, shouldn’t you just go with it and say ‘Hell yeah!’ or something?”

“You’re the weird one, idiot.”

“…Darling, could it be that your heart is wavering…?”

“…Just say ‘cheating’ like a normal person.”

“So you ARE cheating! You traitor!!”

“I’M NOT!! You’ve been with me 24/7, you should know that!!”

Kokoro suddenly straddled me and brought the knife down toward my face. I frantically dodged while desperately explaining myself.

I didn’t think she’d actually try anything with the knife…

“…Well, you do have a point… Besides, with a super gorgeous girlfriend like me, having your heart waver would be nothing short of a supernatural phenomenon.”

“If you get it, then get off me. You’re heavy.”

“…Oh my, I think I just heard a hallucination… Did you say something?”

“…I said your chest has gotten bigger lately.”

“Geez, Darling, you perv!”

The knife that had been pressing against my throat was casually tossed aside, stabbing straight into the living room floor. This is a rental, you idiot.

“Anyway, we’ve hit a dead end in our search… We don’t have time to mess around. I’ll go with you another time, okay?”

“…Darling. ‘Another time’… When exactly? Will there really be… another time for us?”

“…”

It had been six days since we started searching for the escaped test subject from Haramijima. We had been combing through our assigned district, but we still had no leads.

The day after tomorrow, we’d have our regular briefing with the teams searching other areas, but I wasn’t holding out much hope.

We needed results to make up for our failure in the security mission. If we kept coming up empty, there was a real possibility that we’d never capture the target.

If that happened, we wouldn’t have the luxury of worrying about bridal fairs. Our time together, where we could do as we pleased, might be running out.

Maybe Kokoro was feeling that same unease, and that’s why she suddenly brought this up…

“That bridal fair… It’s at that chapel you mentioned before, right? I don’t think we’ve searched that area yet.”

Even I thought I had a bad habit of not being honest in situations like this. But habits are called habits because they’re hard to break.

“…! Darling, you’ll go with me?”

“We’re not going for fun. It’s still a mission.”

“…Darling, I love you!”

Kokoro, still straddling me, suddenly threw her arms around me and kissed me. As she forcefully pressed her lips against mine, I responded by gently stroking her head with one hand.

The crimson sunset filtering through the window reflected off the knife embedded in the floor, staining my hand a deep red— as if to remind me that the sins I had committed were just as indelible.

‘Irie Hot Springs Town’

Located in the mountains of the New City, the Eastern District’s most famous tourist spot.

I wasn’t here to soak in the hot springs as a form of escapism.

Apparently, the bridal company that ran the grand chapel had some kind of partnership with Irigo Onsen, meaning both facilities were on the same grounds.

Well, since I was using the search mission as an excuse to come to the bridal fair, I guess it was escapism after all.

“Look, Darling! There’s a shop over there!”

As we walked along the stone-paved path cutting through the mountain, Kokoro suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“…You’re right. It’s not in the pamphlet… Is it a café?”

As we descended the slope, the shop at the bottom gradually came into view— an old-fashioned brick building with an oddly tilted weather vane on its roof. Around it, a mix of large and small potted plants were placed seemingly at random.

“Hmm, the name of the shop is… I see. I can’t read it.”

Kokoro puffed out her chest proudly for some reason. I let out an exaggerated sigh and looked at the sign.

“Wetterhahn… It means ‘weathercock’ in German.”

“Darling, your vast knowledge makes me fall for you all over again!”

“Don’t say it like a Hollywood movie tagline. I took German in college… You did too, didn’t you?”

Kokoro and I met in university. The reason we’re hunting witches together now is because of that connection.

“Darling… If just attending lectures made you smart, life would be so much easier.”

“…You say that with a scary amount of confidence.”

Thinking back, she was a total airhead even back then. She got by on her looks and never seemed to care about academics, but now that I think about it, how did she even get into university?

“Darling, since we’re here, why don’t we stop for some tea?”

After descending the stone-paved slope and finally circling around to the front of the shop, Kokoro said those words.

“…No, let’s not.”

“Ara Ara, why not?”

“…The shop’s weathercock… It’s not a rooster. It’s a raven.”

Since we had been coming downhill, I got a clear view of the tilted weather vane on the roof— and instead of a rooster, it was shaped like a raven.

“Oh dear, that’s a bit… ominous, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

Ravens— our greatest enemies in the witch hunt.

I knew full well that this café had nothing to do with them, but in our current situation, I didn’t need any more bad omens.

＊　＊　＊

I spotted them while I was doing something ridiculous—wearing a tuxedo and taking part in a mock wedding.

Among the staff members participating as pretend guests, there were two people who stood out.

A pair that looked younger than the staff, dressed differently. And on top of that, the girl had blonde hair. At first glance, I just thought there was a foreigner in the mix, but upon closer inspection, she was the spitting image of the experimental subject we had been desperately searching for.

She had cut her hair and dressed herself up, looking like a completely different person, but her physique, bone structure, and even the color of her eyes were an exact match.

At the same time I noticed, Kokoro did too. I was internally on edge, half-expecting her to start causing a scene while still in a wedding dress. But whether she had enough presence of mind to keep herself in check, or if she simply didn’t want to ruin the mock wedding, in any case, she didn’t lose control.

──

“Thank you for your time. That concludes today’s planned experience. Were you satisfied with everything?”

After changing out of our wedding attire, we were greeted by a staff member.

“Yes, to be honest, it exceeded my expectations. I’m really glad we came today.”

After all, we had finally found the target we were so desperate to locate. I had only come along to humor Kokoro’s whims, but life is full of unexpected fortunes.

“Nothing makes us happier than hearing that. A wedding is a grand milestone in life, and we would be honored if we could assist in choosing the perfect setting for such an occasion.”

“…Yes, about that, I have a little request. The mock wedding was far more moving than I had imagined, and now I’d really like to experience the mock reception as well… Would that be possible?”

“But of course. In fact, the guests who participated in your mock wedding are about to have their own ceremony, so you can take their place in the reception.”

I still didn’t know what the target was doing here or who the kid with them was. There were too many unknowns, but for now, I’d call for backup while keeping an eye on them.

It would be easier to capture them here in this secluded mountain location rather than in a crowded city. It seemed that, finally, some luck had found its way into my miserable life.

──

“And here are the photos from earlier. You both look absolutely wonderful in them.”

Snapped out of my thoughts by the staff’s voice, I realized I had been uncharacteristically swept up in the moment.

I took the photos handed to me and flipped through them with Kokoro. The images showed a good-for-nothing man in a tuxedo and the woman he loved, dressed in a wedding gown.

“…Darling, thank you for indulging my selfish whims today. Just being able to take this picture… I already feel so full of happiness.”

With a tender touch, Kokoro traced a finger over the photo and gently leaned her head against my chest.

“…That’s not like you. This was just a rehearsal, wasn’t it? Save the real overflowing emotions… for the actual thing.”

After speaking, I ruffled Kokoro’s neatly styled hair roughly, using it as an excuse to hide my embarrassment.

Letting out a small yelp, she hurriedly shielded her carefully arranged hair and wriggled away from my grasp, whispering a quiet, “…Okay.”