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 41: Inn Management and the Employment Exam

[Baba Sakurako]

—I am currently on a hot spring retreat, or rather, a hot spring trip, decided on a whim by President Vivian.

“—I think this might be my first time at a hot spring… Hikari-chan, have you ever been to one?”

“Ah—now that you mention it, this is my first time too. What about you, Bakaruta?”

“…I go to hot springs quite often~ They’re nice~ You get an unrestricted view of girls in all their glory~”

“…Alright, Bakaruta, you’re using the private bath in the room. Decision made.”

“…Uweh!? N-no way~ It was just a Muteking joke~ I’m going to the big bath too~”

“Everyone, don’t worry. I’ll keep a close watch on Karuta.”

Gathered in one of the ryokan’s rooms, we chatted idly while waiting for the president and Kanon-chan.

The four of us, excluding Kanon-chan and the president, had come to the hot spring town today, but when we arrived at the inn, Kanon-chan was nowhere to be seen.

We were warmly welcomed by the inn staff, quickly shown to our room, and informed by the maid who escorted us that the president had already arrived. She was currently in an important discussion with Kanon-chan and the landlady, so we were asked to wait in our room for a while.

“…By the way, I wonder what this ‘important discussion’ is about?”

“Who knows? Maybe the rich landlady and Vivian actually knew each other all along.”

Lying on the tatami mat, Hikari-chan seemed utterly uninterested.

But honestly, considering how famous the president is among witches, Hikari-chan’s guess might not be too far off…

[Atagawa Fujino]

—In a space meant to provide relaxation and comfort, one room in the hot spring ryokan was filled with an unusually tense atmosphere.

It was the landlady’s private chamber within the inn—in other words, my room.

“Hmm… This is quite a nice ryokan. I’m surprised enough that you married a human man and had a child, but to think you’d be running a ryokan as well.”

“…Well, thank you for that. But honestly, I’m more shocked that the first time I see you in years, you seem to have shrunk quite a bit.”

“I’ve been alive for hundreds of years, after all. Of course, I’ve shrunk.”

I had heard from Kanon that she was having a sleepover with her friends today. It was the first time she had ever invited friends over, so I was eager to welcome them. But the one who arrived was none other than Vivian Hearts.

She had disappeared after quitting the Witch Association, Seraph. I had assumed she had finally succeeded in her attempts at suicide. Unfortunately, she was still alive and well.

But what was even more unfortunate was that she seemed to have some kind of connection with my daughter.

“So, I’d like an explanation. You and Kanon… just what exactly is your relationship?”

I glanced back and forth between Kanon, who sat beside me, and Vivian, who was drinking tomato juice across from me.

“…Well, I hate to answer a question with a question, but why are you talking like that? You’re kind of scaring me…”

There it was. This is exactly why I hate this woman—her complete inability to read the room.

Kanon, who had been keeping her eyes down, now looked at me suspiciously.

“…Ugh, shut up already. Quit whining and just answer me, you damn shrimp. I’ll kill you.”

I spoke in German, ensuring my tone sounded as polite as possible to Kanon while making sure she wouldn’t understand the words.

“Oh, oh, there it is! That’s the vibe! Now this feels right. Also, just so you know, I’m immortal, so you can’t kill me.”

Thankfully, this little tomato woman switched to German as well. If she had continued speaking in Japanese, I would have blown her head clean off.

Kanon seemed confused by the sudden language switch but made no attempt to interrupt.

“To put it simply, Kanon is my subordinate.”

“…Hah?”

I hadn’t spoken German in a while, so I thought I misheard her. Did she just say “subordinate”? That had to be a mistake…

“What, didn’t catch that? She’s my subordinate. An employee at my company.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Kanon, your mother is seriously overworked. She seems quite exhausted.”

Vivian directed her words at my daughter. I wasn’t sure exactly what she was saying, but it felt incredibly insulting.

“…Mother, um, I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but the truth is, I’ve actually joined a company called VCU, which specializes in exterminating magical beasts. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I never found the right moment…”

Hearing the uncertainty in Kanon’s voice, I finally processed her words. She got a job? Kanon… got a job?

She’s still in high school.

And of all places… at a company run by this good-for-nothing?

“Kanon, you secretly joined my company without telling Wisteria? You’ve got guts.”

“‘You’ve got guts’ my ass, you idiot!! She’s still a child! What the hell are you making her do?!”

I couldn’t suppress my emotions any longer and shouted at the woman in front of me. Forget German—I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Just so you know, Kanon applied for the job herself. I only hired her.”

“…A child acting on their own, right? Sorry, but I’m canceling that contract.”

“Wisteria… The age of adulthood for witches is 16. Kanon is 17, so she’s already considered an adult. Also, since I didn’t scout her, your consent isn’t required. Case closed.”

Vivian stuck out her tongue and made a victory sign at me.

Something inside me snapped.

“…You little… I’ve been listening to your bullshit for too long. I’m going to kill you, you damn hag.”

“Wait, weren’t you already screaming at me?”

I was calm. Maybe a little heated, but I was an adult. I knew how to control myself.

That’s why, after taking a deep breath to compose myself, I grabbed Vivian Hearts by the collar and hurled her out the window.

If I was going to kill her, it had to be somewhere that wouldn’t disturb the guests. After all, I am a model innkeeper.

“…Kanon, I have some business to discuss with Vivian-san. Wait here.”

My daughter, now pale, nodded her head vigorously.

Kanon, my precious, only daughter… I won’t let anyone lead her astray.

Leaning out the window, I saw Vivian had landed on the mountainside behind the inn.

I leaped after her without hesitation.

Vivian was dangling upside-down, caught in a tree about three meters above the ground.

“…Throwing a poor, innocent maiden out the window? You’re quite the delinquent landlady. With shoulders like those, I’d say you’re more suited for a different line of work.”

“If killing you was a job, I’d consider a career change.”

“…Kuhaha! Then how about I test you for recruitment?”

＊＊＊

“—Haa, haa… Seriously, you’re such a monster.”

“…We’re both the same, aren’t we? To think you managed to kill me over forty times in just ten minutes… My magic is completely drained now.”

I already knew, more than I cared to, that this person wouldn’t die no matter how many times I killed her. And yet, even after all that, seeing her act completely unfazed was terrifying.

“…Vivian, what exactly are you trying to do? What are you trying to drag my daughter into?”

Vivian had always been free-spirited and impossible to pin down.

She wasn’t bound by good or evil. She always seemed like she wasn’t thinking about anything, yet she was always plotting something… That kind of woman.

“…I’m merely doing what I must. Though I won’t deny that I’m gathering witches for my own personal objectives… But Kanon coming to me was purely by chance.”

As she spoke, Vivian regenerated the arms and lower half of her body that I had just blasted away.

But that answer was far from convincing.

“…That’s ridiculous. I’ve spent my whole life keeping her away from witches. There’s no way she’d step into the witch’s world on her own.”

I may not be as extreme as Vivian, but I, too, have lived for a time far longer than any human could ever imagine. And what I have learned in that time is that witches are nothing but a curse.

There wasn’t a single day that I didn’t regret being born as one.

Yet, even in my accursed life, a light shone through.

That light was Kanon—my beloved only daughter with Shinya.

No matter what, I wanted her to live a normal life.

“I don’t know why you’re so determined to keep Kanon away from the world of witches, but she joined my company for your sake.”

“…For my sake?”

“She told me she wanted to save humanity from the magic beasts without belonging to the Seraph Witch Association—to clear your name after you were exiled from them.”

“…Kanon said that…?”

—I had no idea.

It’s true that I was exiled from the Seraph Witch Association. And to say I hold no grudge against them would be a lie. But I’ve never let Kanon see that.

—When Kanon was ten years old, she received an invitation from the Seraph Witch Association.

But she refused it.

At the time, I thought she simply wasn’t interested in the world of witches.

But if what Vivian said was true, then Kanon… did it for me?

“…But that girl knows nothing. Nothing about witches, nothing about magical beasts…”

“I’ll personally take responsibility for teaching her about witches… As for magical beasts, Kanon already knows about them. And she made her decision with full understanding of the risks.

Wisteria, even knowing this… will you still try to hold your daughter back?”

I can remember the day she was born as if it were yesterday. The first time she crawled, the first time she stood and walked, the way she beamed when she first carried a school bag on her back…

My precious child, Kanon.

“…I thought I’d been watching over her every single day, but… I see.

Before I knew it, she had already grown up—”

＊＊＊

【Baba Sakurako】

Kanon-chan and the president joined us about twenty minutes after we were shown to our rooms.

“Well then, everyone, the hot springs training camp starts now!

However, I’m currently completely drained of magic.

So, I shall go ahead and soak in the hot springs first to recover my magic.

You lot can go and amuse yourselves in the meantime.”

The moment she appeared, Vivian-san made that declaration and vanished.

I had no idea what kind of circumstances would leave her magic completely drained…