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 42: Presents and a Most Obedient Servant

[Baba Sakurako]

“…’Wani no Ike,’ (Crocodile Pond) huh? That’s… exactly what it sounds like…”

“But still, why are there crocodiles at a hot spring resort? Karuta, do you know?”

“Hmm~ not a clue-nchii!”

While the president was soaking in the hot springs, we wandered into the hot spring town to kill some time.

With no particular destination in mind, we followed the stone-paved path and soon arrived at a large pond enclosed by double-layered fences.

The sign beside the pond read “Wani no Ike.” In other words, this was the infamous crocodile pond, a renowned attraction of Irie Hot Springs.

Yep, the name says it all.

“──The crocodiles here, they were gifted to me by my dear Mother and Father for my birthday, you see.”

“So that means… these crocodiles are your pets, Kanon-chan?”

“Indeed. Is there a problem?”

Three massive beasts loomed over the pond, basking in the sun. Usually, when someone talks about birthday presents, it’s supposed to be a heartwarming story. But to think Kanon-chan actually asked for such enormous crocodiles… I couldn’t help but question her sanity.

“Still, they’re pretty big, huh~ How long are they~?”

“I can tell they’re big, but there’s nothing in the pond for scale, so it’s hard to judge their exact size.”

The pond had a small patch of land taking up about a third of its surface, but there were no trees or artificial structures. With the double fencing keeping us at a distance, it was difficult to get a proper sense of scale.

“…If I recall correctly, they should be about two meters long. Oh, and they do have names, you know. From right to left, that would be Wani Ichirou, Wani Jirou, and Wani Saburou.”

“Huh, well… those sure are… easy-to-remember names.”

“…Are you quite certain they are only two meters? They seem much larger…”

Emilia-chan narrowed her eyes, staring at the crocodiles. Honestly, unless they were some kind of magical beasts, it wasn’t like we were going to fight them, so did their size even matter?

“As their owner, I can assure you—two meters is correct.”

“Hmm~? But compared to Hikari, they look more like… eight meters~?”

“Oh, you’re right… Kanon-san, there’s no way those things are just two meters long.”

Following everyone’s gazes back to the pond, I saw Hikari-chan standing atop one of the crocodiles, waving at us.

“…Hiiieeeh!? H-Hikari-chan, what the hell are you doing up there!? Have you lost your mind?!”

I had been wondering where she disappeared to, but to think she was in a place like that… That was completely insane.

Panicking, I clung to the fence and shouted. Did she not understand the purpose of the fence?!

“──Sakurako! This croc is stupidly huge, y’know?!”

However, while I was freaking out, Hikari-chan just kept waving at us with a carefree grin, either unable to hear me or outright ignoring me. No, the idiot here was you.

“Guys, don’t just stand there—say something!”

“See? They’re definitely bigger than two meters. Kanon-san, you can’t just make things up like that.”

“Aaand the sign here says their names are ‘Waa,’ ‘Wani,’ and ‘Wasan’… At least get your own pets’ names right~”

“My, how odd. When did they grow so large…? Well, a minor detail, really. And truth be told, I never could quite tell which was which anyway.”

…Was I the only sane one here? Or had I been the weird one all along?

“Ooooi, Sakurako! Take a picture for meee!”

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my smartphone and activated the camera. I focused on Hikari-chan, who was flashing a peace sign atop the crocodile.

Sure, this situation was absolutely ridiculous, but compared to everything that had happened recently, it was still relatively tame.

Deciding not to overthink it, I resigned myself to my fate and pressed the shutter.

At that exact moment, one of the crocodiles suddenly thrashed, snapping its jaws wide open in an attempt to swallow Hikari-chan whole.

She screamed something from the pond, but I figured a slightly intense travel memory wouldn’t hurt.

＊＊＊

“──Once again, I am Kanon’s mother, Fujino. Thank you for always looking after my daughter.”

After wandering around the hot spring town, we returned to the inn just in time for lunch, where we were greeted by Kanon-chan’s mother.

Her hair color, her jagged teeth, even the eyepatch—she was a spitting image of her daughter.

Because she didn’t age, she looked no older than her early twenties, making her seem more like Kanon-chan’s older sister than her mother.

Come to think of it, in a family of witches, even if you had a grandmother, mother, and daughter all together, they’d all still look like they were in their twenties. That made for some pretty bizarre family dynamics.

What started as a parent-child relationship would eventually shift into something more like sisterhood as time went on.

“I hear you’re working under Viviane, but she is… quite the eccentric witch. That must be rather difficult for you?”

“Wistaria, thou dost not see me standing here…?”

“Oh my, thou art so small I simply failed to notice. My deepest apologies.”

Fujino-san shot the president a sharp glare, then turned to us with a refined smile.

“Do enjoy the hot springs at your leisure.”

With that, she left the room.

While we were kept waiting, I had no idea what kind of conversation they had with the president, but judging by the atmosphere, they didn’t seem to get along. If anything, it felt like their relationship was bad.

“Oi, Vivian, why are you calling Kanon’s mom ‘Wistaria’?”

After Fujino-san left, the room felt awkward, but Hikari-chan didn’t seem to care. That part of her was honestly impressive—whether that was a good or bad thing was another matter…

“Because that was what she called herself in the past… Her current name just doesn’t sit right with me, ye see.”

“My mother’s name, Atagawa Fujino, is a pseudonym she took after marrying my father. So it’s not incorrect, and I don’t mind at all.”

It was supposed to be just a normal conversation, yet something about it felt off. Why was that? Maybe it was because Kanon-chan sounded like she was covering for the president.

Did something happen while the three of them were talking…? No, that’s probably just me overthinking it.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly explained the world of witches to you lot yet, have I? A good opportunity, I’d say. This one shall teach ye all sorts today.”

The president, seated atop a three-tiered cushion, suddenly declared as if struck by inspiration. At this point, I was starting to get used to this kind of behavior.

“…Sakurako-san, does the president always start important conversations like this?”

Emilia-chan had a doubtful look on her face. Since she normally avoided talking to the president, she probably hadn’t built up a tolerance for it yet.

“This is actually one of the better cases. At least everyone’s present. If she starts talking to us separately, she ends up getting mixed up about who she told what…”

“I see… That’s even worse than I imagined.”

“Okay, okay, enough badmouthing this one. Surely ye have something better to ask? Like, say, this one’s favorite food?”

“Then, how many spells can you use, Vivian?”

As expected, Hikari-chan was the first to raise her hand. But I had already heard this yesterday.

“Three. Pretty wild, ain’t it?”

“For real? That’s insane.”

And just like that, the Q&A session ended in an instant. Vivian-san seemed a little dejected.

“What’s your relationship with Yakuma~?”

Next, Karuta-chan, who had been fiddling with her phone, raised her hand. It was a question as sweet and innocent as a high school girl’s curiosity. Well, she was a high school girl.

“Yakuma is this one’s ken-zoku. In other words, a loyal servant.”

“…Uh, what exactly is a kenzoku?”

Sensing that this would be another one of those fast-cut-off discussions, I raised my hand before it could be brushed aside.

“Oh? Ye don’t know what a kenzoku is… Well, that makes sense. A kenzoku is a human who has been given a witch’s blood and formed a contract with them.”

“…A contracted human?”

“Indeed. When a human ingests a witch’s blood, they typically either die or just catch a cold.”

“That’s a pretty big range, don’t you think?”

“…Well, just hear me out, oh ye of the retorts.”

The absurdity of the explanation made me interject without thinking, earning me a scolding from the president. Wait, when did I become the designated straight-man in this group?

“Rarely, a human who drinks witch’s blood is compatible. Giving them blood is what we call a contract, and a human who adapts to it is called a kenzoku.”

“And between a witch and their kenzoku, a special bond is formed. First, the kenzoku gains the ability to use the original witch’s magic. Though naturally weaker, with training, they can wield it to some extent.”

In other words, Yakuma had drunk Vivian-san’s blood and, instead of dying or catching a cold, became compatible…

I had ignored it until now, but thinking back, he did jump out of a window and perform all sorts of inhuman feats. I had just assumed he was a vampire because of how he looked.

“Also, once someone becomes a kenzoku, they stop aging. It’s a bit different from witches—Yakuma was nearly thirty when this one made him a kenzoku, so he’s still kinda an old man…”

So if you become a kenzoku at ten, you stay a child forever. And if you become one at eighty, you stay an old person forever.

…Wait, so Yakuma is still in his late twenties? With how exhausted he always looks, I thought he was way older. Sorry about that.

“And now comes the interesting part—if the contracting witch dies, the kenzoku dies with them. But the reverse isn’t true; a kenzoku dying doesn’t affect the witch.”

“Half a shared existence, then…?”

“…Aye, something like that. Also, a witch can only have one kenzoku at a time. Even if she gives her blood to multiple people, only the first contract holds. Why? Well, ye may ask the gods yerselves.”

It was a fascinating concept. Meaning, I could turn someone into my kenzoku too, as long as they didn’t, you know, die or catch a cold.

“…Well, making a kenzoku is actually a huge taboo in the witch’s world. So don’t go doing it on a whim like this one did.”

“…Wait, Yakuma-san was made into a kenzoku on a whim?”

“Aye. Bambi was apparently a descendant of some nation this one destroyed in the past, and he, in his foolishness, tried to kill this one. So, instead, this one half-killed him and made him a kenzoku. Funny, isn’t it? To serve the one ye sought to kill?”

“…Wait a second. There’s too much to unpack here!”

Did she just casually admit to wiping out an entire nation? And she turned Yakuma into a kenzoku purely for entertainment? That’s not mischief—that’s pure sadism!

“Well, there was a lot that happened between us, but now we’re mutually in love, so all’s well that ends well. Next question.”

“…!? No, wait, explain that part in more detail!!”

They were talking about something on the school rooftop before, but… wait, wait, does this mean Yakuma is actually a lolicon!?

After this, all five of us interrogated the president, but she just laughed it off, saying it was a joke.

Whether it really was a joke or not, one thing was certain—our perception of Yakuma was never going to be the same again.