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 46: Thunderstrikes and the Whip of Love

Chapter 46: Thunderstrikes and the Whip of Love

[Baba Sakurako]

──”So, what do you think Bubby did back then? She went and blamed it all on this one instead! Thanks to that, I ended up in a death match with Wistaria. Well, not that it matters, this one is immortal, after all!”

“…Bubby-chan, sounds like you used to be pretty adorable back in the day.”

“Pupupu, this… definitely needs to be reported to everyone.”

Thanks to the president’s never-ending stories of the past, the blue-haired one and the bangs one have grown awfully close before I even realized it. Looks like it’s their first time meeting the president.

By the way, the blue-haired one is Brush Fantadomino, and the one with bangs is Lilac Ginrami.

Of course, both of them, like Bubblegum-san, are witches of the Ravens.

“…Mmmph, e-enough already, you old hag!! If you say one more unnecessary thing, I’m gonna kill you!!”

“‘Old hag!! I’m gonna kill you!!’ you say… Behold, everyone! This is Bubby’s rebellious phase!!”

“…Fufufu.”

“Pupupupu.”

“A-Ahihiii, hi-hic! Ahahaha!!”

“Muhhaa!! Don’t make fun of me, Vivian!! And Sakurako-chin, you’re laughing too much!!”

I don’t know if it’s because the president’s provocation skills are too high level or if my laughter threshold has simply lowered from the tension being released, but for some reason, this is all ridiculously funny.

This is bad. If I keep laughing like this, my abs might actually start splitting.

“Now then, there’s another story. This happened right after Bubby had just joined the Ravens…”

“Mufuu, enough already, Vivian!!”

Bubblegum-san, her face bright red, shouted and lunged at the president.

The log the president had been sitting on—or rather, that entire section of the area—was blown away.

“…What are you doing, Bubblegum? Jumping at me so suddenly like that is dangerous, you know?”

At some point, the president had relocated to a thick tree branch a little distance away, looking down in disapproval at Bubblegum-san, who was panting heavily.

“Muaaa, I’ve got a million questions, like why the hell you are even here, or why you’ve shrunk so much… but no way in hell I’m letting you spout more nonsense! Fight me, Vivian! If I win, you’re banned from telling stories about the past, forever!”

If I remember right, Bubblegum-san came here to negotiate with the president to recruit me into the Ravens, but… this has veered way off course.

“Mmm, I don’t quite get it, but calm yourself… Even for this one, fighting Bubby is a bit much. There’s no gain in it for this one even if this one wins.”

“President, Bubblegum-san was just saying she was gonna beat you to a pulp. She also said something about you being a no-name horse or something.”

“…Hmm, is that so, Bubby?”

“M-Muaaa, Sakurako-chin… aren’t you way meaner than I thought!?”

“…Hmph, I’m not too keen on it, but I suppose I’ll have to give you a little whip of love. And just so you know… If this one wins, this one gets one absolute order to command you… Now!!”

Still perched on the tree branch, the president leaned back. Of course, with nothing to support her, she should’ve fallen straight onto her head—but instead, jet-black wings spread open in midair.

Kurobane.

The wings only spread for an instant before fluttering sharply, unleashing a storm of countless Kurobane like arrows, all aimed at Bubblegum-san.

“…Tch!!”

Bubblegum-san twisted and dodged the incoming feathers at an incredible speed, all while steadying her stance.

“Hou, you’ve gotten much better at dodging… Well then, let’s see how your swordplay is… Come forth, Cancellation!”

The moment the president landed on the ground and chanted something, two swords appeared in her hands. They were the same ones that had once sliced through the office sofa in a single stroke.

“Muaa, when are you gonna stop thinking you’re stronger than me…? Manifest, Spite and Malice!”

Facing the president, Bubblegum-san chanted her own incantation, summoning two swords as well. Unlike the president’s, though, these had different designs—one had a dramatically curved blade, while the other looked like a rectangular butcher’s knife.

“One thing I’d like to ask… Which one’s Spite, and which one’s Malice?”

“Muaaa, shut up and dieeeee!!”

With a fierce battle cry, Bubblegum-san launched herself toward the president with terrifying force.

A metallic clang pierced the air as their swords clashed.

No, this wasn’t just some simple sword fight—at speeds beyond what the eye could follow, steel met steel, each movement nothing but a blur.

With a particularly strong impact, both fighters leaped back, creating distance. From the looks of it, neither had taken a single hit.

“──Now then, as for the victory conditions, this one is immortal, so a normal fight would be unfair. If you manage to lop off this one’s head or pierce the heart, you win.”

“Muaaa, oh wow, thanks for the consideration! In that case, I’ll settle for making you say I surrender!”

Bubblegum-san sounded all cocky, but compared to the president’s condition, hers was practically peaceful. I bet she’s secretly scared.

“…Sakurako! Watching is also part of learning! Observe how Kurobane are used!”

“…President! I’ve been watching, but my eyes can’t keep up!”

Their movements are completely beyond human comprehension—I can’t keep track of them at all. There’s no such thing as observation here.

“If you activate your magic and focus, you should be able to see… Oh!?”

“Muaa! You sure you’ve got time to be looking away!?”

Bubblegum-san blurred out of sight, suddenly appearing right in front of the president, swinging her blade down.

I forced myself to calm down and activated my magic.

I concentrated, feeling the flow of magic within me, sharpening my awareness of the battle.

“Not bad, you’ve improved quite a bit…!!”

“Muaa, if anything, you have gotten weaker while I wasn’t looking!!”

──I can see them.

The two figures, once nothing but blurs, are now crystal clear.

It’s not just swordplay. There’s magic interwoven between each clash, along with bursts of raw physical combat. It’s an absolutely insane display of skill.

“Muhhaa… I’ll fry you to a crisp!!”

Bubblegum-san suddenly lowered her stance—before, in the blink of an eye, teleporting above the president.

Even with my enhanced vision, her speed was nearly impossible to follow.

From high above, Bubblegum-san swung her sword downward.

Of course, it would never reach from that distance. But the moment she did—

A massive, purple thunderbolt erupted from the blade.

With a deafening CRACK!, the lightning tore through the air, blasting the ground apart.

The explosion was so violent that I fell flat on my rear.

Shattered rocks and chunks of wood shot toward me like shrapnel.

Even with enhanced reflexes and vision, there was no way I could activate Kurobane in time.

All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut and brace for impact.

──But…

“……?”

No matter how long I waited, not a single grain of sand hit me.

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes.

“…You can’t just close your eyes during an observation, you know?”

“M-Maybe it’s better if you… watched from a bit farther away.”

Before I realized it, Brush-san and Lilac-san were standing in front of me.

I wasn’t sure which of them had done it, but it seemed they had protected me with magic.

“…Ah, thank you very much. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“…No need for thanks or apologies. Protecting a cute girl is only natural.”

“…W-Well, it was me who protected you…”

Guided by the two from Ravens, I moved a little farther away.

Even so, that terrifying display of magic just now… I wonder if the President is alright. The area where the lightning struck was covered in dust, making it impossible to see either the President or Bubblegum-san.

“—To think thou couldst wound me to this extent with mere lightning magic, which is ill-suited for battles between witches… As expected of the name Klondike, it is not just for show.”

With the President’s voice, the dust cloud was blown away. She had flapped her massive wings to clear it.

Even from a distance, it seemed she was still in one piece, but her right hand was completely charred black, with smoke rising from it.

“Mufuu, blocking that with your bare hands… You’re still stupidly tough as always, huh.”

“To be frank, I do regret it somewhat… This is dreadfully numbing. Shall we take a thirty-second break?”

“Muhaa, in thirty seconds, I’ll have your head rolling!”

Bubblegum-san launched another attack. The President’s arm showed no signs of recovery yet.

Two swords unleashed a relentless barrage. The President fended them off with only her left hand. However, perhaps because she was lacking in sheer number of strikes, she seemed to be on the defensive.

Why isn’t the President using Kurobane? She’s stubbornly fighting with just her left-hand sword… Maybe she can’t use it while regenerating?

“Muhaaa!!”

With her advantage, Bubblegum-san finally knocked the President’s sword away. The weapon flew through the air, shattering a massive rock before embedding itself deep in the ground. Just how heavy is that sword…?

“This is bad, very bad! We have a problem! Time out, time out!”

“Muhaa, no time-outs, Vivian!”

Bubblegum-san’s sword sliced clean through the President’s outstretched left hand. Without hesitation, she followed up by severing the charred right hand as well. Next, both legs were cut off below the knees in quick succession.

“Hey, didn’t I call time out!? My nose is itchy, and now I can’t scratch it!”

Was she being serious or joking? It was hard to tell. Either way, it was not something you’d expect from someone who had just lost all four limbs. The President, now wriggling on the ground like a caterpillar, was an unusual sight.

“Muhaa, where does it itch? I’ll scratch it for ya!”

With that, Bubblegum-san swung her sword down toward the President’s face. No matter how immortal she might be, the sight was still pretty shocking.

“Ohh, that did the trick… Alright then, let’s resume!”

From her caterpillar-like state, Vivian-san suddenly exploded with movement, sprouting countless tentacles that stretched in every direction.

Each and every one of them writhed ominously, trying to capture Bubblegum-san.

“…Mufuu, w-wait! Time out… Time ouuut!”

“Kuku, no time-outs for thee!”

Bubblegum-san managed to cut down several of the tentacles, but they kept coming. One by one, they coiled around her until, in the end, she was completely engulfed.

“Well now, looks like this one’s my win. Best surrender quickly, methinks.”

Standing up using the tentacles that had sprouted from her back, Vivian-san spoke toward the mass of writhing appendages.

Could she even hear anything through all that? More importantly, was Bubblegum-san okay?

“Hmm, I hear nothing… Art thou still alive in there? Pfft—”

It happened in an instant.

Just as the tentacles were cut apart, the President’s head went tumbling to the ground.

“…Mwahahaha! You tried to fool me, but turns out I was the one who had the upper hand!”

Apparently, Bubblegum-san had intentionally allowed herself to be captured. If it was to make the President drop her guard, that was one hell of a gamble.

I felt a little frustrated seeing the President lose, but honestly, it wasn’t like I had anything to lose from it.

“…Oi, Bubblegum, quit laughing already and reattach my head and body.”

I wasn’t even surprised anymore. The President was casually talking as just a head. Is she really even a witch like the rest of us…?

“Muhaa, fine fine… Here, let’s get you back toge—huh? Oi, what the hell!?”

The moment Bubblegum-san picked up the President’s head, it suddenly transformed into tentacles and wrapped around her. At the same time, more tentacles sprouted from the discarded body, entangling Bubblegum-san’s swords.

“Mufuu!? Oi, Vivian, that’s cheating! I already cut off your head, so I won!”

“—Aye, hadst thou indeed cut off my head, thou wouldst have won… Hadst thou.”

“Muhaa… Wait, you mean—!?”

Emerging from behind some rubble, the President appeared completely intact. Lying beside her was the decapitated, limbless body, still growing tentacles.

And yet, the thing strangling Bubblegum-san was also supposed to be her head.

Which meant… there were two of her?

“The head thou didst sever was not mine, but mine right hand.”

The President lifted her right arm and wiggled it playfully. The hand was missing from the wrist… but before I could process that, the discarded body vanished like smoke, reforming into her right hand.

“…!?”

“Mine Kurobane is ever-shifting. I can shape mine right hand into a perfect duplicate of myself, should I wish it.”

“Mufuu, when the hell did you swap—”

“—I shall acknowledge the sheer power of thy lightning, yet it leaveth thee too exposed.”

Apparently, she had hidden herself in the smoke from the lightning strike while sending her right-hand double to fight in her place.

Shaping and transforming Kurobane had been a part of our training for a long time, but to think it could be used like this… Vivian Hearts truly was a witch of exceptional skill.

“Muhaa, alright, alright! I give up!”

“Oh? Thou dost admit defeat rather swiftly.”

“Mufuu, even if we were holding back, I ain’t dumb enough not to see the difference in skill. I thought Seraph had made you soft, but turns out you’re stronger than you were 400 years ago.”

“Fufun, this one is not so easily cast aside… What sayest thou, Sakurako? Didst thou learn much?”

Having released Bubblegum-san from the tentacles, the President waved at me energetically.

Sure, watching a battle between the former head of the Witch Society Seraph and a current active witch from Raven was an extremely rare experience.

I completely understood that I had witnessed something invaluable… But if I had to be honest—

“—It was so incredible that I have no idea what just happened.”