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 48: ABCD and Goal D

[Baba Sakurako]

“──It’s chilly this morning.”

As I turned toward the voice, a girl entered the room, blowing warm breath onto her hands, which puffed out white in the cold air.

“Ah, you’re finally back. What was all the commotion about?”

Still sitting on the bed, I used magic to toss logs into the fireplace and light them.

“Vivian and Wisteria got into a fight. Seriously, those two just can’t get along, and it’s such a headache.”

The girl hung her cloak on the wall and sat down beside me. Her fingers, reddened from the cold, looked freezing, so I wrapped my hands around them.

“Really? They say people who fight a lot are actually close, though.”

“Close or not, if they keep wrecking the castle every time they argue, it’s unbearable. I wish they’d think about the poor soul who has to mediate all the time.”

Pouting, the girl leaned against me, pressing her body against mine.

“Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work this morning. I’ll go make us some warm tea.”

As I stood up to brew tea, the girl lost her balance without my support and flopped onto the bed.

“…Hey, you know, there are other ways you could warm me up?”

Looking up at me with a playful yet slightly sultry gaze, she smirked.

“…Idiot, what are you even saying this early in the morning?”

Flustered, I recalled what had happened last night. In that moment of distraction, the teacup in my hand slipped from my fingers—

—

“──Hey, Sakurako! What’s with you spacing out? Did you buy the souvenirs?”

“…Huh!?”

Hikari-chan’s voice suddenly yanked me back to reality. Before me was a shelf lined with adorable trinkets and knickknacks.

Oh, right. We were shopping for souvenirs. I had been standing still, clutching a teacup from the store’s display.

Lately, I’ve been having these… daydreams, or rather, moments where I just space out without realizing it. By the time I snap back, I’ve usually forgotten what I was thinking about. Maybe I should see a doctor or something.

“…Souvenirs, right. Yeah, I got one for Mom, some for everyone at work, one for Hare-kun, and some for Sanryuken. Perfect, I double-checked everything!”

As I was checking my bag…

“…Oi, who’s that Hare-kun?”

“My friend, why?”

As I peeked into my bag for confirmation, Hikari-chan suddenly grabbed my shoulder with a strange expression. Since she’s shorter than me, her skeptical upward gaze actually looked kind of cute.

“Wait… Sakurako… has a friend!?”

“Hey, what’s with that reaction!?”

I take it back—she’s not cute at all. The fact that she’s genuinely shocked makes it even sadder.

“And this ‘kun’… So it’s a guy!?”

“Ohoho~ Sakurako’s keeping secrets! How far have you two gone, hmmm? ABCD-wise, where are you~?”

“Oi, Karuta, don’t tease people like that! …But really, at what stage are you guys at, Sakurako-san?”

Having spent the last two days eating and sleeping together, I’ve gotten closer to these girls and learned one thing: even though they’re witches, they’re still just young girls at heart, completely obsessed with romance gossip.

“Ugh, Hare-kun is just a friend! …Wait, what does D even mean?”

“Oh, my, I couldn’t possibly explain something so scandalous~!”

“Sakurako being all innocent and flustered is cute too~”

Wait a sec… Now I’m genuinely curious. What the hell is D!? (T/N: Di-)

***

“…E-Excuse me.”

At the edge of the hot spring town stood a small café called Kazamidori. Its signature weather vane—shaped like a crow instead of a rooster—tilted slightly. I had returned here once again.

“Muaa, welcome—oh, Sakurako-chin! What’s up?”

“Um, sorry to bother you while you’re working. A lot happened earlier, but for me, it was a good experience, so… I wanted to thank you with this.”

I held out a box of freshly bought hot spring manju.

“Muuuuhaha, seriously!? Sakurako-chin, you’re such a good kid! My bad for teasing you earlier!”

“No, no, it’s fine. There’s enough for Brush-san and the others too, so please share them.”

Brush-san and Lilac-san had protected me from an explosion, after all. It was just a small token of gratitude.

Honestly, I knew that staying involved with the Ravens was probably unwise, but I wanted to make sure I settled things properly in my own heart.

“Muuuuhaha, guys! Sakurako-chin brought us manju!”

“Eh, you don’t have to call everyone over…!”

Before I could stop her, a group of witches poured out from behind the counter. Just what had they all been doing in the kitchen?

“O-Oh, manju? My… favorite.”

At the front of the group was Lilac-san. The slight smile peeking through her bangs was rare. Also… why did she have whipped cream on her lips?

“Manju are great and all, but personally, I’d rather eat Sakurako.”

Next was Brush-san, her drowsy eyes blank as ever, but the words she spoke sounded like something straight out of a sleazy Italian playboy’s mouth. Oh, and she had chocolate sauce on her lips.

“Geez, Blush, if you keep this up, you’ll get suspended again. Sorry, Sakurako-chan. She’s completely hopeless when it comes to girls…”

This was probably Latte-san. When I met her at the Seraph Witch Association, she had been wearing a hood, so I hadn’t seen her face clearly. But now, with her delicate features and big, bright eyes, she looked incredibly cute. Also, she had cookie crumbs stuck to her lips.

“I mean, I get where Brush is coming from. Sakurako-chan is super cute… Though, of course, my number one will always be Latte.”

The last person to step forward was someone I didn’t recognize. She must’ve heard my name from someone else. Despite her flirty words, her refined appearance somehow made her seem sincere.

And, of course, she too had strawberry sauce on her lips. These people totally ditched Bubblegum to eat parfaits in the kitchen, didn’t they?

“Um, this is our first time meeting, right? I’m Baba Sakurako.”

“Oh dear, how rude of me…! A pleasure to meet you, I’m Heather Calculation. I hope we get along well.”

Heather-san gave a polite bow, and I awkwardly returned the gesture. Though honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted an “ongoing” relationship with them.

“Muhaha, see? Isn’t Sakurako-chin a great girl? Honestly, I’d love for her to join the Ravens.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m already with Vivian-san’s organization.”

Dropping the boss’s name should be enough to make Bubblegum-san give up. She wouldn’t dare cross Vivian.

“Mufuuu, well, at least consider it! If you ever change your mind, you’re always welcome here!”

“…Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

***

──The moment I heard the warning about the escaped crocodile was just as I returned to the main road of the hot spring town.

The guests at the facilities were quickly evacuating into nearby buildings. I was supposed to meet up with Hikari-chan and the others in front of the inn, but this was a problem.

I pulled out my smartphone to call them, but the screen showed “No Service.” Strange—despite being in the mountains, it had worked fine yesterday and even this morning. Why now, of all times?

As I stood there, the people around me had already finished evacuating, and the only sound left was the lifeless noise of shop shutters rolling down one by one.

“……?”

Amidst the mechanical clatter, I heard a voice. A child’s voice, shouting something…

“…Help, somebody help!”

I took off running in the direction of the voice. I was worried about Hikari-chan and the others, but it wasn’t like I’d run into the crocodile and be in any real danger. After all, I’d ridden on its back before.

Right now, helping the person in trouble took priority.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Um, m-my big sister… She hurt her leg over there…”

The one calling for help was a young boy, probably in the early years of elementary school. He reminded me a little of Miyu-chan and Miku-chan.

“Got it. I’ll help. Can you take me to your sister?”

“Yeah, t-thank you! This way!”

The boy started running, and I kicked off the stone pavement to follow.

After a while, we reached an open space that looked like a warehouse. A large parking area with forklifts and trucks parked, and stacks of transport pallets piled high in the corners.

This was probably the Irie Hot Springs facility’s storage warehouse. But why would his sister be here?

“She hurt her leg nearby, but she managed to get this far. She’s hiding inside that warehouse.”

“I see. Let’s hurry, then.”

Of course, being outside with a crocodile on the loose must be terrifying. Seriously, Kanon-chan’s pet sure knew how to cause a ruckus.

“Onee-chan! I brought someone to help!”

“…! Yuu-kun, thank goodness you’re safe… I was so worried when you ran off like that!”

In the corner of the warehouse, leaning against the wall and clutching her ankle, was a girl. It was too dark to see clearly, but she seemed about my age.

“Is your leg okay? Are you bleeding?”

“No, I just twisted it in the panic… I don’t think it’s broken, but I can’t stand on my own. Could you lend me your shoulder?”

“Of course. Can you wrap your arm around me?”

I knelt beside her, letting her drape her arm over my shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll lift you up now.”

“Ah, wait—ouch, ow…! Could we do a countdown? I need a moment to brace myself…”

Even the slightest movement seemed to cause her significant pain. She was smiling, but there was sweat on her forehead.

“Got it. Okay, three, two…”

“…Ah!?”

The moment I pushed up with my knees to stand, a searing pain shot through my side.

It wasn’t just pain—it was hot, like a burning iron pressed against my flesh.

“…Eh? What… is this?”

I looked down.

A knife was buried deep in my side.

The hand gripping the handle… was the girl I had been trying to help up.

…What?

“…Phew, how was my performance? Not bad, right? It’s tricky to make yourself sweat on command.”

“…Ah… ahh… ugh…”

The girl let go of my shoulder and stood up effortlessly.

Her leg—wasn’t it supposed to be injured?

And more importantly—why did she stab me…?

The pain was intensifying.

Each breath sent a sharp agony through my side and deep into my chest. My body crumpled to the ground, and I let out a strangled gasp of pain.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? I can imagine. But well, a witch like you won’t die that easily… probably. Now then, excuse me—I need to restrain your arms.”

“…It worked, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, all thanks to you, Yuu-kun. You did great, bringing the witch right to us.”

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

The pain was unbearable. It hurt, it hurt so much, and breathing only made it worse. My breaths became shallow and erratic.

“I’ll contact the others. …This is Torayashiki. Target D has been secured. What’s your status?”

The boy who had been with me this whole time—he was speaking in an entirely different tone.

It was all an act.

The injured sister, the plea for help—everything was a trap, set up to lure me here.

But realizing it now didn’t matter. It was far too late. I had already fallen into their hands.

“…Help… Hikari-chan…”

Tears spilled down my face from pain and terror. It hurt, it hurt so much… At first, it burned, but now I was growing cold. Was I going to die here? After finally getting close to everyone…

“Onee-san, target C has made unexpected movements and seems to be lost.”

“Oh dear, things never go perfectly, do they? But you know, Yuu-kun, this might actually be a chance.”

“A chance?”

The girl who stabbed me slowly approached again.

I tried to escape, but my arms were bound behind my back, and my legs wouldn’t move properly.

She crouched beside me and started rummaging through my body.

“…S-Stop… no, help… Hikari-chan…”

“Yes, yes, don’t move too much, or your wound will worsen… Ah, there it is.”

She pulled my smartphone from my pocket.

Even though this place was supposed to be out of service range—what was she planning?

From her coat, she took out a small device and fiddled with it before turning back to my phone.

“You didn’t set a lock? That’s careless. What if a bad person stole it? …Oh my, you have a lot of missed calls and messages.”

Impossible.

Earlier, my phone had been out of service—so why?

“What are you planning, Onee-san?”

“Well, the other targets went down easier than expected. I figured we might as well take C too. The main prize, A, got taken by Hirata-san’s group, so this evens the score.”

“That makes thirty witches in a year, huh?”

“That’s right. We’re just barely on schedule. Yuu-kun, after this, we can finally take it easy… Oh my, she responded quickly.”

The pain wasn’t subsiding, but I was starting to grasp the situation.

These two were witch hunters—Inquisitors.

Their target was us, the ones here on the training camp. And they had allies.

The others might already have been attacked…

And worst of all, they were using my phone. They were probably trying to lure Hikari-chan here.

“My, my… She’s almost here, Yuu-kun. We should hurry and prepare. For now, let’s put her to sleep.”

The girl grabbed my throat with one hand and lifted me.

My airway was completely cut off.

The pain in my side didn’t matter anymore—I flailed desperately.

But with my arms restrained, it was useless.