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 54: The Capture Team and the Diversion Team

[Rachel Poker]

──After reuniting with Karuta-chan and the others, Kanon-chan’s location was discovered surprisingly easily.

That’s because Kanon-chan herself called us. I only realized it when the call came through, but it seemed that my phone signal had returned to normal.

Looking back on it now, the Witch Hunters might have been jamming the signals. The woman who stabbed me was also fiddling with a small device before using her phone──

“Oh my, you’ve finally arrived? I’ve been kept waiting for quite some time, you know?”

“It hasn’t even been five minutes! And what the hell are you doing in a place like this?!”

She had called us in an urgent tone, telling us to meet up as soon as possible. So, relying on her directions over the phone, we rushed to get here.

However, when we arrived, Kanon-chan was leisurely sitting on a tree stump. Where did that emergency go?

“I was utterly panicked when I heard that Pochi, Tama, and Mike had escaped. In the end, I did manage to find all three, but handling them alone was proving to be quite difficult… That is where you all come in.”

“‘Where we come in’ my ass! The Witch Hunters are prowling around, and we’ve been worried sick about you this whole time! You should’ve at least sent us a message!”

Hikari-chan always calls Kanon-chan a nouveau riche snob and treats her horribly, but at the end of the day, she’s the most caring about her friends. This must be what they call a tsundere.

“Huh? Witch Hunters? What are you talking about? Besides, I did call you.”

“Well, it’s a bit complicated, but let me explain.”

Apparently, Kanon-chan hadn’t even realized that the Witch Hunters were attacking. Nor did she seem to know the names of the crocodiles.

I proceeded to explain everything that had happened so far, making sure not to mention that I was Rachel Poker.

“──I see. So, while I was out looking for my pets, such events unfolded… In that case, it makes sense why the crocodiles ended up like this.”

“Um, what exactly do you mean by ‘like this’?”

“Take a look behind me, Emilia.”

Prompted by Kanon-chan, Emilia-chan moved to look behind her. I followed suit.

“Ugh, what is this? Why are there crocodiles in a place like this…?”

Before us lay a massive trench. Considering its structure, it was less of a trench and more of a giant pitfall trap.

Inside the pit, three crocodiles were crammed together. This would easily take first place in a “Top Ten Places You Don’t Want to Fall Into” ranking.

“It’s probably the Witch Hunters’ doing. They made it look like the crocodiles had escaped when, in reality, they had trapped them here. Look closely—there’s tape around their mouths.”

“But isn’t this weird~? Why go through all this trouble~?”

“Maybe they were worried that if the crocodiles had really escaped, we’d catch them too easily?”

Indeed, it seemed unnatural to go out of their way to confine the crocodiles like this.

While I could see Hikari-chan’s point, the alarm was most likely triggered by the Witch Hunters, which means they had already evacuated the civilians. So why bother with such an elaborate setup?

Could it be that they wanted to trick us into searching for the crocodiles? But if that were the case, why hadn’t they attacked Kanon-chan while she was defenseless…?

No way… Were they actually worried about civilian casualties if the crocodiles really got loose?

…No, that can’t be. If they were the type to care about that, they wouldn’t be Witch Hunters in the first place.

***

[Todoroki Ryuna]

After receiving a message from our fluffy-headed informant, the gathered members numbered eight in total.

The targets: Fuu-chan and her discoverers, Hirata and Kirisaki, who, for some reason, had been attending a bridal fair in the middle of a mission.

The mysterious Leonardo and Charlotte, dispatched from the Washington branch, whose backgrounds were nearly unknown.

The newcomers Torayashiki and Anekitsune, who had been relentlessly hunting witches lately but didn’t show up to last week’s briefing.

I’d heard Torayashiki was a highly skilled operative, so I expected some intimidating figure, but the one who appeared was just a child.

Recruiting kids as inquisitors… The Witch Hunters truly are beyond salvation.

Then, there was the longest-standing pair among us—my father and me. Among this group, he was by far the oldest, yet instead of commanding presence, he was busy handing out candies to Torayashiki.

Even though we were all from the same organization, I didn’t know most of these people, nor did I trust them.

Not that trust mattered much, considering I had already betrayed them.

Incidentally, the only people whose backgrounds I had some knowledge of, the Andou siblings, were absent since we couldn’t reach them.

Who knows what they’re up to.

Not that it would change this mess of a situation either way.

“──Let’s sum up the situation.Right now, in this hot spring town, we have our target: an experimental subject—henceforth referred to as ‘Experimental Subject No. 11’ or ‘Eleven.’ There’s also a civilian who seems to be sheltering Eleven. Additionally, there’s that monstrous little girl who attacked the island, and at least four witches who appear to be her allies. On top of that, though her true identity remains unclear, the innkeeper of this hot spring town also seems to be a witch.

Whether there are any more witches hidden among the townsfolk is unknown for now. Eleven is currently staying at the inn, with checkout scheduled for today at 5 PM. That means we have until then to capture Eleven.”

As the fluffy-headed one said, the situation has gotten seriously complicated.

How did things end up like this?

It all started right after we gathered in response to the call. We sensed a strong magical presence a short distance away.

When the fluffy-headed one went on reconnaissance and took some photos, the images revealed that little girl along with several unfamiliar witches.

After analyzing the photos, Torayashiki and Anekitsune identified one of them as Yubari Hikari—a young witch who recently suppressed a magical beast disaster in the New Capital.

From there, we deduced that Yubari Hikari is part of the organization led by that little girl. The other witches are likely affiliated as well.

We still don’t know why the little girl attacked the island, but the fact that she showed up at the very place where Eleven, aka Fuu-chan, was hiding seems like more than just coincidence.

Given all this, we concluded that the little girl’s organization is also after Experimental Subject Eleven.

This place, compared to other districts of the New Capital, has significantly fewer people around, making it an ideal location for a capture operation. However, if we cause too much commotion, the little girl’s organization might catch wind of it.

On the other hand, if we just sit back and do nothing, they’ll find Eleven first, rendering all of this meaningless.

To make matters worse, I have to prevent those two—Bakahare and Fuu-chan, who are blissfully enjoying their hot spring trip—from noticing anything while also ensuring they don’t escape.

If anyone finds out that I knew about them and stayed silent, I’ll be guilty of treason. And if I run into the little girl’s organization, they’ll probably just kill me outright.

And above all… if Hare ever finds out that I’m part of a witch-hunting squad… Yeah, that would be the absolute worst.

──I’ve already decided on my top priority. Given the current situation, I have no choice but to make some painful sacrifices.

***

“──Let the crocodile escape? What are you talking about?”

“Technically, it’s just a fake escape. If the crocodile that this hot spring facility keeps were to ‘escape,’ it would cause a huge commotion. The civilians would probably evacuate to the shoulder, and the inn’s witch innkeeper would be too busy managing the crisis to interfere.

During that chaos, Ryuna and the others will split into two teams: the ‘Diversion Team’ to disrupt the little girl’s organization and the ‘Capture Team’ to secure Experimental Subject Eleven. Once Eleven is captured, we retreat. I think this is the most reasonable strategy.”

“Hmm, the strategy itself seems sound, but… shouldn’t it be ‘shelter’ instead of ‘shoulder’?”

“Wha—!? Shut up! Quit taking my fried tofu!!”

“Ryuna, it’s ‘nitpicking,’ not ‘taking someone’s fried tofu.’” (T/N: Typical Ryuna being bad at proverbs.)

“Ugh! You’re so annoying!!”

I finally came up with a solid plan, and yet Anekitsune and my dad just had to butt in.

Frustrated by everything happening with Hare, I ended up punching my dad with full force.

“Now, now, Ryuna-chan, calm down. The plan itself is fine, but isn’t it a bit much to use a crocodile escape as a diversion…?”

“Gozaru, weren’t you listening? It’s just a fake escape! We only need to break the cage to make it look like the crocodile got out. Then we can dig a hole somewhere and keep it confined there.”

“…I see. That way, the civilians will be completely safe. But… isn’t moving the crocodile and digging a large hole quite a bit of work?”

“Gozaru, were you not listening to Ryuna? You’re the one who’s gonna do it!”

“Huwattt—!? You just decided that on the spot!?”

It wasn’t originally planned for Gozaru to do it, but at this point, I might as well make it his job. He doesn’t seem like the type to refuse.

“Fufu, do your best, Leo~”

“Wait, Charlotte, help me out here!?”

His partner remained aloof, unreadable as always, but at least she wasn’t opposing the plan, so I let it slide.

“──I have no objections to the plan itself, but I just need to confirm one thing. The ‘Capture Team’—that’s us, right?”

The fluffy-headed one glared at me, hostility clear in his eyes.

This was a loosely formed team with no formal leader, but since my group was the most experienced, we naturally took command.

The fluffy-headed one was probably worried I’d steal all the credit. After all, this mission was the perfect opportunity to redeem himself after the fiasco on the island.

“Of course. You were the ones who found the target, so it makes sense that you’d be on the ‘Capture Team.’ The rest, including Ryuna, will be on the ‘Diversion Team.’ We’ll finalize the roles once we assess everyone’s abilities.”

Everything was going according to plan so far. Now, all that’s left are the finer adjustments… and a bit of luck.

This mission will be extremely dangerous.

But don’t you dare die, Hare──