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 74.1: A Date with Bubblegum - Part 3

Chapter 74: A Date with Bubblegum – Part 3

[Tatsumori Haruto]

──The dots connected into a line.

A month ago, Fuu, who had no memories, introduced herself as Kuzuhara Mai. And now, Bubblegum had found an ID card belonging to Kuzuhara Mai on Harami jima after the island had been attacked.

That meant… Fuu’s true identity was indeed Kuzuhara Mai. She had lost her memories during the attack on the island and somehow drifted to the mainland.

It all added up. It made too much sense.

“Then… that means! Fuu really was part of the witch hunters—”

I shot up from the bed in shock. As a result, Bubblegum, who had been in my arms, tumbled off the bed as well.

“Muhaa, c’mon, Tattsun, let me finish talking. Yeah, the name matches, but here’s the fun part—the face doesn’t.”

“…What? What do you mean!?”

A new dot appeared on the board. Desperate for an explanation, I leaned in toward Bubblegum.

“Mufuu, exactly what I said. First off, Kuzuhara Mai? That’s a totally Japanese name, yeah?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Damn it… That’s such a simple fact, but I hadn’t even thought about it.

Fuu, no matter how you looked at her, wasn’t Japanese. The name Kuzuhara Mai didn’t suit her at all.

“Muhaa, the woman on the card had beautiful black hair. She had freckles too. Completely different from Blondie. They’re not the same person at all.”

“Then why did Fuu call herself Kuzuhara Mai!?”

“Muhaa, about that… Tattsun, has anyone ever told you how the witch hunters control their Dolls?”

“…Yeah, I know the general details.”

The ones who attacked me, the ones who kidnapped me, the witch hunters, the witches of Ravens—I’d learned about them all from Ys.

“Muhaa, so I’ve always wondered about something. How do the Inquisitors make their Dolls so obedient?”

“Yeah, I thought it was strange too, but… does that really have anything to do with this?”

“──Memory alteration.”

“…Huh?”

“The witch hunters probably have a witch who can erase and rewrite memories. If that witch is tampering with the Dolls’ minds to make them obedient, then everything makes sense, don’tcha think?”

“So you’re saying… Fuu lost her memories because of that witch?”

“Muhaa, most likely. And if Kuzuhara Mai’s memories were planted inside Blondie beforehand—”

I didn’t understand the mechanics behind it, but if Bubblegum’s theory was correct, Fuu had her memories erased by the witch hunters. Then, somehow, Kuzuhara Mai’s memories emerged within her, leading her to stab me.

“…Bubblegum, do you know a witch capable of doing something like that?”

“Muhaa, of course I do. She used to be with Ravens.”

“Used to be? What do you mean—”

“She’s a legend among witches. The strongest and most feared. One of the Four Great Witches… ‘The Betrayer Witch, Judas Memory.’ That bastard killed twelve of my little sisters and vanished.”

“The Four Great Witches…”

“Muhaa, Tattsun, you probably don’t know, huh? The Four Great Witches were ridiculously strong witches who once ruled Ravens as Lords.”

Bubblegum seemed to assume I was clueless, but I had already heard about them from Ys.

I kept quiet to avoid complicating things.

“‘Judas Memory, the Lord of Severance.’ ‘Vivian Hearts, the Lord of Non-Killing.’ ‘Rachel Poker, the Lord of Seraphs.’ And lastly… ‘Ibis Oldmaid, the Lord of Freedom’—our current boss.”

“…Ibis? I thought Ravens’ leader was called Abyss?”

“Muhaa, that’s just what she goes by now. Her real name is Ibis. Something bugging you about that?”

It was bugging me.

When was it again? …Right. Back when I first took Fuu to school.

“Fuu once said that, before losing her memories, she thought she had heard the name ‘Ibis’ somewhere. What do you make of that?”

“Muhaa… Blondie mentioned Ibis?”

Bubblegum lowered her head in thought.

Fuu’s memory and Raven’s leader’s real name were the same. There was no way that was a coincidence.

“Muhaa, alright!”

“Bubblegum, did you figure something out?”

Bubblegum suddenly clapped her hands together and looked up.

“Muhaa, Tattsun! Let’s get married.”

“…Huh?”

A dumbfounded voice slipped out at the sudden proposal.

“I don’t want this matter to turn into a big mess, and since you’re involved, I want to keep you where I can see you at all times. So, let’s get married, Tattsun!”

“Wait, wait, wait! That’s way too out of nowhere…! I mean, we don’t have to get married to cooperate, do we?”

This wasn’t even a matter of differing views on marriage—it was something far beyond that. Well, she did once say she wanted to marry me just to keep me as a pet, so this wasn’t exactly new.

“Muhaa, nope, not happening. If you don’t marry someone, you’re definitely getting executed. And if you marry anyone other than me, your chances of reuniting with Blondie will be almost zero, y’know?”

“That’s not…”

“Muhaa, Tattsun, you like Blondie, right? If you marry someone else, there’s no way they’d ever let you see her again. I mean, East is super possessive, Scarlet wouldn’t want you in danger, and Lilac and Snow… well, let’s not even go there.”

…True. Given Ys’s personality, there was no way I could expect any help rescuing Fuu. In fact, I could easily see her straight-up blasting me away instead. “Possessive” didn’t quite cover it—it’d be instant obliteration.

Scarlet, too… she’s such a genuinely good person that she’d definitely try to stop me for my own sake.

But even so—

“…Let me ask you instead, Bubblegum. Are you really fine with deciding your marriage over something like this?”

“Muhaa, for me, this isn’t just ‘something like this.’ Besides, didn’t I say when we first met? I don’t hate you, Tattsun. Mainly your face.”

Even after just a bit of conversation, I could tell Bubblegum had an unusual level of attachment to this matter. There had to be some deeper reason—something she was willing to go as far as marrying me for.

“…Even if I go along with this whole ‘mutual benefit’ marriage idea, won’t Brush stop us if you say that in front of them?”

You can’t lie in front of Brush. That would mean exposing everything to everyone.

“Muhaa, no problem. You just have to fall madly in love with me starting right now!”

“That’s nothing but problems!!”

Sure, if I declared in front of Brush, ‘I’m truly in love with Bubblegum,’ no one would question it further.

Of course, that’s only if I could actually say it.

“Muhaha, Tattsun, you’re a virgin, right?”

“…Wha—?! Where the hell did that come from!?”

As I protested, Bubblegum started creeping closer. She was smaller than me, yet somehow, the way she advanced felt like a predator closing in on its prey.

“Muhaa, based on my five hundred years of experience, I’d say it’s impossible not to fall for your first partner~”

…What the hell is she talking about? First partner… wait, does she mean that? And wait—she’s already started taking off her clothes—

“…W-Wait, Bubblegum! What the hell are you thinking!?”

“Muhaa, obviously the Special Afternoon Date Plan—oh, wait, would you prefer if I kept my uniform on?”

“That’s not the problem here!!”

“Muhuu, it is the problem, isn’t it?”

—No, it’s not!! But… well, if I had to be honest… yeah, I do prefer the uniform on.