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 77: A Date with Ys – Part 1

Chapter 77: A Date with Ys – Part 1

[Tatsumori Haruto]

──Yesterday was a nightmare.  

Ever since that extreme masochist, Lilac, transformed into the sadistic “Lamy-sama,” I had been struggling to turn her back. But all my efforts ended in vain.  

By the way, when I say “ended in vain,” I don’t mean it figuratively. I mean it literally. Something actually got broken.  

And now, as the date changes, today I’m supposed to go on a date with my master—who also happens to be the tyrannical, heavy-drinking demon, Ys.  

However, there’s a much bigger problem.  

The fact that I have to go on a date with Ys in the first place is already a huge issue, but the *real* problem is currently sitting on my back with her legs crossed.  

“Alright, it’s about time to start your date. Don’t do anything unnecessary, got it, mutt?”  

“…Woof.”  

It’s *Lamy-sama.*  

She’s here, in my temporary home—this underground prison.  

Even after our date ended yesterday, Lamy-sama refused to release me. No, in fact, she spent the night here, in the dungeon, with me.  

At some point, Scarlet brought dinner, but most of it ended up in Lamy-sama’s stomach.  

Since I hadn’t eaten anything since the previous night, my stomach began growling in the middle of the night. When that happened, Lamy-sama spat out a half-chewed piece of gum into my mouth.  

“That’s more than a mutt like you deserves,” she said.  

I thought about trying to lower her bangs while she slept, but before I could, I passed out myself—courtesy of her magic.  

From what I’ve gathered, Lamy-sama has two types of magic:  

One allows her to control wind.  

The other allows her to manipulate scents.  

She doesn’t even try to hide the wind magic. She constantly uses it to send books and other objects flying at me.  

The scent-based magic, however, seems to work through her body’s natural fragrance—her pheromones. Depending on the situation, they can have various effects.  

That thick, sweet scent that filled her room yesterday… The one I smelled just before I passed out… That was definitely it.  

I suspect she was also using it when I was *enthusiastically* tormenting Lilac yesterday.  

Otherwise… that would mean I was just naturally sadistic.  

──Anyway, Lamy-sama still hasn’t released me, and to make matters worse, something terrible is about to happen.  

Apparently, Lamy-sama intends to pick a fight with Ys.  

I have no idea why. And, of course, I have no right to ask. I’m just a dog to her, after all.  

“…What’s the matter, mutt? Are you curious why I’m after that boozehound?”  

“W-Woof…”  

As expected of my *master*, she’s remarkably good at reading her pet’s emotions.  

“Pupupu, well, it’s not like a dog would understand even if I explained. Don’t waste your time on pointless thoughts, you useless cur.”  

She’s also *very* strict when it comes to discipline.  

──*BANG BANG!*  

Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking on the iron door echoed through the room.  

Cold sweat ran down my forehead.  

Still on all fours, serving as Lamy-sama’s chair, I felt her shift as she recrossed her legs.  

“Mutt, I’ll allow you to speak human language. Tell them to enter.”  

“…P-Please, come in.”  

There was no room for refusal. I already knew what would happen if I disobeyed—after all, she had carved that knowledge deep into my body just yesterday.  

“…Come to me, Igura.”  

The moment I called Ys into the room, Lamy-sama whispered those words and gripped her magic sword.  

She was planning a surprise attack.  

──*CLANK.*  

With the sound of a key turning, the heavy iron door slowly creaked open.  

“Die, you drunken hag!!”  

Before the door even fully opened, Lamy-sama sprang off my back and swung her magic sword.  

“…W-What the hell!?”  

──But her blade struck nothing but air.  

The thick iron door was sliced in two like butter, collapsing to the ground, but beyond it—there was no one.  

“──It’s fine that you’ve taken a liking to Tatsumori-kun, but you should really learn to be punctual, Lamy.”  

A familiar voice rang out.  

“…You… Bumblebee.”  

I felt a weight on my back—*someone else* was now sitting where Lamy-sama had been just moments ago.  

It was Bumblebee.  

I had no idea when she got there.  

“It’s nice to see your face again after so long, but honestly, you look best when you’re hiding in the shadows… Lamy.”  

“You…!”  

Lamy-sama opened her mouth to say something, but the moment she did—her bangs suddenly fell over her face, covering her eyes.  

At the same time, she collapsed to the floor as if her strings had been cut.  

“Yo, Tatsumori-kun. Looks like you’ve had a rough time.”  

Bumblebee hopped off my back, casually twirling a hairpin between her fingers—the very same one that had been holding up Lamy-sama’s bangs.  

Seriously… when the hell did she…?*

“…Wan.”

“Hahaha, you’ve been turned into a dog.”

“…That was just because I couldn’t get any words out. More importantly, if you were coming, couldn’t you have helped sooner?”

“Sorry, sorry. I only just noticed that Lilac wasn’t in her room. I had a bad feeling, so I came to check. Never thought I’d run into Lamy instead.”

“…What exactly is going on with Lilac?”

Lilac had collapsed onto the ground, completely motionless—unconscious.

“It’s a long story, but basically, what you just saw is Lilac’s true self. A lot happened, and her personality split. The quiet personality was more convenient, so we avoid touching her bangs.”

“I don’t care about the whole bangs thing, but I am curious about the ‘a lot happened’ part.”

“A long time ago, Lamy was full of pride, never knew defeat. But her behavior was awful. One day, someone from the Ravens—Rachel—went to put her in her place.”

“Long story short, Rachel completely wiped the floor with Lamy. Unable to handle the sight of her own defeat, Lamy created a personality to offload the pain—kind of a self-defense mechanism.”

“And that’s Lilac, the personality that surfaces when her bangs are down…?”

I see. That explains a lot. With a personality like that, there’s no way she could have gotten along with others.

But still, for Rachel to have humbled someone like Lamy… Even if she’s already passed away, it seems the title of the Four Great Witches wasn’t just for show.

“By the way, the quiet version of Lilac—probably because she was created to endure pain—has a bit of an M streak.”

“‘A bit’ is an understatement.”

“Oh? Well, whatever. Anyway, I’m taking Lilac back. You go make up with Ys. She seems pretty sulky, so you’d better brace yourself.”

“…Woff.”

Bumblebee hoisted Lilac onto one shoulder and left the underground cell.

──Ys. I haven’t seen her or spoken to her since the date started…

***

──Holding a ring of keys in one hand, I stood before a massive iron door. Ys’s prison cell.

My own cell was completely useless now, thanks to Lamy slashing the door apart.

Thirty minutes had passed since the date started, and Ys still hadn’t shown any sign of life. Technically, this was against the rules, but I decided to go get her myself.

“…Ys, good morning. You awake?”

“…Sleeping.”

You’re clearly awake.

I thought she might’ve overslept, but maybe Bumblebee was right—maybe she really was sulking.

“Ys, um…”

“I said I’m sleeping. I’ll burn you.”

No doubt about it. This was full-on sulking mode. If she were actually mad, she’d be screaming loud enough to rupture my eardrums.

“…I see. Well, I was going to give you a bottle of alcohol I’d been saving, but I guess I’ll just take it back with me.”

“…Get in here. Or I burn you.”

As expected of Ys. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone this easy to read.

“Alright, excuse me, then.”

I unlocked the door and stepped inside her cell. The room was completely dark—had she really been asleep until just now?

“Ys, I’m turning on the light.”

No response. But no objections either, which meant it was fine.

The moment the room lit up, I spotted Ys on the bed.

“…Wh-what the hell are you wearing?”

“Hah? Pajamas, dumbass. You wanna die?”

She was sprawled out on her stomach, wearing nothing but white underwear.

The sudden shift from total darkness to that was almost enough to make me drop the bottle of booze.

…So she wears white, huh? Not bad.

“I-I brought the alcohol, but you should really put something on before you catch a cold. I-I’ll head back to my own cell now.”

The original plan was to use this as a chance to mend things between us, but… pure white lingerie was way too distracting.

I had nowhere safe to look, so retreating was the best option. I could always try again later.

As for Ys, she didn’t say anything, but the very tip of her tail flicked back and forth, like an annoyed cat.

“…Oi, Haruto.”

Just as I was about to leave, she called out from the bed.

“What is it?”

“…I’ll come to your cell once I get dressed… so wait for me.”

“…U-understood.”

Still lying on her stomach, her face buried in her pillow, I couldn’t see her expression.

But maybe—just maybe—her mood had improved a little.

…I really hope so.