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 92: The Girls’ Bathroom and Dinner

Chapter 92: The Girls’ Bathroom and Dinner

[Rachel Poker]

“—Kanon’s absent today, huh? Not a cold… witches don’t catch those. Wonder what’s up?”

“Tch, that rich girl? Bet she’s like, ‘Oh, I suddenly crave a hot spring getaway~!’ and ditched school for a fancy trip or somethin’.”

“No, Hikari-san, Kanon-san’s family owns a hot spring inn, so…”

“Hehe, I bet she’s finally fallen for the arcade’s charm, just like—”

“Don’t lump her in with Karuta!”

On the chilly school rooftop, the witches are spreading out their bentos as usual. Except today, one member’s missing.

“Joking aside, has anyone checked in with Kanon?”

“I haven’t. I only found out she was absent when I got up here.”

Emilia said this while deftly catching a grain of rice that Karuta dropped from her chopsticks mid-air. Her caregiving skills are getting scary good.

“Emi-hii, shamme wif me~!”

“Karuta, don’t talk with your mouth full—it’s bad manners! Oh, and she just said, ‘Emi-chi, same here~!’”

Karuta… can she even survive without Emilia at this point?

“Ugh, so nobody’s checked on the rich girl? Fine, guess I gotta do it.”

Hikari whipped out her phone and started typing at lightning speed. Say what you want, but she’s a good friend deep down.

“Hey, Baba-saaan!”

I was heading to the bathroom after lunch when someone called out to me in the girls’ restroom.

“…Oh, Takahashi… -san, right?”

That’s her name, I think. She’s a classmate, always hanging with the loud crowd.

“Perfect timing! So, I’m going karaoke with Rikako and the girls after school, right? Could you, like, lend me some cash?”

What kind of logic is that…? Wait, didn’t she borrow money from Sakurako before?

“I don’t mind lending, but you gotta pay back what you borrowed last time first.”

“…Huh? What’s that, huh? You gettin’ cocky or somethin’?”

Why’s she mad? Are kids these days this bad at communicating? I’m about to slip into Kansai dialect here!

“I’m not being cocky. You said you’d pay me back once you got your part-time job’s paycheck, right? It’s been a month—haven’t you been paid by now?”

“Quit naggin’, you plain-ass nerd!!”

“…!”

She slapped me. Right across the face.

“You’ve been actin’ all high and mighty ever since you got chummy with Yubari!! Who do you think you’re talkin’ to, huh?! Just fork over the cash already!!”

Apparently, a slap wasn’t enough for Takahashi-san. She grabbed my hair and slammed me against the wall. No surprise—she clearly has no intention of paying me back.

“…Could you let go?”

“Huh? It’s ‘pretty please, let go,’ you little—AGH!?”

A black tentacle coiled around Takahashi-san’s neck. Well, it’s my Kurobane, to be precise.

“Takahashi-san, you have to pay back what you borrow, okay?”

“…A-Ah… hng…!”

Takahashi-san’s eyes were rolling wildly as she frantically clawed at the tentacle with both hands, trying to free herself. Is she even listening?

“In Sakurako’s memory, the first and second times together were… uh, how much was it again?”

“…!! …H-Hn… HII…!!”

Her face was turning blueish-purple, and fluids were dripping from every hole—eyes, mouth, nose—as she groaned.

“Twenty-four thousand… I don’t remember the exact change. Let’s call it twenty-five thousand with interest, okay?”

“…G-GAH!? …Agh, cough, h-huh!?”

When I released Kurobane and the tentacle unwound, Takahashi-san collapsed onto the bathroom floor, twitching and… wetting herself.

“…Hey, are you listening? Twenty-five thousand yen. If you don’t pay me back by tomorrow, I’m gonna get mad, okay?”

“…H-Hic, s-sorry, I’m s-so sorry…!”

I’m not sure if she actually got the message, but she’s apologizing, so I’ll let it slide.

Still, Sakurako really believed she’d pay her back… What a hopeless softie.

“…Oh, right. I came here to use the bathroom in the first place.”

Stepping over Takahashi-san, who’d wet herself on the bathroom floor, I slipped into a stall.

Five hundred years ago, Takahashi-san would’ve been one of those humans chucking stones at witches. She’s lucky to be born in this era… If this were five hundred years ago, before I met Ibis, I probably would’ve killed her—

***

“…Huh, Emilia, what’s up?”

As I stepped out of the bathroom, I ran right into Emilia. She’s a year below me, so her school building’s supposed to be different.

“…I’ve got a class change next, and… this bathroom was the closest…”

Emilia looked awkward, avoiding my gaze.

“…You saw, didn’t you?”

“…S-Sakurako-san, witches harming humans is strictly forbidden. Using magic on them, of all things…”

Yup, she totally saw everything. Ugh, talk about showing my embarrassing side.

“Yeah, you’re right. I was out of line. Can we keep this between us?”

“…Okay.”

Emilia’s eyes darted briefly before she gave a small nod.

“Thanks, Emilia… Oh, don’t worry about the girl in there. She’s a really nasty piece of work. See ya!”

“Wait!”

Just as I turned to head back to class, Emilia grabbed the hem of my clothes.

“What’s up?”

“Sakurako-san, you’ve been acting… off lately. If something’s bothering you… I’m here to listen.”

This time, Emilia looked me straight in the eyes. Her red eyes sparkled like gemstones.

“Thanks, Emilia. Sorry for worrying you… I’m supposed to be the one saying stuff like that to you. I’m such a mess.”

I gently pulled Emilia into a hug and patted her head. Sixteen years old and already this kind—the world’s not such a bad place after all. Unlike a certain Takahashi.

“Sakurako-san, are you free tonight?”

“…Yeah, I am.”

“Let’s have dinner together. You can even stay over at my place if you want.”

A sudden dinner invite—she must be really worried about me. I’d seen hints of it before, but Emilia’s sharper than she lets on.

Every night, I wake up reliving years’ worth of memories. Each time, my personality shifts a little closer to its original self. Emilia might be picking up on that change with uncanny sensitivity.

Now I get why Rose sent her to the VCU as a spy. That’s some serious insight.

“I’ll gladly take you up on dinner, but staying over might make Hikari lonely.”

“Got it. Then come over to my place at eight. I’ll have a feast ready!”

With that, Emilia headed into the bathroom. Bet she won’t just leave Takahashi-san lying there.

“…Yeah, I was a bit immature back there, huh?”

I turned around, following Emilia back into the girls’ bathroom—