Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

The Country of Mages

It was a quiet country, surrounded by rugged, forbidding mountains and hidden behind tall walls. Nobody from the outside world could visit.

Above a rock face shimmering with heat in the brilliant sunlight, a single broom soared through the warm air. The one guiding it on its way was a beautiful young girl. She wore a black robe and a pointy hat, and her ashen hair flapped in the wind. If anyone had been around to notice her, they would have turned to look, wondering with a sigh who that beauty on the broom could be…

That’s right. She’s me.

Ah, that was a joke.

“…Almost there.”

The high wall looked like it had been carved out of the mountain itself. Glancing downward just a bit, I spotted the gate and steered my broom toward it.

It had taken some serious work to get to this country, but I suppose the people who lived here had planned it that way—to keep people from entering by mistake. After all, there’s no way anyone would trek all the way out here without a very good reason.

I dismounted my broom just in front of the gate. A local sentry, apparently conducting immigration inspections, stepped up to meet me.

After looking me over slowly from head to toe and examining the brooch on my chest, he smiled cheerfully.

“Welcome to the Country of Mages. Right this way, Madam Witch.”

“Hmm? Don’t you need to test whether I can do magic or not?”

I had heard that anyone visiting this country had to prove their magical ability to enter; anyone who didn’t meet a certain standard would be turned away.

“I saw you fly in. And besides, that brooch you’re wearing means you’re a witch. So please, go on ahead.”

Oh yeah, that’s right. Being able to fly on a broom is one of the minimum prerequisites for entry. Of course they could see my approach from the gatehouse. How silly of me!

After bowing slightly to the guard, I passed through the massive gate. Here was the mages’ country. Novice magic users, apprentices, and full-fledged witches—as long as you could use magic, you were permitted into this curious country, while everyone else was turned away.

As I passed through the huge gate, two strange signboards standing side by side caught my eye. I peered at them in confusion.

The first sign depicted a mage straddling a broom, enclosed in a circle. The sign beside it showed the image of a soldier walking, surrounded by a triangle.

What’s with these signs?

I knew the answer as soon as I looked up—above the crowded brickwork houses and beneath the gleaming sun, mages of all kinds were streaking across the sky in every direction.

I see. It must be a rule in countries where they only permit mages to enter—most everyone’s flying around on a broom, so very few people choose to walk.

Satisfied with my explanation for the signboards, I pulled out my broom and sat on it sideways. With a push off the ground, I gently floated up into the air in a living demonstration of the signboard.

“So flying is the preferred mode of transportation here, huh?”

And with that, I saw the mages’ country as it was meant to be seen. Above the reddish-brown roofs stretched out like so much dry earth, mages drifted through the air. Some had stopped their brooms to have a friendly chat, while others flew by with bundles of baggage tied to their brooms. There were suspicious, witchy-looking old women as well as children racing through the sky, vying to see who could fly higher.

These people must live their whole lives in the air.

It was a really wonderful scene. It almost took my breath away.

I joined their ranks, soaring above the country, aimlessly surrendering to the flow of air traffic around me. Suddenly a sign secured to the top of one of the roofs caught my eye. It was apparently an INN. I passed it without stopping and saw the word GROCER next. There were others: a BUTCHER and even a JEWELER. As I suspected, life here was lived above the rooftops, and placing your signs on top of the roof must have been common practice.

Looking around, I saw that the roofs on most houses had a window built in that was large enough for a single person to pass through. As I watched absently, one of those windows opened, and a man riding a broom flew out.

So that’s what they’re used for.

I flew around at a leisurely pace, slowly taking in the scenery, until—

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

—a scream came from behind me. Steadying my broom with one hand, I held on to my hat so it wouldn’t fly away and turned around.

Ah, too late.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

Careening directly toward me at a preposterous speed, like a screaming meteorite trailing a tail of tears, the person in question was already only about one rooftop away by the time I spotted them.

Dodge? Impossible.

I reflexively turned my upper body away, but there was no avoiding the collision. With a series of grunts (“Ugya!” “Geh”), we tangled together and crashed into the rooftop below. The neatly lined tiles sheared off with a clatter and crunch, and we finally came to a halt just shy of falling off the edge of the roof. I saw a single tile bounce off the ground far below. Thank goodness there weren’t any pedestrians.

The angle had been shallow, and I had avoided a direct collision with the ground. Plus, the strange person who had collided with me had taken the brunt of the landing, so thankfully I was uninjured.

I clambered to my feet, brushing at a few reddish-brown shards of roofing that were stuck to my black robe.

“……”

“Urggggh…”

The teenage girl groaning and looking around in a daze appeared to be just a little bit younger than me. Her black hair was cut short and even all the way around, and she had an androgynous-looking face. She wore a white blouse and a checkered skirt under a black mantle, both of which were in serious disarray after she got caught underneath me.

She isn’t wearing a brooch or anything on her chest, so she must be a novice.

“…Um, are you all right?”

When I touched the fallen girl’s shoulder, she opened her eyes.

“……”

“……” She was silent.

It seemed like she was still struggling to process the situation, so I ventured, “Do you have trouble steering your broom?”

Yes, I’ll admit I was being a touch sarcastic.

“…Ah.”

“Looks like you’ve finally come your senses,” I said with a smile.

“Ahhhh!” She looked around again. “Wh-wh-wh-what do I do? What do I do? There’s no way I can fix this many tiles…”

Hey, now… “How about an apology first?”

“Ah, s-sorry! It wasn’t on purpose! Really!”

Well, I knew that. “Anyway, are you all right? You flew in like a hurricane.”

“Oh, I’m fine! I’m in tip-top shape, see?!” the girl said, as small rivulets of red ran down from her head. Her eyes were clear, and she had no trouble speaking.

……

“You’re bleeding. From your head.”

“That’s just sweat!”

“Does your sweat always smell like iron?”

“Um, well, um… It’s sweat!”

“Okay, I get it, so just calm down a little.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“……”

I’m not sure why, but I already feel exhausted. Maybe it’s from the collision.

I had been planning to make the girl fix the broken tiles after a good scolding, but enough was enough. She was already a mess; forcing her to repair the roof when she was in this state would just be heartless. Instead, I took my handkerchief out of my pocket.

“Here, have this. Press it to your head.”

“Oh…but…”

“Also, I’m going to put the roof tiles back now, so go take a rest over there, please.”

“No, I’ll help, too!”

“In your condition, if you tried to help, you’d just be in the way. Go rest,” I told her in no uncertain terms.

“But—”

“You’re. In. My. Way.”

“…Okay.”

Like a stray cat, the dejected young girl sat down on the peak of the roof and pressed the handkerchief against her head wound. As energetic as she had seemed, it was clear she had pushed herself a little too hard. The very moment she sat down, she slouched over and collapsed.

I can put off dealing with her for a bit. It’s not like she’s going to die from her injury or anything. First, let’s do something about this disaster here…

I gathered magical energy in my hands. Instantly, a long, thin wand appeared in my grasp, accompanied by a faint glow.

This was the special privilege of mages. We’re able to produce anything—wands and brooms and other magical tools, for example—out of thin air.

I channeled energy into my wand and set to work.

It was a time-reversing spell.

As the name might suggest, it’s a type of magic that fixes broken things and heals injuries by making time run in reverse. It requires slightly advanced magical ability, but any witch living in this country should have been able to perform it. I’m sure it would have been difficult for the little novice out cold behind me, though.

The roof tiles began to move as I showered them with magic. The broken tiles stuck themselves back together, returning to their original places like so many puzzle pieces.

After all the fragments had vanished and any sign of an accident had been wiped away, I completed the spell and turned around. Now it was time to fix up the girl.

“Okay, you’re next.”

“Um, uhhh…”

I approached the girl, who sat up nervously holding her head, and applied the spell. Beneath the gentle light, her tattered clothes mended themselves and her injuries healed instantly.

“Whoa…” I could hear her mumble.

It’s nothing impressive, though. Once you become a witch, this stuff is a cinch.

After making sure that she was in good shape, I hurried over to pick up the brooms that had fallen onto the roof. I decided it was probably a good idea to get out of there before making any more of a scene.

“Oh, um!”

The girl apparently had more to say to me, but I threw one leg over my broom, halfway ignoring her. “You don’t need to apologize. Just don’t forget to look where you’re going when you’re flying around on your broom, okay?”

“Please wait, I have to do something to make up for—”

“No need. I’m in a hurry. Good-bye, nameless novice.”

And so I got back on my broom and flew away.

Any human who can use magic starts their training as a novice. Not everyone can become one, and in most cases the ability is passed down through blood. My parents were novices, too.

Apprentice witches rank above novices, but they’re one level below full witches. As the name suggests, the title of “witch” applies only to girls and women. I have no idea why, but women naturally have greater magical ability than men. That’s why only women can attain ranks higher than novice.

There’s only one way to become an apprentice: pass the magic exams and receive the corsage that proves your status. There is no alternative method. However, the exams are brutal, and many people drop out before they reach the end.

After becoming an apprentice witch, one undergoes a very specific training regimen to earn the title of “witch.” This means long days of hard work under the watchful eye of a proper witch, until the apprentice finally wins her approval. The training might last a single day, or it might take ten years. It all depends on the individual’s own efforts and on the witch who is serving as her teacher.

When someone is officially recognized as a witch, she receives a star-shaped brooch with her name engraved on the back, and her teacher gives her a witch title. Mine is “the Ashen Witch.”

That was a pretty long-winded explanation, but my point is that as a full-fledged witch, I should have ranked among the top magic users in this country. I had expected that people would look up at me with envy as I flew through the sky, that when I went to a restaurant they would tell me, “Madam Witch! Allow me to offer you a discount on everything on the menu! Please, eat to your heart’s content!” and so on, but…

“Huh? A discount? We don’t do anything like that. Are you saying you don’t have any money, missy?”

“……”

So that’s how it is, hmm? I suppose if the restaurant gave special treatment to each and every witch, they’d go out of business.

I left the restaurant and went to the jeweler’s next. I wanted to sell a jewel that I had picked up in one of the countries I had visited before this one, and I was expecting a considerable sum from it.

“Ah, this here’s a total counterfeit, see? I can’t give you anything for it.”

“Surely there’s been a mistake. Take a closer look, please.”

“I can look all ya want, but the answer’s gonna be the same. Whaddaya wanna do? If you don’t need it, I can get rid of it for you…”

“…That just sounds like you’re scheming to steal it from me, doesn’t it?”

“Of course not, sweetie! I’d never do that to ya. So what’ll it be?”

“Give it back.”

By the time I left the jeweler’s, I was in a sour mood.

Well, I’m sure the owner of that jewelry shop is just a bit of a swindler, that’s all. It’s not like he was treating me specifically with contempt, right? …Right?

Feeling uneasy, I headed for an inn. The day was drawing to a close. However—

“Hey. This isn’t a place for kids like you. Go on, scram.”

…Huuuh? What on earth? Is this some kind of upper-crust hotel exclusively for rich people? Hmm… Either way, I’m not staying here. Let’s go somewhere else.

I hopped off my broom atop a very cheap-looking inn with a tattered sign. Surely this place won’t turn me away.

I opened the window on the roof and descended the ladder that led inside. But halfway down I couldn’t be bothered anymore, so I jumped.

Thud. The sound echoed through the building like a cannonball.

Hey, I’m not that heavy. Rude.

I had dropped into the reception area.

The girl seated behind the counter looked at me. “Welco—”

She stiffened.

So did I.

She had short black hair. Boyish, androgynous features.

Sitting there in front of me was the girl who had (literally) run into me several hours earlier.

“……”

“……”

She was the first to shake herself loose from the frozen moment in time.

“E-eeeeeek! I’m s-s-sorry! I’m sorry! Are you here for revenge? This is revenge, isn’t it?! I’m sorry! Spare my life! Spare meee!”

“No, uh…”

“Waaaaaah! I don’t wanna diiiiiiiie!”

“Um…” No need for hysterics; come on.

She was grinding her head against the counter and sobbing. “Just spare my liiife…”

I touched her shoulder lightly.

“Eek! You’re going to tear me limb from limb? Are you going for my shoulder first? Noooooo!”

Could you please be quiet for one second? —Wait, no, don’t say that aloud. “Um, it’s all right? I just came to stay at this inn tonight.”

“Nooooo— Oh, is that all? In that case, please fill out this form.”

“……”

There were several things I would have liked to say, but I refrained. Setting her off again would be more than I could handle right now.

I took the form from her and picked up a quill pen from its stand on the counter. It was a simple piece of paperwork, just asking the number of people and number of nights, plus the name of a representative. As an experienced traveler, I had quickly grown accustomed to these kinds of forms.

As I moved the quill pen smoothly across the paper, the girl spoke up in a very bright voice. “I’m really sorry for what happened this afternoon. Whenever my mind wanders during practice, I seem to lose the ability to steer the broom…”

“I see.” In other words, you’re a bad flier.

“I really wanted to thank you properly, but you sped off— Ah, so your name is Elaina. I’m Saya.” She smiled cheerfully at me as she watched me write.

“You don’t really need to thank me,” I replied as I continued filling out the form. “Besides, plenty of people get tangled up with others when practicing magic.”

Come to think of it, I once set my house on fire trying to light a candle. My parents really chewed me out for that one. Oh, to be young again…

“But won’t you let me do something for you? I caused all that trouble for you, and you even healed my injuries. I’d hate to leave things as they are.”

“It’s really fine, but…”

“Anything is okay! Please! Miss Elaina!”

I shook my head as the girl begged me to let her pay me back. I’m sure it would have been strange to watch.

Well, it’s not as if she’s asking me to go out of my way for her, so there’s no need to dig in my heels. I gave it a little thought as I was writing.

“Hmm…well then, in that case—” How about I get you to give me a discount on the room? I was about to ask, then stopped myself.

An item on the form had caught my eye. SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR WITCHES (HALF-OFF ONE NIGHT) it read.

Oh-ho! What have we here?

“Ah, that discount doesn’t apply to anyone who’s not a witch. Ordinary mages should circle the regular price option,” she said, knitting her eyebrows.

“I see.” I circled SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR WITCHES (HALF-OFF ONE NIGHT).

“Eh? No, um… Huh?”

What’s with that weird reaction? Sheesh, rude. “I am a witch, so…”

“Come on, you can’t joke about that… Oh, well, but I did cause you a bunch of trouble… Okay! I’ll go ahead and apply the discount!” She clapped her hands once.

I had a feeling that we were somehow talking past each other, which was making me nervous. I shook my head. “No, no, no, that’s not it. You see, I am a witch. Can’t you see how I’m dressed?”

“Huh?” she said, pointing at my chest. “But you don’t have a witch’s brooch.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Following her finger, I lowered my eyes to my own chest.

The brooch that belonged there had disappeared.

In a sense, a witch’s brooch is her identification. Without it, I was just a traveler who could use magic.

That must be why the last inn treated me like a little child. I see, I see. But how did I only just notice that it was missing? Witches aren’t all that rare, and if I had been just a little more skeptical, I could have done something earlier. Am I just an idiot? Ugh, screw you, Elaina!

As I cursed and swore at myself, I searched frantically for the brooch.

“…It’s gone.”

It was nowhere to be found.

I must have dropped it when Saya and I collided, but it was already completely dark outside. The brooch was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand…not exactly the kind of thing I could find just by groping around in the dark.

“…Ugh.”

After scouring the roof in a thorough zigzag pattern and looking into all the cracks between tiles, I went down to ground level and searched all around the house. But of course, no luck.

I’m gonna cry.

“I didn’t find anything!! Miss Elaina, it’s not over here, either!!” An obnoxiously loud voice came from the rooftop, echoing down the alleyway. When I looked up, I saw Saya illuminated by the moonlight.

Right after we had discovered the brooch was missing, she had said, “This is my fault, too, so I’m going with you!” and insisted on joining me in my search. She had left another person in charge at the inn or something, I guess.

While I was walking around below, I had let her take the roof on the off chance that I had overlooked something. But apparently, she hadn’t fared any better.

I floated up beside her on my broom.

“We’ve done a thorough search and the brooch isn’t here. We have to consider the possibility that someone picked it up…” I let out a deep sigh.

“I think it’s also going to be hard to find because it’s dark outside,” Saya said. “It might be good to search here again tomorrow morning.” Her voice was cheerful, though my shoulders were slumped with disappointment. I was a little grateful for her optimism.

“I’ll do that…” I nodded meekly at her suggestion and turned to head back to the inn.

Flying around unsteadily on my broom, I must have looked just like a mere apprentice witch who was still learning how to steer. Ah, if anyone were to fly close to me, I just might collide with them.

I had gone through a lot to get that brooch, and it held a lot of memories of my time with my teacher. Losing it was a bitter pill to swallow.

If I had lost it when I first became a witch, I’m sure I would have noticed right away. But after wearing it every day for two years, I was probably too accustomed to just always having it on me.

“…Sigh.”

This was depressing.

After the search, I returned to the inn and ate dinner, then entered my room using the key I got from Saya, remembered I hadn’t taken a bath yet, and headed straight for the big bathroom instead.

I soaked in the hot water for a whole hour as my mind wandered. Ah, I must have dropped it when I collided with Saya…but it wasn’t there… How mysterious… I stretched out almost fully and filled the big bathtub (I was alone). Then, just before I melted away into the hot water, I sat my heavy body back up.

And then I went back to my room…

“Ah, hello—”

…and found Saya inside.

I closed the door. I took a step back and checked the room number. Yep, it matches the number written on the key. Strange. Maybe I was just seeing things?

I opened the door once again.

“Ah, hello—”

If only it had been a bad dream… But alas, there was no mistaking it: Saya was in my room, giving me a carefree wave from atop the hard bed.

……

“…What are you doing in my room?” I closed the door with a hand behind my back.

“I wanted to talk to you, Elaina, so I waited here for you.”

“I thought I locked the door.”

“You sure did! But I work here!” She proudly pulled out a key ring with a large number of keys.

I walked up to her without a word and grabbed both of her cheeks.

“Ow, dhad hurtsh! Id hurtsh!”

“What’s the big idea, entering a person’s room without permission? Huh?” I pulled hard on her cheeks.

“Dhey’re gonna teahw! You’we teahwing bwy cheeks!” They’re gonna tear, you’re tearing my cheeks is what she seemed to want to say.

“Hmm? What’s that? I can’t hear you.”

“Waaaaaah…”

I pulled and twisted her tender cheeks until I was satisfied and released her.

Massaging her slightly red cheeks with both hands, Saya muttered, “That was mean…” Really, though, which one of us was actually in the wrong here?

“Well, what did you want? You made a point of waiting in my room, so you must have some reason for it, right?”

Still massaging her face, Saya said, “Miss Elaina, you’re really a witch, right?”

“Yeah, well,” I confirmed, “I don’t have my brooch at the moment, but yes, I’m a witch.”

“Then that means you passed the magic exam, right?”

“I did.”

Even now I remembered how disappointed I was by the lack of challenge.

Saya stared at me for a moment, then suddenly got down off the bed and knelt down. Then she placed both hands on the floor and pressed her forehead to the ground.

“Please help me! Teach me the secrets to passing the exam, please!”

“…Um, what are you doing on the floor like that?”

“This is the traditional way of prostrating ourselves in my hometown! It’s a surefire technique used when you’ve done something unforgivable to the other party.”

What a strange tradition… Do the people in her hometown have to apologize to others that often? Still, you can really feel the sincerity.

But it gave me this…what’s the word? Weird feeling? Creepy, even?

Repressing the urge to say, “Huuuh? You think that’s all it takes to ask a favor like that?” I knelt down beside her.

“Um, just take your head off the floor for now.”

“You’ll do it?!” She stared up at me.

“Take it easy,” I said. “First, tell me about your situation.”

She told me.

I let her sit on the bed again, and I pulled out the cheap-looking chair from the desk and sat facing her. Saya gave her black hair a slight shake and tilted her head, then hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Um… So I have a younger sister. She’s very cute.”

“Okay…” That’s a pretty weird way to start, but I’ve already committed.

“We come from a country far to the east. My sister and I came all this way to become apprentice witches—there are no organizations offering the exams in our hometown. So the two of us worked at this inn and saved money while studying for the exams. We lived that way for several years, but…”

“But the two of you are still just novices?”

She cast her eyes downward and shook her head slowly. “Only my sister took the latest round of exams. And she went home. Without me.”

“…Hmm.” I see, I see. I think I know where this is going. In other words…

“Your cute little sister has surpassed you, and you got so impatient that you decided to rope a witch you just met—in an accident, might I add—into helping you pass your exams? Is that it?”

Scratching her cheek in apparent embarrassment, Saya mumbled, “Well, um…that’s…yeah, more or less.”

“So when is the next exam?”

“One week from now… I don’t have much time…”

You’ve taken the advancement exams several times, so I don’t think there’s any need to panic. But you’re probably so worried about it because you want to see your sister again.

“……”

Breaking the silence, I spoke. “I’ll help you for as long as it takes me to find my brooch.” I couldn’t leave the country until I had found my brooch anyway, and I wouldn’t have anything to do when I wasn’t searching. She would probably even let me stay at the inn for free, so I thought it sounded like a good idea.

In order to be promoted to the level of apprentice witch, you have to pass a written exam and then a practical magical skills exam.

The written exam is simple, and so long as you can drill magic theory, history, and other subjects into your head, nothing could be easier, really. But then there’s the practical exam. There’s no way around it; without real ability, you’ll have to take it over and over again.

As for the contents of the practical exam, they mainly look at two skills: your ability to fly a broom and how you handle offensive magic. Each time the exam is given, only one person may pass. The exam being given in one week’s time would be no different. Winding through the sky on a broom, each aspiring witch would attack the others, trying to take down her opponents while protecting herself. The last one left would pass the exam and be declared an apprentice witch publicly.

The battles were always violent and hard to watch. The nastiest parts of human nature always seemed to be on full display. I would never want to take the exam again.

“I’ve got to tell you honestly, Saya. With the ability you possess right now, no matter how earnestly you fight, the chance that you can win against the other candidates is pretty close to zero,” I said from atop my broom. It was early in the morning the day after I had promised to help her. “However, close to zero doesn’t mean absolute zero. Set your mind at ease.”

“Wh-what should I do?!” She was energetic even in the early morning, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She was as radiant as the morning sun.

I steered my broom over to where she was sitting on the tiled roof, knees folded under her. “First, I’ll teach you to control your broom at least as well as I can, if not better.”

“Aw… That seems a little tough…” She wrinkled her nose.

Tough? I’m going easy on you.

“There’s no other way to keep up during the practical skills exam. If you go in at your current skill level, you’ll probably fall off the moment the exam starts and waste another chance. You’ve got to avoid that at least.”

“Rgh…”

So that’s where we’re at.

First, I set her to work improving this most basic of magical skills. Just as I had imagined, Saya could barely even fly. (It was so bad that I was ready to question whether I should even call her a mage at all!) I really had to put her through the wringer.

Ah, so this is what mothers feel like teaching their children how to fly on brooms…

We trained from morning until night, as long as the day would allow. We persevered with our crash course even when the neighborhood children flying freely around us started sneering and pointing.

Naturally, I had not forgotten about searching for my brooch. Saya had seen gradual improvement, but I hadn’t made any progress at all.

Seriously, where in the world is my brooch?

“Next is turning. Smoothly shift your body weight and make a quick turn, please.”

“Okay!”

“Next is emergency braking and speed boosts. Use the full weight of your body and pull the broom hard to stop it, then burst forward like you’re kicking the sky.”

“Okay!”

“Next is midair dismounts. After letting go of the broom midair, use magic to call it back. I’ll help you out if you get into trouble, so don’t worry and just fly.”

“Okay!”

“Next is—” Okay, you get the idea.

In the end, Saya quickly learned to control her broom almost as well as I could. As for how many days it took for her to reach that level? Only two! I had coaxed some amazing improvements out of her. Really makes you wonder what she’s been doing before now…or perhaps it’s my teaching that’s so good?

When I asked her, Saya told me bashfully, “Until now, I’ve only studied by myself.”

Well, there’s your problem.

It was the fourth day of my stay in this country—and the third day of our intensive training regimen. Unlike the search for my brooch, which had not seen any headway (though I had simply been asking around), Saya’s education was progressing rapidly and didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.

“Next, let’s study some offensive spells—how is your wind magic?”

“Wind magic?” Saya sat atop the scorched reddish-brown roof, head tilted.

I nodded once and answered, “Yes, wind. By controlling the flow of the air, you can block the other participants.”

This was the slightly unconventional method that I had used during my own practical exam. Changing the flow of the air had been surprisingly effective, and even now I remembered how the other contestants had lost their balance and fallen from their brooms or swerved into buildings.

Wind control was both easy to learn and a powerful weapon. If we had enough time, I definitely wanted to teach her.

“Well then, hit that can over there with a blast of wind, please.”

I pointed at the cans we had set up on the peak of the roof across from us. There was about one house’s worth of distance between us and the cans, so it wasn’t a difficult task at all.

“It works best if you visualize making a ball of air and hitting the cans with it—like so.”

I waved my wand, and instantly, a strong wind grazed one of the cans. It teetered back and forth with a clatter.

I turned to face Saya, who was looking at me dubiously. “It didn’t fall down, did it? Did you mess up?” she seemed to be asking.

But I did that on purpose. Really!

“All right, give it a try.”

“…L-like this?”

With a whoosh, Saya waved her wand. Air magic is one of the first types of magic a novice witch learns, so she was able to produce a gust of wind, but it merely rushed over the tops of the cans. Too bad.

“You’re holding the wand wrong. You’re pointing it wrong, too. Wind magic is subtle, so trying to force it won’t help.”

“Um, okay, how about this?”

Whoosh. The wind flew right past the can, exactly as before.

“Wrong. Like this.”

I waved my wand, and the cans clattered against each other again. Saya let out a small noise of surprise. “Whoa…” She had finally realized I was trying not to knock the cans down.

And then she waved her wand again, more gently this time, with a little “Ey!” She had clearly learned from watching me, but the force behind her magic was too weak. It only produced a light breeze.

…This isn’t going well.

“Not quite. Like this.”

“Like this?”

Swing and a miss.

“Totally wrong. Like this.”

“H-how’s this?!”

The wind didn’t even brush the cans.

“Just awful. Like this, watch.”

“Something like this, then!”

……

It was a lost cause. Truly. My instructions made no difference whatsoever.

Time to kick things up a notch. I went around behind her and took hold of both of her wrists. Saya’s shoulders hitched in surprise, and I spoke into her ear.

“Are you ready? I’m going to channel some wind magic into your wand. Remember how it feels.”

“W-with my body?”

“Yes, with your body.” I nodded, and for some reason, her ears were bright red. “Okay, here we go—”

There, like that.

We practiced until the sun went down on the third day, and Saya completely failed to master wind magic.

Somehow she got even worse after I channeled my magic through her… How is that possible? I don’t understand.

Obviously, I wasn’t attending to Saya constantly. Around midday, I went off by myself and flew around town searching for my brooch, talking to as many different people as I could.

The task was to just keep asking and asking.

Of course, it’s not like I expected to find information so easily, and in the end everyone I asked shook their heads and gave the same answer: “I don’t know.”

“I saw a brooch,” said an older woman who looked like she was very experienced with magic. Looking closer, I could see she was wearing a star-shaped brooch of her own over her breast. However, it looked almost as old as she was, and it was quite worn and battered besides.

Oh, it seems like I can expect something out of her. I’m not sure what that “something” is, though…

“Wh-where did you see it?!” I latched onto this news immediately.

The woman let out a very witchy laugh. “Hee-hee-hee… Hmm, I wonder…”

“Please tell me, you wonderful woman!”

“Hee-hee-hee.” Suddenly, she was shoving the palm of her hand at me.

“…What does that mean?”

“How much is this information worth to you? Hmm?”

She just stood there with her hand extended toward me. I could read the gesture now: “If you want to hear more, pay up.”

…She plays dirty. I’d expect nothing less from a witch…

“……” I silently produced a coin from my purse and dropped it into the woman’s hand. When I did, she began moving again, like a windup doll come to life.

“What I saw was—”

The woman’s lengthy story only confirmed my suspicions.

It was my fifth night in this country.

As I was gazing up from my bed at the moon hanging in the sky outside the window, the door suddenly opened. I looked up and saw Saya staring at me timidly.

“Um, Miss Elaina?”

“What is it?”

“C-can I sleep in here with you?”

I looked down at the bed.

……

“It’s a bit small, don’t you think?”

“We run a cheap inn, sorry.”

Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. This is a one-person room. And the bed is also meant for one person to sleep in. Alone. “Well, if you don’t mind being cramped, I guess it’s fine with me.”

“Yippee!”

Saya slammed the door shut and came into the room, then crawled into the bed. She smelled nice, as if she had just gotten out of the bath. Since this was an inn, we must have been using the same shampoo, but the scent was completely different from mine. I grabbed a bit of my hair and brought it close to my nose, but that tender, girlish fragrance wasn’t coming from me.

How come she’s the only one who smells so good? …Oh well. Time for bed.

I lay down, still gazing at the moon, and drew up the covers. Soon I felt the presence of someone behind me.

“Isn’t the moon too bright to look at while you’re going to sleep?”

“Somewhat.” I rolled over. When I did, my gaze met hers. “…Um, what was it you just said about the moon?”

“I don’t mind, it’s not too bright for me.” She smiled slightly. In the moonlight, her smile seemed ephemeral, as if it would dissolve if I touched it.

“Good work today. You’ve made big improvements compared to when you first started. Soon you won’t need my help at all.”

“What? That’s not true. There are still so many things that I want you to teach me, Elaina.”

“…I’m a traveler. Before long, I’m going to leave this country.”

“But we’re going to be together until then.”

I noticed her squirming and wriggling around under the blanket, and then something cool was on top of my hand.

She gazed into my eyes and squeezed my hand. “Please, I want you to teach me so much more.”

“……”

Her eyes reflected the light of the moon.

This naive little girl must truly idolize people like me. I know I’m about to do something cruel—but then, I have to do what’s best for myself.

I wasn’t sure if the prickly feeling in my chest was guilt or disappointment, but I wanted to believe it was the former.

“There’s no point in continuing this conversation, Saya,” I said, shaking off her hand. “So why don’t you give me back my brooch?”

The truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the brooch had turned out to be really quite simple.

“There was a young girl who ran into you, right? After you flew off in a hurry, she picked up the brooch.”

Her eyes still glittering with the money I’d given her, the old woman told me she’d seen it all happen. And her story was the truth; a part of me had suspected the same thing. To not find it after searching around so thoroughly…someone must have picked it up.

I’d suspected something was up from the start.

……

Saya.

Your broom control was almost too bad—enough to make me think that you were flying badly on purpose. After all, if you couldn’t fly your broom well enough, you wouldn’t even be allowed in this country.

At first, I had assumed that Saya was a local, but when I asked her about it, she said she was a mage from an eastern country who had come here under special circumstances. If that was true, it was even stranger that she couldn’t fly her broom. And so…

…Here’s the truth. I doubted you from the very beginning. I waited and waited for you to give my brooch back. “But you hid it and never gave it back to me. Instead, you said you wanted me to stay with you forever. I’ve had it up to here with you,” I told her.

Saya sat on the bed, hanging her head. I wondered what emotion was on her face, but I made no move to comfort her by touching her shoulder like I did when we first met. Unfortunately, I’m not that kind.

She kept her gaze to the ground as if to avoid the moonlight, and I simply waited for her reply.

I wonder how much time passed. One minute? Ten minutes? It might have been only ten seconds.

“…question me?”

I could just barely hear a very small voice. “What was that?” I asked.

“…Why didn’t you question me?” This time I heard her clearly.

“Because I didn’t have any proof. That’s the first reason. Even if I accused you and called you a thief, if you had denied it, I wouldn’t have had any evidence. My hands would’ve been tied.”

“……”

“Plus, I believed you’d give it back eventually. I don’t really think you’re a bad person, Saya.”

This innocent, high-spirited girl reminded me of a child who had been spoiled by her mother.

“So I waited,” I told her.

Saya finally raised her head. Her pretty face was a mess, wrinkled up to cry. She wiped at her tears and tried to suppress her sobs as she said, “I was lonely.”

“I’m not your little sister.”

“I know that. I know that, but…I…I wanted to be with you.” Her voice had grown so small. I wasn’t sure whether she was talking to her sister or to me.

If I were to write out what I’d learned about Saya in the short time since we met, it would be an awfully short list, but somehow, I believed I had come to understand what kind of person she was. She was a useless older sister who always let her sweet younger sister indulge her. I’m sure she had always been that way, which was why she couldn’t stand it when her little sister left her behind.

“I hated being alone. I hated it, and I was scared, so I—”

“Hey.” I flicked her forehead, and it made a firm twik. “That’s no excuse.”

If you hate being alone, find someone to rely on. If you hate being ridiculed for being alone, get out there and find someone you get along with. If solitude is scary, do everything you can to escape it.

“Does it really matter if you’re by yourself now? If you’re feeling alone? Can you become an apprentice witch while you’re still holding on to those fears? Whenever humans are really, seriously trying to accomplish anything, they’re always alone. You can’t get anything done if you’re not by yourself. It’s all over if you have a partner.”

Your younger sister was probably trying to teach you that by leaving you. I can’t say for sure, though.

“…But.”

“Ah-ah-ah. No buts. I won’t hear any excuses.” I covered my ears with both hands and shook my head. No way. My hair flew around wildly and hit her in the face.

Whoops, bet she didn’t like that.

“Sure, struggling by yourself is hard. It’s scary. I understand that. And that’s why…” As I was speaking, I used magic to conjure up a pointy hat, exactly the same as mine, and plopped it on her head. “…I’m giving you this. Let me leave a little part of myself by your side. Then you’ll be all right even when you’re alone.”

Gripping the brim of the hat tightly, Saya said, “But if I take this, you won’t have…”

“Ah, it’s okay. That’s a spare.”

I produced another hat and showed it to her before donning it myself. “Now we match. From now on, you’ll be on your own, but never truly alone. Your sister and I are always watching over you.” So give me back my brooch, I silently urged her.

She pulled the hat way, way down on her head and gripped it very, very tightly, and with trembling shoulders, she gave a silent nod. She looked so weak and helpless.

I hugged her thin shoulders and pulled her closer.

The day had come.

We had spent my final night in the country together. I had comforted Saya as she wept, given her some advice for passing the practical magical skills exam, heard all about the country she and her sister were from, discussed my future travels, and so on.

Oh, and it turns out that Saya is actually a very powerful mage. I mean, I had known that all along, but I never did learn why she was so bad at wind magic. On that point, no matter how much I inquired, Saya only blushed bright red and refused to answer. What’s her deal?

At the end of it all, we had fallen asleep together just as the sun was rising. It had been a long, long night.

But a precious memory.

I thought back on it several months after I had left the Country of Mages.

Six months, to be exact.

About half a year has passed since I met that girl, lost my brooch, and got it back—wow, time sure does fly. Truly.

I had traveled to another country so far away that people would ask, “Huh? Country of Mages? Where’s that?”

The reason I was reminiscing was that I happened to catch sight of her name as I was browsing through a bookstore.

APPRENTICE WITCH ADVANCEMENT EXAM PASS LIST

Printed on a sheaf of really cheap-looking straw paper was the newspaper put out every month by the mysterious organization known as the United Magic Association, which was responsible for conducting the apprentice witch advancement exams, among other things. The results for the exams given all over the world, plus a few words from the passing candidates, were displayed on the front page.

Her name was there.

“Hey, no reading in the store.” The shop owner appeared from the back and yanked away the newspapers.

“…Ah—” But I wanted to keep reading.

“You wanna read? You gotta pay.”

“How much?”

“One copper.”

I paid, then stuck the paper under my arm and went back to my inn, humming all the way. I pulled my chair up to the window and continued reading. In the article, the girl talked about her most difficult days and her hopes for the future.

According to the article, she had moved to the Country of Mages with her little sister several years ago. Her sister—and only her sister—quickly became an apprentice witch and returned to their hometown without her. Then she met a certain traveler who gave her the courage to fight on her own, as well as one incredibly stylish hat. She attempted the exam many times after the traveler had left, but it proved too difficult. However, she kept trying and never gave up, and eventually, finally, she earned the rank of apprentice witch. Now she was going to return home, with plans to train hard and become a witch.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Her very long story concluded with one sentence: “After I return home and become a full-fledged witch, I’d like to pay a visit to my favorite traveler.”

I put the newspaper down on the desk and looked up at the sky. Somewhere out in the endless expanse of that clear, pale-blue sky, she was there.

“I’ll be waiting for you—Saya.”