Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 3 - Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

A Story About a Werewolf…or Something Similar

I was hurrying down the road one night.

I had arrived at that country just two days before. On the first day, I simply went sightseeing, and on the second, I spent the day touring the city’s scenic spots. Then today, my third, I was also devoting myself to sightseeing.

I was told there was a hill nearby that had a beautiful view at night, so I made a point of leaving early in the evening, intending to return later that night.

I was walking down the road, illuminated by streetlamps, late that evening doing this and that. Rubbing my arms anxiously, looking behind me at times, I quickly followed the road that would lead me back to the inn.

The street was eerie at night. It was as if the same road I had traveled during the day had completely transformed. It looked like it was transporting me to a different world.

As if invited in by the deep darkness, a fog had enveloped the town, and I could barely see. Cast by the streetlamps, my shadow loomed large ahead of me.

“…Hmm.”

No, I was mistaken.

The shadow in front of me was not my own. Even if I stood perfectly still, it swayed and squirmed in the darkness.

—Something was barring my path.

“…Um, who’s there?” Quickly, I took out my wand and pointed it in that direction.

In response to my quavering demand, the shadow swayed, then slowly, purposefully slithered toward me.

Shuffle, shuffle. The sounds of shoes echoed down the street.

And then, the shadow finally became clear.

“Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I am a werewolf! I have been lying in wait here for several days. It’s dangerous to walk around alone at night, you know, because a monster like me might eat you!”

I was rather surprised.

Before my eyes was, as he said, a werewolf!

“……”

It was a werewolf!

A genuine werewolf!

“Oh, what’s this? Too scared to speak? Ha-ha-ha, that’s right, you’re scared!”

I looked up at the beast. “…Hahh.” I let out a sigh.

“Hey, wait a second. Why did you sigh? I’m a werewolf, you know. A monster. I’m going to eat you now.”

“Oh, sure.”

“Don’t say ‘sure’!”

“Sorry, I was just a little disappointed. Your entrance, with the fog and the shadows, got me all excited.”

“Disappointed? I’m a werewolf! Don’t you know about werewolves? We’re very famous monsters! Everyone knows about werewolves!”

“I don’t suppose you’ve taken a look in a mirror lately, have you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to tell you this as kindly as possible, but…well…you’re not a werewolf.”

“…Well then, what am I?”

“A dogman.”

“A dogman?”

“A Chihuahua, to be specific.”

“Wait, what’s a Chihuahua?”

“One of the cutest breeds of dog there is.”

So try to imagine this, please.

Standing in front of me was a creature with the face of a Chihuahua and the body of a musclebound man. A man fully covered in dingy brown fur, with a flamboyant voice. But a Chihuahua’s head.

I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable. It was as if I were looking at all kinds of filth stewed together and dumped into a hotpot.

That’s how jarring the spectacle before me was.

I mean, I did my best to act frightened, and the stage was perfect for a spooky entrance, so what the heck was his problem?

I’m so angry!

“I mean, come on! What the heck was that? Why did you loudly announce that you’re a werewolf, and while making that face? Are you stupid? Got a screw lose maybe? There’s not knowing your place, and then there’s whatever the heck you’re doing. Oof, what a loser.”

“…Isn’t that going a bit far?”

“Look, why don’t you just have a seat over there.”

“Um, okay, ma’am.” I realized that the (self-proclaimed) werewolf had even started speaking politely. He grunted and sat cross-legged on the ground.

“Are you making fun of me? Sit properly, of course.” I kicked his knees.

The Chihuahua man let out a pitiful yelp and corrected his posture. He was looking up at me with teary eyes.

I’m so pissed.

“To begin with, do you know how most people would react when a creature like you with a monstrous face pops out along a road at night, just like this?”

“They’d be frightened.”

“No.” I shook my head. “They’d laugh.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because your face is cute. If you want to call yourself a werewolf, you’re going to need to invest in some plastic surgery.”

“You’re being really mean.”

“That’s your own fault.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“……”

Let’s continue.

“Why are you out accosting humans in the first place?”

“Well, the thing is…you see…there’s a tragic reason behind it.”

Then the Chihuahua man told me of his sad circumstances.

Apparently, he was the child of a union between a human and a Chihuahua. Apparently, his father was the human half. You’re probably wondering how on earth a child was born to a human and a dog, but some would call these kinds of absurd incidents miracles. In a world where magic exists, these things do happen sometimes. What a headache.

Anyway, the Chihuahua man had been living with his parents deep in the remote mountains until recently, but he had finally reached maturity. Naturally, puberty also paid a visit.

“I’m leaving this house already!” One day, after a long and stupid argument, the Chihuahua man said farewell to his parents.

His father shook his head and said, “Stop this! You can’t live on your own!” and his mother just whimpered sadly.

Then the Chihuahua man descended the mountain and went looking for a job in the city, but he had no luck. He was too repulsive to work at a restaurant, too repulsive to work at an inn, too repulsive for anything. There was no place for him at all.

That was as it should have been. He wasn’t a werewolf, but a Chihuahua man. He didn’t just get hairy on the nights when the moon was full, but all day every day, he looked like an odd cross between Chihuahua and human.

Of course he was repulsive.

And so, shunned by the world, the Chihuahua man grew sad and angry.

I had already gotten tired of listening at around that point, but apparently, unable to find gainful employment, he had grown desperate and decided to try attacking humans as a werewolf to steal their money.

Incidentally, I was to be his first victim.

“But look here, you’ve got to know that nobody is going to believe that you are a werewolf. I mean, just look at you. You won’t terrify a single person. It’s an insult to werewolves everywhere.”

“Well then, what should I do?”

“…Huh.”

So you’re delegating it to me? Well, all right, I guess.

“First of all, for now, you should do something about that cute little face of yours. That’s diluting the fear factor.”

“But I don’t have money for plastic surgery…”

“Don’t worry. Even without money, it will all work out. Start by shaving off your fur. All of it.”

“If I shave, won’t I lose any resemblance to a werewolf?”

“You’re not a werewolf, and you don’t look like one, so don’t worry about shaving.”

“But…”

“I said don’t worry about it. If you just listen to me, you’ll be able to make a lot of money soon. It’s fine. You’ve got the right stuff.”

“Even though I’m not really a werewolf…?”

“Yes, of course.” I nodded. “But for it to work, you’ve got to shave your fur.”

“After I shave, what should I do…?”

Then, wearing a slightly vicious smile, I said, “Here’s what you’ll do…”

Several days passed.

I was waiting for a man at night in a foggy city.

“Well, hello there, Miss Witch.”

Here he is. Fully shaved, the man had a neat, fresh look.

“Hi there. I’ve been waiting for you. How has your take been recently?”

“About that…it’s been incredible! Just as you said, Miss Witch, since I shaved, everyone I meet on the road at night is frightened and runs away!”

“I thought so.”

Most people would find a cleanly shaved Chihuahua gross, after all.

“The whole city is completely terrified of me, to the point where when I scream, ‘Rrraaahhh! Gimme your money!’ people drop their wallets and run.”

“I thought so.”

Incidentally, the Chihuahua man had become the subject of many rumors concerning a disgusting little goblin accosting people at night. I had heard these tales quite frequently as I toured the city’s scenic spots.

“At this point, I could really make it, not just here, but elsewhere, too—”

“Ah, that’s enough talking,” I cut him off and extended the palm of my hand. “You haven’t forgotten your promise to me, have you?”

“……”

He wore a questionable expression for just a moment, then rummaged around in the pockets of his clothes and finally dropped some money into my hand. “Here. Twenty percent of today’s take.”

It was a gold coin.

In other words, he had made five gold coins in just one day.

That’s quite a take, huh?

“Thanks.”

“But, Miss Witch, it’s really incredible. To come up with such a good scheme using my appearance… I mean, being able to earn five coins in one day so quickly and easily, it sure is a witch’s idea. Of course, you could also see this take as owing to my own genius, too!”

“You’re getting carried away.”

“But it’s the truth, right? I knew it! I’m a genius at playing a werewolf!”

“You jest. If I felt like it, I could make twice what you do in a day.”

“Huh? Doing what?”

“That’s a secret.”

Then I carefully placed the gold coin into my wallet.

“Heh-heh-heh…now I’m a top-notch werewolf, too…”

“Don’t you mean ‘goblin’?”

Several more days passed.

A certain rumor had become the talk of the town.

“Hey, have you heard?” “Sounds like he appeared again, the goblin man.” “I’m scared of being attacked by the goblin! Let’s go home!” “What should we do if we’re attacked by the goblin?” “I heard he’ll run away if you pay.” “What kind of goblin is he?” “Dunno.” “So it’s best to carry money with me for now?” “Seems so.”

Indeed, it seemed word of his behavior had made it to every corner of town, and I also overheard people saying he was walking around attacking people for money.

Already, the people of the city were growing less and less afraid and more and more annoyed and confused by the legendary goblin.

It wouldn’t be long now.

“My, my. What’s going on, everyone? You seem to be troubled over something.”

Wearing a big smile, I approached a group gossiping about the goblin man. The people took one look at my attire and were all too eager to tell me about the situation. “Ah, well, you see…”

My position as a witch was very convenient at times like these.

I kindly listened to what they had to say, chiming in with an exaggerated reaction from time to time. I was already quite familiar with the situation, but it was interesting to hear the story from the other side.

Then, after the crowd had complained about the goblin man for a while, I turned to them with an offer. “Well. That does sound difficult. By the way, I’m a witch who makes her living exterminating goblins. If you like, I can take care of this one for you. And I’m willing to do it for a meager ten gold pieces.”