Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 3 - Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

The Serial Slasher

Around the time when I visited the country in question, on any sidewalk, in any shop, anytime two or more people met, they would gossip about the Serial Slasher, as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

“Have you ever seen that Serial Slasher?”

“I haven’t, but I know that they’ve already claimed the lives of five women.”

“Yeah, I saw him. I saw him clearly, with my own two eyes. It was the night of a full moon. A terrifying-looking man—”

“No, the culprit is a woman. I’ve seen her.”

“What did you say? I saw them, too. But the Serial Slasher isn’t a man or a woman—they’re both!”

“My, my, the culprit isn’t a doll?”

“It’s terrifying! Oh, it’s so scary! Someone in this town attacked five women, right? It’s not safe to walk outside anymore! I’m going to lock myself up inside my house!”

This was the scene.

The town was in an uproar, and all the residents walking down the road, which was painted to look like red bricks, were shuddering in fear. Keeping an ear out as I walked down the bright red avenue, I heard that a girl had been attacked as recently as this morning. The townspeople seemed consumed by fear.

On the other hand, the outsiders appeared quite calm.

“Wow, that seems rough.”

Who’s that witch, munching on a piece of bread as she strolls along without a care in the world?

That’s right. She’s me.

All that scary stuff was somebody else’s problem. And apparently, that someone was a witch sent from the United Magic Association to investigate the serious case of the Serial Slasher.

She was an adult woman with long, flowing golden hair that shone softly like stardust. She wore a white robe and a pointy black hat, as well as two brooches, one shaped like a star and the other like a moon.

“…Well, damn. Looks like every one of these folks has their own wishy-washy version of the story.”

As you can imagine, her investigation was not going well.

Maybe because she was very irritated, she was holding a pipe in her hand, blowing out white smoke. The pipe was the eastern style, long and thin, and it trailed from her mouth along with an unpleasant smell.

The city didn’t strike me as the kind of dangerous place where a street slasher might appear. I should probably spend only one night before heading out. Also, what’s with the horrible stench around here? Oh yeah, this visit will be a short one.

“…Hmm? Hey, you. Got a second?”

Just as I started walking hastily away, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind, and the awful stench of pipeweed coiled around me.

Ugh, I hate this smell. I can’t help but make a nasty face.

Revolted, I turned around, waving the white smoke away with my hand, and the witch from the United Magic Association was looking at me.

“You live here?”

“I’m a traveler.”

“Hmm… You know anything about the incidents that have been occurring lately?”

“About the Serial Slasher, you mean? I know a bit. At least, I know everything that I just overheard everyone else telling you. Unfortunately, that’s about all I know.”

When I answered her this way, the witch gave me a bored look.

“…That’s too bad. Well, if you do come across any intel, let me know. I’ve been summoned to provide information about the Serial Slasher at the assembly hall. I’m counting on you.”

“I don’t think I’ll come up with anything, but oh well.”

“…Why are you pinching your nose?”

“Don’t worry about it.” I snorted.

The witch gave me a dubious look, then took a small slip of paper from her breast pocket. “I’m Sheila. I belong to the United Magic Association.”

On the slip of paper she abruptly presented me were the words she had just said a moment earlier, along with the moniker Midnight Witch.

“I am Elaina. The Ashen Witch, Elaina. Though I don’t suppose we’re ever going to meet again.”

Figuring I may as well, I accepted the card.

I couldn’t help feeling like it was a little suicidal to hang around a city that was supposed to be plagued by a Serial Slasher, so after that, I decided to search for an inn and take a room right away.

Because every house and road in this town was painted like red brick, it was a pain to hunt for an inn. On top of that, I couldn’t go anywhere without attracting a lot of unwanted attention—presumably it was because I was dressed like a witch, and that Midnight Witch, Sheila, had made a poor impression on the city folk while sniffing around for information about the slasher.

“……”

Just being a witch was constricting. I found it bothersome, so I took off my brooch and went around town as an ordinary mage.

No matter where I walked, the scenery was almost exactly the same. There was something impressive about the uniformity, but I was on a mission and quickly grew tired of it.

I continued walking, and in the middle of town, I saw all kinds of stores. There was a bookshop, a café, and stores selling dolls. Dolls were apparently a local specialty, so there were many doll shops lined up.

Oh-ho, well, if it’s the local specialty, maybe I’ ll buy one as a souvenir, I thought as I stepped into one of the stores.

“Heh-heh-heh…welcome. The dolls in my store are amazing, and that’s not all! Long ago, I had them imported from another country, so they’re rare. They’re vintage. See, look at this one, this little one is especially amazing… See, the quality of the hair is very realistic, and it’s incredibly high quality, right? It smells nice, too. Want a sniff?”

“Um, sorry, I seem to have entered the wrong shop.”

I left immediately.

The sketchy atmosphere was a little too much for me.

It didn’t take me long after that to find an inn. The building was done up in red brick no better than the others, and I walked straight through the door, paid for one night’s stay, and shut myself in my room.

I also might’ve been a little worried about the Serial Slasher, so I made sure to lock the door and closed the window as well.

“…There’s one here, too.”

Of course. It was the local specialty. A doll was seated on the bedside table. It was clad in an extravagant dress, fashioned after a black-haired little girl. Its mouth was smiling subtly, and its eyes stared out at the timeworn room. It was kind of eerie.

“……”

I couldn’t relax with the thing just sitting there, so I picked up the doll and tossed it into the closet.

“Well, today I think I’ll go straight to bed.”

After that, I took a bath, gorged myself on bread for dinner, lay in bed staring at a book, and killed time until late at night.

“……”

When you’ve got nothing to do, drowsiness strikes quickly.

Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.

It was morning.

“…So I fell asleep, huh?”

My book was resting limply on top of me. I placed it on the nightstand and sat up.

The weather outside my window was clear, and a soft light illuminated the red-tinted cityscape, while a gentle breeze fluttered my curtain and flowed around my body.

I closed my eyes for a moment to enjoy the pleasant breeze.

“…Hmm?”

What’s this?

Huh? Did I open the window?

…Hmm-hmmmm?

Did I do that?

Unfortunately, my memory before falling asleep the previous night was pretty hazy. I wasn’t even certain exactly when I had drifted off. I also didn’t remember how far I had read in my book.

Being who I am, I might have opened the window without even realizing it.

How careless.

“Oh well.”

The fact I was still alive meant that, at the very least, I hadn’t fallen prey to the Serial Slasher.

The truth is, even though I am a witch, I wouldn’t stand a chance if someone attacked me in my sleep. I was somewhat reassured that nothing had happened, even though I had left the window open.

However—

“…Something feels kind of strange.”

My body felt oddly light or like there wasn’t enough of something. I felt some slight sense of loss.

I don’t know what it could be, though.

……

“Oh well.”

Ultimately, I let the uncomfortable feeling pass and, with drowsy eyes, pulled my toothbrush out of my bag and headed for the bathroom.

Well then, what shall I do today? I thought as I went.

“……”

However…

When I spotted my reflection in the mirror, still half asleep, I immediately jolted awake.

Something unbelievable greeted me.

The source of my elusive discomfort.

“Eh—what…is this?”

I dropped my toothbrush in the sink and touched my hair with trembling fingers.

My hair, which should have been smooth, glossy, ash-colored, and waist-length, had been hacked off.

It was a mere shadow of its former self.

My hair was gone.

While I was sleeping, my long hair had been cut short.

“…Who did this?”

Then I suddenly remembered.

The rumors going around town yesterday.

The Serial Slasher.

It took the lives of five women.

Women’s lives.

“……”

By the way, don’t people say that a woman’s hair is her life?

“As you may have already deduced, there’s no doubt this was the work of the very same Serial Slasher. One girl was suddenly slashed on the way back from a shopping trip. Another was attacked while hanging out in a café. In your case, it seems you were hit in your sleep.”

Let’s talk about what happened after I had my hair mangled.

First, I headed for the hotel’s front desk on shaky legs, still wearing my pajamas. After I explained the situation to the lady at the desk, I handed over the card given to me by the Midnight Witch, Sheila, and asked the woman at the desk to bring her here. The shock of the disappearance of my precious hair was too much, and I didn’t feel like going outside. The attendant looked hesitant, so I had to throw down some gold coins.

After that, I lay facedown on the bed and sulked, waiting for Sheila to arrive.

Sheila, who had come running, laughed at me through her nose. “To think that someone who calls herself a witch would fall victim to a little Serial Slasher…hah!”

“……” I didn’t have the energy to respond, so I just glowered at her from atop the bed.

Sheila shrugged, as if my reproachful glare didn’t faze her at all, and said, “Well, for the time being, I’ll take a look around the scene of the crime,” as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

“What should I do?”

“Just sit there and look pretty.”

“……”

If there’s nothing I need to do, then I’ ll do nothing.

From my perch on the bed, I watched what Sheila was doing.

With practiced movements, she turned over all the furniture in the room. She flipped each and every thing, from the shelves and the table to the closet and even the flower vase. Of course, the bed was no exception. It was literally turned upside down, and I, who at this point had become largely ornamental, was dumped unceremoniously on the floor.

“Hmm…nothing suspicious here.”

“I think the most suspicious thing in this whole room is you, Sheila,” I said from the floor.

“I’m not suspicious. This is an investigation; I’m investigating.” She was looking down at me. “By the way, did you see anything suspicious? Or is there anything about the room that’s changed since yesterday?”

“Just about everything is different.”

…because it’s been turned upside down.

“I can do without your poor attempts at humor.”

“That’s not going to stop me.”

On the other hand, I could really get a good look at the state of the room while lying on the floor, and from my new vantage point, I suddenly realized something.

“…Ah. The doll disappeared.”

“Doll?”

I nodded and pointed at the closet.

“Yesterday, I moved a doll that was sitting on my bedside table into the closet, but it’s not there anymore.”

“Mm-hmm…I see.” Nodding sagely to herself, Sheila muttered, “Just as I thought…”

“Just as you thought what?”

“Each incident shares one commonality. All the girls had their hair cut off, but they were never really harmed. Yesterday, I went around to take the victims’ statements, and I feel confident in saying that all of the slashing incidents were carried out by the same perpetrator.”

“By whom?”

Sheila answered my question decisively.

“The doll.”

“……”

“The criminal probably animated the doll using magic or something and is commanding it to cut girls’ hair. That’s why I spent yesterday searching for clues about the real culprit, but… Well, I didn’t make any progress on that front.”

According to the people of the town, the culprit was a terrifying man…or woman…or both. Uncovering the truth in a city so awash in rampant speculation had to be particularly difficult.

“Well then, in that case, what do you know now?”

“I listened to the victims. I think I said that already, but thanks to their testimony, at this point, I’ve figured out where the dolls are coming from.”

“Uh-huh.”

I see, I see.

“In that case, let’s go bust up the source of the dolls. I’ll make them repent in hell for cutting off my hair.” I leaped to my feet. I was suddenly raring to go, overflowing with excitement and bloodlust.

“Hey, wait, calm down a little. Listen to the end when someone’s talking.”

“What is it? Did you decapitate the criminal already?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself…” Sheila let out a heavy sigh. “That’s not it. I’ve figured out where the dolls are coming from, but it’s a bit of an annoying situation.”

“Trouble?”

I had changed out of my pajamas and into my usual robe, and after glancing at my chest, Sheila said, “In this country, rare dolls seem to be bought and sold through backroom auctions. Of course, that only goes for the items with rather…shady histories, not the legitimate products. So both the buyers and the sellers go by aliases.”

Why is she looking at my chest while she talks?

“……”

But I more or less understood what Sheila was trying to say. To escape her gaze, I quickly finished dressing and then asked, “Do you mean to say that the dolls the victims owned were all purchased there?”

Sheila nodded. She was staring at my chest again. “By the way, the old woman who runs the shop seems to be quite the collector. I threatened her earlier and forced her to spit out some info, and sure enough, the MO was the same at all the other crime scenes.”

Sheila began fishing around in her bag. “Ah, here it is,” she said, and whipped out a doll. It closely resembled the one that had been sitting on my bedside table the day before, a little blond doll.

“I threatened the lady running the store again, and this is the doll I seized. Apparently, it was produced by the same doll maker as the ones owned by the victims.”

“It looks fairly ordinary, though it’s got a creepy air about it, like it might start moving any moment.”

With a proud look, Sheila grabbed the doll by the nape of the neck and swung it back and forth. “It looks ordinary, huh? Look closely. This seems to have been made by a pretty twisted prick.”

“…Hmm?”

As instructed, I brought my face closer to the doll’s. As it swayed around, its eyes focused on me, and it adopted a creepy smile.

The doll and I stared at each other like that for a little while.

“Ah!” I realized, “It’s the hair?”

Sheila nodded. “Exactly. This doll has human hair on its head. That’s why it feels so luxurious.”

“……”

“It’s likely it was made using hair from the victims of the Serial Slasher.”

“I see.”

Well, they certainly are twisted.

“Well, that’s the situation. That’s why they’re being traded at backroom auctions or whatever.” Still rocking the doll back and forth, Sheila continued, “By the way, it sounds like they’re holding one of those auctions today.”

“Oh?”

“Do you wanna go?”

Instead of answering, I put on my robe, pulled my pointy black hat down tight, and gathered my things.

It was one of my habits to flip my hair out with a fluttering gesture after fastening my robe, but my freshly sheared locks had already escaped my collar.

……

I’ ll never forgive that doll maker.

“Well then, let’s go, shall we?”

Sheila nodded, and I left the room with her.

“By the way, why were you looking only at my chest earlier?”

“Hmm? Um…well, I was thinking it was kind of small.”

“……”

“……”

“Also, if we’re going to a backroom auction house, take off your robe and hat. If you stand out, there’s a chance you’ll blow our cover.”

“……”

I’ ll never forgive the Midnight Witch.

Apparently, we could get into the backroom auction house through the back section of a shop that was on the distant end of a back alley across town. It was all “back” behind the scenes.

There were three conditions to get into the secret auction.

The first was to keep your identity a secret.

That is, as long as you were in the auction house, you were just a customer, no more and no less.

Accordingly, I wore just my shirt and skirt, adopting a truly plain look, and Sheila wore a dress for some reason. Because our cover would be blown if we looked conspicuous or something like that.

The second condition was to wear a mask.

Apparently, it was necessary to conceal one’s identity by donning a mask that covered the eyes. Because these were the back streets.

“…But if we only conceal our eyes, you can easily tell who everyone is.”

“Don’t say that. For something like this, ambience is important. When you put on a mask, you feel like you’re getting away with something wrong, right?”

“No, it’s pretty clear we’re doing something wrong when we attend a backroom auction.”

What are you even saying?

“Well, anyway, let’s go in.”

Concealing ourselves behind costumes and masks, we stepped into the secret auction house.

By the way, the third condition for admittance was to pay the entry fee.

The backroom auction house was a basement room, but it was clean and well appointed. Actually, it was so extravagant, you would call it ornate.

Chandeliers descended from a ceiling adorned with enigmatic paintings, shedding golden light on the seats lined up below, which were covered in red sheets. It looked less like an auction house and more like a proper opera house.

“Apparently, this place used to be an opera house.”

“Oh.”

Right, so it was a proper opera house. Long ago, it would have hosted crowds dressed in appropriate splendor gathering to immerse themselves in that noble art form, but now…

“Heh-heh-heh…today I’m gonna get me one of those dolls…heh-heh…”

“I’ll definitely get it, definitely get it, definitely get it!”

“I’ve been saving all my money just for today… I won’t go home until I win.”

“……”

How should I put this? With their bloodshot eyes, the seedy crowd was totally unsuited to the opulent decor.

As I drank in my bizarre surroundings, we took our seats. Next to me, Sheila was fiddling with the numbered placard she had been given and let out a sigh. “Every one of them is desperate.”

“I wonder why they get so worked up over some stupid dolls.”

“I don’t really know, but maybe there’s some appeal to the kind of illicit merchandise you can’t just buy in public.”

“Huh…”

I don’t really understand their obsession.

We were kept waiting for several more minutes in the loud, crowded room. Finally, a lone man appeared onstage.

“All right, everyone, thank you for your patience! Today, as always, we have some incredible products, courtesy of our talented artisans! Everyone, do you want them? I said, do you want them? Of course you do!”

The whole hall burst into a frenzy at the man’s shameless instigation. The crowd must have been just on the verge of boiling over.

Anyway, no one would have gone out of their way to come to the auction if they didn’t want the dolls, would they? Of course not.

The man onstage spent a little time giving some warnings and explained the simple rules that would be used during the auction:

Raise your numbered placard, say a price, and the person who offers the highest price makes the winning bid. Don’t bid what you can’t pay. Don’t wring your own neck by going way over your budget.

Et cetera, et cetera…

This was really all pretty obvious.

“Well then, let’s hurry up and get started! Here is our first item!”

Then, the long-awaited doll made its appearance on the stage.

It was a girl doll.

Life-size.

“Ah, so that’s what they mean by irregular merchandise.”

“I see.”

She appeared to be very popular, as any number of placards went up around the hall. The competition was extremely intense, but at the conclusion of a fierce fight, a rich-looking older man was victorious, offering a frankly staggering sum.

“Are all dolls like that one?”

“No, I don’t think they are. If the information I got is true, then I’m certain the dolls we’re looking for can be purchased here.”

As far as I could see, though, the second doll being brought to the stage was also a life-size girl, as was the third.

What exactly is the deal with this auction?

“……”

I was gradually getting irritated with the chatter around me, but what happened after that got me interested in the merchandise onstage.

“All right, everyone, thank you for waiting! This here! This next one! Is the showcase item!”

It was a totally normal-size doll, which, if you looked closely, was comparable to the one in the room where I’d stayed.

If you looked really closely, it was clad in the same kind of gaudy dress as the one in the room where I’d stayed.

To sum it up—

“Is that it?”

“Sure is.” I nodded. “…But what the heck have they done with it? Are they looking for a fight?”

“Keep it together.”

“……”

These dolls certainly were quite twisted.

“Look at her! In pursuit of realism, the locks on this doll are made using actual human hair!” the man onstage shouted somewhat excitedly. “But it’s gray hair! Quite a rare color, it’s beautiful hair with a fine luster!”

Well then, who on earth do you think is the owner of that rare hair?

…Me, probably. No, I’m almost certain.

The audience went into an uproar over the new item. Frenzied voices erupted here and there, to the point that the screams and the shouts of joy were indistinguishable.

What on earth is going on here? That’s my hair!

“They’re really eating it up. I sentence them all to death.”

“Come on, calm down,” Sheila reassured me confidently. “Those customers don’t know how it was made. They’re not responsible.”

And yet—

“What’s more, this doll is the handiwork of the Serial Slasher who’s the talk of the town! How about it? Amazing, isn’t it?!” The man onstage was getting the bidders fired up again.

Sheila shrugged her shoulders carelessly. “Well, damn, you can forget what I just said.”

This seemed like it might become troublesome.

“By the way, Sheila. I understand that the doll was made by the Serial Slasher, so what might you be planning to do about that?”

“That should be obvious. I’m going to win the auction and locate the culprit.”

“Oh.”

While I was nodding along, the auction began.

The man onstage banged his wooden mallet. “Now then, let’s start the bidding at one gold piece.”

Numbered placards went up all over the hall, and voices filled the air.

Two gold pieces, three pieces, five, seven, nine, ten, twelve, fourteen, fifteen!

The amount of money being offered for the doll made with my stolen hair reached ridiculous heights. Inflation ran wild. The price skyrocketed.

“It seems very difficult to win, doesn’t it?”

“…Looks that way.”

The number of gold coins soon passed twenty, and as it was approaching thirty, my stress levels were also nearing their limits.

Something snapped inside me. Because of my missing hair.

Then, I stood up.

“Sheila. I’ve got an idea that will be much faster than winning an auction.”

“Twenty-nine gold pieces! Any further bids? None? Well then, sold for twenty-nine—”

No, no.

I won’t let you get away with that.

“Yahh!” Before the auctioneer could bring his mallet down, I fired a stream of light from my wand and blasted the wooden hammer away. It flew from the man’s hand, spinning around and around in the air, until it landed on the stage.

“Huh? Just what is—waaaaaahhh!”

While I was at it, I also blasted the auctioneer.

He was in the way, you see.

My footsteps echoed dramatically through the hall, which was now in an uproar at this unexpected development. As I approached the stage, I was aware that everyone’s attention was focused on me.

“What on earth just happened?”

“Hey, look at that hair. It’s the same color as the doll’s.”

“Could she be…you know?”

“This is bad, huh…?”

They whispered.

“Everyone, do you know who put these dolls up for sale? Do you know where they acquired the dolls’ hair?” As I was walking toward the stage, I spoke solemnly to no one in particular. “No, I’m sure you all know. Those dolls were made by the Serial Slasher, and that hair is the property of the victims.”

And some of it is mine.

“Got it? I suppose you all thought that since you’re only buying the dolls, you don’t share in any of the responsibility. The moment you make your purchase, though, you’re equally guilty. No, you’re guilty the moment you set foot in this place. You all deserve death.”

I stepped onstage with a clack.

“I think it’s likely the culprit is among us. Since the criminal went to great pains to make such amazing dolls and is proud enough of their work to enter them in an auction, I’m certain they get some sick satisfaction out of seeing how high a price their dolls can fetch.”

With that, I grabbed the doll by the neck and held it up in the air.

“However, there are a lot of people here. Why, there must be at least a hundred of you. Searching for the culprit would be super tedious, so I tried to come up with a better idea. I needed a plan.

“However, though I thought long and hard, I failed to come up with a concrete solution. No, that’s not quite accurate. To tell you the truth, I gave up trying to work it out halfway through.

“Sure, it may be just one person making the dolls, but everyone in this room is equally culpable. The doll maker brazenly selling dolls made with people’s stolen hair is guilty, but you are all just as guilty for trying to buy them, despite knowing their twisted origin.”

And so…

“That’s why I’m very angry. I want to quell my rage, so I’ve decided to do something to choke the life out of every person here. For example, something like this.”

Crunch.

I snapped the doll’s neck.

“And this.”

Rrrip.

I tore all the doll’s hair clean out.

“And also…this!”

Crash.

I dismembered the doll and dropped it.

“Well then, who’s first on the chopping block? Who would be good? Any volunteers? Oh-ho-ho!”

My voice echoed through the room, making me aware that the hall, which was larger than I’d thought, had fallen completely silent. I waited a little while and a little while longer, but nobody spoke a single word.

I suppose you’re thinking I’ ll give you a pass if you keep quiet. Don’t underestimate me.

“Hyah!”

I trampled the dismembered doll underfoot, grinding it slowly beneath my heel.

“So the criminal is silent, huh? Too bad. In that case, I think I’ll deal with you one by one, starting from the right, just like this—”

“What a terrible thing you’ve done!”

From somewhere in the hall came a voice. It was a woman.

“That’s my doll, you know! Did you know that? It’s a vintage item. It’s not something that you can treat roughly like that!”

The woman was extremely angry. With long strides, she forced her way to the front of the hall and climbed the stage.

“Huh? Have we met somewhere before?”

Her face looked familiar.

“Yesterday, you came into my shop, and ever since then, I’ve been thinking about your hair and nothing else.”

“……”

I remembered.

This was the owner of the shady doll shop.

“Your hair is incredibly beautiful and rare. It’s so incredible that, against my better judgment, I came to covet it. Are you angry?”

“……”

I pointedly ground the doll farther into the floor.

“Goodness! You look amazing even when you’re angry!” The old woman squirmed like a maiden in love.

“Tell me, why are you transplanting people’s hair onto dolls?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I want to spread beauty to a wider audience! When I graft people’s hair onto dolls, you see, the dolls really come alive. At first, I was using my own hair, but you see, even that was insufficient. Before I knew it, I had started using other people’s hair. I control my dolls from far away and use them to cut girls’ locks. The looks on their faces when they find out they’ve lost their long hair, pictures of despair and anger…they’re also heavenly! I found the whole thing so rewarding that I couldn’t stand it! Oh, it really is so incredible!”

“Uh, sure.”

I pulled back.

I pulled way back.

How unfortunate that my hair had been sliced to satisfy such perversion.

“Well then, what will you do, miss? Will you give in to your rage and try to challenge me? You should know that I’m a witch! Understand? It’s the highest rank among magic users. You have no chance of beating me. I wonder, will you surrender to your anger and try to fight me anyway?”

“……”

Um, I’m a witch, too. She’s probably confusing me for an ordinary mage because I wasn’t wearing my brooch when I visited her shop.

“Well, well, well, well. What will you do? Show me more of that beautiful angry face!”

She had gone and gotten herself all worked up.

After abandoning even the slightest sign of sympathy toward her, I only had one thing to say.

“This is the end of the line for you.”

The moment I finished speaking, a cage exactly the right size for a person fell from above, imprisoning the woman, while handcuffs with chains running around the fingers clamped around her hands, preventing her from gripping her wand.

It all happened in an instant. The woman who had been frolicking onstage had become a caged criminal.

“Yo, thanks for your help, Elaina.”

Sheila’s voice rang out from somewhere in the hall, accompanied by curls of white smoke, which disappeared after an announcement reminding everyone that, “Smoking is prohibited inside the building.”

The cage was a spell, cast by Sheila.

“…Huh?” The astonished woman, her eyes wide, beat at the magical bars with her open palms. “What are you doing? What is this? You must be angry, right? Are you happy just letting it end like this? Get angrier!”

“……”

I had absolutely no idea what she was carrying on about. I mean, I didn’t understand the urge to make dolls with human hair, but this obsession with wanting to see girls get mad somehow made even less sense.

It’s got to be something gross, right?

Honestly, I don’t understand this kind of person.

I did my best to smile and told her one thing.

“I’m angrier than I’ve ever been, and that’s precisely why I’m going to do something you’re sure to hate even more.”

Allow me to keep the rest of the story short and simple.

The affair concluded without further incident.

I recovered my hair and quickly repaired it with a spell, returning it to its usual smooth, glossy, lengthy luster.

Welcome home, my luscious locks.

So we caught the criminal. Apparently, she had controlled the dolls remotely with magic. She ought to have been able to control the doll onstage, too, but after I had torn it to shreds, it seemed she had no alternative but to appear in person.

Under Sheila’s supervision, the prisoner was sent out of the country to a branch office of the United Magic Association.

They seem like they would have appropriate punishments there.

“My recommendation is the death penalty.”

Sheila, who was in the middle of escorting the criminal, scowled at my words. “Sorry to say, but this lady only cut people’s hair off. I don’t think her punishment is going to be that severe. At the very least, they’re not going to sentence her to death.”

“That’s not good enough. One death penalty, please.”

“Don’t say stupid things, Stupid.”

“She must atone for her crimes against my hair. Therefore, the death penalty is most appropriate.”

“But your hair’s already back to normal, isn’t it?”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to cut it off again.”

“Why would you do such a thing…?”

Well, how about my righteous anger at a deplorable criminal?

Even as Sheila and I were finishing our exchange, the culprit in question was drooling and laughing to herself, “Heh-heh-heh…” and “How nice…” and so on.

This lunatic isn’t the least bit remorseful, is she?

I would have preferred to beat her to a pulp with my own two hands, but given it seemed like she might enjoy that even more, I was at a loss.

Hmmm…

“You’re making kind of a difficult face there.” Sheila shrugged. “Well, relax already. There’s probably an even harsher punishment than the death penalty waiting where I’m taking her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Who knows?”

Dodging the question with an ambiguous smile, Sheila used her magic to lift the cage and climbed onto her broom.

“All right, then. I’m going. I’m in a hurry.”

“Is that so?”

“Let’s meet again, Ashen Witch.”

She was a United Magic Association witch. I was a traveling witch.

I really don’t think I’m going to see her again, but oh well.

“Let’s meet again, Midnight Witch.”

I did my best to smile.

The rest of the story went as follows:

The Midnight Witch, Sheila, took her time flying over the prairie with a huge cage suspended from the handle of her broom. She proceeded toward the nearest country with a United Magic Association branch.

The United Magic Association has offices all over the world. The day after the matter of the Serial Slasher was resolved, Sheila entered a branch precinct, presented her report on the incident and the perpetrator, and was paid a considerable sum.

This is how troubleshooting traveling witches make their living.

“Ah! I wondered who that was. If it isn’t my teacher!”

By the way, there are many, many witches and mages who wander the world solving people’s problems. Sheila’s pupil was one of them.

“Oh, it’s you. What’re you doing here?”

“I just arrived. I got into a bit of money trouble, so I thought I’d come get a job.” Sheila’s pupil’s black hair swung gently as she marveled at the huge cage at Sheila’s side. “…You could let me have that job?”

“Are you stupid? I just finished it.”

“That’s why I want to take it!”

“……”

Sheila let out an exasperated sigh.

“What did this person do? Her eyes are twinkling strangely.”

The woman inside the cage was excited to make her debut in a new scene. “Ah…how cute!” she said. “Your angry face is even more adorable, no doubt about it!” Happily, her words never reached the pupil’s ears.

“Oh, her? Ah, umm…” Sheila hesitated a little over whether she should say. “The truth is, this woman is the Serial Slasher who was going around cutting people’s hair.”

“Wow.”

“Her methods were quite fiendish, and she was cunning enough to cut the hair of a traveling witch. I captured her like this, and now I’m going to deliver her into custody at this branch office.”

“Huh, she cut a traveling witch’s hair?”

“Yeah…” Sheila smiled meaningfully. “It was a witch with beautiful ash-colored hair.”

“A traveling witch with beautiful ash-colored hair, you say? Hmm…”

“And she was wearing the same pointy black hat as you.”

“The same pointy black hat, you say? Hmmm.”

“And the same necklace.”

“Heh-heh…is that so? Hmm…I see.”

As they were talking, Sheila noticed her pupil’s smile gradually taking on an eerie cast.

At the same time, she also heard a hopeful voice leaking out of the cage by her side. “I don’t really know what you’re going on about, but I know you’re angry!”

Still grinning from ear to ear, her pupil said, “Would you be so kind as to tell me the details?”

By the way, the pupil’s name was Saya.

Meeting Saya taught the Serial Slasher that there are things in this world that can make even the anger and sadness of girls who’ve had their hair lopped off seem mild.