Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 5 - Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Two Pupils

“If you continue all the way west, there’s a place called the Free City Qunorts, and today, we have a direct commission to transport this to the harbor there.”

The black-haired witch—summoned to a branch office of the United Magic Association in a certain country—received these instructions as she had a small box pressed on her by her teacher.

“…What’s this?”

The box appeared to be quite old and quite valuable. Not a single seam was visible in its elegant construction, and it was completely smooth to the touch. There was no key in the lid, which looked like it would open with a little force. Nothing made any noise, even when she tried shaking it. The inside had probably been manufactured just as neatly as the overdone exterior.

As the witch examined the box closely, her teacher removed the long pipe from her mouth and sighed out a cloud of tobacco smoke. The witch squinted at the smoke, which smelled truly toxic.

Her teacher said, “I’m going to make a little side trip before I head for Qunorts. You go first and hand that over at the United Magic Association branch office. And don’t open it along the way. Got it? Apparently, there’s something real nasty inside.”

“Aye-aye sir!” She had absolutely no idea what could be inside the box, but her job was just to transport the ridiculous thing. It seemed like easy money.

Easy-peasy.

…This witch chuckled internally to herself. Just who could she be?

That’s right. She’s me. Saya.

“…Oh, right, right.”

Just as I was about to leave the United Magic Association office, my teacher spoke up again from behind.

“Your little sister is in the midst of infiltrating a certain organization in the same city. …Well, after you get there, I suppose it would be all right for you to have a quick word with her in secret. It’s been a long time since you saw each other, hasn’t it?”

The land known as the Free City Qunorts, at which I arrived that day, stood isolated on the coast.

There was nothing around it, only swaying grasses. Their pale green extended below the autumn sky, and on the other side of the city stretched the blue of sky and sea. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, but it looked like I could see it anywhere.

I couldn’t tell whether the city itself was of the sort that existed in other parts of the world, too.

It didn’t look like there was anything peculiar about the cityscape, and when I passed through the gate, I was greeted by light-colored buildings with square windows—perfectly lined up at equal distance from each other. Based on outward appearance, there was nothing off about it.

Closer inspection revealed the city was facing a little bit of a disturbance.

ARE MAGES DANGEROUS? FURTHER VIOLENCE FROM THE ANTIQUE STORE POSSE, said the headline on a newspaper when I peeked into a bookstore. It took up the whole front page, and a gaggle of older women chattered like a pack of hyenas that had caught the scent of something tasty.

“Oh no… The Antique Store Posse has been attacking mages again, it says.”

“Goodness! My husband is a mage, you know?”

“How frightening.”

They were anxious over the important matter of the mages.

The only thing I understood for sure was that there was some secret organization operating in the city, and that if I went around looking like a mage, it would probably draw some unwanted attention from this “Antique Store Posse” or whatever.

“……”

That day, as soon as I had secured lodgings, I took off my robe and pointed hat, changing clothes into a plain outfit of a flared skirt and sweater instead. A very autumnal look.

In this getup, nobody will think I’m a mage.

With that sorted, I walked around town leisurely, my ashen hair swaying behind me, wishing that I might encounter something interesting in this city.

I conducted my sightseeing around Qunorts without making too much noise.

I bought bread at a roadside stall and took a perfunctory tour around town. There was almost nothing worth mentioning about the place, nothing strange or interesting, except that the people walking through town seemed to be afraid of something they couldn’t see.

“They’re awfully troubled, huh…”

I didn’t know just how much power that Antique Store Posse had, but at the very least, the mages of the city seemed to be having some serious problems with the group.

I could tell because in the alleyways everywhere, or else in the shop windows, flyers and signs had been slapped up bearing rather inflammatory phrases.

DEFY MAGES!

MAGES ACT ALL COOL JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN USE MAGIC! HOW VEXING!

PISS OFF, MAGES!

And since no one was tearing these signs down, I could tell that the Antique Store Posse was growing more emboldened.

I don’t have a good feeling about this…

“Hello, miss. Haven’t seen you around these parts before. You a traveler?”

After walking for a short while, I heard the owner of a roadside stall call out to me. The suspicious woman, hat low on her head, had conspicuously crooked teeth that made it look like she had fangs. Her unruly canines made her look several years younger.

“Huh?”

When I stopped short, she said, “Hoh-hoh… You’re a real blockhead to visit this city in such dangerous times,” and roared with laughter.

Oh-hoh, are you picking a fight with me? Shall I take you up on it?

“It looks like this ‘Antique Store’ organization is inciting violence in this city.”

“That’s right. Good grief. They’re the reason why we don’t have any business. Thanks to them, there have been fewer and fewer tourists lately, and even if I open up shop, there’s no one buying. It’s a real problem.”

“…What do you sell?”

“Hm. Can’t you see? Someone’s a real blockhead.”

“Ah, I see, so you’re peddling insults, huh?” I almost said, but I quieted these thoughts by clearing my throat and looked around. I assumed swords and guns would be lining the shelves, but the store was stocked with memo pads and pens and other stationery. There were other everyday goods, like tissues and mirrors. In short, it looked like she had all sorts of trifles.

“So you’re a garbage collector?” I asked.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m really asking.”

“……” The lady with the fangs let out a big sigh. “These are for self-defense. This land has been disturbed recently, so I’m selling tools to protect yourself. How about it? Need one?”

“Not really.”

“Now don’t say that. Buy one. If you don’t, you never know when you’ll be attacked by some dangerous gang, hmm?”

I can protect myself by myself without buying these things.

“I’m not a mage or anything, so I don’t feel the need to protect myself,” I said.

The Antique Store Posse is targeting mages, right? I’m afraid I’m not a mage at the moment… If that’s my backstory, I don’t need protection, do I?

“I’m telling you, I’m fine. Well then, I must be going—”

And then I turned my back on the shop.

“Oh, wait there,” the merchant called out to my back. “Here, this is a freebie. Have it.”

I turned back around at the sound of her voice, and in that same moment, she threw something at me. A single piece of candy sailed through the air and landed in my waiting hand. When I pinched it between my fingers and held it up, I saw that its wrapper read, in fanciful letters, VISIT OUR STORE TO PROTECT YOURSELF!

“It’s a freebie for coming to my store. Should you have any troubles, you can come back. I’ll have just what you need.”

“…Thanks.”

I opened the wrapper and popped the candy into my mouth.

Right after arriving at the Free City Qunorts, I was assailed by a strange feeling.

“…It’s a mage!”

“…What’s she doing here…?”

I faintly overheard many whispered voices.

Could it be that they’re purposely talking loud enough for me to overhear them? Hmm…

Feeling uncomfortable, I walked hastily through the city.

Let’s hurry up and get to the port and finish the job—

“Ah, hold on. You there. You there, girl. What’s the hurry?”

Only when you’re in a hurry do you get caught up in some obstacle. A voice called out from somewhere behind me as I rushed through town.

Ignore it. Just pretend you don’t hear it. I don’t have time to be talking to anyone.

“Heeey! I’m talking to you, Little Miss Cute Witch!”

“Ah, could you mean me?!”

Whoops. I turned around.

“I am, I am. Where are you going in such a rush? This city is dangerous of late. Especially if you’re dressed like that. You never know when you might be in danger.”

The woman calling to me from inside a roadside stall had a physical appearance that was…difficult to describe. Her hair was red and long, but that was about the only characteristic that could be discerned at a glance. She wore a hat pulled down low over her face, so that her eyes couldn’t be seen, and everything below her ears was covered with a piece of cloth, so any other part of her face was imperceptible.

She must be ashamed of her appearance. Poor thing…

“What is it? I don’t like the way you’re looking at me. Humph.” The woman snorted through her nose like she was not amused. “What did you come to this city for? Coming here looking like a mage is like begging them to attack you, you know?”

“…Is this place all that dangerous?”

“It’s absurdly dangerous.”

“Absurdly dangerous?” This is serious.

“Mmhmm. And because of that, you’ll need some personal protection to continue living here—”

“Ah, I don’t entertain aggressive sales pitches, so—” I turned quickly on my heel.

“Hey, wait a second!” The woman raised her voice as she banged on one of the racks in the shop.

When I turned around, she had her arm raised and had flung something toward me. It soared through the air and struck my chest before tumbling to the ground. A piece of candy.

“…My shop is always selling defense goods. Come anytime if you feel so inclined.”

I picked the candy up and stuck it in my pocket. “…Thank you.” Somehow, I got the feeling that if I ate it there in front of her, people would think badly of me, like, Whoa, that girl is eating something she picked up off the ground! Nasty!

Then I turned my back on her shop and started walking again.

“Be careful. If you want to stay alive in this city, you better not trust anyone.”

The shopkeeper spouted off something that sounded important, then laughed boorishly.

I walked away from the shop and down the main avenue of the city.

As expected, the stares from the residents were uncomfortable, enough to make me feel like I ought to change out of my witchy-looking clothes as soon as possible.

“……” Among the cold gazes, I could feel a different set of eyes following me.

I realized I was lost on a deserted street. There wasn’t a single person on the road before me, but I could still feel those eyes on my back.

What could this be?

It felt like the ferocious way that a hunter would look at their prey, like a filthy gaze that was licking me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

A full-body chill seized me. Someone was coming after me. Of that, I was sure.

I started preparing to get my wand out.

“……” I turned around, slowly—

“ ”

And I saw someone—an ominous someone with their mouth covered by a piece of fabric.

Then an arm quickly snaked around my throat, and something covered my mouth, and I was dragged away.

“…! Mmph! Nmmhh—!”

Ah, this is bad. I might die—!

My heart began pounding at the thought of danger, pounding as if it was sounding the alarm. While I was kicking and struggling, I heard a voice right by my ear.

“Be still, Big Sister—it’s dangerous here. We need to escape.”

I knew this gentle, warm voice.

“…Mina?”

Before me was the face of my little sister, whom I was seeing for the first time in a long time… Though I couldn’t really see her, because of the cloth.

“Wandering around looking like that, you must have a death wish,” she said. “I never knew this side of you.”

We headed to the very back of a narrow, deserted alleyway.

Pulled along by my younger sister, Mina, I passed through the dim back alley and an isolated door that stood at the end. I was pushed into the small room behind it. By all appearances, I was a rat in a trap.

Mina sighed and removed the fabric that was covering her mouth, revealing her luscious peach-colored lips. When she tugged off her hat, long locks of hair tumbled free. She tossed her head and sent her hair fluttering, and there was something very sensual about the gesture.

Compared to my shrimpy little body, my little sister seemed to be brimming with pheromones. How distressing.

She had really grown up during the long time we’d been apart. How distressing.

“Ah, Mina, long time no see—”

Since it had been so long, I raised a hand in greeting.

“……” In return, I received a venomous glare. My little sister could be so cold. “…Why are you here?”

To make matters worse, I was immediately treated as an imposition.

“For work. I’m here for work.” I let the box peek out of my bag for a second.

Mina and I both work for the United Magic Association, but unfortunately, we don’t often cross paths. I spend my time aimlessly traveling around on my own, while Mina is busy with her undercover investigations, so even if we wanted to, we couldn’t really see each other.

“…Sigh. So the mage bringing the box was my own sister…” Mina let out an exaggerated sigh. “Of all the people…”

Humph. What’s with that comment?!

“Mina, aren’t you in the middle of an undercover investigation? Is it safe for you to be here like this?” I had been stung by her remark, so I tried to get her back.

“Of course it’s not. You did something stupid, so I went out of my way to risk danger and come stop you.”

“……” She seemed to be rebuking me for walking around town in a robe. “I mean, I was planning to change clothes after I delivered the box to the harbor, you know.”

“That would have been too late.”

What? I tilted my head, and Mina fixed her cold eyes on me.

“The ‘Antique Store Posse’ that has taken root in this city again is a sneaky group of thieves who have special tools in their possession. They’re driven by their hate toward mages, but they’re otherwise no different from typical thieves who commit robberies and attack merchants.”

“Mm-hm.”

By the way, do you have any water? It’s really hot out here. No? Okay.

“Recently, the Antique Store has come up with a plan to purge the city of mages. That thing you brought here today is actually one of their tools for doing so.”

“Meaning…?”

I cocked my head questioningly, and Mina peered into my bag, which I had left open.

“In other words, the Antique Store Posse already knows about that box. In fact, it’s very possible that they had a hand in bringing it here.”

“……”

“…I don’t know what kind of power it might hold, but I’m certain it can’t be anything good, because the gang leader said, ‘The box brought by the assistant from the United Magic Association is essential for our next attack!’”

“……” Goodness. I’ve heard that tone of voice somewhere before…

“Um, so would I have been ambushed at the harbor?”

“If I hadn’t saved you.” Mina shrugged as if to say I was a burden on her.

My little sister could be so cheeky!

“…So what should I do now?”

“For now, hold on to that box. I’ve still got some undercover work to do. If I can get a lead on all the members of the organization, we can arrest them all.”

“…So I should wait in town until that happens?”

“Exactly,” Mina said. “…By the way, do you have a place to stay? If you like, you can live here with me in this house.”

“Ah, I’m staying at an inn, so it’s all right. Don’t worry about me!”

I wouldn’t want to get in the way of my sister while she works. Plus, it’s dusty in here. And kinda hot. And wouldn’t it pose problems if I stayed in the house of a person who’s in the middle of an undercover investigation?

“……” Something must have hurt her feelings, because Mina knit her eyebrows. “…I see,” she said and let out a huge sigh.

She was a person of few words, so I never really understood what Mina was thinking all the time. But even so, she’d always been more mature than I and a dependable girl, so in the past—especially before I met Elaina—I had always clung tightly to Mina.

But now both of us had jobs, and we barely saw each other, so I felt like we’d grown distant.

“……”

“……”

We stood there in silence, and I felt around in my own pocket while I was choosing my next words.

I remembered I’d received a piece of candy earlier. I thought I could eat the candy and dampen my throat for a moment. I peeled off the wrapper and tossed the candy into my mouth—

And something inside me burst.

…? What’s happening? My head feels foggy.

“…Anyway, don’t do anything until I’ve prevented the Antique Store Posse’s uprising, Big Sister.”

Big Sister…? Who? I haven’t got any siblings.

Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing the girl before my eyes.

Who are you?

…And why am I here…?

“This time, their concocted plan seems to be a simultaneous attack on every single shop in the city—from the jeweler’s to the arms dealer’s, the general store, even the restaurants and inns. If I don’t prevent them, the damage could be catastrophic.”

The girl sitting next to me was speaking very seriously, but I was fully occupied with trying to figure out what was going on.

I patted my own skin. I tried pinching it. I didn’t appear to be daydreaming. Inside my mouth, a piece of candy was rolling around.

Huh? I thought it had dissolved a while ago…

Hmm…?

“Once I prevent the attacks, we’ll turn that box over to the United Magic Association at the harbor. Then they can deliver it to the island nation. That’s the safest route.”

“……?” I still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

It all felt hazy, as if I were in a dream.

Nearby was the item she kept referring to as that box. It was lying there casually inside a bag.

“…Big Sister, I’ve got to ask, by the way, have you noticed anything strange since you entered this city?”

“…Um, I’m sorry. Who are you? I’m—”

“I can do without the jokes.”

But I’m not joking…

I took the box out of its bag.

It was about the right size to hold in both hands. It wasn’t too large. To articulate what was going through my mind in that moment, I was thinking only about the puzzle of what might be inside it.

There were far too many other things plaguing me, so many I didn’t know where to begin. So I narrowed my focus to the box.

“Got it? I don’t know what that Antique Store Posse might do to you, Big Sister. Don’t let your guard down—”

Letting the words of this person I had never seen before flow past me, I placed my hand on the box.

And then, I opened it.

“……! Big Sister! What are you—”

It was only after I’d revealed the contents of the box that I realized I probably shouldn’t have done that.

I couldn’t see anything inside the box, though, because what had been there was not a thing, but just smoke—smoke that erupted, turning all my surroundings white.

At that point, I didn’t know what the stuff that had been inside the box was.

And I still didn’t know what had happened to me.

From inside the white cloud, I heard a cough.

The smoke that had poured out of the box gradually dispersed, and I could see again. As I recall, it was around this time that my ability to think mostly returned to normal.

My name was Elaina. I had been in the middle of strolling around town sightseeing. I had received a candy from a roadside stall.

Now I was someone else. I seemed to be having a conversation with someone’s little sister, while sucking on a candy.

Interesting. I don’t understand at all…

“…Big…Sister…”

The first thing that met my eye when the fog completely lifted was a little sister whom I was meeting for the first time. Just a moment ago, she had been talking about something important with a serious expression on her face.

She was crouched on the floor, looking up at me, her breathing ragged.

“Are you all right…?”

She didn’t appear well. Her face was flushed all the way out to the ears, and she was gasping between heavy breaths, as if beset by a high fever.

Oh no. Could that smoke have been poison gas or something…? But I’m fine… Aagh, I have no idea what’s happening!

In any case, it seemed like the first priority was to help the suffering girl.

“What’s wrong? Is it your stomach? A fever? Do you feel like you’re going to throw up?” I went over to her side, placed a hand on her forehead, and rubbed her back for her.

“Don’t touch me!” The little sister whose name I didn’t know pushed me away. I stumbled and fell on the floor, then she also fell, covering me.

“Umm…” So heavy.

“Hah, hah…” Somebody’s younger sister placed her hands on the floor on either side of my face and slowly pushed herself back up.

“…Um.” In this position, it looked like she had been the one to push me down.

“Big…Sister…” The girl looked extremely unwell, and her eyes… On second thought, she didn’t look unwell. She looked like she was intoxicated.

“……Ummm.” I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

“Big Sister… Big Sister…” The girl was muttering deliriously. “………You’re cute.”

“……” Somehow, I could tell something was very wrong here.

“Ahhhhhh…I love you.  ”

“…Aaah!”

She inched her face closer to mine. “Big Sister…I’ve… For a long time, I’ve… Well, I’m sure it’s strange because we’re sisters, but, well, I’ve always loved you. Weird, right? You’ve been the only thing on my mind. You’re my big sister, but you always followed me around like a little puppy and relied on me. What a helpless big sister you were. You’re so seriously cute and cute and cute and cute and cute—I can’t stand it! Oh, I don’t need anything in my life but you. And yet I always treated you coldly! I’m sorry. I’ve always really loved you, but I couldn’t be up front about my feelings. Really, I just want to eat you up. I love love love love love love love love love you, so please—”

“No.”

Full stop. I physically floored her with the wand I had pulled out, and she squealed before pouncing on top of me again.

This time, her eyes were bloodshot, and she made no attempt to get up.

She seemed to have fainted.

“…Sigh.” I pushed her off me and sat up.

What in the world…?

After I had straightened up my disheveled clothes, I put on a pointy hat and got out of there—and it was only after doing so that I came to understand what was really happening.

If I were to sum up the state of the city in one word, it would be chaos. That seemed to neatly describe the entire situation.

“Ahh! I love you! Please go out with meeeeee!”

“Heh-heh-heh-heh… Wait for me…”

“I have always adored yooouuu!”

“I love you! I’ve always loved you!”

“Ah! Wait! Don’t go!”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! My body belongs to you!”

“Stop! There’s a girl I’ve got my heart set on!”

“No! Don’t come any closer!”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“Ew! Gross! Die!”

While I hadn’t been looking, the whole populace had apparently started playing a game of tag. That was the only thing I could think, as all the townspeople were running around, chasing after someone else.

Someone would run away, and another someone would give chase, and the whole scene would rinse and repeat. Not one person was standing still.

“…What the…?”

Just what is going on here?

The city had gone completely crazy.

Already, my mental processing power had reached its limits. It was all too much. I felt like I wanted to cry.

The mysterious thing was, even though everyone else in the city was going crazy, I was still holding on to my mind, in my own way. It felt strangely lonely—not that I wanted to go nuts or anything.

Somehow or other, I was struck with a sense that, since I was the only sober one in this whole place, it fell to me to resolve the situation.

Hm. That’s annoying.

“……”

As the first step, I walked through the city, avoiding all the people sprinting past me.

Among the jumbled screams and flirtatious overtures, I devoted myself to solemnly observing the situation.

Come to think of it, there’s supposed to be a branch office of the United Magic Association down by the harbor. Maybe I should head there.

This must be happening because I opened that box, but…I can’t even understand what’s going on with my own body.

“……”

After I had been walking for a little while, something happened. I had already arrived at the harbor without incident. I had made it as far as the United Magic Association branch office.

“Aahh! Ah, aaah… Is this…? Aaah. Oh nooo!”

But of course, there was a strange person here, too. It was a weird girl, gazing into the window of the café that stood next to the branch office and babbling away. She was suspicious from every angle.

The whole city had gone mad, so I wasn’t all that surprised to see someone gazing into the glass of a café and murmuring, “Wow…I love you…  ”

Somehow, I had a hunch that I wouldn’t get much out of trying to talk to her.

“……” I watched the figure of the girl stealthily. From a certain viewpoint, I, too, seemed suspicious.

“You sure are cute…and super adorable from every angle…”

“……” Oddly enough, I had seen the girl before.

Her clothing was very plain, just a sweater and a flared skirt. Her hair was ash-colored. It was long and sleek, gathered into a half-up, half-down style. Her lapis-colored eyes were gazing lovingly at her own reflection in the glass, and it looked like she was going heart-eyed. Her mouth was slack open, loose and sloppy, as she mumbled, “I wuv you…  ” I could almost see the hearts trailing after her words.

That girl, squirming and feeling her own hips and shoulders, looked like she might actually be a witch and a traveler.

Who on earth do you think she was?

…She’s me.

“……” Huh? How are there two of me?

When I approached the girl with my head cocked in confusion, I realized that my own figure had changed. My own body, reflected in the window glass, was that of a witch from the United Magic Association, wearing a black pointy hat and a black robe. My hair, black as charcoal, tumbled down to about my shoulders, and my eyes were black, too. I looked like I might be from the East.

Which is to say—

“Saya…?”

I was Saya. Her hair was a little longer since our last interaction, but it was definitely Saya I was looking at.

“Elaina…?”

At the sound of my voice, the person wearing my body turned around, and in that moment, I was convinced I knew who this was.

“……”

“……”

We looked at each other, there in front of the café. It was just like looking in a mirror, and both of our faces were stunned. It took us a moment to realize precisely what had happened to us.

To put it simply, an incomprehensible situation had befallen us.

Could it be that…our bodies…have swapped?

Let’s take a moment to collect ourselves.

To that end, we escaped into the café, ignoring the waitress who shouted, “Welcome… Oh! Boss, I love you!” and ran off somewhere. We sat ourselves down in a booth by the window.

“Huh? What’s this? What’s going on? I don’t understand. Explain it to me, please.” Trapped in Saya’s body, I reached out and firmly shook the shoulders of Saya, who sat across from me, in my body.

“I don’t know either! I just ate some candy, and then I turned into you, Elaina… But I don’t know the reason why the city is like this.”

Uh-oh.

“Never mind that. I more or less understand the reason.”

“Huh?”

“…Anyway, getting to the reason why we switched bodies…”

So it was the candy’s fault. Sure enough, I ate it, and it was in Saya’s mouth, too, but…

“No, wait. What did you mean that you know the reason why the city is like this?”

“…Uh, let’s leave that aside for the time being.” I waved both hands casually to the sides.

“Ah, come to think of it, I should have had a box with me, but…what happened to it? Apparently, it was a dangerous object that absolutely should not be opened.”

“……” This time, I averted my gaze.

“Eh, what’s with that reaction?”

“……”

“…Don’t tell me you opened it?!” She shot up in her seat.

“……” I knew I couldn’t talk my way out of this one. “…Well, just a little.”

“A little! What were you thinking?! Really!” Saya smacked me gently. Seeing her in my body, I was taking more mental damage than physical. “Wasn’t it obvious that no good would come of opening that?!”

“No, because nobody ever told me a single word about opening it being bad!”

“My younger sister didn’t stop you?”

“Sister?”

“If you and I swapped minds, then you should have been in the place I was before, where my sister was. Wasn’t she there? She’s got black hair and is disturbingly sensual.”

“……”

Ahhhhhh…I love you.  

—Big Sister… I’ve… For a long time, I’ve…

“Uhh… Yeah… Her…”

“Your eyes have gone blank.”

“…So you two are sisters? You…look alike…”

“Huh? Do you mean it?” Looking not at all disappointed, she chuckled. “Eh-heh-heh…”

“Could I get you to stop making that face with my face?” Exasperated, I looked out the window.

The city was still in chaos. People continued to chase each other around.

“Elaina, what are you looking at— Ah! I love you!”

On the other hand, immediately after Saya had followed my gaze to the café window, she was glued to her own figure reflected in the glass. I’ve never been more confused.

What’s she doing? Has she lost her mind?

“Pull yourself off the window, please.”

“No way! I’ll never separate from Elaina, for the rest of my life!”

I let out a sigh. “…For the time being, our priority ought to be getting this city back to normal, right? —Well, not really we, I guess. That’s what I ought to do anyway.”

Because I’m the one who caused this.

“All right, and since right now I’m Elaina, I should do something, too, right?”

It was a confounding way of speaking in an already confounding situation, but Saya seemed to be saying that she was going to join forces with me.

I’m grateful, but get off the window, please.

“…What could have been inside that box, I wonder? Smoke flooded the city, then everyone started acting all funny, but—” Saya was groaning as she tilted her head in contemplation.

Get away from that glass!

“……”

I did have somewhat of an idea, since her little sister had said she would deliver the box to the island nation, and everyone in the city had gone crazy the moment I’d opened the box.

This wasn’t a spell. It was a curse.

From what I could deduce after watching Saya regain her sanity when she saw me in the glass of the café, whatever had flooded the city wasn’t anything like a love spell, but…there wasn’t anything we could do from that information.

Ultimately, our situation was basically the worst-case scenario.

…Just because I know what it’s not, doesn’t mean I’ll be able to deal with it right here and now.

“The Antique Store Posse probably knows something.” I cradled my head in my hands.

Saya put a hand down on my shoulder, and said, “I heard this from my little sister, but apparently, that lot knew about the box… They might know how to deal with it.”

And then, Saya told me every bit of information she had heard from her sister, from the beginning.

Blah-blah-blah. In conclusion…

“…I think we can probably resolve this situation if we hunt down the Antique Store Posse, capture them, and make them spit out everything they know.”

She nodded decisively at me.

“I have a feeling—not sure why—that the Antique Store Posse was also involved in the cause of our body swap.”

“…Well, it would be a little much for it to be a coincidence this happened because of some candy.”

In other words, we had been tricked into eating the candies as part of some scheme and ended up like this. At least, that was my suspicion.

Makes sense. Assuming they could get me in position to open the box.

“Anyhow, we need to find one of the members of that Antique Store thing, don’t we?”

If someone from the opposition could just conveniently appear, that would save us a lot of time and effort, but—

I let out a sigh. That’s when it happened.

“Nobody mooooooooove!”

The door to the café slammed open, and a truly suspicious-looking group with pieces of fabric covering their faces swarmed in.

Each of them held an extremely old sword or gun, a bow or spear, or even an ordinary pen or frying pan. Everyone had something, from real weapons down to ordinary household objects. From the looks of them, they appeared to be garbage collectors holding their trash.

“Don’t waste time! The effects of the smoke won’t last a full day! Before it wears off, we’ve got to steal anything we can and escape! Don’t hold back! Hurry up and get it done!”

With raucous shouts—“Hyah-hah!”—the group raged around the café, snatching money from customers’ wallets, running off with coins out of the cash register, and while they were at it, destroying tables and other fixtures.

Well.

What a bunch of lowlifes. Who on earth could these guys be?

We looked at each other.

“……”

“……”

“Come to think of it, my sister did say that the Antique Store Posse was going to rob all the shops around town.”

“Oh-hoh, perfect.”

And then, I stood up.

“…………………………….Um, sorry for getting carried away.”

“That’s just fine, really. So long as you tell me where your leader is.”

There was a horrible witch there, laughing to herself—“Oh-hoh-hoh!”—as she abused the men who were tied up with ropes. Her elegant black hair extended as far as her shoulders, she wore a black robe and a pointy hat, and she kicked, kicked, kicked at the men.

She must have been some sort of demon.

And who was that witch?

That’s right. She’s Saya.

“Stop lying, Elaina.”

“……”

From directly behind me, a girl with ashen hair was glaring at me. It was me, but with Saya inside. But if it looked like me on the outside, couldn’t we just say it was me?

I’d started to act pretty recklessly with this new mentality.

“Please don’t act so out of control in my body,” Saya begged. “After this incident is resolved, all kinds of people are going to be angry with me.” She had her cheeks puffed out in anger.

Since I was currently inside Saya’s body, everything I did now would be blamed on Saya later.

I see.

I sat down in front of one of the veiled thieves.

“Hurry up and talk. If you don’t, I’m going to break your fingers one by one. Snap! Snap!”

I described in brutal detail how I might use a spell to sadistically bend his fingers back until they snapped.

“H-huh…! I’m a member of the Antique Store Posse, you know? I’ll never give in to such a threat—”

“Okay.” Snap!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!” he cried in agony. “Wa-wait, wait! Wait just a—”

“Hup.” Snap!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!” Another agonized wail. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll tell you! I’ll—”

“Hm?” Snap!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

For someone who belonged to an organization that upset society like the Antique Store Posse, the thief seemed quite the gentleman, truly compelled by a strong sense of justice, and he readily answered all my questions.

“Please don’t lie, Elaina.”

“……”

There was a girl with ashen hair staring at me in disappointment.

After that, we headed for the whereabouts of the leader, which I had convinced (forced) the thief to tell us about. Apparently, the person they called their leader was hiding in the basement below one of the city’s taverns—

“…Ohh…to think my Elaina is a sadist who cackles as she breaks people’s fingers… I can’t…”

As we were walking to our destination, the girl behind me wept openly.

I glanced at her only for a moment. “Don’t tell me you really thought I broke that man’s fingers. Also, I’m not ‘your Elaina.’”

“Eh? But, Elaina, you’re wearing the pendant I gave you, aren’t you? See?”

“Oh, I was thinking of selling it.”

“So mean…”

“……” I let out a heavy sigh. “Come on. Of course I’m joking—and also, I didn’t really break that guy’s fingers.”

“…… No, but, Elaina, I’m sure I watched from right behind you as his fingers bent in a strange direction.”

“Like this?” With a low grunt of exertion, I applied the same spell to my own finger and snapped it backward.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!” The horrible wail belonged to Saya. “W-w-w-w-w-w-what are you doing?! My fingeeeeeer!”

“Calm down.” You’ve got to stop making those faces while you’re in my body.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

“I thought I told you to calm down!” I lifted the spell that I had placed on my finger. Immediately, the digit went back to normal. I was able to bend and flex it just as if nothing had happened.

“Aaah…huh?” Blinking her eyes in surprise, Saya cocked her head. “What the…?”

“I simply used a spell to bend the finger just shy of the limit of its movable range, that’s all.”

A human finger could bend backward to about roughly ninety degrees. If you force the finger to move just barely shy of that range, it is excruciatingly painful. And if it happens very quickly, it might make you think that your finger has been broken.

In reality, I had tampered with the man’s sense of pain, but I didn’t feel any particular need to talk about that, so I decided to keep quiet.

“…But if you didn’t actually break anything, what was that strange noise?”

“I snapped some celery.”

“Celery.”

The man had been tied up with rope, so he mistook the sound and the pain to mean his fingers had been broken, and that was enough to convince him.

When you put it into words, that’s all there was to it.

“Well, I imagine they hate mages because we do these kinds of things to them…”

Unbothered by the series of events, we talked about this and other things as we walked through the city that was gripped in tumult.

We arrived at the tavern after a little while.

The basement of the tavern was dim and gloomy. The air was stagnant, and in the middle of the room, a lamp hanging from the ceiling cast an orange light, causing all the dust dancing through the room to sparkle.

Deeper inside was, sure enough, the figure of the person in command of the Antique Store Posse.

“Hoh-hoh-hoh…hah-hah-hah…heh-heh-heh-heh…!”

The woman standing there letting out ominous laughter had long, sleek red hair. I couldn’t tell how old she was. But I had heard that voice before.

“Hoh-hoh… Right about now, my men are taking advantage of the uproar in town to go around stealing money…heh-heh-heh…”

Since she had her back to us and was reading a book, the woman seemingly had not noticed our arrival at all. What an idiot.

“As soon as the person from the United Magic Association came to the city, I body-swapped her with an ordinary citizen and made her open the box she was carrying… What a perfect plan that was… He-he-he-he… Now this city is mine!”

As we listened to the woman talk loudly to herself, it became clear what had happened.

Me in my civilian clothes, and Saya in her robe.

The woman and her group had had their eyes on the package that Saya was planning to send to the island nation via this city, so when Saya had come to town, they must have hatched a plot to get her to open the box.

I would think they could have used hypnotism or something, or snatched it away from her by brute force, but the method they had chosen was apparently a body swap.

“When they ate that candy, they swapped on the inside…and once that happened, she opened the box! A truly groundbreaking method! Hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah! This time for sure we will have total victory!”

I feel like that plan has a lot of holes in it…though, crazy as it was, it did work… So I suppose we’re the real fools…

“By the way, why did you body-swap a mage and an ordinary citizen?”

Wouldn’t it have been a safer plan to swap the mage with a member of the Antique Store Posse?

“Why, you ask? Why, that’s obvious!” Laughing loudly, she said, “I mean, body swapping means you have to get inside the body of a mage, right? Wouldn’t that be hellish?”

“……”

Aha.

Certainly, it would be personally revolting to be forced to spend a day as a person that you hated—enough to make you nauseated.

“Didn’t you consider the possibility that this ordinary person and the mage might just happen to be acquaintances?”

When I placed a hand on her shoulder, the woman spun around.

“Huh? There’s no way that could—” Her expression stiffened.

Time seemed to stand still as she stared at us with her mouth hanging open, shifting her gaze slightly right to left, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

“……Huh?” And then at last she spoke. “…What are you doing down here?”

I recall it was a very small voice.

“I just came to buy something,” I answered her flatly. “You’ve got candy, right?”

“…………Sighhh.”

So reality was bleak, it seemed.

There was no more candy.

We would need to wait patiently for a whole day to pass so we could return to normal. The woman hadn’t readily produced more candy, so we asked her directly, and that was the answer she gave.

That was annoying.

“So we’ll go back to normal after one day, right? There’s no way you’re wrong about that?” I questioned her, and she nodded and sniffled with tears in her eyes.

Apparently, the very existence of mages was an insult to this gang of thieves. And so they had planned to release the smoke throughout the city. They had come to know what sort of thing was inside the box through certain back channels and had executed our body swap to acquire it.

That seemed to be the situation.

“So what are you going to do? It’s your fault that the city is in chaos, isn’t it?”

According to the thugs who had invaded the café, everything would go back to normal within a day, but I knew we would never be able to stop all the robberies. The people were already rioting. A return to normal wouldn’t change the fact that the city was already in chaos. This was the worst-case scenario.

“H-humph! Looks like you’ve come to the wrong place! The city won’t go back to normal, even if you show up in our lair. My men are excellent at what they do! I’ve ordered them to steal what they can and then get out of town immediately! Hah-hah-hah! Victory is ours!”

“……”

“……”

We didn’t ask to get involved in this stupid situation. How come you’re wearing a triumphant expression, like you’ve beaten us or something?

“Do you understand the position that you’re in here?” I forced her up against the wall and slammed my hand into the wall beside her. “Right now, you are in our hands. We’ll be able to take you hostage and lure your whole gang out to be arrested at once.”

“H-humph… Is that a threat? My comrades wouldn’t come out of hiding for that.”

“All right, well, until they show themselves, how about I break your fingers one by one? If they still don’t appear, then I think I might tear off your fingernails. If that still doesn’t do it, I could break your arms. If that’s not enough, I suppose I’ll lop off your useless fingers one by one. I’ll use any and all techniques at my disposal, and I absolutely won’t let up, though your throat might go hoarse with screaming… I wonder what state you’ll be in by the time all of your comrades finally appear?”

My tone of voice was a little bit threatening, but I only started talking like that because she didn’t seem to show much remorse.

“……Waah.” The woman started to cry.

Saya cringed in disgust. “Elaina, I can’t tell which one of you is the bad guy anymore!”

I was no devil, so I would have liked to avoid such violent behavior, if I could. If it were possible, I would prefer to proceed peaceably. However, even if we started hunting for this woman’s minions right now, we’d never be able to catch them all—

I was troubled, very troubled, but determined not to let it show on my face.

“…No, there’s no need to search for them,” someone said.

A voice echoed through the basement after Fang Lady and I had been glaring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

It was a voice I knew.

“……”

When I turned around, I saw the figures of two witches standing there. There was, in addition, a mountain of junk, from weapons like swords and spears, bows and hatchets, to stationery, ordinary furniture, and kitchen utensils. It looked like a pile of assorted rubbish.

They were two witches whom I knew.

One of them had soft blond hair like stardust, tied up in a single bunch behind her head. She wore a robe with two brooches clipped onto her breast, one shaped like a star and the other like the moon.

“It’s been a while—”

The other had smooth, long black hair like midnight and a nonchalant air about her. She wore a black robe and pointed hat, and upon her breast was a single star-shaped brooch.

“Don’t worry about the Antique Store Posse that was running wild outside. We dealt with all of them,” the blond witch declared, exhaling purple smoke from her long pipe.

“But how on earth did this all come to pass? Are they still terrorizing the city, despite what happened in the past?” the black-haired witch asked, tilting her head curiously.

Who would have thought that we would reunite here?

Who would have thought that she would come to a place like this?

If I’d had even the slightest warning, I would have tried to look presentable. I really didn’t like the thought of anybody seeing me like this.

For starters, I’m not even myself.

“…T-teacher,” Saya said, wearing my body and dripping with sweat. She looked at the blond witch—at Sheila.

“…M-miss?” As for me, wearing Saya’s body, I looked with a panicked expression at the black-haired witch—at Miss Fran.

Their faces brought back many memories.

…Wait, did Saya just call Sheila “teacher”?

It was surprisingly simple to return the city to normal. Apparently, all we had to do was open the box again. Once she had been turned over to the United Magic Association by the four of us, Fang Lady had told us the truth of the matter.

After the girl who turned out to be Saya’s younger sister had exhibited strange behavior, I’d had to make a pretty quick escape and ended up leaving the box behind, so returning things to normal got delayed until we could retrieve it.

How thoughtless of me. It wasn’t my fault, though. I mean, I was in a daze back there, right? So I couldn’t think straight. I did nothing wrong.

In any case, we went back to Saya’s little sister’s room—Mina’s room—opened the box, and restored the land to normal.

“…She’s still sleeping.”

Mina was still lost in a dream. She was in a sound sleep, breathing deeply on the floor.

“Huh? Why is she sleeping? What did you do?” Saya was eyeing me suspiciously.

“I didn’t do anything.” In fact, she did stuff to me.

Not that I’d tell you. I can’t.

To confirm that the city was back to normal—and do some sightseeing while we were at it—the four of us ventured out into town.

“Uh…what on earth…did I…?” A man—lying half nude in front of a mirror for some reason—sat up, holding his head.

“Oh no. Did we…?” A waitress from some restaurant somewhere sat up from a slender man’s lap.

“…H-hey! What the hell?! Getting all frisky on me…”

“Y-you’re one to talk! Stop! I’m not interested—”

A bittersweet drama was playing out on a nearby street corner.

Everyone appeared to have returned to normal.

“…Thank goodness.” Saya sighed with relief.

“You said it.” I nodded quietly.

…Except we’re not back to normal yet!

“I was certainly surprised to find you two here. I knew that Sheila’s pupil was coming to this city, but to think that Elaina was here, too…” Walking alongside us, Miss Fran gazed kindly at Saya.

…Since I was still body-swapped with Saya, and since we hadn’t quite found the right timing to reveal that fact, we continued the conversation even as my mind was still running wild with frustration and discomfort.

“Well, I heard all the details from the rampaging members of the Antique Store Posse when we met them outside. Sounds like you two had a hard time. You were forced to open that box against your will, I’m sure?”

She doesn’t seem to have heard about the body swap…and thinks that all of this happened because the Antique Store Posse forced me to open the box. She hasn’t considered that I opened it on my own.

Sheila said, “Well, this was some calamity.” Her hand came down on my shoulder, and she blew smoke in my face. It stank.

“What brings the two of you to a place like this?” I tilted my head questioningly as I wafted the smoke away with my hand.

Since I was currently in Saya’s body, the gesture looked somewhat out of character.

“…? Hm? Have I made your acquaintance?” Miss Fran tilted her head right back at me.

Sheila also wore a puzzled face. “What’s with you? Someone’s calm today.”

To make matters worse, Sheila was staring intently at me, getting closer and closer, peering deeper and deeper into my eyes, like she had started probing for something, “Hmm…?”

I don’t know if her intuition was sharp, or if she had a keen eye for things like this, but Sheila stared at me for a while longer, then confidently said, “…Something about you is really off.”

…Maybe it’s better to go ahead and come out with it…? But it seems like the situation will only get more complicated once we tell them that we’re swapped… I’m really afraid of what they’ll think when we tell them we caused the whole situation ourselves.

I have a feeling they would get angry at us.

“Ah, could it be that you…?” Sheila poked at me as I was standing there silently, not answering her. “Is that it? You’re acting all innocent in front of your beloved Elaina?”

What is she saying? Seriously. What is she talking about?

“Ah, wait…! Teacher! Please don’t say…!” Saya was in a flustered panic—in my body.

……Aaah, this is so awkward…

Seeming not to catch sight of the red-faced Saya waving her hands and acting suspiciously behind her, Sheila grinned mischievously and slung her arm around my shoulders.

“Hah. What’s this? You’re all innocent now? As if you aren’t always saying, ‘Next time I see Elaina, I’m gonna XXX her XXX, and XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX—’”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

“Whoops, my bad. She’s right here.”

She was so evil.

“My goodness, Saya…was it? Are you all right? Your face looks red.”

“Who wouldn’t go red after having it revealed in front of Elaina herself that she wants to XXXXXXXX Elaina—”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

“Quiet, Elaina. Are you feeling okay?” Miss Fran was staring intently at Saya, who was in my body.

Really, this situation was beyond complicated.

I could only sigh and wish that tomorrow would hurry up and get here.

In the end, we stayed silent about our body swap to Sheila and Miss Fran, but it goes without saying that it placed some serious strain on our relationship.

“…Um, forget what she said, Elaina. Um, you see, the thing is that…”

After the four of us had strolled through town for a while and eaten a meal together, Saya and I had broken off from our teachers. I would have liked to stay with them for a little longer, since it was a rare reunion and we had many stories to exchange, but as I’ve said many times already, I was not myself, and we felt like we might die if we stayed with those two any longer.

Especially Saya.

The two of us had decided to stay in the same inn due to the body swap. I was the one who had rented the room—at the moment, that meant Saya did.

While we were at it, we brought Saya’s younger sister—in her unconscious state—to our room. The innkeeper’s eyes opened wide with surprise when he saw two girls carrying another girl on their shoulders, but we got him to keep quiet with a hefty bribe. Gold makes right.

“…Uuuuuuuuuuuugh… It’s not truuue…” Saya was cowering on the floor, and I looked at her indifferently.

“…I don’t really mind, you know.”

It totally didn’t bother me when I heard you want to XXX and XXX and XXX me, or XXX my XXX. I was just like, “Uh-huh? Yeah? Sure.” I’m serious!

“You’re lying… You find me creepy now, don’t you?!”

“That’s not true.”

“But your eyes are dead, Elaina!”

“These are your eyes. They’ve always looked dead.”

“Meanie.”

“Well, honestly speaking, I did cringe a little.”

“See, I knew it! My life is over! I’m gonna end it all!”

Tears streaming from her eyes, Saya began to pound her head repeatedly on the floor. Strangely, it resembled the posture she had taken one time in the past when she prostrated herself to beg me to teach her magic.

By the way, do you realize that’s my body you’re hurting? What are you going to do if you damage me? Stop that at once!

“Um, look, Saya. I did cringe a little bit, but I really don’t particularly mind, you know?” I got down from the bed and put my hand on her shoulder.

“…Eh?” Her face was very cute as she looked up at me. It was none other than my own face, after all.

Chasing a bad joke away to the edge of my mind, I smiled at her as best I could. “I’ve always known you thought these things, Saya, right from the beginning. So it doesn’t really bother me.”

“I caaaaaaaaan’t! I’m gonna end it all!”

Uh-oh. Looks like I poured salt in the wound.

“Please don’t. Or at least wait until tomorrow.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! She slammed my head into the floor violently.

What are you doing? Stop it. Surely, you’re disturbing the people staying in the room below us. At this point, I finally got serious about trying to stop her.

“Um, Saya, you know, we all have wild fantasies, especially at your age. So there’s really no reason to feel down because yours were exposed—”

“Stop it, please! Don’t be so nice to me!”

“…I’m sorry…”

“I might get pregnant!”

“No matter how painful the lesson, you never learn, do you?”

You need to do some serious reflection.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

“Come on… Hey, I’m going to have to ask you seriously to stop injuring my body.”

After that, I feel like we yelled at each other for a little while. I don’t know how long we were at it, or how noisy we were being.

But we must have been rather loud.

“……Nngh.”

…Because Saya’s little sister woke up.

She sat up on the bed. After staring in puzzlement at the unfamiliar ceiling, she took a look around the room, then finally looked at us.

……

Mina saw me—in Saya’s body—pinning her sister’s arms behind her to stop Saya—in my body—from violently hurting herself.

“…Big…Sister…? Who is that person?”

Why did you have to wake up now…?

“I see… So my big sister solved everything, huh? …Well, she is my sister after all. Of course she’d be able to handle that.”

We told the whole story to Mina after she woke up. From opening the box after we body-swapped, to the insanity that befell the city, to the fact that everything was already resolved. We told her everything.

It would have been fine by me to keep quiet about the body swap, but not letting her know would have posed problems in several ways, so with all the tender grace of a goddess, I told her the truth.

“Body swapping is a little…well, hard to believe. But that means my sister wasn’t the one to open the box. That’s what you’re saying, I’m guessing?” Mina nodded in understanding.

“Well, yeah, that’s what it comes down to,” Saya answered, nodding sharply.

“……” Mina had her eyes fixed on me. She added, “…Well, whatever. I’m not bothered either way.” I was shocked.

Mina flipped her hair without a care. I thought about revealing her immodest conduct the day before to Saya, and it was about to come out of my mouth, but I restrained myself, barely.

“What was that smoke, I wonder? The townspeople started acting strangely.” Saya tilted her head questioningly. “Hmm?”

“Ah—about that.” I recalled something at that moment and clapped my hands. “I asked Miss Fran and Sheila and got them to question Fang Lady, and she said that stuff is a powerful magical aphrodisiac. It increases desire a hundredfold, so you won’t be able to keep it together if you see someone you even kind of like. And it’s strong enough to drive you totally crazy if you see someone you really like. Apparently, the smoke is cursed.”

That’s why the people of this city had been chasing each other around or running away.

Apparently, that was that.

“…Whatever.” Mina flipped her hair again.

Oh-hoh. Is that it? That’s the attitude you’re gonna display?

“Well, you know, the reason why people started acting strangely yesterday was wholly because all their romantic inhibitions stopped working. I won’t say who I’m talking about, but—” I shot a glance at Mina. “I’m going to tell her about your immodest behavior yesterday. Is that all right?” I was sure that’s what I said, but—

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

Strangely enough, it was Saya who started wailing in terror, not Mina.

I’m not talking about you. I mean, it applies to you, too. It applies to both of you sisters. What is your deal?

“…I really don’t care.”

On the other hand, Mina was looking back and forth between me and Saya, as her face quietly turned crimson. I sensed this secretive girl and I had something in common.

I felt like I now understood, more or less, one reason behind why Saya had chosen me to be the one to teach her magic.

As soon as everything was over, the box that had been meant to be sent to the island country, the object that had been behind the whole incident, was sent on its way, along with the various objects that held strange powers.

Since the island country had a policy of national concealment that made reaching it a great difficulty, and since there was a ship scheduled to depart for the island only once per year, properly speaking, protocol was to deposit parcels for safekeeping in Qunorts until the ship was ready to leave. But this time, it was an object from the island country that had caused the terrible incident, so the United Magic Association forced it to be sent immediately. It was accompanied by a letter stating roughly, We recovered this for you, so how about you send back a nice reward?

The following day, a letter of reply came that said, in neat handwriting, Fine. Thank you for this. (From now on, whenever you find something, go ahead and destroy it on the spot. Don’t go to the trouble of sending it back. It’s a nuisance to have you demanding money every time!)

By the time we got the letter, Saya and I were back in our original bodies.

The strange incident finally came to a close.

Saya and Mina had jobs to get back to, and I was a traveler. Sheila and Miss Fran had simply come to the city on a vacation. Our impromptu reunion was necessarily short-lived.

If we were together for a longer time, surely our partings would become more painful for everyone.

However, at the table in the café where the five of us sat before going our separate ways, it felt like none of us really wanted to leave. I couldn’t be the only one who wanted us to stay together.

As we sat there, Miss Fran and Sheila told us all sorts of things.

Saya’s little sister worked at the United Magic Association just like Saya. Sheila was Saya’s teacher. Sheila and Miss Fran had been instructed by the same teacher in the past. In short, they were pupils.

They told us that they had faced off against the Antique Store Posse in this country in the past. Ever since the first incident with the gang, the two of them had been close colleagues. Once a year in commemoration, they took a trip together—

We heard all kinds of stories, and we shared all sorts of things about our lives, too. Especially, that I was writing a book.

“…Yes, I’m telling you, Sheila has been like this for a long time. She refuses to give up smoking. She doesn’t think about if it bothers anyone around her, of course. What do you think? She’s a dummy, right?” Miss Fran snickered with Saya.

Before I realized it, we’d all gotten lost in conversation.

“Oh-hoh.” Saya laughed. “…I’m always telling her to please quit smoking, you know. But she doesn’t listen to a single thing I have to say.”

“She’s simply convinced that inhaling poison makes her look cool.”

I felt like I was watching something rare unfold.

“……” On this side of the table, Mina was staring fixedly at me. “…So you’re Elaina, huh?”

“That I am.”

“I’ve heard all sorts of things from my big sister—that you taught her magic after I left her and that you two reunited in some other country.”

“……”

“She seemed really happy when she was telling me about it…”

Then why do you seem a little jealous? Why are you grinding your teeth? Please stop. You’re starting to scare me.

“Why did you leave Saya behind in the Country of Mages?” I asked. “That really hurt her feelings, you know?” I spoke in a whisper, so that my words wouldn’t reach Saya’s ears.

“Ah, about that.” The person who answered me was not Mina, but Sheila. “I wanted her to hurry up and get through her training to become a witch, so I pushed her to return to her hometown. Saya has a habit of depending on people, right? If she never left her sister’s side, it wouldn’t have been good for either of them. That’s why.”

I see, I see.

“…I was sure Mina had run out of patience with Saya and just left.”

Sheila snorted at my words. “No, actually, Mina was rather furious! Shouting at me, like, ‘Why did you pull me apart from my big sister?’ and ‘I’ll never forgive you!’ and ‘I’ll curse you till the day I die,’ and so on.”

“Huh!” That was unexpected. Well, after what happened yesterday, I probably shouldn’t be too surprised.

“The way it stands, I’m not sure which one of them was more dependent on the other.”

“Please, you can just leave it there…” Mina was grinding her teeth as her face flushed bright red.

The conversation kept going after that. There was no clear direction, no coherent focus, yet the interesting, amusing, aimless chat was somewhat like a journey.

But time could not last forever.

The hour for parting was coming to call.

“Waaaaaahhh! No! I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna go back! I want to be with Elaina a little longer!”

There was a lone girl kicking up a fuss and whining in front of the gates of the Free City Qunorts. If you’re wondering who this embarrassing child could be, it was Saya.

Sheila had caught her by the nape, dragging her roughly along. She looked just like a little kid throwing a tantrum, or maybe like a wayward kitten.

Exasperated with her charge, Sheila let out a huge sigh. “What are you throwing a tantrum for? We’ve got work to do, so we’re going home.”

“All right, I quit.”

“Huh? How are you going to eat?”

“I’ll get Elaina to take me as her wife.”

“Uh, no can do.” I’ll pass.

“See?” Sheila snorted.

“Big Sister. Give it up.” Mina also grunted, glowering intensely in my direction.

I think she hates me… Like a lot…

“No waaaaaaaaaaaayyy! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

Saya’s awful wailing echoed through the town until she had left the city completely behind.

The girls, members of the United Magic Association, had to depart the city. After all, they had work to do. Consequently, Miss Fran and I had gone to see them off, but…

“…You certainly are loved.” Miss Fran let out a dry laugh from beside me.

“…Well, I guess…I am…”

In truth, I was at a loss for how to respond, so I let my sentence trail off.

“……”

“……”

We saw Saya and the others off, and then it was time for our own parting.

Even though we were just standing there—even though the only change was that we could no longer hear Saya’s screams—for some reason, the silence was stifling and almost impossible to bear.

“I’ve told you about my own teacher, haven’t I, Elaina?” Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who found the silence difficult to sit through. “I’ve told you about the freewheeling traveler who was very strong, wise, and stingy, haven’t I?”

“You’ve told me, and I’ve listened.”

“Well, don’t you think she sounds like anyone you know?” Miss Fran tilted her head.

Her usual expression was nowhere to be seen.

“…Who knows? There are probably plenty of people like that, aren’t there?”

“She sounds like you,” Miss Fran said, without pausing. “Very strong and wise, but stingy. Isn’t that exactly like you?”

“…Could you be making fun of me?”

“A little bit, if you still haven’t realized the truth.”

“……”

A freewheeling traveler who resembled me.

It’s not that she’s like me. It’s more accurate to say I resemble her.

And I’m guessing that person has ashen hair, lapis-colored eyes, and used to wear a black robe and a pointy hat.

I bet she is brimming with self-confidence.

And perhaps, she might have written a book while she was traveling. If we’re the same, that is.

“You seem to have already realized it.” As if she could read my mind, Miss Fran continued nonchalantly, “Who was the person who taught me magic? Who is the witch you have always aspired to be? You really must have guessed long ago.”

“…” I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. “Well, who is she?”

“Goodness. Don’t play dumb.” Miss Fran let out a quiet laugh. “I see you still haven’t addressed your inability to be honest when it comes to important things.”

“It doesn’t cause me any trouble not to fix it.”

“I don’t think it would cause you any trouble to fix it either.”

“……”

“I wonder how long we’ve known each other, hm?”

“I’d say several years. I don’t think it’s been all that long.”

I think we’ve spent more time apart than together.

“I guess you’re right, but I think I’ve got you more or less figured out. I mean, it’s clear to me. It’s clear that you’ve vaguely realized who taught me and Sheila and who penned the book you’ve so treasured.”

“……”

“I can also see that even though you know, you’ve been turning a blind eye.”

She didn’t seem to intend to rebuke me. Instead, Miss Fran was there, smiling kindly, wistful eyes open just barely, as always.

Somehow it was very nostalgic, and I couldn’t look directly at her.

So I averted my gaze and spoke in fits and starts.

“The author of that book—”

The Adventures of Niche. The title of my beloved book.

“…The author wrote five books about her travels then dropped off the face of the earth. Leaving behind only her books, she winked out of sight. Ever since then, there have been no new publications, and ultimately, it’s never been made public just who the author was or where she came from.”

“Yes, I know…”

“One day, when I find that out, I feel certain my own self-indulgent travels will come to an end.”

The impetus for starting my journey had been, to put it mildly, related to The Adventures of Niche. I had set out to follow the same paths as the author and feel traces of the author as I traveled.

That’s what I have been doing.

I wonder what would happen if I knew who the author was?

I would probably conclude that I had lost my reason for continuing to travel.

I suppose it has been easier in that case to turn a blind eye.

“I still want to keep on traveling, I want to keep moving from place to place. I want to take my time and do as I please.”

I want to make a story that won’t be over in five volumes.

And so, since my journey can’t be over yet, I don’t think that’s something I can allow myself to realize just yet. I want to be myself, the Ashen Witch. I want to be an ordinary traveler.

What I said to her clearly and concisely was just that.

“……” Miss Fran did not criticize me for my ambiguous goals. Neither did she seem particularly disappointed. She simply fixed her eyes on me. “…Even if you did discover who your hero really was, I don’t think it would change anything about what you’ve done so far.”

“…I wonder.”

“It’s true. Did you know? My teacher always seemed like she was calculating, but she had quite a careless personality.”

“……” Seriously?

“And you’re also quite careless.”

“……” Seriously?

“That’s why I don’t think you need to sweat the small things.” Miss Fran smiled. “But sooner or later, you’ll need to go back to your hometown. Your mother is worried about you.”

“…I suppose she is.” Sooner or later.

Though I don’t know when that day will be—

“There’s certainly no changing that—up until now and from now on—you are an ordinary traveler,” Miss Fran said. “But please, don’t forget that we are always thinking about you—or that we will always love you.”

How can she be so sappy with a straight face? Sly old witch.

“……”

I simply kept looking away from her, pretending to be lost in my own thoughts, as I pondered what she had said. Somehow, at times like these, my ability to form words or actions would fail me, so I simply just stood there in a daze.

I suppose I was, as I had always been, still a girl who had trouble being honest.

No, no. Even I have to have some moments of truth.

So I mustered my courage and squeaked out, “I love you, too. I love you, Miss Fran—and everyone else.”

That must have reached Miss Fran’s ears.

I could sense her usual smile was on her face, though I couldn’t look directly at her, even though she was right in front of me.

“Good-bye, Miss Fran.”

“See you later, Elaina.”

In this way, our latest parting—who knows how many times we’d done this—was a modest affair.

After all the excitement had died down, and Miss Fran and Sheila had left the city together, I took my first step forward.

The curtains were opening on a new journey.