Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 6 - Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The Story of a Disease, a Witch, and a Broom

Among mages, there are those bearing the title of witch, the highest rank. But when I encounter people who are under the impression that a witch is some kind of fantastic person who can solve any problem no matter what, I can’t help but shake my head.

Witches aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. There are many things we can’t do.

For example, we can’t bring the dead back to life, and we can’t stop time for the whole world, and we can’t manipulate the weather with complete mastery… I mean, there are probably some witches who can, but I definitely can’t. If I could, I wouldn’t be stuck inside on rainy days.

Witches also can’t achieve immortality. We can’t be alive and dead at the same time. We can’t be awake and asleep at the same time. There are all sorts of other examples, but in short, witches aren’t omnipotent. (Although the things we can do are so wide-ranging that it would probably be easier to list all the things we can’t do rather than the things we can.) And really, it’s never bothered me that I can’t do those kinds of things. Even if I could be awake and asleep at the same time, what would the point of that be?

However…

…If there just so happened to be a witch who could cure any illness, what would that be like?

By the time most people become witches, they have a good handle on spells that can heal injuries, but as for a witch who can cure any disease… Well, in all my days of traveling, I’ve never heard of such a person, much less seen one.

Though it would be so wonderful if she existed.

I’d very, very much like her to come to my side, and deliver me from this terrible illness. Won’t anybody conveniently appear and cure me?

“…Cough.”

If not, I think I might die.

Just now, I’m sure that was the icy grip of death closing around my heart. I’m suffering from a serious illness. A true matter of life and death.

As I was talking to myself like this, the ceiling that I was looking up at was warping and distorting, and I could tell that my head was spinning with fever. It felt like the flow of time had slowed to a crawl.

Did the second hand on the clock always move so slowly…?

“Are you all right, Miss Elaina?”

From beside the bed came a gentle voice that sounded very concerned for me. When I raised my head, there was a girl looking down at me with a face just like mine.

I tried to shake my head, but I was so sluggish that it was out of the question. My mouth opened and closed several times until eventually I managed to sigh, “…I’m not…okay…I think…I’m dying…”

Now, this serious illness, this grave matter of life and death that held me in its icy grasp, this source of all my suffering, what could it be?

That’s right, I have a cold.

“No, no, it’s just a common cold. What are you saying?”

I was looking down at Mistress Elaina, who was staring weakly up at the ceiling from her bed.

Since I was her broom and stuck close to her side every day, I also knew the reason for her current condition. Despite it being the middle of winter, she had opened all the windows in her room before hopping into bed, saying, “Today I feel like enjoying the cool air.” That was where she messed up. You see, occasionally, Miss Elaina can be something of a hopeless moron.

“Oh…I’m certain that I’ve caught some awful, local disease… I’m sure my time is almost up… Just go, my beloved broom. I don’t think I’m going to recover… Death comes for me…”

My owner was obviously physically and mentally exhausted by her illness. Either that, or her questionable life choices were finally catching up to her in her hour of weakness.

“It’s all right, Mistress Elaina. I’m sure you’ll be at peace soon.”

“You’re right…because I’m going to die like this…”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Hmm…? Euthanasia…then…?”

“That’s also not what I mean.”

She had gone right past acceptance, straight to abject surrender.

You’re not going to die from a simple cold!

But the only reason I was able to have a conversation with Mistress Elaina like this was because she had cast a spell that had me assume human form.

I recalled her summoning me while being ravaged by the brunt of her illness.

“Medicine… Please…go buy me some medicine…,” she had begged me.

“……Um, I would like to go and buy you some medicine, but…”

“No…you can’t.”

She wasn’t acting like the mistress Elaina I knew. She’d grabbed hold of my skirt and refused to let go. She’d waited so long to summon me that she’d gone delirious, and instead of sending me to fetch medicine, now she begged me not to leave her side.

When I’d taken human form, Elaina had been collapsed on the floor, so I quickly moved her to the bed, but…

“…Don’t go, please…” Before I could leave to buy medication, Elaina looked at me with bleary eyes. “Listen…if I’m left alone like this, I’ll die… I’ll bite off my tongue and swallow it and die, are you all right with that?”

“Do you even have the energy to bite your tongue off?”

“Yeth.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yeth, ah do.”

“I can see you trying, and you clearly don’t.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

And so we went around in circles.

“But if I don’t go, you won’t get better, Mistress Elaina.” I hardened my heart, shook Elaina’s hand off, and stood up.

“Ah…”

If I were to describe Mistress Elaina’s expression at that time, I would say that she looked as pitiful as a puppy abandoned by the roadside, tired and sad beyond description. She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. I was surprised to find myself choking up a bit. The sight of her hurt my heart a little.

“…Well then, I shall stay by your side and read you a book until you fall asleep, Mistress Elaina. How does that sound?”

I hoped the compromise would get Elaina to agree that I had to leave her alone to fetch the medicine she needed.

At my suggestion, Elaina seemed slightly relieved.

“In that case…I understand… All right, please return before I wake up…okay?”

“……”

How is it that I want to protect her one moment and slap her the next?

I cleared my throat loudly, shaking off those brutish thoughts, and took a seat at the end of Mistress Elaina’s bed.

The book that I opened was The Adventures of Niche, the copy that Mistress Elaina carried around with her.

She’s read this one many times before, so she should get tired of it and fall asleep quickly.

“Um… Once upon a time, in a certain place, a witch—”

“Zzz…”

She was asleep.

Five seconds after I started reading, Mistress Elaina had passed out.

“……”

I quickly left the room, thinking many things I would rather not say.

I recalled that Mistress Elaina had arrived here several days ago, and apparently since the time of her arrival, a plague had been running rampant throughout the city.

Under a cloudy sky, the city was dark and gloomy, and all the people walking down the streets looked powerless, as if the life force had been drained from their bodies. They shuffled around like living corpses.

Rather than lively conversation, it was more common to hear sneezes or coughs when you passed them by. It seemed like every person I encountered was somehow sick, and it felt like it was only a matter of time before I was infected. Though that was really just in my head. I am an object, after all, so I don’t actually have to worry about getting sick.

“Let’s see… I suppose I first have to find a drugstore…”

I didn’t know this city, but I was confident I would somehow eventually find what I was looking for as long as I kept moving. On an impulse, I started down a particular street, and discovered that the drugstore was surprisingly close to our hotel.

It’s close enough that Mistress Elaina could have come here herself, right?

However—

“Hey, what happened to you?!”

“Hurry up and give us some medicine!”

“My child is suffering from this illness! Do something, quick!”

“If the drugstore won’t sell us any medicine, who can we turn to?!”

“Hurry up and come out!”

A crowd of people had gathered in front of the store, driven by the epidemic running rampant through the city. The swarm of frightened people threatened to engulf the shop. Angry shouts rose from the crowd, and a chorus of booing broke out.

What in the world is going on here?

“Hee-hee-hee… This has turned into quite a serious situation, hasn’t it?” An old woman suddenly appeared beside me, watching the crowd from outside with a know-it-all look. “Good grief,” she said, and shrugged, “you know, in this city…right now, there’s a terrible plague going around.”

“Uh-huh…”

I can see that.

“The girl who owns this shop always makes such wonderful medicines to stave off the plague. But you know what? Recently, she’s stopped making any medicine at all.”

“Is that so…?”

Well, I kind of gathered that, but…

“So now the city is in an awful state. No one who’s caught the sickness is recovering. That’s what’s causing all the commotion in front of the drugstore. If you ask me, it’s a real problem. Hee-hee-hee…”

“……”

Then, after she’d laboriously explained many things I’d already figured out just by paying attention to the state of the town, the old woman left.

I wonder what she was hoping to achieve…?

It occurred to me that actually, if the people standing in front of the drugstore had enough energy to form a mob, they would probably get better with a little rest, no medication needed. Regardless, it didn’t seem like I was going to get what I came for.

I was in a bind. Judging by the crowd that had formed here, the owner of this shop was probably the only one who was able to make a medicine to combat the illness that was afflicting Mistress Elaina.

……

Wait, that means…

To put it another way, if the owner of this shop would just make some medicine, Mistress Elaina could get back to her usual healthy self.

All right, for now, let’s go meet this drugstore owner.

“Don’t close yourself up in there! Come out!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Sell us the medicine!”

I pushed my way through the crowd and stealthily went around to the back of the store. See, thanks to being an object, I pick up on things that regular people don’t notice. For example, the separate entrance on the back side of the shop.

“…There it is.”

And sure enough, there it was.

“Heh-heh-heh…looks like you found me somehow.”

There stood the back door, taunting me.

“But do you suppose you’ll be able to pick my lock? It’s very strong, you know.”

I wasn’t sure why, but the door’s subtly provocative attitude made me angry.

Ignoring what the door had said, I found a bit of scrap wire lying in the street nearby.

And then I applied it to the lock.

See, thanks to being an object, lockpicking is one of my specialties.

“Psh…my defenses are solid! I’ve only ever offered it up to one key in all my life! You won’t open me that easily!”

Clink, clink.

“Don’t do that! I can’t open for a wire!”

I quickly turned the handle. The door unlocked smoothly.

What a weak lock that was.

“W-wait, please! What… What are you planning to do with me?”

I opened the door.

“Aah…you can’t… Stop that, please… I’m so embarrassed…”

I closed the door.

“Thank you!”

After I made it through the weird door, a gloomy room spread out before me.

From the moment I entered, I had noticed the smell of chemicals, a smell particular to a drugstore. The pungent aroma permeated the room, and I couldn’t help but grimace.

The space was in terrible disarray, and all sorts of objects within were crying. The papers scattered over the floor. The vials that looked like they had been discarded halfway through being mixed. The abandoned ingredients. The room was filled with antique furniture, but every surface was covered with clutter. I felt like I was in a hoarder’s house.

In every direction, I could hear the mournful cries of all the objects, lamenting their cruel fates. They were all cursing at the lady of the house, who was crouched in the middle of the room.

“Hey, don’t abandon uuuus!”

“Oh, I’ve been lying on the floor so looong!”

“You can’t treat us this waaay, you awful human!”

And so on. They were just like the townspeople outside.

“……”

Of course, the owner couldn’t hear what they were saying. Because they were objects.

“Boo-hoo-hoo…it’s all over…”

Wait, maybe they were getting through to her somehow. The girl who owned the shop was wearing a white chemist’s coat and had blond hair. She seemed like she was usually very beautiful, but…her eyes were hollow and her face was pale. She looked like she had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.

“I can’t keep this up… I just don’t care about anything anymore…”

She was muttering like the world was ending.

“Hey, don’t give up hooope!”

“Waaait, you’ve gotta hold on!”

“You can’t treat yourself this waaay, you awful human!”

The objects tried to encourage her. Though of course she couldn’t hear their voices.

“Umm…are you all right…?”

I knelt in front of the girl. I couldn’t help but feel pity for her.

She looked up, but didn’t seem especially surprised by me, even though I had suddenly trespassed into her room. “P-please…,” she said, bowing. “Won’t you please help me…?”

I didn’t know what to say.

What are you talking about?

“What happened here…?” I asked.

“I’m totally done for!” the girl exclaimed. “I can’t make any damn medicine! I can’t do it, gimme a break!” Her cheeks were wet with tears. She was obviously scared and desperate.

“Um… It seems like a lot of people will suffer without your medicine, though…”

“What do you know, you jerk?! You ever think that maybe I’m sick, too?! I don’t have time to be making medicine!”

“Goodness, you’re sick?” That is awful, I thought. “What illness are you suffering from?”

“Lovesickness!”

“…What?”

“Love! Sickness!”

Ah, so you’re perfectly healthy.

The pharmacist whose name I didn’t know ignored my astonishment and started telling me about her circumstances.

“The truth is that recently, there’s been this guy who’s been getting friendly with me. I also have feelings for him, actually. I was really starting to like him, but…earlier, he gave me a necklace. It has a gem embedded in it, and it’s really beautiful, but when I looked it up, it turned out to be the stone that symbolizes ‘friendship’ in gemstone language, you see? He wants to be friends with me. Not date me. Not marry me. Friends with benefits is all he’s after! That’s what this stone means! Have you ever heard of such a cruel betrayal?! No, you never have! Damn it all!”

“…Huh.”

She threw the necklace down in a fit of tears. But several seconds later she said, “But…but I can’t hate him! I love him!” and picked it right back up. The girl was obviously emotionally unstable.

But it was clear that unless I did something about this lovesickness, she wouldn’t make me any medicine.

If this girl doesn’t cheer up, Mistress Elaina won’t return to normal. That’s a problem. I must do something to get Miss Pharmacist to make the medication.

I had half a mind to go join the angry mob outside if the girl didn’t start cooperating soon.

“Um, can I ask you a different, but related, question?”

“What is it?!”

“…If your lovesickness was…cured… Would you make medicine for us then?”

“Of course! But that’s impossible! Augh!” She sulkily threw herself on the ground. “I can’t do it!”

I ought to be the one throwing a tantrum right now, but…

No one would be cured if I didn’t do this. There was no other way.

“Well then, allow me to solve your problem for you.” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “By the way, do you know the saying, ‘Sickness starts with the mind’?”

“I do. But why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“No reason. I just wanted to feel like I had said something clever.”

For now, I need to start by searching for the man she loves.

Necklace in hand, I left the pharmacist at her house.

I was headed out to find her beloved.

“Which direction should I go to reach the man’s house?”

I dangled the necklace from my hand.

Since I am an object, communicating with the necklace was no trouble.

“Go three blocks farther, then make a right and you’ll be at the man’s house, yes!”

“Is that the truth?”

“The truth, yes!”

This necklace was quite the travel guide.

Following its instruction, I proceeded ahead three more blocks, then turned, and when I did, sure enough, there was the man’s house. Well, since I hadn’t known where the it was to begin with, all I could confirm was that there was indeed a house. For further confirmation, the necklace cried out, “We’re here!”

To be honest, what the necklace said was, “Here, yes!”

We were standing in front of a completely unremarkable home. But since the necklace had said it, there could be no doubt that this was where the man lived.

“Excuse me!”

I rang the doorbell.

And waited.

But there was no answer.

“Excuse me!”

This time I knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

We had no time to wait.

There was no helping it.

“W-wait…! What do you plan on doing with that?” Clink, clink. “D-don’t! I’ll get messed up if you put a wire in me!”

I picked the lock and went inside.

“…Boo-hoo-hoo… I’m completely…hopeless…”

Inside, a man was crouched on the floor. His vacant eyes, devoid of vitality, were staring intently at a single point on the wall, “Ah…I, too, want to become a stain on a wall…” He had clearly given up on life.

Well then…

…I wonder what’s wrong with him.

“My heart…is broken…”

The man, who seemed neither surprised nor alarmed by my sudden intrusion into his home, looked like the most exhausted person on earth. He had heavy bags under his eyes, and it was clear that something was tormenting him to the point of insomnia.

“Aah…I guess you probably came to steal my stuff… Well, take whatever you want and go… I really don’t care…”

I was pretty sure I knew what was going on.

The man let out another lifeless sigh. “The truth is…a while ago, I gave a necklace to a girl I liked…and then…ever since…she’s been shut up in her room… She even stopped doing her job at the pharmacy… That’s right…she must have been so grossed out to receive a necklace from a disgusting guy like me…”

The man looked about ready to keel over.

“Um…are you all right…?”

He was so haggard that I think even if I had been an ordinary burglar, I might still have been concerned for him.

“I can’t go on…”

“Um, please cheer up…? You look just fine! Very handsome!” I put a hand on his shoulder.

“Stop it! Don’t be nice to me! You’re gonna make me cry! I might fall in love with you!”

“Umm, okay, when I said that you look handsome, I was just paying you a compliment, you know? My heart isn’t exactly pounding over here, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

“…Isn’t that a little harsh?”

“It’s appropriately firm.”

“……”

“By the way, the necklace you said you gave to a girl… Is it this one?”

I held up the necklace so he could see.

“Th-that’s…!” The look in the man’s eyes changed. “Why do you have it…? Ah…I see… She threw it away, huh…? Because I’m so disgusting…”

I’m getting really tired of this!

“Wrong. I had a little something to discuss with you, so I borrowed it.” And then, I said, “Do you know the meaning behind this necklace?”

“……?” He frowned and tilted his head. “The meaning…? No, I just bought it because I thought it was pretty…”

“……”

He hadn’t realized that the stone indicated “friendship” in the language of gemstones.

So that’s what happened.

Of course, I realized that from the very beginning.

Because the necklace told me so.

“This man picked me out, saying ‘I think this will look good on her,’ yes!”

It goes without saying that I had seen this ending coming from the very beginning.

In other words, to make a long story short, this is what had happened. These two people were, without a doubt, in love. So in love, in fact, that they were each blind to the other’s intentions.

And there’s also the matter of sickness starting with the mind.

“Here you go. Please, take your medicine.”

“I hate medicine. Especially powdered medicine.”

Mistress Elaina turned her face away from the medication I was presenting to her.

Are you a child? Are you really being a baby about this?

“Don’t be so stubborn. If you don’t take this, you won’t get better.”

“I. Don’t. Like. It.”

“All right, will you stay sick forever?”

“I. Don’t. Want. To!”

“Well then, take your medicine, please.”

“No!”

Mistress Elaina turned away, shaking her head.

Seriously, what on earth is this? You told me to go buy medicine, and now that I’ve bought it and brought it back to you, you’re rejecting it? Has the fever made you crazy? Is that what’s going on?

“Just take the medicine!”

“No!”

We continued to argue back and forth, until finally I forced the medicine down Mistress Elaina’s throat.

“Bleeeh…”

Then she started to cry.

I was crying, too. I never wanted to see Mistress Elaina in such an awful state. I would not be able to get the thought of her like this out of my mind.

“By the way, Mistress Elaina, I will soon revert to my original form, but—”

“You can’t! Please don’t go…”

“…Well then, I’m going to read your book to you again, so…won’t you please forgive me?”

“I don’t under— Zzz…”

“Once upon a time, in a certain—huh…? That was fast…”

And so the curtain fell on my own little adventure.

After that, I stroked Mistress Elaina’s hair as she slept, and, taking a bit of a liberty, I decided to record my story. I felt it was only right, after all my hard work. When Mistress Elaina wakes up, once again in good health, and reads what I’ve written in her journal, I’m sure she’ll laugh and forgive me. I think.

When I opened my eyes, my fever was gone, and my mind was clear. I recalled the trouble I’d caused when the fever had come on, and how I hadn’t been myself.

My broom was leaning against the side of the bed. It looked just like it had fallen asleep while watching over me as I slept.

Next to the broom sat one volume of my diary. Recorded there, in neat handwriting remarkably similar to my own, was a thorough report on everything that had happened while I was asleep.

……

I thought I could feel my fever returning as I scanned the pages.

Ahhh, I can’t believe I acted like that… I wanna die…

But even when I was at my worst, no matter what terrible things I said, my loyal broom stuck by me. I knew that whenever I needed her, she would be there for me. And I also knew how much I depended on her.

I picked up the broom from where it was leaning against the bed and set it on top of my lap.

And then, I stroked the brush end of the broom. It was stiff and coarse and not even a little nice to touch.

“I’ll be depending on you whenever I’m in trouble, so please look after me, okay?”

My voice echoed around the room, then faded into silence.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I mess things up and have to summon you to save me, but…

…When that time comes, please forgive me with a smile, okay?