Chapter 6: Girl, Resolves
THEY gathered in front of the house an hour later, fully prepared for their journey. Wolfie carried a huge yellow rucksack on his back, which bulged with all the items crammed inside.
Nichika had just finished putting on the equipment Charlotte had given her. Pulling the deep-crimson mantle over her school uniform, she slipped the arm bracers on under her sleeves as protection for her forearms, then tugged on a sturdy pair of brown leather boots in place of the loafers she’d lost to finish off her travel gear assembly.
Charlotte whistled. “Aww! You look even more amazing than I thought! I have outstanding taste, if I do say so myself.”
“Wow!” Nichika agreed, “The design is so cute for such practical and sturdy gear!”
“Isn’t it? Isn’t it? I made all of it!”
Not only were the items solidly built, they had also been enchanted with magic to ward away evil among other things. As one might expect, clothes fashioned by a witch were of a different caliber.
The wind went out of Nichika’s sails as she remembered a certain glaring detail. Undoing the buttons on her mantle, she apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss Charlotte. I feel bad to say this after you let me try all these clothes on, but I don’t have any money on me to pay for it.”
“Oh, no biggie!” Charlotte flashed her a sneaky grin and whispered secretively in Nichika’s ear, “I’m adding ALL the costs to Osy’s bill. Let him buy this much for you. You’ve got that kinda relationship, right?”
“I told you, we don’t!” Nichika bleated, turning bright-red.
The witch only chortled in return. “Just kidding! You’re a cutie, Nichika, so I’m writing this off as a special freebie. I look forward to your patronage from now on!”
Charlotte’s so generous! Overwhelmed with gratitude, Nichika quietly thanked her again and bowed her head.
“Oi! What’s with this bill?!”
The homeowner had finally come outside. He’d apparently abandoned his worn-out, seedy black robe for a long leather overcoat and had fastened a traveler’s mantle on top, which was naturally black as well. Despite wearing all black, he looked like he was made for it instead of a suspicious creeper, which had to be because of his handsome face. Nichika resented him for his blessed looks.
“What you have is already cheaper than it should be. It’s an exceptional price, considering the market value.”
“Hmph. You don’t have to deliver food for a while.”
“Yup, yup. I know.”
Osy pulled an emerald stone from his leather pouch and handed it to Charlotte.
Nichika carefully studied the interaction between the two witches. Is that the currency in this world? Hmm, now that I watch them though…
“I’ll contact you once things settle down.”
“I’ll drop by again when you do. And please choose somewhere I can reach you by broom.”
“No promises there…”
Am I wrong to think they’re the ones with a special relationship? A blonde beauty and a black-haired, handsome young man. They’re a picture-perfect pair. Blegh. Are there only good-looking people in this world?
A palm smacked her in the forehead while she was brooding over her own childish face.
“C’mon, we’re leaving. I’ll leave you behind if you don’t pay attention.”
“Wh-Whoa! Hey!” Catching her balance right before toppling over, Nichika took another look back at Charlotte. “Thank you so much, Miss Charlotte!”
“Be careful, okay? Let’s meet again soon.” The blonde witch nimbly straddled her broom, and, with a carefree smile, she kicked off the ground. In a sudden gust of wind, she rose above the trees in no time.
After watching her go, the remaining three walked to the forest’s edge. Eyeing the back of the man clothed in black in front of her, Nichika ventured, “Hey?”
“What?” he answered without glancing back at her. So he was at least willing to talk to her, for now.
“So your name is Osy, huh?”
“Don’t address me so casually. Call me Lord Oswald.”
His curt response ticked her off. “Yeah, right,” she muttered.
Oswald noticed her pout out of the corner of his eye and snorted.
Wolfie, meanwhile, appeared to be in the best of moods as he joined their conversation. “You should just call him Master too, Nichika!”
“No thanks. It’ll have a different meaning if I call him that.”
Oswald raised an eyebrow. “There’s a difference between the two of you?”
“I don’t remember signing up to become your slave!” Nichika retorted and stuck her tongue out at him. Did he think she’d let her guard down around him?
As she treaded on the crunchy forest undergrowth, Nichika felt grateful that her new boots fit perfectly. They had melded to her feet, as comfortable as a pair of shoes that had been broken in after years of use yet still had all their padding. She had one less thing to worry about now.
“Oz. Hey, Oz,” Nichika pestered him until he turned a grudging eye on her, “Why are you a witch and not a wizard?”
“Huh? What part of me looks like one of those cracks?”
“Well…” she trailed off, not wanting to say, “all of you,” after hearing the venom in his voice. Was there some sort of common understanding that there was a fundamental difference between witches and wizards unrelated to gender? She just couldn’t get over how strange it sounded for a man to be called a witch.
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re having right now, but ‘witch’ is an occupation here. It’s a general occupational term used to refer to anyone who creates tools and items enchanted with magic. It has nothing to do with gender.”
“Interesting.”
“Don’t get me started on the wizards… I’ve no intention of ever joining the ranks of those meatheads who live only to flaunt their power. Besides, witches make way more money.”
“Oh, my first guess was right. It’s about the money.”
“Oi, Nichika? Right now I’m doing you a big favor and simply adding the inconvenience fees to your tab, but I will be having you pay me back for all of it.”
“S-Someday, okay…”
Nichika was slowly starting to understand his personality—he was eccentric, annoying, and miserly, almost to a hilarious degree.
Their surroundings had shifted into a gentle downward slope. The space between the tightly packed trees grew more sporadic, and Nichika took care to hop over the protruding tree roots as she descended through the thick underbrush.
She wanted to drop the topic but didn’t want the forest’s noises to be the only sounds, so she decided to ask another question. “Can you not fly?”
“It’s conventional wisdom that male witches can’t fly.”
“It is? So are there different things that male and female witches can do in this world? Can normal people not use magic at all? And what’s the Witch’s Council?”
“S-Slow down.”
Her barrage of questions had overwhelmed him. Unfortunately for him, Nichika was an inquisitive girl who didn’t shy from asking questions.
Her enthusiasm suddenly gave way to serious contemplation. “Can I become a witch too?”
“……” Oswald studied her, considering it, and Nichika instinctively stopped. After a pause, he wordlessly beckoned her with his hand.
“…?” She obediently jogged over to him. Taking both of her hands in his, he poured a minuscule amount of magic into them. “Whoa!”
An electric current rushed through her body—vivid crimson dyed her wide-open eyes before receding.
“OW! What did you just do?!” Nichika hopped away from him like a cat with its back arched as her rounded eyes returned to their natural black color.
“…Hmm.”
“What?”
Surprise slightly coloring his features, Oswald quickly walked off again after his little test.
“W-Wait for me! What just happened?!”
“Beats me,” Oswald dismissed her.
“Nichika!” Wolfie chimed in, “Guess what? Guess what? I wanna go shopping with you once we reach town! And then after that we can…”
The group disappeared beyond the grove of trees, holding what seemed like three completely disconnected conversations. A short while later, the sound of large wings flapping echoed through the still forest.
“……”
Whatever had showed up disappeared faster than it had appeared. In its wake, a single golden object fell from the sky. The golden, feather-like, beautiful work of art fluttered onto the dead leaves below, glowing unceasingly. Sparkles emitted from where it fell.