"Do you really think that's normal?" Hayashi Shuichi asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I..."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Akane Koizumi's ruby-red eyes. After a long silence, she shook her head slowly.
"No wonder... whenever I begged Mother to teach me magic when I was little, she always looked so reluctant." Her voice grew quiet, trailing off into a whisper. "Thinking back on it now, maybe she just didn't want me to inherit the Red Magic after all."
"The restrictions on a witch are too heavy," Shuichi sighed. "Your mother probably wanted you to live the life of a normal person—not to be shackled by magic to the point where you aren't even allowed to cry when you're sad."
"But then why did she chase me away to Tokyo?" Akane kicked at a stray piece of paper on the ground, looking sullen. "She told me to find the person who changed my wheel of fate, but she never told me what to do once I actually found him."
"Maybe that wasn't her primary goal," Shuichi suggested, pondering it for a moment. "Perhaps your mother just wanted you to experience the life of an ordinary girl before you have to inherit the Red Magic. To laugh like a normal girl... and to cry like one, too."
"A normal girl?"
A flash of confusion crossed Akane's red eyes. When she finally processed his words, she balled her hands into fists and glared at Shuichi, her cheeks puffing out. "Hey! What part of me isn't normal?"
"Normal girls don't curse their entire class with stomach aches," Shuichi said, unable to suppress a chuckle. His shoulders shook slightly with amusement. "That was a complete schoolyard-level prank."
"What else was I supposed to do? It's not like I can use magic to kill them," Akane pouted, turning her back to him in a huff. Her voice carried a hint of genuine grievance. "School life is so boring. I'd rather go home and study magic with Mother."
"That's only because you're such a shut-in!" Shuichi spread his hands helplessly. "In all the time since you enrolled, have you made a single friend in class? Have you spoken to anyone for a reason other than them asking for a fortune-telling?"
"...Hmph. I don't need friends," Akane insisted, lifting her chin stubbornly.
"You really don't?" Shuichi said in an offhand manner. "This weekend, a few of us are planning to go to the beach. Everyone from the Izakaya is going."
The beach... A clear glimmer of envy flashed through the witch's eyes. Every day when she went home, her life consisted of nothing but studying magic and engaging in a monotonous Q&A with her Magic Mirror.
"Why don't you come along?" Shuichi invited.
"Me? No, I don't want to—"
Before Akane could finish her refusal, Shuichi cut her off. "If you don't go, then I'm not going to fulfill those two favors I owe you."
"Hey! You—that's cheating!" Akane stamped her foot in frustration.
"So what if it is?" Shuichi laughed heartily. "What are you going to do, curse me? Oh, I forgot—your magic doesn't work on me!"
"Hayashi Shuichi, you are a total jerk!"
Incensed, Akane swung her foot to kick him, but Shuichi had already anticipated the move and bolted toward the stairs. The witch immediately gave chase. Amidst the playful bickering, the dark cloud that had been hanging over her heart began to dissipate, forgotten in the heat of the moment.
After school.
Because of the mysterious stomach ache at noon—which had vanished as suddenly as it appeared—Eri Kisaki had lost her mood to spend the afternoon reading in the library.
As she and Shuichi walked out of the main building together, they saw Akane Koizumi standing by the school gate, her head lowered as if she were waiting for someone.
"She wouldn't happen to be waiting for you, would she?" Eri cast a sidelong glance at her childhood friend. "I thought you said you weren't going to get involved with her?"
If I hadn't gotten involved, you'd probably still be stuck in the restroom...
Shuichi grumbled silently to himself, but on the surface, he merely shook his head. "She probably has something she needs to talk to me about."
"Heh. You certainly aren't denying that she's waiting for you, are you?" Eri huffed, quickening her pace to walk ahead of him.
"...Could you please stop using those lawyer word games on me?" Shuichi reached out to grab her hand, but she skillfully dodged him.
Seeing the two of them approach, Akane immediately looked up and hurried over to meet them. "What took you so long!"
"What are you doing here?" Shuichi asked.
"Going to your Izakaya to eat, obviously," Akane said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "The curry rice yesterday was only average, but compared to other restaurants, I suppose it was a tiny bit better."
Eri let out a cold snort and accelerated her pace, not looking back once.
"Eri..." Shuichi watched his childhood friend's retreating back with a sigh.
"What's wrong with her?" Akane asked, looking genuinely perplexed. "Is Kisaki-san always this moody? I feel like I always see her looking upset."
"...Never mind." Shuichi had been a bit annoyed himself, but her sheer lack of social awareness took the wind out of his sails.
"What? Are you saying I'm not welcome?" A shadow of disappointment crossed Akane's face, the light in her red eyes dimming slightly. She bit her lip. "In that case, I won't—"
"I never said you weren't welcome," Shuichi interrupted quickly. "It's just that the Izakaya doesn't officially open for business until six o'clock."
"Then I'll just go and wait," Akane said, her energy instantly returning. "I can use the time to do my homework. I don't really understand most of the things they teach at school." At this, she looked troubled. "Especially math. It's way harder than magic."
"If you don't understand the material, how did you even get into Teitan in the first place?" Shuichi's eyes widened in surprise. "You didn't just buy your way in, did you? Are witches really that rich?"
"Who needs money? I just used magic," Akane waved her hand dismissively. "The principal of Teitan is just an ordinary man. It was easy to control him and get him to authorize my enrollment."
"Uh..." Shuichi was speechless, a few drops of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. "That Western-style mansion in 2-Chome... you didn't get it the same way, did you?"
"That, I actually bought with money," Akane said casually. "Before Mother sent me to Tokyo, she gave me a huge sum of money. About a billion yen or so."
So you're actually a little heiress...
Shuichi was inwardly stunned. "If you used magic for the school, why didn't you use it for the house?"
"I have to live in the house long-term. If someone noticed a problem, it would be a huge hassle. As for the school, I didn't plan on staying long originally. I just wanted to find the jerk who changed my wheel of fate and then go home."
At this, Akane glanced at Shuichi.
"But what you said on the roof at noon... it made a little sense. Maybe Mother really did want me to experience the life of a normal girl. So, I've decided to stay at Teitan High for a while longer."
The Izakaya.
When the three of them arrived, Midori Orikasa was already there, waiting quietly by the door as she usually did.
"Senpai, Eri-senpai," Midori greeted them, before her gaze shifted curiously toward Akane...
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