Cat, fox, and dog, all gathered together — who would've thought.
"A Witch, you say... hmm."
"Um, that's the Witch over there... um, she's beautiful. Very beautiful..."
Pakira and Juicy were stunned into silence.
Why is the Witch here — no. Wait. Something clicked.
"She's not the Witch."
"Hmm?"
"Whuf?"
"Eh? Eh?"
I pointed clearly and declared.
"You are not the Witch!"
"Eh?"
"Whuf?"
"No, no, no, no, she's definitely the Witch. She's the master. So what's going on here?"
"Lies! An eternal shut-in Witch can't possibly go out into the city! I've never seen the Witch outside her forest home or the forest itself. Don't be fooled!"
There's no way an eternal shut-in, eternal loner Witch could come to the city on her own!
You fiend, you imposter! Of all the people to impersonate, you chose the most troublesome Witch there is!
A transformation Relic, huh. A disguise Relic, is it. You fiend. A disguise Relic!
"Sure, sure, Kon does spend about 90% of the year cooped up at home, but look — these fox ears. And three tails. Look closely. She's definitely Kon."
She turned slightly, presenting her rear, and waggled three tails back and forth.
The Witch's three tails are actually each different in fur color and texture.
Starting from the right.
The first tail is silvery-white from base to tip, fluffy and full.
The second tail has a blonde root fading to a white tip, soft and plush.
The third tail has a silvery base with a blonde tip, fluffy and wispy.
So these three tails mean…!
"Ah, she IS the Witch! The real Witch!"
I realized it all at once. Three fox tails. A big butt. And an alluring, sexy body.
It's the Witch. Definitely the Witch. What the heck. It really is the Witch.
"Setting aside the method of confirmation, she does seem to be the genuine Witch. Hmm. Though three tails is certainly unusual. I only have two myself."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but glance at Pakira's tails.
They're white tails of different lengths, but looking closely, the coloring of both tails is… identical.
From base to tip, they're pure white like snow — beautiful.
"Um, um, beastkin with multiple tails are quite rare! I only have one!"
"Juicy. You don't need to emphasize that so deliberately. Besides, you're wearing a skirt. How indecent."
"Um, um, woof. Sorry."
Juicy's ears turned red to the very tips as she crouched down and hid her face behind both hands.
Adorable. That counts. Her tail tip is a faint black.
Not the curled-up type but the drooping type — its shape flared out wide.
Striped panties, of all things… they exist in this world too.
I was a little moved.
"Haha, haha. Yes, yes. What delightful children you are."
The Witch watched me with a wry smile. I apologized.
"I'm sorry."
"Oh my, oh my. I feel like I finally understand how Kon sees Wof-kun."
"I'm sorry. I never imagined the Witch could actually go outside."
"Hey, hey! No, no — I can, I can. Certainly, certainly. Going outside the forest is… well, how long it takes is honestly beyond me. Getting here, my heart broke over and over, the MPs kept getting suspicious, and just until a moment ago I was so depressed about the trip back that I was half in tears."
Ah, this is truly my master, the Witch.
Pakira looked exasperated.
"…She really does seem like the ultimate form of a useless person. So this is the Witch."
"Um, um, um, but I understand! I have a sister who's always shut herself in the Tabasa family crypt, so I get that sort of thing!"
"Wha — wha — surely you can't compare me to someone shut in a crypt!"
The Witch was exasperated. Fair enough. Incidentally, that sister…
The one who made Rel eat rotten-meat pudding, and chucked a piping-hot rotten-meat pizza right at her.
That thirteenth sister.
Who would've thought she lived in the crypt. Isn't the Tabasa marquisate insane?
Oh, right, that.
"What is that… Tabasa's darkness, perhaps?"
"Um, um, um, no! It's darkness, but it's not that kind of darkness!"
"It's not darkness?"
It's darkness, isn't it. The kind you'd call a dark history.
Probably one that'll never be cured. The Witch looked amused.
"Yes, yes. You really are very delightful children. That's right — let's do introductions first, shall we? I am the Witch. I'm a Class I delver with the epithet 'Supreme Witch,' and I'm Wof-kun's master."
"I am Pakira, a Class III delver and member of Torquetam."
"Um, um, um, my name is Juicy Tabasa!"
"Uh, I'm Wof. I'm the Witch's apprentice."
After introducing ourselves, I felt a little awkward.
The Witch grinned.
"My dear, dear disciple Wof-kun is always such a bother for everyone, isn't he~"
"Well, yes — I suppose I've also been a bother, now that you mention it."
"Um, um, um, Wof-sama has been a bother for me too!"
Has he? Maybe, maybe.
The Witch was in high spirits. Come to think of it, seeing the Witch actually talk to other people is a rare sight.
"Yes, yes. You really are adorable children. But, but — I've been wondering… *cough cough~ cough cough~*… are you Wof-kun's lovers?"
"Lovers?!"
What's with that laugh.
"H-huh!? Wh-what are you saying, you Witch! Normally you'd say girlfriend or something! Ah — wait, no! I-I'm not — not at all!"
Pakira panicked. Her cheeks flushed crimson, her tails shot straight up, and she flustered in every direction.
"Um, um, um, woof. Um, um, lover. Woof woof… woof!"
Juicy flailed her hands about, whining helplessly.
My old dog back home used to make that exact same sound when she'd buried her precious baseball and was looking for it.
She'd buried it herself — I sighed.
"Witch, why 'lovers'?"
"Because, because, you see, Kon is Wof-kun's girlfriend. So, so — you two must be Wof-kun's lovers, right?"
"Girlfriend?!"
This is the first I'm hearing of it.
"Whuf!? Um, um um, um um, um! I'm — I'm Wof-kun's — no, um, Wof-sama is… a f-friend! A very important friend! And the Witch is not Wof-sama's girlfriend!"
Friend? Pakira said to the Witch with an air of relieved rescue.
"That's right. We're friends! Close friends. And, Witch — you're not his girlfriend, are you?"
"That's right. We're friends. Also, the Witch is my master."
Right, right. Friends. Friends. And the Witch is my master, not my girlfriend.
Then the corners of the Witch's mouth curved up with amusement, and she started smirking with a distinctly mischievous glint. What now.
"Actually, actually — if you write 'master,' it reads as 'girlfriend.'"
"It doesn't read that way."
"It does not."
"Um, um, it doesn't. It doesn't read that way."
We shot back immediate retorts, and the Witch let out a slightly embarrassed wry smile.
"My, my, you two. You're awfully quick on the trigger for people who say you're friends."
"Precisely because we're friends. We won't let some bad woman get her hooks in."
Saying that, Pakira grabbed my arm and pressed against it — for some reason.
"Um, um, um — it's only natural to be concerned for Wof-sama as a friend."
Saying that, Juicy also grabbed my arm and pulled me toward her.
Both of them glared at the Witch with sharp, piercing stares.
The Witch looked at us and grinned.
"Hmm, hmm. Since both my arms have been stolen, I'll settle right here, shall I~?"
"Hey, wait —"
The Witch threw herself full-force into my chest. Wait a minute!?
"Fox, what do you think you're doing!?"
"Um, um, even from the Witch — that, woof — that's no good!"
"Oh my, oh my, what are you doing~"
"You — fox — get away!"
"Um, um, please get away from Wof-sama!"
"Hey, all three of you —"
"Nyaaaaa!"
"Grrrrr!"
"Kooooon!"
"Hey — all three of you, stop squirming around!"
What even are these cat, fox, and dog? Is this a zoo? Beautiful girl animal — the Witch is a beauty.
Fine! Stop fighting over me in the middle — all sorts of things are pressing against me! They're pressing! Are you pressing on purpose?!
Well, mainly the ones doing the pressing are the Witch's and Juicy's.
Pakira's tail and rear are pressing a lot. Yeah.
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Nyaaaaaaa!"
"Oh, come on —"
"Koooooon!"
I am powerless.